2012 hasn’t disappointed on the music tip. Whether it’s rappers like Schoolboy Q and Meek Mill spitting that audio crack, bands like The Shins and Best Coast letting it rip, or big-name vets like Usher and Fiona Apple singing their hearts out, the first six months of this year have held all our iPods down with plenty of that new-new.

While we wait for the rest of ’12 to unfold with more heat from Rick Ross and Kanye West’s G.O.O.D. Music family—among all the other highly anticipated albums—on deck, let’s take a walk back through the best so far.

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