It's a pretty huge week for hip hop, with new albums by new Griselda signing Armani Caesar, fellow Buffalo up and comers 14 trapdoors, and West Coast legend MC Eiht, not to mention funk legend Steve Arrington, whose classic music was a major influence on G-Funk. Reviews of all four of those albums are in Notable Releases, and I also recommend checking out the new Problem, Namir Blade, Kamaiyah & Capolow, Curren$y & Harry Fraud, and GQ/9th Wonder projects.
We also got a huge helping of great new singles this week, including from Rico Nasty, Saba, Rapsody, Pink Siifu/Fly Anakin, Sampa The Great/Junglepussy, Kipp Stone/Mick Jenkins, Jahmed/Freddie Gibbs, Flohio, Small Bills (Elucid & The Lasso), slowthai/James Blake/Mount Kimbie, and more. Scroll down for all the rap and R&B we posted this week...
RICO NASTY - "OWN IT"
The great Maryland rapper Rico Nasty is gearing up for her new album Nightmare Vacation, and if the booming, super catchy "Own It" is anything to go by, it's gonna be a good one.
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SABA - "MRS. WHOEVER" & "SOMETHING IN THE WATER" (ft. DENZEL CURRY)
Saba's been very prolific and consistently great lately, and he's back with two great new singles: the laid-back, soulful "Mrs. Whoever," and the harder-edged, Denzel Curry-featuring "Something In The Water."
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RAPSODY - "12 PROBLEMS"
North Carolina spitter Rapsody has shared "12 Problems" from Reprise, "a musical initiative uniting artists in protest against social injustice." A portion of the proceeds go to charity, and the song is as sharp and powerful as you'd expect from Rapsody.
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MONEYBAGG YO - "SAID SUM" (REMIX ft. CITY GIRLS & DABABY)
Memphis rapper Moneybagg Yo has tapped City Girls and DaBaby to add even more starpower to his recent single "Said Sum."
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WILLIE THE KID - "BREWSTER's MILLIONS" (ft. CURREN$Y, prod. ALCHEMIST)
Grand Rapids, Michigan rapper Willie The Kid releases his new album Capital Gains on October 2 via The Fly LLC, and lead single "Brewster's Millions" finds him pairing his own in-your-face bars with Curren$y's permastoned style over a psychedelic Alchemist beat.
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SMOKE DZA - SANTOS PARTY HOUSE FEAT. WIZ KHALIFA, BIG K.R.I.T., CURREN$Y
Here’s a trip back to 2011. Early ‘10s staples Smoke DZA, Wiz Khalifa, Big K.R.I.T., Curren$y pay tribute to the much loved, now defunct<A?> NYC venue Santos Party House -- where they used to hang -- with this song and video, which features an animated depiction of the venue.
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JAMILA WOODS - "SULA" (HARDCOVER VERSION)
Having released the "paperback" version of the Toni Morrison-inspired "SULA" in August, Jamila Woods has now released the "Hardcover" edition. The very NSFW video was directed by her close friend and Brown Girls creator Fatimah Asghar who says: "Who do we give ourselves permission to be when we're alone? When our gaze is only on ourselves? I've always loved SULA by Toni Morrison, and been particularly struck by the way that Sula isn't understood by the people around her because of her sexuality. Being in quarantine, connecting to my own sexuality in a way that I hadn't before, re-reading Sula and listening to the song inspired me to think through the concept of the video. The music video follows Jamila as she goes from the outside world to the inside, disrobing in the comfort of her own space, stripping down to her interior-- the part of her no one else gets to see. Quarantine has had us all wondering what our lives, our sexuality, is like away from the gaze of the world. And Sula is all about empowered sexuality, carving your own path outside of what society thinks is okay. Embracing both the empowered erotic in her own way, this video will show a side to Jamila we've never seen before."
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ANITTA - "ME GUSTA" (ft. CARDI B & MYKE TOWERS)
Brazilian pop singer Anitta taps Cardi B (who raps in both English and Spanish on this) and Puerto Rican trapper Myke Towers for the star-studded "Me Gusta."
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CHUCKY73 - "PALOS" (ft. NENGO FLOW)
Following the great Chucky73 & Fetti031 EP, Chucky73 has now announced his debut full-length album, De Chiquito Siempre Cabezu, due October 30 via Sie7etr3/Caroline. New single "Palos" is yet another great example of his ability to blend Latin trap with NY drill.
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BABY KEEM - "HOOLIGAN" & "SONS & CRITICS FREESTYLE"
Rising rapper/producer Baby Keem (who's Kendrick Lamar's cousin and has appeared on records by Kendrick, Beyonce, Jay Rock, and Schoolboy Q) was recently named an XXL Freshman and today he follows that up with two promising new songs.
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PINK SIIFU & FLY ANAKIN - "RICHARD PRYOR"
Underground, experimental rappers Pink Siifu and Fly Anakin have announced a collaborative album, Fly Siifu's, and you can read more about it here.
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SAMPA THE GREAT - "TIME'S UP" (ft. JUNGLEPUSSY)
Zambia-born rapper Sampa The Great meets the tough-as-nails New York rap of Junglepussy on this new remix of "Time's Up" from Sampa's great 2019 album The Return.
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THE AVALANCHES - "MUSIC MAKES ME HIGH" & "TAKE CARE IN YOUR DREAMING" FT DENZEL CURRY, TRICKY, SAMPA THE GREAT
The Avalanches third album is out in December and they've shared two new songs from it: the moody "Take Care In Your Dreaming" featuring Denzel Curry, Tricky and Sampa The Great, and disco track "Music Makes Me High," that is reminiscent of The Avalanches' 2000 debut.
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FLOHIO - "UNVEILED"
UK rapper Flohio releases her new mixtape Unveiled on November 27 via AlphaTone, and the Take A Daytrip-produced title track is a dark, hard-hitting offering of UK hip hop.
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KIPP STONE - "SPRAGUE STREET" (ft. MICK JENKINS)
East Cleveland rapper/producer Kipp Stone will release his new mixtape HOMMÈ on October 20 via Chicago's Closed Sessions, and first single is "Sprague Street" is an intense offering of politically fired-up storytelling that features fellow Midwestern rapper Mick Jenkins.
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JAHMED - "GLIMPSE" (ft. FREDDIE GIBBS)
LA rapper Jahmed will release his new EP ARMANI in October via Human Re-Sources, and new single "GLIMPSE" is a dark, hypnotic, psychedelic song that finds JAHMED holding his own next to masterful spitter Freddie Gibbs.
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SMALL BILLS (ELUCID & THE LASSO) - "SAFEHOUSE" (ft. FIELDED)
Elucid has been having a busy year. He put out some solo music, and then Armand Hammer (his duo with billy woods) released their excellent new album Shrines in June, and now Small Bills (his new duo with Detroit multi-instrumentalist/producer The Lasso) have announced their debut album, Don't Play It Straight, due 10/30 via Mello Music Group. Read more about the album and lead single "Safehouse" here.
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SLOWTHAI - "FEEL AWAY" (ft. JAMES BLAKE & MOUNT KIMBIE)
That's one hell of a crew and you can read more about it here.
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For even more new songs, browse our daily 'New Songs' lists. For more hip hop news, browse our 'Hip Hop News' category.
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