This week we got the very good new Boldy James & Alchemist album, which I reviewed in Notable Releases, and we also got a Benny the Butcher EP (see below), a surprise Ka album (ditto), and new songs from MAVI, J Balvin, Tierra Whack, Denzel Curry, Flee Lord & Roc Marciano, MF DOOM (Thom Yorke remix), Coi Leray, Injury Reserve, Lizzo/Cardi B, and more. Read on for all the rap and R&B we posted this week...
BENNY THE BUTCHER - PYREX PICASSO EP
The very prolific Benny The Butcher is back with a new EP, including appearances by Conway The Machine, Elcamino, and Rick Hyde (who are all on two songs each). It's not easy to keep up with all the music that Benny releases, but don't miss this one. He sounds especially fired up.
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KA - "I NOTICE"
Brooklyn rapper Ka has released a new album for a $20 download on his website, and one song also has a video.
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LIZZO - "RUMORS" FEAT. CARDI B
Lizzo is back with her first new music since breakthrough smash Cuz I Love You / "Juice," with a superstar collab with Cardi B. Lizzo's signature mix of pop and rap is still in effect -- Cardi B fits right in -- and the video features them as the gods they are.
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MAVI - "MAMA SAY"
MAVI follows up his great new EP End of the Earth with another dose of meandering soulful rap.
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J BALVIN - "QUE LOCURA"
After releasing tons of singles this year, J Balvin has finally announced his new album, Jose, due September 10 via Sueños Globales/Universal. Along with the announcement comes the infectious, kinetic new single "Que Locura."
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TIERRA WHACK - "8"
Boundary-pushing rapper Tierra Whack follows her recent fashion-themed single "Walk The Beat" with a football-themed song, "8," which is part of the just-released Madden NFL 22 soundtrack.
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DENZEL CURRY - "THE GAME"
Denzel Curry has also released a new song for Madden NFL 22, and it comes with a video that pays homage to the original Madden NFL 95 game.
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FLEE LORD & ROC MARCIANO - "TRIM THE FAT" (ft. STOVE GOD COOKS)
Flee Lord has announced a new project, Delgado, entirely produced by Roc Marciano, and first single "Trim The Fat" features their pal Stove God Cooks. Read more about it here.
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MF DOOM - "GAZZILLION EAR" (THOM YORKE MAN ON FIRE REMIX)
Thom Yorke has released a second remix of MF DOOM's "Gazillion Ear" (his first came out in 2009), and you can read more about it here.
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COI LERAY - "OKAY YEAH"
Rapper/singer Coi Leray has been rapidly rising lately, and this brief but catchy new song is even more proof of why the rise is deserved.
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WALE - "DOWN SOUTH" (ft. YELLA BEEZY & MAXO KREAM)
DC rapper Wale embraces the sound of Southern rap and teams up with two Texas rappers on "Down South."
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LUDACRIS - "BUTTER.ATL"
"Butter.Atl" starts out sounding like classic Ludacris, but he pivots to modern-day, auto-tuned trap-pop in the chorus.
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G PERICO - "SPAZZ" (ft. REMBLE)
LA rapper G Perico will release a new album, Play 2 Win, on August 27 via Perico Innerprize, LLC/EMPIRE, and first single "Spazz" finds his bouncy West Coast sound in fine form.
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DDG - "LUSTED"
Fast-rising melodic Michigan rapper DDG follows his 2021 album Die 4 Respect with a new single, the somber, catchy "Lusted."
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CHYNNA - "SEASONAL DEPRESSION PT.2"
A posthumous Chynna album will come out on August 20, and you can read more about lead single "seasonal depression pt.2" here.
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NAO - "WAIT"
UK R&B singer Nao has shared another song off her anticipated new album And Then Life Was Beautiful, and this one's an atmospheric, sentimental ballad.
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A$AP TYY - "100 ROUNDS"
A$AP Mob's A$AP TyY is back with a new single, and it finds him churning out loud, abrasive, punk-infused rap.
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INJURY RESERVE - "KNEES"
Stepa J. Groggs of Phoenix experimental rap group Injury Reserve tragically passed away at age 32 last year, but now the group have announced a new album that was largely completed before his passing and features his contributions. Read more about the album and this new song here.
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THEY HATE CHANGE - "FAUX LEATHER"
They Hate Change are a rap/production duo from Tampa with a strong DIY ethos and an experimental genre-defying approach to the genre that pulls from anything from Miami bass to footwork to house music to post-punk to krautrock and beyond. Following recent EPs on Godmode and Deathbomb Arc, They Hate Change have now signed to Jagjaguwar, and their first single for the label is "Faux Leather." Read more about it here.
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EARTHGANG - "ERYKAH"
Atlanta rap duo EarthGang are gearing up for their new album Ghetto Gods, and they've released this soulful new single, which samples and pays tribute to Erykah Badu.
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AZ - "THE WHEEL" (ft. JAHIEM)
Longtime Nas collaborator (and The Firm member) AZ will release a new album, 'Doe Or Die 2, on September 10 via Quiet Money. The album features contributions from Lil Wayne, Rick Ross, Conway The Machine, The Alchemist, T-Pain, Dave East, Pete Rock, Buckwild, Heatmakerz, Czarface, Idris Elba, and more, and new single "The Wheel" (ft. Jahiem) is out now. It's cut from the same classic '90s New York rap cloth that AZ helped define.
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VANJESS - "SLOW DOWN" (ft. LUCKY DAYE)
VanJess' Homegrown EP is one of 2021's best examples of '90s-style R&B, and now EP highlight "Slow Down" has been given an appealing rework with new vocals from Lucky Daye.
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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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