The talk of the hip hop world this week is of course the new Kendrick Lamar album (read our first-listen review), but we also got great new albums from Leikeli47 and Quelle Chris (read about those in Notable Releases), as well as projects from Elcamino, OT the Real x Statik Selektah, They Hate Change, and more. On top of all that, we got singles from Danger Mouse & Black Thought, Post Malone, Vic Mensa & Chance the Rapper, Yaya Bey, Shygirl, Boldy James, Rick Hyde, Namir Blade, Dreezy & Coi Leray, and more. Read on for all the rap and R&B we posted this week…
DANGER MOUSE & BLACK THOUGHT – “NO GOLD TEETH”
Danger Mouse and Black Thought have finally announced their long-teased collaborative album, titled Cheat Codes, and you can read more about lead single “No Gold Teeth” here.
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POST MALONE – “COOPED UP” (ft. RODDY RICCH)
Post Malone’s new album Twelve Carat Toothache comes out June 3 and today he released its new single (and his first new track of 2022), “Cooped Up.” Read more here.
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VIC MENSA & CHANCE THE RAPPER – “WRAITH”
Longtime collaborators Vic Mensa and Chance the Rapper have teamed up once again for “Wraith,” which is part of Chance’s Writing Exercise series, and which was produced by Smoko Ono and Beat Butcha. It’s more of a straight-up, traditionalist rap song than Chance is usually known for, and it’s a nice reminder that he can still pull off this kinda thing.
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YAYA BEY – “REPRISE”
Brooklyn R&B singer Yaya Bey has shared another track off her anticipated new album Remember Your North Star, and it pairs an intimate vocal delivery with a jazzy backdrop that you can’t help but nod along to.
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SHYGIRL – “FIREFLY”
UK experimental pop singer and rapper Shygirl has announced her debut full-length, Nymph, and you can read more about lead single “Firefly” here.
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BOLDY JAMES x REAL BAD MAN – “OPEN DOOR” (ft. ROME STREETZ & STOVE GOD COOKS)
As mentioned, Boldy James and producer Real Bad Man are releasing another collaborative project, the Killing Nothing EP, next week. New single “Open Door” features likeminded rap traditionalists Rome Streetz and Stove God Cooks, and they all sound great over RBM’s head-nod instrumental.
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RICK HYDE – “POZA” (ft. ROME STREETZ, prod. THE ALCHEMIST)
Rick Hyde will release his new EP STIMA on May 27 via Benny the Butcher’s BSF label, and it’ll include this song which was produced by The Alchemist and features fellow boom bap devotee Rome Streetz.
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NAMIR BLADE – “MEPHISTO”
As mentioned, Namir Blade’s new self-produced album Metropolis comes out 6/3 via Mello Music Group. Today, he put out this new head-nod-inducing single.
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DREEZY – “BALANCE MY LOWS” (ft. COI LERAY, prod. HIT-BOY)
Dreezy, Coi Leray, and Hit-Boy have teamed up for this appealing rap/R&B hybrid.
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2 ELEVEN & T.F. – “BLACKOUT” (ft. CONWAY THE MACHINE)
Last year, 2 Eleven released Mastermind, which features Freddie Gibs on six of its eight songs, and this year he and fellow West Coast rapper T.F. put out Skanless Levels 2, the sequel to their 2020 project. Now, the two of them have another new single, this one featuring Griselda’s Conway the Machine, whose gritty East Coast sound adds a nice touch to this song.
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BURNA BOY – “LAST LAST”
Afro-fusion great Burna Boy is gearing up for his new album Love, Damini, which is set to arrive on June 30 at 7 PM Eastern (so midnight on July 1 West Africa Time). It’ll include new single “Last Last,” an instantly-satisfying anthem that samples Toni Braxton’s 2000 single “He Wasn’t Man Enough.”
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DAVIDO – “STAND STRONG” (ft. THE SAMPLES)
Afrobeats star Davido is gearing up to put out a new album this year (details TBA), and its first single is the breezy, polyrhythmic “Stand Strong,” which serves as a very promising first taste.
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MARK RONSON – “TOO MUCH” (ft. LUCKY DAYE)
Mark Ronson and R&B singer Lucky Daye have teamed up for a fresh spin on vintage disco/funk.
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BUCKSHOT – “HEY”
Buckshot of Black Moon and Boot Camp Clik is releasing I Am The Boss on May 19 via Duck Down, and new single “Hey” finds him staying true to the gritty, traditionalist rap he’s been churning out for decades.
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HEADIE ONE – “CAME IN THE SCENE”
UK rapper Headie One has released his first song of 2022, “Came In the Scene,” and it finds his ominously catchy drill in fine form.
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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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