This week in hip hop, we got the posthumous DMX album (which you can read about in Notable Releases), as well as cool projects from Mereba and Mustafa, and new singles from J Balvin, Eminem, Farruko, Bad Bunny, Twelve’len, oddCouple, EarthGang, Bun B, Sleepy Hallow, Madlib/Logic, Maliibu Miitch, and more. Read on for all the rap and R&B we posted this week…
MEREBA – AZEB EP
Riding high off her contributions to Atlanta supergroup Spillage Village’s great 2020 album Spilligion, R&B singer Mereba released her own great EP. Lush, soulful, and entirely modern.
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MUSTAFA – WHEN SMOKE RISES
Toronto poet and R&B singer/songwriter Mustafa has released his debut project When Smoke Rises, which finds him delivering his soft but powerfully crooned vocals over delicate, folk-inspired instrumentals. Sampha appears on the album highlight “Capo.”
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BIG FREEDIA – “JUDAS” (LADY GAGA COVER)
Lady Gaga will release a 10th anniversary edition of Born This Way on June 18 via Interscope, and it’ll feature reimaginings of six songs from the album by different artists. One of them is Big Freedia’s very fun new version of “Judas,” which is out now. “Judas was my favorite song when it came out originally, so I really wanted to cover it,” Freedia said. “To me, ‘Judas’ is a love song about when someone does you dirty. I’ve sure had my experience with that. Who can’t relate?”
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J BALVIN – “QUÉ MÁS PUES?” (ft. MARIA BECERRA)
J Balvin duets with Maria Becerra on this very catchy dose of reggaeton/Latin pop.
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EMINEM – “KILLER” (REMIX ft. JACK HARLOW & CORDAE)
Eminem has released a new remix of “Killer” from Music to Be Murdered By – Side B, and the new version features newly-added verses from Jack Harlow and Cordae.
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FARRUKO – “LOVE 66” (ft. CJ)
Puerto Rican reggaeton singer Farruko will release his new album La167 later this year, and it includes this new single, which features the newly-popular Staten Island drill rapper CJ.
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BAD BUNNY – “100 MILLONES” (ft. LUAR LA L)
Bad Bunny continues to be insanely prolific, and he still maintains a serious amount of quality control too. This new song is great.
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TWELVE’LEN – “BROKEN WINGS”
Miami R&B singer Twelve’len will release a new album, Sugar Hill Express, later this year, and it’ll include this very cool, ethereal new song.
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MOONSHINE – “ONWARD” (ft. GEORGIA ANNE MULDROW & SANGO)
Montreal’s Moonshine Collective have announced a new album, SMS For Location Vol. 4, due June 18 via FORESEEN Entertainment. This new single is a groovy collab with Georgia Anne Muldrow and Sango.
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ODDCOUPLE – “WHO I GOTTA BE” (ft. ELIJAH BLAKE & MELANIE FAYE)
Hip hop/R&B producer oddCouple’s new album Reflections comes out next week, and here’s another taste of it. It puts a futuristic, electronic spin on ’90s R&B.
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EARTHGANG – “ARETHA”
Atlanta rap duo EarthGang are gearing up for a new project called Ghetto Gods, and it’ll include the new single “Aretha,” which finds their blend of ’90s Southern rap and modern trap in fine form.
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BUN B – “THIS WORLD” (ft. BIG K.R.I.T., TRAE THA TRUTH & RAHEEM DEVAUGHN)
To honor the one-year anniversary of George Floyd’s death, Bun B teamed up with the impressive team of Big K.R.I.T., Trae Tha Truth, and Raheem DeVaughn for this mournful protest song.
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JOSH AUGUSTIN – “HUNDRED PLUS” (ft. BENNY THE BUTCHER & CONWAY THE MACHINE)
Josh Augustin makes lo-fi bedroom pop, and for his new single, he tapped Griselda rhymers Benny the Butcher and Conway the Machine to spice things up.
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SLEEPY HALLOW – “CHICKEN/MI NO SABE”
Brooklyn drill rapper (and frequent Sheff G collaborator) Sleepy Hallow announced his debut album, Still Sleep?, due June 2 via Winners Circle/RCA. It features these two songs, which find him continuing to hone his NYC-specific version of drill.
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SKYZOO – “ST. JAMES LIQUORS (ft. AARIA)
Skyzoo’s new album All The Brilliant Things drops June 11 via Mello Music Group, and new single “St. James Liquors” is exactly the kind of warm, ’90s-style rap you want from Skyzoo, but with an extra hop in its step that gives things a nice twist.
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RAHEEM DEVAUGHN & APOLLO BROWN – “I STILL LOVE YOU”
Neo-soul singer Raheem DeVaughn and hip hop producer Apollo Brown’s collaborative album Lovesick arrives next week (6/4) via Mello Music Group, and here’s another lush single from it.
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MADGIC (MADLIB & LOGIC) – “RADDEST DAD”
As mentioned, Madlib and Logic have a collaborative album as MadGic on the way, and they’ve now shared their second song together, “Raddest Dad,” which finds Logic delivering rapidfire tongue-twisters over chopped-up soul.
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MALIIBU MIITCH – “I LIKE WHAT I LIKE”
Following label issues at Atlantic, South Bronx rapper Maliibu Miitch is now signed to eOne and still hopefully gearing up to release her long-awaited debut album. While we wait, here’s her first new single of 2021: the booming, ominous “I Like What I Like.”
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VIC SPENCER – “CHARTER MEMBERS” (ft. ROC MARCIANO & RANSOM)
Vic Spencer recently released his new album Legend Laws of Power, and one of the highlights is this offering of boom bap noir with Roc Marciano and Ransom.
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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See the full top 50 here.
