Everything We Loved in Music This Week: February 20

By wazup on February 22, 2026 No Comments / 8 views

It was a big week.

For starters, big albums came from Baby Keem and Choker, both artists making their sought-after returns to the public music scene, respectively.

Hypetrak sat down with Larry June for an in-depth conversation about what it means to be successful as an underground rapper, June acting as our latest digital cover star just ahead of his now-out Spiral Staircases collab project with The Alchemist and Curren$y.

Other singles came from Lana Del Rey – the first track from Stove, hopefully – as well as Thundercat and Mac Miller (yes, the long-awaited collab), and many others.

Full playlist below. All of this week’s music highlights are underneath that.

Baby Keem Is Back… CA$INO Is Here

Last week, Baby Keem broke the internet with news of his return. To backtrack, on a random Tuesday, the 1/2 of The Hillbillies officially lifted the veil on his sophomore studio album. Prior to that, we hadn’t heard much of anything from Keem since about a year ago, when he dropped off a few hints about his second studio endeavor, which, at the time, was entitled Child of Wolves. After that, Keem went back off the grid, though speculation of an imminent return began once again when the rapper’s name appeared on the 2026 Governor’s Ball lineup. Fast forward back to last Tuesday when he dropped the cover art and title of his new album CA$INO, announcing it would drop just 10 days after. Proceeded by a tour announcement and a three-part documentary on the album, CA$INO is here at last, and it was worth the gamble. Drawing from the dark underbelly of Las Vegas, CA$INO is an impressive stride of growth for Keem, assisted by features from cousin Kendrick Lamar, Momo Boyd, Che Ecru and Too $hort.

Lana Del Rey Drops Off First Semblance of Stove

The first sign of life from Lana Del Rey’s Stove is here: a single dubbed “White Feather Hawk Tail Deer Hunter.” If you’ve been along for the ride, you know the songstress’s tenth studio album rollout (if you can even call it that yet?) has been a whirlwind. It went from Lasso (and due out in September 2024) to The Right Person Will Stay landing in May 2025, now to Stove, allegedly slated to drop in roughly “three months,” per Del Rey’s latest update on Instagram. She also indicated that Stove would signal. Sonic shift into a more country sound, but “White Feather Hawk Tail Deer Hunter” is far from it, leaning into a more eerie, psychedelic composition.

Added to Playlist: “THE SCYTHE” – Denzel Curry, Ferg, TiaCorine

Our Latest Hypetrak Digital Cover: Larry June

Good job, Larry! Bay Area big dog Larry June fronts the latest Hypetrak digital cover as the leading partner of Rémy Martin’s “My Call” campaign, focused on celebrating success. In our conversation, June talks more about what success actually means to him – especially as an underground rapper – and how he’s approaching his craft after hitting an apex in 2025 with Life Is Beautiful.

On That Note: Spiral Staircases, by June, The Alchemist, and Curren$y Is Out Now

Announced just last week, and confirmed in the digital cover convo, June has already churned out his first longform release of 2026. Alongside The Alchemist and Curren$y, the joint LP includes the single “Everything Allocated.”

Added to Playlist: “ear to the cocoon” – WILLOW

Peso Pluma Is Team Three Stripes

The newest Adidas ambassador? None other than longtime Three Stripes supporter Peso Pluma himself.

Choker’s Charming Return: Heaven Ain’t Sold

After seven years, Choker has made his comeback. Marking the genre-bending talent’s third studio album, Heaven Ain’t Sold follows up Peak and Honeybloom, and takes the shape of a fully solo delivery. Singles “Proof” and “Uneven” make the final 11-song tracklist, both peak points on the boundless breadth of music.

Added to Playlist: “Blue” – Yaya Bey

Feng: More Than Just a Weekend Rockstar

If you’re unfamiliar with Feng, now is the time to tap in. The UK-based up-and-comer offered up his latest long-form effort. Sonically adjacent to fakemink and a bit softer than EsDeeKid, Feng is one of the prominent faces of underground new guard across the pond. While Weekend Rockstar is clearly just the beginning of Feng’s flourishing come-up. It’s fun. It’s f*cked up. It’s Feng.

Sk8star Delivers on Designer Junkie

Speaking of underground stars to watch, Sk8star is another one. The emerging talent’s latest LP, Designer Junkie, just dropped on streaming platforms, and it’s a good place to start.

Added to Playlist: “ARCADE” – Deb Never

Thundercat’s Mac Miller Collab Dropped

When Thundercat announced Distracted, his first album in six years, music fans from across the industry coalesced in communal anticipation. Specifically, though, it was the features lineup that turned heads – even more specifically, the Mac Miller cameo. A long-awaited Mac feature, “She Knows Too Much,” is now streaming on all DSPs as the latest Distracted single, and comes with an animated visual.

Added to Playlist: “I Had A Dream She Took My Hand” – James Blake

Jaden Smith Thinks We Should All Say “I LOVE YOU” A Lot More

Jaden knows he’s an enigma. It was one of the first things he admitted in our conversation. His artistry is layered and multifaceted, ranging from music to fashion and a myriad of creative pursuits and stints in between. However, without hesitation, Jaden shared with me that his non-profit venture, his “I LOVE YOU” vegan food truck, is the “most authentic” of his artistic endeavors. With his limited edition line of “I LOVE YOU” graphic merch out now, Jaden shared more with us about his connection to the Skid Row community and why “I LOVE YOU” means so much to him.

Added to Playlist: “Not So Virgo Of You “ – LUCKI

Is Yeat’s Album Finally En Route?

If you live in New York City and you’ve seen a taxi cab driving around with a tattooed arm hanging out of the trunk, no, it’s not a Sopranos rerun ad. Lifting a page from the television imprint’s guerrilla marketing scheme, Yeat appears to be beginning his A Dangerous Life rollout.

Added to Playlist: “Love Me” – Victoria Monét

Charli XCX’s Wuthering Heights Soundtrack Is Everything

We need more pop artists scoring period pieces.

Added to Playlist: “Beatback” – Fcukers

Miguel Takes Us Backstage At the CAOS Tour

’Tis the season for a grand return to the stage. Miguel was another big one, stepping back into the music scene for the first time in eight years with CAOS back at the end of 2025. Ahead of his first headlining show on the CAOS Tour, the legend let us in on the intricacies of translating the album’s sonic themes into a fully fleshed physical world.

Added to Playlist: “Hit and Run” – Ray Vaughn, AZ Chike

Ty Dolla $ign Continues to Tease New Album

Fresh off TYCOON, Ty Dolla $ign is already prepping his next album. At New York Fashion Week, he, once again, soundtracked the Laquan Smith show, previewing some new tracks from his forthcoming solo project: Girl Music. Details still remain rather unconfirmed, but we did get the first single from the project on streaming this week: “miss u 2” featuring fellow R&B heavyweight, Leon Thomas.

Brent Faiyaz Brings Icon To The Next Level

Icon has had quite the trajectory. Brent Faiyaz had it all ready to go until he decided to scrap about half of the project and rework it entirely. Last week, the musician’s new and improved Icon album materialized, marking his most romantic release to date. Landing three years after its predecessor, Icon includes standout single “have to,” with the album’s new “Director’s Cut” deluxe edition also featuring two highly anticipated bonus cuts “full moon (fall in tokyo)” and “1 for you (spring in New York).”

On The Radar’s Class of 2026 Is Absolute Heat

Including Ovrkast., MARCO PLUS, Reuben Vincent, Marlon Craft, Ben Reilly, SWAVAY, NAHSAAN, La Reezy, Ray Vaughn, and Chris Patrick, On The Radar hit it right on the nose with its Class of 2026.