New Song Releases
Zayn Unveils New Single “Better”: Stream
Zayn has returned with his first solo single in two years, “Better”. This is the first preview of his forthcoming third album, the follow-up to 2018’s Icarus Falls. “Better” is a velvety R&B love jam about the sexiest thing there is: open communication. Zayn asks his lover to express her negative emotions now, rather than waiting for the problem to get worse. “Why? Why wait to fight?” he croons, later wondering, “Can we save tears in your eyes?” The music video was directed by Ryan Hope and the concept seems simple enough: Zayn starts out shirtless, and then he gets dressed in slow motion. But there are also brief cutaways to people watching him through binoculars or listening to tape recordings, which suggest that the pop star might be under surveillance. Paparazzi? Foreign ...
Reason Pops Off on New Song “Sauce” Featuring Vince Staples: Stream
While some people might prefer a plain life, Reason is living for the “Sauce” on his new song featuring Vince Staples. “Sauce” is a summery track, perfect for driving along the California coastline with the windows down and the volume up. It’s built over a relaxed piano refrain, stunting drums, and a subterranean bass. During the chorus, Reason raps the way a schoolkid skips, with a couple syllables to gather momentum followed by a moment of suspension. “I might slip, I don’t fall, if I slip, I might crawl,” he spits. As he’s been doing his whole career Vince Staples steals the show with an exuberant guest verse. Here, he takes aim at the police. “Hit the block, chip the bars, yuh/ Catch a pig, Randy Moss, yuh/ I don’t rock with the police none/ Don’t ditch the Glock when the police ...
Public Enemy Release New Album What You Gonna Do When The Grid Goes Down?: Stream
Public Enemy have released their first new album in three years, What You Gonna Do When The Grid Goes Down?. Stream the star-studded LP below via Apple Music and Spotify. What You Gonna Do When The Grid Goes Down? sees Public Enemy’s original lineup of Chuck D, Flavor Flav, and DJ Lord returning to Def Jam Records for the first time in over 20 years. The label put out the trio’s first five studio albums including 1988’s It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back and 1990’s Fear of a Black Planet, both of which went on to shape the history of hip-hop as we know it. The 17-track full-length sees Public Enemy linking up with rap royalty, like Beastie Boys’ Ad-Rock and Mike D alongside Run-DMC on the cut “Public Enemy Number One”. On the 2020 remix of “Fight the Power”, they team up with Na...
Travis Scott Drops New Single “Franchise” Featuring M.I.A. and Young Thug: Stream
Young Thug and Travis Scott (photos by Philip Cosores), M.I.A. (photo by Ben Kaye) Travis Scott has unleashed his latest single “Franchise”, featuring M.I.A. and Young Thug. Check it out below via its accompanying self-directed music video/short film. The song comes hot on the heels of Scott’s smash hit McDonald’s collaboration, which has been so popular that various locations are literally running out of ingredients. “Franchise” is itself something of a branding exercise, as the short film premiered ahead of select IMAX screenings of Christopher Nolan’s Tenent on Thursday night. Scott also contributed the track “The Plan” to the film’s soundtrack, leading Nolan to call the new short film “part of a Travis/Tenet/Travis sandwich” in a note he wrote the rapper. Yet despite all the cross-prom...
ASAP Ferg Drops New Album Floor Seats II: Stream
ASAP Ferg has released Floor Seats II, his new studio album and the follow-up to his 2019 Floor Seats EP. Stream it below via Spotify. Floor Seats II spans 10 tracks in total, including the previously released singles “No Ceilings” featuring Lil Wayne and Jay Gwuapo and “Move Ya Hips” with Nicki Minaj and MadeinTYO. The album also boasts collaborations with Marilyn Manson (who appears on a track called… “Marilyn Manson”), Diddy, and Fivio Foreign. Rappers Mulatto, Antha Panth, and ONEFOUR make appearances on the LP as well. Earlier this week, ASAP Ferg announced the impending release of Floor Seats II by linking up with NBA legend Dennis Rodman for a video. In it, the basketball player hypes up Ferg before he outlines the guest features on his new album and reveal...
MadeinTYO Teams with Toro y Moi for New Single “Money Up”: Stream
Los Angeles-via-Atlanta rapper Malcolm Jamaal Davis, better known by his moniker MadeinTYO, has been not-so-subtly climbing the ranks as one of hip-hop’s most exciting rising artists. While his breakout 2016 mixtape You Are Forgiven captured the attention of rap giants like Travis Scott, it was his debut studio album, 2018’s Sincerely, Tokyo, that proved he was worth keeping an eye on in the long run. Now, MadeinTYO is returning to the spotlight with “Money Up”, his new single featuring Toro y Moi. In just under three minutes, MadeinTYO makes a big splash over a weird, warped beat produced by Toro y Moi. Instead of showing off his speed or narrative abilities, MadeinTYO makes an impression here by rapping about financial security, body positivity, and knowing your worth — topics that he fl...
Kajillionaire Composer Emile Mosseri Shares the Origins of New Song “Infinite Love”: Stream
In our new music feature Origins, we give artists the opportunity to delve into the backstory of their latest single. Today, Emile Mosseri tells us about the making of his original soundtrack for Miranda July’s Kajillionaire. In addition to colorful characters and engaging story arcs, a good chunk of what makes a Miranda July film so alluring is its music. That’s certainly the case for Kajillionaire, a comedy-drama about a family of con-artists and July’s “most coherent and story-driven effort to date.” After premiering at Sundance earlier this year to rave reviews, the film is due out later this week and comes with an original soundtrack beautifully crafted by composer and pianist Emile Mosseri. Known for his work on The Last Black Man in San Francisco and Homecoming Season...
Bonobo Drops New Song “Heartbreak” Featuring TEED: Stream
Electronic producer Bonobo has teamed up with Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs to share the new song “Heartbreak”. It’s the first release on Bonobo’s just-founded record label OUTLIER, and will be available as a 12-inch on November 13th. Bonobo, aka Simon Green, has been relatively quiet the last three years, ever since dropping 2017’s Migration and the related Koyo Ganda EP. But last year he announced the OUTLIER live performance series, and now that impulse has led to a new imprint on Ninja Tune. In a statement, he said that “Heartbreak” was “the track that became the catalyst to start the label. One for the dance floors in a time when they’re dearly missed.” “Heartbreak” pays homage to the New York dance scene of the 1970s and ’80s, when disco ruled, and everyone returned from th...
Bree Runway Shares New Song “Little Nokia”: Stream
Emerging songwriter Bree Runway has shared the thumping new song “Little Nokia”. Born Brenda Mensah in Hackney, London, Bree first gained international attention for the 2019 EP Be Runway, and she blew up earlier this year when the music video for “Apeshit” went viral. She specializes in what she calls “destructive pop,” and she’s happy to plunder sounds from other genres to make her point. “Little Nokia” is a great example of her wandering ear — it’s built around heavy-metal guitars, placed within a hip-hop structure, and finished with a sugary pop topline. Lyrically, the song is about a gorgeous guy who spends all his free time doing drugs, which she references by the names of celebrities who use them. In a statement, she explained that the song is based on a true story. She sa...
YG Reveals New Single “Out on Bail”: Stream
YG is set to drop his new studio album, My 4Hunnid Life, in just a little over a week. Already we’ve heard a few teasers in “Laugh Now Kry Later”, “SWAG”, and the timely ACAB anthem “FTP”. Now, another single has been unboxed: “Out on Bail”. Today’s offering is drawn from YG’s own real-life experience with the prison system. Earlier this year, he was arrested and charged for robbery. The Compton native was released shortly after — just in time for his Grammys tribute performance to Nipsey Hussle — but clearly those events have stuck with him. “I’m out on bail, them motherfuckers tryna get me/ But I won’t tell, so with some time they tryna hit me/ I’m innocent as fuck, but they tryna prove I’m guilty,” YG raps on this fresh cut. Its corresponding video, directed by Austin Simkins, follows t...
Josh Klinghoffer’s Pluralone Announces New Album, Shares “The Night Won’t Scare Me”: Stream
Former Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist Josh Klinghoffer has announced a new solo album. Credited to his Pluralone moniker, it’s called I Don’t Feel Well and due out October 16th. The forthcoming effort serves as the follow-up to his 2019 debut album, To Be One with You, but is his first since being let go by the Peppers earlier this year. According to a statement, the 10-track effort was completed during the pandemic, hence the title’s rather dismal and uncertain tone. “This is a wild time,” Klinghoffer said of the LP. “This album was made during and amongst some very new experiences. I hope it captures some of how it felt during this period. I’ll feel better when this is behind us. As an early look at I Don’t Feel Well, stream reflective lead single “The Night Won’t Scare M...
Knox Fortune Announces New Album Stock Child Wonder, Shares “Shirtless”: Stream
Chicago alt-rapper Knox Fortune has announced his new album Stock Child Wonder. It’s due out October 30th, and today he’s giving fans a taste with a new single called “Shirtless”. Stock Child Wonder follows up on his 2017 debut Paradise, and comes four years after his breakout appearance on Chance the Rapper’s Coloring Book. As with its predecessor, the forthcoming record splits the difference between Chicago’s indie rock and rap scenes. It features guest appearances from Windy City indie staples like Lala Lala, Will Miller of Whitney, Macie Stewart of Ohmme, members of Twin Peaks, Resavoir, and more. Additional production is provided by Acid Rap star Nate Fox and Pomo. Whereas previous single “Sincerity” had more of a pop-rap flavor, new song “Shirtless” is a breezy tu...
