Rap
CupcakKe Drops Off New Single “Elephant”: Stream
Last year, CupcakKe announced her intention to quit the music industry. The Chicago MC has clearly scrapped those plans, however, as she’s spent 2020 releasing a new single every couple of months. Following this past spring’s “Discounts” and “Lemon Pepper”, she’s back today with “Elephant”. On this new cut, CupcakKe calls out all her various critics — from those that say she needs to jump on more collaborations to the folks who have a problem with the way she handles press. “They like, ‘cupcakKe you gotta do more, why the fuck you don’t do features?’” she raps, before putting these complainers in their place: “Want a verse? Gotta pay me/ Ain’t shit free, no JT.” (The latter line is a reference to the formerly jailed JT from City Girls.) Elsewhere, she seems visibly bothered that fell...
Benny the Butcher Announces New Album Burden of Proof, Drops Lil Wayne and Big Sean Collaboration “Timeless”: Stream
Benny the Butcher (photo by Setor TsiKudo), Lil Wayne (photo by Ben Kaye), and Big Sean (photo by Philip Cosores) Benny the Butcher has announced a new album called Burden of Proof, due out next week. As an early look, the Griselda rapper is sharing a collaboration with fellow rap veterans Lil Wayne and Big Sean that’s appropriately titled “Timeless”. Benny’s prolific label mates, Conway the Machine and Westside Gunn, have each already dropped three albums (!) in 2020 alone, but the New York-bred MC is slowly but surely catching up: Burden of Proof marks his second effort of the year following his joint record with DJ Drama from July. Clearly going for a quality over quantity approach, Benny enlisted renowned beatmaker Hit-Boy (Kanye West, Beyoncé) to produce the entire project. ...
Big Boi and Sleepy Brown Call on Killer Mike for Remix of “We the Ones”: Stream
Three years ago, Big Boi and frequent collaborator Sleepy Brown released the track “We the Ones” on the self-titled EP from Organized Noize. Featuring CeeLo Green and Big Rube, the song served as an uplifting rally to “stand up to oppression.” Three years later, the theme is more relevant than ever, so Big Boi and Sleepy have called on Killer Mike for a new remix of “We the Ones”. Much of the original cut remains intact, including CeeLo’s hook and the spoken word sections from Big Rube. Killer Mike comes in for the third verse, telling stories of individuals taking different paths towards betterment, especially when it comes to religion. He talks about “a cousin named Robert”, a “robber” who found “conviction through religion” while serving time: “Reformed, Robert told me, ‘We should only ...
Tank and The Bangas Announce Friend Goals EP, Share “Self Care”: Stream
Tank and The Bangas have announced a new EP called Friend Goals. Due out November 20th via Verve Forecast, the six-track, guest-heavy release is being previewed today with the track “Self Care”. The New Orleans-based group are known for their collaborative habits, having this year teamed with the likes of Jacob Collier and Fantastic Negrito. Friend Goals, as the title might suggest, brings together a number of artists Tank and The Bangas have befriended over their career. The follow-up to last year’s Green Balloon LP features guests like CHIKA (“Mr. Insta”), Duckwrth (“Fluff”), PJ Morton (“TSA”), and Pell on the title track. Lead single “Self Care” actually touts three collaborators: Jaime Woods, Orleans Big, and Anjelika “Jelly” Joseph. The track itself is exactly what we need i...
21 Savage and Metro Boomin Deliver a Grimy Sequel with the Masterful Savage Mode II: Review
The Lowdown: After the success of Savage Mode in 2016 and Without Warning in 2017, 21 Savage and Metro Boomin return to the scene with their latest collaborative album, Savage Mode II. Although some time has elapsed since they released their last project as a dynamic duo, both have kept plenty busy on their own, providing the streets and clubs with hit after hit. Savage dropped the highly acclaimed I Am > I Was in 2018 while Metro Boomin has crafted a plethora of hits with his signature trap sound. Featuring guest appearances from Drake, Young Thug, and Young Nudy, there’s plenty of reason why Savage Mode II became one of the most highly anticipated albums of 2020 the moment it was announced. The Good: The album begins in cinematic form with the masculine voice of God, none other than A...
Mac Miller’s Final Two Albums to Be Released as Swimming in Circles Vinyl Box Set
Mac Miller’s family has today announced a vinyl box set compiling the late rapper’s final two records, 2018’s Swimming and the posthumous Circles from earlier this year. Due out December 18th via Warner Records, Swimming in Circles brings together the two studio LPs for the first time in a limited edition package. Miller always intended the efforts to be companion releases with a continuous narrative arc. For the new box set, each album will be pressed on double-12-inch vinyl, with Swimming coming on dark blue and Circles on light blue. Housed inside a die-cut outer case, the box also includes a 12×12 booklet featuring archival photographs from the making of the albums, a 24×36 poster, and a six-panel lyric scroll. In conjunction with the announcement, Miller’s family has shared never-befo...
Jay Electronica Unveils Long-Lost Album Act II: The Patents of Nobility (The Turn): Stream
Earlier this year, Jay Electronica finally released his full-length debut, A Written Testimony. Jay has now returned with another much-coveted project: long-lost album Act II: The Patents of Nobility (The Turn). Stream it in full below. Act II follows up on Act I: Eternal Sunshine (The Pledge) from 2007. The New Orleans-born rapper first announced the album way back in 2012, but years passed without it ever seeing the light of day. However, Jay decided to finally put it out on Monday after a leak began making the rounds online. “i actually tried to block this from coming out, but Allah is the best of planners,” he wrote in a since-deleted tweet, according to BrooklynVegan. The long-lost album amazingly features many of the same guests promised in 2012, including JAY-Z and The-Dre...
Lil Wayne Reveals New Single “NFL” Featuring Gudda Gudda and HoodyBaby: Stream
Just weeks after dropping his massive deluxe edition of Tha Carter V, rapper Lil Wayne has scored another big release. Today, he’s unveiled his new song “NFL”, which serves as the official soundtrack to Thursday Night Football on Amazon Prime. “Ballin’ like we at the Super Bowl/ Scored a touchdown and just spiked this shit/ You know the other team, they don’t like this shit,” boasts the Louisiana-born Lil Wayne. He’s assisted by fellow hip-hop acts Gudda Gudda and HoodyBaby, and the track’s moody production was handled by Boi-1da (Drake, Rihanna) and !llmind (Kanye West, J. Cole). Check out the lyric video for “NFL” below. Thursday Night Football on Amazon kicks off October 8th with a showdown between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Chicago Bears. Editors’ Picks In addition to Tha ...
DaBaby Joins Dua Lipa on New Version of “Levitating”: Stream
Back in August, Dua Lipa teamed with Madonna and Missy Elliott for a remix of her Future Nostalgia track “Levitating”. Now she’s back with another new version of the song, this one featuring rapper DaBaby. Unlike the Madge and Missy take, which vastly altered the song’s sound for the Club Future Nostalgia remix album, this rendition of “Levitating” isn’t really a remix. The electro-disco vibes, equal parts bubbly and sexy, are very much intact. The only real difference is the appearance of DaBaby, who drops in for a verse in which he raps, “I had to lace my shoes for all the blessings I was chasin’/ If I ever slip, I’ll fall into a better situation/ So catch up, go put some cheese on it/ Get out and get your bread up.” The Charlotte MC also appears in the single’s music video, which was ma...
Travis Scott Performs “Franchise” on Kimmel with M.I.A. and Young Thug: Watch
Young Thug, Travis Scott, and M.I.A. on Jimmy Kimmel Live! Travis Scott was both the lead guest and musical performer on the Thursday night’s episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live. When he wasn’t pimping burgers for McDonald’s, Scott reminded everyone that there’s an artist lurking beneath the brands with a performance of “Franchise”. Scott’s interview covered his new promotional deal with the Golden Arches, which is basically just a quarter pounder meal with limited options. The so-called “Travis Scott Meal” became a TikTok sensation, and so popular that some stores began to run out of quarter-pound patties. The Houston rapper then shifted into high gear for his delivery of “Franchise”, assisted remotely by collaborators M.I.A. and Young Thug. The high-production performance played out more l...
Denzel Curry Unleashes Furious New Song “Live from the Abyss”: Stream
Back in June, Denzel Curry lent his fury to the protest song “PIG FEET”, featuring Terrace Martin and Kamasi Washington. Judging by his newest single, “Live from the Abyss”, the Florida rapper is still very much up in arms over our current state of affairs. Although a slow-burning affair production-wise, Curry’s raging bars carry intense heat. “I don’t fuck with my president,” he declares at one point, echoing a majority of Americans. As his anger over Trump and racism mounts, Curry closes the track nearly scream-growling into the mic. “Live from the Abyss” is officially the mood for 2020. Stream the track below. To coincide with Bandcamp Friday, all net proceeds through the month of October will be donated to the protest group Dream Defenders. Its mission reads: “We are an uprising of reb...
YG Drops New Album My Life 4Hunnid: Stream
YG has let loose his new album, My Life 4Hunnid. Stream the Def Jams release below via Apple Music or Spotify. Today’s release serves as YG’s fifth full-length to date and follow-up to 4REAL from 2019. It features a solid list of guests like Lil Wayne (“Blood Walk”), Lil Tjay (“Hate On Me”), and Gunna and Ty Dolla $ign (“Surgery”). In the lead-up to today’s drop, YG shared a number of promising singles, including the flexing “SWAG” and the timely ACAB anthem “FTP”. The 13-song LP also contains “Out on Bail”, drawn from the Compton rapper’s own real-life experience with the prison system. Earlier this year, YG was arrested and charged for robbery. The MC was released shortly after — just in time for his Grammys tribute performance to Nipsey Hussle — but clearly those events have stuck ...
