The best new hip-hop this week includes albums, videos, and songs from Lil Wayne, Meek Mill, and more.
Friday saw the releases of Wale’s “Poke It Out” with J. Cole, Bino Rideaux and Roddy Ricch’s “Lemme Find Out,” and Dom Kennedy’s “Rollin Papers” along with the releases listed below.
Here is the best of hip-hop this week ending October 1, 2021.
Albums/EPs/Mixtapes
Booka600 — Loyal
Claiming his loyalty to OTF, Lil Durk’s latest protege picks up steam on his latest album thanks to timely assists from Durk, Gunna, Lil Tjay, and Lil Baby, with whom he and the rest of the OTF collective are currently on tour.
Headie One — Too Loyal for My Own Good
Tottenham rapper Headie was at the forefront of the drill invasion of 2020, largely thanks to a big boost in visibility stateside from Drake. Now, he’s rolling solo but is no less formidable on the follow-up to his impressive 2020 debut EDNA.
Icewear Vezzo — Rich Off Pints 2
After stirring up the Michigan underground scene for the past year or so, Vezzo is one hit away from breaking out. Appearances from national stars Future, Moneybagg Yo, and RMR should help, but he sticks close to his roots, bringing along Babyface Ray and Rio Da Yung OG, his longtime collaborators.
Lil Wayne & Rich the Kid — Trust Fund Babies
A surprising combination of Rolling Loud favorites, this collaboration is helped along by some tongue-in-cheek humor via their video for “Feelin’ Like Tunechi.”
Meek Mill — Expensive Pain
Meek returns for the follow-up to 2018’s Championships. While it’d be ludicrous to think he’d lost a step since then, especially after sharpening his skills with a string of fiery freestyles earlier this year, he looks to step up a level as well on this solid addition to his consistent catalog.
Ryan Trey — A 64 East Saga
Upon discovering Ryan Trey, you might not be remiss in comparing the St. Louis product to Bryson Tiller, who lends his star power to this project as its lone guest. Trey exudes the sort of nighttime musings energy Tiller did on his own well-received debut — a parallel bolstered by a similar reliance on moody instrumentals and melodic deliveries.
Wiki — Half God
Wiki’s been a New York underground favorite since the days he was a third of Ratking, but he truly shines as a solo artist — especially now that there are so many other members of that scene garnering recognition. Many of them — MIKE, Navy Blue, Remy Banks — appear here, as does Earl Sweatshirt, but the undeniable star is still Wiki himself.
Singles/Videos
Big Jade — “Put Your Hands”
Big Jade spent much of 2020 making a name for herself with punchy freestyles, so it’s only right she’s gone back to what has worked after releasing her debut project Pressure. This time, she taps Busta Rhyme’s breakthrough solo single to show fans what she’s working with lyrically.
Kent Jones — “Bout That” Feat. Rick Ross
It’s been a minute since we last heard from the We The Best rapper, who returns with a new track featuring frequent collaborator Rick Ross. There’s a lot going on in this track, which borrows lyrics from Chalie Boy’s “On My Momma, On My Hood” to tout his authenticity.
KenTheMan — “Rose Gold Stripper Pole”
Ken’s building a buzz and becoming a fast favorite in her native Houston. Her latest is a prime example of why. Unapologetic, in-your-face, and knowing, the track combines many of the best aspects of the local scene on a track with universal club appeal.
Key Glock — “Ambition For Cash”
Tay Keith is a master at finding unorthodox samples and turning them into trunk-rattling street stompers. He does the same here, and Key Glock doesn’t get in the way.
Kodie Shane — “Facetime” Feat. Rick Ross
The last time we heard a full-length from Kodie, she was declaring herself a Young Heartthrob in 2018. As a reintroduction, “Facetime” isn’t bad, picking up on some of the threads that the last project laid down and weaving a confident new direction for the 22-year-old.
Offset Jim — “Makes No Sense” Feat. Babyface Ray
The Bay Area/Michigan bond remains strong. Both rappers’ laid-back flows complement each other and the beat dares you not to nod along.
Problem — “Dim My Light” Feat. Snoop Dogg
When Compton and Long Beach get together… you know. It’s impressive that Snoop’s been this good for this long, but Problem’s development as a rapper is more impressive still.
Sally Sossa — “TMU”
Sally got a strong start in 2020 with Life Of Sossa and continues her hot streak this week with two videos. One was paired with her contribution to the Madden NFL 22 soundtrack, while “TMU” is geared more toward her day-one fanbase.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Source: https://uproxx.com/music/best-new-hip-hop-this-week-lil-wayne-meek-mill/