The best new hip-hop this week includes albums, videos, and songs from Drake, Janelle Monáe, DJ Khaled, and more.
This week, DJ Khaled contributed to hip-hop’s long tradition of videos starring child versions of rap stars, partnering with Nickelodeon for his kid-friendly “Supposed To Be Loved” video:
Meanwhile, Janelle Monáe was undaunted by the looming prospect of competing for attention with the juggernaut that is Drake, sharing an Atlanta-centric remix of her Age Of Pleasure favorite “Champagne Sh*t” featuring Latto and Quavo:
And Megan Thee Stallion shared her Dicks: The Musical soundtrack single, “Out Alpha The Alpha.”
But obviously, the headline of the weekend is Drake releasing his new album For All The Dogs, which drew attention for his collaborations with J. Cole and his son Adonis, as well as supposedly interpolating lyrics from Pet Shop Boys’ “West End Girls” without permission.
Even though plenty of artists decided not to release new music this week and risk being overshadowed by The Boy, plenty did, so:
Here is the best of hip-hop this week ending October 6, 2023.
Albums/EPs/Mixtapes
Drake — For All The Dogs
It’s Drake. You know what you’re getting. Either you really want to listen to this or you really don’t, but either way, you’re going to end up doing so for the next several weeks. That being said, maybe we should all appreciate this opportunity; Drake did reveal he was taking a hiatus from music. Maybe when he returns he’ll be refreshed physically AND creatively, bringing a whole new era of his career. That’d be nice.
Earl Sweatshirt & The Alchemist — Voire
Although it’s not technically “new” per se, given its release a few weeks ago on the blockchain-backed platform Gala Music, now that it’s widely available, it doesn’t hurt to give my fellow Angelenos a little extra promo. In any case, it appears that the streaming release has a few different tracks — both featuring Vince Staples — so it counts on my list. That’s why it’s my list.
Joey Fatts — Glorious
Long Beach rapper Joey Fatts might not have the industry attention and cultural cachet of some of his fellow citizens, but it’d be a mistake to ignore him. If you took the plainspoken South LA storytelling of his contemporaries and sprinkled a little Larry June on it… well, that’s Joey. Glorious is a worthwhile addition to his growing, impressively consistent discography.
Maiya The Don — Hot Commodity
Fresh off the viral success of her track “Telfy” and a string of high-profile collabs with the likes of Flo Milli and Lola Brooke, the Brooklyn native drops her debut mixtape. Bolstered by thumping, hypnotic production and a husky, swaggering flow, she channels the unapologetic confidence of her hometown to drop smirking, boastful bars that mark her as one of the city’s hottest rising stars.
RJMrLA & DJ Drama — OMMIO Grillz
DJ Drama’s Gangsta Grillz renaissance returns to LA, but this time, he heads to the hood to show off the other side of the city of angels. To that end, the eerie synths, syncopated claps, and Rhodes chords all make appearances, while RJ’s signature clipped flow does what it does. If you not from here, you probably won’t get it. If you are… turn up.
Wiz Khalifa — Khali Sober
Wiz Khalifa is the prime example disproving the myth that weed makes you lazy. See Ya, his last full-length effort, dropped in June. JUNE. On the other hand, maybe weed does make you lazy and Wiz would have have another two 15-track efforts out already. Either way, Khali Sober is a relaxing ride for the remaining vestiges of summer and likely will still be perfectly appropriate for the coming cold weather too.
Singles/Videos
Denzel Curry — “Woo” Feat. PlayThatBoiZay & Chief Pound
Denzel appears to be rolling out a new project, albeit one track at a time. While it doesn’t reach the energetic heights of his last two tracks, “Blood On My Nikes” and “Sked,” “Woo” does have plenty of the rebellious fervor that defines those tracks with decent feature verses from its guest rappers.
ElCamino — “They Spit On Jesus” Feat. Fuego Base
The title track from ElCamino’s new project (also out today), “They Spit On Jesus” taps into the grimy, paranoid vibe of late-90s street-rap from the likes of Mobb Deep and Wu-Tang. With an eerie beat and tough-talking lyrics, “They Spit On Jesus” is a microcosm of the claustrophobic stance the producer/rapper takes throughout the project.
Fivio Foreign — “Why Would I?”
A defiant anthem with a goth-drill backing track, “Why Would I?” presents an energized Fivio, who has been more productive of late. While he hasn’t announced a new album yet, one would imagine the hungry Brooklynite would never let all this forward momentum go to waste.
Fredo Bang — “Sideways” Feat. NLE Choppa
Look, say what you want about the modern sample wave (which isn’t any worse than it was in the blog era, TBH, millennials just finally feel that forty creeping up on us), but there’s some mad alchemical genius behind slapping together a filtered version of “Swing My Way” with a stripped-down Jersey club beat, thus taking advantage of multiple trends at once — but not enough of any to be stuck in the mud.
Kevin Gates — “God Slippers”
The rollout to The Ceremony is going well. And it must be said, the image of Gates slipping out the side door of God’s mansion with a pair of slippers while the almighty scratches his head is kinda funny to me.
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-drake-janelle-monae-dj-khaled/
