To no one's surprise, this week brought us another completely insane update for the Great Rap War of 2024. By the end of the weekend, both diss tracks from Drake (“Push Ups”) and Rick Ross (“Champagne Moments “) Official DSP hits, Future and Metro Boomin earn their second album Billboard 200 No. 1 of the year, Ye found a way to enter the fray with his own remix of “Like That,” and Drake gave a second response to Kendrick Lamar. which featured lyrics rapped by AI versions of Snoop Dogg and Tupac. Do you have all these?
Of course, people kept flipping out of this ever-spiraling beef — after all, Taylor Swift's Department of Tormented Poets broke records within the first 12 hours of its release. Kid Cudi broke his leg at Coachella, Cash Cobain teased new music with Frank Ocean, and GloRilla was arrested for DUI in Georgia.
With fresh options, Advertising sign aims to showcase some of the best and most interesting new sounds in R&B and hip-hop — from Inayah's bouncy-charged bop to Skilla Baby's ode to Big Meech. Be sure to check out this week's fresh picks in the Spotify playlist below.
Freshest Find: Inayah, “Pressure”
After transitioning Fantasia's classic 'When I See U' into her own soulful R&B, Inayah delivers her new album, Wait, there's more, which is accompanied by undeniable bangers like “Pressure”. Here, the Houston singer heads to New Orleans to repurpose live bounce music into an impassioned plea for her partner to prove how much he wants her. Reminiscent of Beyoncé's “Church Girl” in the way the soulful, rootsy gospel reverberates throughout Beyoncé's raucous hip-hop production, “Pressure” is distinct enough to cut through the noise and catchy enough to become a legitimate radio hit.
Baby Jungle & Rob49, “Freaknik”
Baby Jungle was born long after Freaknik's peak days, but the Georgia native pays homage to Atlanta's Black cultural celebration and tries to recreate its frivolous energy with his own track. Jungle's “Freaknik” samples Ice Cube's “We Be Clubbin” and finds him laying out some of his crazy house party fantasies. “F–k her on the balcony when we vacation/F–k her on the balcony you know I made her touch her knees,” he raps. Jungle then extends a sexcapade invitation to Rob49, who isn't shy about revealing his bad experiences. “Please don't make me lazy,” Rob repeatedly pleads to shut down his spicy assist.
Nao Yoshioka, Takuya Kuroda & Khari Mateen, “Unapologetically Me”
Ahead of her debut LP and an upcoming world tour, Japanese R&B artist Nao Yoshioka has released “Unapologetically Me.” A cool blend of funk, soul and jazz, “Unapologetically Me” captures the need to stay true to yourself while the world around you seems to be falling apart. Yoshioka rolls through her vocal range, her flashy falsetto stints, wild belts and sultry whispers pairing well with Khari Mateen's light rap. Together, the two voices draw their most earthy textures to Kuroda's sultry trumpet, which helps bring together the seriousness that makes Anderson .Paak's music without Bruno Mars so effective.
Skilla Baby, “Free Big Meech”
An ode to Detroit's famous kingpin, Skilla Baby shouts out the leader of the Black Mafia family alongside his brother Southwest T. The boss-talk mentality flows through Skilla as he brags about the “bag” he's in and what he can do to happen to those who crucify him. The fast-rising Detroit rapper sets the tone for what's to come The coldest project later this month. Skilla delivers the most random trio of pop culture references heard in rap so far this year, while dropping the name of former New York Nick Obie Toppin, monsters IncMike Wazowski and PROBLEM CHILD character Junior Healy. Even as Bebe's bank account adds up to more digits, he's still not shaking off some of his childhood favorites: “Rich as f–k, still eating Top Ramen,” he boasts.
Genia, “Bottling It Up”
“I'm tired of not feeling enough/ I see the end before it comes/ You've taken me to a place where I'm numb / This gets me because I'm biting my tongue,” Genia wails on the chorus of the incredible “Bottling It Up.” The only thing more difficult than keeping your true thoughts and feelings inside is admitting that you are purposely suppressing those feelings. This track, taken from the Def Jam singer's new 4 a.m. at The Ville The EP uses its groovy melody and raucous guitars to record her struggle through the exhausting push-and-pull of a tumultuous relationship.
03 Greedo & Maxo Kream, “RICO”
At this point a joint Maxo-Greedo project is needed. Los Angeles and Houston reconnect here through an ominous production that could play off an upcoming Jordan Peele horror film. Maxo Kream was tied up in a RICO case in 2016, and Greedo served years in prison on gun and drug charges, but he's still sticking to his jobs and not backing down from the legal system. The couple is calling for Young Thug's freedom as he fights for his life in the YSL RICO trial. Maxo and Greedo pass the baton back and forth until the West Coast cult hero steals the show with his latest offering to turn up the heat. “My label better not play with me/ On Grape Street all my people kill,” he raps.
from our partners at https://www.billboard.com/music/rb-hip-hop/best-new-hip-hop-songs-inayah-baby-jungle-rob49-genia-1235662406/
