Pigeons & Planes' Best Songs of the Week

With so much good music steadily coming through, it's easy to miss some of the best. To help prevent this, we've rounded up the best songs from the past week. Here are the songs you can't afford to skip, in no particular order.

Lil B The BasedGod is the rawest rapper alive, no question. If any other rapper dropped an album that's nearly two hours long, I would slander them and possibly never listen to their music again. When Lil B does it, it's a blessing. I remember being a hyper teen in 2010 first seeing Lil B post about Black Ken and thinking about how amazing it would be. Now, seven years later he finally dropped it on his 28th birthday and it's just as fire as I expected it to be. Lil B may be one of the biggest trolls in the game but trust me he can actually rap.

"Getting Hot" is my favorite but Lil B delivered on all 27 tracks and made August 17, 2017 a historic date in hip hop history. Shout out to Kanye, Iggy Azalea, Rhode Island, Vince Staples, Diddy, and many more for inspiring this classic body of work.—Eric Isom

The idea of Brockhampton has always been great, but it's only with the arrival of Saturation and Saturation II that everything is falling into place. "Junky" is most compelling all-round introduction to Brockhampton yet, feeling like their important statement of purpose. These guys are finally the all-American boyband they initially promised they were, and it's incredibly exciting to hear.

As to be expected, each contributor offers up a memorable refrain or quote, each with their own particular way of doing so. Merlyn Wood remains the most energetic, Ameer Vann the smoothest, Matt Champion the most confident, Dom McLennon the most thought-provoking, and Joba the most surprising. No one plays second fiddle, but Kevin Abstract's verse is one of the hardest of the year, earning every right to be called a landmark in rap culture.—Joe Price

When LCD Soundsystem announced their return in 2016, it was easy to feel as jaded as James Murphy's lyrics. Was this simply a festival headline cash grab or something more? This year, our questions have been answered with new music which has been uniformly excellent. "Call The Police" and "American Dream" showed different sides of the band's skillset, and "Tonite" surprises once again.

From the analog sounds and disco groove to the video, this song feels like a throwback, but Murphy is in fine form, especially as the song builds to its climatic final moments.—Alex Gardner

Kodak Black is a divisive character in music, but sometimes it feels like the people who hate him just aren't listening. He has done some questionable shit and if you don't want to listen to him because of that, I get it. But too often he gets grouped in with mindless rappers with nothing to say, and that's just not the case.

Kodak is self-aware, thoughtful (at times), and has a unique way with words that blurs the line between slang and poetry. On top of all that, he's one of the best hook writers in rap right now, his beat selection is on point and full of surprises (see: "Me For Me" from Project Baby 2), and he's consistently putting out some of the best projects that balance hit singles with enough range to show off his versatility. Check out "Unexplainable," my personal favorite after one listen to the mixtape, and listen to the entire Project Baby 2 here.—Jacob Moore

At the top of the year, Jazz Cartier shared his previous single, the upbeat "Tempted." Though the track is taken from his forthcoming project Fleurever, Cartier made it clear that there was no set release date and there wouldn't be one until he felt it was complete. Months later, Cartier returns with a brand new track that he says is "a little something for my fans until Fleurever comes."

The latest track from Cartier, "Nobody's Watching" is a hard-hitting collaboration with Atlanta hit maker Mike WiLL Made-It. Cartier has a naturally menacing voice that is equally low and alluring. Mike WiLL offers up production that allows these same qualities to shine bright. "Nobody's Watching" bumps pretty hard, and becomes more addictive as the song goes on. Not only does this deserve to be played loud and on repeat, but if this is a preview of what's to come on Fleurever then we're  in for a great treat.—Adrienne Black

Gucci Mane is not slowing down. There have been multiple albums, a book, and a tour, and now a new album is on the way. Mr. Davis is out September 15 and new single "I Get The Bag" is another winner. Maybe Gucci brings the best out of Migos—"Met Gala" with Offset was flames, but this time it's Takeoff's turn to soar with one of this track's two verses. Gucci seems to be having fun too, and when Gucci's happy, we're happy.—Alex Gardner

Rich Chigga is glowing. And while his meteoric rise through the music industry is plenty of reason to smile, "Glow Like Dat" finds the rapper born Brian Imanuel at his most romantic. Flowing over quivering guitar and sharp drums, we join Rich Chigga in a field of flowers, ruminating on the obsessions of love. "You live in my head without a doubt," he sings, painting a portrait of teenage romance wiser than his years would suggest. Any suggestions of Rich Chigga as a comedy-first rapper should be put to bed with this self-produced beauty.—Graham Corrigan

​Watch Rich Chigga on Trending Topics here.

At this point, most fans know Denzel Curry for his wild, aggressive delivery and seemingly unlimited energy. Songs like “Ultimate” and “Gook” work on the strength of his raw intensity alone, so it’s easy to lose sight of the fact that he’s able to put together complete songs and has a sneaky ear for melody.

His new single “Skywalker” shows off his full range of abilities better than almost anything we’ve heard from him so far. Centered around a unique melody that calls to mind one of his influences, André 3000, Curry is able to harness his energy in a digestible package that's already stuck in our heads. It’s the kind of song that’ll endear him to new listeners without losing what made him so special in the first place.—Eric Skelton

Watch Denzel Curry (aka Zeltron 6 Billion) on Trending Topics here.

Joseph Chilliams appeared on Noname's "Forever" and she returns the favor on "Kale," while another Chicagoan, Supa Bwe, comes along for the ride too. Chilliams is a founding member of the PIVOT crew alongside Saba, and he explains that this song is "a middle finger to Lil Bow Wow and aspects of the industry we disagree with. A song about holding down loved ones and loss and being as black and excellent as we can be at all times."​

The hook is instantly memorable and all the rappers do their thing, but Noname's verse is on repeat—these are some of her best and most direct bars to date. "Kale" will appear on Joseph Chilliams' debut project Henry Church, out August 24.—Alex Gardner

Terrible Records have a an impressive track record of working with rising artists, and Toulouse is the latest excellent addition to their roster. The Nigerian-born, New York-based artist will release his debut EP Extended Plea on September 15, and "Hurtin" shows just why we've been intrigued by his music from the start. Soaring vocals and a creative arrangement are perfect partners on one of Toulouse's most polished songs to date.—Alex Gardner

Earlier this year, Buddy shared a collaborative EP titled Ocean & Montana alongside Kaytranada. With the Montreal producer providing his usual feel-good, dance-worthy beats, the EP opened up a space for Buddy to showcase his melodic tone and more lighthearted side.

Just a few short months later, Buddy is gearing up to drop yet another EP, this time titled Magnolia. Rather than more tracks fans can groove to, Buddy has been dropping hard-hitting tracks like last week's "That Much" and his newest release "Type of Shit" alongside Wiz Khalifa. Buddy continues to flex his versatility and prove that he's someone you should be paying attention to.—Adrienne Black

When Denzel Curry's energy is on 100%, he's unstoppable. He's capable of a lot more than ground-shaking drops, machine gun flows, and music that makes you want to jump out of the window, but "Babylon" proves that the formula is still extremely effective. Over massive electronic production from Vancouver producer Ekali, Denzel Curry unleashes a monster and commands "Babylon." Not many rappers could manager to outmuscle this kind of beat, but it's light work for Denzel.—Jacob Moore

If you've got ASAP Ferg and Meek Mill on a track, you already know there's going to be no shortage of energy. "Trap And A Dream" is the opener from Ferg's new album Still Striving, and it's sure to become a staple of his live set, too. Meek Mill kills it again here, throwing in some surprising lyrics that include references to the spleen and the medical ointment Neosporin.

Recent ridiculous arrest aside, Meek is having a solid year, and ASAP Ferg hasn't slowed down for what seems like years. His album Still Striving is out now.—Alex Gardner

I have been paying close attention to Ro Ransom and I'm patiently waiting for him to release his debut album Momentum. "Doppelganger" was one of my favorite songs of 2016 and "Prettiest" was also pretty impressive. Ro has major crossover potential and he continued to display that with his latest single "Stop The World." Leven Kali produced this record and Ro delivered as he serenades a special someone in his life, claiming to even stop the world just to be with her.—Eric Isom