The hip-hop world came out swinging on New Music Friday, as we were blessed with new projects from Gang Starr (One of the Best Yet), Earl Sweatshirt (FEET OF CLAY), Westside Gunn (Hitler Wears Hermes 7), Lil Peep (GOTH ANGEL SINNER), and more. Beyond the full-length projects, some of the best music this week came in the form of singles: Tame Impalaâs âIt Might Be Time,â Miguelâs âFuneral,â dvsn and Futureâs âNo Cryinâ,â 21 Savageâs âImmortal,â Vince Staplesâ âSheet Music,â Travis Scottâs remix of Young Thug and Gunnaâs âHot,â and Ski Mask the Slump Godâs âCarbonated Water.â These are the best new songs this week.
Follow our accompanying Best New Music playlist on Spotify here!
Young Thug f/ Gunna & Travis Scott, âHot (Remix)âÂ
Young Thug and Travis Scott are incapable of making a bad song together. Their track record as a collaborative duo speaks for itself: âMamacitaâ (2014), âSkyfallâ (2014), âMaria, I'm Drunkâ (2015), âFloyd Mayweatherâ (2016), âPick Up The Phoneâ (2016), âUp to Somethingâ (2018), âThe Londonâ (2019). This week, Thugger and Travis joined forces once again on the official remix of âHot,â the Gunna-assisted standout cut from Thugâs debut studio album, So Much Fun. It should come as no surprise that Trav fits seamlessly into Wheezyâs horn-heavy production, enhancing the original song with his backing vocals and scene-stealing closing verse. Thugger and La Flame remain undefeated.Â
21 Savage, âImmortalâÂ
The second anniversary of Without Warning, the 21 Savage-Offset-Metro Boomin collaborative album that served as the soundtrack for Halloween 2017, arrived with some bad news and some good news. Metro took to Twitter to relay the bad news, shutting down rumors of a sequel in a tweet that read, âThere is no Without Warning 2 and Iâm not even sure where these rumors began. I appreciate everyoneâs love for the first album but everything doesnât need a sequel!â As for the good news: 21 Savage made sure that Halloween 2019 wasnât a complete waste, by dropping a spooky single, âImmortal,â which finds him rapping about his murderous tendencies over a haunting beat.Â
Earl Sweatshirt f/ Mavi, âEL TORO COMBO MEALâÂ
Itâs still too early to determine the standout song from Earl Sweatshirtâs new seven-song project, FEET OF CLAY, but, upon first pass, it appears that the projectâs emotional center is the Mavi-assisted âEL TORO COMBO MEAL.â For a rapper who has made a career off discussing dark subject matter, itâs oddly fitting that perhaps the most heart-wrenching cut from FEET OF CLAY is backed by the projectâs sunniest production. In fact, itâs fair to argue that Ovrkastâs warm instrumental is brighter than anything on last yearâs Some Rap Songs. In the end, it caters to Earlâs passionate closing verse, which features the most refreshing sports reference of 2019: âPistons roarin' like I'm Rasheed/Pistons roarin' like I'm Ben Wallace/Pistons roarin' like Chauncey/Fill up somethin' 'cause I been drivin'.â (Full disclosure: I was born and raised in Detroit).Â
Vince Staples, âSheet MusicâÂ
Following the release of his âSo What?â music video in August, Vince Staples returns with his latest single, âSheet Music.â Backed by sparkling, pop-leaning production that sounds reminiscent of ILoveMakonnenâs 2014 self-titled EP, the track sees the Long Beach rapper pivot toward the melodic, sing-song style that has dominated rap radio for most of the decade. âSheet Musicâ was accompanied by the release of the second episode of The Vince Staples Show, which features cameo appearances from Buddy and Ray J.Â
Tame Impala, âIt Might Be TimeâÂ
Itâs been over four years since Tame Impalaâs critically-acclaimed third studio album, 2015âs Currents, which marks the longest stretch of time between any of the Australian bandâs albums. Thankfully, their highly-anticipated return has been well worth the wait. After releasing twosingles this spring, Tame Impala returns with âIt Might Be Time,â the newest cut off the bandâs fourth studio album, The Slow Rush, which is slated to arrive on Valentineâs Day next year. Inspired by â70s psych-rock, the song finds frontman Kevin Parker reflecting on the passage of time, a signature theme for the group: âIâm only tiredâ of all these voices/Always saying nothing lasts forever,â he laments. âIt might be time to face it/You ainât as young as you used to be.â
Miguel, âFuneralâÂ
Ever the musical-sexual genius, Miguel has spent the past decade crafting various types of bedroom bangers. Beyond his signature one-sided pursuits (see: âQuickieâ and âP**** Is Mineâ) and romantic ballads (âSure Thingâ and âAdornâ), thereâs songs like âDo YouâŚ,â which finds him using drugs as a metaphor for romance. Miguelâs new single, âFuneral,â is another example of the latter, as he uses images that are associated with death as a metaphor for a sexual encounter. Backed by surging synths, the bass-heavy electro instrumental caters to the r&b singerâs sultry lyrics: âSend my regards to the mother and father/ âCause somebodyâs daughter I just fucking slayed,â he sings in the grim chorus. âBlood on the carpet, it came from my heart/ Once I start, I canât stop it, and now we are prey.â
Gang Starr f/ Group Home & Royce da 5â9, âWhatâs RealâÂ
While âLights Outâ is already getting shine as the standout cut from Gang Starrâs new album, One of the Best Yet, âWhatâs Realâ is the superior offering, which is to say it features all the ingredients of the Gang Starr golden era: Premoâs chopped-up piano sample and the vocal scratch hook, Guruâs silky smooth voice, and, for good measure, an appearance from Gang Starr Foundation duo, Group Home. Backed by a sample of the 1996 Fugees/Tribe/Busta posse cut, âRumble In the Jungle,â Guru talks his best shit on the opening verse. âI got soldiers that'll turnâ shit out, burn shit out/Do I come correctly when it's my turn? No doubt/I twisted trees in the cold with one hand wipin' my nose/Girls say that I'm fly 'cause they be likin' my clothes/But the clothes or the money can't make the man/When I apply my vicious grip, you can't take it, man/Face it and understand, there are no winnings for you/What I'm beginnin' to do, is bring an endin' to you and your crew.â
Lil Peep, âMoving OnâÂ
In October 2017, a month before his death, Lil Peep announced plans to release an EP titled GOTH ANGEL SINNERvia Twitter. Over two years later, the three-song project has arrived. Produced by regular collaborator Fish Narc, GOTH ANGEL SINNER features the tracks âWhen I Lie,â âBelgium,â and âMoving On,â the latter of which he performed during multiples shows on what was to be his final tour, namely the Come Over When Youâre Sober tour. An early standout, âMoving Onâ isnât an easy listen, as it finds the rapper reflecting on the dangerous cycle of drug addiction.Â
Ski Mask the Slump God, âCarbonated Waterâ
After previewing the track on Twitter last month, Ski Mask the Slump God is back with âCarbonated Water.â Fans of Ski Maskâs boundless intensity and outlandish sense of humor wonât be disappointed, as the South Florida rapper steamrolls Ronny Jâs catchy beat, peppering in a wide variety of pop culture references, from SpongeBob SquarePants and The Fairly OddParents to Bill Nye the Science Guy and South Park.
Westside Gunn f/ Curren$y & Benny the Butcher, âLucha BrosâÂ
A standout member of Buffaloâs Griselda crew is Westside Gunn, who, over the past five years, has quietly strung together one of the best runs in rap, on the back of his Hitler Wears Hermes series and a pair of critically-acclaimed albums, 2016âs FLYGOD and 2018âs Supreme Blientele. On âLucha Bros,â a standout cut from the latest edition of his iconic series, Gunn joins forces with a pair of long-time collaborators, underground legend Curren$y, and Griselda brethren Benny the Butcher, as the three wordsmiths trade bars over a lush, soulful beat courtesy of The Alchemist.Â
dvsn f/ Future, âNo CryinââÂ
After collaborating with Future on âTricks On Me,â the outro from The WIZRD, OVO Soundâs r&b duo dvsn tap the trap crooner for their latest single, âNo Cryinâ.â With producer Ninteen85 behind the boards, singer Daniel Daley tries to get his romantic interest to move on (âNo more cryin in the club, girl/You know that wasnât love, girlâ), while Petty Hndrxx comes through with one of his signature coldhearted verses, rapping âHood n***a forever I put shorties on my leashes/Iâm a man of my word, I say fuck you then I mean it/I could stop all this pressure and cop a new compressor/But Iâm deep in VIP, ainât got no time for no lectures.â