With less than three weeks left in the decade, some of our favorite artists delivered new music this Friday, as we were blessed with projects from Smokepurpp (Deadstar 2), Lil Durk (Family Over Everything), Kaytranada (BUBBA), Stormzy (Heavy Is the Head), and more. Beyond the full-length offerings, some of the best new music this week came in the form of singles: Lil Uzi Vert’s “Futsal Shuffle 2020”; Rod Wave’s “Misunderstood”; NBA YoungBoy’s “Dirty Iyanna”; NLE Choppa’s “Famous Hoes”; Travis Barker, Lil Wayne and Rick Ross’ “Gimme Brain”; and Lil Tjay’s “Go In.” These are the best new songs this week.
Follow our accompanying Best New Music playlist on Spotify here.
Lil Uzi Vert, “Futsal Shuffle 2020”
It’s been a long, complicated road to the release of Lil Uzi Vert’s next album, Eternal Atake. In the year and a half since the album was first announced in July 2018, Uzi has suffered through label drama and from leaks. Alas, the wait may finally be coming to an end. This week, already eight months removed from the release of his most recent offerings, “Sanguine Paradise” and “That’s a Rack,” Uzi returns with “Futsal Shuffle 2020.” Presumably the first single from his sophomore LP, the rave-ready song—which sees Uzi rhyme recklessly over a hyper disco beat—arrives alongside a new dance that’s poised to become the next pop culture phenomenon. —Brad Callas
Kaytranada f/ SiR, “Go DJ”
After years of rumors, teases, and heightened anticipation, Kaytranada has finally released his new studio album. The project, titled BUBBA, serves as the follow-up to his 2016 debut album, 99.9%, which received critical acclaim for its dance-friendly fusion of R&B, soul, and house. “Go DJ,” the project’s pulsating third track, sees the Canadian producer link with TDE singer-songwriter SiR for an infectious earworm. Backed by a potent dose of soul-infused R&B, the Inglewood crooner toasts to the good life: “Turnt up, eyes low, I'm gettin' down on the dance floor/Lil' mama, can you tell me where my hands go?” he sings on the opening verse. “Amazin’, I’ma be your biggest fan, though/Thought maybe you could take me where you come from/And maybe I can show you what I'm made of/Yeah, baby, I could find some time to get close.” —Brad Callas
Rod Wave, “Misunderstood”
In a rap landscape packed with melodic artists, Rod Wave has drawn comparisons to Kevin Gates, and for good reason. Both MCs are known for a style of melodic street rap that doubles as gospel, in large part because of their soulful deliveries and unique flows. Fresh off releasing a new album (Ghetto Gospel) and subsequent single (“Dark Clouds”) last month, Rod Wave returns with another promising song, “Misunderstood.” As usual, the Florida native’s melodies tug at listeners’ heartstrings, as he reflects on overcoming poverty and his rising stardom: “Be too much on my brain make me wanna shed a tear/I be tripping, reminiscing but I'm thankful I'm still here/And I'm so misunderstood this the real soldier shit/I never thought I'll see the day where I could go legit.” —Brad Callas
Smokepurpp f/ Denzel Curry, “What I Please”
An early standout from Smokepurpp’s Deadstar 2, “What I Please,” is a certified slapper made up of hard-hitting bass, booming 808s, and self-indulgent lines about doing whatever the hell you want. It’s hardly surprising, then, that Purpp taps his fellow South Florida SoundCloud rap forefather, Denzel Curry, for the ferocious track. No one is better at laying waste to a blown-out banger quite like Miami’s Curry. Backed by superb production from KBeazy, Mike Hector, Quad Beats, and OJ Finessey, Purpp and Denzel trade hedonistic lines, as the latter closes things out with a show-stopping guest verse: “If a n***a try me then it turn to armageddon/I'll stomp a n***a out like he had a foot fetish,” Curry raps. “When it comes to money, is it debit or the credit?/But either way it go, I'ma still make lettuce/Vegan stackin' up kale, no Kenan/'Bout to make a hit like Negan.” —Brad Callas
YoungBoy Never Broke Again, “Dirty Iyanna”
Nearly a year after his rumored relationship with Floyd Mayweather’s daughter, Iyanna, came to an end, NBA YoungBoy airs out some dirty laundry about his ex on “Dirty Iyanna,” a remake of Michael Jackson’s 1988 classic “Dirty Diana.” Assisted by CashMoneyAP’s infectious flip on Jackson’s hit record, the Baton Rouge rapper belts out over “Dirty Diana”’s timeless electric guitar loop, singing, “You never make me lose/So how you bring it on me?/Your haze was cruel, I was fooled/I was too blind to see/My I.D. cover the news/Seems only trouble I keep/You was the one I would choose.” —Brad Callas
NLE Choppa, “Famous Hoes”
Since dropping his breakout single, “Shotta Flow,” at the top of the year, NLE Choppa has become one of the biggest breakout rookies of 2019, building buzz on the back of a string of solo singles (“Camelot,” “Forever,” “Dekario”) and stellar guest spots (see: Quin NFN’s “Poles,” BlocBoy JB’s “ChopBloc 2,” and Kodak Black’s “Zombie”). Like last month’s “Forever” and “Dekario,” his latest single, “Famous Hoes,” is pure melodic street rap, and finds Choppa flexing his singing chops while reflecting on a relationship gone wrong. It’s uncertain whether the song will end up on the Memphis rapper’s forthcoming EP, Cottonwood, which is expected to arrive before his debut album hits stores in January. —Brad Callas
Travis Barker f/ Lil Wayne & Rick Ross, “Gimme Brain”
Over the past several months, Travis Barker has joined forces with a handful of hip-hop acts, from 03 Greedo to the Suicideboys to Machine Gun Kelly to Vic Mensa. This week, the Blink-182 drummer delivers his most star-studded rap offering of the year, teaming up with Lil Wayne and Rick Ross on “Gimme Brain,” an early release from Barker’s new label, DTA Records. Following 2011’s “Can a Drummer Get Some,” Barker’s latest single marks his second collaboration with Weezy and Rozay, who deliver stellar guest verses about the art of fellatio on the strip club anthem. —Brad Callas
Lil Tjay, “Go In”
Over the past few years, a couple distinct sounds have become the backbone of melodic street rap: somber piano licks and acoustic guitar riffs, with the former serving as the soundscape for Chicago crooners like Polo G and Calboy, and the latter providing a platform for southern sing-song rappers such as NBA YoungBoy and NoCap. After using piano-driven beats for the bulk of his debut album, True 2 Myself, 17-year-old Bronx rapper Lil Tjay opts for a country trap sound on his latest single, “Go In.” Over a bittersweet guitar progression, courtesy of producer JD On The Track, the self-proclaimed Prince of New York reflects on his newfound riches, rapping, “Made a milli', so long from a goon/I might have me a billion soon/I'ma reach for the stars, I soon cop me a new Audemar/Had to let go like five at the bar/Tell the dealership go get my car.” —Brad Callas
Lil Durk f/ Polo G, “Career Day”
As a key figure in Chicago hip-hop’s evolution from drill music to melodic street rap, Lil Durk’s paved the way for the countless new artists who have emerged from his hometown in the past year. As such, it was only right that Durk tapped one of the Chi’s biggest breakout rappers of 2019, Polo G, for a guest spot on his new OTF compilation project, Family Over Everything. An early standout from the tape, “Career Day” sees both rappers reflect on their trials and tribulations over a sparse, atmospheric instrumental. —Brad Callas
Kamaiyah, “Still I Am”
Despite having a top 10 project in 2016, since then, Kamaiyah's been consistent, but also a little quieter than most of us might’ve expected. “Still I Am” is her step back into the spotlight, and it lands right on our fucking necks. Not only is it hard, it’s a reaffirmation and a reminder of what she’s capable of, and what she’s here to do. “I done took plenty losses/that’s why I feel like I deserve to keep flossin.” She isn’t one to dwell and stew over things that could’ve been done differently; instead “Still I Am” takes those lessons and re-packages them into a banger. Classic Kamaiyah. —Frazier Tharpe
