The drought is over. After a few slow months, we’re finally getting a bit batch of new music from our favorite artists. As we await the release of Certified Lover Boy, Drake reunited with Rick Ross for their impressive new collaboration “Lemon Pepper Freestyle.” Lil Baby continued his excellent run with the EST Gee-assisted single “Real As It Gets.” And Baby Keem returned with “No Sense” from his forthcoming album. This week, we also got new music from Bruno Mars, Anderson .Paak, Justin Bieber, G Herbo, and more.
Check out the best new music this week below. And follow our playlist on Spotify to keep up with the latest drops here.
Drake & Rick Ross, “Lemon Pepper Freestyle”
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Drake and Rick Ross just don’t miss. On “Lemon Pepper Freestyle,” Rick Ross stuns with luxurious bars, documenting his lavish lifestyle and insatiable appetite for good food and women. “Fat boy, rich nigga, with a appetite/ Count money all night under the candelight,” he raps over a R&B sample. Drake comes in later with reflective bars about his childhood, rise to fame, fatherhood, and more. “Yeah, dropped him off at school, big day for lil man/ Recess hits, daddy prolly made another M,” he spits. “Lemon Pepper Freestyle” is just the latest in a string of hits from Drake and Rick Ross, and appears on Drake’s new three-pack Scary Hours 2.
Lil Baby f/ EST Gee, “Real As It Gets”
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Lil Baby is keeping his run going. “Real As It Gets” is a dizzying record where Lil Baby unleashes rapid-fire bars about his financial and street status. “To the streets, I’m the voice, I’m an advocate/ Ask the plug, this the most he done ever sent/ Niggas broke, what’s the most you done ever spent?/ Gettin’ paid, this the most I done ever saved,” he spits. Louisville rapper EST Gee also shows up on the record, dropping heat with a little southern flare.” “Real As It Gets” is Lil Baby’s first single of the year, and proves that his run is far from over.
Baby Keem, “No Sense”
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Baby Keem is back. On “No Sense,” he works through a former romantic relationship. He sounds exhausted, dragging his words as he raps, “Don’t be showin’ out when you with your mans, dawg/ Please don’t let me catch him on my Insta/ It’s a thousand ways to misunderstand, dawg.” Baby Keem season is clearly upon us. The track follows 2020’s two-song release, “hoolingan” and “sons & critics freestyle” and it’s expected to appear on the rapper’s forthcoming album, which is coming soon.
Bruno Mars & Anderson .Paak, “Leave the Door Open”
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“Leave the Door Open” is a smooth R&B record with an old school feel. Anderson .Paak comes out the gate with a suave demeanor, while Bruno Mars commands attention with sultry and powerful vocals that will melt even the darkest soul. “Imma leave the door open/ That you feel the way I feel/ And you want me like I want you tonight, baby/ Tell me that you’re coming through.” “Leave the Door Open” is one of those records you can throw on during date night or dance to at an outdoor kickback. The track is the lead single from the duo’s joint album, An Evening With Silk Sonic.
Justin Bieber, “Hold On”
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Hold On” is an electric record that finds Justin Bieber copping to the mistakes he’s made in the past and reaching out to help others. “Take my hand and hold on/ Tell me everything that you need to say/ Cause I know how it feels to be someone/ Feels to be someone who loses their way,” he croons. While Justin gets sentimental in the lyrics, “Hold On” is also a danceable song with an energetic feel. “Hold On” also signals that Justin Bieber is in album mode, as the singer announced his forthcoming album Justice is set to drop on March 13.
G Herbo, “Really Like That”
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G Herbo wastes no time on “Really Like That.” Rapping over a Tay Keith-produced beat, the Chicago native starts listing his street creds. “Sixteen, I bought a strap/ Seventeen too many guns, by eighteen I caught a case,” he spits. The rest of the record consists of a single lengthy verse that finds Herbo talking about coming up in the streets, witnessing gang violence, and his own run-ins with the law. “Saw a murder at nine, ever since been traumatized/ But fuck it/ When I made it out the trances, said a nigga lucky,” he adds.
Chance the Rapper, “The Heart & The Tongue”
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On “The Heart & The Tongue” Chance the Rapper battles with thoughts in his head, referencing old folktales and legends as he details the conflict between his heart, mind, and tongue. He also discusses his grievances with politics and faith. “The soul is brighter ‘cause the Holy Ghost is ultraviolet/ The tongue is violent when the spirit starts to hunger-strikin’/ The thunder lightning makes the heart go under bunkers hiding/ The lungs is silent when it hears the footsteps of the giants,” he raps. “The Heart & The Tongue” is Chance’s first release of 2021.
Juice WRLD, Post Malone, & Clever, “Life’s a Mess II”
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“Life’s a Mess II” is a heartfelt record where Juice WRLD, Post Malone, and Clever link up on one track. The song touches on topics of love and relationships, with the trio repeatedly singing, “Have you ever fallen head over heels for somebody?” It’s the type of record you play to drown out the noise and get lost in. According to Clever, this track is a different version of the original “Life’s a Mess” song that features Juice and Halsey. “This version I have is the version Juice wanted as the beat goes. It has more of an acoustic vibe,” he wrote on Instagram.
OTF f/ Lil Uzi Vert, “Let It Blow”
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“Let It Blow” is a menacing record that finds Chicago rapper Memo600 uniting with Lil Uzi Vert. On the track, Lil Uzi Vert kicks it off with a shoulder-popping verse as he raps, “These R&B ass niggas wasn’t outside, what they singin’ for?/ Lil Uzi Vert, yes, I was right outside by the corner store.” Memo600 controls the chorus and the final verse, rapping, “Better keep your pipe up on you boy, I’ll have em at your door/ Better run for life, a roar applaud clap you at that store.” Memo600 is a member of the Chicago rap collective Only the Family, which was formed by Lil Durk. “Let It Blow” appears on Only The Family Presents: Loyal Bros Compilation.
Tyler, the Creator, “Tell Me How”
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“Tell Me How” is a chaotic and high-energy track where Tyler spends much of his time chanting lines like, “Tell me how it tastes” and “I’m down with the good good.” The track was released as the soundtrack to a Coca-Cola commercial, which would explain why there aren’t many lyrics. Nevertheless, it’s still a fun tune to throw on and rock to.
Saweetie & Doja Cat f/ Stefflon Don, “Best Friend (Remix)”
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Saweetie and Doja Cat linked with Stefflon Don for the remix of their record “Best Friend.” For the most part, the track is pretty similar to the original. But Stefflon Don lays down a raunchy and braggadocious verse about her sex appeal. “In the streets I’m a lady, in the bed I’m a ho/ Ain’t a stripper but I really put it down on the pole/ Plus I get dizzy in the kitchen, flick my wrist on the stove,” she raps.
YNW Melly f/ Kodak Black, “Thugged Out”
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On “Thugged Out,” YNW Melly borrows a familiar flow on the chorus, before rapping about his thug lifestyle. “I’ve been the hardest, Imma go that way regardless/ Young nigga world the right way and all my niggas heartless/ We aim that pistol at whoever say ‘it’s ending,” he sings. Kodak Black calls for YNW Melly’s prison release, while also discussing his own legal issues. “Thugged out the greater, caught eleven hundred cases/ I can’t guarantee you safety, ‘cause shit could go down, baby,” he raps. This marks the first collaboration between YNW Melly and Kodak Black.
Denzel Curry f/ Benny the Butcher, “DIET_1.5”
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“DIET_1.5” is a bar-heavy, laid back record from Denzel Curry and Benny the Butcher. On the first verse, Benny the Butcher raps about the insurrection at the Capitol and claims that all of his albums are classics. “All these racks in the ceiling got rappers back in they feelings/ Treat the game like Trump voters did the Capitol building,” he spits. Denzel Curry is equally compelling, touching on a handful of topics. On the chorus, he ramps up the energy, declaring himself the best. “On man, ichiban, fresh out of Japan, do as I command/ And what I demand is some fuckin’ peace and quiet,’” he commands.
