Some of our favorite artists came out swinging on the second Friday of November, as we were blessed with new projects from FKA twigs (Magdalene), Dave East (Survival), Doja Cat (Hot Pink), Emotional Oranges (The Juice: Vol. II), and more. Beyond the full-length projects, some of the best music this week came in the form of singles: Frank Ocean’s “In My Room,” Lil Baby’s “Woah,” Yung Lean’s “Blue Plastic,” NLE Choppa’s “Forever,” Tinashe and 6lack’s “Touch & Go,” Omar Apollo, Dominic Fike, and Kenny Beats’ “Hit Me Up,” and Griselda’s “Chef Dreads.” These are the best new songs this week.
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Frank Ocean, “In My Room”
In a new episode of his Blonded radio show over the weekend, Frank Ocean dropped his second song in as many weeks, “In My Room.” Like last month’s “DHL,” Frank’s latest offering sees the R&B singer trade in his sweet melodies for an infectious flow, as he spends the two-minute track proving that he can drop quotable bars as efficiently as your favorite rapping-ass-rapper. As is usually the case whenever the reclusive artist offers up new material, fans are already theorizing, as clues on the cover artwork for “DHL” and “In My Room” seem to hint that there’s a new Frank album on the way. Will it be a rap album? —Brad Callas
Lil Baby, “Woah”
While DaBaby has cemented his status as both King of the Babies and rap’s Rookie of the Year, it was only a year ago that another baby rapper, Lil Baby, owned both titles. This week, the Atlanta upstart looks to reclaim the throne with “Woah,” his first solo record since July’s “Out the Mud.” Backed by an exhilaratingly fast beat, courtesy of Quay Global, Lil Baby boasts about his rich lifestyle, including his ultra-fancy dental work (“Hundred thousand in my mouth like, “What's happenin’?/Not the big cheap teeth, that's embarrasin’”), which, MTV’s Trey Alston points out, is 33 times the cost of traditional braces. “Woah” will appear on Baby’s much-anticipated sophomore album, My Turn, which is expected to arrive within the upcoming weeks. —Brad Callas
Yung Lean, “Blue Plastic”
Following January’s “Creep Creeps” and March’s Total Eclipse EP, “Blue Plastic” is the latest in a long line of loose tracks that Yung Lean has dropped throughout 2019. Produced by Sad Boys’ Gud, the subdued, murky, low-fi track sees the Sweedish rapper dealing with loneliness and isolation, as he sing-raps, “Nothing to do here, been gone so long/Nothing to do here, been here so long/Everyone's got ideas, but they’re all wrong/Nobody wants to get it, but they’re all for talk/Nobody gives a fuck, I'm not the one to talk/Nobody gives a fuck, I'm not the one to talk.” —Brad Callas
FKA Twigs, “sad day”
A standout track from FKA Twigs’ new album, Magdalene, “sad day” is hauntingly beautiful, and finds Twigs addressing her heartbreak while bombastic 808s explode in the background. Backed by synth-laden production, the English singer’s feather-soft voice sings about unrequited love (“You’re running/And I tried to make it work before/You’re running/I made you sad before”), while holding out hope that they’ll return to her. “Would you make a, make a, make a wish on my love?” she pleads on the chorus. —Brad Callas
NLE Choppa, “Forever”
Since dropping his breakout single, “Shotta Flow,” at the top of the year, NLE Choppa has become the hottest star in Memphis rap, on the back of another hit song (“Camelot”) and a string of stellar guest spots (see: Quin NFN’s “Poles,” BlocBoy JB’s “ChopBloc 2,” and Kodak Black’s “Zombie”). This week, in celebration of his 17th birthday, Choppa continued his hot streak with a new single, “Forever,” which doubles as an ode to his girlfriend, Mariah, who plays his leading lady in the track’s accompanying video. The song arrives as Choppa looks toward his next full-length project: the follow-up to 2018’s No Love Take Over. Choppa spoke about his plans earlier this month, during an interview with XXL. “I wanna drop a tape, but I’ve got so many good songs that I want all of them on one fucking tape,” he said. “I want that one hard-hitter that everybody just remember forever.” —Brad Callas
Emotional Oranges, “West Coast Love”
What you’re getting with Emotional Orange’s The Juice: Vol. 2 is a lot more of what made Vol. 1 such a good listen: immaculately produced, mid-tempo, cloudy R&B. The mystery group say they were inspired, at least in-part, by the Weeknd’s Trilogy project, and like much of Abel’s discography, the sultry R&B often features bass-heavy beats, so you don’t feel completely worn out by it on the other side of eight tracks. “West Coast Love” bottles up the feel of the ’90s, and unleashes a fury of nostalgia (even interpolating A Tribe Called Quest). “Sundays,” while technically not new, as it was previously released as a promotional single, is also a stand-out track. Go check out The Juice: Vol. 2, and then do yourself a favor and look up their song “Hold You Back” from earlier in the year. You won’t regret it. —Waiss Aramesh
Omar Apollo, Dominic Fike & Kenny Beats, “Hit Me Up”
Omar Apollo and Dominic Fike are two of the most promising breakout artists of 2019, so it was only a matter of time before they linked on for a collaboration. Produced by Kenny Beats, “Hit Me Up” sounds reminiscent of Anderson .Paak’s high-res funk, as the song showcases Apollo’s R&B-tinged vocals alongside Fike’s pop-rock melodies. Backed by excellent production, the pairing alternates feelings of indifference and interest in a relationship: “Said, I’ve got some time I’m abusing/Change my mind if you ever switch it up/And I won’t waste my time if you pursue me/I’ll let you know if you ever hit me up.” —Brad Callas
Tinashe f/ 6lack, “Touch & Go”
As Tinashe gears up for the release of her new album, Songs For You, the L.A. native taps 6lack for her new R&B duet, “Touch & Go.” Backed by a moody synth arrangement, they sing about meeting in the middle of a relationship. “Wish you would say somethin’ to make me change my mind, got me feelin’ like somebody else,” Tinashe sings in the first verse. “I been so patient with you but you won’t act right/And I’m tired of sleepin’ by myself/What is we on? Boy, somethin’ is wrong/Show me you want me too.” While rapping the second verse, 6lack admits that their best communication takes place in the bedroom, with lines like, “Good head make you forget what you said.” —Brad Callas
Westside Gunn, Benny the Butcher & Conway the Machine, “Chef Dreads”
More than a month after teaming up on “Dr. Bird’s,” the Griselda crew returns with “Chef Dreads,” the second single from their forthcoming Shady Records debut, What Would Chine Do. Produced by in-house beatmaker Daringer, the murky instrumental sets the foundation for the boom bap heavyweights, as they trade bars about everything from shoot-outs and prison time to Diamond tennis chains and VVSs. —Brad Callas
Dave East f/ Lil Baby “Night Shift”
Dave East’s long-awaited album, Survival, features a handful of New York rap legends like Nas (“Godfather 4”), DJ Premier (“They Wanna Kill You”), Max B (“Wanna Be a G”), and Fabolous (“What’s Goin’ On”). However, one of the best guest appearances comes from rap’s reigning Rookie of the Year, Lil Baby. On “Night Shift,” East and Baby's styles complement one another, as each rapper bodies the uptempo instrumental with a sense of purpose. —Brad Callas
Alicia Keys f/ 21 Savage & Miguel, “Show Me Love (Remix)”
21 Savage’s run as an R&B guest star continues. Fresh off his features alongside Jhene Aiko (last month’s “Triggered (Freestyle)”) and Normani (last week’s “Motivation” remix), Savage joins Alicia Keys and Miguel for the remix of the former’s latest single, “Show Me Love.” On the song’s opening verse, 21 gets melodic, rapping, “I sleep in the trap and just thug, but I’d rather you show me some love/I’d rather you show me it’s real, I’d rather you tell me your feelings than you act like I’m trippin or high on the pill/Go through so much in the street I just want to come home to a meal and a hug.” Who knew 21 could be so vulnerable? —Brad Callas
