Some of our favorite artists delivered new material on New Music Friday, as we were blessed with projects from 03 Greedo and Kenny Beats (Netflix & Deal); Action Bronson & The Alchemist (Lamb Over Rice); YNW Melly (Melly vs. Melvin), NoCap (The Hood Dictionary), Trippie Redd (A Love Letter to You 4), and Tinashe (Songs For You), among others. Beyond the full-length offerings, some of the best new music this week came in the form of singles: PartyNextDoor & Drake’s “Loyal”; Rod Wave’s “Dark Clouds”; 2KBaby’s “Gutta (Playing Games Remix)”; Summer Walker, Chris Brown, and London on Da Track’s “Something Real”; and Maggie Rogers’ “Love You For a Long Time.” These are the best new songs this week.
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PartyNextDoor f/ Drake, “Loyal”
Between the summers of 2013 and 2016, Drake and PartyNextDoor were one of R&B’s best duos. Beyond the five songs they released together during the three-year stretch (“Over Here,” “Recognize,” “Preach,” “Come and See Me,” and “With You”), PND performed background vocals on Nothing Was the Same deep cuts like “Own It” and “Come Thru,” produced If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late opener “Legend,” and helped write Views standout “U With Me?” and Rihanna’s Drake-featuring No. 1 hit, “Work.” In other words, it was a very productive period for the OVO duo. However, in the two and a half years since they last joined forces on More Life’s “Since Way Back,” the closest thing we’ve received to an official collaboration from the pairing is PND’s songwriting credits on the reprehensible “Rachet Happy Birthday,” which appeared on last year’s Scorpion. Fortunately, they returned this week with their latest offering, “Loyal,” which is the first new music Party has released as a lead artist since 2017’s Seven Days.—Brad Callas
03 Greedo & Kenny Beats f/ Freddie Gibbs, “Disco Shit”
2019 has seen melodic street rap turn into one of the hottest subgenres in hip-hop, with the arrival of a new generation of sing-song rappers (Polo G, Lil Tjay, YNW Melly, and NoCap). And so, it’s ironic that one of the best singing moments in rap this year goes to a rapper that had never be grouped with this new class of ballad-chasers: 03 Greedo. Sure, the versatile L.A. legend has always blended singing and rapping better than most, but not like this. On Netflix & Deal standout “Disco Shit,” Greedo picks a beat far out of his wheelhouse, and dances all over it with a raspy, infectiously unconventional hook. Sheesh. 03 Greedo can sing! —Brad Callas
Action Bronson & The Alchemist, “Just the Way It Is”
Aside from Harry Fraud and Party Supplies, no producer brings out the best in Action Bronson quite like The Alchemist. Along with their 2012 collaborative mixtape, Rare Chandeliers, Alchemist has produced countless classics in Bronson’s discography, including the Mr. Wonderful standout “Terry,” the 2012 posse cut “Elimination Chamber,” and the Roc Marciano-assisted “Pool Hall Hustler.” The duo’s second full-length collaboration, Lamb Over Rice, is a continuation of their great chemistry, which is never more evident than on the EP’s penultimate track, “Just the Way It Is.” Over an ’80s keyboard riff that sounds like it’s lifted from Billy Joel’s expansive catalog, Bronson displays his outsized personality and unmatched wit from the jump, opening the song’s first verse by rapping, “Sell coke, walk with a cane/Flex the green Porsche in the rain/Catch me at the mall with your dame/But nah, I ain't buying shit but she's drinking.” —Brad Callas
YNW Melly, “Bang Bang”
On January’s We All Shine, YNW Melly revealed his talent as a vocalist with a mix of somber cuts (“No Heart”) and bouncy earworms (“Mixed Personalities”). Released while he’s behind bars for murder charges, Melly’s album, Melly vs. Melvin, features similar highlights like the tear-jerking ballad, “Suicidal,” and subtle banger “Adam Sandler.” On “Bang Bang,” another early standout from the LP, Melly’s signature melodies are reserved strictly for the hook, as the 20-year-old rapper proves his lyrical prowess with three breathless verses. That being said, I’m not sure even you or I would sound bad rapping over the infectious sample of Nelly’s 2008 single, “Body On Me.” —Brad Callas
2KBABY, “Gutta (Playing Games Remix)”
Last month, 19-year-old rapper 2KBABY caught our attention with a string of melodic, addictive songs. And he promised he had plenty more in the can. “When ‘Old Streets’ blew up back in June, I was already sitting on over a hundred songs,” he told us at the time. “I’ve got songs on some rock shit, on some jazz shitt, on some pop shit, all types of shit. I be in the studio high, just doing shit.” Now, he’s back with another offering, sharing his own interpretation of Summer Walker’s “Playing Games.” Being in the studio high and just doing shit seems to have paid off. This is a jam. If you’re not already on the 2KBABY bandwagon, hop on now! —Eric Skelton
NoCap, “What You Know”
NoCap’s breakthrough mixtape, The Backend Child, features several songs where the Alabama upstart raps sing-song melodies over acoustic guitar-laden beats (see: “Dead Faces,” “Heart Beat,” “Demons”). NoCap’s latest project, The Hood Dictionary, offers more of the same, as he polishes his country-rap style on standout tracks like “What You Know.” Backed by a beachy guitar riff courtesy of producer Yung Ting, NoCap showcases his clean and versatile melody, while reflecting on troubles that even his newfound fame can’t erase. “What you know 'bout chances and takin' risks?/What you know 'bout takin' care of your homies doin' years?” he sings on the chorus. It’s about time someone books NoCap for his own Tiny Desk concert. —Brad Callas
Rod Wave, “Dark Clouds”
In a rap landscape packed with sing-song rappers, 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 his new album, Ghetto Gospel, Rod Wave builds on his growing buzz with another promising song, “Dark Clouds.” The new single is the latest play on Wave’s signature, tender street rap, as the 20-year-old St. Petersburg artist showcases his vocal range while crooning about his pain and inner demons. “Say mama, hey mama/I been feeling home sick/It’s demons inside my heart/And I can feel ’em growing/I brought people around me/Without even knowing/They all had secrets agendas/That they wasn’t showing.” —Brad Callas
Summer Walker, Chris Brown, and London on Da Track, “Something Real”
Less than two months after dropping her debut album,Over It, Summer Walker is already back with a new single, “Something Real.” London on Da Track, who produced most of Walker’s studio debut, continues his hot streak behind the boards, crafting a bass-heavy, lush arrangement for the rising R&B queen and guest star Chris Brown, who deliver an exceptional, sexually-charged duet. The new single arrives not long after Walker canceled a slew of tour dates due to struggles with social anxiety. “Unfortunately I’m not gonna be able to finish this tour because it doesn’t really coexist with my social anxiety and my introverted personality,” she said in a video posted to Twitter. “I really hope people understand and respect that at the end of the day. I am a person, I have feelings, I get tired, I get sad. It’s just a lot.” —Brad Callas
Tinashe, “Hopscotch”
Songs For You, Tinashe’s fourth album and first independent release, features everything from trap bangers (“Link Up”) to pop ballads (“Save Room For Us”) to R&B slow jams (“Life’s Too Short”). If any one song is to become a hit, though, it’s likely going to be “Hopscotch,” with its West Coast bounce and L.A. radio parodies. It even includes a nice reminder to LeBron that Tinashe was hosting Taco Tuesdays long before he took his talents to Hollywood. —Brad Callas
Maggie Rogers, “Love You For A Long Time”
What a year it’s been for Maggie Rogers. She released her major label debut to widespread acclaim, fulfilled self-made promises to play Radio City Music Hall (two sold out nights in October), and locked down a Grammy nomination—all without losing the authenticity that drew her a cult following in the first place. “Love You For A Long Time,” although written at the same time as Maggie made Heard It In A Past Life (which was released back in January), has a lot more country influence than anything on the album. Recorded to sound like the last few days of summer, “Love You For a Long Time” was written as both a love letter to love itself, and an anthem of gratitude towards fans she encountered throughout her breakout year. “It’s a song about love in all its forms—romantic love, the love I feel for my friends, the love I feel for my band, and the love I’ve shared with all of you...I wanted it to sound as wild and alive as new love feels,” she explains. —Waiss Aramesh
