Best Songs of the Week

NoName Gypsy may have gotten her biggest exposure from being the second name on a song (her work on Chance the Rapper's "Israel" is fantastic), but the singer is proving she can hold her own in 2016.

NoName takes first billing here, and she brought Georgia rapper SPZRKT along for the ride. The resulting "All I Need" is a brisk morning jam that is a much-needed flash of sunlight in these winter months. Production from themPEOPLE and Saba provide a warm welcome, but it's the combined vocals that really takes it over the top. Oh, and extra snaps for that "Apparently" kid sample.—Graham Corrigan

If I'm keeping it 100 with you, I wasn't that impressed with Kanye West's 2015. Aside from a fire flame performance of "All Day" at the Brit Awards that had my workplace at a standstill, nothing he dropped moved me to be like, "YES, BITCH, IT'S SWISH TIME!" Hell, scores of Internets heaped praise onto "Real Friends" while I was waiting for my real friends to show me the Kanye I'd been missing; the "Bound 2" 'Ye that I knew was around.

I guess it took Kanye's real real friends—Kendrick Lamar and Madlib—to bring the 'Ye that I'd been waiting for forward.

From the opening moments of Madlib's dusty, soul-drenched track, I knew this was heaven. I woke up on MLK Day 2016, made sure the family was tucked upstairs, and played this on my Pioneers for a good hour, just soaking in the funky loop while Kendrick and Kanye cut open a vein and bled all over the track. Kendrick's waxing poetic about escapades with bad Instagram women, while Kanye COMPLETELY BLACKS OUT about being A-list when he used to not be on a list, the ills of Mulholland Drive (is the 405 about to be lit?), and giving his thieving cousin a pat on the head and a middle finger #atthesamedamntime.

Now, I imagine SWISH might be more "Real Friends" than "No More Parties in L.A.," primarily because a) God hates me and b) you can't have too many of these perfect moments on the same album, but it's just good to hear the Kanye I missed—the "who gives a fuck" braggadocio, the inventing of new terms (turbo thots!), and the whole "backpack n***a with luxury taste buds" flavor. I've needed that College Dropout vibe from 'Ye. He's at his best when he's excelling while not caring about your feelings over crispy loops. More of this would be great, but I'm so content with the glimpse we got via this trifecta of dope artists.—khal

If you weren't already familiar with Anderson .Paak, the singer/rapper spent 2015 making sure all kinds of music listeners knew who he was. .Paak put out two stellar singles, released an EP with longtime collaborator Knxwledge, and was co-signed by Dr. Dre on one of the biggest albums of the year. So when it came time to release his solo album Malibu, expectations were high.

A week in, we can say with certainty those expectations have been exceeded. On Malibu closer "The Dreamer," .Paak links up with Talib Kweli to offer some hope to the masses: "This one's for all the little dreamers / And the ones who never gave a fuck." It's all backed by the Timan Family Choir's mantra—"Don't stop now, keep dreaming"—while Callum Connor tops it off with some slick production full of wobbly bass lines and jazzy piano licks. It's a pitch-perfect closer for the album's California dreaming.—Colton Faull

"DAMN" is grounded in strong songwriting and a catchy hook, but the Y2K production is just fucking nuts. It's an overblown sound cultivated from a perspective that only kids who grew up on the internet would really get, and while a lot of traditionalists are probably going to raise an eyebrow when they hear this one, there's no denying that it's uniquely fresh. If you're having a hard time figuring out what the future is going to sound like, just listen to the kids.—Jacob Moore

Majid Jordan is gearing up for a massive 2016. The duo is part of Drake's OVO camp, and they've been releasing singles from their next album in drips and drops over the last few months on OVO Sound Radio.

"Learn From Each Other," their latest single, is reason to stay excited. It's a smooth, slinky jam that never rises above a murmur, but that's where Majid Jordan works best. The song sneaks up on you—it's the kind of minimal dance pop that Majid has been sculpting for years, and it sounds like they've finally arrived at a stopping point.—Graham Corrigan

Future is releasing music at a crazy pace, and the quality hasn't dropped one bit. His projects have (almost) no dud tracks, and multiple standouts—"Inside The Mattress," "Perkys Calling," and "Never Forget" have got the most play from Purple Reign so far, although as with the rest of his projects, new favorites will likely emerge upon further listening.

While most of my favorite Future moments ("Codeine Crazy," "Just Like Bruddas," "Blood On The Money") come when he's crooning rather than yelling, "Never Forget" is too raw and real to overlook. Future affirms his commitment to the music, but even as he's celebrating his success he reflects on his past with startling honesty—selling drugs to his dope fiend aunt, visiting his uncle in prison, and more.

And then there's this: "Just say no to drugs, hell naw I ain't listen!" All hail Future Hendrix.—Constant Gardner

AlunaGeorge are gearing up to release their new album this spring, and this week the duo returned with their latest single “I’m In Control,” featuring Popcaan. Before even pressing play, seeing this collaboration was enough to spark my interest.

As it opens up, “I’m In Control” sounds like a fun blend of experimental pop and R&B—similar to their previous music, and fitting for Aluna’s delicate voice. But as the rhythm approaches the hook, hints of dancehall production enters to make room for Popcaan’s guest verse.

This is a new sound for both AlunaGeorge and Popcaan. The Jamaican artist has found himself on quite a few unexpected collaborations in the past year, and he continues to prove that he can fit in just about anywhere. AlunaGeorge, on the other hand, have given us a preview of a possible new direction for their upcoming album.—Adrienne Black