Best Songs of the Week

Jon Waltz linked up with a team of producers (Romil, Nova, Albert Gordon, and Eric Lynch) for "Justified." A crew that large could have gone either way, but it worked out beautifully. The hook alone is one of Waltz's best, a sweet, sing-song melody that extols love's virtue without ever resorting to mechanical romance. There's a real, sincere feeling to Waltz's music—you can hear it in his previous single too, and between these two, his next project is shaping up nicely.—Graham

The music Kendrick Lamar is making is not fun to listen to. There are pleasant things about it—excellent rapping, technically impressive instrumentation, a wise and soulful spirit—but it's challenging. It's dense, unstructured, and confrontational. And it's absolutely vital.

Much of Kendrick's new untitled unmastered project feels like a meandering jam session between Kendrick and his talented artist friends, but the high points, like the climax of "untitled 2," come in explosive flashes. Most importantly, Kendrick Lamar is the kind of captivating presence that pushes an entire genre forward and inspires others—peers, fans, and doubters—to be better. Being challenged is necessary, and it's way more rewarding than mindlessly bobbing along to another club hit that will be irrelevant in six months.—Jacob Moore

We're used to hearing Freddie Gibbs spitting over beats from some of the best producers in rap, whether that's Madlib, with whom he recorded a whole album (Piñata) or Boi-1da, Frank Dukes, and Mike Dean (who all produced on his latest album, Shadow Of A Doubt).

That makes the fact that he collaborated with Canadian dance music production duo Zeds Dead a surprise, and the fact that the resulting track is excellent a pleasant surprise. Zeds Dead pares things back a little from the all-out audio assault of many of their tracks, and Gangsta Gibbs gets a little melodic on the hook—both parties pushing themselves into new spaces in the service of good music. Of course, Freddie Gibbs' bars are hard as ever, too, as he continues to be one of the most consistent rappers in the game.—Constant Gardner

Mind of a Genius is one of the hottest labels out right now, thanks in no small part to its rock-solid roster. Gallant is one of their not-so-secret weapons—he made a massive entrance with "Weight In Gold," one of Zane Lowe's first song premieres on Apple Music.

"Bourbon" shows another side of the young singer. It's a much more hushed, introspective cut. Gallant is singing from the depths, having "loved in cold blood and got used to it." It's another strong cut off his upcoming Ology album, due out April 6.—Graham

Bless the kindness of Kanye West for giving Tyler, The Creator the instrumental for "Freestyle 4." The original version of the track is easily one of the wildest moments on The Life of Pablo, but somehow Tyler has managed to make his version of the track even crazier than Kanye's original. Finishing what Kanye started, Tyler's "WHAT THE FUCK RIGHT NOW" is a brilliant reminder of what made Odd Future so goddamn essential to begin with.

The energy he brings to the beefed-up instrumental is undeniably infectious—whenever Tyler pauses to catch his breath, you immediately start anticipating his next entrance. Even if it's a spur-of-the-moment throwaway track, "WHAT THE FUCK RIGHT NOW" brings back the ferocity of Tyler's earlier output in grandiose fashion.—Joe Price

We'll always be here for Action Bronson's outsized, larger-than-life bars, especially when they're delivered over an outstanding beat like this. Samiyam brings the rumbling low end and colorful melodies to the party, and Bronson references everythimg from daggering, to French turtlenecks, to never pissing alone.

Mr. Wonderful, back at it.—Constant Gardner

Every once in a while there comes a song that creates this immediate, “Oh, this is gonna be good!” reaction as it's just getting started—JMSN’s latest single “Cruel Intentions” is certainly one of those songs. Those few notes in the first five seconds of the song were enough to convince me that this was going to be more than just an ordinary single.

JMSN puts his deepest emotions on full display for “Cruel Intentions.” Though the instrumentation initially grabbed my attention, this track wouldn’t have reached its full potential without JMSN sounding as if he was pouring his entire heart out. There’s a perfect combination of seductiveness from the band, and a yearning feeling from the vocals—the results are irresistible. Halfway through the song, it begins to feel like a recording of a live show rather than an actual single. In most cases, a six minute song can be too much, but this time it just doesn’t feel like enough. A song has never made me feel more determined to go see a performer live than this one.—Adrienne Black