Best Songs of the Month (Nov 2017)

With so much good music steadily coming through, it's easy to miss some of the best. To help prevent this, we've rounded up the best new songs of the month. Here are the songs you can't afford to skip, in no particular order.

N.E.R.D is back, and with "Lemon," the trio prove that they haven't missed a single step. The song is classic N.E.R.D: an infectious, fun, and rowdy song that can't be boxed in to any single genre. And of course, there's Rihanna, who provides some impressive bars and just sounds so fucking cool. She had already proved herself to be a formidable rapper on Kendrick Lamar's "Loyalty," but that was just a taste. Even though "Lemon" is about N.E.R.D's highly anticipated return, Rihanna shines the brightest on this song.—Joyce

What a difference a year makes. In 2016, 21 Savage watched Rich Chigga in the viral video for “Dat $tick” and commented, "I don't know what the hell he was thinking. He's got a goddamn fanny pack on right there. Hell nah.” In 2017, he’s rapping all over Chigga’s new single, spitting: “Rich Chigga, 21 Savage, now it's O.D.” In line with his recent self-produced singles “Glow Like Dat” and “Chaos,” “Crisis” is another solid effort from Chigga, as he continues to prove he’s outgrown his meme origin story and has the talent to be taken seriously as a legitimate artist.—Eric Skelton

Kodak Black's Project Baby 2: All Grown Up is here, and there's one track that leaps out on a first scan: "Codeine Dreaming" unites Kodak with Lil Wayne, and somehow lives up to the hype. We've been waiting for this for a while, and the two go perfectly together. Interestingly, there's only one other feature on this deluxe version of Kodak's Project Baby: Birdman.—Graham Corrigan

To celebrate her seventeenth birthday, Willow surprised her fans with a stunning new album, The 1st. The project opens with the orchestral strains of “Boy,” a cinematic exploration of young love. The song finds Willow grappling with the agony and frustration that comes with falling in love with someone who doesn’t love themselves. Throughout “Boy,” Willow shows off her innate talent for descriptive songwriting, crafting vivid, multi-faceted characters and settings. Her passionate, soaring delivery is as emotionally potent as her words, making “Boy” an impactful introduction to the rest of her introspective project.—Charlotte Freitag

Miguel has described his next album War & Leisure as his "most upbeat" album and a "meditation on the duality of our times." We got a hint of that on his lead single "Sky Walker," but "Told You So" is one of the most upbeat, danceable songs we've ever heard from Miguel. I like sad, emotional Miguel as much as the next guy, but an album full of songs like this would be a very welcome addition to winter when it drops on December 1.—Eric Skelton

The dust is still settling from Playboi Carti's massive Pi'erre Bourne-produced "Magnolia" single, and the "Yo, Pi'erre!" tag at the beginning was one of the song's most memorable (and repeatable) moments. Thankfully, the frequent collaborators decided to extend that magic over the course of a full three-minute track on their new collaborative single "Yo Pi'erre!" Over a spongy, bass-heavy beat, this thing has all the catchy ad-libs and memorable one-liners anyone could ever ask for.—Eric Skelton

Every time I see one of those "Name a more iconic duo, I'll wait" memes, my brain immediately flips to 21 Savage and Metro Boomin. It's tough to think of a rapper/producer combo who have consistently been making each other sound better over the last couple years than these guys. Hearing 21 snarl about hanging out with gorillas over menacing beats from Metro will never get old. Throw in Offset and Travis Scott, and you've got a hit that we'll keep playing long after the song's Halloween release.—Eric Skelton

If there's one thing I've learned about Skepta within the last few years, it's that he truly does whatever he wants, exactly the way he wants, and on his own time. That allows him to hide a few surprises up his sleeves, but the latest was more of a shock than a surprise. An unannounced drop from Skepta on Halloween is almost a tradition at this point, but the fact that he got Lil B on "Sit Down," the second track from his new Vicious EP, is incredible.

Skepta and Lil B aren't two names I would have previously expected to see paired together, but the results speak for themselves. Their styles may be different but the two seemed to blend perfectly for this mid-tempo track. Skepta delivers the menacing element with the production and his delivery, while Lil B offers up an addictive hook that helps to tie it all together.—Adrienne Black

Mysterious duo Jadu Heart are the latest signees to Mura Masa's Anchor Point Records, and they've linked up with their label boss for a chilled-out new single called "U Never Called Me." Featuring hushed, sultry vocals over jazzy production, the song highlights a more mellow side of Mura Masa than we're used to hearing, while mixing in bursts of danceable energy. Follow the video's lead and throw this one on your bath time playlist if you're looking for something soothing that won't put you to sleep.—Eric Skelton

This time last year, Mick Jenkins was teaching listeners about the complexity of love and its healing powers. His latest project, Or More; The Anxious, explores the other side. He's not here to spoon-feed positivity to everyone anymore.

While Jenkins is still delivering a smooth offering on his new tape, there's a menacing tone in his voice this time around that demands attention and respect. Starting with a straightforward soundbite of Vic Mensa saying "I wanted to slap you in your face," Jenkins kicks down the door on "Happy Gilmore." Whether it's all metaphorical or Jenkins is really pulling up with the energy to open-hand slap everyone in their faces, this new music veers far from The Healing Component and once again displays Jenkins' effortless versatility.—Adrienne Black

It took a while, but Phoenix-born singer Kailee Morgue has finally unveiled the full version of her long-awaited song "Medusa." After going viral earlier this year, the 19-year-old artist was tracked down by Republic Records, who wanted to sign her on the strength of her brief "Medusa" clip alone. It's rare that a song so hyped can live up to its promise, especially after almost a year, but thankfully "Medusa" is everything we could have hoped for.—Joe Price

The music of Louisiana export Zack Villere might be a product of the internet, but the internet will not wash away Zack Villere. In the six months since his audience quintupled thanks to the endearing video for “Cool,” he’s released one of the year’s most underrated albums (Little World), produced for P&P favorites (Saba), and even hosted a pumpkin carving rendezvous in Los Angeles.

This past week, he managed to outdo himself again with “The Fort,” a loosie at once gorgeously acoustic and electronically off-kilter. “Did I ever even leave you behind,” he sings over guitar. Whether he’s addressing another person or fading memories from his own childhood is anyone’s guess. Some of the best songs could be about a million different things. However you interpret this peak into Zack’s mind, the chord changes alone are enough to leave you reminiscing about days long gone.—Alex Siber

Check out our interview with Zack here.

DJ Premier and A$AP Ferg linked up on this song to celebrate the relaunch of Payday Records, and "Our Streets" is an incredible way to mark the occasion. Ferg's one of the most charismatic rappers out right now, with unpredictable flows for the most forward-thinking beats, but he matches Premier's classic energy on this one. What comes of it is as timeless as is it effortless, and a testament to Premier's skill of bringing out the best in a rapper. Keep up with Payday Records here.—Jacob Moore

The rappa ternt sanga teamed up with the St. Louis MC who has such an great ear for melody, and it all makes so much sense. T-Pain is a certified legend, and this remix turns Smino's "Anita" into a whole new song. T-Pain raps and sings, and the two artists bounce back and forth, their styles complementing each other perfectly.

We need more Smino x T-Pain ASAP, and since they've been touring together, hopefully there's magic on the way.—Alex Gardner

Norwegian singer Sigrid is back with another sparkling pop song, produced by Martin Sjolie who she also worked with on her breakout hit "Don't Kill My Vibe." As with all of her music so far, there's an edge to "Strangers," but Sigrid sounds as confident as ever, even as she sings about a relationship that isn't working. Sigrid has had a great year, with her debut EP and live shows winning over more and more fans, and this is the perfect way to end the year. She is also part of the Justice League soundtrack, with a bold cover of Leonard Cohen's "Everybody Knows," which you can listen to here.—Alex Gardner

Yaeji has already proved her versatility, but at this point she's simply showing off. It's a well deserved flex, though, as "Raingurl" is the perfect follow-up to the similarly fantastic "Drink I'm Sippin On." Leaning more towards the dance side of her music as opposed to the hip-hop side, "Raingurl" is a production showcase with a bouncy hook just screaming for club play. The house rhythms of the track meld particularly well with her low-key, hushed delivery, proving once again that she's one of the most exciting acts in dance music right now.—Joe Price

DRAM (now with no periods in his name) makes songs in so many styles, and it always sounds awesome. A song like "Cha Cha" is far removed from a song like "Crumbs," and they're both in a different world from the smooth R&B of a song like "Caretaker." That versatility a major key to the Virginia-native's success, and this new song with Playboi Carti is made for playing loud and turning up.—Alex Gardner

Watch our ComplexCon interview with DRAM here and see highlights of him performing here.

It's been a little over a year since Oakland's Kamaiyah released her impressive debut project A Good Night in the Ghetto. Thankfully, she finally returned this month with its follow up, Before I Wake, and it doesn't disappoint. Sometimes artists stick a project's standout track somewhere in the middle, but Kamaiyah kicks down the door with a strong start on "Dope Bitch." The production is smoother than ever, matching Kamaiyah's voice and entire persona.

Kamaiyah never fails to provide a song that works as a straight confidence booster, and "Dope Bitch" is definitely the one on this project. If the hook alone isn't enough to make you groove a little, Kamaiyah defining a "dope bitch" as a self-made queen with high self-esteem is enough to put a little extra pep in your step. This might be my new wake-up song.—Adrienne Black

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Your favorite cousin is at it again. The Boston MC is on tour but still found time to share new tunes with the fans, this time serving up "Lace Up." Shouting out Virgil Abloh's recent Off-White/Nike collab kicks, Stizz does what Stizz does best on this one—keep a steady flow with a hypnotic hook and hard-hitting production, courtesy of Al B Smoov and District Yori. "Lace Up" is a lock-in for the weekend rotation, and serves as more proof that Cousin Stizz is one of the most consistent acts in the game, continuing to stay at the forefront of Boston's wave.—Eric Isom

Since the success of last year's Bucket List Project, Saba has toured the world and faced the trappings of success. But if the Adult Swim single "360" is any indication, he's stayed nimble and done his best to avoid pitfalls associated with leveling up. Over Zack Villere production, Saba muses about the dangers of the dotted line, and seems almost nostalgic for his early days: "I wish passion was enough/I wish fashion was just fun," he raps over the deceptively playful synths. It sounds like Saba has had some life experiences, and after spending most of 2017 on tour, he's about to get back in the studio.—Graham Corrigan

"With My Team" is not a new track by any means. In fact, the infectious hit was the first record that the Creek Boyz ever recorded as a unit. The Baltimore rap group did just re-release the single with a brand new video, highlighting each member and bringing new life to an already buzzing record. Turk P. Diddy, Fedi Mula, J. Reezy, and ETS Breeze have the unique sound and unbreakable bond that is needed to last in this industry, and by the looks of this new video they seem to have the right people around them as well.—Eric Isom

Far removed from his initial output, Yung Lean's new album is something of a reinvention. The lyrics are more surreal, the production more ambitious, and he's doing far more interesting things in general. That's not a shot at his brilliantly bizarre early releases, because he wouldn't have got to where he was now without that music. But it is remarkable just how much he's matured in the four or so years since he first started. Stranger takes the huge leap forward he made with last year's Warlord, and goes the extra mile with it during its final two tracks. "Agony," in particular, is stunning, stripped of the elements that defined his early sound. The hook, as forlorn and wistful as it is, makes it clear how far Leandoer has come since Unknown Memory.

"When I'm afraid I lose my mind, it's fine it happens all the time," he sings, right before embracing his isolation. It's a stark change from the often crass lyrics of his past, and it's one of the most striking songs he's ever released. As a songwriter, he continues to prove himself just a year after working with Frank Ocean. It's been a bit of an uphill battle for Lean escaping his meme-oriented roots, but this is the most captivating proof of his ability yet.—Joe Price

It's been a long time since we last heard from Roy Blair. Having spent the first part of the year on tour with Kevin Abstract, he's now finally gearing up to release his full-length debut. To celebrate he's returned with a gorgeous new single, "Perfume." Produced by fellow P&P favorite Lontalius, "Perfume" distills the promise of his debut EP and presents a stellar pop song that's off-kilter enough to stand out. It's a triumphant return for the L.A.-based musician. If this is what we can expect from his upcoming album, Roy is almost guaranteed to have a huge 2018.—Joe Price

6LACK and Banks have been teasing a possible collaboration for some time now. Earlier this week, 6LACK surprised fans by adding three new bonus tracks to his impressive debut FREE 6LACK, and the near-mythical collab finally came to life. It's called "In Between."

The single feels like an intimate duet, and displays a chemistry that can't be forced. Both 6LACK and Banks have a way of completely captivating listeners with their delicate vocals, and together they created something special. —Adrienne Black

Jesse Rutherford really did it. After the success of 2015's Wiped Out!, The Neighbourhood frontman started seriously exploring a solo career, and we got the full results last week. & is 11 tracks of gorgeous alt-pop, and finds Rutherford (and a lot of Dylan Brady production) exploring a myriad of styles, genres, deliveries, and outfits. I hope this project gets the attention it deserves—we've covered singles from the album as they've arrived, "Drama" being the most recent, but & deserves to be listened to in full.

"Blame" is buried pretty deep at track 10, but two listens in and it might be my favorite track. He's channeling Kauai-era Childish Gambino with stoner raps masked in sunny, addictive synth melodies, and it's hitting. "Is being sober hopeless? All I ever do is think about smoking."—Graham Corrigan

It's been a while since we've heard from Tunji Ige. The 22-year-old rapper went on a fantastic run last year, dropping infectious records and equally as impressive visuals. After being gone for nearly a year, Tunji returned this month with a self-produced new single titled "Thing 4 You." The Philadelphia native reaches back into his Nigerian roots for this one, and with the help of Mike Muli, he delivers a catchy, uptempo record that marks the end of a long hiatus and the beginning of this new chapter of his career.—Eric Isom

Earlier this month we raised the question of whether or not Jaden Smith would put it all together and deliver a great album after showing promise for so many years. The time has come and let me be the first to tell you, SYRE is a very solid project and may be the beginning of a long run for the multi-hyphenate. It's still fairly easy to spot his influences, especially when he's rapping, but throughout the 17-track release Jaden stepped up and displayed a knack for melody, an impressive ear for production, and most importantly growth and signs of separation from his child star image.

The first four tracks of the album are titled to spell the word "BLUE" and of the four, "U" is arguably the standout. The tone of the project become progressively more intense throughout the first two records and on "U" things hit a peak. Jaden spits rapid fire bars over chaotic production for the larger portion of the song but both he and the production mellow out in the end to make for a smooth transition into "E."—Eric Isom

Fifteen-year-old singer Billie Eilish is talented beyond her years. Her striking, left-of-center musical aesthetic and stunning vocals make her one of 2017's most compelling breakout stars. Earlier this month, she shared a surprise loosie called "Bitches Broken Hearts" on her Soundcloud. While the song's subdued, hazy sound is a departure from her usual style, her signature sass comes through in her lyricism. Atop a woozy blend of electric piano, vocal samples, and sparse percussion, Billie sings about a past flame who won't admit they still have feelings for her.—Charlotte Freitag

Check out Billie's episode of Trending Topics here.

Earlier this year, Toronto's Est-Her delivered his debut song with the astonishing "Sympathy." Dramatic and full of potential, it was a confident opening statement for his career. With "Last Minute Wedding,"though, he's outdone himself. With its menacing Poter Elvinger production and gorgeous vocals, "Last Minute Wedding" shows just how bright of a future Est-Her really has ahead of him.

After the aggression of his debut track "Sympathy," the new song sounds like he's taking a deep breath. It's affirming, promising, and exactly the type of release that's needed. If this is what we can expect from him this early in his career, whatever comes next will surely be insane.—Joe Price

Negative Gemini really wowed last year with her most recent album Body Work, and her upcoming EP is shaping up to be just as essential. "Bad Baby," like previous single "You Weren't There Anymore," showcases a less mechanical sound steeped in haze. It's a move that works really well for her vocals, which hang around the production like ghosts in a graveyard, and that's definitely a compliment.—Joe Price