Best Songs of the Week (Nov 10th, 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 week. Here are the songs you can't afford to skip, in no particular order.

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

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 week 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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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

After a Lorde co-sign and significant buzz in 2016, Irish singer/producer EDEN decided to invest in long-term goals instead of capitalizing off the moment. Rather than immediately releasing a bunch of music, the 21-year-old artist developed his live show and worked on his music in 2017. With "Gold," he's giving us the first taste of things to come from his debut album vertigo, set to drop on January 19 of 2018. It's a big step up for this young artist, both accessible and forward-thinking, and I think we'll see EDEN's big-picture approach pay off in the long run. We'll find out in 2018.—Jacob Moore

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

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

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

As one of our five U.K. artists to look out for in 2017, Dave has shown that he has the tools and the ambition to become one of biggest artists to come out of England. He's a top-notch lyricist that has a knack for vivid storytelling, and he balances it out with a wide range of pop culture and sports references. He can rap over almost any production and also has the ability to play the keys, as he displays on "How I Met My Ex," an early standout from his new EP Game Over. It's another great display of Dave's storytelling ability and ambitious songwriting—at a certain point in the song's seven minutes, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat.—Eric Isom

 New Jersey's Angelo Mota has been a P&P favorite for a while, and right now it seems like he's one the verge of a big moment. Mota's brand new single "Internet" is case in point, referencing the big steps he's taking with the opening line, "Lil Mota Raps made it off the internet."

The internet can be both a blessing and curse depending on how you utilize it, and similar to that, Mota's "Internet" mirrors both the good and bad in his own life. And it doesn't hurt that the production for this track (especially the drums) are incredibly infectious.—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 today. & 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 week 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