Best Songs of the Month

We're still processing Drake's VIEWS, but it only takes a quick glance at the track list to see that "Too Good" is a power play. Drake and Rihanna are capitalizing on the success of "Work" with what is essentially a "Work 2." That's not meant to be a slight—these two obviously have a knack for churning out hit singles, and "Too Good" occupies a similarly addictive, feel-good dancehall space. It will undoubtedly climb the charts accordingly.

When Drake's name comes first, however, there's a little less bite to the sound. They're singing in a softer register, and the lyrics are a little more fed up and exasperated—"I don't know how to talk to you," they sigh. "You take my love for granted." But that melancholic edge makes the music all the more intimate, and doesn't affect its danceability in the least.—Graham

We don't know a lot about 24hrs. His first interview doesn't offer up much. When asked to introduce himself and explain who he is and where he's from, 24hrs responded, "No comment to the first three questions."

So while 24hrs remains a mystery, there's no question about the quality of the music. It's stellar. The OPEN EP dropped last night, and it's hard to pick just one standout track. They're all hits. "CASHFLY" is a quick, addictive rush of ruthless confidence that's dripping in sauce. NonStop handles the crisp production, and this song is probably the fastest 1:54 you'll ever experience.

"I just do me and work. I don’t focus on too many things outside of my craft... I’d rather not do interviews. I prefer for people to fall in love with my music."

Check out "CASHFLY" below and the rest of the OPEN EP right here.

- John W

If Skepta's new album Konnichiwa makes the kind of splash that I expect it might, opening ever more ears around the world to the sounds, slangs, and accents of grime, Stormzy should be in a great place to capitalize. His debut album is coming soon, he promises, and he's riding high off the massive success of his million view-crushing, UK-charting freestyle videos.

Stormzy may have a funny persona on social media, but on "Scary" he warns us he's not for play over a brilliant beat from Sir Spyro. #Merky #Scary, all of that.—Constant Gardner

Kid Cudi's next chapter is beginning in earnest. After releasing the rock-heavy Speedin' Bullet 2 Heaven this past December, Cudi returned with "The Frequency" last month and followed it up this week with a masterful collaboration with Mike WiLL Made-It, "All In."

The latter provides some addictively propulsive production, deep bass and watery synths that swirl around Cudi's vocals to create a mystical, otherworldly vibe. It's one of our favorite tracks from the artist in recent memory—there's no telling what he'll do next, but Kid Cudi is officially on a hot streak.—Graham

In the past few years, Sango has proven himself to be quite versatile. Not only does he blend genres in a way that sounds beautifully seamless, but he also knows when his productions should speak for themselves, and when they should merely work to create the perfect alley-oop for an artist. We see a great example of the latter on Dave B’s latest single, “Got It From.”

The production from Sango immediately sets the relaxed, dreamy tone that allows Dave B to shine. His melodic voice, somewhere between singing and rapping, fits Sango's fluttering hi-hats and cascading synths perfectly.—Adrienne Black

D.R.A.M. never fails to put a smile on my face. But when "Broccoli" popped up on SoundCloud, I hesitated—I've purposefully been avoiding Lil Yachty, yet here he was appearing alongside one of my favorites.

Four minutes later, all doubts evaporated. D.R.A.M. kills every moment of this cheery, lighthearted beat (though he has a dark side too), and "Broccoli" is one of the best tracks he's put out since "Cha Cha." J-Gramm, Rogét Chahayed, and Karl Rubin provide the plinky, deceptively menacing production, and even though I'm not a Yachty convert quite yet, he does his thing in the song's first third. Summer is coming, and D.R.A.M. is providing the music to match.—Graham

For certain songs, writing about why they're important or powerful or exciting can come easy. Sometimes though you just hear a song and it hits you, but you're not really sure why. So you sit with it. You play it over and over, hoping that the words to articulate why you love it come to you. But they don't. And instead, you're just left with this connection to a song that exists purely because when you hear it, it reminds you how to feel something.

TRACE's "Low" is one of these songs for me. I love it, I've constantly replayed it, but the reasons why never really come to me. All I know is that it hits me in the way a good song should, and right now, that's enough.—Katie K.

When Smino and Monte Booker get together on a track, they can do no wrong. The St. Louis duo have churned out track after track of hiccupy, harmonic gold—"Menu" (read as: me-n-u) is the latest, combining Smino's nimble rap-sing with Booker's bleeps, bloops, and deceptively murderous bass lines. Listen below, and don't sleep on his blk juptr EP.—Graham

Related: Meet Smino, the Rapper About to Put St. Louis Back on the Map

Anderson .Paak released his exquisite Malibu less than three months ago. In the time since, he has been featured on another album's worth of material, knocking out verse after verse of fiery content. This time, .Paak teamed up with British electronic duo Snakehips—they have a knack for collaborations, and "Money On Me" is no exception.

This is a song that makes you feel cool—it can turn a mundane walk to work into this, thanks to some pitch-shifting synths and .Paak's buttery delivery. "I'm working on a good one," he says in the chorus—these days, that always seems to be the case.—Graham

Fekky is slowly but surely building up a back catalog of bangers, dropping collaborations with some of the UK's best artists. He's already made tracks with Dizzee Rascal and Skepta, and his latest features gruff-voiced UK rap monster Giggs, who has been on an incredible run of guest verses ever since "Man Don't Care" with JME last year.

On both Kano's "3 Wheel-Ups" and this track, Giggs is rapping a little faster than the slow and low drawl that is so recognizable from his earlier mixtapes and albums, and he's sounding as good as ever.

Over Machine Baby's bumping beat, the two rappers take no prisoners, and the stylish black and white video is the perfect accompaniment.—Constant Gardner

Attempting to bridge the worlds of hip-hop and R&B is pretty commonplace in today's musical landscape. You hear rappers borrowing melodic hooks from singers all the time, and singers writing songs over beats so massive they sound like they belong on a mixtape. So when an artist can blend the two organically and create a sound that feels fresh and unique, that's truly something impressive.

Since we first came across A.CHAL, he has consistently been able to do just that. The L.A.-based singer hits the mark again on his latest single, "Psycho."

The production on this feels more relaxed and bare-bones than his previous tracks, giving A.CHAL ample room to deliver his sultry, relatable message. If his other tracks haven't made you take notice yet, this one will.—Katie K.

James Blake doesn't need to be omnipresent in order to be relevant. His last album Overgrown was released in 2013, and his three-year absence has only made his return more exciting. This week, Blake announced on BBC Radio 1 that his third album Radio Silence is finished, and he released this mesmerizing song "Timeless" to celebrate. Gorgeous. Welcome back, James Blake.—Jacob Moore

In many instances, the lyrics of a song are what resonates the most with a listener. The meaning within the words can paint a picture of the specific story the artist is trying to tell. In rare cases, however, an instrumental track can be just as emotive, if not more so. Without any words to guide them, the rhythm allows listeners’ brains to think as freely as they wish, to interpret the music in their own way. This is nearly always the case whenever BADBADNOTGOOD releases music.

Two years after their last album III, the band returned this week with “Speaking Gently.” As it begins, the instrumentation feels quite dreamy and gentle. But soon, it opens up with a bit more energy and sets the stage for your imagination to take flight. In the time since their last album the band has been busy working with many different artists, and the impact of these collaborations can be heard within their new music.

Ironically, “Speaking Gently” isn’t as gentle as much of their previous work. Instead of one smooth rhythm, the track takes several twists and turns. The results end up as some of BBNG’s best work yet. Each listen of “Speaking Gently” vividly paints a brand new mental image, which may really be the most enjoyable part of it all.—Adrienne Black

It's really hard to highlight just one moment from Brockhampton's long-overdue debut project, especially when everyone brings their A game. Consistently strong from front to back, it would be easy to just get carried away talking about the strengths of every single track here. However, of all the moments across the release, it's "Palace" that sticks out the most.

Combining the talents of Matt Champion, Bearface, and Joba, "Palace" shows a different side of the group, eschewing rap completely. While they've frequently flirted with other genres, All-American Trash really benefits from an overall disregard for norms entirely, shining most when detours are taken. And as far as detours go, "Palace" is one of the most rewarding routes explored thus far.—Joe Price

Download the full project here.

Ty Dolla $ign knows summer is fast approaching, and he's here for us with an easy, breezy, windows rolled down, wind blowing in your hair, cruising in the sun anthem. As ever, Ty is here to help melt away life's stresses, his laid-back drawl rolling floating over a surprisingly restrained DJ Mustard beat, and coming through with a hook that is pure radio hit excellence.

For all his success, Ty Dolla $ign is still underrated, but that surely can't remain the case for too long.—Constant Gardner

It's always great when an artist steps out of their comfort zone and delivers a fresh sound to the fans. With the help of Felix Snow, SZA was able to do just that as she put her versatility on full display with "Lies." TDE has been sounding superb on nearly everything they've done this year, so it's no surprise that the group's First Lady kept up pace, taking a break from her usual chilled, nostalgic production and jumping into a lively world of electro-pop. Her voice sounds amazing over the uptempo beat, and this song could easily become a huge pop hit.

"Lies" will be on Felix Snow's upcoming compilation project Nukes In The Kitchen, as he and his partner David Singer-Vine continue to build up the brand of their EFFESS Records imprint.—Eric I.

ScHoolboy Q has been pretty quiet since the release of 2014's Oxymoron, but he's back with "Groovy Tony," and he sounds hungry. His delivery is loose and malicious, and Groovy Tony No-Face Killah sounds spectacularly reckless. Yep, he's back.—Confusion

Find yourself a man who loves you as much as Skepta loves his gang. Honestly, it might never happen.

All jokes aside, Skepta is a proud man. Proud of his crew, who he's been working with for years, making it from the struggle to a more comfortable life, proud of his Nigerian heritage, proud of his Britishness, especially as it pertains to his music, and proud of his independence. As much as his music can shutdown the rave and start a mosh pit in America, almost all his songs have messages of self-belief and self-fulfilment. That is the case again with "Man (Gang)," the new single from Konnichiwa, which has incredibly raw production (which actually samples Queens of the Stone Age), but also gems in the lyrics, especially the hook.

Konnichiwa is out May 6, and it's shaping up to be very special.—Constant Gardner

Post Malone has become a polarizing figure, but good music always wins, and Post's got another one with "Go Flex." We've been aware of the Texas artist's non-rap influences for a while now, but he puts those on full display for the stomping, knee-slapping, catchy-as-hell ode to flexing. It's an odd mish-mash of styles—much like Post Malone himself—but it sounds so perfectly natural.—Jacob Moore

For his new track “The Artful Dodger,” Mick Jenkins pulls out all the stops. The Chicago rapper has proven before that he can create hits with both Kaytranada (“Your Love”) and THEMpeople (“$3,000 Advice”), so having them all on one track—combined with a BadBadNotGood sample—was very nearly a sure thing.

As fans continue to wait for Mick’s forthcoming debut album, he delivers a possible preview of what’s to come to hold everyone over in the meantime. The production begins harmlessly enough, but quickly transitions into a rhythm that’s both haunting and enticing. Mick matches the beat with his exceptional ability to deliver razor sharp one-liners with an intense, charismatic delivery. “The Artful Dodger” is a hard-hitting track that just might blow your speakers if you’re not careful.—Adrienne Black

"Random Love" is the latest offering from the mysterious Appleby, and this feels more like a piece of performance art than just a song. "Random Love" tells a story of modern romance with thoughtful and clever lyrics from Appleby, and booming production from Elias Abid. Add in some sweet vocals from Chicago duo Iris Temple and a screaming guitar solo, and "Random Love" becomes a truly complete record.

"It came about pretty much how all of our tunes do." Appleby says. "Just me next to Elias riffing an idea the moment he touches a keyboard. I'm just grateful our everyday homies Iris Temple joined us."

Appleby, Abid, and Iris Temple work well as a team on "Random Love," but Appleby went out and got some additional vocals from one last contributor—his mother. "To have some of the most important people in my life join me on this record, including my mom saying, 'Justin you are special,' warms my heart in a way no other record can."

Listen to "Random Love" below and watch out for Appleby's Down Dance EP, out April 25.—John W.

At SXSW 2016 I ran into 300-signee Tate Kobang at a Young Thug show. I recognized his name but just couldn't place him in memory. He was cool though, we made small talk, and then went on with our nights. But something about his demeanor made me think: "I'm going to regret having not known him."

Later that night I realized Kobang is the MC behind the infectious "Bank Rolls," and three weeks later I'm kicking myself because Kobang's new mixtape Since We're Here is one of the best projects I've heard so far in 2016.

Since We're Here has Kobang's full range on display. From the jump, he proclaims himself the "King of Baltimore" on the tape's opener "Poppin'" and it's hard not to believe. "Lie To Me" shows just how versatile Kobang is and "Same Shit" is my personal favorite. It's an aggressive banger with some clever wordplay that requires two or three plays just to sink in. "2016 is my year," Kobang spits furiously over the Jay Oliver produced track. I agree.—John Walaszek