25 New Rap and R&B Songs Out This Week25 Early 2000s Rap Albums That Hold Up Today

It's been another big week for new music in the world of rap and R&B, with new albums from Dave, Leon Bridges, EST Gee, and Bizzy Banks (that you can read about in Notable Releases), plus ones from Ransom & Big Ghost Ltd (see below), Yung Bleu, and more. We also got new singles from Moor Mother, Boldy James & The Alchemist, Westside Gunn & DJ Premier, Dave East & Harry Fraud (ft. Benny the Butcher), Gunna & Polo G, Homeboy Sandman & Aesop Rock, Smiley (ft. Drake), Lil Nas X, Tinashe, Wiki, Lukah, Rick Hyde, Isaiah Rashad, and more. Read on for all the rap and R&B we posted this week...

RANSOM & BIG GHOST LTD - HEAVY IS THE HEAD

Big Ghost Ltd recently produced two projects for Conway the Machine, and now he's helmed one for another rapper in Griselda's inner circle: Ransom. As he did on the Conway projects, Big Ghost provides a noir-ish take on '90s boom bap, and Ransom's bulletproof bars fit perfectly. Guests include Rome Streets, Vinnie Paz, Ill Bill, Lou From Paradise, RJ Payne, and more.

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MOOR MOTHER - "SHEKERE" (ft. LOJII)

Avant-garde/hip hop/jazz/etc artist Moor Mother has shared a syrupy, psychedelic track off her anticipated ANTI- debut Black Encyclopedia of the Air, and this one features the great, rising underground Philly rapper lojii.

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BOLDY JAMES & THE ALCHEMIST - "FIRST 48 FREESTYLE"

Boldy James and frequent collaborator The Alchemist have announced another album together, Bo Jackson, which is due August 13. Read more about the first single here.

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WESTSIDE GUNN, DJ PREMIER & BRADY WATT - "THE NARCISSIST"

Griselda's Westside Gunn has teamed up with boom bap legend DJ Premier and producer/musician Brady Watt for this new song, and as you'd probably expect from a team like this, it's an instantly-satisfying dose of lush, '90s-style East Coast rap.

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DAVE EAST & HARRY FRAUD - "UNCLE RIC" (ft. BENNY THE BUTCHER)

Dave East is releasing a Harry Fraud-produced album called Hoffa on July 30 via FTD/SRFSCHL, and new single "Uncle Ric" finds him teaming up with Benny the Butcher, who also released a Harry Fraud-produced project this year. As you may expect, it's a perfect fusion of gritty bars and hazy production.

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GUNNA & POLO G - "WAVES"

Los Angeles Clippers' Kawhi Leonard and Warner Records' Eesean Bolden are putting together an album called Culture Jam later this year on Virgin Music Label, and it'll include this well-matched team-up from Gunna and Polo G.

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HOMEBOY SANDMAN - "LICE TEAM, BABY" (ft. AESOP ROCK)

Homeboy Sandman is gearing up to release an EP entirely produced by fellow underground rap lifer Aesop Rock, and one of the songs also features Aesop Rock rapping. That one was just released and you can read more about it here.

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SMILEY - "OVER THE TOP" (ft. DRAKE)

Drake appears on a new single by fellow Toronto rapper Smiley, which he also released on his OVO Sound label. Drake's in chest-puffed rap mode on this one, which contrasts well with Smiley's eccentric delivery.

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LIL NAS X - "INDUSTRY BABY" (ft. JACK HARLOW)

Lil Nas X has released a new single featuring Jack Harlow and co-produced by Take A Daytrip and Kanye West. It continues his path into maximalist pop and also into over-the-top music videos.

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TINASHE - "I CAN SEE THE FUTURE"

Tinashe has shared another taste of upcoming album 333, and it's a dose of the kind of melancholic, syrupy R&B that she won the world over with almost a decade ago.

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BELLY, THE WEEKND & YOUNG THUG - "BETTER BELIEVE"

Belly (the Canadian rapper/singer, not the veteran indie rock band) has a new song produced by Zaytoven and featuring The Weeknd and Young Thug. It sounds like it's built to be a hit, and it comes with a very expensive-looking, Christian Breslauer-directed video.

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WIKI - "NEVER KNOW"

Wiki has been dropping new songs like crazy lately, and today brings "Never Know," which finds Wiki delivering tongue-twisters over equally dizzying production.

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J BALVIN - "WHEREVER I MAY ROAM" (METALLICA COVER)

Another drop from the upcoming Metallica Black Album box and covers comp has arrived, and this one includes a rework of "Wherever I May Roam" by reggaeton superstar J Balvin. It's not exactly a "cover" -- it's more like a Balvin original that samples the Metallica song -- but whatever you wanna call it, it's very cool stuff and you can read more about it here.

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LUKAH - "GLASSHOUSES"

Prolific Memphis underground rapper Lukah is back with a new single, and this one finds him spitting venom over zoned-out, psychedelic production.

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RICK HYDE - "HUSTLER's PRAYER" (ft. HEEM)

Rick Hyde of Benny the Butcher's Black Soprano Family will release his new project Plates 2 on August 20 via BSF/eOne. It features Benny, Westside Gunn, A$AP Ferg, The Alchemist, and more, and its lead single is the tough-as-nails throwback rap of "Hustler's Prayer" (featuring fellow BSF member Heem).

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ISAIAH RASHAD - "WAT U SED" (FT. DOECHII & KAL BANX)

Isaiah Rashad is one week away from releasing his sophomore album The House Is Burning (due July 30 via TDE), and he's shared another single ahead of its release: the warm, chilled-out "Wat U Sed." Read more here.

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OBONGJAYAR x SARZ - SWEETNESS EP

Nigerian Afro-fusionist Obongjayar and producer Sarz put out a collaborative four-song EP, which is a little more overtly pop than Obongjayar's usual material. "I would describe the EP as genre bending," said Sarz. "It fuses synthwave, ’80s music, afrobeats, and pop." One song, "Gone Girl," comes with a video.

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OHGEESY - "BIG BAD WOLF" (ft. YG)

OhGheesy of the now-defunct Shoreline Mafia is releasing a new solo album, GeezyWorld, on August 27 via Atlantic. It features DaBaby, A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie, and YG, the latter of whom is on this loud, booming, and very catchy new single.

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KIANA LEDÉ - "UR BEST FRIEND" (FT. KEHLANI)

Kiana Ledé and Kehlani have teamed up for some smoky, airy, very chilled-out R&B on "Ur Best Friend."

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BAKERSTEEZ - "BLESSINGS" (ft. POPCAAN)

Rising Jamaican rapper Bakersteez has released a new EP, Active, and one of its highlights is the dancehall-tinged Popcaan collaboration "Blessings."

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L'ORANGE - "COFFEE"

Hip hop producer L'Orange has shared "Coffee" off his upcoming instrumental album The World Is Still Chaos, But I Feel Better (due September 3 via Mello Music Group), and it's a hypnotic dose of jazzy boom bap.

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SADA BABY - "REMEMBER"

Sada Baby has been one of Michigan rap's most popular exports, and he also remains insanely prolific. His latest single is the catchy, bouncy melodic rap of "Remember."

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GHÖSH - "BANG THIS"

GHÖSH will release Alien Nation on October 1 via Get Better Records, and first single "Being This" is an abstract, in-your-face mix of pounding dancefloor electronics and left-of-the-dial rap.

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SKILLIBENG & DUTCHAVELLI - "PULL UP" (ft. TOPSQUAD)

Jamaican dancehall artist Skillibeng has been crossing over with mainstream hip hop a lot lately, and he teams up with UK rapper Dutchavelli for this ominous, aggressive new song.

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ASIAN DOLL - "NUNNADET SHIT" (REMIX ft. RUBI ROSE, DREAM DOLL, DREEZY & IVORIAN DOLL)

Asian Doll has assembled an all-star cast for a new remix of her 2020 single "Nunnadet Shit," turning it into an awesome, hard af posse cut.

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For even more new songs, browse our daily 'New Songs' lists. For more hip hop news, browse our 'Hip Hop News' category.

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25 Early 2000s Rap Albums That Hold Up Today