This week birthed the new 20-song double album from Blu & Exile (their first album together in eight years) which you can read about in Notable Releases, and we also got new songs from Drake/DJ Khaled, Kanye West, Joey Bada$$, Open Mike Eagle, Problem/Freddie Gibbs/Snoop Dogg, Tkay Maidza/Kari Faux, Tinashe, Sada Baby, 14 trapdoors/Benny the Butcher, Lupe Fiasco, ICECOLDBISHOP, Ho99o9, new EPs from Oddisee, Sheff G, Jay Worthy/Shlohmo, and more. Read on for all the new rap and R&B we posted this week...
DJ KHALED & DRAKE - "POPSTAR" & "GREECE"
Longtime collaborators DJ Khaled and Drake are back with two new songs, one that finds Drake in chest-puffed rap mode ("POPSTAR") and one that finds him delivering cooed R&B ("GREECE").
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JOEY BADA$$ - "THE LIGHT," "NO EXPLANATION" (ft. PUSHA T) & "SHINE"
Joey Bada$$ has followed 2017's great All-Amerikkkan Badass with his first new music in three years, The Light Pack, which features "The Light" (which also has a video directed by Kerby Jean-Raymond & Levi Turner), "No Explanation" (featuring a pretty great Pusha T verse), and "Shine." The long gap without music hasn't done anything to taint Joey's sound; just the opposite. He sounds energized and more crisp than ever, and these songs find him exploring some new territory too. Glad to have him back.
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OPEN MIKE EAGLE - "NEIGHBORHOOD PROTECTION SPELL (LANA DEL BIDEN NEM)"
The consistently great, eccentric rapper Open Mike Eagle is back with another captivating new track. "When I wrote this song the world was not on fire yet," he says. "I had felt subtle attacks on blackness from Joe Biden and other public figures. Notions that were harmful about authenticity. Notions that called our behavioral and consumption choices into question without any reference to the historical context that they are couched in. I made this song as a spell to ward off subtle social attacks at blackness. I put a lot in it to make sure it works."
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PROBLEM - "DON'T BE MAD AT ME" (REMIX ft. FREDDIE GIBBS & SNOOP DOGG)
Problem has released released a new remix of "Don't Be Mad At Me" from this year's Coffee & Kush Vol 1, and this new version features a fired-up verse from Freddie Gibbs (who's been on a roll this year) and a hazy verse from Snoop Dogg.
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ODDISEE - ODD CURE EP
Oddisee surprise-released this EP which finds his warm alternative rap in fine form.
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SHEFF G - JUST 4 YALL EP
Sheff G continues to emerge as one of the leaders of Brooklyn drill and he follows his recent One and Only album with this new five-song EP. Guests include Rich the Kid, Jay Critch, Lil Tjay, Sleepy Hallow, King Von, and Eli Fross.
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JAY WORTHY & SHLOHMO - TIL THE MORNING EP
Jay Worthy follows his recent collab EP with producer Harry Fraud with this one helmed by WeDidIt beatmaker Shlohmo. Its one guest is Krayzie Bone of the legendary Bone Thugs-n-Harmony.
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TKAY MAIDZA - "DON'T CALL AGAIN" (ft. KARI FAUX)
Australian rapper Tkay Maidza has announced a new EP, Last Year Was Weird, Vol. 2, due August 7 via 4AD. It features her recent singles "Shook" and "Awake" (ft. JPEGMAFIA), as well as the just-released psych-funk-inspired "Don't Call Again" featuring Kari Faux.
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KOFFEE - "LOCKDOWN"
Koffee takes on these weird times with "Lockdown," another great example of her ability to fuse classic reggae and modern hip hop in exciting ways.
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THEY. - "PLAY FIGHT" (ft. TINASHE)
THEY. tap Tinashe for this very '90s R&B-sounding new single, which is off the duo's upcoming The Amanda Tape. "We love songs that have both the male and female perspective, like Ja Rule and Ashanti, or Nelly and Kelly Rowland," THEY. told The FADER. "We’ve been fans of Tinashe for a minute and once she sent her verse back over to us we knew we had something special."
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TINASHE - "RASCAL (SUPERSTAR)
Fresh off appearing on THEY.'s new song, Tinashe is back with her own new single, and it's a great dose of airy, moody R&B.
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SADA BABY - "KOURTSIDE" (ft. LIL YACHTY)
Prolific Detroit rapper Sada Baby will release his new mixtape Bartier Bounty 2 on July 24, and it'll include this ominous new song featuring Lil Yachty.
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TYLA YAWEH - "STUNTIN' ON YOU" (ft. DABABY)
Fresh off a new song with Post Malone, Tyla Yaweh has dropped the bright, catchy "Stuntin' On You" featuring a motormouthed guest verse from DaBaby.
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ONYX COLLECTIVE - "BABY"
Onyx Collective have followed their recent Manhattan Special: Onyx Collective Plays Rodgers & Hart / Rodgers & Hammerstein with this stunning new single that blends fiery jazz and modern R&B.
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14 TRAPDOORS - "I DID IT ALL" (FT. BENNY THE BUTCHER, RICK HYDE & CAMOFLAUGE MONK)
Buffalo rap trio 14 trapdoors have announced a new album, Eileen, due "later on this summer," which was entirely produced by Camoflauge Monk and features Benny the Butcher, Royce Da 5'9, Boldy James, Smoke DZA, Che Noir, Skyzoo, Qari, and others. Along with the announcement comes this gripping new song featuring Benny and his BSF groupmate Rick Hyde.
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ROD WAVE - "THROUGH THE WIRE"
Sing-rapper Rod Wave continues to rise and remain prolific, and today he's back with another good one.
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LOJII & SWARVY - "OPTIMI$T"
lojii & Swarvy released a remixed version of their 2017 collaborative album Due Rent, and it came with this psychedelic bonus track.
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MALIIBU MIITCH - "LET'S BE HONEST"
Bronx rapper Maliibu Miitch returns with "Let's Be Honest," which finds her delivering her bassy, booming, classic New York-sounding rhymes over a hazy soul sample.
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BERWYN - "TRAP PHONE"
London-via-Trinidad musician BERWYN follows his very promising debut single "Glory" with another new song, "Trap Phone." Like "Glory," it's a very appealing dose of moody, atmospheric R&B.
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NOCAP - "RICH CRIMINALS" (ft. DABABY)
Rising Alabama rapper NoCap just dropped his new mixtape Steel Human, and it features this new song with a show-stealing guest verse by DaBaby.
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LOVE REGENERATOR (AKA CALVIN HARRIS) - "LIVE WITHOUT YOUR LOVE" (ft. STEVE LACY)
Calvin Harris has released a new single with his Love Regenerator project, and it's a got a thumping house groove aided by soulful lead vocals by The Internet's Steve Lacy.
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ALUNA - "GET PAID" (ft. PRINCESS NOKIA & JADA KINGDOM)
Aluna (of AlunaGeorge) is releasing a new solo album, Renaissance, on August 28 via Mad Decent, and its new single is the dancehall-inspired "Get Paid" featuring Princess Nokia and Jada Kingdom.
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LUPE FIASCO & KAELIN ELLIS - "SHOES" (ft. VIRGIL ABLOH)
Alternative rap vet Lupe Fiasco and Orlando producer Kaelin Ellis are releasing a collaborative EP, HOUSE, on July 24 via 1st & 15th / Thirty Tigers. The first single is the warm, soulful "SHOES" which features designer/DJ Virgil Abloh.
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ICECOLDBISHOP - "TRICK DADDY" (prod. KENNY BEATS)
ICECOLDBISHOP and Kenny Beats have once again teamed up, and like last time, the result is fired-up experimental rap.
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HO99O9 - "PIGS WANT ME DEAD"
Fresh off releasing a new two-song single and then performing both songs and covering Bad Brains on a livestream with Travis Barker, punk-rap duo have unleashed another new track, "Pigs Want Me Dead," a fired-up protest song that reminds me a little of Flatbush Zombies, and comes with a Grand Theft Auto-inspired video that has a disclaimer read by Eric Andre.
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REJJIE SNOW - "COOKIE CHIPS" (ft. MF DOOM & CAM O'BI)
Rejjie Snow has dropped a new laid-back, psychedelic rap song featuring underground legend MF DOOM.
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KANYE WEST - "DONDA"
Kanye honored his late mother Donda on her birthday with a new song featuring Donda herself reciting lyrics form KRS-One's "Sound of da Police."
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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.