31 New Rap and R&B Songs Out This Week
This was an extremely stacked week for new music. I reviewed 13 new albums for Notable Releases (including Pa Salieu, Salaam Remi, Amaarae, theMIND, Seba Kaapstad, Pink Siifu & Fly Anakin, Davido, Liam Bailey, Aesop Rock, and more), and you can scroll down for the new Future/Lil Uzi Vert and 2 Chainz albums, plus new songs from Run The Jewels, Rico Nasty, Lakeyah, Jhay Cortez, Haviah Mighty, Phony Ppl/Joey Bada$$, City Girls, Sheff G, Lil Nas X, Drakeo the Ruler, Goodie Mob/Andre 3000, and more…
FUTURE & LIL UZI VERT – PLUTO x BABY PLUTO
As Future was approaching superstar status, Drake put out a collaborative album with him that expanded Future's fanbase even more, and featured some genuinely great songs. As much as Drake was still the bigger rapper at the time, you got the sense that Future was the driving creative force. Now Lil Uzi Vert is approaching superstar status (and released his best album yet earlier this year), and Future has taken on the role Drake took with him five years ago. Future and Uzi have a lot of chemistry on this album, and even though Future's still more popular, the best tracks feel like Uzi songs featuring Future, not the other way around.
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2 CHAINZ – SO HELP ME GOD
2 Chainz follows last year's very good Rap or Go to the League with So Help Me God, an enjoyable new record featuring Kanye West, Lil Wayne, YoungBoy Never Broke Again, Mulatto, Kevin Gates, Lil Uzi Vert, Chief Keef, Ty Dolla $ign, Rick Ross, and more.
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MASEGO – STUDYING ABROAD EP
Genre-blurring R&B singer Masego has dropped his new six-song EP. Guests include Shenseea and Don Toliver.
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RUN THE JEWELS – "NO SAVE POINT"
Run The Jewels released a new song for the Cyberpunk 2077 soundtrack, and you can read more about it here.
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RICO NASTY – "OHFR?" (PROD. DYLAN BRADY of 100 GECS)
Rico Nasty has officially set a release date for her anticipated new album Nightmare Vacation, and revealed its latest single, "OHFR?", which you can read more about here.
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LAKEYAH – "WINDOWS"
Rising rapper Lakeyah follows her very fun single "Big FlexHer" with the more mournful, R&B-tinged "Windows," which samples Jazmine Sullivan's classic "Bust Your Windows."
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JHAY CORTEZ – "KOBE EN LA"
Jhay Cortez has been leaving his mark on the Latin trap scene for a while, and today he returns with a stunning six-and-a-half minute song where he compares the love he gets in Puerto Rico to the love Kobe got in LA.
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HAVIAH MIGHTY – "ATLANTIC"
Toronto rapper Haviah Mighty is back with her first single since 2019's Polaris Prize-winning 13th Floor. It's a captivating, powerful song, and Haviah explains how the song is about how "the Atlantic Ocean was used as a vessel of support for these wicked practices, at the expense of my Black ancestors… The singing vocals at the beginning and especially the end, are to represent our ancestors crying out—a reminder that they were so strong, so resilient, and still here, keeping us empowered. Our history is with them, and if we talk to them, learn from them, do our research—we will be stronger."
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PHONY PPL – "ON MY SHIT" (ft. JOEY BADA$$)
Two staples of NYC's current hip hop scene, Phony Ppl and Joey Bada$$, link up on this fun, soulful new single.
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CITY GIRLS – "PUSSY TALK" (REMIX ft. QUAVO, LIL WAYNE, JACK HARLOW)
City Girls' "Pussy Talk" is already one of the year's most iconic songs, and this new remix ropes in new verses from Quavo, Lil Wayne, and Jack Harlow.
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SHEFF G – "LIGHTS ON"
Brooklyn drill rapper Sheff G follows this year's very good One and Only with another great, atmospheric new song helmed by Great John, who also produced much of One and Only.
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TIAGO FRÚGOLI ENSEMBLE – “ÁRVORE" (LOJII AND SWARVY REMIX)
lojii and Swarvy have turned Tiago Frúgoli Ensemble's minimalist "Árvore" into a syrupy R&B/funk song.
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FOUSHEE – "SINGLE AF"
Not only does Fousheé appear on the great new Pink Siifu & Fly Anakin album, she's also got her own great new song out this week.
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LIL NAS X – "HOLIDAY"
Lil Nas X has released his first new single of 2020, and it comes with a futuristic Christmas-themed video, but it's not exactly a holiday song. It also addresses how "Old Town Road" turned Lil Nas X into a star: "I pulled a gimmick, I admit it, I got no remorse/Nobody tried to let me in, nobody opened doors."
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FRENCH MONTANA – "WAVE BLUES" (ft. BENNY THE BUTCHER)
French Montana returns with a new song based around a pitched-up version of Michael Kiwanuka's "I'll Never Love," and featuring a show-stealing verse from the unstoppable Benny the Butcher.
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DRAKEO THE RULER – "FIGHTS DON'T MATTER"
LA rapper Drakeo The Ruler was released from prison on Wednesday (11/4) after striking a plea deal, and now he has released his first new song and video since his release. You can read more about it here.
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CAKES DA KILLA x PROPER VILLAINS – MVALAND
NYC rapper Cakes Da Killa and NYC producer Proper Villains team up for this new dance-rap EP.
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THE LATE ONES – "TROUBLED STREETS"
The Late Ones have released another song off their upcoming Lately EP (due 12/4 via Easy Star Records), and like the lead single, it's a blend of '70s reggae and '90s alternative rap and it delivers a powerful social/political message.
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GOODIE MOB – "NO CIGAR" (ft. ANDRE 3000)
Goodie Mob released their first album in seven years, and it includes a song featuring the first Andre 3000 verse of 2020. Big Boi and Chuck D are on it too. Read more here.
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DJ KAYSLAY – "ROLLING 50 DEEP" (FT. LITERALLY 50 RAPPERS)
DJ Kayslay's new song is 18 minutes long and it features literally 50 rappers, including Sheek Louch, Styles P, Benny the Butcher, Bun B, Ghostface Killah, Raekwon, Joell Ortiz, E-40, Twista, Ice T, the late Fred the Godson, Melle Mel, Grandmaster Caz, Royce da 5'9" and so many others.
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JESHI – "LOOK LIKE TROUBLE"
East London rapper Jeshi taps producer Kwes Darko for this new song, which is as menacing and dimly lit as its video.
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RMR – "THE WISHING HOUR"
RMR's breakthrough song "Rascal" was basically a rewrite of a Rascal Flatts song, and he's now used that same formula for his new single "The Wishing Hour," which takes Matchbox 20's "3AM" and turns it into something a little more hedonistic. It's part of RMR's upcoming 4th Quarter Medley music/film project, which drops November 24.
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PETE ROCK AND THE SOUL BROTHERS – "REJOICE"
Pete Rock has unleashed the latest taste of Petestrumetals 3 and it's a groovy, gooey, psych-funk throwback. "I created ‘Rejoice’ in my basement as just a simple idea of a beat I made in my head," Pete told OkayPlayer. "I listened to some jazz that day and heard something interesting and remembered it and just gave the band a direction reference; and they took it from there."
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LOYLE CARNER – "YESTERDAY" (PROD. MADLIB)
UK rapper Loyle Carner has just released a new Madlib-produced single, which he says actually was recorded before 2019's Not Waving, But Drowning came out but was delayed due to sample clearance, and it's a gorgeous dose of jazz-rap with a powerful message. "It’s really just about what it is to be black and white, in a world where you pretty much have to be one or the other," Loyle says. "It hurts the way I felt about my race back then, is the same way I feel now. Nothings changed since my last entry, nothing’s changed since the last century."
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BRASSTRACKS – "SWERVE" (ft. PELL)
Nu jazz duo Brasstracks and New Orleans rapper Pell have once again teamed up, this time for "Swerve," a lively, groovy song that reminds you how good these two go together.
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ISAAC PELAYO – "OFF THE CANVAS" (ft. BENNY THE BUTCHER)
Even if you don't know Isaac Pelayo by name, you've probably seen his paintings grace the covers of Griselda albums. He's also a rapper, and he's now got a new single featuring Griselda's Benny the Butcher. It finds both MCs in fine form over a lush, pitched-up soul sample.
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TOBI LOU – "OKAY" (ft. DREEZY)
Rapper/R&B singer Tobi Lou is gearing up to release his new album Parrish Blue, and he's prefacing it with this very smooth song that features fellow Chicago artist Dreezy.
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TH1RT3EN (PHAROAHE MONCH) – "FIGHT" (ft. CYPRESSS HILL)
th1rt3en is the new project of Queens rapper Pharoahe Monch, Jack White drummer Daru Jones, and Robert Glasper/Pete Rock/etc guitarist Marcus Machado, and their new album A Magnificent Day For An Exorcism comes out January 22. New single "Fight" features Cypress Hill and it's an impactful dose of hard-hitting, live-band rap rock.
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BERHANA – "GOLDEN PT. 2" (ft. MEREBA)
R&B singers Berhana and Mereba put their sweet-as-molasses voices together for this very chill, lightly psychedelic new jam.
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BILLY DANZE (M.O.P.) – "TAKE A STEP" (ft. DJ PREMIER)
Billy Danze of veteran Brooklyn rap duo M.O.P. will release his new album We Busy on November 15, featuring appearances by DJ Premier, Method Man, Havoc, Lil Fame, Cormega, and Daz Dillinger. Premier is on new single "Take A Step," which is exactly the kind of hard-hitting, '90s-style New York rap you'd expect from Billy, and he's still a master at it.
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WHEEZY – "GUILLOTINE" (ft. FUTURE & YO GOTTI)
Producer Wheezy and rappers Future and Yo Gotti teamed up for this all-star collab from the soundtrack to the new drama film True To The Game 2.
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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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