R&B/Hip-Hop Fresh Picks of the Week: Dante Bowe, Hotboii, The LOX & More

Not much cut through the five-day Thanksgiving holiday weekend besides Wicked and Moana 2 — but maybe that’s because the hip-hop world is still reeling from Drake‘s shocking court filings alleging Universal Music Group (UMG) — his label — and Spotify of artificially boosting the popularity of Kendrick Lamar‘s blistering Grammy-nominated, Billboard Hot 100-topping diss track “Not Like Us.”

The filings, of course, came amid the still-unfurling rollout for Lamar’s new GNX album, which became his fifth consecutive No. 1 title on the Billboard 200 (dated Dec. 7). More new Lamar music arrived earlier this month by way of J. Cole‘s Inevitable audio series, in which he played two unreleased songs he recorded with the Compton MC back in 2010. On Friday (Nov. 29), just as people started warming up their Thanksgiving leftovers, Cole announced a special one-night-only concert at New York City’s Madison Square Garden celebrating the 10th anniversary of his Billboard 200-topping 2014 Forest Hills Drive on Dec. 16.

The holiday made this week a bit lighter on new music, but there were still more than a few fresh picks to sort through.

With Fresh Picks, Billboard aims to highlight some of the best and most interesting new sounds across R&B and hip-hop — from Dante Bowe and Fridayy’s uplifting new duet to 4batz’s response to his Grammy snubs. Be sure to check out this week’s Fresh Picks in our Spotify playlist below.

Freshest Find: Dante Bowe & Fridayy, “Grateful”

The holidays frequently grant us eyebrow-raising collaborations, and sometimes they result in truly great songs. On that front, this year’s offering is “Grateful”: a genre-blending track that marks the union of Grammy-winning Christian music artist Dante Bowe and R&B crooner Fridayy. “And if you never did another thing/ You did enough, you did enough/ You were with me through the lows, and picked me up/ You picked me up,” Fridayy coos in the intro over sparse atmospheric synths that steadily transform into an Afrobeats-nodding percussion line backing Bowe’s powerful, raspy vocal. Sharing a message of gratitude and resilience, “Grateful” is a holiday track that adds a bit of substance to how saccharine the whole enterprise has become. — KYLE DENIS

4batz, “Hood Grammy”

4batz hasn’t won a Grammy just yet, but he’ll be ready for his speech when the moment happens. “Hood Grammy” serves as his manifestation of sorts but also celebrates the early wins in his career as a neighborhood hero with friends and family proud of him for making it out of the trenches and putting on for his city. The Dallas singer’s airy vocals mesh over the sparse yet sparkling production, as Batz adds to his lore heading into his anticipated mixtape set to arrive in the coming months. — MICHAEL SAPONARA

The LOX, “Isley Money”

For their first unaccompanied single as a trio since 2020’s “Loyalty & Love,” The LOX went back to basics. Over a stirring Vinny Idol-helmed beat accented with whimsical strings, Jadakiss, Sheek Louch and Styles P trade verses reminiscing on their past lives and the different ways they used to approach getting money. The introspective track is also a homecoming; the gang is back together, and the three New Yorkers spare no second of the song reminding us of that fact. “We done gave y’all hits, hood s–t/ Dope-ass freestyles, some funny-ass skits/ You probably riding around listening to our shit right now/ Like, ‘I’m glad these n—as from my town!’ Let’s go!” Sheek spits over a soulful loop of an exclamatory riff from The Isley Brothers’ “You’ll Never Walk Alone.” — K.D.

MIKE, “You’re the Only One Watching”

It’s been quite a ride for MIKE fans in 2024 and he’s closing out the year with a two-pack setting the stage for his Showbiz album in January and a world tour to boot. The rapper pays tribute to his late mother, who is his guardian angel watching over him. Jazzy production and a pitched-up sample repeating the track’s title keep MIKE in cruise control. “When I pray, I pray to mama, know she miss MIKE/ She my angel, know I got her on the flip-side/ Huh, I gotta thank you while I’m talkin’ to the big sky,” he raps before a prayer from MIKE’s mom cleanses the outro. — M.S.

41, Jenn Carter & Kyle Richh, “Vibes”

After breaking through with “Bent” last year, each member of 41 has spent 2024 maintaining their momentum. Earlier this year, he cracked the Hot 100 for the first time in his career alongside NLE Choppa (“Or What,” No. 52), and now, Kyle Richh has joined forces with Jenn Carter for the comparatively more romantic “Vibes.” Where “Or What” was concerned with bottling up raw, unfettered horny energy, “Vibes” soundtracks the thought process of determining whether or not a romantic connection is the real deal. “I need you by my side, is you stickin’ wit’ me?/ Is you rockin’ wit’ us or you workin’ wit’ them?” Kyle questions in the chorus of the guitar-accented song before Jenn spits, “‘Cause I got me sleepy, but she wanna see me/ I promise, one call and I’m comin’ to you/ All these feelings, don’t know what to do,” in her verse. — K.D.

Hotboii, “No Feelings” 

Hotboii regained his freedom after being detained for over two years when RICO charges against the Orlando rapper were dismissed in September. HB looks to pick up where he left off with the momentum garnered prior to being locked up with “No Feelings.” Hotboii rips the thumping production and swerves through a woozy flow while dissing the case prosecutors attempted to build against him. “That RICO beat, that RICO weak, ain’t got no evidence/ Say who the free? I’m screamin’ bleed like, n—a, f–k that scene,” he spews. Hotboii’s confidence certainly isn’t lacking in his comeback tour either. — M.S.

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