What up, Hip-Hop Wired Nation? We’re back with CRT FRSH AKA Certified Fresh! Part of our duty as a publication and crew is to school the masses on who is doing what musically and there’s no better way to do that beyond our CRT FRSH (Certified Fresh) bi-weekly playlist.
Disclaimer:
The CRT FRSH playlist is a labor of love. We don’t take payments nor do we do favors. We only add joints to our playlist that fit the theme and vision we’re going for and don’t seek to waste the listener’s time. Further, we don’t stick to one lane of Hip-Hop. We believe that all aspects of the music should get some light, whether it’s young lions in the trenches or those hoping for that one shot to blow up to grizzled veterans puffing out their chests with lots more to say.
For a change of pace, I want to speak in my own voice and explain how I approach curating the CRT FRSH playlist. Most importantly, I don’t segregate my Hip-Hop. Every form of music from the main cultural tree deserves a listen and a look. When I’m putting the list together, I want to include all regions across the States and, when applicable, across the globe. I also want to entertain every fan of Hip-Hop, not just those who enjoy one segment of it. Now that we’ve got that out of the way, let’s get to it. – D.L. Chandler
We want to apologize to the Hip-Hop Wired nation for the lack of updates to the playlist and we’re working hard behind the scenes to keep up the place you all have come to expect. Now, let’s get on with the show.
The playlist opens with Megan Thee Stallion’s latest single “Cobra,” a track that had the streets discussing the finer points of her former relationship with Pardison Fontaine. Wale, now signed with Def Jam, returns to the masses after laying low with “Max Julien,” proving just how potent a lyricist he truly is.
It seems hard to believe but J. Cole just earned his first No. 1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 charts as a feature on Drake’s “First Person Shooter” track from the For All The Dogs album which we’ve also featured.
We’ve got Lil Wayne showing up on two tracks in this playlist update, “Tity Boi” from Weezy F. Baby’s The Fix Before The VI project, and the New Orleans shows up as a feature on Benny The Butcher’s “Big Dog” single with production from The Alchemist.
For many, the combination of the core Griselda members rapping over Tay Keith doesn’t make sense on paper but “Kostas” from Westside Gunn’s excellent And Then You Pray For Me album proves that it works. Gunn’s cousin Benny The Butcher and brother Conway The Machine add their respective perspectives to great effect.
New York rapper and producer MIKE dropped his latest album Burning Desire, easily one of the best projects to release this year. The track “Mussel Beach,” features Washington, D.C. rapper El Cousteau and Central Florida’s Niontay, both of whom add exceptional verses over MIKE’s (as dj blackpower) production.
Rapsody, a sorely missed presence in the scene, is prepping her next full-length project and makes a hell of a statement with her new single “Asteroids” with production from Hit-Boy. If this is what listeners can come to expect from the North Carolina mastermind, the game isn’t ready.
If you’ve yet to hear of klwn cat, a prodigy on the boards not even old enough to buy a beer, please get hip. The Southern California producer’s latest single “FATE IS COMING” features another leader of the underground youth movement in Unruly and Chicago’s Willyynova.
Salute to all the artists who created the art that we curated for this CRT FRSH update such as Rick Ross, Meek Mill, Lady London, Jeremih, Veeze, Flo Milli, Young Scooter, Doja Cat, Sideshow, Earl Sweatshirt, Jay Rock, Ab-Soul, Kingpen Slim, Symba, Lil Darius, Ken Carson, and more.
Check out the playlist below.
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Photo: Unaihuiziphotography / Getty
