R&B/Hip-Hop
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Of course, OG Barb Nicki Minaj was going to be a part of the new Barbie movie, but that doesn’t mean that she was going to hop on just any song that came her way. As she graced the pink carpet for the world premiere of Barbie on Sunday (July 9), Minaj spilled some tea […]
No matter where she is in the world, Cardi B will be Cardi B. With a new Instagram video, the rapper shared a compilation of clips showing off her twerking skills in different locations — including none other than the Eiffel Tower in Paris … and her bubble bath. In the first clip, Cardi B […]
Travis Scott is back. The “Pick Up the Phone” rapper is set to launch Utopia, his first studio album in nearly five years, at the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt. He announced the livestream event through social media posts across Instagram and Twitter on Sunday (July 9). “Utopia is wherever you are,” he wrote in […]
During his Detroit stop for his It’s All a Blur Tour on Saturday (July 8), Drake left a huge breadcrumb for those anticipating his forthcoming album, For All the Dogs: He and his longtime Young Money teammate Nicki Minaj will collaborate again for an upcoming song. Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest […]
Happy Monday! With new R&B/hip-hop releases dropping left and right, it can be quite overwhelming navigating the newcomers in the genre. But that’s why Fresh Picks exists! This week, we have an eclectic array of sounds, from alt-R&B and Jersey club to jazz rap — everything you need to get you through this second week of July.
Explore
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
And of course, don’t forget to check out this month’s Fresh Picks (so far) in our Spotify playlist, linked below.
Freshest Find: Dominic Fike, “7 Hours”
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This week’s Freshest Find goes to alt-rock/rap/pop straddler, Dominic Fike: last Friday (July 7), the multi-hyphenate released his second album, Sunburn, a collection of older songs that explores themes related to his past. Fike explores his alt-R&B side with standout album cut, “7 Hours,” where he sings about driving seven hours to see his lover, only for them to not give him the time of day.
FendiDa Rappa feat. Cardi B, “Point Me 2”
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Cardi B is continuing her outstanding feature run by hopping on FendiDa Rappa’s “Point Me 2.” The collab comes after Fendi’s viral Jersey club-inspired single, “Point Me to the Sl-ts,” where she calls out her male counterparts (“N—-as dissing when they rap, should we call it drill?/ N—-as capping in they raps, should we give ’em deals?”) and proudly showcases her lust. Here, Cardi checks in around the 2:20 mark and wastes no times matching Fendi’s energy, rapping, “B—hes talkin’ all that rah rah, I don’t feel it though/ Like the Plan B didn’t work, baby, I’m in this hoe.”
LUCKI, “2021 Vibes”
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The Cash Cobain-produced track “2021 Vibes” sees LUCKI delving deeper into his world of hazy hedonism. Through a drowsy delivery, the Chicago rapper calls himself the “codeine cowboy in the flesh” — which makes sense given the title of its parent album, s*x m*ney dr*gs.
Mick Jenkins feat. JID, “Smoke Break-Dance”
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Mick Jenkins and JID linked to take a smoke break: this bass and piano-driven jazz rap song is particularly introspective, with an accompanying video that shows scenes of Jenkins unbothered amongst chaos and young Black men succumbing to societal pressures. “Smoke Break-Dance” acts as a conversation piece about Black male plight in America, with the end of the video including a bell hooks quote that reads, “The first act of violence that patriarchy demands of males is not violence toward women. Instead patriarchy demands of all males that they engage in acts of psychic self-mutilation, that they kill off the emotional parts of themselves. If an individual is not successful in emotionally crippling himself, he can count on patriarchal men to enact rituals of power that will assault his self-esteem.”
Avenoir, “WHO DO U LUV”
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Slowing things down a little, Avenoir goes deep in his bag on his new single, “WHO DO U LUV.” The Canadian singer questions his lover’s feelings towards him, but also assures that the two can rekindle their emotions by making love, before the four-minute song concludes with an electric guitar solo.
AntsLive, “Ooh La La”
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UK rapper AntsLive is practicing his French on “Ooh La La.” With his (not actual) grandfather in tow in the video, the rising rapper shows a chic side to his repertoire, with his trademark tongue-in-cheek vocals about ongoing relationships and international love interests.
Marques Martin, “Butterfly”
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Brooklyn-based musician Marques Martin collides synths and deep bass lines for a chaotic, yet somehow cohesive, new offering called “Butterfly.” “The beat at most points feels heavy, but then the synth floats euphorically in and out of the song,” he told Billboard about the song’s productions. “The combo gives the track gravity and lets it sit in a middle ground of aggressive/assertive but uplifting.” “Butterfly” appears on his new EP, sex on the first.
Jamie Foxx made one of his first public appearances since being hospitalized with a mystery illness earlier this year over the weekend. The singer/actor was seen waving from the deck of a large boat during a cruise on the Chicago River on Sunday afternoon according to images obtained by TMZ. In the brief clip, Foxx […]
After unleashing his 26-track album Pink Tape on June 30, Lil Uzi Vert’s foot remains on the gas as they announce their first headlining trek in five years with the Pink Tape Tour. Produced by Live Nation, the Pink Tape Tour will kick off Oct. 21 in Minneapolis at The Armory, and will travel through […]
Ice Spice has dominated the year with a slew of star-studded collaborations, but success on the Billboard Hot 100 is not the only thing she has gleaned from these tracks. In an interview with The Guardian published Friday (July 7), the “Munch” rapper opened up about how both Taylor Swift and Nicki Minaj have become mentors to her.
According to Ice, Swift — who tapped the rapper for a much-discussed “Karma” remix — had been listening to her Like..? EP during rehearsals for her Eras Tour. “I was like, ‘You f–k with my project? Like, what?’” Ice said. “She’s so sweet – I was so obsessed with how humble she was and willing to work. She gives me so much advice – we talk all the time and she’s so funny. … But I can’t say what she be telling me.”
The “Karma” remix peaked at No. 2 on the Hot 100, tying “Lavender Haze” as the second-highest charting single from Midnights.
The idea for the collaboration came from Ice Spice, according to the rapper — she “reached out through her team, just kind of saying, ‘Hey, Ice has been a big fan of Taylor’s since she was a little kid, would love to collaborate if that was ever something that came about.’” As with so much of her career already, Ice manifested the collaboration into existence and soon performed the remix to a sold-out stadium alongside Swift at the New Jersey Eras Tour stops.
Aside from Swift, Grammy-nominated rap icon Nicki Minaj has been another key collaborator for Ice Spice this year. The two New York rappers have teamed up for a pair of Hot 100 top 10 hits: “Princess Diana” (No. 4) and the AQUA-assisted “Barbie World” (No. 7). In the interview, Ice expressed how much she has learned from spending time with the “Red Ruby Da Sleeze” rapper.
“She be telling me to learn from her mistakes – just watching her in general, if you pay close enough attention, you gonna see what you should do,” Ice said. “I love to talk to her about things that I can’t talk about publicly – it just means so much to be able to have somebody like her.”
In addition to “Karma,” “Princess Diana” and “Barbie World,” Ice Spice has also sent a fourth song to the top 10 of the Hot 100 this year: the Jersey-inflected PinkPantheress duet “Boy’s a Liar, Pt. 2” (No. 3).
Wu-Tang Clan mastermind RZA has collected a trophy room full of honors over the course of his nearly-four decade career. But it is a recent unexpected tribute that had the veteran MC/producer feeling super special. “[It’s a] great honor to know that there’s another generation that’s not even of my own household that feels the […]
Allow us to us to point you to your next summer hip-hop anthem. Grammy-winning rap superstar Cardi B has finally unleashed her remix of FendiDa Rappa’s TikTok viral hit “Point Me To the S—s.” Titled “Point Me 2,” the new remix is the latest in a string of collaborations between Cardi and rising female rappers. […]