R&B/Hip-Hop

12 Dec 2023

Wu-Tang Clan Announces ‘The Saga Continues’ 2024 Las Vegas Residency: ‘Are You Ready?’

After embarking on a joint tour with Nas earlier this year, Wu-Tang Clan is gearing up for a series of headlining dates in 2024 — which will double as the iconic rap group’s first ever Las Vegas residency.

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The group took to Instagram on Tuesday (Dec. 12) to reveal that they will performing at The Theater at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas, officially set to kick off during Super Bowl weekend.

“Are you ready? Wu-Tang Clan: The Saga Continues… The Las Vegas Residency,” the group wrote in their caption. “The Theater at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas will be the home of the Wu-Tang experience starting Super Bowl weekend.”

Wu-Tang will perform at Virgin Hotel’s theater with two back to back dates on Feb. 9-10, with the Super Bowl kicking off at the city’s Allegiant Stadium on Feb. 11. The Staten Island natives will return to the venue the following month in time for March Madness, the NCAA Division I men’s basketball tournament, on March 22 and 24. Wu-Tang’s March Madness performances fall on the first and second round of eliminations during the annual tournament.

Fans looking to purchase tickets for the rap group’s Las Vegas residency can do so starting today at 12 p.m. PST via pre-sale using the code CREAM, a nod to their hit of the same name. General onsale for the residency starts at 10 a.m. PST on Dec. 15, making it a perfect last minute gift for Christmas. Tickets for the residency are being sold through AXS; find them here.

See Wu-Tang’s latest announcement in their Instagram post below.

12 Dec 2023

Nicki Minaj Leans Into Sampling on ‘Pink Friday 2’: Full List of Samples & Interpolations on the Album

The opening seconds of Pink Friday 2 sound a lot more like a Billie Eilish record than a Nicki Minaj one. That’s because the album’s first track, “Are You Gone Already,” is built on top of a sped-up sample of Eilish’s “When the Party’s Over,” particularly its harmonized intro.

But Minaj doesn’t stop there. Nine of the 22 tracks on Pink Friday 2 contain a prominent sample (using a section of a previous recording) or interpolation (using a section of a previous melody or lyric without its original recording) of a previous song, from the Notorious B.I.G. sample in “Barbie Dangerous” to the Blondie sample in “My Life.”

This reliance on sampling and interpolating older songs on Pink Friday 2 will not come as a surprise to anyone who has followed the Hot 100 in recent years. Many of the chart’s top hits this decade were built on top of older songs — for example, take Jack Harlow‘s No. 1 “First Class” (which borrows the chorus from “Glamorous” by Fergie), “I’m Good (Blue)” by David Guetta and Bebe Rexha (which takes after “Blue (Da Ba Dee)” by Eiffel 65 and Gabry Ponte), “Kiss Me More” by SZA and Doja Cat (which interpolates “Physical” by Olivia Newton-John), and even Minaj’s own hit “Barbie World” with Ice Spice (which is based on “Barbie Girl” by Aqua). 

Sampling has been around since the advent of hip-hop, but this more recent influx seemed to take root at the turn of the decade due to a convergence of factors. In 2020, amid COVID-19 lockdowns, millions of music fans flocked to TikTok, making it an important destination for music discovery. The app tends to favor songs that feature catchy, short sound bites and sampling is an easy way to catch users’ attention quickly. Meanwhile, pop radio remained cautious about adding new songs into circulation, and recognizable samples became a good short-cut to an earworm hit.

At the same time, the music catalog market grew red-hot. Legends like Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen sold their catalogs for some of the highest prices in music history, and those steep price tags encouraged buyers to get creative to earn a return on their investments. Companies like Primary Wave began popularizing “flip camps” — songwriting camps dedicated to encouraging the use of their catalogs in newer songs. Even more catalog owners started creating playlists of their songs that are available to sample and pitch them out to songwriters and producers.

While there are great potential upsides to these samples and interpolations, there’s a catch: Minaj will have to share a sizable portion of her publishing and master ownership with the rights holders of those older songs. 

Typically, the more integral the sample or interpolation is to the new song, the more leverage the sample or interpolation rights holders have. Ariana Grande‘s “7 Rings” famously had to cede 90% of its publishing to the owners of the Rodgers and Hammerstein catalog because the melody of “My Favorite Things” was such an essential part of “7 Rings.” 

Still, as an executive at Primary Wave told Billboard last year about sampling: “if you’re starting off [the songwriting process] with a hit, that’s a great place to be.”

See below for a breakdown of every sample and interpolation on Pink Friday 2.  

1. “Are You Gone Already”
Sample: “When the Party’s Over” by Billie Eilish

2. “Barbie Dangerous”
Sample: “Notorious Thugs” by Notorious B.I.G. and Bone Thugs-N-Harmony

3. “FTCU” 
Sample: “Fuck The Club Up” by Wacka Flocka Flame (Ft. Pastor Troy & Slim Dunkin)

4. “Beep Beep”

5. “Fallin 4 U”

6. “Let Me Calm Down” (ft. J. Cole)

7. “RNB” (ft. Lil Wayne and Tate Kobang)

8. “Pink Birthday”
Sample: “Pornography” by Travis Scott

9. “Needle” (ft. Drake)

10. “Cowgirl” (ft. Lourdiz)

11. “Everybody” (ft. Lil Uzi Vert)
Sample: “Move Your Feet” by Junior Senior
Interpolates: “I Just Wanna Rock” by Lil Uzi Vert

12. “Big Difference” 

13. “Red Ruby Da Sleeze“
Sample: “Never Leave You Uh Oooh, Uh Oooh” by Lumidee

14. “Forward From Trini” (ft. Skillibeng and Skeng)

15. “Pink Friday Girls“
Sample: “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun” by Cindi Lauper 

16. “Super Freaky Girl”
Sample: “Can’t Touch This” by MC Hammer and “Super Freak” by Rick James 

17. “Bahm Bahm”

18. “My Life“
Sample: “Heart Of Glass” by Blondie

19. “Nicki Hendrix” (ft. Future)

20. “Blessings” (ft. Tasha Cobbs Leonard)

21. “Last Time I Saw You”

22. “Just The Memories”

12 Dec 2023

Hot 100 First-Timers: BigXthaPlug Connects With Breakout Hit ‘Mmhmm’

BigXthaPlug lands his first appearance on the Billboard Hot 100 chart (dated Dec. 16) as his song “Mmhmm” debuts at No. 93.

The track, released Oct. 6 on BigXthaPlug/UnitedMasters, debuts almost entirely from its streaming sum: 6 million official streams (up 54%) in the United States in the Dec. 1-7 tracking week, according to Luminate. The bump can be partly attributed to a new remix with Finesse2Tymes, released Dec. 1 on BigXthaPlug’s new seven-track set, The Biggest. The cut also enters at No. 17 on Hot Rap Songs and jumps 33-20 on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs.

The Biggest debuts at No. 138 on the Billboard 200 with 11,000 equivalent album units earned in its opening week. It’s BigXthaPlug’s first entry on the chart.

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TikTok has been a contributing factor to the song’s recent gains, as the track has been used in more than 20,000 clips on the platform to date.

“Mmhmm” samples the Whispers’ classic single “And the Beat Goes On,” which spent five weeks at No. 1 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart and two weeks at No. 1 on Dance Club Songs in 1980. It also reached No. 19 on the Hot 100.

BigXthaPlug (real name Xavier Landum) hails from Dallas. He scored his first chart appearance in February with his debut studio album, AMAR. The set debuted at No. 34 on Independent Albums and No. 4 on Heatseekers Albums, before spending 13 weeks at No. 1 on the latter list; it ranks at No. 2 on the latest Dec. 16 chart, below The Biggest. He’s just the second artist ever to claim the top two spots of the survey simultaneously, after Slidawg in 2007. AMAR also reached No. 129 on the Billboard 200 in November.

Elsewhere, BigXthaPlug’s single “Whip It” places at No. 34 on the Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart, after reaching No. 33. His new collaboration with Offset, “Climate,” also debuts at No. 48 on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs.

Outside of his 2023 releases, BigXthaPlug has dropped three other collections: Bacc From the Dead in 2020, and Big Stepper and its remixed version Big Stepper (OG Ron C Chopped Not Slopped), both in 2022.

12 Dec 2023

War’s ‘The World Is a Ghetto’: Still Fabulous at 50

In 1970, a genre-bending band from Long Beach, Calif., called War teamed up with Eric Burdon, former singer for The Animals. Eric Burdon Declares “War” included the No. 3 Billboard Hot 100 hit “Spill the Wine,” and the May 2, 1970, Billboard declared Burdon was officially “now a full-fledged soul singer.” After one more album, Burdon collapsed onstage and then left the group, leaving War’s future uncertain. The band’s next album, as well as its first for United Artists (UA), only advanced to No. 190 on the Billboard 200.

The group proved it wasn’t a Cold War when its next album, All Day Music, hit No. 16 on the album chart in 1972. That same year, The World Is a Ghetto established the group — which still performs today with founding member Leroy “Lonnie” Jordan — as a musically fearless funk group that soared even higher without the burden of a famous frontman. The album topped the Billboard 200 on Feb. 17, 1973 — a half-century ago this year.

War Effort

After Burdon left, War waged a marketing blitz — the March 13, 1971, Billboard reported that the campaign “included saturation of trade and underground press with ‘War Is Coming’ ads,” as well as “distribution of 10,000 plastic war helmets to disk jockeys, music writers and key record dealers across the country.”

War Is Declared

The “Soul Sauce” column in the Nov. 11, 1972, Billboard hailed War’s The World Is a Ghetto as the “best new album of the week.” “Sparked by their current single and title cut, War have come up with [an] excellent package that is destined for big sales,” predicted a review in the same issue, citing the 13-minute “City, Country, City” as an “excellent example of talent in the group.”

War Cry

“War is a dynamic act in person and its single of ‘World Is a Ghetto’ on UA continues its quest toward the top,” read a “Hot Chart Action” dispatch in the Feb. 3, 1973, issue. The single would eventually reach No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 3 on what is now the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. War didn’t stop there — the April 21, 1973, Billboard reported that “The World Is a Ghetto has gone gold for War together with their other United Artists single, ‘Cisco Kid’ ” — which eventually hit No. 2.

Spoils of War

The World Is a Ghetto became “the top pop album of the year,” according to the Dec. 29, 1973, issue, beating out Seals & Crofts’ Summer Breeze, Stevie Wonder’s Talking Book and Carly Simon’s No Secrets. “The well-made AM [radio] hit of today must have impeccable production and great energy,” read an analysis of the album’s success in the same issue. “This War LP was a sterling example of crossover and of the increasing demand for danceable records with free-form Latin rhythms.”

This story originally appeared in the Dec. 9, 2023, issue of Billboard.

12 Dec 2023

2 Chainz Counts His Blessings After Miami Car Crash, Shares Scary Picture of Aftermath: ‘Things Could Have Been Worse’

2 Chainz is counting his blessings after a scary car crash on Saturday morning in Miami that landed the rapper in a hospital. The 46-year-old MC posted a video soon after in which he was seen being loaded into the back of an ambulance on a stretcher, with a zoom out to show a black Tesla with a totaled front end.

“This the car that hit us from behind..Praise God for the blessings , Things could have been worse , but it wasn’t , don’t wanna pity party, but i do appreciate every single person that checked up on me,” 2 Chainz wrote on Monday (Dec. 11) in an Instagram post displaying the near-total destruction of the front end of the vehicle he said struck his car. “Sometimes someone in my position don’t feel like the love real or maybe it’s mind thing , but I truly felt the love and don’t worry bout me , I’m good , shake back king.”

In an accompanying video, we see what appears to be 2 Chainz’s hand holding a medical breathing device as he prepares to board a private plane.

Following the crash, TMZ reported that 2 Chainz suffered neck injuries in the accident and was in stable condition at a local hospital. According to reports at the time, 2 Chainz’s car was reportedly struck from behind by a Tesla while the rapper — who was in town for Art Basel — was driving on I-95. There were no fatalities in the accident, but at least one other unidentified male was transported to the hospital; TMZ reported that authorities suspected the other driver may have been under the influence.

2 Chainz recently released his joint album with Lil Wayne, Welcome to ColleGrove.

See 2 Chainz’s post below.

11 Dec 2023

Here Are the Lyrics to Tyla’s ‘Water’

Tyla got her first Billboard Hot 100 hit with the steamy track “Water,” which boosted into the mainstream in part thanks to a hip-swaying TikTok dance challenge.

The track, which peaked at No. 10 on the tally, also topped Billboard’s Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart, as well as the U.S. Afrobeats Songs chart. The rising star is gearing up to release her debut album in 2024.

If you need a guide to follow along with Tyla’s “Water,” find the lyrics below:

Make me sweat
Make me hotter
Make me lose my breath
Make me water
Make me sweat
Make me hotter
Make me lose my breath
Make me water

Normally
I can keep my cool, but tonight I’m wildin’
I’ma be
In a dangerous mood, can you match my timing? Mm
Telling me (yeah)
That you really ’bout it, why try hide it? Ooh
Talk is cheap, so show me
That you understand how I like it

Can you blow my mind?
Set off my whole body
If I give you my time
Can you snatch my soul from me?
I don’t wanna wait, come take it
Take me where I ain’t been before
Can you blow my mind?
Set off my whole body
Whole body

Make me sweat
Make me hotter
Make me lose my breath
Make me water
Make me sweat
Make me hotter
Make me lose my breath
Make me water

Hopefully
You can last all night, don’t get too excited (ooh)
Oh, privacy
You ain’t gotta go nowhere, you can stay inside it

Can you blow my mind? Oh
Set off my whole body
If I give you my time (give you my time)
Can you snatch my soul from me?
I don’t wanna wait, come take it
Take me where I ain’t been before
Can you blow my mind?
Set off my whole body
Whole body

Make me sweat
Make me hotter
Make me lose my breath
Make me water
Make me sweat
Make me hotter
Make me lose my breath
Make me water (make me sweat)
Make me sweat
Make me hotter
Make me lose my breath
Make me water
Make me sweat (make me sweat)
Make me hotter
Make me lose my breath
Make me water

Make me sweat
Make me hotter
Make me lose my breath
Make me water
Make me sweat
Make me hotter
Make me lose my breath
Make me water

Lyrics licensed & provided by LyricFind

Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, Spirit Music Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.

Written by: Ariowa Ogheneochuko Kennedy Irosogie, Christopher Collin Stewart, Corey Lindsey Keay, Imani Lewis, Jackson Paul Lomastro, Olmo Zucca, Rayan El-Hussein Goufer, Samuel Awuku, Tyla Seethal

11 Dec 2023

Here Are the Lyrics to Jack Harlow’s ‘Lovin On Me’

Jack Harlow delivered yet another viral hit with “Lovin on Me,” his groovy 2023 single that samples R&B singer Delbert “Dale” Greer’s 1995 track, “Whatever,” in the hook.

“Lovin on Me” marks Harlow’s third No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. “Warming up. More coming,” he captioned his victorious Instagram carousel after the achievement. He previously topped the tally with “First Class” and his Lil Nas X collaboration, “Industry Baby.”

If you need a guide to follow along with Jack Harlow’s “Lovin on Me,” find the lyrics below:

I don’t like no whips and chains, and you can’t tie me down
But you can whip your lovin’ on me, baby
Whip your lovin’ on me, baby

I’m vanilla, baby, I’ll choke you (I don’t like no whips and chains)
But I ain’t no killer, baby (and you can’t tie me down)
She twenty-eight, tellin’ me I’m still a baby (but you can whip your lovin’ on me, baby)
I get love from Detroit like Skilla Baby (whip your lovin’ on me, baby)
And the thing about your boy is
I don’t like no whips and chains, and you can’t tie me down
But you can whip your lovin’ on me, baby (that’s right, that’s right)
Whip your lovin’ on me, baby

Young J-A-C-K, AKA Rico, like Suave, Young Enrique
Speakin’ of AKA, she’s a alpha
But not around your boy, she get quiet ’round your boy, hold on (shh)
Don’t know what you heard or what you thought about your boy
But they lied about your boy, goin’ dumb and it’s some’ idiotic ’bout your boy
She wearin’ cheetah print, that’s how bad she wanna be spotted ’round your boy

I don’t like no whips and chains, and you can’t tie me down
But you can whip your lovin’ on me, baby
Whip your lovin’ on me

I’m vanilla, baby, I’ll choke you (I don’t like no whips and chains)
But I ain’t no killer, baby (and you can’t tie me down)
She twenty-eight, tellin’ me I’m still a baby (but you can whip your lovin’ on me, baby)
I get love from Detroit like Skilla Baby (whip your lovin’ on me, baby)
And the thing about your boy is
I don’t like no whips and chains, and you can’t tie me down
But you can whip your lovin’ on me, baby
Whip your lovin’ on me, baby

Young M-I-S-S-I-O-N-A-R-Y
You sharp like barbed wire
She stole my heart, then she got archived
I keep it short with a bi—, Lord Farquaad
All the girls in the front row, ayy
All the girls in the barricade, ayy
All the girls that been waitin’ all day, let your tongue hang out
F— everything, ayy
If you came with a man (yeah, yeah)
Let go of his hand (let go of this sh–)
Everybody in the suite, kickin’ up they feet
Stand up, bi—, dance

I don’t like no whips and chains (I see you)
And you can’t tie me down (and all the guys in the back waitin’ for the next track)
But you can whip your lovin’ on me, baby (cut your boy a slack)
Whip your lovin’ on me (it’s young Jack)

I’m vanilla, baby, I’ll choke you (I don’t like no whips and chains)
But I ain’t no killer, baby (and you can’t tie me down)
She twenty-eight, tellin’ me I’m still a baby (but you can whip your lovin’ on me, baby)
I get love from Detroit like Skilla Baby (whip your lovin’ on me, baby)
And the thing about your boy is
I don’t like no whips and chains, and you can’t tie me down
But you can whip your lovin’ on me, baby (that’s right, that’s right)
Whip your lovin’ on me, baby
I don’t like no whips and chains, and you can’t tie me down
But you can whip your lovin’ on me, baby
Whip your lovin’ on me, baby

Lyrics licensed & provided by LyricFind

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC

Written by: Delbert M. Greer, Jackman Harlow, Nickie Jon Pabon, Nik Frascona, Ozan Yildirim, Reginald Nelton, Sean Momberger

11 Dec 2023

Cardi B Is ‘Drippin’ in Jewels’ During Hit-Filled TikTok In the Mix Performance

Cardi B took the stage during TikTok‘s inaugural In the Mix event on Sunday (Dec. 10) at Sloan Park in Mesa, Ariz., and she performed a medley of hits for the high-energy audience.

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The rapper was a vision in red for the performance, as she rocked a sparkling red, bell-bottom jumpsuit paired with a red lip and soft, wavy hair. She performed hits like “She Bad” and “Get Up 10,” as seen in clips posted to social media.

Niall Horan, Anitta and Charlie Puth also headlined TikTok In the Mix, which also featured performances from rising stars Isabel LaRosa, Kaliii, LU KALA and Sam Barber as part of TikTok’s emerging artist program, TikTok Elevate. For those unable to attend the event in person, In the Mix was also streamed globally via TikTok Live.

Cardi’s performance comes just days before the star confirmed her split from husband Offset on Monday (Dec. 11). “I’ve been single for a minute now but I have been afraid to like — not afraid, I just don’t know how to tell the world,” she told fans on Instagram Live. “But I feel like today has been a sign. The last time I got on Live, I kind of wanted to tell you guys, but I didn’t know how to tell you, so I changed my mind. But it has been like this for a minute now. I just took it as a sign.”

“I wanna start 2024, like, fresh, open,” she added. “I don’t know. I’m curious for a new life, for a new beginning. And yeah, I’m excited.”

11 Dec 2023

Nicki Minaj & 50 Cent Connect for the First Time on New Version of ‘Beep Beep’

With her current momentum on 10, Nicki Minaj opted to crank the decibels even more by enlisting 50 Cent on the newest version of her Pink Friday 2 song “Beep, Beep.”

“#QGTM SOUTHSIDE JAMAICA, QUEENS STAND TF UP!!!!!!!!!!!! He walked on this sh–. YIKESSSSSSSSSSSSSSS I am so honored to have him stop by #GagCity!!!! #PinkFriday2,” an excited Minaj exclaimed Monday afternoon (Dec. 11) on Instagram. The small sample finds 50 in his element, spewing aggressive bars alongside Minaj’s braggadocious energy. 

The song is available on Minaj’s website for digital purchase and will hit streaming at midnight on Monday night. Minaj and 50 first teased the collaboration — their first ever — on Friday following the release of Pink Friday 2. After wishing his fellow Queens rep a happy birthday on social media, Minaj swiftly requested 50 to “send that verse in sir.” 

Minaj is keeping her promise of delivering new music shortly after the release of her fifth studio album. Last week on social media, she vowed to drop a song every day until this Friday. “Next week #GagCity welcomes a new edition every day beginning Monday or Tuesday,” Minaj tweeted. “Every day until Friday, you’ll get an [additional] song that completes my fave body of work to date. 4 more songs.”

Pink Friday 2 features Drake, Lil Wayne, Lil Uzi Vert, J. Cole, Future and more. Minaj praised the latter after notching another fiery collaboration with “Nicki Hendrix” and revealed that the two have another record in the stash.

“Future’s versatility isn’t talked about enough,” Minaj shared on X last week. “And does it all in the most authentic way. While keeping his mystique. Not only is this one of my all time fave songs, but I have another rlly dope hard rap jawn wit him too. NxtWeek. Love him & he always holds me down in #Gagcity.

Listen to a preview of “Beep Beep” with 50 Cent below.

11 Dec 2023

R&B/Hip-Hop Fresh Picks of the Week: Usher and H.E.R., Nicki Minaj, Q Da Fool & More

As per usual, it’s been a busy week in the world of hip-hop and R&B. In the first full week of December, myriad artists got their announcements and releases out to avoid the Christmas lockdown in the coming weeks. On Sunday (Dec. 10), SZA celebrated the one-year anniversary of her blockbuster SOS album with the announcement of LANA, the forthcoming deluxe version of her nine-time Grammy-nominated sophomore studio album. Of course, the weekend’s most high-profile release was from none other than Nicki Minaj, who unleashed her long-awaited Pink Friday 2 — her fifth studio album and sequel to her 2010 Billboard 200-topping debut LP — on her birthday, Dec. 8.

Elsewhere in the hip-hop and R&B worlds, Cardi B confirmed that she is no longer with Offset, 2 Chainz is thankfully in stable condition after landing in an unfortunate car accident, and Will Smith rocked the house at the star-studded A Grammy Salute to 50 Years of Hip-Hop telecast.

With Fresh Picks, Billboard aims to highlight some of the best and most interesting new sounds across R&B and hip-hop. From Tokischa and Sexyy Red’s cross-genre collaboration to Usher and H.E.R.’s stunning Color Purple duet, get into these seven new picks and be sure to check out the rest of our recs in the Spotify playlist below.

Freshest Find: Usher & H.E.R., “Risk It All”

As the highly anticipated Color Purple movie musical draws nearer, the promotion for the flick’s two related soundtracks is kicking into high gear. Usher and H.E.R. started off the weekend — which ended in a pair of Golden Globe nods for lead actress Fantasia Barrino and supporting actress Danielle Brooks — with the release of “Risk It All,” their gorgeous new duet for The Color Purple (Music From and Inspired By), due Dec. 15. Co-written by Oscar winners H.E.R. and Jimmy Napes, Usher and the “Damage” singer harmonize beautifully across the ethereal piano-backed arrangement. “People are cryin’ for it, people are dyin’ for it/ Always the reason we still believe it/ Somethin’ that leaves us hurtin’ is worth it,” the pair croon.

Tokischa feat. Sexyy Red, “Daddy”

How do you cap off a breakout year that found you opening up for Drake and collaborating with Nicki Minaj? With an infectious cross-genre collaboration, of course! For the latest release in her string of fiery collaborations, Sexyy Red links up with Latin Grammy-nominated Dominican rapper Toksicha, for a sultry, sex-positive reggaeton-meets-house number that plays around with gender in the realm of kink. Across the thumping Yeti Beats- and El Guincho-helmed beat, Tokischa assumes the role of Sexyy’s sugar daddy as they trade hilarious verses, including some tongue-in-cheek bilingual lines from the “Pound Town” rapper herself.

Nicki Minaj, “Fallin 4 U”

Of course, the Queen scores herself a slot on this week’s round-up. Her gargantuan Pink Friday 2 LP — 22 tracks and counting — features several tracks for every side of her musical personality, but most pale in comparison to “Fallin 4 U.” Placed several songs deep into the album, “Fallin 4 U” is, in many ways, the defining synthesis of Minaj’s creative hallmark. There are her impassioned, high-octane, wordplay-laden bars, emotional Auto-Tuned ad-libs and hooks, a penchant for both the introspective and the braggadocious (often at the same time), and a healthy dose of melodrama via those background strings. If there’s any track on Pink Friday 2 that truly makes the album feel like a descendant of its predecessor, it’s this one.

SXMPRA feat. Juicy J, “Business Man”

New Zealand rapper SXMPRA combines his ominous underground phonk sound with that of ’90s Memphis rap pioneer Juicy J on the hard-hitting “Business Man.” The pair trade punchline-packed verses asserting their dominance at break-neck speed. “Stand and fight/ Folding chairs and/ Throwing them hands/ Would’ve been the best time of my life,” quips Juicy. The collaboration features production from Juicy J and HitKidd, who put out his own Renegade album this week.

James Fauntleroy, “Sleigh”

Holiday music seems to be a genre that knows no bounds given how its consumption only increases with each passing year. Four-time Grammy-winning singer-songwriter James Fauntleroy took a daring stab at holiday originals by making his debut studio LP a Christmas album. A compilation of two previous holiday EPs featuring ten tracks, The Warmest Winter Ever is chock-full of steamy between-the-sheets anthems for the Christmas season. “Sleigh,” is one of the album’s instant standouts, with its waterfall of layered harmonies and cheeky Beyoncé shoutout: “She gon’ sleigh like Beyoncé.”

Tems, “Not An Angel”

For her latest release, Tems subverts the gospel-bent of her preceding “Me & U” single and opts for a rhythmic take on Biblical imagery, rejecting the role of being an “angel” or “savior” for someone who isn’t quite yet ready to be saved. “‘Cause I’m not an angel/ I’m just a girl that knows the truth/ And I couldn’t save you/ You couldn’t see what I’ve been through,” she croons sorrowfully over the Sarz co-produced Afrosoul beat.

Q Da Fool feat. Ot7 Quanny, “Rich Droppaz”

It’s a bit ironic that a link-up between a DMV rapper and a Philly rapper sounds so far removed from the dominant contemporary sound of either region, but it undoubtedly makes for a banger of a record. A slinking street anthem that coasts on both the duo’s chemistry and their individual charisma, “Rich Droppaz” finds the pairs trading hilarious bars like, “Yeah, I love the money, go me boo’d up/ I can’t do no Ella Mai, I ain’t ‘Boo’d Up.’” Unassuming but still urgent, “Rich Droppaz” is a promising lead into Q Da Fool’s forthcoming Art of Ambition album.