#overloadmonday

Singles

After dropping a surprise track with XXXTentacion and a tribute joint for Biggie, Joey Bada$$ just keeps the new music coming. Now he’s released a remix of YBN Nahmir’s “Bounce Out With That.” Listen above, and check out Joey Bada$$ on IDK’s “Lil Arrogant” with Russ.

I’ll just add another highlight because… well, I just can.

Apple | TIDAL | Spotify

After she announced the release date of her debut album, scroll down, Cardi B has dropped single. “Be Careful,” serves as her third single off her album and shows a different side of Cardi. If you liked Queen Cardi singing on Ozuna’s “La Modelo,” then here you go. She balances rapping and singing over a soft beat in “Be Careful.” Listen above and stay plugged for more updates.

For weekly releases, Chris Rivers and GodBodyWati are keeping their Wednesday series afloat.

A$AP Rocky has now linked up with BlocBoy JB in his newest single, “Bad Company.”

After a week of straight new releases, A Boogie dropped his first single of his upcoming sophomore album. Check out “Nonchalant” featuring Alkaline, as well as his other new releases.

Ne-Yo drops another single from his upcoming Good Man. This past week he released “Push Back,” which features Bebe Rexha and Stefflon Don.

Future season is fast approaching as he delivers his newest joint “Absolutely Going Crazy.”

N.O.R.E. dropped some new music, a remix to his “Uno Más,” featuring Pharrell, Miguel, Wiz Khalifa and J Alvarez.

We also got new music from Thutmose, Young Buck x Twanee, Sam Smith x Logic, and Lil Durk x Ty Dolla $ign x PND.

Big Shaq recruits Busta Rhymes for a full studio version of “Mans Not Hot."

Forever M.C. returns with a new joint, “School,” featuring Lupe Fiasco, Talib Kweli, Rozewood, and Hus Kingpin.

Ty Dolla $ign recruited Gucci Mane and Quavo for his latest single, “Pineapple." What’s better than Hip Hop Beef? R&B Beef that is! Eric Bellinger takes shots - more like a whole cannon ball - at Tory Lanez in “Yikes.”

We also heard some new music from Blu and Nottz, “Yesterday,” who also have a new-ish project on the way.

Rich The Kid went after Lil Uzi Vert in “Dead Friends:” Spotify, Apple.

And while we just entered April, Wiz Khalifa is already celebrating “4.20” with a freestyle.

Visuals

SZA, baby - yass! The TDE leading lady has dropped yet another visual treatment off her debut album CTRL. Watch it above, and stay plugged for a very special CTRL feature.

While prepping for a joint release with Chris Brown (Angels & Demons), Joyner Lucas is still on his solo tip. He certainly doesn’t shy away from controversy, with his recent release of “Frozen” that head on confronts the issue of texting and driving and driving under the influence. While the video is a bit disturbing, it’s the hard truth that aids to the song’s message. Check out the visual for “Frozen,” and listen to the song via Spotify. 

“Framed” is Eminem’s next single to highlight from Revival, following suit from “River,” “Walk on Water,” and “Nowhere Fast.” With this new visual treatment, Em drops a horror-filled trailer with him escaping an asylum. There’s much more so check it out, and stay plugged for the full video.

Trae Tha Truth reverts back to Tha Truth Pt. 3 to release his latest video. Dedicated to his late friend Money Clip D, Trae watches home videos and visits his grave in the emotional visual treatment for “Can’t Get Close.” 

We got new videos from Tyler, The Creator, Shy Glizzy, Trill Sammy x Slim Jxmmi, and Thutmose.

A Tribe Called Quest have released their final music video, “The Space Program.” It features cameos from Erykah Badu, Alicia Keys, Pharrell, Vince Staples, Talib Kweli, Common, Questlove, and plenty more. Directed by Warren Fu, the visual serves as a tribute to Phife Dawg. Exclusively on Apple Music, check it out if you can.

YG can be found on new videos with Belly and Arin Ray.

With Joyride on the way, Tinashe releases her debut album’s first visual treatment for “Me So Bad,” which features Ty Dolla $ign and French Montana. 2 Chainz linked up with YG and Offset to release a new video for his “Proud” joint that stars each of their very own mothers.

We also got new visuals from Snoop Dogg x Charlie Wilson, Preme x Lil Wayne, Maxo Kream, and Phora.

Projects

Apple | Spotify | TIDAL

The Weeknd dropped a surprise EP, My Dear Melancholy. The 6-track project is reminiscent of early-Weeknd (“Gone,” “House of Balloons”) that has everybody gong crazy right now. Rumored to drop more projects in the next few weeks, check out My Dear Melancholy. Also check out two videos he’s just realized via Spotify: “Try Me” and “Call Out My Name."

Chief Keef released the fifth installment of his The Leek tape series. The 17-track project is featureless, following the fourth installment that dropped earlier this month: Apple | TIDAL | Spotify.

Birdman has released the Cash Money Before Anythang soundtrack. The 18-track album features the likes of Snoop Dogg, Jacquees, Gucci Mane, Migos, Young Thug and plenty more: Apple + Spotify.

Rich the Kid has finally dropped his debut album, The World Is Yours. The 14-track album features the likes of Kendrick Lamar, Offset, Swae Lee, Trippie Red and more. Check it out: Apple, Spotify, & TIDAL. 

Styles P recently announced an upcoming project, Nickel Bag. He took to Instagram to unveil the artwork and official tracklist. The five-track EP features Dyce Payne, Flowboy Vegas, and Whispers. Just a couple days after, Styles P drops the project and man… you just gotta hear it: Apple, DatPiff & TIDAL.

Coming Soon...

Queen Cardi has finally revealed details on her debut album. About damn time! She took to Instagram to share the cover of her upcoming Invasion of Privacy, which is set to release April 6th. It was also announced that she has signed to Quality Control’s management division, joining her Migos and Lil Yachty.

Also set to release this Friday, April 6th, is Kali Uchis (Isolation), Khary (Captain), and Flatbush Zombies (Vacation in Hell).

Blu and Nottz are back at it! The dynamic duo have a joint album on the way. The collab is a joining of their ’13 EP Gods in the Spirit and their ‘16 Titans in the Flesh. As a full-length album, it will all be remastered as well as the tracklist restructured. Gods in the Spirit, Titans in the Flesh is set to release April 13th and is available for pre-order.

Weeks after announcing her debut album, Joyride, Tinashe has now revealed more details. Coming in at 13 tracks, the album will feature the likes of Offset, Ty Dolla $ign, French Montana, Little Dragon and Future. Hear it on April 13th.

Consisting of Gucci Mane, Lil Yachty and Migos, the Glacier Boyz have a joint project on the way. Gucci Mane took to Instagram to announce the release date: “Ice Ice Baby #GlacierBoyz April 13.” Shortly after, Gucci should be releasing his solo album, The Evil Genius.

Ne-Yo’s upcoming album, Good Man, is set to release June 8th. With some singles already dropped - scroll up for one - the album will feature the likes of 2 Chainz, Stefflon Don, PARTYNEXTDOOR, Romeo Santos, Eric Bellinger, and Bebe Rexha.

Linkin Park member, Mike Shinoda, recently announced that he is gearing up for a solo debut release June 15th. Post Traumatic will consist of 16 tracks, and he shared one - “Crossing A Line.:”

“It’s a journey out of grief and darkness, not into grief and darkness. If people have been through something similar, I hope they feel less alone. If they haven’t been through this, I hope they feel grateful.”

Post Traumatic is available for pre-order/pre-save.

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After becoming a Kennedy Center honoree, LL Cool J now launches a new radio station on SiriusXM that’s dedicated to classic Hip Hop. Here’s what he had to say while celebrating the show’s launch: "If you wanna be a fly on the wall in the world of classic Hip Hop, SiriusXM’s ‘Rock the Bells Radio’ is for you. It’s where fans can come and be immersed in the music, the culture, the energy and the history of classic Hip Hop. We’re gonna have great artists, legendary artists, lyricists, superstars, sex symbols. This is the place to be if you want uncut, raw, pure, classic Hip Hop, but there’s one catch, it's strictly for OGs."“Strictly for OGs” comes to no surprise, as LL has in the past talked down about this new era of Hip Hop artists. If you have SiriusXM, catch LL Cool J on channel 43.

“The Roc’s in the building”

Jay-Z sat down with David Letterman and discussed the art of rapping as well as praised Eminem and Snoop Dogg. In a preview of Letterman’s “My Next Guest Needs No Introduction” Netflix series, Hov’s interview clearly focuses more on Hip Hop but also spans other topics such as President Cheetos, Kanye West, and Jay-Z family. The episode is set to release on Netflix April 7th, but catch the preview above. 

Following his latest album, Heartbreak On a Full Moon, Chris Brown has announced that he will be heading out on a 27-city tour along with 6LACK, H.E.R., and Rich the Kid (select dates). Check out the full date list.

Afropunk Festival has announced their lineup and they pulled together an impressive list. The two-day festival will take place in Brooklyn, August 25th, and 26th. It will host the likes of Badu, Miguel, Tyler, The Creator, Jaden & Willow Smith and plenty more, You can check out the full line up above, and get your tickets over at Afropunk’s website. Get more details here.

Stay plugged

Singles

Papoose! Yes, Pappose releases a banger. Some serious heat we've been missing from the guy. Papoose lyrically is top notch and proves is on this Tie Stick-produced track. Listen above to “Underrated,” and stay plugged - a project should be coming soon. 

AJ Tracey, Black Atlass, Big Tymers, Yung Pinch all shared new music this past week.

A Boogie has been on a hot streak this week. This week, not only has he dropped a new visual (scroll down), he’s dropped a new single. He took to Instagram to announce that he will be dropping a new single everyday, starting with “Right Moves.” Check out the new music he’s dropped in his new series.

We heard music from KR, Chris Rivers, MC Paul Barman, Corazon x Lil Wayne, Nick Grant who does a fresh take of Lauryn Hill’s classic “Doo Wop." 

The Mad Rapper recruits Dave East and Young Chris on a new single, “Look At Us Pt.2." 

There was also new music from Kyle x Kehlani, GodBodyWati, Remy Ma, and Young M.A. 

After delivery a dope freestyle, “Steal & Rob,” in tribute to Biggie, many were impressed and hailed Stro for his lyrical ability. Most notable is Kendrick Lamar who tells Stro just a day after the release of the freestyle, “Very proud. Don’t Stop. We are watching.” That is the message we aspiring creatives all wish for. I could feel Stro’s heart dropping reading this. Lawd. The message then inspired him to throw down another fire joint, “FEAR ME.” Produced by Homage, stay plugged for more from Stro. “We are watching,” so you know Stro won’t disappoint.

Ms. Toni is looking to back a comeback, alright. She dropped her a new single just prior to releasing her eighth studio album, Sex & Cigarettes. Take a listen to Toni Braxton’s title track via Spotify or Apple, or just scroll down to check out her new album.

With Vacation in Hell coming out soon, Flatbush Zombies have dropped another single off the upcoming album - “U&I.”

There was also new music from King Louie, Jabee, Eric Bellinger, Trizz, and Curren$y.

After dropping PRhyme 2, Royce 5’9” teams up with Obie Trice, Swifty McVay and Lazarus on the Dub Muzik-produce “The Rain.”

Let’s not forget the new music from Saba, K. Sparks, Tunji Ige, Belly, and Sheck Wes, whose upcoming debut, Mudboy, is out this Spring. 

Visuals

A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie releases yet another visual offering from his debut album, The Bigger Artist, for the track "No Promises” While The Bigger Artist was released some time ago, A Boogie is still eating off it - as he should. Inspired by the fan who was killed at one of his shows, watch the video above. 

Yeah, I’m posting another video - and what?! It’s Wale, so let it be.

After dropping the surprise EP, It’s Complicated, Wale now has offered a visual treatment for “Staying Power.” Cutting ties with Atlantic sure does a soul good, I see. Watch the Chris Hernandez-direct video above and stay plugged for more. It doesn’t look like Wale is planning to slow down anytime soon. DOOM x Czarface, Yo Gotti, Ye Ali, ANoyd have dropped visual treatments this past week.

Migos dropped another visual offering from their sophomore album, CULTURE II, for the Drake-assisted “Walk It Talk It.” With a cameo from Jamie Foxx, the Soul Train-inspired visual is a must watch. Yes, “Soul Train-inspired,” you read it right. Go watch it now!

You can watch new videos from Yhung T.O., Le$, Mani Coolin’, and Jonah Cruzz.

Jhené Aiko selects one of her tracks from Trip, “Never Call Me” ft. Kurupt,” and drops new visual treatments to the song: Asian Version & Hood Version. She also went on to Ellen to perform “Sativa” along with Rae Sremmurd, check that out.

We also got new videos from Benny The Butcher x 38 Spesh, G Herbo, Daytona x Harry Fraud. Oh and you can find 21 Savage on two new visuals from Blocboy JB and Post Malone.

Projects

Apple | TIDAL | Spotify | YouTube

Following his #DonTalkWednesdays freestyle series, Don Q has released an EP, Don Talk. With eight tracks, the project features the likes of Desiigner, Pusha T, and Tee Grizzley. On the production tip, Don Q recruited Ness, Rell Ruger, Soe95, Murda Beatz, and Honorable CNOTE. Choose your vice above and take a listen.

Toni Braxton has released her eighth studio album, Sex & Cigarettes. “I feel like I’m older and I want to say what I feel,” she says about her new album, “I don’t want to be censored.” Well, with eight tracks it’s pretty straightforward. Choose your vice and take a listen: TIDAL | Apple | Spotify

While not a visual project that they originally teased, Westside Gunn and Mr. Green have put out an EP that is definitely a must listen - FLYGOD Is Good… All The Time.

Mila J continues her monthly series with another EP release, March 2018.

Beyoncé’s baby girls, Chloe x Halle, have dropped their debut tape titled The Kids Are Alright: Apple | TIDAL | Spotify.

Chief Keef released The Leek, Vol. 5 after just dropping part 4 earlier this month: Apple | Spotify.

We’ve also gotten projects from 070 Shake, Trevor Jackson, Tiara Thomas, Trouble, Diplo, and Musa Reems.

Coming Soon...

Saba took to Twitter to announce that he is gearing up to release a new album, Care For Me, on April 5th. Also revealing the tracklist, the album features the likes of The Mind, Kaina and Chance the Rapper. At 10 tracks, stay plugged for more updates from Saba. For now, scroll up to hear the project’s second single - the lead being “Busy."

Kali Uchis announced that her debut album, Isolation, is set to release April 6th. Now available for pre-order, the album will come in at 15 tracks and feature the likes of Tyler, The Creator, Steve Lacy, Jorja Smith, and more.

Yhung T.O., of SOB x RBE, has now announced a solo project, Misunderstood. While there’s no release date set, he did release the album’s first visual offering for its title track (scroll up).

Khary is gearing up for his debut album, Captain, which is set to release April 6th.

Yeah, April 6th is a big day for releases. We also have Flatbush Zombies dropping their Vacation in Hell. Scroll up for another single release off their upcoming album.

Jim Jones, man! He has now released the official tracklist for his upcoming product that’s due out April 13th. On the production tip, Jones recruits the likes of Kyle Smith, Killa Watts, Jahlil Beats, The Heatmakerz and more. Coming in at 18 tracks, the project features the likes of Cam (yup, they made up), Trav, Jadakiss, Yo Gotti, Mozzy and more.

J.I.D has been teasing the release of DiCaprio 2 EP. From Twitter, “DiCaprio2 otw,” to Instagram, “…You ready? 3/x/2018.” Mmmm, feeling like 2DopeBoyz right now. Stay plugged y’all. 

Not having dropped an album since 2009, MC Paul Barman is now gearing up to release his third album, (((echo chamber))), on May 18th. Produced mostly by Questlove, the Barman recruits production from MF DOOM, Mark Ronson, and more. The album is available for pre-order via Bandcamp. 

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Lauryn Hill is set to headline Pitchfork Musical Festival in Union Park, Chicago on Sunday, July 22nd. It has been announced that she will be performing her classic album, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, to celebrate its 20 year anniversary. Yasss, I will hop on a plane real quick! No matter all the stories of her keeping the audience waiting, I’ve seen her live and it is something you Neo-Soul hoes DO NOT want to miss. The three-day festival will also include the likes of Earl Sweatshirt, Syd, Raphael Saadiq, Kelela, DRAM, Smino and plenty more. From July 20th-22nd, head over to Pitchfork to get your tickets.

Last week, The Caters announced they will be hitting the road on the On The Run II. The Carters, yes. You know the babies will be tagging along. This week, more dates have been added. The tour will kick off June 6th overseas in Wales. After 14 cities across the Europe and UK, and 20 cities in North America, Beyoncé and Jay-Z will settle in Seattle on October 4th.

Gracing the cover of GQ Style Bible April issue, Diddy speaks on Black Excellence and being the world’s mentor. In the interview, Diddy reveals that he and Jay-Z are collaborating on an app that will locate nearby “Black-owned and black-friendly businesses.” “This is not about taking away from any other community,” he told GQ. “But the application will make it possible for us to have an economic community. It’s about blacks gaining economic power.” While there’s not much to speak on the app, it was then revealed that Jay with Roc Nation has invested $3 million in a company named Promise that will help non-violent offenders who can’t afford to be in prison or make even bail. 

Billboard 200 Reports: Earlier this week, Logic debuted at No. 1 with his sequel tape Bobby Tarantino II. Moving 119k units, the tape marks Logic’s second No. 1 project, following his last year’s Everybody that moved 247k units. Bobby Tarantino II knocked Black Panther: The Album out of its No. 1 spot, moving down to No. 4. Lil Yachty came in second with Lil Boat 2. Moving 64k units, the album marks Lil Yachty's both highest peak and his second debut in the top ten of Billboard 200. It also moved more units than his debut album, Teenage Emotions, that only brought in 46k within its first week.

After being found unresponsive, Rick Ross not only returned home safely but also returned to the stage. Yup, Rozay hit the stage at Las Vegas’s The Light nightclub to perform. He left the building with a crowd shouting “Free Meek Mill.”

Gucci Mane’s Mr. Davis, which was released October last year, has now gone Gold. Serving as his 11th studio LP, Mr. Davis debuted No. 2 on the Billboard 200 with 70k units in its first week. Salute to Gucci!

Two weeks ago, SZA confirmed via Twitter rumors that there existed a deluxe edition of her debut Ctrl.  now she has revealed that her next album will be her last. In an interview with Flaunt, she talks about working on the best music of her life for her sophomore album and thus so will be her last album.

"My world got so much smaller so fast. I have so much to write about. I feel like I’m in a cage. I’m making the best album of my life for this next album and I know that... because it’s going to be my last album.”

While this may change - God willing - but let’s see.

Lloyd Banks has on record the quickest (and fakest) retirement in the game. Yup, and that’s including Hov. All jokes aside, his announcement of stepping out caught us all off guard. Like a loved one dying, we all just had panic attacks and instantly went through…well, instead of memories it was his catalog. Luckily the punchline God was just proving a point about this new generation of media. DatPiff did tweet a photo of (almost) his entire catalog, and it’s pretty hefty. Take a look and put on your favorite Banks joint to show him love.

On the retirement note, Jeezy has announced that he is working on TM104: Trust Ya Process which will close our his career. This one may actually be real:

“As the Cold Summer Tour comes to an end, it was inspiring seeing my day one fans and class TM101 come out every night. Now, class is coming to an end. It’s time for graduation. My last album and final class, TM104: Trust Ya Process.” - Instagram

TM104 is now available for pre-order on his site.

The Grandoozy festival in Denver, Colorado have announced their lineup. The three-day festival will host the likes of Miguel, Logic, Daniel Caesar, Big K.R.I.T., De La Soul, 6lack, Kelela and several more. As far as headliners…here it goes: September 14th, Kendrick Lamar; September 15th, Florence and the Machine. Drum roll, please! Sunday, September 16th none other than Stevie Wonder will be headlining. So After I book my flight to Chicago, I will buy a ticket to Colorado. Done deal! Head over to their website, or Instagram, to get the full lineup and get your tickets now.

Russ has announced his I See You Tour that kicks off May 20th in Vancouver, and ends June 20th in Charlotte. 

Also going on tour is J.I.D. and Earthgang, announcing Never Had Sh!t Tour that will take them overseas starting May 30th and ending June 23rd. They’ve also dropped their latest Never Had Sh!t Tour episode. 

Let’s not forget RZA who has just revealed four new dates to his 2016 tour that he will be reviving. Live From the 36th Chamber of Shaolin Tour will be going from Denver on April 17th and ending up on April 25th in San Francisco. 

Stay plugged

Singles

Joey Bada$$ had a great 2017 and continues to kill 2018. With an album on the way, the Brooklyn rapper dropped a new freestyle “King of The Jungle” to salute Notorious B.I.G. who’s anniversary just passed. Filled with some top-notch bars, listen to the two-minute freestyle above.

As it’s a new week, R-Mean keeps #MeanMondays going with “Makaveli,” Chris Rivers continues on with his #BarzdayWednesday with “New Frieza,” GodBodyWati releases his third #WatiWednesdays banger with “Forgive Me,” and Don Q drops fire on his #DonTalkWednesdays with “King’s Dead.”

Forever M.C. keeps the music coming. From “Terminally Ill” and “King Kong,” to now their latest banger “Piranhas.”

We’ve heard new music from Bishop Nehru x Lion Babe x Kaytranada, MadeinTYO x Harry Fraud, and Deshun.

Fetty Was takes his turn on SZA’s “The Weekend” with his latest joint “The Presidential Suite."

More artists delivered new music such as Buddy x A$AP, Sango x Smino, KYLE, Murs x Fashawn x Prof., and Lucki.

Anderson .Paak returns with a new single this week. While we wait for an actually project from the man, listen to “’Til It’s Over” via Apple Music.

Gearing up for the release of his fourth album on March 16th, take a listen to Bun B’s first single, “Knowwhatimsayin.”

MED and Guilty Simpson have linked together for a collab project. They have released the project’s first single, “Face Down,” which was produced by Black Milk.

Let’s not forget the new music from King Louie, Sir Michael Rocks, and GASHI.

 Visuals

Hip Hop journalist, and now rising MC, Rob Markman has released a visual treatment to “Believe Me” which followed up to the letter to his teenage self that he posted via Instagram. A HHNH premiere, Rob shares with them the inspiration behind the song, working with his son, and future plans.

"So at the end of the year I decided to write my 15-year-old self a letter and post it on Instagram. When I did that, I knew I wanted to write a song with that same inspiration. That’s how “Believe Me” was born. It’s really a dope exercise for anyone; with all that you’ve learned in life what would you tell your 15-year-old self?”

With his son playing his younger self, watch above as Rob Markman brings the letter to life and just let it inspire your soul. 

Taylor Bennett, Phora, Trae Tha Truth, and Skippa Da Flippa x Sauce Walka were just some artists we’ve gotten new visuals from.

Check out Big K.R.I.T.’s Tiny Desk concert at the NPR offices.

This past week marked the anniversary of Notorious B.I.G’s death (March 9th). As we spent the day reminiscing and blasting his classics, New York rapper Stro dropped a freestyle over Biggie’s “Steal & Rob.” As his style is often compared to that of the ‘90s MCs, the freestyle is a perfect tribute. Watch as Stro pays his respect.

We’ve also gotten new videos from Rich The Kid, Kooly High, Blac Youngsta and Safaree, which features a cameo from Charlamagne Tha God.

Off their upcoming PRhyme 2, PRhyme have dropped another single. Stream “Flirt” featuring 2 Chainz, via Spotify or Apple.

And then Raz Simone, YFN Lucci x Skeet Blak, Kid Ink, and Chris Brown also dropped new visuals.

Fresh off dropping Stabbed and Shot with .38 Spesh, Benny the Butcher has released a visual treatment for his new solo joint, “Man Of The Kitchen.”

Shortly after dropping his sophomore album, Memories Don’t Die, Tory Lanez drops a visual treatment for the Future-assisted track “Real Thing.”

Let’s not forget the new visual treatments from Khary, Curren$y, Backwood Jones x Shawnna, and Tobi Lou x Smino. 

Projects

Apple | TIDAL | Spotify | YouTube 

At the end of his last album, Everybody, it was implied that Logic would be releasing one more album and it would be his last. He went on to confirm the implication was true. Well, now it looks like he’s giving closure to his older projects before he makes his big exit. Last year, Logic did promise he would be releasing a follow up to his 2016 Bobby Tarantino. Coming in at 13-tracks strong, Bobby Tarantino II features the likes of 2 Chainz, Big Sean, Wiz Khalifa, Young Sinatra - pick your poison above.

March starting to look a lot like February with these releases now, sheesh. DJ Premier and Royce 5’9” - that’s PRhyme to you - deliver PRHYME 2 a week early. While it’s not exactly released, NPR has released the album to be streamed in its entirety. It will still be released to everywhere on March 16th. Serving as their collaborative debut album, the 15-track album features the likes of Big K.R.I.T., Chavis Chandler, 2 Chainz, Dave East and plenty more. Listen to it via NPR.

Arin Ray dropped Platinum Fire this week. Serving as his debut album, the Cincinnati singer first came on the scene back in 2012 on The X-Factor which led him to work with big names like Chris Brown, Nicki Minaj, John Legend and more. The 14-track album features the likes of Ty Dolla $ign, DRAM, SiR, Terrace Martin, and Childish Major. Definitely worth a listen, so pick your poison: Apple, TIDAL, Spotify, SoundCloud.

Killy makes his debut with Surrender Your Soul. The 11-track tape has production from the likes of 1mind, Y2K, and Wondagurl, the Toronto rapper has a unique energy to which he puts his all into his new project. Surrender Your Soul premiered on The FADER, and can be streamed via Apple, Spotify, and SoundCloud.

Page Kennedy delivered Straight Bars 2, as a follow up to his Straight Bars he dropped in August. Kennedy drops some serious heat over instrumentals from Jay-Z, Kanye, The Lox, Mobb Deep and plenty more. Take a listen via SoundCloud.

YFN Lucci dropped Ray Ray From Summerhill. Extensive yet a great listen, the 20-track features the likes of Meek Mill, Dreezy, T.I. and more. It’s a raw project that gives you an inside glimpse into YFN Lucci’s world. Pick your poison: Apple, TIDAL or Spotify.

Don Mykel released his 5-track EP 2ERO PATI3NCE. The Harlem rapper has been quiet since his last EP drop in September, but now he’s back. Recruiting production from the Dunk Rock, Mike Kuz, the 25th Hour, and Scott Farlee, stream 2ERO PATI3NCE via Apple Music.

Toronto singer Anders released his sophomore project, Twos, this week. The tape followed that of his 669 debut he dropped last year. The 8-track EP features production from the likes of LUCA (who’s a regular collaborator), FrancisGotHeat, Business Boi, and many more. Take a listen via SoundCloud. 

03 Greedo has finally dropped his debut project under Alamo Records, titled The Wolf of Trap Street. The 21-track tape features the likes of Yhung T.O, PnB Rock, OMB Peezy, and more. Pick your poison and take a listen: Apple, TIDAL, Spotify. 

Lil Yase delivers Winner’s Circle earlier than its set release date. Featuring the likes of Drakeo The Ruler, Lil Pete, J. Stalin, Mont and more. Stream via Apple Music.

Brain Fresco dropped his latest project, Love Scars. The 15-track project features the likes of KAMI, Chance the Rapper, Twista, Vic Mensa, and several more. Love Scars deserves a spin, as Brain Fresco is consistent and beyond talented - pick your poison: Apple + Spotify.

Here’s a project I missed last week: Blu has stepped out of the booth and behind the boards on his newest project The DS Dumb Style. Blu recruited the likes of Homebody Sandman, Nova, Blame One, ScienZe, and more for his tape. Check it out via BandCamp.

We also got projects from Jeremih and Lil Yachty. 

Coming soon...

Keri Wilson has announced that she is gearing up to make a comeback in eight years. She teamed up with IfOnly to launch an auction that will allow fans to bid on a chance to get a tour of her studio and listen to her untitled third studio album. Starting off at $2500, the money will be going towards the Keri Hilson Foundation that benefits women and children through education, arts, health and fitness.

Drake announced during a Toronto Raptors versus Houston Rockets game that he is working on a new album for Toronto: “I love each and every one of you, I’m happy to be home. I’m working on this new album for the city.” Since last year, he concluded his More Life with “I’ll be back 2018 to give you the summary.” Looks like he’s a man of his word. We shall see.

MED and Guilty Simpson have teamed up on a new collab project, Loyalty. Set to release March 16th, scroll up to hear the project’s first single. Coming in at 10 tracks, and only two features from Blu and J. Mitchell, pre-order Loyalty via iTunes.

Also set to release this Friday, March 16th: Curren$y, Back at Burnies; Bishop Nehru, Elevators: Act I & II; Jacquees, This Time I’m Serious; MURS, A Strange Journey Into the Unimaginable; PRhyme, PRHYME 2; Saweetie, High Maintenance; Rich Homie Quan, Rich As In Spirit.

After releasing the first visual offering (above) from his upcoming debut, Khary is gearing up for his new and first album, Captain, which is set to release April 6th.

With the recent reveal of the official tracklist for Rich The Kid’s upcoming The World Is Yours. With features from Kendrick Lamar, Lil Wayne, Khalid, Rick Ross, Bryson Tiller, and more, Rick followed up to say that the tracklist was incomplete and it was missing features from Kanye West, Frank Ocean and Migos. The World Is Yours is set to release March 23rd.

Back in August, SZA hinted that there existed a deluxe edition of her debut Ctrl. Now she has confirmed via Twitter that there are actually six bonus tracks that could be added to make this deluxe edition.

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The OG legends, Eric B and Rakim, are planning to be in a city near you! What started off as a simply tweet, “it’s time to show you,” they have announced that they will be going on tour. Kicking off in Boston on April 8th, Eric B and Rakim will close out their 18-date tour in San Francisco on May 3rd. Check the tour dates here and stay plugged for more updates. 

While we’re on the old school tip, let’s talk about Q-Tip! The Tribe member has now been appointed lead advisor of the John F. Kennedy Center’s Hip Hop Culture Council, to which he says “reflects the creative, social, and intellectual wealth of the Hip Hop community.”

“The members are the embodiment of what we stand for and all that we aspire to achieve with the Hip Hop Culture program” - Q-Tip 

The council members include legendary Hip Hop contributors like Questlove, Common, Grant Hill, LL Cool J, Bobbito Garcia, Black Thought, 9th Wonder, and several more. It is said that starting in the Spring, these members will be able to “create, experiment, develop, and produce work at the Center.” Check out more information, and the rest of the council members over at Medium.com

In honor of Phife Dawg, the Billionaire Boys Club teamed up with A Tribe Called Quest and Sony Music to create a special collected called The Space Program capsule. The collaborative capsule will include a collection of products and accessories from shirts, hats, hoodies, and more. Also going in is a hoodie with the words “FOR MALIK” in honor of Phife. The Space Program capsule collection drops this Tuesday (March 13th) at the BBC flagship store, webstore and Tribe’s website as well.

Genius has began a new weekly talk show, For The Record, that’s hosted by Rob Markman. First up, Genius has Lil Yatchy over to discuss his latest release, Lil Boat 2, and more. Check it out. 

Only six weeks after releasing their sophomore album, Migos have officially earned their second Platinum record. What took Culture five months, Culture II has now gone platinum in less than six weeks with its single “Stir Fry” as the NBA All Star Weekend’s official song.

Post Malone has earned himself a huge feat as well. His “Psycho” single, featuring Ty Dolla $ign, debuted No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100. 

The 2018 iHeartRadio Music Awards took place last night and many great things happened. From Eminem and Kehlani performing together, to Cardi announcing her debut album will finally be arriving in April (let’s hope), to Chance The Rapper being honored with the Innovator Award. Check out XXL’s list of winners. 

Stay Plugged

Singles

Apple | Spotify | TIDAL

What’s to follow the Golden Era? Their kids of course. Diddy’s kids, the lot of them, are all talented and literally do everything from fashion, acting, music. After testing the waters with a couple tracks here and there, it seems like one of Diddy’s kids are ready. Christian “King” Combs has released a new single with Chris Brown titled “Love You Better” that shows King is not playing games. In a flip of Schoolly D’s “P.S.K. What Does It Mean” - or you may recognize it as “Touch Me Tease Me” - King shines through and damn does he sound like their father. I hear a bit of Mase in there, too.

We got new music from Cozz, Tee Grizzley x Meek Mill, Pollàri x Lil Skies, and Skizzy Mars. 

Chris Rivers keeps his “Barzday Wednesday Freestyles” going. Now he enlists his sister, Star Rios, in his tribute to their father Big Pun on this past Wednesday which marked the 18th anniversary of Pun’s death - “You Ain’t Banned."

We also heard from Space Dolphin, Rae Sremmurd, Yung Pinch, and Lenny Grant x Tory Lanez x Aviator Keyz.

After all the big news and new music flowing with Pro Era, Joey Bada$$ drops his own new joint, “80 Blocks” featuring Chuck Strangers.

Oh, we’re not close to done…we ALSO got music from Lucki, Sage The Gemini x Trina, and MF DOOM x CZARFACE.

Check out a remix of Khalid’s “Location” with Jorja Smith and British rapper Wretch 32.

Lawd! This past week five people got together and made a six and a half minute track that will blow your mind. KXNG Crooked, Tech N9ne, Chino XL, Rittz and producer Statik Selektah all makeup Forever M.C.. With a compilation project on the way that will feature the likes of Talib Kweli, Royce 5’9”, The Game, and plenty more. To start they release their first joint together, “Terminally Ill.”

After a taking a year off, Jon Waltz returned with new music - “Backstreets."

And then there was...Stalley, Young Thug x 24hrs, and Dessa.

With a project in the works, check out IDK’s newest single with Denzel Curry - “No Wave.”

SOB x RBE have released their first single in a long time, “Carpoolin’.” Produced by Joe$$, the single is slated to appear on their upcoming project, Gangin’. While we’re on the topic of SOB x RBE, one of their members, YHUNG T.O has linked with Kamaiyah for her newest joint “Seasons."

Brent Faiyaz, the pure magically voice in the trio Sonder, and GoldLink’s “Crew,” released a not so new but still amazing track called “Make Luv.” Originally supposed to appear on Sonder’s debut album Sonder Son, the track didn’t clear because of sampling. Thankfully he’s able to release it now: Apple + Spotify.

In a HNHH freestyle session, female MC Molly Brazy made her big debut. It’s definitely a hot one, take a listen. After you listen to that, check out her latest single “Last Minute."

Ciscero links up with Goldlink and recruits April George and Cheakity for his newest single off his upcoming Devil’s Pie, “Function.”

Visuals

Another beautiful awe-inspiring visual from Dave Meyers and The Little Homies. From beginning to end…just damn! And the same can be said about the album. Watch the visual for Kendrick Lamar and SZA’s “All The Stars” above, and scroll down to check out Black Panther: The Album.

Black Youngsta dropped a hilarious video for his track, “Booty.”

We saw new visuals from the likes of Lud Foe, Towkio, and Rich Homie Quan.

After teasing it earlier on in the week, Wiz Khalifa released a visual treatment for his new joint track with Sosamann, “Best Life.”

After dropping The Saga Continues back in October, Wu-Tang have recently released a visual treatment for “Lesson Learn’d” starring Mathematics, Redman, and Inspectah Deck. W’s in the sky!

There were videos also released by DJ Mustard x RJ x Ty Dolla $ign and PARTYNEXTDOOR x Calvin Harris. 

BlocBoy JB teamed up with Drake for his latest single, and visual, “Look Alive.”

J.I.D. pays homage to his favorite cartoon with a twist in “EdEddNEddy."

We also saw new visuals from Black Atlass, Nilüfer Yanya, and Tate Kobang x West Side Goldie.

Projects

Apple | TIDAL | Spotify 

And its here! The highly anticipated - yes highly anticipated and we’re only in February - album for Black Panther that hits theaters this coming Friday (Feb 16th). Executive produced by Kendrick Lamar along with TDE, with contributions from Mike WiLL Made It, DJ Dahi, !llmind and several more. The 14-track album features the likes of The Weeknd, SZA, Swae Lee, Anderson .Paak, Travis Scott, Jay Rock and many more. No really, there’s a shit ton of people on this album. Pick your poison above, and stay plugged for a review.

Rock Abruham, Rayvn Lenae, Audio Push, Young Sizzle (aka Southside), and Ralo have all dropped projects this week.

As this year marks the 25th year anniversary of Wu-Tang’s big debut (Nov 9th),  U-God has just released a new project for good measure. Bring Back God II comes in at 18 tracks and is laced with some good ol’ freestyles laid over some today’s hottest beats. Mixed and mastered by DJ Homicide, DJ Green Lantern provides some exclusives too. The tape serves as an introduction to his upcoming work, as he prepares to make 2018 his year. U-God has his memoir, RAW My Journey into The Wu-Tang, and his album, VENOM, dropping March 6th and March 30th, respectively. For now, Bring Back God II is available to stream and download via DatPiff.

As his first release of 2018, Kap G dropped his latest effort Real Migo Shit 4. The 10-track project features the likes of Lil Uzi Vert, Lil Baby, Don Ace, and more. Serving as a follow up to his Mood and Supa Jefe projects, Real Migo Shit 4 proves to be a pretty solid project.

2 Chainz has released a surprise project, The Play Don’t Care Who Makes It. It features the likes of YG, Offset, Street Runner and a few others. The EP can be found on SoundCloud.

SHIRT began his 2018 with a new single, “Flight Home,” and now he’s released his official debut album under Jack White’s Third Man Records. Coming in at 11-tracks, listen to PURE BEAUTY via Apple Music or Spotify. 

Coming Soon...

After teasing the project last year, Bishop Nehru recently made an announcement that confirms the reunion between he and MF Doom on their Kaytranada-produced joint album. Titled Elevators: Act I & II, the album serves as a follow up to Nehru and Doom’s 2014 NehruvianDOOM.

"This project is a collection of my feelings straight from my heart, all of my ideas were created specifically off of instinct and intuitive occurrences. This album is my answer to the question, 'What would you say your music sound like?' My answer to that would be 'Grammy Rap.' There's 'Mumble Rap' and then there's 'Grammy Rap.' With this project I was largely influenced by music theory and Pet Sounds by The Beach Boys. This is my attempt at a 'rap' Pet Sounds.”

Along with the announcement, Nehru also dropped a trailer for the project that you can watch above. While Elevators is due March 16th, stay plugged for more updates.

Speaking of MF DOOM, he will be teaming up with CZARFACE for a new album titled Czarface Meets Metal Face. The album is set to release March 30th.

Finally, it’s about damn time! It looks like we can definitely expect an album from Anderson .Paak as he has confirmed it’s “almost done."

With Victory Lap coming out February 16th, Nipsey Hussle reveals the album’s  tracklist. The album is loaded, featuring the likes of YG, Kendrick Lamar, The-Dream, CeeLo Green, and more. Check it out via his Instagram, and it’s available for pre-order.

SAINt JHN is finally gearing up to drop his debut album, Collection 1, on March 9th.

Yasiin Bey, formerly known as Mos Def, has announced that he will be joining forces with Talib Kewli once again for a new Black Star album this year. Together as Black Star, they have only released one studio album. No title or release date revealed but we do know that the duo will be working with producer Madlib.

Jacquees is also gearing up for a new EP release, This Time I’m Serious, that will act as an introduction to his debut album 4275. Just recently he revealed the tracklist to This Time I’m Serious via Twitter along with its release date, “2/16.”

Rich The Kid is releasing his debut album in March. No actual date, just “March,” he told XXL in his latest interview where he says: “This will be the greatest album of 2018. Best hip-hop album - you heard it here! There’s no other rapper that will drop a better album than me. No one.” Mm..bold claim right there. We shall see. He also made his Hot 100 debut for his joint track with Kendrick Lamar, “New Freezer.” This is a big year for The Kid.

Dreamville’s Cozz took to Instagram to announce the release of his debut album. Effected is slated for February 13th, yes tomorrow, and will feature the likes of Kendrick Lamar, J. Cole, Garren and of course Curren$y with their “Badu” joint. He also released the single with Garren you can find above.

After dropping solo projects last year, all members SOB x RBE have come together to release a project. The lot of them - Yhung T.O., Slimmy B, DaBoii and Lul G upcoming project, Gangin,’ that is slated to release February 23rd.

With Memories Don’t Die dropping March 2nd, Tory Lanez has revealed the album cover, tracklist and dropped three new singles all in one day. The album will feature the likes of Future, 50 Cent, Paloma Ford, Wiz Khalifa, and more. Upon going onto the album’s official website, you must “secure the bag” with your email. Once you do that, a download should happen automatically and there you have it - the bag of Memories Don’t Die goodies.

Flatbush Zombies are back! After a quiet 2017, the Brooklyn trio have just announced their next project Vacation In Hell will drop April 6th. The project serves as a follow up to their film, “Building A Ladder,” that drops April 2nd. They took to Twitter to make the announcement through a two-part trailer. Check out parts one and two, and stay plugged for more updates.

After releasing his joint track with Missy Elliott and Kelly Rowland, “Get It,” Busta Rhymes sat down with Billboard to talk about his upcoming album.

"The only thing I am going to say is that this is definitely going to be my most compelling body of work that I've ever put together. I haven't dropped an album in retail since 2009. I am really proud of this project. I was very patient with it and took my time. Patience was probably one of my greatest weapons when putting this project together because there were things I ended up stumbling on that ended up on the album years into the recording. I've been working on this album on and off for nine years. There's going to be an announcement made soon on the title and we should definitely be having this album drop before the midway point of 2018.”

Check out the rest of the interview where he talks about setting the tone with “Get It,” his Extinction Level Event album’s 20 year anniversary this year, and more. And stay plugged for more updates on Busta Rhymes and his upcoming album.

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Big Sean has announced his Unfriendly Reminder Tour. Via Twitter, he had this to say:

"With the platform I have now, I thought it would be perfect to revisit a lot of the old music as well as the new classics on my next tour. But I’m gonna give you guys the opportunity to choose my setlist on this tour.”

Yup, he will be revisiting his older material and we get to pick his setlist - UKNOWBIGSEAN! He always has something up his sleeve. With Playboi Carti, G4SHI and Shy Glizzy all tagging along, check out the tour dates via his Instagram and his website. The tour kicks off on April 12th in Orlando, FL, and ends in Toronto, ON on June 3rd.

After releasing his debut album, Maxo Kream has also announced dates for his own Punken Tour. Kicking off in San Francisco, CA on March 21st, Maxo will wrap up his tour on April 28th in El Paso, TX. Go to his website for more information and to get your tickets.

Following the induction of Jay-Z last year, Jermaine Dupri is the next to be inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame and is the second Hip Hop act to do so. As if I have to mention, Dupri deserves this spot for co-writing No. 1 hits such as Mariah Carey’s “We Belong Together,” Usher’s “Burn” and several more. He took to Instagram to celebrate. Salute to JD! Among the inductees this year are Kool & The Gang members bassist Robert “Kool” Bell, saxophonist Ronald Bell, drummer George Brown, and singer James “JT” Taylor.

“Music has scored my life since day one.” Nas penned an open letter to commemorate Black History Month, paying homage to those who came before him and opened those doors. While we wait for his next album to drop any day now, the letter is a must read.

Previously, anything before his debut album Camp was not available on Apple Music, TIDAL or even Spotify. Now, Childish Gambino’s earlier work, cleverly titled EP, is finally available to stream anywhere and everywhere: Apple, TIDAL, and Spotify.

Mike WiLL Made revealed via Twitter that Rae Sremmurd was influenced by OutKast’s 2003 double-disc Speakerboxxx/The Love Below for their triple-album SremmLife3. He followed up with another tweet: “w that being said, to all true Sremm fans out there that know we drop the quality when we feel it’s right, never just for attention. ‘Sremmlife3’ is FOR Y’ALL specifically.” He goes on explain the triple-album, and this explains for all the misunderstood solo rumors. SremmLife will consist of two solos, Jxmtroduction and Swaecation, from Slim Jxmmi and Swae Lee respectively, and one group effort titled SR3MM. With no release date as of yet, stay plugged for more updates on SremmLife3.

From Bronx girl to Bronx girl, we should be seeing a collab from Cardi B and Jennifer Lopez soon. After the “Finesse” video dropped, many from In Living Color thanked and gave props to Cardi and Bruno, especially former Fly Girl J.Lo. And then during one of her shows, J.Lo danced to Cardi B’s “Bodak Yellow" that had Cardi B in her feelings: “This is a Bronx girl dream… The mother @jlo.” And now, J.Lo has confirmed their collab with Latino.com: “I do have a record coming out with [Cardi B] and it’s coming out soon. I don’t know what the video is going to be set, but we’ll see what we come up with."

Stay plugged

Singles

Apple

Royce 5’9”, Joyner Lucas, and Black Thought - yes, you read those names right - have teamed up to tackle one of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s tracks off his 2016 Hamilton mixtape. While the original featured Nas and Dave East, this new remix stars the trio with Aloe Blacc on the hook. Listen above.

Gucci Mane comes through with new music. He teams up with Tiesto and Sevenn for his latest track “BOOM.” Pick your poison and enjoy: Apple Music or Spotify. 

We’ve also seen team efforts from the likes of Dice Soho x Will Peters, Rich The Kid x Famous Dex, Lil Baby x Kenny Gee, and Cam O’bi x Smino. 

Clearly, Meek Mill was busy leading up to his incarceration, and Joyner Lucas has been pretty busy out here in the world. Check out their team effort along with Timbaland on the new track, “Run It.” 

Instead of releasing his EP, Woke You Up, Sonny Digital decided to release two new singles over the weekend: “Keep It Real” and “Love My Plug.” Check them out. 

We got new music from T-Pain, R-Mean, YBN Almighty Jay, and King Los. 

Lil Jon linked up with 2 Chainz and Offset for his newest joint, “Alive.” After posting that picture of him and Jermaine Dupri in the studio, you have to ask: Is Lil Jon gearing up for a comeback? We shall see. 

With his new project on the way, scroll down for that, Skooly dropped the first offering, “Dirty Dawg Insane.” 

As more Pro Era is demanded, shall Joey giveth with Pro Era’s CJ Fly and Nyck Caution.

While we wait for the release of their collab project Can’t Feel My Face, Lil Wayne and Juelz Santana drop for their newest joint track, "Bloody Mary.” The new track appears on Lil Wayne’s newest release, scroll down to “Projects."

And when you thought the team efforts were done: Maroon 5 x A Boogie, Ralo x YFN Lucci, and Young Thug x Gunna x Hoodrich Pablo Juan. 

A$AP Rocky dropped two new singles just a day apart, “5ive $tar$” and “Above.” His newest singles give a peek into the new sounds he’s “testing” for his upcoming third studio album. Also, he may or may not be testing out a title for the upcoming album. All of the artwork on his SoundCloud has been changed from that Testing cover to now a bright yellow background with Dummie in the middle. You can find it above in the cover photo. 

Check out the snippet 50 Cent dropped off his new single with PNB Rock, “Going Crazy.” First, he dropped one via Instagram, then followed up with another snippet the very next day. Produced by Frank Dukes, check the previews out and let’s hope this drops soon. 

Visuals

Apple Music, Spotify, TIDAL. 

After finally releasing their joint project, Friday On Elm Street, Jadakiss and Fabolous have dropped the project’s first visual for “F vs J Intro.” They followed up with another visual, this time for the fan-favorite “Soul Food.” A tough project featuring the likes of Future, Swizz Beatz, Teyana Taylor, Styles P (of course) and more. A must listen, so pick your poison and definitely check it out.

Following the release of their sophomore album CULTURE II, Migos dropped a visual over the weekend. Well, more like an action-packed short film, watch “Stir Fry” starring the song’s producer, Pharrell.

New visuals from Moneybagg Yo and YBN Nahmir were dropped this past week.

Catch producer Sango’s first visual offering from his upcoming project, “Sweet Holy Honey” featuring Xavier Omär.

Jhene Aiko dropped a visual treatment to her fan favorite “Sativa,” featuring Swae Lee - but with a twist.

We also got to see visuals from K Camp, G Herbo, and Downtown Dion.

In 2018’s first week we saw a sudden release, One Week Notice, from Dizzy Wright, Jarren Benton, Audio Push, Demrick, Emilio Rojas, Reezy DJ Hoppa, and Kato. The crew gave themselves a total of 7 days to put together and drop the project. Now they drop a visual treatment for, according to Kato, “one of the group and fan favorites off the project,” “Get Up N Go." Check out the visual here, and go back to the #OverloadMonday for One Week Notice.

Projects

After releasing Dedication 6 for Christmas, Lil Wayne is back unloading the tape’s sequel, Dedication 6: Reloaded. The 20-track tape follows the release of three singles that of course made the tracklist. Featuring the likes of Juelz Santana, Gudda Gudda, Drake, Lil Twist and more. 

Returning with his first project in four years, Evidence dropped a new solo LP over the weekend. Weather or Not is a 16-track project that features the likes of Styles P, Rapsody, Alchemist and more.  A project you do not want to bypass: Spotify or Apple

Former G-Unit member, Spider Loc reemerged this past week with The Lost Tapes. The 15-track album features the likes of Jay Rock, E-Note, Mack 10 and of course 50 Cent. Reminiscent of that old G-Unit sound from the early 2000s, and I’m here for it. It’s definitely worth a listen, so pick your poison: Apple Music, Spotify.

Ghostface Killah and Apollo Brown re-released their ’13 effort The Brown Tape: Bandcamp, Spotify or Apple.

While Migos released their sophomore album, CULTURE II, this weekend, Justine Skye made her official debut with ULTRAVIOLET.

Coming Soon...

Tory Lanez…about damn time. The Toronto-native has finally announced the release of his highly-anticipated album, Memories Don’t Die. Via Instagram, Tory shared a trailer that reveals the album is slated to drop March 2nd. Watch the trailer above and stay plugged. It definitely builds up the hype, and we’re all waiting.

Producer Sango’s forthcoming project, In The Comfort Of, is slated to release March 6th.

And they’re back! Beginning with their 1993’s Bacdafucup, Onyx released seven studio albums along with mixtapes, and let’s not their solo careers. Now the duo is back with their first project in years titled Black Rock. The project will feature the likes of Optimus, Skyzoo, Sickflow, Snak The Ripper, and R.A. The Rugged Man. They took to Instagram to reveal the project’s tracklist along with artwork. Black Rock is slated to release February 17th.

Reports are flooding in that Black Thought is teaming up with 9th Wonder for a new project. After the intense and viral freestyle, this move to drop some solo music outside of The Roots seems strategic. Via Nodfactor's Twitter, a video was released of Black Thought revealing his work with 9th Wonder: “It’s the first of a series of joints that I’m gonna be putting out called Streaming Thought. Be on the lookout for the music that we’re about to hit y’all with.” And 9th followed up by semi-confirming with an obscure tweet. Stay plugged for updates.

Well, since everyone is taking to Twitter, Lil Pump just recently tweeted out that his next tape, Harvard Dropout, is “coming soon."

Producer Jahlil Beats took to Sway In The Morning to announce that his debut project will be released this summer. Titled Gratitude, his debut compilation project will feature the likes of Meek Mill, Dave East, Kendrick Lamar, Anderson .Paak, Beanie Sigel and more.

DJ Carnage is all set to release his highly anticipated sophomore album, Battered Bruised & Bloody, and is set to release March 2nd.

Check out the releases slated to drop this week, specifically February 2nd: Justin Timberlake, Man of the Woods; Skooly, Don’t You Ever Forget About Me; Skyzoo, Bring Back God II; Brain, Amen.

Check This

TDE presents The Championship Tour! TDE’s big players, and little newbies, will be hitting the road. This includes the likes of Kendrick Lamar (duh), ScHoolboy Q, SZA, Jay Rock, Ab-Soul, SiR, and Lance Skiiwalker gallivanting their way through all of North America. The tour will kick off on May 4th in Vancouver, and end in June 16th in Pittsburgh. You don’t want to miss this. Tickets are already on sale via Ticketmaster. Check out the full tour date list to see if the champions will be in a city near you. 

While we’re talking about TDE...SZA has confirmed that she has new music on the way from her collaborations with Mark Ronson and Tame Impala founder Kevin Parker. During an interview with NY Times, TDE’s leading lady revealed that she had been working with the duo and three tracks have been recorded. Any day now, yasss. 

While we’re still waiting for Jay Electronica to drop his highly anticipated album, the Roc Nation lyricist has revealed that he will be heading out on tour starting this week. Starting in Chicago this Thursday, Feb 1st, and end in New York for Governor’s Ball, June 1st-3rd. It will be an eight-city run, let’s just be thankful he’s hitting the road at all.

Both Royce 5’9” and J. Cole were spotted filming a music video for an unreleased and unnamed song. HNHH posted a snippet of some BTS footage via Instagram. With PRhyme 2  (PRHYME = Royce + DJ Premier) out March 2nd, it’s a good assumption that the single may surface on the self-titled collab album from the duo. We will have to wait and see.

With the surprise release during Scary Hours, Drake broke records with his single “God Plan.” First, the single had the most single streams on Spotify. Drake then moved on to break Apple Music’s first day streaming record with 14 million streams. Yes, 14 million streams in just the song’s first day. Jeez.

Donald Glover penned a deal with RCA over the week that will give us new music from Childish Gambino. Chairman and CEO of RCA, Peter Edge, had this to say: “Donald is undoubtedly one of the most talented, multi-faceted, young entertainers of this era. We are excited to join forces with him and Wolf + Rothstein to usher in the next phase of Childish Gambino’s musical career.” Amen. The deal between RCA and Glover’s agency/label, Wolf + Rothstein, for his upcoming album that will drop sometime this year it looks like. 

Stay plugged

Singles

Apple

After coming out of the rock he’s been living in, Cozz emerges in 2018 with a lot of new music. First he announced a new album, Effected, and then released its lead single, “Questions.” Now he’s teamed up with Curren$y for the smooth-jazzy “Badu.” Listen above, and stay plugged for more from.

We got new music from Wolftyla, OnCue, Joey Bada$$ x Dessy Hinds, Syd x Leven Kali, and Black Milk.

Drake hit us with two back to back joints, check them out!

We also heard new music from ToBi, ABRA, Audio Push, Rotimi, A$AP Ferg and Skyzoo x Raheem Devaughn. 

Lloyd Banks continues on with his At Your Request series with another fire freestyle.

A new band is amongst us! Lyricist Common, pianist Robert Glasper, and drummer Karriem Riggins form August Greene. And first act as August Greene is to release music of course. Listen to their first single, “Optimistic,” featuring guest vocals from Brandy.

Oh and then…yes there’s more…we had new music from Step Brother (Alchemist and Evidence), Chris Dave x Anderson .Paak, and Pollári.

We heard from the likes of Nino Man and Jadakiss…yes, again Nino Man and Jadakiss. I know, they just released “I Hate You", but check it, they got some new heat for us with “From Trap to Rap.” Mmm, what are these two up to?

And then we heard from Dreezy x 2 Chainz, Russ, Fat Joe x Dre, and Rudimental teamed up with Macklemore, Jess Glynne and Dan Caplen.

Despite all the drama with his Generation Now label, Lil Uzi Vert is still releasing new music. Check out his new single, “200 My Dash.”

After making a surprise announcement, 38 Spesh and Benny the Butcher have teamed up with Jadakiss and Styles P for “Driver’s Seat.”

Remy Ma teams up with Chris Brown with what may be the leading single for her next album, “Melanin Magic.” We also got new music from hubby, Papoose. Definitely take a listen to him “Set Trippin” all over the previously owned by Casanova track. Looks like we’re getting two new projects from the love birds.

Visuals

After releasing Paranoia 2, Dave East reverts back to its predecessor, Paranoia, for his newest visual. He released a short film for joint track with Mass Appeal boss, Nas, titled “The Hated.” My favorite track off of the mixtape, it’s great to see East go beyond just the usual music video treatment. And the guy hasn’t even released a debut album yet - well, damn. Watch the Kid Art-directed video above, it’s gritty and raw as is the track itself. A must watch, check it out. With Victory Lap right around the corner, Nipsey Hussle gave us a second offering featuring YG. He followed up the release of the single with a visual, check out “Last Time That I Checc’d." 

Tinashe is back! Teaming up with Offset for her new single, and visual, “No Drama."

Watch new videos from Ye Ali x K Camp, Young Buck, Jorja Smith x Stormzy, and Joell Ortiz x Fred Da Godson.

After riding that “Unforgettable” wave, here’s French Montana with a visual for another track from Jungle Rules.

NF dropped some a visual treatment for his lead single from Perception. “No Name” packs some heat, a must see.

We also saw visuals from Sylvan LaCue, Vic Mensa, Moneybagg Yo, and JaqueBeatz.

Young Thug dropped new video with Trouble and Shad Da God in tribute for “MLK.” 

Young M.A dropped a visual for her freestyle over Gucci Mane and Migos’ “I Get The Bag.”

Famous Dex teamed up with A$AP Rocky back in October and now they have released a visual for their joint track, “Pick It Up."

Right before the release of November, SiR releases the album’s leading single, “Summer in November," along with a visual treatment.

Let’s add them right to list: O.T. Genasis, Russ, Cousin Stizz, and Tyga.

Back in 2016, Lin-Manuel Miranda had a wildly successful run with his broadway musical Hamilton. He also released a mixtape that followed up the musical. Now he's back with HamilDrops, a new series where Miranda will be releasing visuals from the mixtape on a monthly basis. First he dropped “Ben Franklin’s Song,” now he’s here with a visual treatment for the track “Wrote My Way Out,” which features Nas, Dave East, and Aloe Blacc.

Projects

Apple | TIDAL | Spotify 

Over the weekend, SiR dropped his debut album, November. Right before it’s release he dropped the album’s first single. Pick your poison above, definitely a must listen.

Dave East’s Paranoia 2 is here! The 15-track project features the likes of Matt Patterson, Marsha Ambrosius, Lloyd Banks, T.I., Tory Lanez, Pimp Pimp P, and Nino Rideaux. Available on iTunes, stream via Spotify and Apple Music.

Kollision dropped his debut tape this past week. The ATL-native recruited the likes of Twisted Genius, D. Hill, OG Parker and more on the production tip. Better Than Yesterday dives in deeper into his own world. Worth a listen, check it out via SoundCloud.

Well, looks who’s back. Paul Wall released a new album, Bounce Backs Over Setbacks.

Check out Juicy J’s newest surprise project, SHUTDAFUKUP.

Fetty Wap dropped his final chapter of his For My Fans series.

Coming Soon...

Keep an eye out for Audio Push’s new project, Cloud 909. It’s slated to release February 9th, and scroll up for its leading single. Pre-order available via iTunes. After dropping The Wild last year, Raekwon took to Instagram to confirm a new album is officially on the way. 

While it’s been a long time coming, the collab project from DJ Premier and Royce da 5’9 is coming soon. When the duo comes together, they are known as PRHYME, and rumor has it that the sequel to their self-titled debut is set to release March 16th. That’s hope this time it comes out. 

While we still wait on SremmLife 3, Swae Lee still plans on dropping a solo joint. After some success with featuring on hit singles last year, he has spoke about Swaecation. It did fuel rumors of the duo splitting up, but they put those to rest. No, this is just Swae riding the solo wave for just a bit. While we have no official date for both project, just “soon,” now Swae announced that Swaecation will be out for the masses in “less than a month, confirmed.” So stay plugged. 

August Greene are gearing up to release their debut self-titled album on March 9th. It will be an Amazon Music exclusive drop. Scroll up to hear their first single and to find out who August Greene is. 

38 Spesh took to Instagram to make a surprise announcement that he and Benny the Butcher have a joint project on the way. Stabbed & Shot is slated to drop February 16th, scroll up to catch the first single released. 

After four years since his last solo project, If There’s A Hell Below, Black Milk is back in 2018 with new music on the way. He took to Instagram to announce a new album is on the way, titled FEVER. Set to release February 23rd, scroll up for the album’s first single.

Let’s not forget Nipsey Hussle debut Victory Lap that drops February 16th.

Check This

Joey Badass started 2018 with some major news. Along with announcing that we’ll be hearing more from the Pro Era clan, as well as a sneaker, he also revealed that his debut project, 1999, has now become available everywhere to stream. Let’s not forget that his TIDAL podcast, “47 Minutes,” is on the way, and he has also become PONY’s creative director. Now has officially become a platinum-selling artist with his hit “Devastated.” Quick timeline for the single: Released May 2016, hit Gold January 2017 and now platinum in January 2018. A joint project with XXXTentacion has been teased. Stay plugged, the year is just beginning and Joey is too. 

Black Panther, where the hell do I start. I was originally excited to see the movie, but um…can we talk about this soundtrack though?! Once confirmed that Kendrick Lamar and the TDE clan were recruited to piece together the album, we received its first offering from both Kendrick and label mate SZA. Then there was that new trailer for the movie that featured an untitled track from Kendrick and Vince Staples. And now, the moment we’ve all been waiting for - literally. (Ha, can you tell I’m from Jersey yet?) It was pretty much confirmed through TDE’s MackWop’s Twitter that we are getting a track from Kendrick and Isaiah Rashad. Yasss, come through TDE! After taking over 2017, it’s pretty much safe to say they’ll be making a huge impact on 2018.

A biopic is underway for Gucci Mane, fueled by his autobiography he released back in September 2017. The same autobiography that made Gucci Mane a New York Times best-selling author. He took to Twitter to make the announcement. Stay plugged for more updates on Guwop. Not only is the film on the way, but The Evil Genius is on the way too.

From the underdog to top bitch, 2017 was Cardi B’s year. Breaking record after record, Cardi is on a streak that doesn’t seem to end any time soon. She recently teamed up with TIDAL and put out a documentary, I’m Here MuthaF*cka. A must watch, so don’t pass it up if you have TIDAL.

Big news for Future. While he wiped his Instagram clean, we all expect new music and it turns out we were right - well, sort of. It was announced that Director X will be taking on the remake of the 1972 cult-classic Superfly. Where does Future play in all of this? Well, Future is set to co-direct the film. Let’s not forget that he will be curating the soundtrack along with Joel Silver. Yes, new music indeed. It was also revealed that 21 Savage plays some role with the film, but nothing has been confirmed yet. Director X took to Instagram to make the announcement revealing some of the cast and crew. So far we know that Grown-ish star Trevor Jackson will be playing the part of Youngblood Priest. Jason Mitchell, who played Eazy-E in Straight Outta Compton, will be playing the part of Eddie.

Released Sunday, and yeah I missed it…I’ll just leave this right here.

heavy rotation pic.twitter.com/Rcl9xadwjl

— AtlantaFX (@AtlantaFX)

January 14, 2018

Stay plugged

That sums up this past week in Hip Hop. Come back next week for more.

Oh and I’ll just leave this right here. And while it’s not Friday, we’ll pretend he said “Monday MOOD,” because well, Diddy just makes everything better.