Keeping up with new music can be exhausting, even impossible. From the weekly album releases to standalone singles dropping on a daily basis, the amount of music is so vast it’s easy for something to slip through the cracks. Even following along with the Uproxx recommendations on a daily basis can be a lot to ask, so every Monday we’re offering up this rundown of the best new music this week.
This week saw an unexpected new set from Eminem and Paul McCartney continuing to be as prolific as ever. Yeah, it was a great week for new music. Check out the highlights below.
Eminem — Music To Be Murdered By — Side B (Deluxe Edition)
The final weeks of a year are usually slow as artists usually doing drop anything significant between the time critical year-end lists have been shared and when a new year starts. That didn’t bother Eminem, though, as he decided to release a deluxe edition of Music To Be Murdered By, which includes an album’s worth of new music. As usual, the rapper generated headlines by dropping a lot of names, mentioning everybody from Rihanna to Billie Eilish.
Cupcakke — “How To Rob (Remix)” and “The Gag Is”
Cupcakke spent last week with a giant spoon in her hands as she stirred the pot, first with the release of the diss-heavy “How To Rob (Remix),” on which she called out basically everybody in hip-hop. She found a sparring partner in Sukihana, who responded with a diss of her own. That prompted even more musical feuding from Cupcakke with “The Gag Is,” and that situation remains ongoing.
Paul McCartney — McCartney III
Despite (or rather, because of) the unprecedented (as has been the major keyword) nature of 2020, this year has been a fertile creative period for artists. Among those who busted out some new music was the legendary Paul McCartney, who continued his solo album series without getting in Taylor Swift’s way.
Slowthai — “Thoughts”
Slowthai came into his own as an internationally recognized star in 2020, and to wrap up the year, he’s been starting to look forward to 2021. He’s teased his new album Tyron some, and he continued dropping new music last week with “Thoughts,” which sees him returning to his grime roots after high-profile collaborations with artists like Gorillaz and Disclosure.
Chika — “Gold Medals”
Speaking of up-and-comers who have had big years, Chika did some name-making of her own in 2020. She earned a Best New Artist nomination at the 2021 Grammys, which she references on the Soundcloud art for “Gold Medals” (which is just a Grammy trophy), her celebratory new loosie.
Popp Hunna — “Adderall (Corvette Corvette) (Remix)” Feat. Lil Uzi Vert
Philadelphia rapper Popp Hunna got himself something that has been as enviable as any music achievement in 2020: a TikTok hit. “Adderall (Corvette Corvette)” blew up on the platform this year, so much so that Lil Uzi Vert wanted in and hopped on a remix of the bouncy tune.
Charly Bliss and Pup — “It’s Christmas And I F*cking Miss You”
Based on its title, the new holiday tune from Charly Bliss and Pup isn’t exactly traditional, but then again, neither is 2020. Charly Bliss’ Eva Hendricks aptly described the track, saying, “We tried to write a song that reflects the absolute insanity of this year and the fact that everyone in the world is stuck missing someone this holiday season and probably feeling a similar combination of emo, angsty, and vulnerable!!!!”
G Herbo — “Statement”
Herbo recently pled not guilty to charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and aggravated identity theft, charges that he decided to address directly on a new song, “Statement.” He raps on the track, “Let’s talk about them jets, yeah, let’s talk about Jamaica / Ask about me, I ain’t never been a fraud.”
Earthgang and Wale — “Options”
Earthgang already had a tremendous year as the group’s members (and some others) were behind the excellent Spillage Village album. They had one more treat before 2020 wrapped up, though, as they linked up on “Options,” which fans were happy to finally have out after it was teased back in the spring.
D Smoke — “It’s Ok”
Reassuring words won’t be turned away at this point in time, so the ones D Smoke has last week were welcomed. On “It’s Ok,” He offered a timely reminder that while things aren’t the most awesome now, there’s hope for a brighter future ahead. With a new vaccine making the rounds and promising developments in live music, let’s hope he’s right.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.