The Best New Hip-Hop This Week includes albums, videos, and songs from Ice Spice, GloRilla, and 6lack.
The big news of the week was, of course, Kendrick Lamar’s Ken & Friends concert, The Pop Out. Attended by a who’s-who of LA royalty (a characterization that could also apply to the performers), the show culminated in a multiple encore of Ken’s battle turned hit du jour “Not Like Us.”
Ice Spice put some attention on her “Phat Butt” ahead of the release of her debut album Y2K.
Meanwhile, GloRilla kept her string of turn-up anthems alive with “TGIF.”
6lack said “F*ck The Rap Game” as he put the focus back on the music.
Chance The Rapper kept his comeback going with “Stars Out.”
And in hip-hop news, ASAP Rocky announced the release date for his long-awaited album Don’t Be Dumb while Megan Thee Stallion revealed the tracklist for her independent debut, Megan.
Here is the best of hip-hop this week ending June 21, 2024.
Albums/EPs/Mixtapes
G-Eazy — Freak Show
G-Eazy’s comeback album arrives with a minimum of fanfare (which is to be expected, now that he’s gone independent with distribution by his former label RCA), but with something of a return to form for the Bay Area rapper. The carnival motif ties together a diverse array of beats that run the gamut from his signature post-hyphy (“Femme Fatale” with Coi Leray and Kaliii) to deconstructed boom-bap (“South Of France”). French Montana, Lancey Foux, and Leon Bridges guest, but Gerald keeps the spotlight firmly on himself. There isn’t too much introspection or experimentation, but is that really why we love G-Eazy?
Kaelin Ellis — You Are Here, Start
The Florida producer has been around for a bit, working with just about anyone in alternative hip-hop you can name. That experience and those relationships serve well on his latest, which mashes up pulsating, funk-washed EDM (longtime readers will know exactly what I mean when I say it’s extremely my sh*t) with jazzy hip-hop instrumentation and heady, wordy rhymes from the likes of indie rap stalwarts like Buddy, Iman Europe, Guapdad 4000, Kenny Mason, Saba, ToBi, and more. My favorite release of the week, and will very probably end up being one of my most-played projects by the end of the summer.
Your Old Droog — Movie
The Brooklyn rapper-producer returns with his first full-length release since 2021’s Space Bar (although a string of tough EPs kept his name buzzing in the New York City streets through 2022). His stream-of-consciousness punchlines pair with hard-hitting, gritty beats like a Yankee fitted cap and a pair of Timbalands — the images that jump into mind the second you press play. Fans of intricate backpack raps will be thoroughly satisfied with 18 tracks and appearances from Denzel Curry, Madlib, Method Man, and Yasiin Bey.
Singles/Videos
Headie One — “Tipsy” Feat. Aitch
Mandem connect on a tropical vibe to riff on the delights of intoxication. Headie and Aitch have great chemistry and their flows blend coolly with the laid-back Caribbean riddim undergirding the debauchery.
IDK — “Tiffany” Feat. Gunna
DMV rapper IDK has proven to be a master of reinvention. Coming off his breezy 2023 project F65, he dips his toe into some cinematic trap, alongside the resurgent Gunna.
Jaden — “Roses”
He’s back! The second-gen rap star is on a new wave; the low-key beat, the mellow crooning, and the introspective but deft rap verse portend one hell of a third chapter coming down the pike.
Jpegmafia — “don’t rely on other men”
Combative, defiant verses from Peggy top a distorted, thumping beat that sounds like a Ninja food processor full of industrial grunge and dubstep records on “high.”
Snakehips & Earthgang — “Been A Minute…” Feat. Sinéad Harnett
Again, extremely “my sh*t.” Snakehips and Earthgang have actually collaborated before, on the 2021 track “Run It Up.” Clearly, they enjoyed the process, teaming up again for a 5-track EP, SNAKEGANG.
Tee Grizzley — “Robbery 7”
The Detroit rapper’s storytelling bursts to the forefront of what starts off a regretful reflection and turns quickly into a high-speed crime adventure.