The Best New Hip-Hop This Week includes albums, videos, and songs from Doechii, Gelo, and Gunna.

Although Doechii’s re-released fan favorite, “Anxiety,” isn’t technically a new song, I think it’s still pretty fair to share. It’s emblematic of the music scene as a whole, where an old SoundCloud track can be re-released to widespread fanfare — and hopefully put those pesky “industry plant” rumors to rest, once and for all.

Meanwhile, the strict lines between hip-hop and other genres — indeed, between parallel yet separate career paths — have blurred more than ever, as seen with Gelo’s new follow-up to the viral “Tweaker,” the GloRilla-featuring “Can You Please?”

Another big change? A guy like Gunna can shrug off snitch speculation and drop a potential hit with a longtime collaborator in Turbo with “Classy Girl.”

And even the barriers between regions — whether those are disparate segments of the United States or completely different countries — are coming down, thanks to artists like Hanumankind. He reps both Texas and India on “Run It Up,” combining sounds into a rebellious anthem that makes this writer want to run through a wall.

Here is the best of hip-hop this week ending March 7, 2025.

Albums/EPs/Mixtapes

6ix — Homebody

Speaking of artists who push boundaries, 6ix — best known as Logic’s go-to producer — makes his solo debut, along with a slew of MCs from across hip-hop. Seemingly everybody you’d think of when you say “indie rap’s finest” is represented here, from 6ix’s fellow DMVers Adé and Logic to California mainstays like Blu, Buddy, and Guapdad 4000 to Toronto standouts ToBi and Jazz Cartier.

Fredo Bang & TEC — 8 Legged Gorilla

First of all, that artwork is [chef’s kiss]. Fredo’s long been one of my go-to “pain rap” purveyors. Teaming up with fellow Louisiana native TEC, Fredo sounds reenergized, the two rappers feeding on each other’s energy for 12 breezy tracks awash in skittering 808s and bayou drawl. It’s a statewide affair, as well; guests include B.G., Jaydayoungan, Kevin Gates, and Rob49.

Icewear Vezzo — Undefeated

Just when Rio da Young OG’s recent release from jail had me wondering where his longtime partner-in-rhyme Icewear Vezzo had been hiding, the Motor City motivator pops out with an eight-song EP to follow-up his 2024 album Live From The 6.

KenTheMan — Kinda Famous

That Houston water produces some of the music business’s slickest women in rap. While Megan Thee Stallion racks up headlines and Monaleo looks poised to blow up soon, you can’t overlook KenTheMan, who returns with her first full-length since 2021’s What’s My Name, following up 2023 EP Back To 304’n. Kinda Famous marks a reset for the rapper, who is newly independent and determined to capitalize on the goodwill she built up with her prior projects the old-school Texas way.

Singles/Videos

21 Lil Harold — “The Realest”

21 Lil Harold takes a step back from the Savage-inspired street threats that have defined much of his output to date, opting for a more soulful, introspective angle on the “The Realest” sh*t he ever wrote. Nothing but facts.

Lady London — “Is You Krazy?”

Hitmaka’s quest for a “pretty female rapper that’s strictly about bars” from a few years ago brought him together with Lady London, who has since paid off his patience with a string of releases that prove she’s just as adept as anybody with the pen. “Is You Krazy?” is a bouncy, hypnotic “shake off the haters” anthem, full of brass — both in London’s witty boasts and Hitmaka’s snazzy beat.

Samara Cyn — “Pop N Olive” Feat. Sherwyn

If you’ve been reading the column for a while, you might know that Samara Cyn is one of my favorite up-and-coming artists at the moment. I fully expect a big breakout in the very near future for the Murfreesboro, Tennessee native. In the meantime, she’s stretching her creative wings, trying something different from the murky raps of her breakout project The Drive Home, but eminently listenable.

Swank & King Draft — “Wait A Minute”

Shout-out to 9th Wonder for putting me on. The Jamla Records signees are just starting out, but this freestyle over Ray J’s 2001 Neptunes-produced hit is one hell of an introduction. Consider me intrigued.

At this point, it’s not surprising to see Snoop Dogg pop up just about anywhere. This past summer, he was all over the Olympics, and a few months later, he was on ESPN. Well, folks in Nashville were in for yet another Snoop surprise this weekend.

As Billboard notes, on March 9, Snoop made a surprise appearance at Losers Bar & Grill, a 500-capacity venue in the Tennessee city. Naturally, Snoop performed “Gin And Juice.”

The venue shared a clip from the performance on Instagram and wrote, “You never know who might hop up on stage. This Life Ain’t For Everybody!” Country singer-songwriter Ernest was also there, and he shared some photos and videos of Snoop on Instagram.

Meanwhile, T-Pain recently credited Snoop for making Auto-Tune “cool” in mainstream music, saying, “It was only resistance, until somebody cool did it. Who did that? Who made it cool? Snoop. Snoop did it, and it was totally fine. Everybody was like, you know, ‘OK, I guess we can listen to it’ [laughs].”

In other news regarding things Snoop likes, he named is dream blunt rotation in a recent interview, saying, “I really want to smoke with and do a record with Sade. I think we would have a nice time smoking and then going right into a session that Dr. Dre produced.” He also added Muhammad Ali and Michael Jordan to the list.

Welcome to the Crumbl Cookie report! This marks the second week of Crumbl’s new “dessert of the month” initiative, and we’re a little torn on whether or not this is a good idea. Now, we’re happy Crumbl is offering fewer cookies week-to-week, allowing the store to focus on quality control. And we’re sure that having a dessert that remains unchanged every week streamlines the workload, but we still miss the days when the roster featured just six cookies.

When the roster was shorter, it felt like each cookie offered something fresh and exciting; now, it seems like there is a lot of flavor overlap. Also, save for a few cookies, this week has a lot of stuff we saw just a couple of months ago, which is maddening when we know Crumbl has so many more recipes they haven’t brought back in some time.

Oh well, our job isn’t to pick the cookies, it’s to rank them, so let’s get on with it. Here is every cookie at Crumbl this week, ranked from least to most essential.

7. Key Lime Pie

Thoughts & Tasting Notes:

My major gripe with key lime pie, in general, is that a single slice is overwhelming. It’s like cheesecake on steroids. That’s what I love about Crumbl’s take on the dessert — it’s the perfect serving.

Crumbl’s Key Lime features a zesty, tangy, and tart lime base with a crumbly and sweet graham cracker crust and is topped with whipped cream and graham cracker dust. It’s tart, silky smooth, and a bit refreshing. For whatever reason, each time I order this dessert, Crumbl forgets to add the lime wedge garnish. I won’t hold it against them, but it makes for a less presentable pie.

The Bottom Line:

The perfect way to enjoy Key Lime Pie. Delicious, tart, and refreshing, without ever being overwhelming.

6. Milk Chocolate Chip

Thoughts & Tasting Notes:

I won’t waste too much of your time talking about this bi-weekly cookie. Here is what you need to know: It offers the perfect blend of brown sugar, butter, and sweet milk chocolate. It features a soft chew, and an explosion of chocolatey goodness with every bite.

The Bottom Line:

This might be the best chocolate chip cookie you’ve ever had. It’s that good.

5. Cookies & Cream Brownie

Thoughts & Tasting Notes:

We wonder if Crumbl’s designated “Dessert of the Month,” will ever top our list. Two weeks in and it hasn’t happened yet, but don’t let that dissuade you — this dessert is downright delicious.

It features a luxurious dark chocolate base, a generous layer of buttercream, a heavy drizzle of chocolate ganache, and crushed cookies and cream cookies for an extra bit of texture and sweetness.

The brownie base provides that perfectly baked balance of crunch and moist gooeyness. The fact that it’s going to be available all month does make it come across a bit less essential though.

The Bottom Line:

If you’re looking for a rich brownie that delivers big flavors, the Cookies & Cream Brownie is for you. But you also have two full weeks to order it still, so walk, don’t run.

4. Pink Doughnut

Thoughts & Tasting Notes:

Crumbl’s Pink Doughnut will always have a special place in my heart because it reminds me of the doughnuts in The Simpsons. And, you know, it’s delicious, which certainly helps further endear this cookie to me.

This cookie features a sweet vanilla base topped with a thick layer of sugar pink glaze, and decorative rainbow sprinkles. It’s tasty, sweet, and subtly floral, but technically, you’re getting less cookie here. What are they doing with the holes?

The Bottom Line:

A gimmick, but a delicious one, so we’re willing to look past the fact that this is an excuse for Crumbl to sell you less cookie for the same amount of money.

3. Salted Caramel Cheesecake Cookie

Thoughts & Tasting Notes:

If you like cheesecake for a bite or two but can’t handle the richness of a full slice, the Salted Caramel Cheesecake Cookie offers similar flavors in a more inviting form factor.

This cookie features a crumbly graham cracker cookie base, a thin layer of cheesecake frosting, a heavy serving of caramel, and a touch of sea salt. Sounds almost like a cheesecake, but the ratio of graham cracker to frosting is skewed, offering much more of the former, which makes this cookie way more palatable.

Instead, the cheesecake frosting works as a subtle top not, you still get that rich tang you associate with cheesecake, but in a much smaller dose. I actually prefer this to a regular slice of cheesecake!

The Bottom Line:

If your issue with cheesecake is that it’s too rich and tangy, this cookie-shaped take on the dessert remedies some of that by putting more emphasis on the sweet honey graham cracker notes.

2. Kentucky Butter Cake

Thoughts & Tasting Note:

This deceptively boring cookie is one of Crumbl’s all-time bests. It’s like eating a perfect piece of cornbread but way more moist and much sweeter.

As soon as you bite into this cookie, it melts in your mouth as a strong buttery tone dominates your taste buds. The cookie is topped with powdered sugar, which serves as a nice sweet counterbalance to the rich buttery tones.

The Bottom Line:

It might look boring, but the Kentucky Butter Cake delivers where it matters most — flavor. This cookie is downright addictive. It’s richer and more buttery than the best shortbread cookie you’ve ever had.

1. Rocky Road

Thoughts & Tasting Notes:

Perfect. There isn’t any other word that could describe this cookie. The Rocky Road cookie features a rich, sweet, dark cocoa base with a generous serving of almonds, semi-sweet chocolate chips, and marshmallows embedded throughout and on top of the cookie.

Every bite offers a perfect bouquet of rich, decadent, sweet, textural, and nutty flavors. I have one complaint, and it’s a small one. There isn’t nearly as much marshmallow as I’d like. Look how different my cookie looks from what Crumbl advertises! But here is the thing, more marshmallows would lessen how rich and luxurious this cookie tastes, so while I want more, I’m not sure that it would actually improve the cookie.

The Bottom Line:

Crumbl’s best cookie this week. Each bite is a rich, decadent, textural, and luxurious delight.

Find your nearest Crumbl here.

The quarterback carousel in the NFL got moving over the weekend with Geno Smith being traded to the Raiders and kept on rolling on Monday as the legal tampering window of free agency opened. Sam Darnold is replacing Smith in Seattle on a three-year deal, while the former employer of both Darnold and Smith, the New York Jets, was also in the market for a new QB after parting ways with Aaron Rodgers earlier this offseason.

According to Adam Schefter and Ian Rapoport, the Jets will be bringing in former Bears and Steelers quarterback Justin Fields on a two-year deal worth $40 million, with $30 million guaranteed. It’s a nice pay day for Fields, who started the first six games of the season for the Steelers and led them to a 4-2 record before Russell Wilson returned from injury. Fields’ production as a passer wasn’t spectacular — 65.8 completion percentage for 1,106 yards, five touchdowns, and one interception — but it was solid and he added 289 yards and five touchdowns on the ground.

His running ability will certainly be a new element for the Jets after having Aaron Rodgers under center last year, and the Jets will hope pairing Fields with his former teammate at Ohio State, Garrett Wilson, can quickly get him comfortable in the passing game. It’s not a huge gamble by the Jets considering it’s just a two-year deal, but it is more money than most anticipated being out there for Fields off just six games as a starter last year. If it works and Fields manages to pop, the Jets will have found their QB of the future, but if he doesn’t put it together as a passer this year, they will likely be back on the QB hunt next offseason.

Medical dramas never went away, but as with spy shows, a crop of particularly viral shows recently refused to be ignored. For example, ABC’s Doctor Odyssey puts Ryan Murphy’s brand of camp onto a cruise ship. NBC’s Brilliant Minds finally pushes Zachary Quinto firmly out of his villain track. And Max’s The Pitt reaffirmed how much people really dig watching Noah Wyle in scrubs with scripts that make The Bear seem like a chill bingewatch.

The Pitt has already been renewed for a second season, but that won’t surface overnight, obviously. Let’s open up the file on what to expect from Netflix’s upcoming medical drama, Pulse.

Plot

Expect some soap opera flair, for starters. The show’s trailer begins with the revelation of an affair between Danielle “Danny” Sims (Willa Fitzgerald) and Zander Phillips (Colin Woodell), who are colleagues in Miami’s most hectic Level 1 Trauma Center. Long story short there, it appears that the fallout includes Danny being made Chief Resident after Xander’s suspension. Surely, that will be awkward although enjoyable to watch, but even better? Fitzgerald has landed herself a fine gig after departing Reacher (as fan-favorite Roscoe Conklin) and earning twisted screen-queen acclaim for Strange Darling.

This series won’t be entirely about romance, however. Expect to see customary life-or-death situations and the complications presented by a natural disaster. The full-fledged physicians and residents on staff will otherwise need to balance their personal and professional messes to keep patients going.

Let’s roll into the synopsis:

As a hurricane barrels towards Miami’s busiest Level 1 Trauma Center, third-year resident Dr. Danny Simms (Willa Fitzgerald) is unexpectedly thrust into a promotion when beloved Chief Resident Dr. Xander Phillips (Colin Woodell) is suspended. Amid the worsening storm and an onslaught of trauma cases, the hospital goes into lockdown, and Danny and Phillips must find a way to work together – even as the bombshell details of a complicated and illicit romance between them begin to spill out. The rest of the ER is left to process the fallout of their relationship while balancing their own challenges, both personal and professional, as they work under the pressure of life-or-death stakes. Because for this tight-knit group of doctors, saving their patients’ lives is often less complicated than living their own.

Another highlight of this series should be Jessie T. Usher, finally shedding his Supe costume in exchange for some scrubs. Does this mean anything for A-Train’s presence in The Boys‘ fifth season? Perhaps he might be on hand less already due to leaving The Seven, but Usher was seen on set and confirmed to return for the Prime Video/Amazon show’s final season. His role in Pulse, however, remains relatively mysterious other than knowing that he portrays a doctor named Sam Elijah.

Cast

Pulse stars not only Willa Fitzgerald and Jessie T. Usher but also Justina Machado (One Day At A Time), Colin Woodell (The Continental), and Jack Bannon (Pennyworth).

Release Date

Netflix will stream the ten-episode first season of Pulse on April 3.

Trailer

Let the high tension begin.

Wardrobe malfunctions are unavoidable at Paris Fashion week — there’s a lot of wardrobes! In fact, Ice Spice and Chappell Roan both suffered similar sartorial emergencies during the twice-a-year celebration of fancy clothes.

On Sunday (March 10), the “Think U The Sh*t (Fart)” rapper shared a photo of Roan wearing a tight leather dress with a ripped backside, exposing her underwear underneath. “mine ripped in the same spot,” Ice Spice wrote in an Instagram Story. In a follow-up post, she showed the proof.

You can see the (slightly NSFW) photos here.

Back in August 2024, Ice Spice — who once rapped, “I’m thick ’cause I be eatin’ oats” — addressed a rumor that she was using Ozempic. “I wish y’all never learned the word ‘Ozempic.’ That’s one thing I wish,” she said during an X Spaces chat. “Oh my god, like, what even is Ozempic? What the f*ck is that? Like, genuinely, what is that, bro? Like, you lazy-ass bitches never heard of a gym? It’s called the gym, it’s called eating healthy, it’s called being on tour. Like, what the hell? Maybe if I was sitting home all day, it would be easier to stay big.”

The rapper also shared a video of her workout routine with the caption: “we beatin them allegations bae.”

The Seattle Seahawks have been very active this past week as they have decided to shake up their roster in a big way. After extension talks with Geno Smith stalled out, they traded the signal-caller to the Las Vegas Raiders for a third-round pick, and followed that up by granting DK Metcalf’s trade request by sending him to Pittsburgh for a second rounder.

While there was some initial thought Seattle could hit the reset button, it became apparent they were not making those moves with a rebuild in mind. Instead, they were quickly linked to Sam Darnold as the top suitor to give him the contract he was seeking after a career year in Minnesota, with the Vikings expected to move on with JJ McCarthy. Despite some reported interest from the Steelers, the Seahawks got a deal done with Darnold on Monday, agreeing to terms on a 3-year, $110.5 million contract that included $55 million guaranteed, per Dianna Russini and Adam Schefter.

That’s an annual salary of just under $37 million, and considering the reported asking price from Geno Smith was $45 million, they do save a bit by trading Smith and signing Darnold. Still, Smith had been consistently an above-average QB in his three seasons as the starter with the Seahawks, while Darnold has to prove he can consistently reach the level he achieved last year with the Vikings. Complicating matters is that Seattle now has to rebuild much of its offense around Darnold, as the offensive line was a serious problem last year and with the departures of Metcalf and Tyler Lockett, they are starting almost completely over at receiver aside from Jaxon Smith-Njigba. That’s not exactly the ideal situation to put a quarterback who thrived in Minnesota in large part thanks to the structure around him, but the Seahawks are banking on filling out those needs the rest of this offseason with both veterans and in the Draft.

50 Cent was famously shot nine times early, but no, he has not be shot lately, despite what some recent reports have indicated. In fact, it was 50 himself who shot down the rumor, via an Instagram post shared today (March 10).

The post features a screenshot of a TikTok video that claims, “Breaking news rapper 50 cent was hospitalized and is in critical conditions due to a shooting in Hollywood according to TMZ [broken heart emoji][headstone emoji].”

However, TMZ published so such report, and neither has any other reputable publication. Indeed, 50 captioned his post, “Don’t worry I’m gonna make it, because this is fake news !”

In 2023, Lil Tjay, who was shot a few years ago, said he got advice from 50, who told him over the phone, “Every artist needs pain or something to feed off of. This right here, you shake this sh*t off. You got the length for greatness. You going to be bigger than ever.

Meanwhile, 50 recently spoke about why he’s not as active with making music as he used to be, saying, “A lot of the music, if you listen to the music that’s out right now, I have to tap into my stupid. I have to tap into the stupid side of me to write the right thing when it comes time to write the music.”

The White Lotus‘ third season is currently reinforcing how excellent Patrick Schwarzenegger is at playing unsavory characters, and it’s also making me wonder whether Saxon will bite the dust like Patrick’s characters in The Terminal List and Gen V.

Speaking of the latter show, Patrick went through it while gearing up for the first season, both from his aghast father’s response and in reliving how his dad chucked his bed out the window. Additionally, viewers are aware that Luke Riordan/Golden Boy incinerated himself early on in The Boys spin off series, so it’s not out of the realm of possibility that death wouldn’t prevent Patrick from returning for the second season. Maybe.

Will Golden Boy Return In Gen V Season 2?

He will not.

Patrick has revealed that he’s totally into potentially returning again, but the timing didn’t work out for his return in the second season. As he told Screenrant, “No, I wish, but I was, we were actually filming White Lotus at the same time that they were filming Gen V. So it didn’t work out. But maybe season three or some other time.”

This upcoming season will, however, pay tribute to Chance Perdomo, who died in a tragic accident on the eve of initially planned filming. Additionally, Supes who will be back include Golden Boy’s brother, Sam, portrayed by Asa Germann. We can also bet on seeing Lizze Broadway (as Emma/Cricket), Jaz Sinclair (as Marie Moreau), Maddie Phillips (as Cate) and London Thor and Derek Luh (both as Jordan). God U’s new dean, Cipher, will be portrayed by Hamish Linklater. Good luck to him.

Gen V will return in 2025.

In case you haven’t heard, golf is cool now. Once a sport for stuffy old guys and shady businessmen (what’s the difference, really?), golf has seen an overall change in its public image thanks to companies like Topgolf, new professional promotions like TGL, and endorsements from hip-hop stars like Schoolboy Q.

You can add Rolling Loud to that list. Widely considered the premiere hip-hop festival, Rolling Loud has announced a charity golf invitational ahead of Rolling Loud California this weekend. It’ll be held on March 13 (Friday) at Angeles National Golf Club, with proceeds going to Black Music Action Coalition’s (BMAC) Restore & Rebuild LA initiative. The program’s aim is to provide direct relief to Altadena residents and small businesses affected by the recent fires in Los Angeles County. The tournament will be a two-man scramble format.

Angeles National Golf Club is the perfect venue for the event thanks to its proximity to Altadena, the historically Black neighborhood most devastated by the recent wildfires. With the support of Rolling Loud and community golf club, Swang, Restore & Rebuild LA aspires to help Altadena families remain in their homes and restore some of what was lost.

Rolling Loud’s Golf invitationals are just one of the ways the festival is pursuing its founders’ goal to bring hip-hop back to its activist roots. Festival co-founder Tariq Cherif talks more about this goal here.