The Best New Hip-Hop This Week includes albums, videos, and songs from IDK, Reason, and TiaCorine.
The avalanche of new releases in hip-hop continued this week, albeit at a slightly slower rate than in the week past. That “slightly” is doing a lot of lifting here.
This week, we got new releases from the likes of Little Simz, who kicked off the rollout of her upcoming album Lotus with “Flood.”
Luh Tyler started his 2025 campaign with the patriotic “Florida Boy.”
BigXthaPlug’s “2AM” showed his storytelling ability.
And Big Sean closed out Black History Month with “Head To The Sky.”
Here is the best of hip-hop this week ending February 28, 2025.
Albums/EPs/Mixtapes
Big Hit — Free Big Hit
Father of veteran hip-hop producer Hit-Boy, Big Hit’s one of those rap rarities: a rapper whose career took off well into middle age. A big part of that stems from his (most recent) bid in federal prison, which ended in 2023. Since then, he’s hit the ground running, releasing at a fairly steady pace through his son’s independent label. Maybe it’s owing to his time inside, but his work is a throwback to an earlier era in LA rap, with a focus on hard-bitten, street saturated gangsta rap.
Boldy James & Chuck Strangers — Token Of Appreciation
While Brooklyn beatmaker Chuck Strangers provides soulful, sample-driven production, Boldy James does what Boldy James does best — rapping deftly about the Motor City hustle with an even, unrushed pace, and laconic cool that very few artists can match.
IDK — Bravado Intimo (Continued)
The DMV rapper’s fifth studio album gets a big update, adding seven new tracks and a whole heap of wieldy, wily raps like the ones on “Mario Coins.” The new tracks also bring in a few of IDK’s fellow slick spitters, including Denzel Curry and Joey Badass.
Jim Jones — At The Church Steps
If you’d told me in 2005 that the sole remaining member of The Diplomats to still be releasing music on a regular basis would be Jim Jones — and that it’d be at least equal in quality, if not impact, to Dip Set’s peak output — I’d have bet I could sell you the Apollo Theater. But hey, life is a wondrous thing.
Reason — I Love You Again
A couple of weeks ago, I interviewed my buddy Reason about his first independent release since leaving Top Dawg Entertainment. “I was so serious about it where I was like, ‘I just won’t make music anymore,’” he admitted. I Love You Again offers plenty of reason to be grateful he didn’t.
Singles/Videos
Babyfxce E — “PTP (Remix)” Feat. Monaleo
I haven’t been terribly impressed with Babyfxce E’s output yet (I’m sure he’s great, his stuff just isn’t for me), but his decision to link up with Monaleo for this remix turns out to be a wise one. She’s the highlight of any and everything she touches and if there’s any sense in the world, she’ll be on the way to a big hit by the end of this year.
Amanda Reifer — “RUDUMB?”
Remember when Pharrell teamed up with Rihanna to produce “Lemon,” the Bajan singer’s grand entrée to a serious rap persona? Well, he’s at it again (with another Bajan, no less), Amanda Reifer. The second time is equally effective as the first, and hopefully gives Reifer some much-deserved attention.
Haviah Mighty — “Pursuit Remix” Feat. Poiison
While from the outside looking in, it might appear that the Toronto hip-hop scene is in shambles, fortunately for The 6, Haviah Mighty is here to hold it down. She’s a sharp rapper and singer, and while her guest Poiison could benefit from some polish, Haviah anchors the track well.
Ray Vaughn — “Cemetery Lanterns”
TDE’s Long Beach rapper continues to drop vivid narrative and uncomfortably familiar explanations of South LA gangland politics. Questioning the honor code supposedly inherent to affiliation, Vaughn paints a layered examination of an all-too-common circumstance.
TiaCorine — “Ate”
The North Carolina native tries something new on her latest, and something about it really works. There’s a bit of a Jersey club flair, but not in a way that suggests that she’s chasing a sound that, frankly, is reaching the end of its shelf life. If it is, this isn’t the worst way for it to go.