The best new hip-hop this week includes albums, videos, and songs from Juice WRLD, Rick Ross, Russ, and more.
Friday saw the releases of Earl Sweatshirt (“Tabula Rasa“), 2 Chainz (“Mortage Free“), RZA & Flatbush Zombies (“Plug Addicts“), and Kyle (“Perfect“), along with the releases listed below.
Here is the best of hip-hop this week ending December 10, 2021.
Albums/EPs/Mixtapes
2KBaby — First Quarter
2KBaby is a rapper who is slowly rising in estimation alongside fellow Louisville products like Jack Harlow and EST Gee. The Midwestern city is having something of a breakout this year and First Quarter solidifies the youngster as someone to keep an eye on going into 2022.
Big Boi & Sleepy Brown — Big Sleepover
After a few delays, the long-awaited collab album between the two Atlanta compatriots has finally arrived, bringing with it all the Funkadelic-influenced Southern hop you could possibly want. Their chemistry has been evident since their earliest offerings, and here, there’s little left to prove. An easy listen.
Juice WRLD — Fighting Demons
Although posthumous collaborations are often, well… questionable, there’s something so deliciously absurd about pairing the eternally tormented Juice WRLD with the brightly polished BTS member Suga. Meanwhile, plugging in verbal interludes from Juice and his “Godzilla” collaborator Eminem at least offer some insights into the late rapper’s talents and thoughts.
Rick Ross — Richer Than I Ever Been
Ross’ latest is an astonishingly stripped-down affair, scaling back the anthemic cuts that have come to define about half his mainstream output to focus on the other half of it: soulful, almost throwback-seeming beats that allow the full force of his penmanship to shine through. His guests put up some impressive numbers too. This is just straight-up hip-hop, no chaser, and it’s one of his classiest, most cohesive projects yet.
Russ — Chomp 2
Building on the concept of the first Chomp EP, which was all about Russ showing off his lyrical prowess alongside some of the best in the business, the sequel expands the tracklist and the guestlist alike, to impressive results. The abrasive Atlantan may rub folks the wrong way with his interviews, but his pen game is undeniable.
Wiz Khalifa, Cardo & Sledrgen — Wiz Got Wings
Listen, if there is one way to get this rap writer to tune all the way into a new Wiz Khalifa release, it’s by telling him that the project is entirely produced by the Pittsburgh native’s most prolific and natural collaborators, the eternally smooth sounding Cardo and Sledgren. The laid-back production not only perfectly complements Wiz’s relaxed delivery, but it’s hard to imagine one without the other.
Singles/Videos
Cousin Stizz — “Blessings”
The rollout to Stizz’s return project continues, this time with a soulful street anthem that puts his slick wordplay at the forefront.
Lil Keke — “We From Texas” Feat. Sauce Walka, Slim Thug & Z-Ro
Whew. An all-star lineup of some of Houston’s finest makes for a hypnotic, trunk-knocking good time.
MadeinTYO & UnoTheActivist — “Love Myself”
Dropping from the duo’s Yokohama joint project also out now, “Love Myself” features a throwback, arcade-sounding beat — insomuch as the height of the SoundCloud era could be called “throwback” now.
Preme — “Hopscotch” Feat. Swae Lee
Preme’s campaign to cross the northern border of the US has been going pretty well so far, and adding Swae Lee to the forward offensive results in a critical win.
Rubi Rose — “Loyal Dick”
Rubi’s voice remains the highlight of her music. It’s smoky and crisp at the same time, allowing her diamond-edged flows to cut across even the most thunderous production. This single is a step in the right direction, proving she’s just one hit away.
TM88 x Pi’erre Bourne — “Pop Out”
When producers decide to switch up and start rapping themselves, the results can be hit or miss. Fortunately, Pi’erre’s previous collaborators have already set the tone and he more or less nails it on his and TM88’s collaborative tape, Yo-88.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.