BigXthaPlug and Post Malone search for solace in the wilderness in the heartbroken video for their I Hope You’re Happy collaboration, “Cold.” Like prior tracks from BigX’s latest album, the song taps into the trappings of country music to lay the groundwork for his introspective musings on life and love.
In this case, he recalls a breakup that leaves him “cold” — one he prompted with his own actions. “At the age of 21, this life got wicked,” he remembers. “Felt all I ever needed was love, but now I beg for distance / Then love started to fade the very moment I got richer / Like I faded from the pictures, all because I made decisions.”
Despite his insistence that I Hope You’re Happy isn’t exactly a country music album, BigX has been embraced by the country music establishment in recent months, thanks to his “meet in the middle” approach on the record, collaborating with mainstays of the genre like Darius Rucker, Bailey Zimmerman, and fellow crossover artist Jelly Roll. Just days ago, he took the stage at the CMAs with Luke Combs to perform their collaboration from the album, “Pray Hard” and X is booked to play Stagecoach festival next year.
You can watch BigXthaPlug’s “Cold” video featuring Post Malone above.
I Hope You’re Happy (Deluxe) is out now via UnitedMasters. You can find more info here.
For the past few months, I’ve been arguing that more people should be paying attention Johnstown, Pennsylvania rapper Eem Triplin, who is for my money one of the most innovative young voices in hip-hop today. I’m not the only one who thinks so; he was included in the 2025 XXL Freshman Class just a few months after releasing his debut album Melody Of A Memory on RCA Records in February.
His new song, “If I Wanted To,” is a prime example of why I think so highly of his talent. He finds a clever, cheeky way to expend the sort of flexes that would sound tired coming from someone else, with a bouncy, singsongy flow both inspired by 106 & Park-era rap mainstays and distinct from them in key ways. The track really works, and its simple but colorful video continues to display Eem’s affable personality as he crams extras into an elevator, both celebrating and poking fun at the trappings of music biz success.
The rapper has also shown a firm grasp of the mechanisms of virality; his last single, “Coming Undone,” garnered plenty of buzz thanks to his lighthearted back-and-forth with labelmate SZA. Keep your eye on Eem Triplin; he’s a star in the making.
You can watch Eem Triplin’s “If I Wanted To” video above.
Tommy Richman is his own worst enemy in “Bother Me,” the breakout track from his new EP, Worlds Apart*, which dropped today via ISO Supremacy and PULSE Records. Richman reunites with ISO head honcho Brent Faiyaz in the song, as the two kings of toxic R&B ponder the consequences of their own noncommital to relationships that felt bothersome at the moment, but might have been worth considering in hindsight.
“I was in my head last week / And I want you to bother me / There’s not another me / And that’s been bothering me,” Richman croons on the chorus. Meanwhile, the music video dives all the way down the nostalgia rabbit hole, throwing every ’90s R&B video trope on the screen at once: black-and-white, looking sad in the rain, a romantic interest staring wistfully out the window… It’s glorious, honestly.
The track appears on Richman’s Worlds Apart* EP, which dropped today, about a year removed from his debut album, Coyote. Features on the project include Faiyaz, mynameisntjack, and 03 Greedo, and in the press release, Tommy explains the inspiration behind the EP. “It’s a mixtape that I made while spending time in Miami,” he said. “I wasn’t planning on making it, but I was there for about three months and there was a lot of chaos and in that chaos, all these songs were created. This is a point in my life that was encapsulated into a body of work – Something fun and vibrant and something to dance to.”
You can watch the “Bother Me” video above.
Worlds Apart* is out now via ISO Supremacy and PULSE Records. You can find more info here.
R&B breakout Sailorr made waves this spring with the release of her debut album, From Florida’s Finest and its accompanying tour. With the new year on the horizon, and a pair of splashy features (with Jordan Ward and Summer Walker) just in the rearview, Sailorr prepares to close out her breakout year with the deluxe edition of From Florida’s Finest, the cheekily titled From Florida’s Finest Delu/xxx [For My Delusional Ex]. The reissued project is set for release on December 5. It will add four new tracks and one feature, from rising rapper Eem Triplin.
Ahead of the release of the first track from the deluxe, “Locked In,” Sailorr shared a humorous trailer for its music video. As the clip opens, Sailorr signs in at a support meeting, introducing herself and proudly declaring she’s “30 days crash-out free” before receiving a text guaranteed to threaten her streak. Then, there’s a flash forward, depicting the singer going HAM with a Louisville Slugger, likely making her fellow Jacksonville native Jason Mendoza proud (the Good Place was sooo good, right?).
After releasing Florida’s Finest Delu/xxx [For My Delusional Ex], Sailorr’s next move will be joining Doja Cat on her upcoming Tour Ma Vie tour, raising her profile alongside the pop-rap star — just like fellow Florida citizen Doechii.
You can listen to “Locked In” below, and stay “locked in” for the video.
Florida’s Finest Delu/xxx [For My Delusional Ex] is out 12/5 via BuVision/10K Projects. You can find more info here.
Tems fans in Los Angeles were disappointed to learn the Nigerian singer would not be able to perform at Camp Flog Gnaw this weekend, after the festival was postponed due to dangerous weather. However, all of her fans got a nice consolation prize this week in the form of a new EP, Love Is A Kingdom.
Clocking in at seven tracks, Love Is A Kingdom is described in its press release as an “exploration of love, power, and spiritual clarity.” The focus track is “Big Daddy,” an upbeat, questioning track in which she braces a flaky lover. She calls him “Big Daddy,” but he never comes through for her; “Where were you when there was no one around? / Where were you when I needed someone down? / What were you doing when nobody gave a damn?” she wonders.
Tems is a little under 18 months removed from her debut album, Born In The Wild, which dropped last June and featured the tracks “Me & U,” “Love Me JeJe,” “Burning,” “Turn Me Up,” and “Get It Right” featuring Asake. It peaked at No. 56 on the Billboard 200 albums chart and No. 2 on US World Albums, making it the highest-charting album by a female Nigerian artist, and was nominated for Best Global Music Album at the 67th Annual Grammy Awards. “Love Me JeJe” was nominated for and won Best African Music Performance.
With the bar so high, Love Is A Kingdom is a great start for her to build up the momentum to top Born In The Wild with its follow-up. You can listen to “Big Daddy” above.
Love Is A Kingdom is out now via Since ’93 and RCA Records. You can find more info here.
The White Stripes received one of music’s highest honors earlier this month when they were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame. Jack White spoke solo at the ceremony, as since their break-up in the 2010s, the duo’s other half, Meg White, has stayed out of the spotlight. In their heyday, though, the two-piece were the rock band to beat.
As Uproxx’s Joypocalypse explains in a new video, The White Stripes were at the forefront of the 2000s garage rock revival.
She says:
“The 2000s garage rock revival was a return to stripped-down rock music. It was a reaction to the more polished, radio-friendly rock music that was popular at the time. The White Stripes had that stripped-down sound and also production-wise, especially on that first album because of the tiny budget, they’re using older gear. It also is coming through in their recordings and their production. Jack White is not shy when it comes to fuzz use, leading to that very raw, fuzzed-out garage rock sound.”
She goes on to call them “a defining pillar of the revival” and names them as one of her favorites from that scene, because they “held on to garage rock’s blues roots and its confrontational simplicity.”
Keeping up with music news and resources like Spotify’s giant and regularly updated New Music Friday playlist are great ways to keep your listening habits from getting stale. Sometimes, though, you need a deeper dive. That’s where Uproxx’s Baylee Lefton comes in as she routinely offers quick-hit lists of songs you need to add into your rotation this week.
She came through with a new drop today (November 21), and the vibe is chill hip-hop.
The mix kicks off with Mustard and Nipsey Hussle’s “Perfect Ten,” the title track from Mustard’s 2019 album. The project dropped just months after Hussle’s untimely death, making it one of the rapper’s first posthumous releases.
Next is another collaboration: Maxo Kream and Anderson .Paak’s “The Vision,” which sees the two operate on a glacially paced beat. .Paak is regularly a high-energy guy, but he sounds at home in slower environments like this, too.
Deema picks up the tempo a little bit with “Rainbow,” which isn’t quite as sleepy but is still undeniably chill. Cammo17th and Twelve’len follow with “Sometimes” and bringing up the rear is Le$ with “In The Whataburger Drive Thru.”
Check out the video above and to listen to the full songs yourself, hit up the link in Lefton’s Instagram bio.
Rico Nasty is only about five months removed from the release of her third album, Lethal, but it looks like there’s no rest for the nasty. Rico is already back with new music, in the form of her new single, “Pepper.”
Reuniting with Kenny Beats — who is now going by his government name, Kenneth Blume — Rico gets all the way back in her lyrical bag, spitting a succession of spicy punchlines to knock some sense back into those who may have thought her switch to the rock-focused label Fueled by Ramen would dull her rap edge.
“Pop out rockin’ that Anne Demueler, bitch, I’m super chula,” she boasts in her rapid-fire flow. “You look basic, sis, come get a tutor, I f*ck around and school ya / I don’t need a ruler, dunk his head, I teach him how to scuba / We don’t bob and weave, I play for keeps, I’m slicin’, no Krueger.”
The video catches Rico rocking out and cutting loose ahead of a show in an empty venue during her recently concluded Lethal Tour, intercut with clips from the actual concert, where fans rock out with her.
Rico might be done with tour, but you’ll be seeing more of her soon enough if you’ve got Apple TV, where she’ll make her acting debut in the new series Margo’s Got Money Troubles.
It’s now been two months since Fred Again..announced his new batch of USB songs. Given that he promised this rollout would extend over the course of ten weeks, we’re approaching the end. As we hit the final stretch, this week’s new song is “Winny,” in collaboration with Sammy Virji and Winny.
In a recent post, Fred addressed how his output during this stretch has often consisted of more than the promised one song per week, writing, “i know we’re on more than 1 song a week right now and i absolutely dont care. in fact i do care, very much. i actually am loving the way this is feeling. It feels alive. And things are happening naturally and feeling good so im going wit them. Kaythankubye.”
Fred also posted recently about how dealing with fame has been going, saying, “yes 1 hundreedddd percent theres a lot of super weird pressures that sometimes come with it that im really very new to navigating really and can get super overhwhelmed by. and id hate to accidentally be one of those ppl whos presenting things as more shiny than they are ykno. cos sometimes i really dont feel shiny at aaaall! i think part of it is obviusly jus like if im sad or feeling whatever else, those are often not the moments where im like ‘oh sick i should film this! that would go hard.’”
Don’t hit “submit” on your Best Hip-Hop Albums of the Year list just yet. Nas’ 18th studio release — produced entirely by fellow legend, DJ Premier — is set to drop December 12, 2025. It’s an electrifying way to close the year, but let’s not pretend Mr. Jones hasn’t been low-key active throughout the past 11 months.
This year alone, Nas shined alongside The Clipse on their game-changer, Let God Sort ‘Em Out, and flexed his executive muscle as co-founder of Mass Appeal Records. Not only did he greenlight the Legend Has It… campaign—an initiative empowering rap icons like Slick Rick, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, Mobb Deep, Big L, and De La Soul to release new albums—but he stamped each one with a signature guest verse from the boss himself.
It was written: one of hip-hop’s greatest lyricists, razor sharp since the ’90s, is still operating at the highest frequency. But which of Nas’ scene-stealing moments truly stood above the rest? Let’s put it all in perspective.
9. Mobb Deep — “Love The Way (Down For You Pt. 2)” feat. Nas & H.E.R.
Bars: “Silk shirts and my chest show, still a flirt / I blew a kiss to Jorja Smith from afar at the H.E.R. concert.”
Nas gets romantic, flipping a clever nod to his Halle Berry line from Mobb Deep’s 1999 classic “It’s Mine” — proof his charm remains undefeated.
8. Slick Rick — “Documents” feat. Nas
Bars: “Sticking up the game again, Yankee and The Englishman / Who the best storytellers? Keep it a Wilt Chamberlain.”
Rapping alongside one of his biggest inspirations, Nas can’t hide his excitement. This is real Black James Bond elegance.
7. Mobb Deep — “Down For You” feat. Nas & Jorja Smith
Bars: “If I love the girl, who care what you like? / Y’all ain’t Ronnie, Bobby, Ricky or Mike, but she my new edition.”
If it isn’t love… Why does she stay on Nas’ mind? Ha!
6. De La Soul — “Run It Back!!” feat. Nas
Bars: “As wild as the ’80s, ’90s, and 2000s, how it was sick / How did it slip? / Now it’s just Doechii, Dot and SZA with most powerful hits.”
With his brother Jungle hyping him in the background, Esco storms through like he’s reclaiming the throne — an authoritative reminder of his staying power.
5. Raekwon — “The Omertà” feat. Nas
Bars: “And the year was like 16-something, so could this mean hustling / Began when the Indian finessed the Dutchman / With opium on horseback? This way before crack.”
While an earlier leaked verse had fans speculating about subliminals towards Jim Jones, Nas switches gears here –dropping more historical gems than a KRS-One lecture.
4. Mobb Deep — “Pour The Henny” feat. Nas
Bars: “Life is a small hill to a mountain climber/I’m a ten-time champion, real life survivor/I’ve been on the ropes a few times/Probably been almost smoked a few times/But everything will evolve in due time/I know that descending is not the end/Just some new beginnings for P, we pour out some Hen’.”
Nas lovingly salutes his fallen QB brother, Prodigy. A toast to legacy.
3. Ghostface Killah — “Love Me Anymore” feat. Nas
Bars: “This to my nation, Black on Black hatred still happens adjacent / Project 2025 mandated by Reagan / House n****s on the rise, they love a plantation / Can’t allow the selfish and foul in our conversation.”
Like Ghost, Nas shows zero tolerance for betrayal within the community. The brothers aren’t gonna work it out.
2. Clipse — “Let God Sort Em Out/Chandeliers” feat. Nas
Bars: “Single-handedly boosted rap to its truest place / F*ck speaking candidly, I alone did rejuvenate/Hip-hop into its newest place/Made it cool for Grammy nominated LPs from previous generation MCs.”
Nas flaunts his longevity—no apologies, no humility, just justified pride. All you can do is nod in approval and press rewind.
1. Big L — “u ain’t gotta chance” feat. Nas
Bars: “I’m the first in rap to form a venture cap’ / While y’all research that, I let my seat go back / The first Carlito of rap, well, after G Rap / My voice a needle in wax, gets the Devil attacked / I hold your skull with my fingers in your eye sockets / I won’t even snitch to God, I’m a die solid.”
A vicious, technical showcase. No more disrespectful comparisons, Nas makes it clear the gap was always wide. And still is.
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