The best new hip-hop this week includes albums, videos, and songs from Baby Tate, Bas, Wale, and more.

After a few busy weeks, hip-hop is slowing down ahead of the holidays. And while that means slightly fewer big-name releases, it also means more opportunities for indies and underground artists to shine.

Here is the best of hip-hop this week ending October 27, 2023.

Albums/EPs/Mixtapes

Baby Tate — Sexploration: The Musical

Baby Tate is back after last year’s Mani/Pedi with a five-song EP about, well, sex and relationships. Featuring her previously released single “Jersey,” Sexploration shares Tate’s proclivities and experiments with plenty of musical styles and throwback references.

BabyTron — Megatron 2

The Michigan-bred, self-declared scam rapper releases his fourth(!) project of the year. In addition, the Megatron sequel arrives just a year after the original. I don’t know if he can keep up this machine-like pace forever but for now, he’s living up to his home state, turning out projects like an auto factory.

Money Man — Croptober

Atlanta’s Money Man is three mixtapes deep this year, going for the most part solo for 18 bouncy tracks about the triumphs and travails of the trap life. Of the collection of midtempo street bangers, only one breaks the three-minute mark, making the project a breezy listen from end to end.

Murda Beatz & Shordie Shordie — Memory Lane 2

Murda and Shordie’s first Memory Lane project was a bit of an overlooked gem in 2021, but hopefully, this return to that creative well can garner a bit more of the notice the first deserved. Murda’s beats are proficient backdrops for Shordie’s introspective, melodic raps.

Wifisfuneral — Black Heart Revenge 2x`

Wifisfuneral was perhaps unfairly painted with a broad brush due to the SoundCloud rapper explosion in the late 2010s. Despite his associations and aesthetics, he is undoubtedly one of the best pure rappers of that generation, and his latest tape is an effective example of his straight-up rap talent.

Singles/Videos

Bas — “Khartoum” Feat. Adekunle Gold

Named for the capital city of his father’s home country, Sudan, Bas’ latest single is a peaceful slice of reflective Afropop. Its cheerful vibe is belied by its content, which finds Bas both observing the effects of the war-torn region’s violence on its residents and noting the relative silence from American mainstream media in contrast to other conflicts getting round-the-clock coverage. Hmmmm.

Jordan Ward — “NPR Tiny Desk Concert”

I’ve had an eye on this singer/rapper for a bit and his Tink Desk debut is just another bit of evidence to add to a growing pile of evidence that he’s 1. extremely talented, hardworking, and due for a breakout soon, and 2. that others ar also starting to take note.

Mick Jenkins — “Mop”

Young Chicago Authors alum Jenkins has been one of the most consistently productive of that program’s high-profile participants. Just this past August, he released his fourth studio album The Patience, which he continues to support with this freewheeling, thoughtful video.

Masego — “You Never Visit Me” Feat. Enny & Wale

Jazz-rap fusion artist Masego updates this standout from his self-titled March album with verses from a pair of fascinating collaborators: fellow DMV native Wale and London rapper Enny. They make for an alchemical connection, elevating the smooth groove with intricate, poetic bars about one-sided love.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Ahead of Halloween, the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) released rules for striking members on what not to wear during spooky season. Costumes based on characters from struck movies and shows, like Cowboy Barbie and Ken from Barbie or Sad Kendall Roy on a Bench from Succession, were advised against; instead, actors were asked to “choose costumes inspired by generalized characters and figures (ghost, zombie, spider, etc.).” SNL poked fun at the guidelines, while Megan Fox straight-up defied them by tagging the guild on Instagram.

The Jennifer’s Body actress attended the Casamigos Halloween Party while dressed up as schoolgirl assassin Gogo Yubari from Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill: Volume 1, while her boyfriend, Machine Gun Kelly, went as Uma Thurman’s The Bride. Fox shared photos of the costume (the fake blood is a nice touch) on Instagram with a caption that simply reads, “@sagaftra.”

Lisa Ann Walter, who plays Melissa Schemmenti on Abbott Elementary and is also a member of the SAG-AFTRA negotiating committee, criticized Fox for the caption on X. “What a rebel. Keep posturing for stupid shit, pretty lady,” she wrote. “Meanwhile we’ll be working 10 hours a day – unpaid – to get basic contract earners a fair deal (PS-the post responded members questions. No one cares about kids’ costumes. Just high pros at fancy parties. Like Megan).”

It’s been a few weeks since Taylor Swift’s The Eras Tour concert film started playing in theaters, but dedicated fans are still going. Now, through Swift’s exclusive deal with AMC, the movie theater chain is offering Swifties a special deal for Halloween tomorrow.

Compared to the usual ticket prices for the movie being $19.89, on Halloween only (so far) the cost will be lowered to $13.13 — which is Swift’s lucky number and the day she was born. (It’s also, fittingly, 31 in reverse.)

While the deal still doesn’t include reservations for AMC A-List members, it is still a sweet discount for a nearly three-hour performance of Swift’s concert.

Plus, it would be a perfect move for any fans who didn’t have Halloween plans, given they could also use her various tour outfits as costume inspiration. Instead of swapping candy, fans can also pass out friendship bracelets as special treats.

And, if any were looking to attend in large groups, AMC Theaters is offering a full private theater rental for $499. This includes up to 40 guests. If divided between that many, it would only average to about $12.50 a person — making it even better of a deal than an individual ticket.

For more information on The Eras Tour film’s deal for Halloween, visit their official website.

John Oliver revealed his Kryptonite during Sunday’s episode of Last Week Tonight, and surprisingly, it’s the visage of another late night host. In this case, Conan O’Brien.

During a segment on controversial Argentinian politician Javier Milei, Oliver was absolutely tickled by a recent viral clip where the Member of the Chamber of Deputies just lost his train of thought after seeing a photo of his own dog, who’s also named Conan. Milei’s mind just completely stopped worked at the sight of his pup.

Via Deadline:

“There’s Conan,” Milei said, ignoring the interviewer for a moment.

“Yes, it’s Conan,” the interviewer said.

“It’s Conan,” Milei continued with a smile on his face completely derailing the interview.

Oliver said that Milei made himself “likable” in that moment adding, “He just got distracted by his own dog the way dogs get distracted by any squirrel.”

Oliver then revealed that he as a similar Conan problem.

“It’s honestly hard for me to criticize that because that’s also how I respond if I ever see a picture of — oh it’s Conan,” Oliver said as his face lit up at the sight of the iconic late night host. Like Milei, he couldn’t stop being distracted by photos of Conan that continue to pop up on the screen until, finally, one of the photos came to life and told Oliver to knock it off.

“Quit staring at me John,” Conan said. “I’m not a piece of meat.”

Oliver apologized and then returned to his usual cadence of delivering dry British wit while eviscerating the night’s topic.

(Via Deadline)

Britney Spears new memoir, The Woman In Me, has been making waves, particularly for the Justin Timberlake sections, which he cannot be thrilled to see. For Halloween, we were bound to see some Britney costumes as fans rallied in support of the eternal pop princess, and the odds of this happening went up with SAG-AFTRA members being disallowed from wearing costumes based upon struck work. Adele could get away with Morticia Addams, but SAG members were told to keep things very generic, like ghosts, or from a realm not depicted by film and TV.

Well, Britney costumes are not off the table, and some of those who didn’t choose to dress like Taylor Swift chose to rally in support of Britney instead. This was good timing, too, considering her recent memoir, and both Paris Hilton and Jessica Alba chose to don looks from the “Toxic” video. Hilton went for the flight attendant look and nailed it.

Whereas Alba went for the video’s nude bodysuit that’s encrusted with all manner of glittery sequins. Really clever tailoring must have prevented any wardrobe malfunctions.

As well, Britney did address her friendship with Paris in the course of The Woman In Me. According to Spears, Paris wasn’t “as wild” as she was made to appear during her paparazzi-followed clubbing days. “So much of America dismissed her as a party girl, but I found her elegant,” Spears wrote. “[T]he way she posed on the red carpet and always had an arched eyebrow when anyone was mean about her.”

Over the weekend, Ice Spice had the internet buzzing after she shared photos of her cute Betty Boop Halloween costume. She wore it to her concert in New Jersey, but perhaps not every fan was impressed. After the show, she posted to her Instagram Story that one gave her an interesting gift: a King James Bible.

“Why a fan gave me a bible after the show,” Ice Spice captioned the picture of the book, complete with a laughing face emoji.

Thankfully, she found it funny — and it very well could have been an ironic bit on behalf of the fan, who had already probably purchased a ticket to her show.

But on the opposite side, it could’ve been a bit of a strange gift, like telling the rapper that she needs to find God. Ice Spice doesn’t shy away from explicit lyrics or from having a good time on stage, yet some people out there (sadly) might not enjoy that.

She also doesn’t need God. After Ice Spice’s recent collaboration with Dunkin Donuts that resulted in a viral drink, she has the power of Ben Affleck on her side. Plus, she played Saturday Night Live a few weeks back. She is already blessed.

Check out Ice Spice’s post of the Bible gift above.

Keeping up with new music can be exhausting, even impossible. From the weekly album releases to standalone singles dropping on a daily basis, the amount of music is so vast it’s easy for something to slip through the cracks. Even following along with the Uproxx recommendations on a daily basis can be a lot to ask, so every Monday we’re offering up this rundown of the best new music this week.

This week saw Taylor Swift continue expanding her empire at an astronomical rate and Brent Faiyaz have the intestinal fortitude to release an album on the same day as Swift. Yeah, it was a great week for new music. Check out the highlights below.

For more music recommendations, check out our Listen To This section, as well as our Indie Mixtape and Pop Life newsletters.

Taylor Swift — “Is It Over Now? (Taylor’s Version) (From The Vault)”

If this music release calendar looked a little sparse last week, that’s because most everybody was steering clear of Taylor Swift and her latest re-recorded album, 1989 (Taylor’s Version). Aside from the refreshed original album, there are previously unheard “From The Vault” tracks like “Is It Over Now?,” the subject of which fans think they’ve identified.

Brent Faiyaz — “Outside All Night” Feat. ASAP Rocky and N3WYRKLA

One of the few artists who dared to brave 1989, though, was Brent Faiyaz, who had one of 2022’s best R&B albums with Wasteland. Now he’s back with a quick follow-up in Larger Than Life, which features contributions from guests like Timbaland, Missy Elliott, and ASAP Rocky.

The Kid Laroi — “What Just Happened”

Laroi’s anticipated debut album is coming next month and he continued to hype it up with his latest single, “What Just Happened.” Uproxx’s Alex Gonzalez notes of where Laroi’s at on the song, “He is distraught after an argument with his girlfriend, which took place while he had been drinking, and addresses his shortcomings over a pop-rock-inspired track.”

Mxmtoon — “The Idea Of You (Revisited)”

Mxmtoon is giving herself a second chance on Plum Blossom (Revisited), which features new takes on the songs that helped make Mxmtoon famous. The latest taste of the project is “The Idea Of You (Revisited),” which adds some dimension to the ukulele-led original via a new arrangement with additional instrumentation.

Baby Tate — “Lollipop”

Tate is really trying something different on her new project, Baby Tate Presents – Sexploration: The Musical. As the title suggests, the EP is a narrative-driven project and the visuals are a big part of that, like the “Lollipop” video that depicts a lesbian romance.

Kid Cudi — “Ill What I Bleed”

It’s a bit too early to have a full idea of what the music landscape is going to look like in 2024, but we know Kid Cudi is going to be a part of it, as he’s set to drop Insano next year. In the meantime, last week, he shared “Ill What I Bleed,” a patient, brooding, and psychedelic number.

The Gaslight Anthem — “Spider Bites”

The Gaslight Anthem just released History Books, their first album in nine years and their first since coming back from hiatus. In a 2022 interview with Uproxx, the band’s Brian Fallon explained about ending the band’s hiatus, “During quarantine, I had gotten so bored. You go back to all your biographies and rock ‘n’ roll documentaries you’ve already seen 50 times, and the one thing that I kept thinking to myself is, ‘Man, I really like bands.’ It really is one in a million that you get to do something like this. So, not being able to do anything and having time to think maybe is what allowed it to happen.”

Majid Jordan — “Violet”

OVO favorites Majid Jordan have a new album — their fourth, dubbed Good People — coming in a matter of days. They previewed the project last week with “Violet,” a gorgeous number that builds a smooth and warm vibe for upwards of 7 minutes.

Green Day — “The American Dream Is Killing Me”

After all these years, Gren Day are still chugging along: They just announced a new album, Saviors, for 2024, and while they’d be forgiven for having lost a step at this point in their tenure, they sure don’t sound like they have on lead single “The American Dream Is Killing Me.”

Kevin Abstract — “Running Out”

Brockhampton is no more, but Kevin Abstract is still doing his own thing. He’s got a solo album, Blanket, set for November, and last week, he shared “Running Out,” which lines up with his recent declaration that the new album is inspired by artists like Sunny Day Real Estate, Nirvana, and Modest Mouse.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

The tributes continue to roll in for Matthew Perry, the Friends star who died this weekend at 54 years old.

Gwyneth Paltrow fondly recalled the “magical summer” before their breakout roles. “I met Matthew Perry in 1993 at the Williamstown Theater Festival in Massachusetts. We were both there for most of the summer doing plays. He was so funny and so sweet and so much fun to be with. We drove out to swim in creeks, had beers in the local college bar, kissed in a field of long grass. It was a magical summer,” she wrote. Paltrow added, “We stayed friends for a while until we drifted apart, but I was always happy to see him when I did.”

Friends creators David Crane and Martha Kauffman called Perry a “brilliant talent. It’s a cliche to say that an actor makes a role their own, but in Matthew’s case, there are no truer words. From the day we first heard him embody the role of Chandler Bing, there was no one else for us.”

Max, the streaming home of Friends, also added a tribute card to Perry at the start of each season of the beloved sitcom. It reads, “In memory of Matthew Perry 1969-2023.”

Flavor Flav is a rap legend thanks to his work in Public Enemy. He’s also a reality TV icon thanks to his multiple shows, including Flavor Of Love. One thing Flav isn’t necessarily known for is his singing abilities, but he put them center stage this weekend to sing the National Anthem at a Milwaukee Bucks game yesterday (October 29).

The NBA team shared a video of the performance on X (formerly Twitter) and it has proven popular, racking up 3.8 million views in the 13 hours since it was uploaded. Not long after he left the court, Flav seemingly anticipated some negative feedback coming his way, as he tweeted, “The anthem was a long time bucket list item,,, that was fun! I can’t live my life worried about what people might say about me. I won’t let that stop me from trying new things and doing things I wanna do. Some people might not like that. But a sure failure is if you stop trying.”

Feedback was mixed: Some took exception to Flav’s vocal performance, while others were happy to see him putting his heart into the performance. One user called on fellow Public Enemy member Chuck D, tweeting, “I bet @MrChuckD is laughing his ass off.” Chuck responded, “Well I’ll put it to you this way .. Flav moved his opinion with The Obamas and VP Harris. I think a bit different on it. My father was a hardcore US Marine. When he passed in 2016 they came out played taps & folded the flag. The context must always be presented upon the action you see. I wrote each of MY songs with deep detailed meaning so you cannot listen to PE with a cavalier EAR and mindset.”

Chuck also recently posted about how Flav has been doing lately, writing, “Some social talk out there on @FlavorFlav about his management. Truth is They cleaned his life up. These past 5 years Period. If thats what it takes to get him away from the bulsht elements so be it. Bulsht street sht that has us RIP at stupid funerals for 50 and unders many times a year now. I don’t GAF if he moves In Taylor Swifts house.. HES 64 many are crumbling younger. He is doing well and best I’ve ever seen him.”

The sad celebrity news of this past weekend was the death of Matthew Perry, the actor best known as one of the stars of Friends. His role as Chandler Bing in the ’90s sitcom helped define pop culture for that decade, so plenty of tributes poured out in honor of the late actor, who was 54 years old. Among them was one from Charlie Puth, who delivered a cover of the classic Friends theme song, “I’ll Be There For You” by The Rembrandts.

Puth performed at Melbourne, Australia’s Margaret Court Arena yesterday (October 29), and he played the song on piano, mostly letting the audience do the singing (and the hand claps, too) in a nice communal moment of fun remembrance.

In an interview with The Guardian earlier this year, The Rembrandts’ Danny Wilde spoke about his complicated relationship with the song, saying, “Once people realized it was us, it killed our cool vibe. We went from doing cool clubs to matinee shows where parents would bring their kids. The song became an albatross ’round our necks and broke up the band for a few years. […] Every time it gets played, there’s a little ‘ker-ching!.’ It’s only a nickel or whatever, but they add up. It put my kids through college and got me a beautiful home. I’m not rich but I’m comfortable. We were snobby about it early on and it messed with our heads. But what a gift it’s been. I might be living on the streets if it wasn’t for that song.”

Check out Puth’s performance above.

Charlie Puth is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.