From 126-song mixtapes (taking a look at you, French Montana) to the media blitz of Tyler Perry’s Mea Culpa starring Kelly Rowland and Trevante Rhodes, the previous week has been a characterstically busy one for the worlds of hip-hop and R&B. With awards season firmly within the rearview mirror and the Tremendous Bowl over and executed with, we’re in a interval of relative calm earlier than competition season kicks off in earnest.
Till then, we’ve spent the final week fawning over Tyler, the Creator‘s campy new assortment for Louis Vuitton, the place Pharrell Williams presently serves as males’s artistic director. Talking of the legendary artist-producer, Williams has additionally been teasing a forthcoming new collabortion with Miley Cyrus, who he beforehand joined forces with on 2013’s Bangerz and 2014’s G I R L.
In fact, we are able to’t neglect about Jeezy‘s clean Tiny Desk efficiency, which noticed the veteran flipping his entice anthems into soulful, stripped-back preparations. And the information cycle hasn’t been totally constructive, with Drake taking to his Instagram story early this morning (Feb. 26) to publish what seems to be a name for the discharge of Tory Lanez — who was sentenced to 10 years for capturing Megan Thee Stallion within the foot (Aug. 8, 2023) — from jail.
With Contemporary Picks, Billboard goals to focus on among the finest and most attention-grabbing new sounds throughout R&B and hip-hop — from Usher‘s susceptible new Coming House monitor to Rhyan Dougas’ contemplative ode to the cyclical nature of romance. You should definitely take a look at this week’s Contemporary Picks in our Spotify playlist under.
Freshest Discover: Marlon Craft & Technique Man, “Muggsy Bogues”
At any time when Technique Man will get on a monitor, it’s going to be an occasion. On “Muggsy Bogues,” named after the shortest NBA participant in historical past, Meth and unbiased New York rapper Marlon Craft spar over a darkish, gritty beat crafted by Arbus and Moo Latte. “I pulled up within the Muggsy Bogues with the pennies/ ‘Trigger I’m quick on time, so don’t be quick on a penny/ In our New York, they’d envy the flavour/ Now it’s a bunch of white ladies callin’ delis bodegas,” Craft opens his verse. There’s quite a bit about this monitor — from the chugging drums to the emphasis on dense, nearly understated wordplay from each rappers — that’s unmistakably New York. It’s regional in a means that beckons to prime of East Coast rap whereas nonetheless feeling recent sufficient to safe a spot alongside modern iteration’s of the town’s basic sound.
Usher, “Bare”
A lot of Usher’s musical and creative persona is based on his multilayered relationship with intercourse that when he flips that complete idea on a track as disarming as “Bare,” it’s a very beautiful second. “Once we strip down, can’t run from actual fact/ Once we strip down, we gotta face it/ Till I get it proper, I’m not gon’ lie/ I’ma want me and also you tonight to be bare,” he croons over a lush mixture of wailing electrical guitar, regular percussion and sultry bass licks. Right here, Usher — the person behind such bed room classics as “Bedtime,” “Hey Daddy” and “Buying and selling Locations” — tempers the “sex-a-holic” label with an exploration of his youth, a time the place he would attempt to discover his “manhood inside a lady’s physique.” It’s heady stuff, positive, nevertheless it’s additionally simply one of the best track on the brand new expanded version of Coming House.
SiR & Isaiah Rashad, “Karma”
Only a few weeks after unleashing “No Evil,” SiR has recruited TDE labelmate Isaiah Rashad for “Karma,” a continuation of his emphasis on self-reflection as he ramps up the marketing campaign for his forthcoming fourth studio album, Heavy, due out Mar. 22. “Ooh, I have to cease treating hoes like I would like ’em/ I’m too busy making guarantees once I can’t preserve ’em/ It’s time I gradual this ‘Llac all the way down to a hunnid/ I preserve making the identical errors once I must be studying from it,” he croons over atmospheric piano and skittering kick drums. Moreover, Rashad delivers a powerful verse that properly enhances SiR’s lyrical allusions to a Biblical tackle karma.
Ray Vaughn feat. Pusha T, “Issues”
It could solely be February, however TDE is on a mission to personal 2024. With their second of three entries on this week’s column, Ray Vaughn hyperlinks up with Pusha T for the sparse “Issues.” Over a synth-inflected, considerably mournful beat crafted by Rayo & WizzleGotBeats, the rappers play their respective roles of rookie and elder statesman. Ray Vaughn spends his verse firing off heated photographs to those that deride him as a “backpack rapper” (“Let ’em label me a backpack rapper turned to a college shooter/ All they high 5 get hit, except they cool tutors”), whereas Pusha exudes a complementary cool that underscores his phrases of recommendation for longevity within the rap recreation. “Pay attention, Ray Vaughn, be away from your friends/ ‘Trigger in a pair years it’d be musical chairs/ We executed seen n—as panic and present us they tears/ Reminiscin’ over hits however the cash ain’t there,” he spits.
SZA, “Saturn”
After debuting this monitor throughout the 2024 Grammys, SZA has lastly uploaded “Saturn” to digital streaming platforms. An instantaneous fan favortie, “Saturn” — co-written by SZA, Carter Lang, Rob Bisel, Solomonophonic and Monsune — finds the four-time Grammy winner musing over the probabilities of beginning life anew on Saturn, after being confronted with little however devastation on Earth. “Caught on this paradigm/ Don’t consider in paradise/ This should be what Hell is like/ There’s acquired to be extra, acquired to be extra,” she croons over a characteristically ethereal beat bridging R&B, pop and different.
Hunxho & Summer season Walker, “Your Buddies”
Atlanta rapper Hunxho is preparing for what may very well be a serious breakout 12 months, and this new Summer season Walker-blessed model of “Your Buddies” is certain to maintain up his momentum. “Your Buddies” was arguably the most important hit from Hunxho’s For Her album, and this new remix with fellow ATL native Summer season Walker provides a lady’s perspective to its exploration of the thorny dynamics that emerge when friendships bleed into romance and vice versa. “Y’all n—as no higher, no cheese, no cheddar/ Be involved what your homies tellin’ me, I deserve higher/ Be involved along with your homies blowin’ me, writin’ love letters,” she warns Hunxho over Avedon & Diego Ave’s moody entice beat.
Rhyan Douglas, “Spin the Block”
The phrase “spin the block” has been run into the bottom in recent times, so it takes a particular artist — like one Rhyan Douglas — to drag one thing recent and actual out of that trio of phrases. A love track with two ft positioned firmly within the technology-steeped romance waters of the 2020s, Brampton native Rhyan Douglas croons concerning the wealth of alternatives that might come up ought to he chunk the bullet and spin the block on a former lover. “However you spin the block/ If all I did was repair up, I’m tryin’ onerous/ I’m tryin’ not to surrender on you/ Forgot we crossed our traces,” he coos over dry acoustic guitars that recall one of the best of Daniel Caesar’s stripped-down moments.
