The Best New Rap Music To Have On Your Radar

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This past week was Wayne week after the legend’s resurgence on Carter V — but there were other strong music drops. Anderson .Paak is set to release Oxnard soon and revealed his own Kendrick Lamar collaboration to stoke the anticipation to an even higher pitch. Not to be left out of the star-studded proceedings, Drake jumped on a track with Atlanta upstarts Lil Baby and Gunna from their Drip Harder album. Elsewhere, hip-hop veterans Masta Ace and Marco Polo gave us a Kings County love poem to prep up their upcoming A Breukelen Story project while Boogie decided to pay homage to a fallen star in Lil Peep on his “Fade” freestyle.

Anderson Paak Feat. Kendrick Lamar, “Tints”

Anderson .Paak and Kendrick Lamar are two of the most talented musicians in just about the entirety of California — so when they link up, expect magic. That’s just what we got on the lush, funky “Tints.” The project sounds like a marvelous ride down a sunny SoCal highway, as Paak and Kendrick take turns on the lavish instrumental begging for a little privacy in their automobiles. Nevermind just paparazzi or fans, Kendrick drops a hilarious warning for cops who may want to pull him over for dark tints: “you pull me over you might see one of your b*tches.”

Lil Wayne, “Uproar”

In a previous article, I noted that New Orleans native Lil Wayne just may be the king of the mixtape freestyle game that originated in New York. That’s why it’s fitting for him to harken to that era on “Uproar,” a track that breathes new life into G-Dep and Diddy’s “Special Delivery.” Wayne delivers some dope bars on the classic loop, as Swizz Beats amps him along. The song is one of the most beloved from Carter V and even inspired an #Uproar challenge that Wayne and his kids participated in.

Boogie, “Fade (Freestyle)”

Boogie is working. On track to release his Shady records debut this year, Boogie has kept his name out there with a slew of guest verses and freestyles such as “Fade.” The Compton rhymer vents on a wide range of topics on “Fade,” from staying loyal to your girl to shouting out the late Lil Peep and rhyming, “that depression shit is real, better check up on your peeps.” It looks like his head is in the right place, which will make for an impressive album.

Lil Pump, “Multi Millionaire“ Feat. Lil Uzi Vert

Fresh off his refreshing Saturday Night Live performance with Kanye West, Lil Pump is back with “Multi Millionaire,” a collaboration with Lil Uzi Vert where the two rhyme about running it up over a turbulent synth melody. Coming in at a terse two minutes, the track leaves a bit to be desired, but knowing how prolific both artists are there may be another collaboration sooner than later.

Lil Baby And Gunna, “Never Recover” Feat. Drake

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Lil Baby and Gunna are two Atlanta rookie of the year contenders — and they decided to team up on Drip Harder, the much-anticipated collection of trap bangers that they dropped last night. Both artists are in high demand and decided to flex their connects with a Drake feature. Aubrey dropped some slick bars over the gloomy, 808-dominated production, including lines like “you n*ggas fell off and you never recovered” that may or not be meant for a certain iconic Detroit rapper, a certain iconic Chicago rapper, or both.

Buddy, “Add It Up”

Buddy is still floating off the success of his Harlan & Alondra album, but the Compton rapper isn’t resting on his laurels. It’s taken him a lot to get to this point, and the versatile artist isn’t going to let his talent go to waste. Over an uptempo live composition, Buddy weaves a narrative of struggle, where the person is tired of the streets, doesn’t want to work his arduous 9 to 5, and ponders, “there must be a better way.” Bars, vocals, concepts, honesty, versatility, charisma, and ever-relatable storytelling like his latest track. “Add It Up,” and it’s why Buddy is winning.

J.I.D. “Working Out”

Following up where Earthgang left off, talented newcomer J.I.D. decided to debut a new track on COLORS. The Atlanta repper is prepping his Dicaprio 2 album — and also an appearance at a Halloween tribute show to the late Mac Miller. He showed why Mac was such a fan on “Working Out,” stretching his elastic flow out over shimmering piano play.

T.I., “The Amazing Mr. F*ckup” Feat. Victoria Monet

TI’s Dime Trap album is out, and one of the standout tracks of the Dave Chapelle-featuring album is “The Amazing Mr. F*ckup,” where he reflects on his misdeeds and how he’s grown from them. T.I. has been in his share of drama with his wife Tiny, and perhaps the jazzy track was his canvas to take stock of his mistakes and atone.

Lupe Fiasco, “Left To Right”

The whole rap world was charged up over Lil Wayne and Kendrick Lamar’s scandalous “Mona Lisa” collaboration — including Lupe. But Lupe being Lupe, in the zone after his well-regarded Drogas Wave album, he decided to “practice,” as he said on Twitter. “Left To Right’ isn’t about the Mona Lisa however, but a meticulously crafted thematic parallel to the Last Supper painting. With practice like that, no wonder his lyricism is on another level.

Masta Ace And Marco Polo, “Brooklyn”

Masta Ace and Canadian producer Marco Polo are linking up for what’s sure to be a jazzy, soulful album called A Breukelen Story. They dropped off their first taste of what to expect on “Brooklyn,” an ode to Masta Ace’s hometown and a mecca of hip-hop. Over reflective piano play and a head-snapping snare, Masta Ace shouted out Brooklyn legends and noted, “I’m just tryna honor this, place we call home.” After 30 years in the game he’s already done that and more.

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