Hip-hop is moving as fast as ever. Luckily, we’re doing the work to compile the best singles of the past week and highlight them in one space for you. This week was bookended by two groupings of songs: an EP from Dram, and another veritable EP from Chance The Rapper — who gave his fans a pleasant consolation Wednesday night after previously hinting at an album drop. Along with the two projects are some loosies from various acts and two more offerings from the Quality Control camp.
Chance The Rapper, 4 Songs
[protected-iframe id=”9620d6ded072702e175742598ac298b5-60970621-76566046″ info=”https://embed.music.apple.com/us/playlist/chance-the-rapper-essentials/pl.9673d9af0069407aa7b03e81f4d089b8″ width=”660″ height=”450″ frameborder=”0″]
Chance The Rapper is back with some new music. He released four tracks on Wednesday night: “65th & Ingleside,” “Wala Cam,” “Workout,” and “I Might Need Security.” Though their artwork holds similar visual influence, they don’t appear to be the album he told The Chicago Tribune about. That means even after these four tracks, there’s still more to come. Chance sounded as vibrant as ever throughout the four tracks, specifically on the pissed off “I Might Need Security,” where he takes Rahm Emanuel to task and announces his acquisition of the Chicagoist media outlet. Hopefully, things run as smoothly and unimpeded at Chicagoist as his music does.
Dram, That’s A Girl’s Name EP
[protected-iframe id=”0e6d038f90838182e280994e42fa0430-60970621-76566046″ info=”https://open.spotify.com/embed?uri=spotify:album:2dd5MAJfJIiH9Oi1OCcufF” width=”650″ height=”380″ frameborder=”0″]
Dram fed his long-thirsty fans a three-song EP on Wednesday. The That’s A Girl’s Name EP is a cheeky nod to his real first name: Shelley. No matter what you think of his name, he worked hard on the EP to leave only one impression of his music: amazing. It’s fitting that the title is derived from his name, as the three tracks are equally representative of who he is as an equal part jazzy, soulful, and funky showcase. Produced and co-written by Josh Abraham and Oligee, the project is his first offering since last November.
Migos Feat. Future, Young Thug & Hoodrich Pablo Juan, “Drip (Remix)”
Since Cardi B’s “Drip” track first released, it’s been used for a range of remixes and freestyles. QC finally released the official remix of the track, featuring everyone — but no Cardi, who was the credited artist for the song’s original release. It appears “Drip,” like the Carters’ “Apeshit,” was originally a Migos record, so the crew took liberties to do what they wanted on this flashy, star-studded megamix.
Tyler, The Creator, “Bronco”
Tyler isn’t playing about that freestyle king title. He decided to drop some bars over Lil Baby and Drake’s “Yes Indeed,” compelling his fanbase to say the same thing while listening to the short-but-potent verse. It’s also worth noting that “Bronco’s” artwork resembles a real-life manifestation of Chance The Rapper’s recent offerings. Great minds think alike, from encapsulating stage names to artwork.
Brockhampton, “1998 Truman”
It’s a secret to few that Brockhampton is short one member, but that doesn’t mean they can’t still deliver fire. Group member Kevin Abstract promised music all summer, and he’s true to his word with “1998 Truman,” their second track within the past several weeks. The group augmented the song with a spirited video that shows them each ripping apart the track that sounds like a lo-fi, rap nerd-centric channeling of classic Three Six Mafia loops, such as “Who Run It.”
Lil Baby ft. Offset, “Coupe”
The QC compadres Lil Baby and Offset are back with their latest offering, celebrating the trappings of success on “Coupe.” The track is a low-frills ode to balling, complete with a catchy hook and triplet verses ripe to be recited. “Coupe” is another offering in a strong year for Lil Baby that’s seen him rise from another name in the trap pack — who admitted he didn’t take rap serious — into one of Atlanta’s next hopes.
