There were relatively few major releases on this short week, as a holiday right in the middle of it — and Drake’s massively consumed Scorpion — made it an impractical time to release anything. That said, there were a few non-4th related fireworks: Future’s Beast Mode 2, an EP from Meek Mill, a star-studded remix to Ella Mai’s “Boo’d Up,” and other tracks from hip-hop young guns.
Future, Beast Mode 2
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It’s Future season once again. The ATLien shook up the internet last night with a surprise release of . The nine track followup to 2015’s Beast Mode shows Future fully in his zone, melodically rhyming over a range of mysterious production. With just one feature (Young Scooter on the dire “Doh Doh”), Future shows off the breadth of his gifts and gives those set to attend his tour with Nicki Minaj some new songs to learn.
Meek Mill, Legends Of The Summer EP
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The people have been dying for new Meek Mill music since he’s been home, but he’s been handling his business as an advocate for criminal justice reform — and a defendant in a case that seemingly everyone but one person thinks should be resolved. That said, he still had time to give his fans a little taste of what he’s been working on, dropping the banger-laden Legends Of The Summer EP. Meek is exactly what the title of the project presents, based on energetic songs like “Millidelphia” and “1AM” featuring PNB Rock. He also capped off the project with “Stay Woke,” a poignant collaboration with Miguel that made the list last week.
Lil Yachty, Cardi B and Offset, “Who Want The Smoke”
In May, Yachty gave his fans a preview of this song which featured Blocboi JB. The Memphis rapper didn’t make it to the official release, but Yachty instead got up with Cardi B and Offset — one of hip-hop’s power couples and his Quality Control comrades. All three artists show up to play, but Cardi B may have stolen the show with ominous shots at somebody with lines like, “these b-tches is 0-3 / And they in a lower league all in my ovaries.”
Ella Mai Feat. Quavo And Nicki Minaj, “Boo’d Up Remix”
Ella Mai is making a big push for song of the summer with “Boo’d Up,” a sunny ode to summer flings that took an entire year to catch fire. The song is rising up the Billboard charts, which naturally meant a remix was imminent. The London-based singer got both Quavo and Nicki Minaj to jump on the track. The two channeled the romantic vibe of their previous “She For Keeps” collaboration, though the mixed social media reaction to this remix may reflect that most people will stick with the solo version of “Boo’d Up.”
Lil Pump, “Drug Addicts”
Lil Pump said he was letting Xanax go for 2018, but he didn’t say anything about other drugs. Hence “Drug Addicts,” a churning ode to the highs of his choice. Pump got up with a gaunt Charlie Sheen for the video, who serves as an ominous accouterment to Pump’s enthusiastic rhymes about drug consumption, complete with lines like, “Told my pastor I don’t do confessions / ‘Cause I pop a lot of Molly for my breakfast.”
Blocboi JB, “Woah”
Blocboi may not have made it onto the final version of “Who Want The Smoke,” but he’s still giving smoke out on his own with bangers like “Woah,” his latest track. Blocboi, who released his SIMI album earlier this year, uses booming 808s as his canvas to drop free-associative rhymes about being the man and one-ups Lil Pump by rhyming that his morning routine consists of “[loading] the Glock while I’m eatin’ my cereal.” Woah.
NBA YoungBoy, “Run It Up”
NBA YoungBoy is known for controversy, but he’s also winning fans with rugged-yet-melodic bangers that harken to an intriguing fusion of fellow Baton Rouge native Lil Boosie and Young Thug, who happens to be one of YoungBoy’s musical idols. Those gifts are evident on “Run It Up,” a song from the “Reload” of his Until Death Call My Name project. The song’s mission statement can be defined by his emphatic longing for “hundred bands, I’ma look like a Beatle.”
