November may have seemed like a quiet month in rap, as major stars like Drake, J. Cole (surprise!), Childish Gambino, Gucci Mane and more geared up for big December releases. But the grind doesn’t stop, so plenty of MCs were busy churning out solid material for the holiday season before the typical January lull as everybody gets their bearings on the new year. November featured releases from both legends, and young upstarts looking to get some headway in an always crowded field of rappers vying for attention from the fans of the attention deficit era.
So, without further ado, here are the 20 best rap songs to surface in November.
Wale — “Pull Up Hop Out (Freestyle)”
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Speaking of Attention Deficit, Wale can be a grating online personality, but when he raps, his talent is undeniable, despite whatever you may hear in the Twitter echo chamber. So when he decided to hop on fellow DC representative WillThaRapper’s “Pull Up Hop Out,” it was a worthy addition to an already scorching track.
Boosie Badazz — “No Drake On” Feat. Lil Scrappy
Boosie and Lil Scrappy team up to emphatically let the ladies know they’re not playing no Drake and the results are magical.
YG — “Ima Thug Pt. 2”
Much like Boogie last month, YG’s entire Red Friday EP could and probably should be here. But for the sake of space and diversity let’s roll with the ignorant banger “Ima Thug Pt. 2.” Plus…
YG — “I Be On” (Feat. 21 Savage)
Worth the price of admission for 21 Savage’s Next Friday reference alone.
Future And Gucci Mane — “RR Trucks”
Gucci Mane had a busy month, first teaming with Future for a quick EP full of salacious, Atlanta trap music.
Lil Uzi Vert and Gucci Mane — “Today”
Then Gucci got with Lil Uzi Vert, for a unique blend of Guwop’s dope boi tales with Uzi’s energetic, high sprung act.
A Tribe Called Quest — “Solid Wall Of Sound” (Feat. Busta Rhymes)
A Tribe Called Quest made their grand return and it did not disappoint.
A Tribe Called Quest — “Conrad Tokyo” (Feat. Kendrick Lamar)
And they flexed their timeless ability by fitting in perfectly with legends of the new school like Kendrick Lamar.
E-40 — “Straight To The Point” (Feat. G-Eazy and Ezale)
For E-40’s latest gigantic double album he takes it back to the heyday of hyphy with the most dynamic, exciting and truly organically grown Bay Area upstart headed to stardom. No, not G-Eazy, but Oakland’s rambunctious and energetic Ezale.
Run The Jewels — “2100” (Feat. BOOTS)
More heat from Mike and El as they continue their march towards RTJ3.
Nav — “Nothing On Me”
Toronto’s Nav has been bubbling in the city’s underground scene for some time now, but truly began buzzing when he providedTravi$ Scott’s Birds In The Trap Sing McKnight with it’s best song. Now, he’s back on the solo tip, showing that he doesn’t need a big name cosign or feature to create more dope, atmospheric Toronto music. He can do that all by his lonesome.
Post Malone — “Congratulations” (Feat. Quavo)
While some may write Post off as an industry plant, he’s quietly crafty what sounds like one of the better albums of the year. On this track off his forthcoming album Stoney, set to drop December 9th, he leans on Quavo for another of his scene stealing feature verses. Still, even with all of that overbearing star power, Post provides the melodies that truly make “Congratulations” an infectious banger.
Mozzy And Trae Tha Truth — “Errbody On Go” (Feat. June Onna Beat)
Sacramento’s Mozzy may be the industry’s foremost street rapper. His graphic and gritty tales of street life have made him one of the hottest free agents in the game, but instead of hopping on the first, big label check sent his way he’s chosen to continue to forge his own path in the underground and independent scene. His latest move is teaming up with fellow underground king Trae Tha Truth for a new album Tapped In, set to release December 16th. For the latest single from the video Mozzy and Trae get a hook from Mozzy’s go to producer June Onna Beat, and the duo rips through his production to return the favor.
Quavo — “Shine”
https://soundcloud.com/user-591366827/shinefreestyle
Quavo’s solo turn seems to finally be underway, as he hops on a bouncy Spiffy production and floats on his latest solo track “Shine.”
G Herbo — “Tired” (Feat. Lil Bibby)
G Herbo and Lil Bibby reunite and prove they still got the magic they flexed a few years ago when they both set the Chicago scene ablaze with this cut from Herb’s Strictly For My Fans mixtape.
Lil Durk — “Rich Forever” (Feat. YFN Lucci)
Herbo wasn’t the only Chicago rapper making waves in November. Lil Durk employed Atlanta’s buzzing YFN Lucci for this sing-rap collab from Durk’s latest mixtape They Forgot.
Future — “Ain’t Trying”
When it was revealed that DJ Esco would be hosting OVO Sound Radio on Beats 1 radio, you just knew he’d be dropping some exclusive Future music. Sure enough, Esco did not disappoint, coming through with “Ain’t Trying” for our listening pleasure.
Childish Gambino — “Redbone”
Gambino’s psychedelic trip in a time machine to 1970s era Funk probably doesn’t qualify as rap. But seeing as he’s a “rapper” we’re going to cheat here to make sure November’s best song is represented.
Rick Ross — “Buy Back The Block” (Feat. 2 Chainz and Gucci Mane)
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It’s practically cheating to get a guest verse from 2 Chainz, but adding a clearly motivated-by-the-competition Gucci Mane to the fold isn’t even fair. “Buy Back The Block” may be Rick Ross’ track, and sure he was serviceable, but the two Atlanta legends came through and crushed the buildings to claim this downright menacing track as their own.
Freddie Gibbs — “All Day”
Freddie Gibbs has been understandably quiet since he was exonerated for sexual assault charges in Hungary and made his way back to the States. But it was only a matter of time before he got back to work and “All Day” proves that Gangsta Gibbs hasn’t lost a step or let the legal troubles knock him off his spot as one of the best and most consistent MCs in the game.
