The best new hip-hop this week includes albums, videos, and songs from City Girls, Gucci Mane, Rexx Life Raj, and more.
A busy, buzzy week in hip-hop kicked off with Mr. October’s Very Own himself, Drake, sharing the spotlight with his six-year-old son Adonis, who shows some proclivity for the family business in his own “My Man” freestyle:
Danny Brown announced the impending release of his album Quaranta with the tongue-in-cheek video for “Tantor”:
Lil Wayne and 2 Chainz finally dropped the first video from their long-awaited second collaborative album, Welcome 2 Collegrove, officially kicking off its rollout with “Presha“:
And Nicki Minaj made sure her name would always be associated with Drake’s new album after being left off For All The Dogs with “For All The Barbz“:
Here is the best of hip-hop this week ending October 20, 2023.
City Girls — RAW
One of the most anticipated releases of the week arrived with less fanfare than you’d have thought for a group whose last album dropped three years ago. City Girls fans have been clamoring for a reunion ever since, and though it’s still early days, from a cursory spin of Real Ass Whores (their words, not mine!), they still got it. A lot’s changed in the world since City On Lock, but you can never have too many bad bitch anthems.
G Perico — LA Summers 3
G Perico is on one. He’s been recording and releasing new music at a breakneck pace, with LA Summers constituting his third full-length mixtape/album of the year. You’d think a guy would hit cruise control at some point, but he still sounds like every boastful bar matters more than the one before it.
Gucci Mane — Breath Of Fresh Air
Until recently, Gucci Mane never really took a break from dropping new albums, oftentimes releasing up to three new projects in a single calendar year. And while his 2022 was far from idle, producing three 1017 compilations, his artists did most of the heavy lifting on those, allowing him to return after almost two years refreshed and ready. Guwop takes a couple of steps outside his comfort zone on the double release and while not all of it works, “There I Go” with J. Cole genuinely shines.
Meechy Darko — Doses
I’ll admit it; this one came out of nowhere for me. It was hardly on my radar at all, but I will always gratefully accept more eerie, psychedelics-laced solo material from the gravel-voiced Flatbush Zombie. The content is very much in the same druggy vein as much of the group’s output, but this time, the beats are moodier, murkier, and more muted, allowing Meechy’s midnight musings to take center stage. I’m pretty sure there’s an Alice Deejay sample in there somewhere but it’s almost unrecognizable through a layer of distortion that turns into something half maudlin, half spine-tingling.
Rexx Life Raj — California Poppy 3
The Bay Area proselytizer returns with more low-key motivational vibes after spending much of his last album mourning his mom. Raj sounds happier, the production is more upbeat, but the messaging remains as positive and inspirational as ever. Here, he recruits rising stars LaRussell and Thuy on two of the more emotionally resonant tracks, while teaming up with the recently traded Dame D.O.L.L.A. for some NorCal chest beating.
Jay Rock — “Blowfly” Feat. Ab-Soul
My favorite member of Black Hippy continues the rollout of his first album since 2018’s Redemption with “Blowfly,” an aggressively nostalgic single that sees Rock recounting his experiences on the rough streets of Watts, from wars with enemies to peaceful times with paramours.
Lady London — “Do Something” Feat. Jeremih
You know, it’s nice that Hitmaka went ahead and found himself a lyrical queen to work with after his poorly worded entreaty last year. Lady London certainly gets an upbeat radio bid out of it, which can only help the rollout for her recently announced debut album, Signs Of Universal Love.
Nemzzz — “Money And Vibes”
A rising rapper from Gorton, Manchester, I fully expect Nemzzz to be one of those names we hear as soon as the subject of UK rap is brought up, in the same vein as Dave, J Hus, or Stormzy. His versatile style runs the gamut from grime to afrobeats; “Money And Vibes” finds a smooth middle ground, and wouldn’t have been out of place on any of Drake’s last few albums. Don’t be surprised if the 17-year-old Briton gets that co-sign soon, as well.
Rick Ross & Meek Mill — “Lyrical Eazy”
After locking in a release date on their upcoming joint album Too Good To Be True, the MMG stalwarts shared their latest video promoting the project. “Lyrical Eazy” samples Stanley Clarke’s “Got To Find My Own Place” — the same song sampled by Jay-Z for “Lyrical Exercise,” hence the title.
Wale — “Max Julien”
Interestingly, Wale, who also ran with Ross and Meek for some time but appears to have distanced himself from them in the years since, times the release of his own return with theirs — albeit on a new label, Def Jam. “Max Julien” is named after the actor best known for portraying Goldie in the Blaxploitation classic The Mack, and Wale certainly seems to be feeling like a mack over the mellow, soulful track, referencing some of Goldie’s most iconic lines in the process. Stick yourself.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.