GloRilla was undeniably one of the hottest breakthrough stars of the year in 2022. This is thanks to a couple of viral hits, including “F.N.F. (Let’s Go)” and “Tomorrow 2” with Cardi B.
These songs, along with her charisma and commanding presence on the mic, have helped to turn her into one of the most promising acts in the game.
GloRilla performs onstage during the BET Hip Hop Awards 2022 at The Cobb Theater on September 30, 2022 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Prince Williams/Filmmagic)
However, some business owners are calling out the Memphis native and members of her team for allegedly scamming their brands. A video report about the allegations is now on The Shade Room‘s Instagram account.
Specifically, the owner of a small hair and body care business, Kimberley Renfroe, says she paid $1,000 to a man claiming to be GloRilla’s manager. The payment was supposed to be for an endorsement deal in which the 23-year-old rapper would promote some of her business’ products. Once the man received the payment, he subsequently asked for more cash and then ultimately ghosted Renfroe.
A choreographer claims she had a similar experience. She says the Memphis native and her team are responsible for reaching out to her for a five-hour dance lesson for $1,500. Once the class allegedly happened, she says she never got her money.
However, the “Blessed” rapper claims that these are cases of scammers pretending to be members of her team.
“I was made aware that an individual has been impersonating members of my team and deceiving people for money as part of a scam. I’m looking into the issue, but I’d like to encourage all my fans and supporters to be very careful with how they communicate with online strangers. It’s important to do research and take the appropriate steps to prevent yourselves from being victimized by cybercriminals posing as celebrity teams,” she says in a statement to FOX13 Memphis.
Of course, this story arrives shortly after the Memphis native made headlines for seeking a personal assistant. She was offering $550 per week for the position.
In other news surrounding the 23-year-old, an old video of her recently began surfacing online. In the footage before the fame, she confesses her love for Chief Keef. A picture of the “Love Sosa” rapper appears in the background while the Memphis native lip-syncs to pre-recorded audio.
“This is your man? the audio asks. “Yeah,” she promptly pretends to reply. After the audio states to “look at the screen,” she does so with admiration and says, “That’s mine.”
GloRilla‘s meteoric rise didn’t come easy. Despite the seemingly overnight success with the release of “F.N.F” last summer, the Memphis rapper wasn’t always sure how things would pan out. Before her rap career, the hitmaker was a fast food worker. In an Instagram post on Tuesday, the “Blessed” rapper shared a heartfelt, inspirational message about her journey in the music industry and not giving up on her dreams.
“2022 was Everything,” she wrote in the caption. “God kept his hands on me.”
The rapper said that she “never imagined” she would go on to make a breakout hit, win a BET award, and earn a Grammy nomination for Best Rap Performance for “F.N.F.”
The CMG rhymer also had her debut performance at the 2022 American Music Awards alongside her “Tomorrow 2” collaborator Cardi B. GloRilla noted she is thankful for all her success and is excited to see what the new year brings.
” [In] the beginning of last year, I would’ve never imagined that I would be making a breakout hit, signing to CMG, winning a BET award, making billboard top 10, performing at the AMAs with Cardi, getting nominated for a Grammy & the list goes on,” she continued. “You had to be there to know what I was going thru & what I went thru & that’s why I’m always smiling because weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning & THAT’S WHY I LUV TOMORROWS. I can’t wait to [see] what 2023 brings. LET’S GOOO.”
Hip-Hop is mourning after news broke on New Year’s Day about the death of Gangsta Boo. Tributes have poured in across social media, including a new post from GloRilla, who shared messages she received from her fellow Memphis native.
“I normally don’t post screenshots but the fact that she reached out to me before anybody else had a clue who I was she always supported me & the girls way back before we blew up A REAL LEGEND there will never be another Gangsta Boo,” GloRilla wrote on Instagram.
In the messages, Gangsta Boo would encourage GloRilla, including praise for the young star’s AMA performance.
“Glo, u killed the AMA Mane,” Boo wrote. “Ur like legit great at what you for you to be so new, trust me. I know. Take hoes years to figure it out. Go off hoe! And yessss me and chat love you.”
Gangsta Boo, the Queen of Memphis and former Three 6 Mafia recording artist, died on Sunday afternoon (Jan. 1), according to DJ Paul, who broke the news to followers on Instagram.
Memphis According to Fox 13 News, Gangsta Boo, real name Lola Mitchell, was discovered dead in Memphis at 4 p.m. CST. At the time of publication, there is no official word on the cause of death.
On Saturday evening, Gangsta Boo was spotted on Instagram stories attending a New Year’s Eve party. Following the news of Boo’s death, artists around the country expressed their condolences on social media.
Gangsta Boo was the second female member of Three 6 Mafia, a legendary Memphis rap group that also included DJ Paul, Juicy J, and Crunchy Black. Boo, who joined the group at the age of 15, is well known for the Dirty South hits “Where Dem Dollas At” and “Yeah Hoe.” She left Three 6 Mafia in 2002 to pursue a solo career that many of today’s female hip-hop performers look up to.
GloRilla and Cardi B made a huge hit when they dropped “Tomorrow 2” earlier this year. But some fans felt that they couldn’t relate to a certain lyric from the Bronx-born rapper.
Recently posting online, Cardi B tried to defend her “fighting over d**k” line in a video clip.
“If a b***h go through your purse and she steal some of your money, you not gonna fight that b***h?” she asked. “Yeah, b***h. You gonna fight for your money, right? So if a n***a is providing for you, giving you money, paying your bills, doing all that sh*t, and a b***h go take him from you, you not gonna fight over that d**k? ‘Cause that’s your money.”
The mother of two also addressed the lyric in a tweet posted Thursday, writing, “Y’all talkin bout y’all won’t fight over d**k but y’all be fighting over celebs online all the time ….somebody lying.”
After going viral with her early 2022 hit “F.N.F. (Let’s Go),” GloRilla proved her staying power by teaming up with Cardi B for “Tomorrow 2.” Racking up views on YouTube along with streams and radio play, the hit went on to sell over one million units in the U.S. alone.
While some of hip-hop’s biggest names made big comebacks in 2022 – and many wound up on Uproxx’s Best Albums of 2022 list – there were a few notable names promising new albums that didn’t quite manage to put anything out before the new year, leaving us with a host of anticipated hip-hop albums for 2023.
After long hiatuses, TDE artists like Kendrick Lamar, Ab-Soul, and SZA all dropped their new albums this year, receiving a warm response from fans and critics alike (Kendrick is on our Best Albums list; Soul and SZA just missed the cutoff). Drake dropped two albums – one very dance oriented and one with 21 Savage – while Megan Thee Stallion addressed her rocky 2021 with a solid second effort.
However, there were a few A-listers whose names were not included in the rolls for the year-end roundups, including Cardi B, Nicki Minaj, and Travis Scott. While we’ll get into the various reasons for their absences below, it’s worth noting that the release schedule was already jam-packed, and having 2023 pretty much wide open can only help them lock down the time and attention their profiles deserve. There are a few rising stars on that list too, including Baby Keem, Doja Cat, and Saweetie. Here are the most anticipated hip-hop albums of 2023.
ASAP Rocky – Don’t Be Dumb
It’s been a minute since we last heard from ASAP Rocky with 2018’s Testing. Since then, he’s become a father, he’s been a hilarious meme, he’s expanding his acting credits, and he’s even starred in a video game. After dropping the new single “Sh*ttin Me” and teasing more Metro Boomin contributions, he finally announced that the album was done with just a few weeks left to go in the year. With a lot to talk about (cough, cough, Sweden) and what sounds like a lot more focused musical direction with Metro’s involvement, Don’t Be Dumb could very well return the Harlem rapper to the top of the charts and reveal new facets of his personality.
The most mysterious of the bunch, Keem’s the only one who hasn’t outright announced an album. That hasn’t stopped Keem fans from sniffing out any and every available clue that he could be working on one. And given his and cousin Kendrick’s tendency to surface suddenly and without warning, that could be all the reason to be on the lookout for a follow-up to The Melodic Bluesometime in the next 12 months.
Cardi B
Cardi was one of the artists that fans most looked forward to hearing from in 2022, but aside from some inflammatory singles, it wasn’t to be. She did give us “Hot Sh*t” with Kanye West and Lil Durk, which was well-received, but given Kanye’s issues and an inability to promote the song the way she wanted, Cardi moved on from the single fairly quickly. She had better luck with GloRilla’s “Tomorrow 2,” which offered an instant classic Cardi verse, but she later admitted that she’s been feeling a lot of anxiety and pressure from the potential reception of her long-awaited follow-up to Invasion Of Privacy. She did say she wants to get that album out in the new year, though.
Doechii
After an impressive breakout in 2022, TDE’s latest signee still remains a refreshing question mark for the new year. Her EP, She/Her/Black Bitch, showed some promising signs that she’s got a clear direction and isn’t afraid of taking creative risks. And the response to singles like “Persuasive” and “Crazy” indicates that fans may wind up being a bit more receptive to her left-field mashups of hip-hop and house than they were ten years ago when “212” was dominating playlists and sync licensing placements. If nothing else, she’s got the TDE machine on her side, which means that when she does drop, she’ll have the full support of her label, something not every artist gets to enjoy.
Doja Cat
im not doing a german rave culture album you guys i was pranking the outlet that interviewed me about it
After an absolutely explosive 2021 thanks to Planet Her and its seemingly endless string of fan-favorite hit records, anticipation was high for Doja to follow up her debut. Doja herself was more than happy to feed into that feeling from fans, teasing permutations of the project that included a 9th Wonder-produced rap LP, an R&B album, and even a euro-house edition. However, she was unable to do much recording after having throat surgery, which forced her to pull out of The Weeknd’s After Hours stadium tour and confined her to home for recovery. The content she did share – namely, a lot of selfies of her new bald look – has ironically generated even greater fervor for new music, since she’s clearly feeling newly freed and more creative than ever.
Rap’s undisputed rookie of the year exploded in popularity thanks to her summer smash “F.N.F. (Let’s Go),” but unlike plenty of other viral favorites, she was able to maintain her momentum with follow-ups like “Tomorrow 2” and the … Anyways, Life’s Great EP. Now, more than anything, fans want to see whether her natural charisma can carry a full-length project. She’s got more than enough viral moments over the past year to keep her name red-hot (and comfortingly uncontroversial) and with one of her hometown’s biggest stars giving his backing, it’ll be interesting to see where she ends up next.
Ice Spice
If GloRilla took the crown for the year’s biggest breakout, it’s only because Ice Spice didn’t manage to get her project out under the wire. Like Glo, she saw much of her impact come from the TikTok popularity of a single song: “Munch,” which launched seemingly a million memes and almost got the Cardi B treatment as well. It also drove attention to prior Ice Spice videos like “Name Of Love” and “No Clarity.” The resulting hunger for more of the Spice life led to a follow-up, “Bikini Bottom,” and the New York rapper being put on the fast track to stardom, with Rolling Loud appearances and homage tracks from other artists galore.
J. Cole – The Fall-Off
While Cole has seemingly returned to his self-imposed hibernation from the rap game following a few stints of professional basketball, I don’t think for a second he’s forgotten about his commitment to deliver the magnum opus promised a few years ago at the end of KOD. He’s even said The Off-Seasonwas more of a warm-up (if only he hadn’t already used that name) or practice session, sharpening his tools before attempting to sum up his incredible, decade-long career.
Nicki Minaj
Nicki Minaj maintained a chokehold on the hip-hop discourse this year by sheer force of will (and the efforts of her ever-dedicated fanbase), and with a few strategically-placed singles and guest appearances. In the first half of 2022, she joined forces with rising star Coi Leray on “Blick Blick” (seemingly an extension of her 2021 strategy of teaming up with Doja Cat and finally ending her self-imposed moratorium on collabs with up-and-coming female rappers). Then, she dropped “Super Freaky Girl,” harkening back to her “Anaconda” era to garner her first-ever solo No. 1. She even dropped a remix with a whole peck of rap girlies, extending her influence and driving curiosity to see what other new avenues remain to this venerated veteran.
As a track runner in high school, Saweetie probably knows all about having to recover from false starts. Although anticipation for the project may have waned after so many delays, it doesn’t look like Saweetie has given up on herself yet – and that’s the true test, in many ways. In any event, I’m sure there are still plenty of folks who want to hear just what exactly she has had in store after nearly three years of teases. If the new single “Icy Girl, Icy World” is any indication, she could be back on her Sample Saweetie kick, which could mean a return to prominence is just one starter pistol away.
Just about the only rapper whose album we know anything about this year is Travis Scott, who has been quietly biding his time in the wake of the Astroworld Festival disaster last summer. He actually began the rollout for Utopia during Coachella, putting up massive billboards on the way to and from Indio extolling the upcoming project. However, he kicked his promotional efforts into high gear more recently, joining Pharrell on “Down In Atlanta” and making multiple appearances on Metro Boomin’s Heroes & Villains album and SZA’s SOS. While he hasn’t overtly dropped anything from Utopia yet, it looks like he’s building himself back up and testing the waters to make sure it gets just as warm a reception as its predecessor.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
This past year proved to be fruitful for Memphis rapper GloRilla. Her songs like “F.N.F (Let’s Go)” and “Tomorrow 2,” with Cardi B, proved to be viral hits. But with a platform like the one she’s earned this year comes downsides to fame, including rumors.
“F.N.F.” became a quick favorite in the rap world, with her peers, Latto and JT of City Girls quickly hopping onto a remix of the track. Though, it was previously announced that Saweetie would remix the track, and her verse even leaked to the internet and received much play in the clubs.
Because of this switch, rumors began to circulate that GloRilla and Saweetie were beefing. In a recent interview with Complex, GloRilla revealed that those rumors couldn’t be further from the truth, nor is she invested in beef with anyone else.
“I ain’t know they was trying to make us beef,” Glo said. “We never thought that sh*t. We always, ‘What’s up, sis?’ I don’t know what the f*ck they talking about. In general, they do try to pit women against each other. They don’t do that to males. It be a lot of lying and sh*t. That’s why I learned to not give a f*ck about any of that sh*t.”
Saweetie and Cardi B are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Since Uproxx has already shared the Best Songs of 2022, for the Best Hip-Hop Songs of 2022 list, I once again teamed up with Yoh Phillips to see if we couldn’t excavate some gems from an absolutely stacked year of rap releases. While the glut of new songs meant that it’d be physically impossible for anyone to listen to literally everything – or even a fraction of it, really – what we landed on was more of a list of our favorite songs.
These are the ones we couldn’t stop running back, that we had a gut reaction to, that changed our worldviews at least a little bit. That’s what a great song does, after all. It becomes part of you, whether it’s a hook you can’t stop singing, a beat you hear in your head all day long, or just a line that made you think about things a different way. Here are the songs that made us do that, the Best Hip-Hop Songs of 2022.
Ab-Soul – “Do Better” Feat. Zacari
An emotional gut check of a song, “Do Better” hails from Ab-Soul’s upcoming album Herbert. In it, he details the past five years of his life, from getting lost in conspiracy theories to almost taking his own life. He vows to do as the title suggests, something we can all relate to and an example we all should follow. – Aaron Williams
BIA – “London” Feat. J. Cole
“Yummy!” Yeah, J. Cole is still hijacking people’s records right out from under them – something he did a few times this year. “London” constitutes the strongest example, though, with Jermaine flexing his best English accent (he’s no Top Boy), dropping Beatles references, and leaving fans with one of his most amusing verses ever. We don’t believe him about being nervous about the collaboration, though. – AW
Cordae – “C Carter”
Cordae really elevated on his sophomore album From a Bird’s Eye View, but this song was ultimately the standout. While “Chronicles” was the big hit, this song forms the emotional center of the album, recalling how big dreams, when pursued, can take you places you never imagined. Even if those dreams are as humble as copping a $30,000 mid-size sedan. – AW
Denzel Curry – “Walkin”
I tried to get clever with this one, but let’s face it: “Walkin” is probably going to be one of Denzel’s career bests when all is said and done. That beat worms its way into your head thanks to its loopy, soulful sample. But that’s just a delivery system for a motivational message that comes along at just the right time after the last couple of years. – AW
DJ Khaled – “God Did” Feat. Jay-Z, Lil Wayne & Rick Ross
Say what you want about DJ Khaled. I get it. I really do. But. Who else pulls this kind of performance out of Jay-Z? You know the ones. They keep Twitter buzzing for a full 24 hours. They inspire the sort of “away message quotes” that the best Drake songs have been doing for the past decade or so. They make you think. They make you reach for the rewind button. That was Khaled. Give the man a break. – AW
Drake – “Jimmy Cooks” Feat. 21 Savage
A resolve as foreshadowing: Aubrey’s inclusion of Savage at the end of his polarizing house exercise served as crowd-pleasing on the surface, but prevailed as another irresistible mark of unexpected chemistry. Drake thrives on juxtaposition, opting for cruise control on another exercise in Memphis homage; Playa Fly this time. Aubrey’s comfortable, almost unbothered. Once the beat switches and tension increases, Savage takes full command, his voice piercing as he lands every punchline body. You know it’s Tay Keith, even without the tag. It’s menacing, celebratory, and yet another Degrassi reference. His fellow Canadians Struck Back; somehow, The Boy struck again. – Yoh Phillips
Billy Woods’ use of “Zimbabwe!” as an adlib justifies inclusion alone. That said, this Alchemist-helmed joint crawls along as we watch three iron blades sharpen themselves and each other. The pianos glimmer onward as the vocal chops quickly kick the door back in, and not a single word’s wasted as Earl, Woods, and E L U C I D dance at their own paces, in sync with the mission. We’re in the kitchen, the club, the hellfire, the darkness. There are warnings to heed, decisions to fix, and we’re only in control of what we do with our days. – YP
Freddie Gibbs – “Grandma’s Stove”
The most vulnerable song on Freddie Gibbs’ most vulnerable album, “Grandma’s Stove” puts all of Fred’s formidable storytelling skills on display. It’s the kind of song that he’s always had the capacity to make but wisely withheld for his “official” debut album. It’s a testament to how patience, resilience, and a true survivor’s mentality can elevate rap’s most basic mechanics to high art status. – AW
Future – “Puffin On Zootiez”
For the past decade, Nayvadius Wilburn’s been operating at a three-hit minimum per album (his latest is I Never Liked You), and that only counts what gets picked as singles. You’ll find at least two more hits in the album cuts; this TM88/Nils/Too Dope joint hits like comfort food you’d find on Pluto. Instantly identifiable by sonics as plush as content, the track is underscored by the haunting allure carrying all of Future’s oeuvre. He’s tread this territory many times over, but he ceaselessly finds new angles; earworms, syncopation, playing with pitch, and non-sequiturs galore. From the opening bells, we’re transported to places we can never access, craving premium desires and excess. – YP
GloRilla – “Tomorrow 2” Feat. Cardi B
The Breakout-Hit-to-Superstar-Remix Pipeline found Big Glo, mid-ascension with added firepower via signing to CMG, merging lanes with a recently-reinvigorated Cardi B who was primed to continue her summertime momentum. Thanks to the glistening production chaos provided by Macaroni Toni, GloRilla’s original balance between grounded optimism and unflinching confidence grants Cardi permission to kick it into overdrive. Lavish living, public drama, and the price of fame be damned. Quotables and captions abound, making for one of this year’s most aggressively-sellable hit records. The ladies mirror one another in energy and ethos: the homegirls from your hood who came up but will forever run down. – YP
Hitkidd & GloRilla – “F.N.F. (Let’s Go)”
Mantra, manifestation, Memphis. Hitkidd conducted the sound of the city; it’s all in the drum, the snare, the bounce. And by summer’s end, GloRilla lived up to her name: a day-long adventure with an overnight turnaround became one of the most immediately-impactful breakout singles of recent memory. That reach is best measured in the response to this boisterous track at any function since spring — and check the parking lot, too. Her commanding allure combines with a relatability you simply can’t program. The voice cuts through, the quotables abound, and the hook? A centerpiece to galvanize fed-up folks worldwide, at the expense of whoever dares try the team. – YP
IDK – “Taco”
For my money, IDK and Kaytranada’s Simple is one of the most criminally overlooked and underrated projects of the year. Shame on all of you for missing out on some of the most innovative production (of which “Taco” is a prime example; “Dog Food” is another) and blunt-but-incisive lyrics hip-hop had to offer in 2022. Dance and hip-hop have always born a kinship but this is the height of that combination thus far. – AW
Ice Spice – “Munch (Feelin’ U)”
NY Drill by way of the Bronx, inverted by gentler textures and shipped directly to the zeitgeist. In under two minutes, Ice Spice finessed her hometown framework with a playfulness unseen, her overnight rise gracing the cultural lexicon with a new term for pass-around, down-bad dudes still chasing. RIOTUSA supercharges the drill standard with an ominous warmth, leaving room for Spice’s nimble quips. She indulges her whimsical instincts, radiating confidence to spin new gold from the familiar, and neither overstates nor overstays. And if the dive through her old tweets granted her more converts? Y’all know she’ll be here a while. – YP
JID – “Kody Blu 31”
When JID sings in the opening verse of “Kody Blu 31,” a standout from The Forever Story, he echoes Sunday school services and bible study sessions with vocals rarely found in such a craftsman of intricate rhyme schemes. It’s a humble hymn, soulful in sound, both melancholy and motivational with sincerity. Although recorded in dedication to a friend, “Kody Blu 31” feels like a universal mantra that will be meaningful for years to come. – YP
Guns, violence, and mayhem were all themes mostly untouched by Dreamville Records until JID came in with his shouting evil twin Kenny Mason for a caliber of crunk turnt to the max. Their tag team on Dreamville’s Gangsta Grillz mixtape standout “Stick” is a Rambo rampage. The high energy feels intended for mosh-pits in festival settings where you can unloose and be free to yell, without a worry, “Stick! Stick! Stick!” – YP
Latto – “It’s Givin’”
From game show taboo to crossover arc, Latto delivers a record that feels furious and luxurious. This one’s an outline for a boss, guidelines if you will for the streets, the bed, and the bank. Latto’s charisma reaches a fever pitch, trading her usual power-punch cadence for a chilled, easy demeanor that lends power and presence to the accent. Pooh Beatz, FNZ, and Jetsonmade scored a feeling that sounds gives Fashion Week, and cashing in chips, and cashing out and about (the overall vibe of 777). Latto rises to the glamor at her most irresistible; it’s impossible not to feel like one of them ones. – YP
Lil Durk – “AHHH HA”
Black bloodshed: the quickest way to sell a record. The trenches: a site of life, as celebrity ensues. What is Durk Banks to do with his brothers gone, as some in the world gloat? This record’s one of the best of its class for every right and wrong reason. It’s menacing, urgent, and driving as Durk drops a dispatch from the wake of war. He acknowledges his grief, briefly. He checks the scoreboard, addressing the opposition. He even speaks to the feds and the fans (one and the same?) who make a spectacle of his reckoning. Durk dances under the same conditions. – YP
Lil Yachty – “Poland”
Lil Yachty’s one for happy accidents and was long overdue for another undeniable smash. Intentional or not, a leak granted him both: an absurdist earworm, its namesake coinciding with a nation ensnared in ongoing European catastrophes. But the song’s about lean and love and came from a joke about a water bottle. F1LTHY provided the rage for Boat to approach the operatic with deadpan conviction, and the world instantly embraced a left turn artist’s sharpest left turn yet. It’s the most Yachty context ever, and if Poland truly wants him over there, I’d hesitate to accept said invitation at this time. – YP
Mavi – “Last Laugh”
Mavi’s Laughing So Hard, It Hurts is charismatic, poetic, and tender – all reasons to delve into the album as a whole – but there is a singular quality to “Last Laugh,” the closing track. With brisk and concise reflection, it retraces the Charlotte-born rapper’s steps through crisis and come-of-age in a series of autobiographical verses that end with the assertion, “This tape is my only taped confession.” Confessional writing, stripped of everything except the will to be true, is layered with a conviction to honor the bruises earned to make this music as honest as it could be. – YP
Megan Thee Stallion – “Plan B”
Meg got back in her freestyle bag with this ruthless repartee to the thousands of keyboard critics who spent the past two years poking her over the worst time of her life. While it was probably directed at one or two in particular, its dismissive messaging and incredulous tone can apply to any number of situations for just about anybody who has had to deal with pocket watchers, haters, and trolls. – AW
Nas – “Michael & Quincy”
Normally, it’d take a lot of gall to compare oneself to the late, great Michael Jackson – and even more to make the Michael/Quincy Jones comparison, since that combination yielded Thriller, one of the most successful albums of all time. And yet, you can’t help but wonder, after the Nas-Hit-Boy partnership produced four high-quality, career-reviving projects, if, at another time, we might have all agreed. – AW
Pusha T – “Just So You Remember”
Pusha T is a man who knows his role: to revel in wrongdoing and recount the remorse. Here and on his new album It’s Almost Dry, Push excels in reciting the vicious cycle on a technical and visual level, outlining the spoils of war, complete with the sharp corners and gunshots required to attain them. Grandiose yet subdued, the music rolls on like a soundtrack to a montage where our protagonist’s scarred but smiling after coming out on top. He cackles at the competition, he resents silly questions, and he flashes back to every vein in vain and raid gone awry. Still, King Push lives his own myths. – YP
Quavo & Takeoff – “Hotel Lobby”
Migos members Quavo and the late Takeoffdownsizing to duo Unc & Phew found the Norf Atlanta legends still in pursuit of highly contagious, rhythmically loose rap anthems for the young, rich, and handsome. “Hotel Lobby” delivers. Not quite a hit, but there is something so satisfying about hearing them excited and enthused, witty and assured, exuding never going to fail, never going to fall bravado. So lively, so sturdy, so simple, but it’s fun, magnetic music that ends too soon. – YP
Rexx Life Raj – “Sunset Over College Park”
When I finished Rexx Life Raj’s new album The Blue Hour, I was in tears. It wasn’t a terribly convenient time for them either, which just goes to show the sort of emotional impact the deeply confessional love letter to his late mom was. “Sunset Over College Park,” the album’s closer, was the song that did me in. Call your mom. – AW
Sampa The Great – “Let Me Be Great” Feat. Angélique Kidjo
Titular irony aside, “Let Me Be Great” is one of the shining moments from Sampa’s comeback album, As Above So Below, that made me call it one of the top five hip-hop albums of the year. Ending the album with such a powerful closing statement, Sampa earned that distinction both with the quality of the songs on the project and a razor-sharp sequencing sensibility. – AW
Smino – “No Ls”
Smino’s return album, Luv 4 Rent, offered all of the psychedelic soul anyone could want. “No L’s” offers a prime example of Smino’s gift for wordplay, referencing both his inability to lose and his ineligibility to operate a motor vehicle. There’s a gift and a curse in everything, it seems to say, and Smi is willing to accept it all, knowing he’s going to keep going ‘til the wheels fall off. – AW
Vince Staples – “Aye (Free The Homies)”
Look, “When Sparks Fly” is undoubtedly the best song from Vince’s magnum opus, Ramona Park Broke My Heart. But even I’ll admit it’s a bit of a downer – and my half of this list is pretty much full of them. Fortunately, I covered that one on our big list for the year, clearing the way for the hood favorite. Turn up! – AW
Westside Boogie – “Nonchalant” Feat. Mamii
Boogie is still in his feelings. More Black Superheroes, one of the best-titled projects of the year, finds the Compton rapper oscillating between late-night introspection and offering more topical reflections, but he’s still at his absolute best when he’s admitting his faults – even if it seems like he’s relishing in them more than he’s trying to change. – AW
Yeat – “Talk”
How it feels atop the throne of a Tonka. As Yeat etches his legacy in a slurry of new formations — be they in the words he invents, or the layering of his voice — this BNYX-helmed record rings bigger and more menacing than anything else on its level. Yeat’s on cruise control for the coronation because there’s no turning away from what he’s becoming. Trimmed with subtle gratitude and a mutating attitude, as the opening clip implies, this is a winner’s theme, bred for live calamity and every subwoofer in sight. – YP
YG – “Toxic”
For my money, Compton’s motley collection of rappers had the best releases of the year (yes, I am BIASED. This has been well-established. Let’s move on, shall we?). YG’s new album I Got Issues falls into that category too. How could it not, when he steps out of his comfort zone while still sticking to the formula that made him? For example, crooning like Mary J. Blige – AW
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Spotify and leading Livestream shopping platform NTWRK are collaborating to celebrate the streaming service’s “Feelin’ Myself” playlist with an exclusive trading card pack featuring anime caricatures of iconic female rappers Megan Thee Stallion, Ice Spice, GloRilla and Flo Milli.
The NTWRK x Spotify hype-worthy trading card pack will feature the up-and-coming and established rappers as a modern-day super heroines celebrating women in hip-hop. Fans will have the chance to win the exclusive trading card pack only on the NTWRK app today (Dec. 20) at 1 pm PST / 4 pm EST.
The back of the cards will include the individual initials of each rapper and a barcode that leads users to the Feelin’ Myselfplaylist, encouraging collectors to dance along as they unveil their new pack of cards.
pic.twitter.com/5t8RoKZLeZ
(@glorillapimp)
(@glorillapimp)
(@Saweetie) 
