DJ Quik is a Hall of Fame artist. He’s a G-funk pioneer and a production wizard. He’s also a proud Los Angeles native. Quik was absolutely blown away by Kendrick Lamar’s “Pop Out” concert on Juneteenth, despite not being present. He praised K. Dot during a recent interview with AllHipHop. He also admitted, though, that watching the “Pop Out” show was a bittersweet experience. So bittersweet, in fact, that he claims that he actually cried while it was happening.
DJ Quik’s absence was not by design. The rapper would have attended, but he was on tour with fellow West Coast stars Problem and Snoop Dogg. The trio tried to chart a flight back to LA to attend, but Quik said that it proved to be a logistical nightmare. “Snoop tried to fly us back for the Pop Out,” he told the outlet. “He tried to charter a jet and it didn’t work out logistically because we would have missed our show… But we sat there steaming. I was steaming.” The reason Quick was steaming was two-fold. One, he was missing the “Pop Out” show. Two, and perhaps most ironically, he was stranded in Canada, the home of Kendrick’s enemy: Drake.
These two things in tandem proved to be too much for DJ Quik. He shed tears of happiness over what Lamar did, but also tears of sadness given his circumstances. “I was knee deep in Canada when all that unity happened,” he noted. “I cried myself to sleep that night in the dumb-a*s Hilton hotel looking at you guys… started hating. What did I tell you?” Quik wasn’t the only who regretted missing the show, though. Snoop Dogg, who appeared on Lamar’s classic album To Pimp a Butterfly, raved about the concert on social media.
“Sending a big shout out to K. Dot and all the homies from the West that stood together unified,” he told his followers. The IG video was recorded in the same Canada hotel that a bereft DJ Quik fell asleep in the day prior. Still, Snoop kept it positive. “That was beautiful,” he asserted. “That was fun to watch. Beautiful to see all my peoples come together. And K. Dot – you are the King of the West.” A sentiment that DJ Quik would likely agree with.
DeMar DeRozan has suddenly found himself in the middle of rap’s most high-profile feud. After spending years as a member of the Toronto Raptors and forming a relationship with Drake, DeRozan appeared at Kendrick Lamar’s The Pop Out concert, then went on stage during as Lamar performed the song “Not Like Us,” and then appeared in the music video for the track.
It led to some questions about whose side he is on here, and fortunately, DeRozan got asked about the whole ordeal by Sean Cunningham of KTXL in Sacramento. Basically, DeRozan still has love for Drake, but his relationship with Lamar goes back a very long time, to the point that he considers him “basically family.”
Asked DeMar DeRozan about his appearance in Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us” video and if that signaled the end of playing Drake inside Golden 1 Center. pic.twitter.com/0cRtBImfQm
“I mean, love Drake, love Drake, you always could play him,” DeRozan said when asked if they can keep playing Drake at Sacramento Kings games. “Kendrick’s been a friend of mine, family, damn near family for a long time, for a while. We from the same city, grew up damn near in the same neighborhood. So, it’s always been, it hasn’t always been publicized, but that’s basically family.”
DeRozan, of course, is the newest member of the Kings roster after joining the team thanks to a sign-and-trade. Whether Drake or Kendrick attend any Kings games because of this remains to be seen.
Without a shadow of a doubt, Common is one of the most technically-sound writers we have in hip-hop history. His wordplay, flows, and tremendous storytelling are all of the skills that separate him from most of the competition. It is part of the reason why fans of the genre as so thrilled to be receiving his new album with producer Pete Rock, The Auditorium Vol. 1, on July 12. The 15-track collaborative effort has four incredible singles out from it right now and it is looking like it will be a top-tier LP for 2024. In the meantime, though, Common is creating more buzz for their album by providing a freestyle over Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us”.
The future rap song of the year has the everyone around the genre in a chokehold right now. It is everywhere and thanks to its viral music video, it is looking like it will be around well after these next five months. With Common bringing his philosophical bars to the West Coast anthem, what could possibly go wrong? Well, it turns out a lot did, unfortunately. Fans did praise the Chicago veteran’s overall performance, but there were also a few skeptics out there.
— The Art Of Dialogue (@ArtOfDialogue_) July 9, 2024
Most of the complaints centered around the fact that the words felt recited and ones that might belong to another song. Others were even claiming that Common rapped some of these bars at the Roots Picnic from last month. He did in fact hit the stage in Philadelphia and the joints he did play were made with Pete Rock, according to Billboard. Additionally, Com’s flows are pretty off compared to the tempo of the instrumental on “Not Like Us” and the hype man in the back seemed to know all of the adlibs. Maybe this was Common’s intent, especially with the album coming in just four days.
What are your thoughts on this “Not Like Us” freestyle by Common? Do you agree with the fans that this might be an unreleased song snippet? Even though it is not a conventional off-the-dome rap session, was it a great set of verses? Are you excited for him and Pete Rock’s upcoming project, The Auditorium Vol. 1? We would like to hear what you have to say, so leave your thoughts in the comments. Additionally, always keep it locked in with HNHH for all of the latest news surrounding Common and Kendrick Lamar. Finally, stay with us for everything else going on in the world of music.
Kendrick Lamar’s new song “Not Like Us” has upended the hip-hop landscape, and such a seismic single warrants an equally world-shaking music video. That’s what K. Dot provided with the supporting visual for “Not Like Us,” a four-minute celebration of not just his victory over one of the biggest stars on the planet, but also of his city, Compton, and LA culture in general.
Those elements often appear in Kendrick’s videography, which spans far longer than the obvious decade or so since he became a Grammy-winning, Fox News-terrifying, esoteric yet somehow ubiquitous fixture of pop culture. The following list was debated, discussed, and even outright dissed by my colleague Wongo and I (with our long-suffering editor, Phil, playing referee) until we got to his best — both in their visual representation of K Dot’s messaging and for their dynamic and memorable imagery.
Disclaimer: We left “The Heart Part 5” off this list over its use of deepfake AI — contrived and problematic technology on its own — that we believe aged poorly in hindsight.
12. “Michael Jordan”
The song that put Kendrick Lamar on the map in the city of LA. If the unofficial through-line of this list is how deeply Kendrick connects to his city through his visuals, this is where that line begins. It may not be as visually striking as other clips on this list, but it is likely one of the most thematically impactful — look no further than the fact that the then-relatively unknown Kendrick, considered something of a sidekick at the time to TDE’s “real” star, Jay Rock, shut down the 110 Freeway in Downtown Los Angeles to shoot much of this video. For non-Angelenos, this is vaguely akin to choking off the superior vena cava of the human heart. For a less heady comparison, consider this: The only other times this is done is to film major Hollywood productions like San Andreas and La La Land, or for major protests like the ones against police brutality in 2020 and advocation for a Gaza ceasefire. Basically, Kendrick was saying, “I AM LA. I am bigger than Hollywood. I am a world-changing event.” He wasn’t wrong. — Aaron Williams
11. “The Hillbillies” w/ Baby Keem
Though “Family Ties” launched it, “The Hillbillies” solidified the pgLang era of Kendrick Lamar and Baby Keem’s careers. Released without much warning, the vlog-style Neal Farmer-directed video captures the true laid-back personas of both Lamar and Keem. Between time in London and Los Angeles (where Tyler The Creator joins them), Lamar and Keem do everything from dance outside a private jet, prance through a shopping mall, flex clothes and jewels, play video games, help Tyler tease news about Camp Flag Gnaw Carnival at Dodger Stadium, and more. Quirky camera tricks and numerous meme-worthy moments from Lamar and Keem add to the carefree and fun energy that the duo brings to the video, a rarity for the former when it comes to his visuals. — Wongo Okon
10. “B*tch, Don’t Kill My Vibe”
An early standout from Kendrick’s catalog, the video for “Bitch, Don’t Kill My Vibe” lays much of the groundwork for what will become recurring motifs throughout his videography: Striking, spiritualistic imagery (a funeral in a well-appointed church, with mourners dressed in white-on-white rather than the traditional black), an unexpected cameo from a Los Angeles legend (in this case, standup comic Mike Epps, who baptizes Kendrick in a “pool full a liquor,” a callback to another Good Kid, M.A.A.D single, “Swimming Pools”), and the abiding contrast/coexistence of communal celebration and solo introspection. A bonus highlight: The very 2010s unsubtle product placement shot, which scans as one of K. Dot’s most “here, damn” concessions to commercialism in a career full of them. — A.W.
9. “Element”
Kendrick Lamar’s promise to “make it look sexy” if he ever had to “slap a p*ssy ass n****” on “Element” hits a lot differently in the wake of his beef with Drake. Prophetic foreshadowing aside, “Element” is a prime example of the persona Lamar carries today: impenetrable, undefeatable, and unconquerable. Its visual, directed by Jonas Lindstroem & The Little Homies, captures Lamar in militant form. Nearly every time Lamar appears in the video, he is either standing above us or surrounded by a crew of supporters who are all on standby for a brutal fight. For three-and-a-half minutes, Lamar, bloody white t-shirt and all, embraces the boogeyman characteristic in a fine display of kingship in the rap game that resonates more than ever today. — W.O.
8. “These Walls” Feat. Bilal, Anna Wise & Thundercat
“It was Kendrick! Yeah, Kendrick Lamar!” Corey Holcomb proclaims this in the opening scene of the “These Walls” video which is actually titled “Behind The Walls: A Black Comedy.” The video, directed by Colin Tilley and The Little Homies, lives up to that title as we’re invited into a house party complete with drinking, drugs, fights, and loud music. In this one, Lamar doesn’t even rap the Grammy-winning song’s words until the very end. Instead, he enjoys a dance with a woman against a wall before breaking through it and falling into another room, all to continue the fun in another room. He also teams up with an overzealous Terry Crews to perform the Hit The Quan dance at a talent show. The colorful visual continues with a shift back to the party where Holcomb arrives to see Lamar with his lady, something that doesn’t entirely mind as he finds two for himself. The fun is short-lived for Holcomb who gets hauled away by two cops after he crashed into a police cruiser as he parked before entering the party. Comedic angle aside, the video, true to the song’s message, is a true visual representation of what occurs within the walls of the mind and a home as men like Kendrick and Holcomb aspire to explore the walls of a woman. — W.O.
7. “Loyalty” Feat. Rihanna
“Loyalty,” Kendrick Lamar and Rihanna’s first-ever collaboration, is a standout on DAMN. for many reasons, one being the perilous visual the song received. For four minutes, Lamar and Rihanna flirt with many of life’s harmful dangers to prove that their love and loyalty to each other are unmatched. Rihanna taunts a man by spitting her gum on him, and when he angrily approaches her, Lamar is there to knock him out. He later dangles Rihanna off the roof of a building before they both lay on its edge as if they’re on ground level and not hundreds of feet in the air. The “Loyalty” visual ends with Lamar and Rihanna absorbing the blow of a tractor-trailer crashing into their car as Lamar does donuts in the middle of an intersection. — W.O.
6. “Count Me Out”
Though Kendrick Lamar’s video for “Count Me Out” isn’t as eventful as the other standout visuals in his videography, it excels by capturing the mindset that created< em>Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers. The visual begins with a conversation with his therapist, played by Oscar award-winning actress Helen Mirren, where the two laugh about Lamar stealing a woman’s parking spot and delve into a more serious discussion about his self-doubts. The Dave Free and Kendrick Lamar-directed video then splits into three screens with a visual of Lamar rapping the first verse of “Count Me Out,” another of Mirren listening intently, and a third that pairs images of pain, anger, fear, joy, strife, contention, and more to Lamar’s words. — W.O.
5. “N95”
“N95” is hands-down the best video to come down from the Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers era for a multitude of reasons. It succinctly captures the erratic and chaotic atmosphere of the song and the album as a whole. Want to see and hear where Kendrick’s head was in 2022? Look no further than the “N95” video. Furthermore, from a more general standpoint, it’s just a sick visual. It juxtaposes itself over and over again in just seconds, going from Kendrick in full sprint as he evades an angry mob to watching the rapper gracefully scales down steps by a waterfall. He sits in peace and reads a pgLang magazine before a car tumbles by a clears out chairs just a few away from the one he sits in. Add in shots of Lamar doing burpees, floating over the ocean in a Christ-like position, hitting donuts in a car with Baby Keem, and more, and you have a visual worthy of a top-five slot in Lamar’s career. — W.O.
4. “Alright”
Arguably the best of Kendrick Lamar’s videos, “Alright” earns its place thanks in part to bearing the hallmarks of Kendrick’s videos — community, camaraderie, visual metaphors for resilience — and throwing in one of the best-sounding unreleased songs of Kendrick’s entire catalog. It’s still the only place to hear this song, which by itself should be enough of a recommendation for this video, but just for the sake of argument, “Alright” is also the recipient of the 2016 Grammy Awards for Best Rap Performance and Best Rap Song and was nominated for that year’s MTV Video Music Award for Video of the Year. — A.W.
3. “Not Like Us”
This is why we’re here, people. A visual representation of Los Angeles culture, of Kendrick’s rap dominance, of his hometown hero status, the video also doubles as a bit of a wake for that poor OVO owl. From smashing an owl piñata to putting a live owl inside a cage, the video reflects the song’s primary goal of burying Kendrick’s longtime foe Drake, while at the same time, uses the controversy as an opportunity to highlight K Dot’s hometown, from the Tommy The Clown and DeMar DeRozan cameos to its raucous, impromptu community gathering at Compton City Hall. — A.W.
2. “DNA”
The best videos in Kendrick Lamar’s career came from his DAMN. era. Look no further than the “DNA” visual for proof of this. Don Cheadle stars as an interrogator ready to give Lamar a lie detector test when he is shocked into the same rhythm as the rapper, rapping the lyrics of “DNA” as if they both wrote the song from the same experience of anger and struggle. The moment takes a mental toll on both men, but Lamar reigns supreme as Cheadle succumbs to Lamar and lets him go before falling to his knees in defeat. For the rest of the “DNA” video, we watch an erratic Lamar shoot dice with friends, recount past events, show off his Grammys, and more all while a group of girls drive a car recklessly through city streets – a conclusion that pairs perfectly with the song’s chaotic second half. — W.O.
1. “Humble”
“Humble” was the first single from Kendrick’s Pulitzer Prize-winning 2017 album, DAMN., and its release heralded the largest leap the Compton artist had taken in public awareness in his career. It was his first solo No. 1 on the Hot 100, and it won Grammys for Best Rap Performance, Best Rap Song, and most relevant here, Best Music Video. The video is another Dave Free masterwork, incorporating more of the religious iconography that Kendrick has grappled with throughout his career, borrowing as much from the distinctive visual style of Hype Williams as from Leonardo da Vinci, whose “Last Supper” plays centerpiece to the point Kendrick makes lyrically on “Humble.” To this day, it is still the most-viewed video on his YouTube channel. — A.W.
Kendrick Lamar‘s “Not Like Us” video may have ruined Drake’s holiday, but according to TMZ, it certainly helped boost the local economy in Kendrick’s hometown. Tam’s, the greasy spoon takeout restaurant that features prominently in the video — and in Kendrick’s life and music — reported a boost in sales at its Rosecrans location in Compton (there are several other Tam’s restaurants dotted throughout LA County) picked up by 30 to 40 percent, with a large influx of tourist interest in the location.
(This is all well and good, thank you for your support, but speaking as a local… please do not get y’all selves in trouble trying to play tourist. For one thing, you’re missing the point of the song.)
The first Tam’s was opened in 1971, selling not just burgers and fries, but also Mexican staples like tacos, burritos, quesadillas, and the like. Kendrick’s Tam’s is located at the corner of Rosecrans and Central (mine was on Alameda between Rosecrans and Compton) and K Dot has mentioned it in songs like “Element,” where he raps, “I be hangin’ out at Tam’s, I be on Stockton.”
In a 2012 interview with Nardwaur, Kendrick says his order at Tam’s is chili cheese fries, although TMZ notes he also orders the bacon cheeseburger:
Kendrick also mentioned Tam’s in a 2012 interview with Complex, where he compared it to the more well-known West Coast staple In-N-Out: “Everybody loves In-N-Out, but it’s a very clean-cut burger,” he said. “Tam’s is street-sloppy, burgers and shakes. It’s a chain, but it’s still hood.”
Kendrick Lamar‘s “Not Like Us” video may have ruined Drake’s holiday, but according to TMZ, it certainly helped boost the local economy in Kendrick’s hometown. Tam’s, the greasy spoon takeout restaurant that features prominently in the video — and in Kendrick’s life and music — reported a boost in sales at its Rosecrans location in Compton (there are several other Tam’s restaurants dotted throughout LA County) picked up by 30 to 40 percent, with a large influx of tourist interest in the location.
(This is all well and good, thank you for your support, but speaking as a local… please do not get y’all selves in trouble trying to play tourist. For one thing, you’re missing the point of the song.)
The first Tam’s was opened in 1971, selling not just burgers and fries, but also Mexican staples like tacos, burritos, quesadillas, and the like. Kendrick’s Tam’s is located at the corner of Rosecrans and Central (mine was on Alameda between Rosecrans and Compton) and K Dot has mentioned it in songs like “Element,” where he raps, “I be hangin’ out at Tam’s, I be on Stockton.”
In a 2012 interview with Nardwaur, Kendrick says his order at Tam’s is chili cheese fries, although TMZ notes he also orders the bacon cheeseburger:
Kendrick also mentioned Tam’s in a 2012 interview with Complex, where he compared it to the more well-known West Coast staple In-N-Out: “Everybody loves In-N-Out, but it’s a very clean-cut burger,” he said. “Tam’s is street-sloppy, burgers and shakes. It’s a chain, but it’s still hood.”
At this point, it’s pretty firmly established that Drake took the L in his back-and-forth with Kendrick Lamar earlier this year. Only Aubrey himself (or his staunchest online supporters) could make the argument that Kendrick did NOT run roughshod over Drake’s reputation with his flurry of aggressive diss tracks, which included the presumptive song of the summer, “Not Like Us.”
Fortunately for Drake, there is a path to redemption — at least, according to former Kendrick Lamar labelmate, Ab-Soul. The Carson artist, who is still signed to Top Dawg Entertainment and appeared in the “Not Like Us” video alongside the other original members of the label, shared his theory on Twitter (back to not calling it “X”).
“If Drake is the MC I imagine he can be,” he wrote. “Redemption is not off the table.”
If Drake is the MC I imagine he can be. Redemption is not off the table.
Of course, this is pretty much the crux of the divide between the two rappers, as well as being the main case against Drake from the majority of his critics over the past decade and a half. Drake spent his first two mixtapes, Room For Improvement and Comeback Season, courting the underground before blowing up seemingly overnight after the leak of a reference track of Drake’s song, “Brand New,” which he’d written for an unnamed R&B singer.
Since then, Drake has split his time on recordings between harder-edged, tough guy-style rapping (because the backpacker thing was never all that profitable) and brokenhearted crooning. In an effort to appeal to the zeitgeist, though, both his raps and his singing have taken on a manosphere-inspired, Red Pilled outlook, which has alienated a bunch of his most dedicated fans. Ab-Soul’s comments reflect a general vibe on rap discussion forums like Twitter that there’s a version of Drake that could potentially earn back his lost respect as a rapper, but he’d have to reject some of his biggest defenders, ditch the toxic attitudes, and start writing like his old rhyme heroes Phonte and Lupe Fiasco again.
It’s a bold theory, and I’m not sure it’d hold true in practice, but therein lies the rub: If skills sold, truth be told…
“I love that song. It’s like the hit of the summer. When they play that jam, I’m jamming.”
Those are the words of tennis icon Serena Williams, speaking during a panel at Essence Festival this past weekend. She was talking about Kendrick Lamar’s Drake diss “Not Like Us,” but Williams’ crowning of the tune begs the question: What is the “Song Of The Summer” for 2024?
It’s an unofficial distinction (well, Billboard has an official chart for it now) that annually carries some cultural weight. It’s also just a fun thing to think and debate about midway through the year. Technically, we’re only just at the start of summer, as the season officially runs from June 20 to September 22. There’s still so much summer left, so instead of handing out the title now, let’s look at the leading candidates at the moment, making the case for (and against) some of the most obvious contenders.
Kendrick Lamar — “Not Like Us”
The argument for: “Not Like Us” has everybody talking, so much so that Serena Williams is publicly discussing it. Rick Ross got punched (allegedly) over it. The song has reached “referenced in local weather reports” status. Plain and simple, it’s a mainstream hit.
The argument against: The song came on so strong in early May that it’s safe to wonder if it has already peaked. (The song’s recent well-received video demonstrates the track’s staying power, though.) Also, given that the whole thing is a Drake diss, it’s just not very nice! (Some of the following arguments against other songs may be equally flimsy. These are all beloved hits, after all.)
Post Malone and Morgan Wallen — “I Had Some Help”
The argument for: The longest-running No. 1 song on the Hot 100 of the year so far? It’s “I Had Some Help.” Pair that with the fact that this Malone and Wallen collab is currently the most visible crossover hit in the ongoing country music wave and it has a strong case.
The argument against: The main opposing force here is whether the song has enough juice on its own beyond the headline-making collaboration. Wallen and Post are two of music’s biggest stars and that certainly has helped the song’s trajectory. It’s hard to say if that will be enough to carry the tune through the hot months to come.
Shaboozey — “A Bar Song (Tipsy)”
The argument for: There’s something about country music that’s routinely perfect for summer, and just like Malone and Wallen’s single, “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” is landing at just the right time. It has had a gradual climb up the Hot 100 and as of yesterday, it’s his first-ever No. 1 single.
The argument against: The biggest reason to say “no” to this one has nothing to do with the song itself, but its competition. “A Bar Song” is fantastic, but it’s just going up against some heavy hitters that have demonstrated bigger and more sustained success. But, maybe its newfound No. 1 status is the start of a run of its own.
The argument against: “Million Dollar Baby,” with its April release date, is older than the aforementioned songs. Given that viral hits like this often have relatively short shelf lives, this one very well could be a relic of viral history soon, well before summer is up.
Tinashe — “Nasty”
The argument for: Tinashe got to flex on her former label a bit with this one: The song is originally from April, but it started going viral on TikTok in June. Consequently, it has become her biggest solo hit on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
The argument against: “Nasty” is really more of a viral hit than it is a chart hit so far: Despite its ubiquity online, it has yet to crack the top 40 on the Hot 100. “Nasty” could use some more reach before it truly enters the conversation.
Billie Eilish — “Birds Of A Feather”
The argument for: Billie is one of music’s favorite personalities, and she’s done it all by doing her own thing. She doesn’t chase radio-friendly hits, but that doesn’t mean she’s incapable of them. “Birds Of A Feather” is an example, a bit of romantic pop fun, and the people love when Billie gets a win.
The argument against: It’s still hard to tell the sort of staying power this one will have. It was only just released as a single last week, so at this point, predicting whether this will end up being the summer’s defining song would be a bold call.
Chappell Roan — “Good Luck, Babe!”
The argument for: Roan has been one of the year’s biggest breakout stars so far, so much so that it’s been challenging for her to handle. Leading the way is “Good Luck, Babe!,” which has swelled into her most significant hit to date.
The argument against: Chappell isn’t the most obvious of hit-makers. Sure, the song rules, but we’ve already seen one Kate Bush song top the charts this decade, it’s hard to imagine it happening again. So, who knows how much time this one has left in the summer sun. (It did just hit the Hot 100 top 10 for the first time yesterday, though.)
Sabrina Carpenter — “Espresso”
The argument for: Of course we had to mention “Espresso.” Carpenter was an emerging star before the caffeinated single, but the song absolutely took off and established Carpenter as a no-qualifier-necessary, S-T-A-R star. There’s also the fact that “Espresso” basically sounds like it was made to a summer smash, with its warm vibes and radio-friendly hook. Carpenter’s personality also just makes her a fun person to root for and listen to, which certainly works in favor of “Espresso.”
The argument against: Carpenter has moved onto pushing a new hit, “Please Please Please.” “Espresso” is still doing just about as well as the fresher single, though: “Please Please Please” had more Spotify streams in the US last week, but “Espresso” was No. 1 on the same chart globally. Ultimately, of all the songs on this list, “Espresso” may have the least working against it for “Song Of The Summer” consideration.
Two months ago, I tweeted: “Best year of hip-hop. EVER. #2024.” and the Internet’s feisty commentators tore me up. Pardon my excitement and wild proclamation, but I haven’t felt this good about the state of rap music since life before the pandemic. The 2020s have stunk — until now. What’s not to love today? Older rappers like Nas are showing and proving that great lyricists don’t have a retirement age. The historic, long-awaited showdown between Aubrey “Drake” Graham and Kendrick Lamar Duckworth lived up to the hype and transcended it. Plus, I’ve lost count of how much terrific content Future and Metro Boomin can cook up.
Still, everybody can’t get a trophy. It’s time to recognize the best of the best. I dare you to disagree. Ha! Spoiler alert: No Ye. No Q. No Vince Staples. No J. Cole on my albums list. You got a problem with that? Turn that frown upside down and turn the music up. Here’s the best hip-hop songs and albums of 2024, so far.
The Top 10 Hip-Hop Songs Of 2024 So Far
10. Nas & DJ Premier — “Define My Name” (Mass Appeal)
Three decades since working together on his classic debut, Illmatic, Queenbridge’s finest reconnects with Preemo for some classic Big Apple boom bap. Hopefully the promise of a future full-length project between the hall-of-fame duo comes to fruition.
9. Bossman Dlow — “Mr. Pot Scraper” (Alamo/Sony)
One of hip-hop’s most celebrated freshmen, Big Za has got plenty of digestible dope boy raps, but this one is the best. He’s a hustler, baby.
What’s better than one good Atlanta female MC? Two. Newcomer Nene gets a big assist from ATL Birthday Bash headliner, Latto. The fellas better pay attention — you don’t wanna piss these ladies off.
7. Cash Cobain — “Fisherr” Feat. Bay Swag (Giant)
Bronx-bred rapper/producer, Slizzy takes his sexy drill NY sound nationwide with this irresistibly catchy, tender ode to young love. Should you play this one multiple times? For sure.
6. 21 Savage — “Redrum” (Slaughter Gang/Epic)
Murderous material made by a mad man? Yeah, that’s a pretty good summation of Savage’s haunting anthem, which pays homage to the horror classic movie, The Shining. And I still can’t believe that’s Usher at the end, gettin’ his “Vincent Price on Thriller” on.
5. Sexyy Red — “Get It Sexxy” (Open Shift/Gamma)
It’s a rallying cry to act ratchet as Ms. “Pound Town” stomps all over producer Tay Keith’s kinetic track. Whoop! Whoop!
4. GloRilla — “Yeah Glo” (CMG/Interscope)
Suffice it to say, this self-affirmation selection slaps. Who can resist cheering along to this assertive chorus? Go, Gloria!
Before ultimately losing his intense exchange with rival Kendrick Lamar, Drizzy captivated with this sonic triumvirate of lyrical warfare. Too bad that he probably foreshadowed another K Dot Grammy triumph.
Over Metro aka hip-hop’s best producer’s best beat, Compton’s most wanted deads all comparisons to Aubrey and Jermaine and declares his dominant position. There can only be one.
1. Kendrick Lamar — “Not Like Us” (Kendrick Lamar/Interscope)
It’s a diss song and a hit song. Over DJ Mustard’s masterful canvas, King Kendrick simultaneously ends hip-hop’s greatest beef and empowers the West Coast hip-hop scene. A true victory lap.
The Top 10 Hip-Hop Albums Of 2024 So Far
10. Mach-Hommy — #RichAxxHaitian (Mach-Hommy)
Mach-Hommy
Hip-hop’s most mysterious MC delivers a musically diverse magnum opus that commands your attention from beginning to end.
9. Flo Milli — Fine Ho, Stay (‘94 Sounds/RCA)
Flo Milli
Anchored by her biggest single, “Never Lose Me,” Flo defies sophomore jinx pressure and captivates with her most compelling body of work to date.
8. Benny The Butcher — Everybody Can’t Go (5 To 50/Def Jam)
Benny The Butcher
With a co-sign from West Coast icon, Snoop Dogg, this Griselda spitter subtly takes his signature gritty raps to new heights. Growth is good.
7. Rapsody — Please Don’t Cry (We Each Other/Jamla/Roc Nation)
We Each Other/Jamia Records
You can’t handle the truth? Too bad. Marlena Evans bares her mind and soul on this sprawling but still soothing soundtrack.
6. Bossman Dlow — Mr. Beat The Road (Alamo/Sony)
Bossman Dlow
A ferocious force from Florida, Dlow delivers a riveting, raw mixtape that moves him one step closer to mainstream exposure.
5. A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie — Better Off Alone (Highbridge/Atlantic)
A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie
New York’s most consistent MC of the past seven years releases his best album and you all lame out? Don’t let the low numbers fool you, The Artist is on his A-Game here.
4. Gunna — One Of Wun (YSL/300)
Gunna
Although his career remains riddled in controversy as long as Young Thug is on trial, Gunna remains musically unfazed, following his should’ve-been-Grammy-nominated 2023 album, A Gift & A Curse, with a melodic masterwork that only he could put together.
3. 21 Savage — American Dream (Slaughter Gang/Epic)
Slaughter Gang/Epic
Fresh off his successful collab album with Drake, Her Loss, Savage subtly addresses his immigration saga and delivers his most cohesive collection of music.
1. TIE: Future & Metro Boomin — We Don’t Trust You + We Still Don’t Trust You (Wilburn Holding/Boominati/Epic)
Future X Metro BoominFuture / Metro Boomin
How can I choose? Same foundational premise: “The elimination of Drake.” Ha! But the execution is pure flawless excellence on both sides. We Don’t uses Mobb Deep’s Prodigy as a muse, as the two Atlanta heavyweights set their mark in hip-hop history. The follow-up, We Still Don’t, hearkens back to 2017’s HNDRXX as Pluto proves his singing can be just as potent as his rhymes. The aftermath of these two releases still resonates, as it single-handedly led to the Kendrick-Drake showdown. Future and Metro did the impossible. Then they did it twice.
According to the “Not Like Us” opening disclaimer: “No Ovohoes were harmed during the making of the music video.” However, Kendrick Lamar vicious beating of an owl piñata (symbolic of Drake) in the visual has other entities hiding anything that resembles the animal.
Yesterday (July 5), the Los Angeles Public Library decided to retire its beloved owl puppet used for children’s programming. “Do we need to retire our owl puppet,” asked the page.
Whether the act was for the safety of the plushie or to show the library’s allegiance to hometown hero, Kendrick, the public showed just how tickled they were in the comment section of the TikTok video.
“Wow, the library was really the last safe space,” joked one user.
TikTok
“Drake just cancelled his library card,” wrote another user.
TikTok
“The library said, ‘You think the Bay gon let you disrespect Pac, brother,’” penned another referencing a line in the track.
TikTok
“I’m HOOTING at this. Perhaps, the owl can do some community service and earn their way back. Or be used in the Halloween display,” chimed another.
TikTok
At this point, there is nothing Drake or his OVO Sound record label can do about the degradation of its logo. But it will be a while before fans are spotted sporting anything in the bird family.
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