new album

Conway The Machine And Jae Skeese Link Up For “Pain Provided Profit” Project

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This Friday (March 10) has brought around some highly-anticipated drops, and Pain Provided Profit is no exception. Conway the Machine and Jae Skeese collaborate on the 7-track album, which results in nothing short of a smooth-rolling masterpiece. The New York rappers keep things sweet and simple on this Drumwork Music Group effort, which is their first joint project since Conway’s 2022 album What Has Been Blessed Cannot Be Cursed, where Jae featured on “In My Soul,” “Sunday Sermon,” and “Big Drum.”

Pain Provided Profit also brings back other contributors from the previous project, including 7xvethegenius and SK Da King. Both artists join in the final track of the album, “Food,” alongside GooseBytheway. The entirety of the project showcases great versatility for Conway and Skeese, both of whom intertwine their individual signature rap styles effortlessly into their work.

Conway and Jae Create “Cocaine Paste”

Previously the New York native released under Griselda Records, which was founded by his half-brother Westside Gunn and also represented his cousin Benny the Butcher. In light of announcing his new label, Conway confirmed that there was no bad blood between him and his family members, noting that the split was simply due to distance and time. “We don’t all live in the same city no more, we don’t really hang out and do shit no more, see each other. So all these conversations we don’t necessarily get to have all the time,” the rapper revealed to Ebro last year.

Although embarking on a new chapter in his career, Conway the Machine seems to have launched an impressive start to building up Drumwork. In fact, Jae signed to his label back in 2021, and dropped “Against the Grain” with Conway and Flee Lord in 2022. The Drumwork team has also announced a docuseries underway. If you haven’t already, be sure to check out Pain Provided Profit, now available on all streaming services. As always, keep in touch with HNHH for the latest news in hip-hop and pop culture.

Pain Provided Profit Tracklist:

  1. Cocaine Paste
  2. Metallic 5’s
  3. Stefon Diggs 2
  4. Le Chop
  5. Immaculate Reception
  6. Promise
  7. Food (featuring 7xvethegenius, GooseBytheway, SK Da King)

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Kid Cudi Hypes Up New Project, Says It’s The “Album Of The Year”

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After hinting at retirement, Kid Cudi has been teasing his final album since last year. While the 39-year-old has held an acclaimed rap career since the release of “Day ‘n’ Nite” in 2007, he is bidding farewell to his experimental contributions to hip-hop with this upcoming project. Releasing later this year, Cudi has confirmed that the first track of this “powerful” album will drop on June 1st. On an Instagram live this Thursday (March 9), the Ohio native teased his ninth solo album further, noting how “y’all are going to fuck with this shit in such a major way and I’m so fucking excited.”

Although Cudi’s current work in the studio is fueled by his contractual obligations to Republic Records, he still has put his heart and soul into this final project. “I’ve never made a project this powerful before in my life. Sitting, listening to these mixes, I just know that this shit is going to move you,” he said on IG. Cudi enthusiastically added, “I just wanted to get on here and just let y’all know that I’m not gonna let y’all down. This is gonna be the album of the year right now, I’m not playing. This is not a fucking joke. Tell everybody you fucking know, ok?”

Cudi Describes His Final Studio Effort As “Powerful”

The mastermind behind “Mr. Rager” also took to Twitter on Thursday to drop some more hints about his upcoming work. “Im directing the video for my first single. Shits gonna get wild,” he tweeted. Cudi also hinted at a variety of other projects unfolding for him this year, with more time behind the camera coming up in the near future. “I also booked a really cool tv gig that im thoroughly excited about. Very big deal to me. The blessings are overflowin. News about that soon,” Cudi announced. In a different tweet, he added, “some movies comin this year as well. Think about 3.”

Though Cudi will be stepping away from the studio, he’ll be leaving behind a legacy that transcends music, film, and fashion. In an interview with Apple Music’s Zane Lowe, the father-of-one disclosed how his retirement was to open up more time to spend with his daughter. As the release date for Cudi’s final album approaches, be sure to keep up with HNHH for the latest news on hip-hop.

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August Alsina Announces New Album, “Myself”

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August Alsina says that he’s got a new album titled Myself dropping on Friday, March 10. The 30-year-old singer made the announcement on Instagram, Wednesday. It will be his first studio album since 2020’s The Product III: State of Emergency.

“‘Myself’ the album drops 3-10-23,” Alsina captioned the album cover. “[Swipe Left] pre-order linked in bio.” “I’ve gone from a young boy to a man… a man whose wiser… smarter… stronger because of my experiences and adversities I’ve faced and a man whose more resilient,” he adds in a teaser clip. Fans appeared excited in the comments section. One predicted: “Album finna be a hit, claiming it now. Congratulations.” Another wrote: “Rebirth of August im soooo here for it.”

August Alsina Performing

LONDON, ENGLAND – JANUARY 23: August Alsina performs live on stage at Indigo at The O2 Arena on January 23, 2018 in London, England. (Photo by Joseph Okpako/WireImage)

The Myself announcement comes just days after Alsina made headlines for being referenced in Chris Rock’s stand-up special, Selective Outrage. The comedian made jokes about Alsina’s infamous romantic “entanglement” with Will Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith. A source for Page Six reported that Alsina enjoyed the special, although a representative for the singer later claimed he had not seen it. “Mr. Alsina has not seen Chris Rock’s special at all, as he’s been busy on tour,” the rep said.

“Everybody knows that had nothing to do with me. I didn’t have any entanglements,” Chris Rock joked during his live event for Netflix. “His wife was fucking her son’s friend. Now, I normally would not talk about this shit, but for some reason, these n****s put that shit on the internet. I have no idea why two people that talented would do something that low down. We’ve all been cheated on, none of us have ever been interviewed by the person who cheated on us,” he added. “Why the fuck would you do that shit? She hurt him way more than I did… Everybody called him a b**ch, and who’s he hit? Me!” Check out the announcement for Alsina’s upcoming album, Myself, below.

Alsina’s Album Announcement

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Lil Keed Features Big Names On New Posthumous Album

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Atlanta-based rapper Lil Keed has caused quite a stir in the hip-hop community as the tracklist of his upcoming album drops. The highly anticipated album, titled Keed Talk To ‘Em 2, features some of the biggest names in the game. Some of these names include the artists Young Thug and Big Sean. Fans of the late star are excited to see the reveal of the 20-track list on social media. The album promises to be an epic musical journey. The fans also get to enjoy a teaser after a new music video for his song “Self Employed” dropped.

Lil Keed, now passed, is widely known for his “Trapped on Cleveland” series of albums. The anticipation for the release of his new album has been building for some time now. Fans are eagerly awaiting for the day it comes out, on March 17th 2023. His fans are getting even more excited now, as his Instagram also provides a tracklist of his whole album on Instagram. On the tracklist are some exciting names, both well-known artists and upcoming stars. Big Sean and Young Thug are perhaps two of the most recognizable names that will appear on his album.

Lil Keed’s Instagram Drops Exciting Update

Before his passing, Young Thug and Keed both had a history with each other. The two were featuring each other in their songs since 2018. Their professional relationship will come to light once more as Keed is brought on Young Thug again to feature on his album. Big Sean has also worked with Keed in the past, though not as frequently. But it’s not just Thug and Sean that fans can look forward to. A number of upcoming artists such as Fridayy and Lil Gotit are also making an appearance in Keed Talk To ‘Em 2.

While fans are waiting for the album to drop, the social media of Lil Keed gives them a music video to tide them over. The music video is for the track “Self Employed,” produced by Grimlin and Emman. However, this track does not feature any other artists. It appears that fans will have to remain in suspense as they eagerly await his collaborations with other popular artists. After his Instagram post, fans have been pouring their support into his social media comments. The full album will drop on St. Patrick’s Day 2023.

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Lil Yachty On His New Project: “F*ck Any Of The Albums I Dropped Before This One”

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Lil Yachty discussed his growth as an artist as well as his new psychedelic album, Let’s Start Here, during a candid interview with Billboard published on Wednesday. He says that the new project reflects who he is in a more candid way than any of his previous work. For Let’s Start Here, Yachty teamed up with Mac DeMarco, Nick Hakim, Alex G and members of MGMT, Unknown Mortal Orchestra and Chairlift to create his new sound.

“I did what I really wanted to do, which was create a body of work that reflected me,” Yachty told the outlet on the day before his listening event at the Liberty Science Center in Jersey City, N.J. “My idea was for this album to be a journey: Press play and fall into a void.” He also remarked: “Fuck any of the albums I dropped before this one.”

Lil Yachty At Rolling Loud

INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 05: Lil Yachty performs during 2023 Rolling Loud Los Angeles at Hollywood Park Grounds on March 05, 2023 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Timothy Norris/WireImage)

From there, Yachty reflected on the state of hip-hop when he came onto the scene. “I came into music in a time where rap was real hardcore, it was real street,” he says. “And a bunch of us kids came in with colorful hair and dressing different and basically said, ‘Move out the way, old fucks. We on some other sh-t.’ I was young and I didn’t really give a fuck, so I did do things that may have led people to the assumptions that I was a mumble rapper or a SoundCloud kid or I don’t appreciate the history of hip-hop.”

He also discussed his love for Bon Iver, Pink Floyd, and other artists outside of his genre. “But to be honest, I’ve always been so much more than just hip-hop,” he said. “There’s a lot of kids who haven’t heard any of my references. They don’t know anything about Bon Iver or Pink Floyd or Black Sabbath or James Brown. I wanted to show people a different side of me — and that I can do anything, most importantly.”

Yachty released Let’s Start Here back in January to mostly positive reviews from critics. It also debuted at number nine on the US Billboard 200, earning 36,000 album-equivalent units in its first week. It’s his first studio album since 2020’s Lil Boat 3.

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Everything We Know About 6lack’s Next Album

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After five years 6LACK (or 6-LACK depending on who you ask) broke his veritable radio silence by dropping the title track off his forthcoming album Since I Have a Lover. Reaching over 500k streams on Youtube in less than a week, if the album performs anything like the single, three time Grammy award nominee 6lack is destined for another hit.

But what do we actually know about the new album? 6lack hasn’t given us much to go on, but if we want to talk about what we know about the album, let’s take a look at everything we already know about the artist himself.

6LACK manages to quietly fly under the radar, with very little by way of social media fodder, online scandals, or whispered gossip. He’s made songs with a variety of artists that range in genre and style – everyone from The Weeknd (who is no stranger to online scandals, if you’ve been paying attention lately) and J. Cole, to Jessie Reyez and T-Pain. His lyrics are a mixture of emotionally raw, with a tinge of dark sexuality and boastful brags. He manages to effortlessly flow between gentle and melodic to a little aggressive, and he does it all in a way that still manages to touch on a topic that music felt like it was lacking in: Love.

‘Since I Have A Lover’ Is Full of ‘Good Moods’

Since I Have A Lover is going to be an album that does all that and more.

“It’s all my good moods compressed into song format,” 6lack commented, “and I hope it makes you feel.”

If the title track of the album is any indication of what we can expect from the forthcoming album, what we can anticipate is an album that combines the ethereal warble and scratchy undertone that 6LACK is famous for with backing music that sounds effortlessly upbeat. The visual for the song begins with 6LACK falling from the sky until he crash lands into an house long abandoned. The singer crash lands, surrounded by the rubble of things freshly fallen apart. As he emerges from the wreckage and begins searching through the dilapidated hallways, he finds the doorway – and suddenly exits into a world sun soaked and full of life, color, and energy. 6LACK spends the rest of the video literally floating through the streets of Atlanta. The video ends with a transition into what we can only assume is a teaser for another song off the album.

6LACK’s crash landing in the video seems to act as a response to his meteoric rise to fame, following the old adage that one goes up must, inevitably, come down.

The singer came out of seemingly nowhere in 2017 – though if you know 6LACK’s history, you’re aware that his struggle to the top was a long time coming. His debut album Free 6LACK hit #5 on the Billboard rap charts, and earned him two Grammy nominations for best urban contemporary album, and best rap/sung performance for the song PRBLMS.

There Is A Tour Following This Release

While 6LACK and his management are keeping the album, and any spoiler alerts, tightly under wraps until it’s release on March 24th, I’m willing to bet money that this latest album will show an even more introspective side than we’ve seen from 6LACK – yet one that has a positive thread interwoven through each song.

If it makes you feel better, it isn’t just fans that are anxiously awaiting 6LACK’s return. Christopher Patterson, 6LACK’s tour manager, is just as excited about it. When I asked him about the album, he had little to say about what was to come – but he knew one thing was for sure. “I’m just ready to tour!”

Juelz Santana Teases 21 Savage Collaboration

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Juelz Santana revealed that he’s secured a collaboration with 21 Savage for his next album. The iconic New York rapper shared a screenshot of his text exchange with 21 on Instagram over the weekend. The conversation began with Santana sending over a track tentatively titled “Dead Ops.”

“Can we do this joint for my album bro,” Santana wrote to 21 Savage, who replied, “Got you!!!!” From there, Santana said, “Let’s Go. I waited I didn’t jus wanna send u anything. Dis joint got u all on it.” 21 wrote back: “Shit hard,” to which Santana said, “FACTS.” Santana captioned the post: “HEAVY ⓂOTION LETS GOOOOOOO…”

Juelz Santana In 2021

NEW YORK, NEW YORK – AUGUST 03: Juelz Santana of Dipset attends Verzuz: The Lox Vs Dipset at Madison Square Garden on August 03, 2021 in New York City. (Photo by Johnny Nunez/WireImage)

News of the collaboration comes just months after Santana spoke out to defend 21 following his controversial comments on Nas’ relevancy. 21 had said that he felt the legendary rapper is “not relevant.” Both Santana and his Dipset partner, Jim Jones, defended the opinion. “I’m just looking at what 21 Savage was saying. I don’t think that he meant it as what people were taking it as, or shit like that,” Jones explained. “Because in today’s society, with the younger generation, these kids are very lit out here, and they put ‘lit’ and ‘relevant’ in the same thing, when it’s two different things.” Santana elaborated: “I think they should have found out what 21’s definition of relevant is, too. When you ask questions, you got to be real particular ’cause he’s just talking …”

Santana also linked up with 21 Savage at Drake’s concert at the Apollo Theater, earlier this year. He joined Freekey Zekey, Cam’ron, and Jim Jones for performances of “I Really Mean It,” “Dipset Anthem” and “We Fly High (Ballin’).” 21 had collaborated with Drake on their album Her Loss. Santana has been teasing a new album with DJ Drama for months now. “We In Motion… The Album…Top Of The Year…long Time Coming #ICFMF #BackOutSide,” Santana captioned a post from December while announcing the project.

Juelz Santana & 21 Savage’s Conversation

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Chiiild Wishes Listeners “Better Luck In The Next Life” On New Album

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Before the weekend comes to an end, we’ve got more New Music Friday leftovers for your consideration. This week, Chiiild joins the roster of artists unleashing new albums, following singles like “Bon Voyage” and “Good For Now” featuring Lucky Daye with his 12-track Better Luck In The Next Life album. It arrived at midnight on March 3rd and has since earned the creative an abundance of new listeners.

Besides the aforementioned guest appearance, Chiiild also worked with a host of other talented lyricists. Alina Baraz and Caitlyn Scarlett join him on “Hell And High Water,” while Charlotte Cardin helped out with “I Hope I Packed A Parachute.” The rest of the album’s songs, the Canadian experimentalist handles on his own.

Chiiild and Lucky Daye are Feeling “Good For Now”

On his link-up with Daye, Chiiild markedly reflects on how important it is to stay present. “Tell me that we’re dreaming, don’t say that we’re in love, uh / Whatever this is, it’s good for now, at night we’ve been restless,” he sings. “You say that we’re destined, I say you’re just caught in the moment/ When you’re close, I get reckless, laying in the wreckage.”

In a press release, the “Pirouette” hitmaker described his new album as “a bit of an autobiographical record that covers all of the things that [he loves] and some of the things [he’s] gone through.” He noted that it’s a “very honest” body of work that only begins to tell his personal story and answer questions not only about his career but also about who he is as a person.

Stream Chiiild’s new album, Better Luck In The Next Life on Spotify or Apple Music below. Afterward, tell us what your top three favourites from the tracklist are in the comments. If you’re in need of more release recommendations, find them on our weekly R&B Season playlist update here.

Better Luck In The Next Life Tracklist:

  1. Better Luck In The Next Life
  2. Bon Voyage
  3. Antidote
  4. Good For Now (feat. Lucky Daye)
  5. Hell And High Water (feat. Alina Baraz and Caitlyn Scarlett)
  6. Surfing The Silver Linings
  7. I Hope I Packed A Parachute (feat. Charlotte Cardin)
  8. Mile-End
  9. Into The Deep End
  10. (Running Out Of) Hallelujahs
  11. Hiding In Plain Sight
  12. You Get Me (A Final Word)

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Masego’s Self-Titled 14-Track Album Has Arrived: Listen

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Throughout his career, Masego has cooked up a solid roster of collaborative releases, such as “Mystery Lady” with Don Toliver and “Silver Tongue Devil” featuring Shenseea. For his latest full-length album, however, the Jamaican has opted to switch things up in favour of a featureless release. His 14-track self-titled effort landed this New Music Friday (March 3), and it’s already got listeners singing his favourites.

The “Tadow” hitmaker preceded Masego with several singles, including “You Never Visit Me” and “Say You Want Me.” Additionally, he poured his Gemini duality into his “Two Sides” track, which received an accompanying music video a few weeks back. “Two sides, choose your fighter, I’ll be your type, it’s a fine line, answer a Gemini, Gemini,” he sings to the camera.

Masego Reveals His Gemini Duality in “Two Sides” Visual

Now that he’s got a collection of new music that’s been shared with the world, Masego is once again ready to head out on the road. On March 13th, his first show will take place in Santa Ana, California at The Observatory. Afterward, the 29-year-old has booked stages in Miami, Boston, New York, and Dallas before he wraps up the You Never Visit Me tour in April.

Ahead of his new album’s release, the singer’s Instagram feed lit up with a message of gratitude for his loyal followers. “Thank you to anyone that drives, flies, and journeys to watch me perform. Tour is my favourite part about being an artist. Pure artistry and I promise I’ll give my all every night as I will with anything I pour myself into.”

Stream Masego’s new self-titled album on Spotify or Apple Music below. Afterward, tell us your top three favourite titles from the tracklist in the comments. Make sure to check back on Sunday (March 5) for more release recommendations on our R&B Season playlist.

Masego Tracklist:

  1. Black Anime
  2. Sax Fifth Avenue
  3. What You Wanna Try
  4. Afraid of Water
  5. Down In The Dumps
  6. You Play With My Heart
  7. Remembering Sundays
  8. Who Cares Anyway
  9. Bye Bye My Love
  10. Say You Want Me
  11. Two Sides (I’m So Gemini)
  12. You Never Visit Me
  13. In Style
  14. Eternal Sunshine (Fire Pit)

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slowthai Pushes The Boundaries On “UGLY”

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Slowthai is far from a conformist. Since emerging in 2019 with the critically acclaimed, Nothing Great About Britain, he became a singular voice in the UK scene. It earned him praise from artists like Skepta and A$AP Rocky, who tipped their hats to his punk-rock ethos and abrasive energy. However, even with a unique sound, he didn’t allow the praise to define him. With his follow-up project, he pushed against the status quo even further with a triumphant comeback after a brush with cancel culture.

Today, the rapper unveiled his latest body of work, UGLY – an acronym for U Gotta Love Yourself. The latest project boasts no credited features across the 12-song tracklist. The assistance isn’t needed, as he links with an impressive roster of producers on the project including Kwes Darko, Dan Carey, and more to bring the project to life. He remains in the punk rock pocket but fuses together glitchy electronic sounds that bring a flare of intensity to the tracklist.

Slowthai – UGLY

Ahead of the project’s release, slowthai unloaded a number of singles on his fans such as “selfish,” and “Feel Good.” In a statement, he explained that his latest body of work is a reflection of dealing with the persona that comes with the territory of being a musician while remaining authentic to himself. “People see you as a character. They don’t actually know who you are. You’re stereotyped as the nutter who gets in his boxers,” he said. “I was doing that to show that you should be free at shows and enjoy yourself but you choose to see me as an idiot.”

“It doesn’t matter what or who people think you are, you’ve just got to stay true and respect yourself,” he continued. “I have UGLY tattooed on my face because it’s a reminder to love myself, rather than put myself down constantly or feel the impression people have of me should determine who I am as a person.” UGLY is certainly one project that’s going to remain on repeat for the coming months. Check his new album above and sound off with your thoughts in the comments.