song

Rising New York City star Dimitri McDowell has a song of the summer on his hands. Back in May, he unveiled his single, “Contact” which has continued to maintain steady circulation across playlists and DJ sets. The breezy, laidback island feel and infectious melodies transformed the record into an immediate smash, though it appears that McDowell is preparing to keep that momentum high in the weeks to come.

This week, Dimitri McDowell unveiled the official remix to the song. Though much of the original composition is left intact, McDowell enlists BEAM to help boost the vibe a bit more.

BEAM is fresh off of his appearance on Pop Smoke’s FAITH where he teamed up alongside Pusha T and Travi for the record, “Top Shotta.”

Peep Dimitri McDowell’s remix of “Contact High” below.

Quotable Lyrics
She see me pull up in a Phantom, yeah
Her body movin’ like she want some, yeah
What we doin’ ain’t nobody else business
Ain’t no man ah give it to you like this

Although it is only three years old, Swimming will forever hold a special place in the hearts of Mac Miller fans. Released roughly a month prior to his tragic death in September 2018, Mac’s fifth studio album landed the same day as Astroworld, the LP that officially ushered in Travis Scott’s arrival as Hip-Hop’s latest superstar. Thanks to Astroworld and the arrival of Nicki Minaj’s fourth studio album Queen a week later, Swimming wasn’t the project that was inspiring nonstop headlines at the time of its release, but it was lauded by critics nonetheless.

On its three-year anniversary, Mac Miller’s fifth studio album remains his most poignant and well-constructed full-length effort. Featuring tracks like “Perfecto,” “Self Care,” “Wings,” and “2009,” Swimming was self-aware and accepting without feeling emotionally overwhelming. 

Even on the album’s hauntingly beautiful closing track, “So It Goes,” hope, defeat, and indifference all blend together seamlessly. Mac reportedly tasked producer Jon Brion to make the track’s orchestral outro sound like the “ascension into heaven,” so perhaps “So It Goes” alludes to the acceptance of one’s accomplishments and shortcomings prior to their death. Like “So It Goes,” Swimming was just ethereal, and it was a remarkable full-length effort from the late Pittsburgh rapper.

On the three-year anniversary of Swimming, what tracks from Mac Miller’s fifth studio album do you find yourself revisiting the most?

Quotable Lyrics

Okay, well, you could have the world in the palm of your hands
You still might drop it
And everybody wanna reach inside your pockets
So it goes
It’s like, in every conversation, we the topic
This narcissism, more like narcotics
So it goes

Rest in peace, Mac Miller!

If you’ve been waiting on a new album from Joey Purp, you’re just in luck. The rapper just announced his forthcoming project, UpLate! with the release of its lead single, “Outside.” The upbeat banger serves as Purp’s first solo single in nearly three years since the release of QUARTERTHING in 2018.

Purp’s new album, UpLate! is set to be released on September 24th and includes his production debut. Additionally, the entire project will be entirely featureless.

“We really just wanted to expand. Expand on everything we’ve done. Expand on our sound. Expand Chicago’s sound and what that means to the world. We wanted to give a glimpse at our history and our future at the same time you know,” Purp explained of the project in a statement. “There’s a saying, you don’t know where you’re going unless you know where you came from. In hip-hop, we say it ain’t where you from it’s where you at. So this is where we’re from and this is where we’re at and this is where we’re going. And this is what it sounds like.”

Quotable Lyrics
Yeah, I be overseas I can’t even speak
Having conversations ’bout the cheese, talking guapenese with me
2,000 dollars on sneaks, that’s a K a feet
I keep this shit a hunnid, keep it Gucci, keep it double G

Just a few weeks ago, Fredo Bang was arrested ahead of Rolling Loud in connection to a 2019 shooting allegedly involving NBA Youngboy. Unfortunately, the arrest occurred days before he was set to make his appearance on the festival stage, which many artists, in general, have anticipated since the start of the pandemic.

Despite his legal situation, the rapper is keeping a steady grip on the streets with the release of new music. On Friday, the rapper dropped off his latest record, “Street Team.” Putting his melodic sensibilities on hold, Fredo tackles the Hardbody B-Eazy and DJ Chose production with a menacing flow detailing violence and revenge. He also throws a shout out to Boosie Badazz on the record, acknowledging their familial ties. 

Peep the record below.

Quotable Lyrics
Dancing with that Draco while I shoot, check my two-step
I’ve been knocking n***as off since I touched down, I got a few left
He with my blood but I know cuz, he keep a choppa (he got a blue belt)
I set it off from Bad Azz but I’m not my cousin Boo, yeah

Jack Harlow’s keeping Pooh Shiesty’s name alive in these streets with his latest release. Over the weekend, the Louisville rapper revealed that he had new music in the cut with the “Back In Blood” artist in a brief video he shared to Instagram which previewed their new collaboration. Wasting little time, he came through this Tuesday afternoon with a brand new banger alongside Pooh Shiesty titled, “SUVs (Black On Black).” Go Grizzly and Smash David handle the trunk-rattling production while Jack and Shiesty offer braggadocious bars and muddy flows.

“The reason I wanted to work with Pooh is I had been listening to a lot of him. Right around when we made this song and he’s just one of those fresh voices this year, and I feel like he and I are just kind of rising at this similar time,” Jack told Apple Music about working with Pooh Shiesty. “We’re both hot artists and it felt like it made sense. I could hear his voice on it. I felt like it was a bop he could handle. You know, there’s certain beats you feel like only certain artists can get on, but this felt like something for him. I knew he would eat this, so it just made sense, and it felt organic because we had just started getting cool, and I had a record for him.”

Harlow’s latest offering comes just a few weeks after he assisted Lil Nas X on the highly-anticipated single, “Industry Baby” which debuted at #2 on the Billboard Hot 100. 

Check out “SUVs (Black On Black)” below.

Quotable Lyrics
I’ve seen hitters turn to rats
We went from Hemis to them ‘Cats
Remember trailed me in my Track’
SUVs, SUVs black on black
I see ’em talking’ tough, can’t wait to slime ’em out, king slatt 

Though her 2018 studio debut Whack World was certainly acclaimed, there are many who are still eagerly awaiting the arrival of a proper full-length effort from the immensely versatile rapper. As of this moment, such a wish has yet to be granted. That’s not to say Tierra hasn’t kept her fans satisfied, having launched her “Whack Wednesday” series with plenty of strong material.

With no sign of a sophomore album — at least, not yet — Whack has officially dropped off a brand new single “Walk The Beat,” which once again takes her in an intriguing new direction. The track is notably house-inspired, with a pulsating beat driving momentum. Whack floats overtop, celebrating her love for “fashion shows and fancy clothes” before showcasing her impressive — albeit restrained — flow. 

Check out Tierra Whack’s new single “Walk The Beat” right now, and be sure to keep an eye out for more news on her next big project. Do you want to see her explore this sound further?

QUOTABLE LYRICS

Raf Simons, Rick Owens
On the runway tip-toeing
Gotta run gotta get goin’
Yeah I got the — and my skin glowing
Told the cashier charge it to my credit card
Chanel scent I know he can smell me from afar

YTB Trench’s debut mixtape Versatalien isn’t just a cleverly titled project from the steadily rising Atlanta-based rapper. It’s a true-to-form testament to the YSL artist’s incredible talent and dynamic versatility. The thirteen-track mixtape only features two guest appearances from his fellow labelmates Gunna and Young Thug, but YTB Trench’s ability to effortlessly contort his voice and switch styles is impressive enough to keep listeners locked in for its entire 34-minute runtime.

YTB Trench has already shined on tracks like YSL’s Slime Language 2 standout “Paid the Fine” and on his first post-SL2 single “F.O.F.G.,” but if you need a little more convincing on why you should give Versatalien a listen, look no further than the project’s fourth track.

“How” finds YTB Trench switching up his style once again, adopting a more staccato-like rapping style. He also enlists Gunna for a guest feature over the vibey Lock production, and the end result is sensational.

Listen to YTB Trench’s Lock-produced and Gunna-assisted “How” below, and check out the rest of Versatalien here.

Quotable Lyrics

Cash the check, this sh*t done got litty
These b*tches keep coming, every one of them pretty
This paper bring presents, I cash out on plenty
I count it, can’t steal it, I need every penny
The drip been stolen, I need my percentage

With plenty of strong releases having dropped this past Friday, a few of the deeper gems happened to fly under the radar. One such gem includes Hologram and DJ Muggs’ new collaborative project American Cheese, a dark and grimy dose of slick boom-bap underground hip-hop.

It feels appropriate to shine a light on one of the highlights, which happens to feature a lyricist that many know and love — Action Bronson, who banks off his recognizability in the opening moments of his verse. Over a lively piano loop, Hologram sets it off with a laid-back verse, his delivery playing nicely against Bronsolinio’s dynamic flow. No stranger to collaborating with one another — Holo actually appeared on Action’s Lamb On Rice project — “Don’t Ride With The Drugs” is another strong duet from the like-minded emcees.

Check this one out now, and if you like what you hear, peep the entirety of Hologram and Muggs’ American Cheese right here.

QUOTABLE LYRICS

I caught the alley-opp, jumped off my left foot
Brought the thunder, serve a motherfucker up just like some hummus
Two thug dykes, pack a Jersey, red Reggie White
Goin’ back and forth, uptown to cop haze, I’m talking every night 

– Action Bronson

Calboy has continuously been one of the more unique young artists in the game thanks to his solid storytelling and buttery smooth melodies. The Chicago artist has been a master at creating catchy tracks, and whenever he drops something new, fans are ready to support it in every single way they can. Recently, Calboy blessed his loyal fans with a brand new song called “Round Here” which also came with a brand new music video.

In this track, we get a luxurious instrumental that features some of Calboy’s crispiest melodies yet. The artist floats on this production all while he offers stories about his upbringing and how he’s been able to remain successful since his breakout release. Overall, it’s yet another solid release from the artist, and you can check it out, below.

Quotable Lyrics:

Tryna make it out them dark days (Oh)
Since the fame, been more pain and heartbreak (Heartbreak)
Reminiscin’ ’bout them days, was in that hallway (That hallway)
Straight out the mud, I got this shit thе hard way (Hard way)

Though it’s unfair to examine all of Lupe’s new drops through the lens of his recent brush with Royce Da 5’9″, but it seems as if the elite lyricist is adamantly goading his former co-host into a second round. Following the back-to-back release of “Repo Pe and SBA Lu,” which found Lupe engaging in a sparring session with himself, he has once again returned with another new drop.

“Teach A Man To Fish” is the latest in a string of Lupe tracks, with this one in particularly capturing a refreshingly nostalgic mixtape spirit. From the minute he begins rapping, it’s clear the schemes he’s setting up are ahead of the pack. “Same teeth since I was two, I don’t like the beef so let’s meet behind the moon, my skill level accrue,” he raps. “I think I used to stink like the street behind the zoo / then it all started to sink like a leak inside a cruise.”

Cleverness is something that not all rappers possess, and Lupe is easily top of his class. Look no further than the aforementioned lines. Baby teeth would struggle chewing meat, hence his dislike for beef — and check the double entendre segue of meet and meat. And that’s only one of many bars on “Teach A Man To Fish.” Check it out for yourself now.

QUOTABLE LYRICS

Same teeth since I was two,
I don’t like the beef so let’s meet behind the moon, my skill level accrue
I think I used to stink like the street behind the zoo
Then it all started to sink like a leak inside a cruise