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Grammy nominated singer Nao holds all of the accolades of a seasoned R&B veteran at only 33 years old. Though she only began releasing solo music in 2014, the two albums she’s put out since then have received widespread critical acclaim and millions of streams. As her third album’s September 24th release date rounds the corner, Nao is spreading positivity on the album’s fourth single “And Then Life Was Beautiful”.

It’s clear that the COVID-19 pandemic was a tough time for the UK singer, and she’s hoping to help others who are struggling on this new release. The track opens with “Change came like a hurricane/ 2020 hit us differently/ And even though I didn’t want it/ This old life got a hold of me” as Nao describes the hopelessness brought on by quarantine. While the verses of the song act as darker descriptions of pandemic life, the chorus is truly an emergence of light. Complimented by a beat drop and soaring vocal harmonies, Nao refocuses on health and a post-pandemic world with repetition of “And Then Life Was Beautiful.”

Nao exudes further wisdom on the bridge of the song, which finds her advising listeners to stop and breathe once in a while and appreciate what you have.

And Then Life Was Beautiful is set to release on September 24th. 

Check out the track below:

Quotable Lyrics:

It’s the little things
I used to neglect you, used to runnin’ away
I never stopped to see them growin’ (Growin’)
I never stopped to see them grow, oh, oh, oh, (Growin’), growin’

Syracuse, New York rapper Stove God Cooks’ career has been on the up and up the past two years. Though he only joined streaming services last year, his 2020 full-length debut Reasonable Drought received positive reviews from prominent music publications and has been circulating among underground circles. Through a number of more recent singles dropped this year, the rapper is attempting to extend the momentum 2020 afforded him. “Run It Up”, his most recent release, seems to be yet another helping of Stove God Cooks’ gritty and Pusha-T-reminiscent style. 

To classify Stove God Cooks’ style as “throwback: would be half-correct. While the instrumentation on “Run It Up” seems reminiscent of the pre-trap era (think Joey Bada$$’s 1999), the rapper brings a contemporary energy and approach to the beat. His flows are highly reminiscent of Pusha T’s signature cadences and often contain similar lyrical matter, though they’re complimented by Stove God Cook’s high pitched and often eccentric vocal inflections. In this style, the rapper dictates aggressively all of his accomplishments while sticking to a theme of producing/smuggling drugs. 

Check the track out here:

Quotable Lyrics:

Paper plate the Maserati for a butter run
If it’s what you say it is I’ll buy another one
One man’s trash is the reason why another one
It’s just a pot to you but that got me like 700 up

When Logic announced his retirement from hip-hop back in 2020, many fans were saddened to see him go. After all, he had a massive run in the 2010s, and it is always a shock to the system when a prominent artist decides to take a step back. However, retirement started to bore Logic, and in the end, he decided to come back to the profession he’s always loved. On Friday, he dropped Bobby Tarantino III and fans are pleased with the return.

One of the big standouts on the album is a track called “Flawless” in which the artist raps about his significant other who he believes to be perfect. As far as bars go, Logic sounds as locked in as ever, all while the production is extremely clean and nostalgic. From the piercing synths to the chord stabs on the guitars, this track feels like it is a hybrid of the 80s and the future.

You can check out this new track, below.

Quotable Lyrics:

Take it back like ’03, want the old me
What they told me but don’t know me
Jump on it, make it pop back like you owe me
Don’t stop that, just show me

Isaiah Rashad is an artist that fans have been waiting on for quite some time now. After a long wait between projects, some supporters were worried that Rashad would never actually drop. In the end, Rashad was able to reassure his fans as he announced the release date for The House Is Burning, just a few weeks ago. Now, the album is finally out and fans are ecstatic about everything they’ve heard so far. There are plenty of standout tracks here, including the effort with Smino called “Claymore.”

On this track, we are met with a silky smooth instrumental that contains some light drums and jazzy guitar loops in the background. From there, Rashad and Smino lead the way with some crisp vocal melodies that help add to the jazz-infused feel of the song. All of the elements come together to create an amazing song that works perfectly within the context of the album.

You can check out the song, below.

Quotable Lyrics:

Do-do you wanna play in the backseat? Pardon my break
Do you wanna live in the fast lane? Shawty, I might (Might)
Lo-lo-losin’ my, losin’ my, losin’ myself, I’m high (I’m high)
Cr-cr-cruisin’ now, cruisin’ now, crush it up, crush it up, nice (Nice)

Sean Kingston started out his career with the smash hit “Beautiful Girls” as well as various other pop hits. Over the years, Kingston has continued to make music and his dedicated fanbase has remained with him throughout the journey. Now, Kingston is looking to change up his style a bit, as he has enlisted Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker for his latest song called “Love Is Wonderful.”

As you would come to expect from a Barker-infused track, this effort is full of clean guitar melodies and a simple drum pattern that helps accentuate Kingston’s voice. Vocally, Kingston sounds a lot different than what we’re used to as he changes his inflections to properly fit the pop-punk aesthetic that embeds itself throughout the track.

Overall, it’s interesting to hear Kingston get outside of his comfort zone, and if you’re curious about the song, you can listen to it down below.

Quotable Lyrics:

Tears of waterfall, like the seven seas
Got me swimming in your love, feel the ocean breeze
Yeah, you know you touch my heart, give me energy
Wow-whoa, shawty is like a melody

If you are a fan of Rich The Kid, then you know that he loves to flex in his music. Why wouldn’t he? After all, why cop million-dollar Rolexes and fast cars if you can’t even show them off? Over the last year or so, Rich The Kid has been fairly quiet on the music front, although he has popped up here and there with new tracks. Today, Rich The Kid did just that as he blessed his fans with a brand new song called “Prada.”

Based on the title alone, you can probably guess that this song has plenty of braggadocios lyrics to go around. Throughout the 93-second runtime, Rich The Kid can be found rapping about his designer clothes as well as his large bricks of cash. This is all done over an energetic beat that barrages your ears with some booming 808s.

If you want to check out the track, you can do so below.

Quotable Lyrics:

Walk through in Egypt for three-hundred (Three-hundred)
Pull out a bed then I sleep on it (I sleep on it)
Pulled out my dick and she eat on it (Eat on it)
She a lil’ freak and she suckin’, no teeth on it

Today, newly crowned XXL Freshman Toosii doubled down on all of the hype that he has built throughout 2021 and released the deluxe version to his May mixtape Thank You For Believing. By tacking on an additional ten tracks, Toosii’s fan-favorite project went jumped from a 38-minute runtime to a whopping one-hour and eight-minute runtime, and but so far, fans aren’t complaining one bit.

Like the original version of the project, Toosii kept the features on Thank You For Believing (The Manifestation) to a minimum, but he did end up linking with Florida rapper Hotboii and Brooklyn Drill rapper Fivio Foreign.

Toosii/Instagram

His collaboration with his fellow XXL Freshman alum has already been catching fan’s attention, and while the song is unarguable a pure burst of energy, it’s one line in particular that has fans talking about Toosii and Fivio’s new team-up. Towards the end of Fivio’s verse, the Brooklyn rapper randomly says, “Sh*tting, pooping, sh*tting, pooping ” and while it’s absolutely ridiculous, it somehow fits. Apparently, even Toosii and Fivio find it hilarious because the two rappers were seen on Instagram earlier today laughing about Fivio’s absurd bar.

Check out the music video for the electrifying Toosii and Fivio Foreign collab from Thank You For Believing (The Manifestation) below.

Quotable Lyrics

I’m ruthless, ice cream, scooping (Baow)
Sh*tting, pooping, sh*tting, pooping
I feel like the GOAT
I don’t need none of your votes (I don’t)
I don’t like how you talking, girl, watch the approach
Can’t ride my wave, I’ma blow up your boat (Baow, baow, baow)

If Kash Doll’s consistency and versatility throughout 2021 hasn’t impressed you yet, perhaps you’re not actually paying attention. In everything from her role in 50 Cent’s new STARZ show Black Mafia Family, her TikTok viral single “Thumbin’,” and a string of high-profile collaborations, Kash Doll’s success in 2021 has been monumental for her career. “Like A Pro” featuring Juicy J, her newest single, proves she has much more to come.

The production on “Like A Pro” sees Kash Doll stepping away from her usually simple trap beats and spitting over a beat more accustomed to Juicy J’s discography. With dramatic thorns, the instrumental seems fresh out of the late 2000’s bling era.

Still, Kash Doll and Juicy J have no problem spitting catchy flows and throwing out memorable bars on the track. Juicy J takes over the hook with an infectious repetition of “back it up,” while Kash Doll uses her verses to brag about her success and shush the haters. 

Suffice it to say, “Like A Pro” is the flex anthem Kash Doll deserves to make after her recent successes. 

Quotable Lyrics:

B****, yeah, this is Kash now (Right)
Crib on the water, put a lotta cash down
You h*** sanitation, I’ma take the trash out

Young Dolph has adamantly carried the torch for independently-minded artists, and damned if he and his team haven’t reaped the benefits. Not only are they securing bags without the trappings of a major-label contract, but they’re also retaining the loyalty of their fanbase with every release. Today marks the arrival of a new milestone for Dolph’s collective, with Paper Route Empire’s Paper Route Illuminati officially landing in full twenty-three track glory.

Though there’s certainly plenty of material to unpack, one of the more immediate standouts happens to be “Beat It.” Boasting a dangerously classy orchestral beat, PRE’s Young Dolph and Big Unccc indulge in their unique brand of braggadocious gangsta rap. “Lay in the bushes aiming through the scope,” raps Dolph. “Wait on this fuck-n***a to walk through the door / made millions of rap without sellin’ dope / most valuable player boy, go ask your ho.” 

Check out “Beat It” now, and give the Paper Route Empire compilation project a spin to support the movement.

QUOTABLE LYRICS

Lay in the bushes aiming through the scope
Wait on this fuck-n***a to walk through the door
Made millions of rap without sellin’ dope
Most valuable player boy, go ask your ho

Boldy James and The Alchemist have officially confirmed the release date for their upcoming Bo Jackson album, which is due for release on August 13th. The follow-up to their previous — and acclaimed — The Price Of Tea In China, this new effort kicks off with the new single “Drug Zone.”

Off the bat, the mood is a shadowy one, and Boldy operates quite nicely as a nocturnal being. Alc’s hazy production is the perfect backdrop for James’ observational lyricism, which begins with an acrobatic feat of dexterity. “All this press and it’s depressed, and the pressure is still pressin’ against a ni**a flesh, it’s beyond measure,” he raps, over a dark and grimy beat. From there, Boldy puts on an absolute clinic, his lyricism designed to be analyzed with rapt attention.

Check it out for yourself below, and if Bo Jackson features more where this came from, we’re in for a potential album of the year contender.

QUOTABLE LYRICS

All this press and it’s depressed,
And the pressure is still pressin’ against a ni**a flesh, it’s beyond measure
Don Mega, prawn setter, prizefighter
You know I rep the dirty glove like a high catcher