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It’s been a steady rise for Abra Cadabra in the past few years, even if it’s been relatively quiet for him in the past few months. His official debut album, Product Of My Environment arrived in 2020 before sliding through with February’s Mixed Emotions. The 2021 EP banked off of Valentine’s Day with less drill and more loverboy vibes. Still, his gravelly voice still had some edge to it while offering the four-track project of R&B-infused vibes.

This week, he came through with some brand new heat for his day-one fans. “Somebody’s Son” is a return to the drill sound that propelled his career. With assistance from Press Play, the rapper unloads threatening bars over the thrilling string-laden production. “Fuck a fistfight ting/ I ain’t Mike Tyson/ I ain’t fistfighting,” he raps with vengeance in his tone.

The release of his latest single is hopefully a sign that he has another project on the way. Check his latest track below.

Quotable Lyrics
I could’ve never been a punk on my block
If I was, you could tell from my aura
I could never be wet like somebody’s daughter
Shit goes left when I swing my bora 

There’s been a lot of thoughts surrounding Pop Smoke’s new posthumous album, Faith. Fans didn’t necessarily appreciate the features since many of the high-profile names attached to the project didn’t really reach out to Pop before his passing. Plus, a few of the tracks were leaked then reworked with new collaborators on deck. “Manslaughter,” for example, originally featured Dread Woo and Dafi Woo, and had a different beat but Steven Victor explained that they weren’t able to clear the sample. 

The album version of the track now features Rick Ross and The-Dream with production hailing from Daoud, Jake One, Jess Jackson, and Ryan Press. The glorious vocal samples and downbeat percussion transform the record into an arena-friendly banger which truly is fitting for Ross’ presence. However, it’s hard not to be slightly taken aback by hearing Rozay on a track where Pop Smoke’s rap-sing variation á la 50 Cent is front and center on the hook.

Check out “Manslaughter” below.

Quotable Lyrics
White glove, dice game, Wilt Chamberlain on the block
The rain man, my stocks is one to watch
Carry a casket, a nigga carry some shots
Bomboclaat niggas in drop tops

New Orleans singer Alia Fleury has released her debut EP, Letters to Him, on Curren$y’s Jet Life Records. The rapper is also featured on the EP’s lead single, “C.U.B.”

The song, like much of the six-track EP, deals with themes of relationships and breakups. Fleury says that her hometown had a big influence on her growing up with regard to her music.

“There’s always music around you inspiring you to get involved in it,” she said in a press release. “If it’s in your heart, if you have a love for music, then you’re always going to be inspired living here because it’s everywhere you walk down the street, somebody is playing the saxophone on the corner.”

Check out “C.U.B.” below.

Quotable Lyrics:

It’s cool, tit for tat, we could play that
Your best friend pulling up, I’ma hit you right back
Oh you can’t believe I did that
I’m thinking me and you and her, she saying she’s with that

Ever since Drakeo The Ruler’s release from prison last year, he’s been making up for the lost time. His legal case was simply an injustice as prosecutors and D.A.’s went as far as using the rapper’s lyrics as evidence in court. However, even from behind bars, his workflow was truly unmatched. He released Thank You For Using GTL which was entirely recorded over a jail phone. 

This week, the rapper released his fourth official project of the year with Ain’t That The Truth. Stacked 17-songs in total, the rapper’s tastefully picked out his collaborators. He and EST Gee deliver an anthem for the streets with “Tricky Ball Play.” The two rappers share tales from the streets over a hypnotic piano loop, bringing together that West Coast swag with a Southern vibe.

Check the song below.

Quotable Lyrics
I spend hella bands when I’m shoppin’, I don’t look back
All dope rhymes in a booth, n***a good crack
I do life if the police find what’s in my bookbag

There have been conflicting thoughts surrounding the release of the late Pop Smoke’s new album, Faith. There were early discussions that 50 Cent wouldn’t be involved in the project, unlike last year’s Shoot For The Stars Aim For The Moon. However, the biggest issue fans took was the features included on the project. Many believe that Pop probably wouldn’t have worked with many artists on that list, though there are a few collaborations that have won fans over.

Pop Smoke and Lil Tjay have shown just how strong their chemistry is on wax in the past. On Faith, the two unite alongside Swae Lee on “Genius.” With Rico Beats and Tay Keith holding down the production, Tjay and Swae Lee’s contributions electrify through smooth vocal performances. Swae, once again, proves that he’s one of the most versatile artists who can easily go from making a pop-friendly anthem to menacing bangers at the snap of a finger.

Quotable Lyrics
Really come from a block where they murder and slaughter
A n***a been orderin’ Hot 9
If I’m slidin’, I’m takin’ it, easy
It’s hot-blockin’, they showin’ me stop signs
Know you see it, you not blind
I’ma only keep dumpin’, it’s my time

The Suite Life Of Zack & Cody was a staple Disney show that’s reached a status of nostalgia, especially among younger hip-hop acts. The days when Cole and Dylan Sprouse were roaming around the Tipton Hotel is long gone. However, plenty of people hold the show dear to their hearts, including 2KBaby and DDG who take inspiration from The Suite Life for their new single. 

This week, 2KBaby called on DDG for their new collaboration, “Zack & Cody.” The breezy guitar strings and booming 808s are complemented by Baby and DDG’s melodious delivery.

The two rappers are building quite a rapport with one another. Earlier this year, the two collided on DDG’s collaborative project with OG Parker for the song, “Let Em Go.”

Peep their new collab below. 

Quotable Lyrics
Baby, I was packin’ with the package
I’m taxin’, any goofy n***a that be gassin’
I’m stackin’ and you will never tell ’cause I ain’t flashin’

Lyrica Anderson has long been a staple of the R&B scene since she popped up in the early 2010s, though she continues to thrive with every release. Now, she’s enlisting the help of Tory Lanez for “Act A Fool (Remix).” The original “Act A Fool” stands on its own as an elegant and impressive slow jam, full of atmospheric production and Anderson’s impressive vocal range. However, with the help of Tory Lanez, the duo might have an intimate and romantic classic on their hands. 

Anderson’s vocal ability itself is enough to fall in love with the track. The R&B veteran needs no help from the production to fill out empty spaces as she riffs across the track with grace and shows off the infinite limits of her vocal range. Her almost eager tone fits well with the lyrics, which finds Anderson holding herself out for a lover who she hopes is doing the same. 

Lanez only serves to complement Anderson’s verse and chorus with his own versatile performance. It’s always a nice surprise when Lanez substitutes his hard-hitting rapping ability for the more soft and high-pitched singing talent he so easily pulls off. He begins his verse following the lead of Anderson, though shocks as he tunes into a compelling half-singing and half-rapping passage. Oftentimes, it’s hard to decide whether to cry or start head-banging.

“Act A Fool (REMIX)” is sure to be an impressive collection to your R&B playlist. Check it out below, as well as our R&B SEASON playlist on Spotify. 

Quotable Lyrics:
So if you wanna act a fool
Baby I can act up too
Heard you out here breaking rules
Playing games I can’t lose

Things changed for Future the second he dropped DS2. Though the Atlanta rapper had already changed the sound of rap as we knew it, Dirty Sprite 2 cemented his influence and status among rap’s elite. DS2 easily qualifies as a classic album in trap music, and hip-hop, in general (though it probably needs a bit more time before that’s unanimously agreed upon). 

To commemorate the album’s anniversary, we’re bringing back a classic record off of the project. On “Stick Talk,” the rapper basks in the luxury and infamy which has earned him exotic vehicles and wealth. “10 million cash, fuck a friend/ started syrup, I’ve been geeked ever since/ Gotta keep the heat on the seat ever since,” he raps on the hook.

What’s even more interesting about this song is that it was playing in Michael Phelps’ this song when he made the infamous stank face at the Rio Olympics which spawned plenty of memes.

Quotable Lyrics
I’mma tell a lie under oath
I can see it in your eyes, you’re going broke
Oxycontin got her with a body count
Riding in a car I barely can pronounce

Memphis got it right now. Moneybagg Yo currently has the highest-selling hip-hop album of the year, Yo Gotti is making major plays, and Gucci Mane’s 1017 imprint has become a new home to artists out of the city. However, it’s acts like Pooh Shiesty and Big30 who’ve been largely building the hype.

Big30 has been steadily bubbling up but most people have high hopes for his trajectory. This week, he proved exactly why with the release of his latest single, “Mista.” The rapper asserts his big dawg status on this record over eerie piano-laden production. “Bet Big 30 don’t play for nothin’/
I been thuggin’, that’s on my son,” he raps on the record.

Big30 is surely bound to do some big things in the future. Check his latest cut below.

Quotable Lyrics
Before they cut my name down to Big30, I was 30 round
Don’t do no cappin’, we get active, opp knows how this 30 sound
P***y told me f*ck my n***a to my face, I couldn’t believe it
N***a know I don’t play one to the face, he must thought I was Jeezy

Zo Morese, Mike Millz, and DJ Sliickk have a banger on their hands. “We Outside” is a fun club single that is guaranteed to make you dance. The instrumental is a mix of New Jersey Club Music and hip-hop that scratches that nostalgia itch. DJ Sliickk provides the right vibes for Zo and Millz to give listeners a hilarious and highly entertaining booty shaker. 

There’s just something about the comical pieces of this track that really brings the track together thematically. “We Outside” is a celebration of post-pandemic activities. Zo picks up the second verse with a calmer tone than usual, but the energy still leaks through the speakers. Your Summer 2021 playlist is incomplete without this single, trust us. 

Quotable Lyrics
Movie theater in the backroom
We ain’t even watching movies in it
Champagne in a big jacuzzi
Hell yeah we keep cuties in it
Shay said she has girlfriends and they wan’ do what girls do
Aight cool, bring your girls through
They like girls, we like girls too