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It’s been 26 years since the death of the great Tupac Shakur. His name continues to ring on and his catalog remains one of the most cherished in hip-hop. With today marking the anniversary of his passing, we’re revisiting an iconic record off of his 1995 opus, Me Against The World.

One of the most compelling aspects of Me Against The World is that it provided a comprehensive display of the layers of Tupac. His aggression, sorrows, resilience, and more were compacted into a 15-song body of work. “So Many Tears” found Tupac laying down his hopes, dreams and paranoia on wax for one of the most honest records in his catalog.

Revisit Tupac’s “So Many Tears” below and sound off with your thoughts in the comments.

Quotable Lyrics
See this Tanqueray influenced me to gettin’ crazy
Disillusioned lately, I’ve been really wantin’ babies
So I could see a part of me that wasn’t always shady
Don’t trust my lady, ’cause she’s a product of this poison
I’m hearin’ noises, think she’s fuckin’ all my boys, can’t take no more

The support for YSL is unmatched. Over the years, Young Thug and the YSL family have established themselves as one of the most important collectives to emerge out of Atlanta in recent times. From acts like Lil Baby and Gunna, who’ve dominated the charts, to more recent singings like Unfoonk and the late Lil Keed, Young Thug has helped countless artists establish themselves in the industry. 

Though Lil GotIt isn’t necessarily signed to YSL, he did come up within the camp, alongside his brother, the late Lil Keed. Today, Gotit came through with a brand new anthem calling for the release of Young Thug and co. with “Free YSL.” The new song finds GotIt bringing his signature style over icy trap production and the video includes cameos from Gunna and more.

Check the song below. 

Quotable Lyrics
Private flight, that’s a P on P
‘Bout a boy like Slimelife Shawty
Came from the mud, yeah, that’s my dawg
Free Lil Duke ’til OG calls

FishXGrits has been consistently rolling out new music and he isn’t stopping. With his new album I Am The Drug III due out later this year, he’s returned with his latest release, “Jernt” ft. Curren$y. The new single is a smokey, laidback cut produced by TJ Murphy. FishXGrits and Curren$y deliver slow-burning performances. The former sits on the more melodic side while Spitta’s non-chalant delivery takes center stage on the second verse.

“Spitta is somebody I have the utmost respect for!… I was playing the record for him so he could write his verse and instead of just wanting the beat to loop so he could hurry up and get it done he says, ‘Naw, run that all the way back from the top. We ain’t gone act like you didn’t go hard on that,’” FishXGrits recounted in a statement, “It felt great to hear a legend say those words, and truly mean it. The vibe was one of the best I’ve had with any artist and I plan on working with the whole Jet Life crew even more in the future.”  

Check the song out below. I Am The Drug III arrives on October 10th.

Quotable Lyrics
Bring me what I need, she know
Without it sayin’ this that OG player
Fur draggin’, they be askin’ for more
We treat the studio like a corner store

The hip-hop community was faced with another tragic loss on Monday (September 12). As news of 30-year-old PnB Rock’s tragic death continues to make rounds on the internet, friends, fans, and family have been paying tribute to the late Philadelphia native. 

Throughout his career, Rakim Hasheem Allen released a handful of impressive projects, including RNB3, Catch These Vibes, and most recently, SoundCloud Daze, though some of his most popular work arrived in 2017 with GTTM: Goin Thru The Motions.

The record’s fourth title, “Selfish,” has earned the title of one of PnB’s top-ranked tracks over the years, amassing nearly 350M streams on Spotify alone since its arrival.

The over four-minute-long title finds the singer getting vulnerable about his feelings, admitting that, while he’s not ready for commitment, he also doesn’t like to see the woman in his life get involved with anyone else.

Revisit “Selfish” on Spotify, Apple Music, or Soundcloud below, and read more about PnB Rock’s tragic passing here. RIP.  

Quotable Lyrics:

I ain’t nothing like these lames, I swear
Name a place, I could take you there
I’d do anything to make you laugh
And you can have anything, just ask
But just know that I’m selfish
And I swear, I can’t help it
But it’s all for you
Yeah, it’s all for you

If you’re looking for a new soothing ballad that is all about atmosphere, look no further than Kelela’s newest track, “Washed Away.” The “alternative R&B” singer and producer (whose work defies genre classification) has returned to our playlists after four years of silence since 2018’s Take Me a_Part, the Remixes. Those were remixes from her critically acclaimed 2017 debut album, Take Me Apart, and it’s an electronic direction that she continues on “Washed Away.”

Jason Mendez/Getty Images

As the song title suggests, the song’s instrumentation and vocals are washed in reverb effects and echo through the song, with no catchy melody or steady drums to push the track forward. Instead, it lingers in its mood, with only Kelela’s vocals there to break up the synthesizer ambiance. The D.C. native sings of being far away and “riding out on metal waves,” accentuating the track’s otherworldly and serene tone.

“I love a banger, but for the first point of contact out of my hiatus, it felt more honest to lead with an ambient heart-check,” said the 39-year-old in a statement. “I specifically want to speak to marginalized Black folk and highlight the work we do to find renewal in a world that’s built to make us feel inadequate. This song is the soundtrack to the relief we find after going inward.”

The music video for the Yo van Lenz-produced track was filmed in Dankail Depression, located in the northern region of the Afar Triangle in Ethiopia. Not only does Kelela go back to her roots with this release, but she’s aware of the wait fans have endured. A promotional video of fans asking “Do you know where Kelela’s been?” was released over the weekend to promote the song’s release.

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You can check out the music video for “Washed Away” below, as well as some notable lyrics from the peaceful cut.

Quotable Lyrics

The mist, the light, the dust that settles, the night
The hope, the longing, fade away, blurry-eyed
Riding out on metal waves
Moving on, a change of pace

There are many basketball players who’ve tried to dabble in rap and just as many rappers who’ve tried to dabble in ball. However, there are only a few figures who are good at both. 

Famed basketball trainer Chris Brickley announced his foray into hip-hop two years ago when he revealed that he was working on a project titled, BlackOps Presents Welcome to the Grind. He previously unveiled the Lil Durk-assisted “Ikea Rug” but over the weekend, he unleashed another banger off of the project. 

Dave East and Jadakiss linked up with Brickley for the new single, “Comfortable.” The two New York heavyweights go bar-for-bar on the record and deliver another excellent collaboration together.

Check the song out below and sound off with your thoughts in the comments.

Quotable Lyrics
When them thangs come out, that’s how we hold court
You gon’ need backup so call the whole force
We got a policy over here, that’s no loss
And the foreigns is matte black with no gloss

Loose Kannon Takeoff could very well have his breakout moment in the near future. The Orlando-based rapper’s delivered a consistent stream of projects over the past three years but it was the grind he put in prior that cemented him as one artist from Florida to look out for. “Vibe Now” became a massive regional hit record. However, he returned this weekend with its official sequel. This time, he locks in with Kevin Gates for an exquisite blend of their gruff yet melodic styles. 

Gates is coming fresh off of the release of Khaza, which arrived earlier this summer. The rapper hinted that a deluxe edition would be following shortly, though he hasn’t unveiled any official details in recent times.

Check out Loose Kannon Takeoff’s new single with Kevin Gates below.

Quotable Lyrics
Mini Mac-11 hold 32, let the clip out
Recorrect your dentures, don’t speak on shit what you hear ’bout
Seven six-twos of flip out, send a blitz, blow your shit out
Narcotics, my clique dish out, stashin’ work by my bitch house

Lil Double 0 has been the one to look out for from Memphis. In the midst of the city’s resurgence, Double 0 has aligned himself with many of Atlanta’s high-profile figures, including Future. The I Never Liked You rapper signed Double 0 to his Freebandz imprint where he released Walk Down Gang in 2021. The project’s deluxe release included their heralded collaboration, “U Sellin Dope.”

Now, the two artists are back at it again for a heavy-hitter. On Friday, Double 0 unleashed his new single, “Good On Love” ft. Future which is set to appear on his forthcoming album, WALKDAWORLD. The gutteral trap production provides a canvas for Double 0 to dish details on the ruthless environment he was raised in. Meanwhile, Future mirrors Double 0’s subject matter with a firm reminder that he hasn’t switched up on the trap, even after dominating the summer with a pop record.

WALKDAWORLD is due out on Sept. 30th.

Quotable Lyrics
Change the murder rate up like the climate
Different countries these bitches be flyin’ in
Drinkin’ poison, we live and we dying
Get to yakkin’, now she talkin’ diamonds

Along with the many other new arrivals that landed on DSPs this past New Music Friday, rapper Zaia made his return with a new single called “BMX,” along with an accompanying music video. 

“Much love to every person a part of making this video as beautiful as it is. Thank y’all,” the artist wrote in an Instagram post over the weekend, showing love to his team for pulling off yet another successful project.

“Wake up in the morning I’m depressed / N*ggas in my business like I’m paying them a good check,” Zaia vents on the song’s first few bars. “Bitches on my d*ck like BMX / I don’t wanna talk unless you coming with the good neck / No disrespect / My gun talk told me watch your stress / No disrespect / Show me how you ride BMX.”

Stream the VERY ALONE artist’s new arrival on Spotify or Apple Music below, and tap back in with HNHH later to check out more music from your favourite artists.

Quotable Lyrics:

Wake up in the morning I’m depressed
N*ggas in my business like I’m paying them a good check
Bitches on my d*ck like BMX
I don’t wanna talk unless you coming with the good neck

If you’ve already made it through the new arrivals from John Legend and Ari Lennox this weekend, may we suggest you continue to soak up the R&B goodness with a mixtape from UK artist Greentea Peng? 

The 27-year-old dropped off her 10-track effort, GREENZONE 108 on Friday (September 9), containing previously released singles like “Look To Him” and “Stuck In The Middle” as well as new favourites like “Lose My Mind,” which we featured on this week’s R&B Season playlist update.

The neo-soul songstress starts out the tune with, “The world is my own / Find me in my zone / Listening to tunes on my phone getting stoned,” her voice shining over dreamy but melancholic music.

“I ain’t in your race cause I value my space / And the time that it takes to create / Can only try be myself bother nobody else / As I battle these wars alone,” Peng continues on the chorus.

Stream “Lose My Mind” on Spotify, Apple Music, or Soundcloud below, and tap back in with HNHH later for more music updates.

Quotable Lyrics:

I ain’t in your race cause I value my space
And the time that it takes to create
Can only try be myself bother nobody else
As I battle these wars alone