Today is Friday, which means there are a ton of new releases to look forward to from some of your favorite Hip-Hop artists. To help you unwind and enjoy the weekend, check out VIBE’s picks of songs and albums you should hear and add to your soundtrack of weekend festivities.
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GloRilla – “Internet Trolls”
GloRilla is on an impressive run. And we’ve come to learn that comes with the internet turning on the people they once loved for no reason. The Memphis rapper addresses the negativity head-on in “Internet Trolls” and broadens the unfortunate reality beyond herself. “You can be who you wanna be, live how you wanna live/ Stunt how you wanna stunt, give what you ‘posed to give/ Say what you wanna say, feel how you wanna feel/ Sometimes I think they be forgettin’ the internet’s a fairytale.” The 23-year-old artist uses the menacing Hitkidd-produced beat to remind listeners that any persona or narrative can be created on any website, thus none of it should be taken seriously. She deflects any disdain or resentment with an audible confidence in knowing who she truly is and what she has to offer. “Fake it ‘til you make it, that’s the internet code.” – Armon Sadler
Dreamville (JID & Lute) – “Ma Boy”
Dreamville keeps things close to home on “Ma Boy,” a direct interpolation of J. Cole and Wale’s 2018 collaboration “My Boy.” JID utilizes autotune for his intimate hook and takes on the first verse. “Boy, boy, that’s my brother, so play it cool/ He a fool, a tool, a loose screw/ Pickin’ on me, ain’t no pick and choose/ Either way that you look, it’s a lose-lose” is a humorous reference to his kin but also a threat. Mess around with The Forever Story artist and you have someone worse to deal with. Lute pops in for a raw-voiced second verse, focusing more on hate and the hard work to get to where he’s at. “You know that we ain’t the same/ You know how I got these stripes/ They know I’m rooted in blood/ Y’all just be lit off the hype, you know this really my life.” In the end, the duo is focused on the loyalty they feel and their unwillingness to be hindered by anyone doubting their credibility. “I was at the BP with my boy, now it’s Bentley GT with my boy […] Spin the BT with my boy, now I’m on BET with my boy.” It feels good to win alongside the people you grinded with. – AS
Drumma Boy Feat. Crunchy Black, Gangsta Boo, La Chat – “I’mma Mack”
Drumma Boy unleashes the visual to “I’mma Mack” featuring late rap star Gangsta Boo and her fellow Three 6 Mafia groupmates Crunchy Black and La Chat. Directed by K. Cutta and shot in Memphis, the clip captures the trio turning up while reporting live from the kitchen and is the latest release from the producer’s recent album Welcome To My City Vol. 4. While Crunchy Black brandishes bankrolls and politicks with a pair of female companions, Gangsta Boo and La Chat keep things in-house, basking in the crew love while denouncing the competition. “Man, you hoes ain’t stunting/ Talking all this sh*t, but in real life, you ain’t got nothing/ Cloudy a** jewelry you be rocking,” the Enquiring Minds rapper barks on the second verse, upping the ante with her signature brand of aggression, which is only complimentary to her lyrical guile. According to Drumma Boy, the video, which was shot in mid-December 2022, was the last Gangsta Boo filmed prior to her passing in January 2023. – Preezy Brown
Ace Hood – Body Bag, Vol. 6
The spirit of independence has enraptured Ace Hood and led to an outpouring of material from the Floridian over these past few years. The 34-year-old rapper looks to tide over listeners after 2022’s M.I.N.D. with the sixth volume in his Body Bag mixtape series, on which he obliterates a succession of instrumentals from recent hits, with a few original records tossed in for good measure. “This is a body bag, put the beat in a body-cast,” Hood raps on “London (Freestyle),” a selection that marks one of his best performances on the eight-track project. Additional freestyles over Future’s “Puffin on Zooties” and “Wait for U” are sufficient in their own right, but Ace hits his highest mark on the blustering “Gallery Depot,” a salvo that finds him juggling designer wears and illicit shipments while reveling in the spoils of his clandestine lifestyle. – PB
NLE Choppa – “Champions”
NLE Choppa is here with a triumphant anthem ahead of Super Bowl LVII. “Champions” is loaded with drums, hi-hats, and horns. “My ring finger got a rock on it, rock on it / I put my head up and told ‘em crown me.” NLE Choppa skates along the downtempo record, and passionate backup vocals and a marching band come through at the end of the record to make it more than just your normal rap record. Choppa is clearly thinking higher, that’s championship behavior. – AS
Pinkpantheress ft. Ice Spice – “Boy’s A Liar Pt. 2”
Ice Spice told the world that she was looking to evolve her sound, and she couldn’t have made a better choice than linking up with PinkPantheress for “Boy’s A Liar Pt. 2.” She still gets off her brooding Bronx bars over the upbeat dance track and the lovable “Like? ad lib. Even through the bravado, she shows a side of herself that is scorned and hurt. PinkPantheress’ celestial vocals elevate a record that could do some real damage in 2023 and beyond. Munch militia has got another one. – AS
Tay B – 4eva In My Bag (Deluxe)
Tay B is adding more shelf life to his recent release with the deluxe version of 4eva In My Bag. This new iteration tacks ten new tracks onto the original 15-song offering. Lil Baby and A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie join the Detroit artist who is cool, calm, and collected in the face of big stars. He holds his own, even shining brighter on tracks like “777,” “Half On The Food” and “We Ain’t Even.” If being in his bag forever leads to output like this, Tay B is out to stay in there even with the seams start to split. – AS
Diamond D – “Life Is What You Make It”
Before the Kanye West, Swizz Beatz, and the Hit-Boys of today, Diamond D helped lay the blueprint for the production wiz with rap skills to match. The tenured double-threat continues to ply his trade with “Life Is What You Make It,” a track from his 2022 release The Rear View. Accompanied by a music video directed by RemoFilm, the clip finds the New Yorker jet-setting between Atlanta, Portugal, and Dubai, all while instructing listeners on the rules of engagement in business and war. “Straight canary, but I’ma hawk/If we ain’t talking ’bout money, f**k it, I’ma walk,” Diamonds warns over his self-produced tumbling percussion and soulful wails. Thirty years removed from his ballyhooed debut Stunts, Blunts, and Hip-Hop, the Diggin’ in the Crates Crew member shines on this outing and makes it clear he has no plans to tuck away his rhyme book or beats anytime soon. – PB
Afroman – Famous Player
Afroman drops off his latest project, Famous Player, a five-song EP which exudes positive vibes and provides a dose of feel-good music to either get your day going or soundtrack your next smoking session. The content treads familiar territory for the Cali native, which can be a positive or negative contingent on one’s taste and purview, their are a few magical moments that make this collection worthwhile. From the uplifting “Some Days” to the pimptastic titular track, this brief offering is a quaint listen that grabs your attention long enough for you to catch a contact of what’s being put in the air, yet brief enough to not overdose on the supply. – PB