The best new hip-hop this week includes albums, videos, and songs from Saweetie, Snoop Dogg, Wiz Khalifa, and more.
Some of hip-hop’s heaviest hitters returned to the spotlight this week, with Pusha T dropping his new single “Diet Coke” and 21 Savage joining the late King Von on “Don’t Play That.” Then, on Friday, Nicki Minaj followed up her previous week’s single with another Lil Baby collaboration “Bussin,” Mozzy and Roddy Ricch put on for the “Real Ones,” NLE Choppa concluded his “Shotta Flow” series with “Shotta Flow 6,” and Future pre-emptively trashed Valentine’s Day with “Worst Day.”
Here is the best of hip-hop this week ending February 11, 2021.
Albums/EPs/Mixtapes
Cousin Stizz — Just For You
The Boston rapper returns with his first full-length since 2019’s Trying to Find My Next Thrill and remains as consistent as ever. In addition, Just For You is his first project since leaving RCA and truly shows his creative mindset, free of external influence or a need to craft “hits.” At 13 tracks and featuring no guests, this project might be the truest to his character.
Juicy J & Wiz Khalifa — Stoner’s Night
Juicy J and Wiz Khalifa have an extensive history of making each other’s tracks better, so why shouldn’t they team up to craft a hedonistic joint album? The duo’s chemistry remains as magnetic as ever and they use the opportunity to highlight both the foundation and future of Memphis rap with guest spots from Big30 and Project Pat.
Snoop Dogg — BODR
Snoop finally fulfilled his dream of acquiring ownership of the Death Row brand (with the catalog not far behind), so it makes sense that he would drop a full project on the label to commemorate the occasion. Back On Death Row is a typically exuberant showcase of Snoop’s influence and love for the art form, tagging in peers (Nate Dogg, Nas), contemporaries (The Game, T.I.), and newcomers (October Landon) alike.
$NOT — Ethereal
After shocking Florida rap fans awake with his take on the thrash fusion style popularized in his home state, $NOT looks to expand his palette on his second album, layering in classic boom-bap (assisted by Joey Badass) and softer sounds that perfectly evoke the album’s title.
Singles/Videos
Big Moochie Grape — “In Dolph We Trust”
Long Live Young Dolph, the tribute album from the late Memphis hero’s label Paper Route Empire, has legs.
Cardo — “Van Gogh” Feat. JID & Lil Yachty
Cardo may be better known for the smooth production with which he outfits characters like Curren$y, LE$, and Larry June, but he digs into a rougher sound for this ATL collaboration.
Carl Lamarre — “For The Family”
Journalist Carl Lamarre is taking a somewhat of a circuitous route to Billboard acclaim; the magazine’s longtime editor flexes his pen in a new fashion, following in the footsteps of peers such as Genius’ Rob Markman.
Don Q — “What Up”
The Bronx native continues to roll out singles from his album Double Or Nothing, keeping the Highbridge flag flying as A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie prepares his own project.
Mibbs — “Transit”
Rap fans who were around for the first wave of blog-certified rappers surely remember Pac Div. Mibbs goes solo to promote his upcoming LP, House & Garden.
Nana — “Bet It Back”
South Central native Nana got off to a strong start in 2021, and his first single of 2022 shows no signs of rust.
Saweetie — “Closer” Feat. HER
The Bay Area native catches all kinds of hell on Twitter, but each time she returns she offers something we haven’t seen from her, which tells me that she’s striving to improve with every new release. That’s worth applauding, especially when that work ethic produces stone-cold bops like this.
Trae Tha Truth — “Sky Scraper” Feat. Louie Ray
The Houston veteran released his latest project, Truth Season, this week preceded by a video for this chilling standout.
Wynne — “Mary’s Lambo”
Portland’s own bares all in the latest video from her 2021 EP Do My Own Stunts.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
