the Grammy’s pays tribute to several female rappers who have moved the culture forward and shaped the world of hip-hop.

Celebrate Women’s History Month, Grammy.com unveiled its list of the 5 essential women in rap on Friday. The women on the list are trailblazers who broke boundaries and opened doors for rappers and creators after them.

MC Lyte was first on the list, being the first female Grammy-nominated rapper. Next was Sylvia Robinson, the “mother of hip-hop” who founded Sugar Hill Records. Lil Kim followed for his contributions to shaping fashion in the female hip-hop community and normalizing sexuality. Cardi B was next for her many accomplishments, including becoming the first female rapper to win Best Rap Album at the 61st GRAMMY Awards. Last but not least, Tierra Whack has been listed for her willingness to think outside the box through quirky fashion and strong lyrical abilities.

Although not on the list, Nicki Minaj was mentioned in the article for her stellar performance with Doja Cat in the “Say So” remix. The record marked the first time a female rap collaboration topped the chart. Queen Latifah and Salt-N-Pepa were also highlighted in the full article.

This week in hip hop, we had King Von’s posthumous album, plus new albums from Your Old Droog, Kojey Radical, The Cool Kids, RZA & DJ Scratch, and more. We also received new singles from The Alchemist, Joey Bada$$, Dave, Tinashe, Pusha T, Popcaan, A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie, Bktherula, Joey Fatts, and more. Read on for all the rap and R&B we’ve released this week…

THE ALCHEMIST – “DIESEL” (ft. KOOL G RAP)

The hugely prolific and still excellent producer The Alchemist has just released a new single featuring legendary New York rapper Kool G Rap, and it’s no surprise these two sound great together.

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JOEY BADA$$ – “HEADS UP”

“It’s one of the best, purest, most realistic tracks I’ve ever created and I’m thrilled to finally be able to share it with the world,” Joey Bada$$ said of his new single “Head High”, produced by Statik. Selektah. “This one is for Nip, X, Pop and every young black man whose life was taken way too soon. This is for anyone who has to navigate everyday life with their head on a swivel.”

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DEFCEE & BOATHOUSE – “RAGNAROK” (ft. KIPP STONE)

Chicago underground rapper Defcee has announced a sequel to Messiah Musk produced last year hatch. It’s called For all public and private debts, scheduled for April 19 via Closed Sessions, and this one was produced entirely by another Chicagoan BoatHouse. It has appearances from Armand Hammer, SolarFive, greenSLLLIME, Mother Nature and Kipp Stone, the latter appearing on the big single “Ragnarok”.

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YOUR OLD DROOG – “PURPLE RAIN FREESTYLE”

The incredibly prolific Your Old Droog is already gearing up for his second project of 2022, YOD wave, due this Friday (3/4). The first single is this Prince-inspired freestyle.

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MARCY CHIN – “GIVE ME MORE”

Jamaican rapper/singer Marcy Chin blurs the lines between hip hop and dancehall on this catchy new single.

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DAVE – “STAR LIGHT”

After releasing one of the best albums of 2021 with We’re all alone togetherBritish rapper Dave has released a soulful new single, “Starlight.”

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PENDANT – “STATIC DREAM”

Here’s another track from Pendant’s upcoming Saddle Creek debut Harpand like the previous single “Thorn”, it’s a very 90s fusion of electronica, hip hop and loud rock.

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TINASHE – “HMU FOR A GOOD TIME” FT. VERY CHANNEL

Tinashe just released the deluxe edition of last year’s great album 333including an impressive collaboration with Channel Tres which finds both artists producing house-tinged R&B.

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CADENCE ARME – “ON ME” (LORAINE JAMES REMIX)

“Loraine James is one of my favorite artists,” Cadence Weapon’s Rollie Pemberton says of this new remix, “so I was thrilled when she said she wanted to do a remix for me. one of the UK’s most innovative electronic musicians, Loraine’s rendition of ‘On Me’ brings out the warped paranoia of targeted surveillance in a more trippy way than on the original.

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KING VON – “WAR”

King Von’s posthumous album What it means to be king drops this Friday, and here’s a new single that reminds us that Von was both hard-hitting and incisive.

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PUSHA T & NIGO – “HEAR ME CLEARLY” (PROD: KANYE WEST)

Nigo shared his Pusha T “Hear Me Clearly” collaboration from his upcoming album I Know Nigo which also features A$AP Rocky, Kid Cudi and more. The track was produced by Kanye West along with ThaMyind, Luca Starz and BoogzDaBeast

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THEY HATE CHANGE – “FROM THE FLOOR” (ft. DJ GAY-Z)

Tampa experimental/production rap duo They Hate Change to release new album Finally, New on May 13 via Jagjaguwar, and you can hear more about the new single “From the Floor” here.

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PAUL WALL & TERMANOLOGY – “RECOGNIZING MY CAR”

Houston rapper Paul Wall is back with an old-school ode to driving slow and being seen. The great Pete Rock produces. Their collaborative album, Start 2 Endout April 8

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POPCAAN – “CARTIER SKELETON”

Jamaican dancehall great Popcaan has released the first single from his new album Big is it, which will also feature in Drake’s Nike x NOCTA shoe launch campaign. “This song is about how I felt after ordering myself a Skeleton Cartier watch for my birthday,” he says. “It was possible because I worked. The goal is always to be richer – in more ways than one!”

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A BOOGIE WIT DA HOODIE – “HIT DIFFERENT (FT. B-LOVEE)”

A Boogie teams up with B-Lovee again for this new track which features a video inspired by Guy Ritchie’s film To tear out.

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BKTHERULA – “KEEP DA K” & “CUT”

Rising Atlanta rapper Bktherula has released two new tracks, “Keep Da K” and “Coupe.” “These songs are memories of being young and carefree,” she said. REVOLT. “I wanted the visuals to be really raw and vulnerable and reminiscent of being a kid.”

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JOEY FATTS – “BRIGHT LIGHTS” (ft. ALLYN)

Long Beach rapper Joey Fatts has announced a new album, QUICCSANDscheduled for March 18. It features songs featuring Blxst and Allyn, the latter singing the hovering hook on the new single “Bright Lights”.

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SOUL GLO – “DRIPONOMICS” FT. MOTHER MARY ROSE

The new single “Driponomics” from genre-defying Philadelphia hardcore band Soul Glo is a straightforward rap song, which you can read more about here. This is from their long awaited new album Diaspora issues (pre-order on limited edition blue and red splatter vinyl).

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For even more new songs, browse our daily “New Songs” lists. For more hip hop news, browse our “Hip Hop News” category.

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Rap Song of the Week is a new music feature breaking down the essential hip-hop tracks you need to hear. Check out the full playlist here. This week, Baby Tate shares their ode to sexual freedom, “Sl*t Him Out Again.”

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Nicki Minaj, Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion are three of the biggest names in music, but being a woman in hip-hop hasn’t gotten much easier. Just ask ass kicker Rico Nasty, who was treated disrespectfully by fans when opening Playboi Carti with no support from the headliner.

Unfortunately, it’s likely that fellow rising star Baby Tate will face a similar disappointment at some point, but on paper at least the Georgia native is no stranger to assertiveness, as we heard during from his late 2020 breakout “I Am.”

And with songs like “Sl*t Him Out Again” (February’s “Sl*t Him Out” remix), Baby Tate is proud to turn the male gaze on its head. Thanks to pioneering ancestors like Trina, Lil’ Kim and Nicki, the 25-year-old rapper and singer isn’t shy about demanding that his needs must be met in the bedroom, with her lover’s desires coming second or hell, perhaps even third.

Stating “housekeeping isn’t right for him” isn’t new, but I’m pretty sure no one else has nonchalantly rapped about “forcing” a guy to taste his own cum: “Gargle- you on his children, then spit them into his mouth.” Not that there’s anything wrong with that, of course. It’s not a one-sided situation either, as Tate likes to get a little weird herself. “I like to be messy, nobody’s afraid of a little skeet,” she raps. “Bus it on my face, they say, ‘Nut keep that skin clean. “”

Along for the ride is rapper George Kali, who has twice the problem – equally adept with women and men. “I heard she got a ****, put my pussy in her mouth / I can take your n**** or your female dog, fuck this house,” she brags. The collaboration is just the latest example of Tate working with other female artists – living up to the precedent she set with the 2019s. GIRLS.

With all the oddly sunny and dry weather in February, getting out of the house for dinner and seeing a show doesn’t seem so bad. This week, there are more than a few promising showcases (and from different ends of the genre spectrum, no less), a few new music releases, and an upcoming album from Rose City rapper Serge Severe.

TO HAVE:
A show not to be missed.

Dolphin midwives

Dolphin Midwives, the Portland-based future-pop-chaos solo project of singer/songwriter/harpist Sage Fisher, is hosting a belated album release celebration in support of her latest album, 2021 Body of water, which was recorded the previous year with Grammy-nominated producer Martine Tucker. The project often sees Fisher mutate his voice over layers of electronic distortion and harp loops. Dubbed a “Crying Sanctuary”, the evening is meant to serve as a place to release all of these emotions, including catharsis, abandonment, vulnerability and joy through projected immersive video, quadraphonic audio, experimental performance and movement. On another note, the Holocene also recently suspended its vaccine booster requirement in an effort to better accommodate all people who have recently contracted COVID and therefore have a somewhat longer waiting period for a booster.

Holocene, 1001 SE Morrison, Wednesday, Feb. 23, 8 p.m., $12, tickets here, with Crystal Quartez, Min Jung Yoon, Amulets, Hasmood

MUST LISTEN:
Two great new releases from locally relevant artists.

Xutakes 2Sxlxmon

Today loyal Portland producer Sxlxmxn released a new beat tape remix, Xutakes 2, via Bandcamp. Specializing in fluid, instrumental hip-hop, Sxlxmxn’s new project follows the beatmaker’s 2019 tape Xutakes Vol 1– which begins with a sweet Sade sample, then samples of Jay Z’s “Lucifer” – and June’s five-track University Park EP, which featured the likes of trumpeter Farnell Newton, and songs named after icons like Kanye West, Jay Electronica and local Alberta icon Street Market. Even better: tonight (Friday, Feb. 19), Sxlxmxn will play this month’s hip-hop showcase at local label Thirsty City. It takes place at the Kenton Club, and also features beatmakers like Stanley Ipkuss from Oakland (I like a The mask reference), Elusive (of Alpha Pup Records), and rapper/producer/musician A’Revolution, aka Alexandra Washington, a newcomer to the Portland hip-hop scene.
Kenton Club, 2025 N Kilpatrick, Fri. Feb. 19, 8 p.m., $10, with Stanley Ipkiss, Elusive, A’Revolution

Who listens anyway: round tableZyah Beautiful

Zyah Belle reunites with a group of girlfriends for a panel discussion to discuss themes from her recent project Who’s listening anyway. The whole thing is glorious and feels like a particularly lively but cozy episode of Angela Yee and Stephanie Santiago. lip service Podcast. With two episodes out (so far), the six ladies define luxury, debate wrestling meals, and talk nothing but dating men who truly love you, giving advice to their younger selves, revenge, individuality, and all. the rest. I don’t know if it’s in the cards, but I’d be really happy if there could be weekly episodes of this production, or at the very least five parts of the Who listens anyway: round table. For now, we can listen to part 1 and part 2 again.

ADDED TO QUEUE:
Some upcoming music buzz to put on your radar.

When crows flySerge Severe

Portland-based emcee Serge Severe is gearing up to release a new 12-track feature, When crows fly. The cover of the upcoming project features Severe standing under North Portland’s St. Johns Bridge in a hoodie that aptly reads “True North.” There are now two singles already released for the album, the upbeat and catchy “For This”, and the slowed down, darker track “Moods”, produced by Jack City, which at the end features an automated operator for a telephone line. prison that breaks down. to connect the call to an inmate. Watch out for full When crows fly project on Bandcamp on March 4th.

Today on Random and Totally Unexpected: Super Bowl halftime show performer Snoop Dogg drops a rapping new track about none other than the… Calm your enthusiasm musical theme? Luciano Michelini’s composition “Frolic” has become synonymous with Larry David’s beloved twenty-year-old HBO sitcom and, by extension, has become an Internet shorthand for videos and memes showing someone suffering from ‘one.

Which is to say, it’s not the instrumental you’d expect a rapper to sound like a complete clown trying to spit on, but Snoop’s fantastic track “Crip Your Enthusiasm ” is… actually rather difficult? It’s probably the best marriage between Larry David and hip-hop since Krazee Eyez-Killa. For three and a half minutes, Big Snoopy cruises through Los Angeles, effortlessly styling bars on how hard he goes (and dropping Leon Black references) while smoking and rolling schwag.

The track appears on BODR– as in “Back on Death Row”, the rapper’s brand new album celebrating his success in finally owning the label that gave birth to him. This victory makes him more energetic than ever, as evidenced here and elsewhere on the album. But we need to know more about Snoop’s apparent Sidewalk fandom. We need a good video with cameos from Larry and JB Smoove, a remix with previously reigning Sidewalk Cam’ron fan rapper…we need Snoop Sidewalk season 12! In the meantime, watch the “Crip Ya Enthusiasm” video below.

Contents

This content can also be viewed on the site from which it originated.

In support of a proposed New York state bill that would limit prosecutors’ power to use defendants’ rap lyrics as evidence of alleged crimes, celebrities such as Jay-Z, Meek Mill, Big Sean and others have regrouped.

A letter signed by the rap legends, according to Rolling Stone, is circulating among state politicians, urging them to pass Senate Bill S7527.

Originally introduced in November and passed by the Senate Codes Committee earlier this week, the bill is intended to be made into full state law. Fat Joe, Kelly Rowland and Killer Mike are among the celebrities who signed the letter.

The Senate Bill

The bill slated to become state law is Senate Bill S7527.

Introduced by Democratic Senators Brad Hoylman and Jamaal Bailey and Assemblywoman Catalina Cruz, the bill seeks to limit the admissibility of evidence of a defendant’s creative or artistic expression against such a defendant in a proceeding. criminal.

With this bill passed, authorities cannot use an artist’s music as evidence to prosecute them in criminal proceedings.

If used, prosecutors must provide “clear and convincing evidence” that the expression in the artwork is “literal, rather than figurative or fictitious.”

Hoylman uses two examples to illustrate the discrepancy between rap lyrics used as evidence and other types of expression.

He claimed no one believed Johnny Cash “shot a man in Reno just to watch him die”, and no one believed David Byrne was a “psychopathic killer”.

READ ALSO: HER Dominates 2022 NAACP Image Awards for Music Category; Check if your favorite artists are nominated

In support of the cause

Erik Nielson, a professor at the University of Richmond and co-author of the 2019 book Rap on Trial, studied “the alarming use of rap lyrics as criminal evidence to imprison and incarcerate young men of color.”

Nielson worked with Alex Spiro, Jay-Z’s attorney who wrote the circulation letter the rappers signed asking for the bill to pass.

Killer Mike (real name Michael Render) and Nielson wrote an essay for Vox in 2015.

Their article claimed that the rap lyrics were being used as “confessions of guilt” in court, citing the manslaughter conviction of hip-hop musician McKinley “Mac” Phipps as an example of this practice.

According to Rolling Stone, the late Drakeo the Ruler was one of the rappers who served time in prison after prosecutors used the lyrics to his 2016 song “Flex Freestyle” to convict him of a crime.

Darrell Caldwell, also known as Drakeo, served three years in prison after being charged with the 2016 murder of a man who was waiting outside a party in Carson, California.

READ ALSO: Lil Wayne Is ‘Sorry 4 The Wait’ As He Drops The Mixtape On Streaming Platforms Along With Four Bonus Tracks

© 2015 MusicTimes.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.

2021 in review

1. Introduction + Best Album Art
2. Song of the Year
3. Album of the Year
4. R&B and soul
5. Rock and alternative music
6. Rap ​​and hip hop
7. Dance and electronics (January 20)
8. Pop and Ballad (January 21)
9. Folk and Country (January 22)
10. Jazz and Blues (January 23)
11. Crossover and World (January 24)
12. Best Collaborative Work (January 25)
13. Rookie Artist of the Year (January 26)
14. Artist of the Year (January 27)
15. Other Recognition (January 28)
16. Concluding Remarks (January 29)

The hip-hop albums category was the hardest to choose of any genre in 2021. There was just an absurd amount of quality throughout the year, with several albums that would have been shoo-ins from other years – Owen’s POEM IIIQM silver breathKhundi Panda MDMVerbal jint Inflection point – getting kicked out of the top 12 and many other great albums that don’t even come close.

The scene also had a dazzling choice for Label of the Year, with Dejavu Group not only releasing a sublime compilation album, but also having each member releasing year-end list-worthy indie work. show me the money had its usual news with Hellokpop’s 2020 Rookie Artist of the Year Gwangil Jo winning the grand prize, and SMTM Sensation Northfacegawd – who made quite an impression on his solo work and Don Mills’ album before that – could turn out to be the best discovery in years if his future work goes well.

Note that ChoiLB – 독립음악 (Indie Music) (the album, not the song) will not be listed below, since it was our second album of the year on day 3. The “Next 10” lists and honorable mentions are sorted alphabetically by artist name.

The 2021 Spotify Rap and Hip-hop playlist is here and also embedded below:

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Best rap and hip-hop album 2021

Kid Milli & Dress – Cliché

2021’s most ambitious sonic adventure in hip-hop. The inspirations of Kendrick Lamar and Anderson .Paak and the blistering pace of Kid Milli in the first half make for an effortlessly relaxing package, but the rock and soul tones harnessed by Dress in the second half (and the moxie to bring in some artists like Sunwoojunga and In the Endless Zanhyang That We Are) open Clichecarried even further into a class of its own.

The finalist

Changmo – Underground Rockstar

The arrival of Changmo as a true author. From the lush scale of “Moraesigye” to the drill-infused “Beretta” of Brooklyn and the tortured, fractured soundscape of “Chronic Love,” the album consistently surprises in its polish; Meanwhile, the pervasive themes – from struggling with alcoholism to the self-destructive side of fame – are heightened by Changmo’s roaring delivery, having finally found its outlet.

Next 10 (alphabetical)

30 – Frost on your children

BewhY, ChoiLB, Khundi Panda, Son Simba, Une and Viann as Dejavu Group – Dingo X Dejavu Group: wrote this tomorrow

Don Malik – Paid in Seoul

Don Sign. – Born under a bad sign

Jaedal – Bomb Head

Khundi Panda – The spoiled child: 균

Nafla – Naturally Raised

TakeOne – 상업예술 (Commercial Art) (read our review)

Unofficialboyy & Haifhaif – 그물, 덫, 발사대기, 포획 (Net, Trap, Launcher, Capture)

Viann & Son Simba – 전설 (A Tale About Legend)

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Best rap and hip-hop song 2021

BewhY, ChoiLB, Khundi Panda, Son Simba, Une and Viann as Dejavu Music – 지금으로 (Hereby)
Written by Khundi Panda, Son Simba, ChoiLB, BewhY
Composed by BewhY
Arranged by BewhY, Viann

There are some things a crew can only do when every emcee is a top lyricist, like the densely constructed “Hereby” where four rappers exchange barbed verses and coiled ambition as their individual stories intersect. . Atop Viann’s intricate electronics, the melodic chorus that’s become somewhat iconic to all these guys (except maybe Khundi Panda) vibrates ominously and finally takes flight in a glorious symphony of melodies. modulating, dramatic hits and harmonization. Dejavu is here to stay.

The finalist

Tiger JK – 호심술 (Love Peace)
Written by Tiger JK
Composed and arranged by Park Jae-sun

A thunderous anthem of resistance, channeling simmering anger against rising anti-Asian hate crimes. The pacing is frenetic, JK’s delivery pounding, the lyrics ferociously violent; and the visceral experience of all its outlet – and perhaps ours – to center oneself in the midst of chaos. And so Tiger JK shouts love and peace in his own way in the “age of hate”.

Next 10 (alphabetical)

Alive Funk – 없어도돼 (It’s Alright) (Feat. Don Malik, Soovi)

BewhY – Celebration

Changmo – Chronic Love (Feat. Jibin of Y2K92)

ChoiLB – 독립음악 (Indie Music)

Don Malik – Not an ambition

Keith Ape – Orca Walk (feat. Okasian)

Kid Milli & Dress – Bittersweet (Feat. Ron)

Kid Milli & Dress – Face and Mask (Feat. Ron)

Owen X Ouralgoat – 각광 (Footlight) (Feat. Dbo)

TakeOne – 녹색이념 (Green Ideology)

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Albums

99′ Nasty Kidz – Naughty Cinema
Aite – MOLY
Ash-B – Brat of the Year
Baehyuni ​​– 위위 (Wewe)
BewhY – 032 Funk
DPR Live – Iite Cool
Don Mills – BOA
Epik High – Epik High is here 上
Fyve – New to Fyve
Giriboy – Avante
Jayho – Locals only
Khundi Panda – MODM: Original Saga
Lil Cherry & Goldbuuda – Chef Interview
Los–Skandaluz
Loxx Punkman – NEO
Luci Gang – Lucifer’s Therapy
Sweet Beats – Fragment
Nui Monsoon – Nui Monsoon 4
Owen – POEM III
Owen X Ouralgoat – Brotherhood
Q the Trumpet – Yellow Flower
QM – 돈숨 (silver breath)
Seshin & M3chvnic – Badboyz on Streetz
Since – Since 16′
Sokodomo – …—…
Unofficialboyy – 이수린ackermann (Unofficialboyyackermann)
Verbal Jint – 변곡점 (inflection point)

songs

30 – 凸 (Yeot)
30 – 골로가 모텔 (Motel Gologa)
99′ Nasty Kidz – Hitman
99′ Nasty Kidz – Slam Dunk
Aite – I will
Ash-B – Part time
B-Free – 멸종 (RIP)
BI – Living
Baehyuni ​​– 알바비 (part-time job)
Balming Tiger – Just fun!
Betta – Aquarium – Intro (Feat. Haki)
BewhY, ChoiLB, Khundi Panda, Son Simba, Une, Viann – Beyond the
BewhY, Khundi Panda, Son Simba, Viann – 아마도 어제 (maybe yesterday)
Shaman & Greenbeige – 할푼리 (Percentage)
Changmo – Beretta (with Ahn Da-young)
ChoiLB – 복수전공 (Double Major) (Feat. JJK)
ChoiLB – 최엘비 유니버스 (ChoiLB universe)
Don Malik – 네비대로 가주세요 (Navi) (Feat. Youra)
Don Malik – 마천루 (Skyscraper) (Feat. Justhis)
Don Malik – 칭칭칭 (Chingchingching) (Feat. DeVita)
Don Mills – 다이나믹 듀오 (Dynamic Duo) (Feat. Nucksal)
Don Mills – 대박인생 (Daebak Life) (Feat. Northfacegawd, Unducated Kid) (Prod. Imeanseoul)
Don Sign. – Holy Water (Feat. pH-1)
Don Sign. – 황혼에서 새벽까지 (Dusk Till Dawn) (Feat. Hangsuk, Nucksal, Kim Oki)
Epik High – End of the World (Feat. G. Soul)
Fyve – 휘잉 (Hwing) (Feat. Kaogaii)
Giriboy – 그리고 돌아섰다 (You turned around)
Greengrim – Walk On By 2 (Feat. Sosa)
Han Yo-han – 이게 나야 (It’s Me) (Feat. Changmo)
Hwaji – See You in the Metaverse
Illson – Last Laugh (Feat. Styliztikjones)
Illson – On & On (with Isa, Cole)
Jaedal – Stop
Jaedal – 너에게 (love letter)
Jnkyrd – Intro (Feat. Omega Sapien)
Justhis – Star
Kebee – Sunroof (Feat. Tamiz, Huckleberry P)
Keebomb – Rap (Feat. Paloalto, Don Mills)
Khundi Panda – 원시의힘 (Ancient Power) (Feat. Fana, Gaeko)
Khundi Panda – 진짜를 보여달라니 (Don’t Cross the Fence)
Khundi Panda, Son Simba, One – No More Chances
Kid Milli & Dress – Bankroll (feat. Okasian)
Kid Milli & Dress – Kitty (Feat. Miyeon ((G)I-dle))
Kid Milli & Dress – Leaving My Studio (Feat. Sunwoojunga)
Kid Milli & Dress – Midnight Blue (Feat. In the Endless Zanhyang We Are)
Leellamarz – Catch Me If You Can
Lil Cherry & Goldbuuda – 하늘천따지 (1000 Words)
Loxx Punkman – Fear (Feat. Deepflow, Mckdaddy)
Luci Gang – Beef
Luci Gang – Rap Care
MC Meta & DJ Tiz – Sub
Sweet Beats – Make Your Own
Soft beats – Signs
Minit – Party (Feat. Skinny Brown)
Mirani-Lambo! (Feat. Unducated Kid)
Nafla – Run! Remix (Feat. Kaeoh626, J-Tong, Huckleberry P, Evening, Dok2)
Owen – Members Only (Prod. Xrface)
Owen – 아침 (Bright Side) (Feat. Chaeree) (Prod. Cribs)
Owen – 흰눈 (Snow White) (Prod. The Quiett)
Owen X Ouralgoat – 쓴웃음 (Bitter Smile)
Reddy & Swervy – Label
Rohann – Dial (Feat. Deepflow, Dsel)
Rohann – 어디에 (Where) (Prod. Fredi Casso)
Skinny Chase – City of Angels (Feat. DJ Vamos, James Keys)
Sokodomo – Pegasus (Feat. Huckleberry P)
Tabber – Adrenaline
TakeOne – 상업예술 (Commercial Art) (Feat. Ha In-ae, Verbal Jint)
Uneducated Child – Uneducated Arirang
Unofficialboyy & Haifhaif – 그물, 덫, 발사대기, 포획 (Net, Trap, Launcher, Capture) (Feat. Yanghongwon)
Untell – Wake Up (Feat. DJ Wegun)
Viann & Son Simba – 그들의 말로 (The End of the Road (in their words))
Woodie Gochild – Jackson (with Changmo)
Wutan & Buggy – LA에서 왔대 (She’s from LA) (Feat. Hwaji)

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Translations of the lyrics by the author. Bugs Music album cover images. Dejavu Group header image captured from Dingo FreeStyle YouTube.

Read our past series:

2020 in review

2019 in review

Retrospective 2018

Retrospective 2017

Retrospective 2016

Retrospective 2015

Retrospective 2014

Retrospective 2013

Retrospective 2012

The Weeknd has done it again with another No. 1 project.

The Canadian artist charted his fourth consecutive No. 1 album with Dawn FM. This follows on from 2015 The beauty behind the madness, 2016 starboy, and the 2020s after hours. This time he had to fight a little harder for the top spot as he received a serious challenge from Gunna. DS4Ever.

Both albums kick off the 2022 era, and both are well received by fans. Latest album stats courtesy of Hits Daily Double. According to the publication, The Weeknd’s fifth studio effort, Dawn FM, took first place, in its debut, with an estimated total of 154,000 album-equivalent units earned.

Gunna’s final at her Drip Season The series took second place behind Dawn FM with an estimated total of 151,000 album-equivalent units earned. Gunna’s success came from thoughtful features that appealed to hip-hop fans.

Some notable features included Drake on “P Power” and “Too Easy” with Future. There was also a remix of “Too Easy”, which featured Roddy Ricch. The album’s success can also be attributed to its trending on social media, attracting even more listeners.

The Weeknd’s numbers were previously predicted by Hits Daily Double and were exactly as they predicted with an estimated total of 154,000 album-equivalent units earned. What needs to be taken into consideration is the fact that The Weeknd has decided not to release physical copies of Dawn FM, something that would likely have boosted album sales.

This information was first made public in a now-deleted tweet which read, “No physical copies (vinyls, CDs, cassettes) of @theweeknd’s ‘Dawn FM’ will be available in stores during release week. , no physical copies will be shipped in week 1. This will obviously impact the numbers for week 1.

The “Save Your Tears” crooner responded to this tweet by explaining that he’s not interested in the numbers.

“I don’t care. What matters is to experience the album with the fans during these times,” he said on January 6.

Even with such high expectations after the meteoric popularity of after hours, The Weeknd did not disappoint. Some in the industry have already started praising the album.

This includes respected rapper and producer Timbaland, who compared the album to the Michael Jackson classic. Polar. Even though those comments didn’t go over so well on Twitter, it’s an indicator of how the producer rated the “Blinding Lights” artist’s latest efforts.

The Weeknd’s timing for releasing the album is also sublime as there are no real challengers coming at the moment. If it stays that way, he looks set to retain the No. 1 spot on the Billboard 200 chart for a second week in a row.

He hopes it can match the ridiculously impressive success of after hours which debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 with 444,000 album-equivalent units, including 275,000 pure album sales. It marked the biggest sales of the first week of 2020 for an album at the time. It eventually spent four weeks at No. 1 and became the first album to score four consecutive weeks since Drake’s Scorpio in 2018.

This album was certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for earning over two million album-equivalent units in the United States.

Shady is back and he has 6ix9ine in his sights.

Eminem resurfaces with his first song of 2022 on Cordae’s “Parables (Remix)”, which appears on the latter’s second album From a bird’s eye view. On his spitfire verse, the Detroit rapper shoots Tekashi.

“It’s so hard for me to understand that once was my life / Shit, it’ll make you wanna get out like a plea deal / So I treat a beat like it’s Tekashi, spit on that bitch like Meek Mill,” he raps.

The line references 6ix9ine’s racketeering case, for which he accepted a plea deal, and Meek’s showdown with the “Trollz” rapper in Atlanta in early 2021. Amid their beef, Meek has claimed that Tekashi rushed at him as he left a club and Meek responded by spitting on him.

“The feds sent him to get me out wtf,” Meek said after the fight. “I had to spit on him so he pulled out lol he really waited for me outside the club… I thought I was dreaming wtf we almost smoked him lol he posed a little threat popping up on the parking lot waiting for me.”

Elsewhere in his “Parables” verse, Em references the Obama family. “I was awfully shy, now I’m proud of myself / Like Obama’s kids, I came out of my shell (Michelle),” he raps.

In an interview with Apple Music, Cordae talked about getting a last-minute verse from Eminem for his album. “It was definitely last minute alley-oops and buzzers. So I appreciate my brother for sending this buzz beater,” he said while acknowledging Em’s influence.

“Any artist who takes a lyricist approach to making music in hip-hop definitely has some sort of Eminem influence. It’s like impossible not to,” he added. “My first song I released was ‘My Name Is (Remix)’. So that tells you everything, I have to say what I think of Eminem and how much his music has meant to me.

From a bird’s eye view also features appearances from Lil Wayne, Nas, Stevie Wonder, Lil Durk and HER

The nature of the music game lately is that you just have to have a viral moment. This couldn’t be truer for Jolly B.

The South African-born, England-based rapper has taken social media, fellow celebrities and the web by storm. It’s its authenticity and lyrical flow that command the most attention.

The 26-year-old’s real name is Kabelo Monyebudi and he is from Mamelodi, Pretoria. He has an interesting journey which started after his mum moved to the UK in 2005 and a year later he joined her with the rest of his family.

When The citizen had a chat with the rising artist, we noticed how flawlessly he switched between South African languages ​​despite his surprising English accent.

WATCH: India Arie gushes over Lloyiso

This is demonstrated so well in his viral song Patience, and that explains why his music stands out from the rest. Spitori’s (Mix of Setswana and Sepedi slang) self-proclaimed godfather and UK Drill’s rapping skills are effortless.

However, the transition to the UK and to hip-hop was not easy. “I wanted to come back straight away, but I was 11 years old. If I had had the money, I would have gone straight home,” he says.

But Jolly B says the decision changed her life and impacted her musical and cultural change.

“In 4th grade, my streetwear was inspired by pantsula and kwaito. It then changed to hip-hop when I was in England and I never thought of hip-hop like that.

Jolly B’s nickname is kind of sinister and funny in nature. “I’m always a happy, ‘jolly’ person, and the B stood for black bastard.” He adds that he was shedding light on the dynamic in the UK, but a businessman told him that this name would not work for his professional career as it has a negative connotation and sensitivity that comes with this nickname which would hold him back.

So he dropped it and that’s how Jolly B’s rise began.

He never planned a rap career for himself, but his family told him he loved music from a young age. “But I only took it seriously in 2017 in South Africa.”

The first time he was in the studio was in 2011, but he would not return to music until 2017, adding that he had been caught up in street life and doubted himself. .

“But I was learning to rap, running a beat and then writing, I was also writing on my laptop.” He adds that he also practiced freestyling when he was away and that he devoted himself to rap singing.

Jolly B is heavily influenced by kwaito and South African music. His favorites include Kabelo Mabalane and Pitch Black Afro. He admits he would try his hand at kwaito, but with an evolved and new sound.

Patience was released in early January and was written while incarcerated. “I was writing so much inside that I was afraid to share it and I was afraid of my own sound.”

Jolly B was concerned about how his style of rapping and how vernac would be received in Britain and South Africa.

However, when he got out of prison and worked on himself, he felt it was time to free Patience to the public.

“When Patience was written that I was going through a difficult time. I had been away for over a year and had been dodging something for a long time and had to deal with it. He doesn’t go into details about his past, but the rapper says he’s in a much better place right now.

The success of Patience led him to set up a management team.

His dream collaboration includes artists such as 25k, Cassper Nyovest and Focalistic.

Jolly B concludes there’s more music to come, including a planned Patience remix.