Lil Baby, Roddy Ricch, NBA YoungBoy, And Other Hip-Hop Releases To Set A VIBE To

3 weeks ago 6

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.

Lil Baby – “Touchdown”

Lil Baby “Touchdown” starts off promising as he kind of uses a new flow and the production is better than most of what he has used recently. Unfortunately, that quickly dies down because he doesn’t say anything interesting and the chorus is bad.

There’s a nice moment where the beat drops out and he doubles up his flow, but for the most part this record is underwhelming. At this point, the Atlanta rapper sounds way more interesting paired with other acts so he can show off his rapping ability.

Any time he has to handle verses and a chorus on his own, it just does not hit like it used to. – Armon Sadler

Roddy Ricch featuring Terrace Martin – “Lonely Road”

Roddy Ricch feat. Terrace Martin “Lonely Road” cover art

Roddy Ricch dug into his vulnerable bag on “Lonely Road.” The record is a bit of a trick, as it stays downtempo for very long and builds up anticipation for the listener to eventually get hit with loud drums or some type of crescendo climax.

However, it never does across the track’s three minutes and 20 seconds. The content itself is deep; the Compton act asks for the Lord’s guidance through all of his struggles, which is a meta depiction of his career.

There are beautiful horns in the background that make this feel more like a church altar confessional rather than merely just a song. With all of that, this marks Roddy’s best offering in a long time. – AS

YoungBoy Never Broke Again – I Just Got a Lot on My Shoulders

Even with YoungBoy Never Broke Again being confined to his Utah home, it is still surprising that I Just Got A Lot On My Shoulders is his first album of 2024.

He typically has a much more aggressive, voluminous output, but this album’s title and content lends itself to the idea that he took time to craft his narrative.

That comes through on records like “Hope You Make It,” “Never Stopping,” “Missing Everything” and “Tears Of War.”

YB may be troubled and controversial, but his story has resonated with listeners for years hence why he has been so successful. His signature croons make you feel the emotion and he delivered another powerful effort for his core with this project. – AS

Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre featuring Sting – “Another Part of Me”

Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre - 'Missionary' Album Cover

Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre unleash “Another Part Of Me,” yet another single in anticipation of their forthcoming collaborative album, Missionary.

Taking on a more rock-ish vibe and tone, the track features an appearance from cultural ally Sting, who leans on his skills as a vocalist and guitarist in bolstering the track’s potential reach to stadium status.

Snoop commandeers the hook with a melodicism that blends effortlessly with Sting’s croons, then switches over to his signature, laconic flow before passing the baton to his costar who closes out the high-powered collaboration. – Preezy Brown

Bossman Dlow – “Dlow Curry”

Bossman Dlow “Dlow Curry” is, once again, everything people have come to love from him: sports references, funny punchlines, catchy bars, and his lovable voice.

Somehow, some way, fans aren’t tired of him despite the fact his flow and production choices haven’t changed much. He is the moment right now and he is living in it by constantly releasing good music.

Some people step away right when they’re white hot, but he has kept the fire on for the next product he wants to cook up. “Dlow Curry” is fun, energetic, and just short enough to encourage multiple plays. Dlow is locked in. – AS

Kenny Muney featuring Key Glock – “Paper Route”

Kenny Muney - 'The Blue Seasons (Super Deluxe) Album Cover

Kenny Muney goes super with this cut from the Memphis rapper’s The Blue Seasons album, which finds him rolling out 12 new tracks to go along with the originals, including multiple collabs with his PRE crew.

While joints with BEO Lil Kenny (“Bodies & Bucks”) and CEO Jizzle (“Scratch Off”) ring off, the tapes penultimate moment comes via “Paper Route,” which finds Muney joining forces with Key Glock for their latest pairing.

Accompanied by a music video with Muney and Glock showing off their luxury whips and floss off their stylish threads and pricey gems, “Paper Route” extends the indie empires reign and cements Muney as the label’s latest breakout artist. – PB

Tyga – “Slave”

Tyga sampled Britney Spears’ “I’m A Slave 4 U” in his own special Tyga way on “Slave.” The classic chords and hook are employed, but he flipped the record’s DNA into his standard West Coast bop.

Once the listener gets past the humor and gall he has to do this, which isn’t shocking when he has sampled Adele in the past, it is quite enjoyable.

It is everything one would expect from Tyga: lusty lyrics, catchiness, and an undeniable track that makes people dance.

Tyga’s knack for making hits is severely underrated and his ability to trigger nostalgia for Hip-Hop and pop lovers could help “Slave” make some noise. He is a legacy act and “Taste” was six years ago, but music can surprise you. – AS

With Ghost, Ross, Jim and Spesh, we really took it back to some authentic rap sh*t. The Deluxe version of Nice Doing Business With You will ensure I finish out 2024 strong as possible.”

Casanova – I Get It Now

Casanova is currently serving a federal prison sentence that’s kept him relatively silent on the music front, but the Brooklynite finally breaks his silence with his new album, I Get It Now.

Arriving a year after being handed a guilty verdict, I Get It Now is eerily prophetic, both in name and creative context. Casanova’s realization of the forces against him are foreshadowed across a number of songs on the album, beginning with the introductory cut, “Forgive Me Father.”

He details his tumultuous upbringing in a single-parent home, navigating the Flatbush jungle that turned him into a self-proclaimed “Ape.” Taking inspiration from The Notorious B.I.G. for “What’s A Opp,” Casanova breaks down the characteristics of an arch nemesis and the rules of engagement when dealing with such.

Despite his street bonafides and gruff countenance, Casanova’s disarming charm is shown on the tracks “Calm Down,” “Please,” and the Kevin Ross-assisted “Miami.” These lady friendly jams provide a timely change of pace and serve as a testament to his versatility beyond regurgitating mere criminal fodder.

Featuring additional appearances from Joey Bada$$ and KayCyy (“They Said He Had A Gun”), and YXNG K.A. (“Calm Down”), I Get It Now includes the occasional clunker, such as “I’m Greasy” and “My Downfall,” but overall is a solid, enjoyable project.

So much that it makes us wish he got “it” just a little bit sooner. – PB

Skyzoo – Keep Me Company

Veteran rhyme slinger Skyzoo took some much deserved time away from the music scene off the heels of his Mind of a Saint album, a conceptual masterpiece that garnered heaping amounts of praise for imagining the ministate of Snowfall protagonist Franklin Saint.

Now, nearly two years later, Skyzoo returns with his latest offering, Keep Me Company, a project that accomplishes staying tried and true to his brand of traditional lyricism atop jazz and soul-driven beats, but fails to eclipse its predecessor.

A proud Brooklyn native, the early highlight “Finders Keepers” finds the Bed Stuy rep revealing he’s made Atlanta his new home, yet reiterating his undying allegiance to the borough that birthed him.

“Ayinde at the March” is a recollection of Skyzoo’s trip with his father to the historic Million Man March event in Washington D.C. during the mid ’90s, as the rapper puts on his storytelling cap.

Rounded out by prime selections that include “Prayers For The Customers,” “Record Store Day,” and “Wins of the Father,” Keep Me Company is a slight step back in terms of production and replay value from Mind of a Saint, but is otherwise a strong outing from the Barrell Brother. – PB

Consequence featuring Ghostface Killah, Rick Ross, Jim Jones & 38 Spesh – “Blood Stain III”

Consequence has unleashed “Blood Stain III,” a powerhouse track featuring an elite lineup of Ghostface Killah, Rick Ross, Jim Jones, and 38 Spesh. The single serves as the final chapter in the “Blood Stain” saga, a standout series born from Consequence’s Nice Doing Business With You album and its forthcoming deluxe edition.

Reflecting on the evolution of the series, Consequence shares, “’Blood Stain III’ is the third and final installment in what has developed into a series for my Ye-produced single. Quite frankly, I blame Jadakiss for all this,” he laughs. “Once he told me, ‘Blood Stain, hottest track of the year, you know what it is, by far,’ I decided we needed to run it out even further.”

The track’s gritty energy and lyrical dexterity match its collaborators, each delivering bars that solidify their place in the pantheon of hip-hop greatness. As anticipation builds for the deluxe release of Nice Doing Business With You, “Blood Stain III” is likely to take the buzz to a crescendo, given its star-studded lineup and big ticket production, not to mention Cons’ bars in their own right. – PB