A heap of new hip hop and rap tunes came out last weekend
Hip hop stayed active while you danced your ass off.
Legs sore? Head heavy? Heart full of the joy and wonder of a weekend at Splendour (or even the cold, bitterness of a weekend missing out on Splendour)? We're sure you're waking up with some sort of regret this Monday, but cast your concerns aside, as while you were preoccupied — hip hop got busy. And when we say busy, we mean R. Kelly busy.
Here's all the best of all that you might have missed over Splendour weekend.
FDT Part 2 (ft. Macklemore & G-Eazy) — YG
Just when you thought Compton rapper YG's 'Fuck Donald Trump' anthem FDT (previously featuring Nipsey Hussle) couldn't get any more perfect, the man himself — still riding high on the successful release of latest studio album Still Brazy — drops a part two *slash* remix featuring Macklemore and G-Eazy. It is, of course, no small move by YG to include two caucasian rappers on the remix to his anti-Trump track, highlighting the fact that even Trump's 'own people' don't like him. Which, okay, we're all the same people and we all don't like Donald Trump but Macklemore and G-Eazy slay this track and we need all the influential voices we can get publicly saying 'Fuck Donald Trump' so he doesn't become President and... um... something something crazy death Apocalypse and an over abundance of cranky Oompa Loompas wearing toupees. Hear FDT Part 2 below.
Purple Lamborghini — Rick Ross & Skrillex
Sorry, but if you aren't at least a little bit excited for the release of the Suicide Squad movie, that's fine, but you're wrong and I hate you. At the very least, the soundtrack for the highly anticipated DC Comics adaptation has already produced some serious goodness from its delectably stacked official soundtrack, culminating (so far) with this hot release finding Skrillex joining forces with Maybach Music's own Rick Ross. Hot enough to burn your tongue on, Purple Lamborghini is all the chaos of the glimpses we've had of Suicide Squad condensed in to one song, and it's sure to pop up on future party playlists for a while yet. Hear it now and get even more excited for the film to finally hit cinemas in two weeks time.
Intro (ft. Lil Wayne) — DJ Drama
Blink and you might have missed the release of DJ Drama's latest album Quality Street Music 2 on Friday, but the album has been hotly anticipated by a lot of people for some time now, and for good reason. Hip hop icon DJ Drama has always had a habit of getting the best out of some of the genre's biggest names, and this collaboration with Lil Wayne on the Intro for Quality Street Music 2 is certainly no exception. With Drama hyping the track as the return of 'Mixtape Weezy', there's no doubt that New Orleans' Lil Wayne sounds as fired up as ever on this track, delivering some of his hottest bars on this album opener. Hear the Intro as premiered with Ebro Darden on Beats 1 below, and find the album in full on Apple Music here.
No Justice (ft. Big TC) — Ty Dolla $ign
The second single from Ty Dolla's upcoming mixtape Campaign, following the release of the project's title track, features the LA native addressing recent racial injustices in the United States, related to the Black Lives Matter movement. Grabbing an assist from his imprisoned brother Big TC (via phone, for obvious reasons), No Justice is a smooth, soulful and heartfelt entry into the collection of responses to the latest terrible developments in the Unites States' police violence saga, as well as a tremendous taste of Ty Dolla's upcoming tape.
Pussy Print (ft. Kanye West) — Gucci Mane
Gucci Mane finally released his first post-prison full-length album Everybody Looking on Friday, featuring contributions by guests such as Drake and Young Thug. But, of course, the standout of the project was saved for Gucci's collaboration with the father of pop starlet Taylor Swift — Kanye West. Titled Pussy Print, the woozy, bass and attitude heavy track finds Guwop and Yeezy sounding inspired rapping bars about 'pussy print', and waxing sexy for the fans. You can hear Pussy Print below and stream the entire album via Spotify here.
Not Nice — PARTYNEXTDOOR
The best act signed to OVO Records who isn't named Drake, PARTYNEXTDOOR is preparing his third studio album P3 for release on August 13, and dropped this latest single to mark the album being made available for pre-order. Encorporating dancehall elements championed by frequent collaborator, and label head, Drake, Not Nice finds PND taking the time to get honest with a mystery woman, singing "You're Not Nice, you're rude". Which, of course, could quickly become an anthem for Tinder users around the world. Hear Not Nice below, and pre-order P3 via iTunes here.
Deep End — THEY.
Mind of a Genius signed act THEY. are currently working on debut album HYENA expected to be released later in the year (set to join a busy finish for Mind of a Genius, who also boast acts such as Zhu and Klangstof among their signees preparing album drops), and have released this latest rock/R&B hybrid to whet the appetites of fans and the uninitiated alike. Oozing with attitude and billed by the duo as "some trap R. Kelly shit", Deep End might well be the hottest release yet from the talented act. Hear Deep End below and stay tuned for further info related to HYENA as the year progresses.
Holy Key (ft. Kendrick Lamar, Big Sean and Betty Wright) — DJ Khaled
If you can wade through the woeful sounds of DJ Khaled shouting at you, the We The Best leader has a frequent habit of pulling together some truly tremendous guest appearances from huge hip hop names, and this latest taste of Khaled's upcoming album Major Key is no exception to that. Following up the release of previous album singles For Free (ft. Drake) and I Got The Keys (ft. Future & Jay-Z), DJ Khaled rounds up G.O.O.D Music's Big Sean and TDE's Kendrick Lamar for Holy Key. Hyped by Khaled ahead of its release through Kendrick's inclusion on the track's lineup, the soaring, cinematic effort fulfills the promise of being one of the year's hottest release, finding Kendrick and Big Sean joining forces again (hip hop fans may remember a certain much-talked about previous collaboration called Control) and elevating the track to a special height living up to the 'Holy' promise. With Major Key now only a few short days away from release, Khaled also revealed the huge tracklist for the album, which you can now pre-order via iTunes. Hear Holy Key below.