Every week, seemingly millions of songs are released on streaming services. From SoundCloud and Bandcamp exclusives to the endless array of songs on Spotify and Apple Music, it’s a lot to take in. Additionally, some tracks aren’t nearly as good as they should be. Who wants to waste their time sifting through records in fear that some aren’t very listenable? How can one possibly have the time to even do it?
This is where Noisey has you covered. We’re saving you time in the playlist department to narrow it down to the three most essential songs in hip-hop and R&B you should hear. Maybe you’ll find a new favorite artist or album in the process.
3 of the Best New Hip-Hop Songs and R&B Records of the Week
“Still Calculating Freestyle” by Larry June
Larry June historically has a sleepy, mellow delivery. For years, he has made his name off motivational pep talks without ever raising his heart rate. He’ll rap about expensive cars and flexing his money with the same excitement as drinking orange juice and browsing the stock market.
Consequently, it’s always a shock when he bursts out of his chill demeanor, like on his “Still Calculating Freestyle.” The howling saxophone and apocalyptic bells summon an awakened Larry June, cramming his flexes in tight pockets. “This s**t gettin insane, even my toothbrush designer,” he raps. For a rapper so content with lounging in his luxury, he should get out of his comfort zone more often if it sounds like this.
“idk idk” by Jim Legxacy
There’s a bright-eyed demeanor in Jim Legxacy’s music. His youthful exuberance oozes in his sunny singing and grainy sampling, like flipping through pages of a photo album. Even in his most anxious moments, it feels like it’ll all work out for him.
On “idk idk”, he candidly coos about his restless thoughts after being homeless and losing his sister. Still, he asserts that he never gave up, even when labels told him to “chase a trend.” It’s those sour moments in the journey that give credence to his sugary production. He doesn’t know what could possibly come next— “but so it goes,” Jim Legxacy says at the end of the hook.
“Da F**k (Remix)” by Rob49, YTB Fatt, Lil Yachty, G Herbo, G Youngin and BTY Beedo
No rapper gets quite as belligerent as Rob49. His lyrics will range anywhere from darkly violent to cartoonishly horny, all centered on an off-kilter New Orleans flow. Take the original “Da F**k” with G Youngin and BTY Beedo, where they rap every absurd line with a vein popping out of their head. “Bad b***h look like SZA, she ain’t my sister so I’m gon’ f**k today,” Youngin raps like he needed to clarify.
Now, with G Herbo, Lil Yachty, and YTB Fatt, Rob49 has assembled the ignorant Avengers. Herbo said his crew will catch bodies like the KKK and Yachty compares his freaks to Kelly Clarkson. Meanwhile, Fatt daydreams about making a celebrity suck him off at an awards show and how there’ll be juices all over the bathroom. Collaborators know the assignment whenever they work with Rob49: be as ridiculous as possible.
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