This week’s New Music Friday feels like Christmas come early thanks to a stocking’s full of musical gifts from some of rap’s finest, past and present.
Leading the bill is Nas and DJ Premier‘s decades-in-the-making joint album Light-Years, which not only strengthens their legacy as one of hip-hop’s greatest rapper-producer duos but closes out Mass Appeal Records’ epic Legend Has It… series.
Extending his own prolific run in recent years, 21 Savage returns with What Happened to the Streets?, a star-studded State of the Union address featuring Drake, Lil Baby, Metro Boomin, GloRilla, Latto and more.
Not to be overshadowed, Conway The Machine continues to prove he’s larger than life with his majestically-titled new project You Can’t Kill God With Bullets. No Griselda features on this one, but guest spots from Roc Marciano, G Herbo and Tony Yayo make up for it.
Elsewhere, Max B and Pooh Shiesty celebrate their respective releases from prison with new music, Bun B and Statik Selektah show no signs of slowing down with their fifth TrillStatik album which was recorded in a single day, and Nas-approved newcomer Chris Patrick capitalizes on his recent viral “Mafiathon 3” freestyle with a new EP called Pray 4 Me.
Check out all of this week’s best new rap albums and songs below.
Nas & DJ Premier — Light-Years
Featuring: AZ, Steve Miller Band
21 Savage — What Happened to the Streets?
Featuring: Drake, Lil Baby, Metro Boomin, Latto, GloRilla, G Herbo, Young Nudy, Jawan Harris
Conway The Machine — You Can’t Kill God With Bullets
Featuring: Roc Marciano, G Herbo, Tony Yayo, DJ Whoo Kid, Lady London, Heather Victoria, KNDRX
French Montana & Max B — “Make America Wavy Again (MAWA)”
Produced By: Dame Grease, Red McFly & French Montana
Bun B & Statik Selektah — TrillStatik 5
Featuring: Busta Rhymes, Talib Kweli, Termanology, NEMS, Bone Crusher, Robb Bank$, Propain
Pooh Shiesty — “FDO (First Day Out)”
Produced By: TP808
Chris Patrick — Pray 4 Me
Featuring: Marco Plus, Swavay, Amindi
Destroy Lonely & Ken Carson — “The Acronym”
Produced By: Akachi, Sonickaboom & DJ Moon
Gorillaz feat. Yasiin Bey & Omar Souleyman — “Damascus”
Produced By: Gorillaz, James Ford, Samuel Egglenton & Remi Kabaka Jr
Lil Tjay — “Therapy Session”
Produced By: Credits unavailable
Bone Thugs-N-Harmony — “Over”
Produced By: Seán O’Meara
Rico Nasty — LETHAL-ER
Featuring: N/A
Bfb Da Packman & Rio Da Yung OG — Olympic Shit Talking
Featuring: N/A
MIKE — Showbiz! (Deluxe)
Featuring: Band of the Century
Samara Cyn — “What Will They Say?”
Produced By: Aver Ray & Tiana Kruskic
J Hus feat. Skepta — “Outside”
Produced By: JAE5
Fred again.. — USB
Featuring: Future, Playboi Carti, Anderson .Paak, Baby Keem, Danny Brown, Lil Yachty, Denzel Curry, Skepta, JPEGMAFIA, Rico Nasty, BIA
Headie One — “Bellingham”
Produced By: M1onthebeat & YG
