Drake - "Nice for What"

Before the hype from “God’s Plan” dies down, Drake has changed pace with his new single “Nice for What.” The track features a prominent Lauryn Hill sample, and is clearly made for the dancefloor. The Canadian crooner blends his pop rap sound with a dusty old school vibe, making “Nice for What” engaging and refreshing.

In addition to his recent singles, Drake was prominently featured on BlocBoy JB’s “Look Alive," as well as his remix of N.E.R.D.’s “Lemon.” As always, Drake has been generating a massive amount of buzz and anticipation for his new album, which he says will be for the city of Toronto.

-Owen Murray

Aminé - "Campfire"

Portland rapper Aminé has teamed up with Phoenix rap trio Injury Reserve for a smooth, low-key single titled “Campfire.” It's Aminé’s second single since his debut album Good for You, which came out last year.

This unexpected combo pairs well on the short but catchy track. Aminé handles the hook, going on about his love for his red Mercedes – a familiar topic for Aminé – and trades verses with Injury Reseve’s Ritchie with a T. However, Groggs is nowhere to be found. 

Though "Campfire” was apparently produced by Asa Taccone rather than Injury Reserve’s Parker Corey, its tight instrumental and rocking bass is reminiscent of one of the trio's best tracks like “See You Sweat.” The difference being this track is significantly more skeletal. 

Aminé has not announced any plans for a new album yet, but Injury Reserve teased a new project on Instagram before kicking off their North American tour.

-Owen Murray

Denzel Curry - "Sumo"

Denzel Curry has been teasing his new single, “Sumo,” for months. Back in October, he tweeted “SUMO FEAT. ??? COMING SOON” with an accompanying video clip of him performing the song at Camp Flog Gnaw. A studio recording of “Sumo” was finally debuted yesterday via Zane Lowe’s Beats1 radio. The Charlie Heat-produced song is just as wild and aggressive as the video made it seem, but there is no featured artist as Curry’s tweet implied.

“Sumo” is presumably the second single from Curry’s upcoming album, Taboo, which will follow 2016’s Imperial LP and 2017’s 13 EP. Curry tweeted in December that Taboo would be delayed with the explanation “you can’t rush art.” There still isn’t an official release date for the album.

-Owen Murray

Tyler, the Creator - "OKRA"

On new loosie “OKRA,” Tyler, the Creator raps relentlessly over a bass-heavy beat that would be the envy of just about any SoundCloud rapper. The song was released with a wild, garish music video that has Tyler’s high-energy personality and vision written all over it.

Tyler himself described “OKRA” as a “throwaway track,” but it really sounds more like a victory lap. After the success of last year’s Flower Boy, Tyler raps about his Grammy nomination and other recent accolades in his long, bar-after-bar verses. While it’s clear that “OKRA” isn’t a precursor to an upcoming project, it’s definitely a worthwhile listen in itself.

-Owen Murray

The Lemon Twigs - "Foolin' Around" / "Tailor Made"

The Lemon Twigs released their debut album Do Hollywood via 4AD back in 2016, following it up with the Brothers of Destruction EP last year. Now the Long Island band of brothers is working on a sophomore album and has released two new singles titled “Foolin’ Around” and “Tailor Made.”

The duo has stuck strong to their '60s revivalist sound, which is more palpable than ever on these new singles. The vocal harmonies on “Tailor Made” in particular evoke the Eagles, and nearly every element of both tracks owes a lot to The Beatles. But as much as The Lemon Twigs wear their classic influences on their sleeves, this pair of tracks has a charm of its own, maybe owing to the eccentric take on the tried-and-true theme of infidelity.

-Owen Murray

Wye Oak - "Lifer"

Yesterday Baltimore duo Wye Oak released “Lifer,” the third single from their upcoming album The Louder I Call, The Faster It Runs. The LP drops next week via Merge and follows 2016's Tween.

The airy piano and vocals, and echoing guitar on “Lifer” may not stand out in the indie rock field, but the song is undeniably pretty. The distorted guitar solo late in the track is a pleasant and intriguing surprise that gives the song more personality.

Wye Oak will kick off their European tour on April 19 after playing the Mission Creek Festival in Iowa City, Iowa. The band will start their North American tour on May 9 in Asheville, North Carolina.

-Owen Murray

BlocBoy JB - "Rover 2.0" ft. 21 Savage

Following his recent smash hit, “Look Alive” featuring Drake, BlocBoy JB has released a new single with 21 Savage titled “Rover 2.0." As the song’s title suggests, it's a remix of his single “Rover,” which was released earlier this year.

The mixing is modified slightly, with BlocBoy JB’s vocals cutting through more clearly and slight flourishes added to the beat. BlocBoy recorded new verses in his typical hard, macho style, which is perfectly complemented by 21 Savage’s feature.

BlocBoy JB has been consistently dropping viral hits over the past few months and plans to release a mixtape called Simi next month.

-Owen Murray

Lil Pump - "Gucci Gang Remix"

This past week, a remix of Lil Pump’s viral hit “Gucci Gang” was debuted on OVO Sound Radio. The new version clocks in at a whopping eight minutes, as opposed to the two-minute-long original, and features Gucci Mane, 21 Savage, French Montana, J Balvin, Ozuna, and Bad Bunny.

The 17-year-old rapper is rumored to have recently signed an $8M deal with Warner Bros. after nullifying his previous deal with the record company on account of him being underage. He was 16 when he signed his original deal.

Lil Pump tweeted in January that his next project, Harvard Dropout, would be “coming soon,” but a release date has not been officially announced. Pump teased new music on Instagram last Sunday with a post that featured him rapping along to a new song with the caption, “You ain’t living life like me #Harvarddropout Btw I’m dropping eskeetit next week.”

-Owen Murray