Vince Staples: Daniel Shea; Lil Yachty: Petra Collins; Kali Uchis: Evan Tan/Instagram; Yaeji: Jake Naviasky
1. The world did a quick skrrt when T-Pain and Lil Wayne's T-WAYNE hit the SoundCloud. Of all the "Lollipop" and "Buy U A Drank"-era sounds on this tape, “Waist Of A Wasp" hits us the hardest.
2. "I don't wanna come down/ Keep spinning me 'round and 'round," sings Kali Uchis on her first album's first single, "Tyrant," an apocalyptic love song featuring U.K. crooner Jorja Smith.
3. The last time Kranium hooked up with Ty Dolla $ign, on "Nobody Has To Know," they charted. The same might happen with “Can’t Believe," the duo's pulsing, deep-bodied Wizkid collab.
4. Juicy J joined Vince Staples for his robust, extremely Cali new single "Big Fish." "Still down, I'm a Norf Norf soldier," Vince proclaims.
5. (Sandy) Alex G's epic, diverse-sounding Rocket is officially out, and we're head over heels for non-single "Powerful Man," an uncanny folk ballad with visceral lyrics about family, guns, and the Promised Land.
6. Revving up for some Teenage Emotions, Lil Yachty dropped some gruesome rhymes on “X-Men.” Is there a better metaphor for teenagerdom than turning into a mutant? Probably not.
7. Secret Circle are hard and weird on “Tube Socks,” the rap supergroup's minimalist new loosie.
8. Yaeji's gentle, quirky touch turned Drake's song-of-the-summer contender “Passionfruit” into a stretched-out dream jam, perfect for wee-hours dancing.
9. When Burna Boy came for his first-ever N.Y.C. show the other week, the gig's MCs pronounced Wande Coal and DJ Tunez's "Iskaba" as the hottest song in Nigeria right now. It's easy to hear why; it's a slapper.
10. Thugger's YSL signee Gunna's new tape goes, and our favorite track is “Belly Of The Beast,” a dark one that sounds engineered for night drives.
11. Newly signed to Sub Pop, bilingual punks Downtown Boys shred their way through “A Wall,” a strongly melodic, Assata Shakur-inspired song about sinister hypocrisy.
12. Low-key '70s vibes are all aglow in TERRY's "Take Me To The City," a pretty little jaunt that contrasts country and city life in the best way.
From The Collection:
Songs You Need In Your Life
