Press Play - Best New Music & Videos
If you're looking for some new music to add to your playlist, look no further. A small collection of some newer and notable tracks worth vibing out to. Enjoy.
The Prima Donna visual from Vince Staples should be classified as a work of art as opposed to a music video. Period.
Another member of West Coast label T.D.E. (Top Dawg Entertainment), Isaiah Rashad blesses us with his latest project, "The Sun's Tirade". In typical T.D.E. fashion, similar to his label mates like Kendrick Lamar & Jay Rock, every track falls in line with the recent West Coast movement featuring smooth, laid back, soulful records. "Wats Wrong", featuring Zacari & Kendrick Lamar is a prime example of a classic "sit n' listen" to chill out and vibe to.
Portland based rapper, Aminé, dropped this video to his catchy single, "Caroline", back in the beginning of June and it has been generating a buzz ever since. The record, uploaded to Soundcloud about 6 months ago has hit 13.8 million listens to date and is climbing. If you fuck with Quentin Tarantino flicks and bananas, you'll fuck with this video - not to say that there aren't some other tracks worth listening to by Aminé as well.
Russ is a name to get VERY familiar with in the Hip-Hop / R&B scene if you haven't had a chance to yet. He drops a new track on his Soundcloud almost every month, if not more often. Each track is remarkably consistent and well rounded, delving into a mixture of bars and singing - similar to a Drake or Tory Lanez, but with his own unique sound. And the best part... He produces the majority (if not all) of his own music as well.
Mick Jenkins first popped up on my radar when he was featured on Chance the Rapper's "Grown Ass Kid" record along with Alex Wiley from Chance's "Coloring Book" album. He was also notably featured on Kirk Knight's "I know" record with some very impressive bars as well. As I was listening to his catalog of music, one of the first songs I came across was "Piano" (below), and I was instantly hooked. I followed through and came across the music video for "Martyrs", and at that point it was the clincher. I extremely recommend giving both of these tracks a good listen, it will be well worth it.
First of all, this shit is just catchy AF and that's the only reason it even made this list. Second, fuck Young Thug. Now that we got that out of the way - Travis Scott has always had some of the ills visuals to accompany his music (which ironically seems to be a solid hit or miss). Off of the "Birds in the Trap Sing McKnight" album, I personally favor "Goosebumps" featuring Kendrick Lamar, but this is the only video from the album as of yet. The visuals are still extremely well played - although the concept lacks a little bit, but whoever is doing all of these color corrections is a beast so i'll give it that.
The latest single, "Oh No', from our good friend, Brodie Fresh, of Popular Stranger is a "Fuck You" anthem to all of those whoever doubted. Being an independent artist working towards "that big break" is no walk in the park, but more like trying to climb Trump Tower in NYC with a set of suction cups. Nevertheless, it's not an easy feat trying to gain the traction needed to make it to the top, and because of the demands of the industry and the work ethic needed to accomplish such things, people come and go. The finger nearest your index goes straight up with, "Remember they fronted, but now they all on me like 'Oh no, no, no", to all of those who didn't want to starve with you, but only come around when it's time to eat.
If you haven't heard this record yet, than you really live under some type of rock... But seriously, if this isn't once of the catchiest records to drop this year, then I don't know what is. Give it a listen, but be warned - you might be whistling this tune for days.
Lastly, I'm throwing in the band, Rival Sons and their song "Electric Man" at the end of this because they are new to me. This song is pretty old in comparison to the others on this list, but I recently discovered this band in late August on tour with Black Sabbath. They are the single opener for Sabbath's "The End Tour" - an insane accolade to add to anyones resume - so it is only fitting that the band is as reputable as it's tour host, which they are very much so. Their catalog of music is relatively extensive, and their recordings do not even compare to hearing them live. Rival Sons sounds like a strong blend of The Steve Miller Band, Audioslave, and Led Zeppelin, so if you can make it out to one of their shows, it is an absolute must.