‘Raise the Bar’ is VIBE Hip-Hop Reporter Preezy Brown’s New Music Friday column. Each week he picks one Hip-Hop song or album that deserves your attention all weekend (but don’t worry, he’s also got a roundup of honorable mentions below).
This week’s slate of rap releases may lack the blockbuster drops of previous ones, however, there’s plenty of firepower and new albums that are worthy of your consideration. From explosive collaborative efforts to instrumental albums, this New Music Friday lineup has something to offer for every type of listener across the board.
More than three years removed from the release of her sophomore album, Big Dreez, Chicago spitter Dreezy has returned alongside producer Hitboy for their joint album Hitgirl. Her first project since splitting ties with Interscope Records, Dreezy shows no signs of rust throughout the album’s ten tracks, which includes appearances from Future, Jeremih, Coi Leray, and INK. Standouts from Hitgirl include the lead single “They Not Ready” and the Leray-assisted heater “Balance My Lows.”
Elsewhere in Hip-Hop, Detroit lyrical menace Boldy James links up with producer Real Bad Man for Killing Nothing, his followup to last year’s wildly successful Super Tecmo Bo album with Alchemist. Boasting guest appearances from Stove God Cooks, Rome Streetz, Crimeapple, and Knowledge The Pirate, Killing Nothing accounts for another win in the column for Boldy James, who continues to assert himself as one of the more consistent wordsmiths of today.
Lil Gnar also made a big splash with his new album Die Bout It, which finds the Atlanta upstart showing strength in numbers. Featuring guest spots from Tory Lanez, Yung Bans, Lil Uzi Vert, Trippie Redd, Chief Keef, Ski Mask The Slump God, Yak Gotti, and late YSL rapper Lil Keed, Die Bout It is a robust LP that has its fair share of moments that make it more than worth the wait.
Lastly, taking center stage for the duration of his latest release, Back 2 the Ba$ics, Payroll Giovanni does all of the heavy lifting on this outing, flying solo throughout the album’s 12 tracks. Led by the single “Throw The List Away,” Back 2 the Ba$ics finds Payroll sticking to the script and relying on his tried-and-true formula of delivering dope bars atop an array of hard-hitting instrumentals.
In addition to these releases, check out what else we’re bumping this weekend below.
