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DaBaby feat. Roddy Ricch — “ROCKSTAR (BLM Remix)”
DaBaby turns his No. 1 single into an anthem. On the heels of “Rockstar’s” ascent on the Billboard Hot 100, the Charlotte rapper unveils its “Black Lives Matter Remix.”
SethInTheKitchen produced the original and his production remains mostly unchanged here. Roddy Ricch, who appears on the original, keeps his verse intact as well. However, DaBaby adds a powerful new first verse to the track.
“Cops want to pull me over and embarrass me,” he raps. “Abusing power, you never knew me, thought I was arrogant / As a juvenile, police pulled they guns like they scared of me / And we used to how crackers treat us, now that’s the scary thing.”
Baby recently told Beats 1 that he linked up with Roddy for the original while they were both in Los Angeles. “We cooked a few of them, we got a couple of them,” he said. “There was daylight when we came out of the studio. There are only a few artists that I could do that with creatively but he’s definitely one of them. He’s going to be around for a long time.”
Listen to “Rockstar (BLM Remix)” below.
Lil Baby — “The Bigger Picture”
Lil Baby sees “The Bigger Picture.” After teasing the new song on social media and protesting over the tragic death of George Floyd, the Atlanta rapper releases the anthemic new track.
Produced by Section 8 and NOAH, “The Bigger Picture” sees Lil Baby addressing law enforcement issues. “I see blue lights, I get scared and start runnin’ / That shit be crazy, they’re supposed to protect us,” he raps. “Throw us in handcuffs and arrest us.”
The hook also references race relations. “It’s bigger than Black and White / It’s a problem with the whole way of life,” he explains. “It can’t change overnight / But we gotta start somewhere / Might as well go ahead and start here.”
See “The Bigger Picture” below.
Pop Smoke feat. Rowdy Rebel — “Make It Rain”
In place of his debut album, Pop Smoke’s estate has decided to release “Make It Rain.” With Yamaica on the boards, the new single features Rowdy Rebel.
Smoke’s booming voice and signature style appear throughout. He also compares himself to Playboy’s late founder over the thumping beat. “I’ll make it rain on whoever,” he boasts on the track. “I’ll make it rain at woo-ever…I got the hoes like Hugh Hefner.”
The song pauses to announce a pre-paid collect call from Rowdy Rebel, who is currently locked up. “I still haven’t seen nothin’,” Rebel raps. “My chain hang, don’t tuck it / I touch down, I’m bussin’ / Tell the label I need 5Ms, if not, I ain’t signing’ nothin’.”
“Make It Rain” is set to appear on Smoke’s debut album, Shoot for the Stars, Aim for the Moon. Originally slated for release today, the LP will now arrive next month, on July 3.
“Make It Rain” is below.
The Kid Laroi feat. Juice WRLD — “Go”
The Kid Laroi teams up with his late mentor Juice WRLD on his newest release, “Go.” The two team up over Omer Fedi, Neek, and Tito’s layered production here.
The song itself is about rocky relationships. “I told her don’t ever leave me alone,” Laroi sings. “I guess I’m accident prone.” Juice adds: “Yeah, I know I made a few mistakes before / But you know I ain’t fuckin’ with these hoes no more.”
Laroi opened up about the emotional moment on Instagram. “It’s been a little over 6 months since you been gone, and it still doesn’t feel right,” he wrote in a letter to Juice. “Before we even met you were my favourite artist, and I still think everyday how cool it was that I got to b damn near family with my idol.”
The rising young rapper went on to show gratitude in the letter. “From all the months you let me live at your crib, to all the nights I spent watching and learning from you in the studio, to all the concerts and tours I got to witness. I got to learn from a real life legend,” he added. “I just wanna say how much I wish you were here with me to enjoy this shit. we all love and miss you back here.”
Listen to “Go” below.
Chloe x Halle — Ungodly Hour
Chloe x Halle are back. Two years after releasing The Kids Are Alright, the duo returns with Ungodly Hour.
The new album is yet another showcase for Chloe x Halle’s vocal prowess. While they handle a bulk of it on their own, the project does feature Swae Lee and Mike WiLL Made-It on “Catch Up,” the album’s only listed collab.
This time around, the duo decided to show a different side of themselves, according to Halle. “For Ungodly Hour, we were so excited to just flip the narrative of being the perfect angel and show the other side[s] of us,” she told Teen Vogue. “The dark side, the naughty side, the things that happen that you don’t see behind the scenes.”
Ungodly Hour drops via Beyoncé’s Parkwood Entertainment and it received the Queen Bey’s stamp of approval, according to Chloe. “When we sent her the album, she said that she loved it and didn’t have any notes,” Chloe told The Associated Press, as per Washington Post. “[We] were like, ‘Oh wow!’ She must really like it because she always sends notes, which we appreciate and add in most of the time. I’m really proud of this album and if she loves it, I hope everyone else loves it, too.”
Ungodly Hour is below.
