Source: Bernard Smalls / @PhotosByBeanz
Megan Thee Stallion & Dua Lipa — “Sweetest Pie”
Megan Thee Stallion and Dua Lipa cooked up a new collaboration for their fans in the form of “Sweetest Pie.” The new joint features production from OG Parker, Romano, and Platinum Library.
“You’ve never been to heaven, have you?” Dua Lipa asks on the track. “This is the ride of your life, hold on ’cause, baby, I might / I might just give you a bite of the sweetest pie / We can go fast, I’ll drive and you just lay back / I got the flavor that lasts, the sweetest pie / I might take you home / I might give you all of it, come get your dose of the sweetest pie.”
Megan also chefs up a couple of verses featuring her signature sauce. “Real thick, movin’ slow, that body like codeine / He a player but for Megan, he cuttin’ the whole team / That body lookin’ nice / I got cake and I know he want a slice.” Later, she adds: “Cesar Millan, I got his ass trained / I gotta let a dog know who really run thangs.”
As if the high-powered collab wasn’t enough, the superstars also joined forces for the song’s glossy and colorful music video. It was directed by the famed Dave Meyers and choreographed by the celebrated Laurieann Gibson with a concept that Meg provided, according to the video’s title card. It also features a reference to Raymond Douillet’s painting, “The Nights of the Full Moon,” according to credits on Meg’s channel.
Watch the visual and listen to the single below.
Benny The Butcher — Tana Talk 4
Benny The Butcher gets back into his Tana Talk bag with the fourth installment of the fan favorite musical series. This version of TT includes appearances from J. Cole, Diddy, and Benny’s Griselda brothers Westside Gunn and Conway The Machine.
“With Tana Talk 4, I have a chip on my shoulder,” The Butcher explained in a statement to press. “It’s special to me because I get to talk about things that I would never talk about on any other project. Tana Talk is the series where you get me, my deepest, darkest feelings. I’m sure people are going to be surprised at the things I’m saying on TT4, but they are also going to get an inside look at things.”
Cole World appears on the album’s lead single, “Johnny P’s Caddy.” Fittingly featuring Diddy, the LP’s second single is “10 More Commandments,” a sequel to Notorious B.I.G.’s classic, “Ten Crack Commandments.” “These 10 more crack commandments,” Benny raps on the song. “Frank White, Rest In Peace.”
The Alchemist, Daringer, and Beat Butcha make up the project’s sound on the production side. Aside from the aforementioned guests, this effort also includes Boldy James, Stove God Cooks, and 38 Spesh. Listen to Tana Talk 4 below.
Lil Durk — 7220
Lil Durk released The Voice and The Voice of the Heroes last year along with each project’s deluxe edition. Now, Durkio shows he isn’t slowing down in 2022 with the release of another project, 7220.
Durk is always known for having heavy hitters on his offerings and this effort is no different. It includes collaborations with Future, Gunna, and Summer Walker. Controversial country singer Morgan Wallen also makes an appearance. Meanwhile, Southside, Tm88, Hitmaka, CuBeatz, YC, and Zypitano are among the LP’s producers.
The album title is significant for Durk, who revealed its meaning on Twitter. “7220 my granny address,” he wrote. “I grew up in that house.” He added: “That made me the [realest].” He also said this LP would be “for the trenches.” Listen to 7220 below.
KXNG Crooked & Joell Ortiz — The Rise & Fall of Slaughterhouse
Slaughterhouse hasn’t officially released a new album since 2012. Ten years removed from welcome to: OUR HOUSE, two of the group’s four members, KXNG Crooked and Joell Ortiz, release a new album inspired by The Rise & Fall of Slaughterhouse.
The much-discussed project has been marketed as “fourclosure,” a final word on the dynamics that led to the group’s decade-long hiatus. “If we ain’t rapped in 10 years, guess what? We ain’t rappin’ as a group.” Crooked said in an mini-doc that the duo released. He added: “We fin’a kill Slaughterhouse.” The album includes songs like “Vacancy” and “Backstage,” detailing the turmoil.
“Here’s a little somethin’ you ain’t know,” Joell raps at one point. “We split the dough / Then after the tour was over, so was the show / No hangin’ out, no phone calls, just holiday texts / And emails from management on what’s probably up next.”
Crook also raps from his perspective: “I ain’t no mathematician but I see mad division / Couldn’t get past the friction / Was it a bad decision tryna get back to the mission / of actually winning in rap again / ‘Cause all of us had the vision / But that was years ago, this is a new day / And the fans deserve flowers, this is a bouquet.”
The 13-song project features Blakk Soul, Sly Pyper, and Traxx Sanders, among others. It does not, however, include appearances from the group’s other two members, Joe Budden and Royce Da 5’9”. The Rise & Fall of Slaughterhouse is below.
Latto f. 21 Savage — “Wheelie”
Latto has been climbing up the Billboard Hot 100 with her “Big Energy” single, but that doesn’t mean she isn’t releasing new material during the ascent. After dropping “Soufside” and the “Super Gremlin” freestyle, Big Latto returns with the highly-anticipated 21 Savage collaboration, “Wheelie.”
“I love when he wear the grey sweats and the print show,” she raps on the track. “Pay the rent and the car note, he invest in me like crypto / Tell me just how much you need me / Paint them walls like I’m graffiti / Birkin bag me, double C me / He ain’t trickin’, go Houdini.”
21 Savage comes through with the song’s second verse. “I want the milk and cookies, drop off a Birkin, I’m Santa,” he raps. “She let me hit it on camera / And so did her friend, it’s a scandal.”
The Georgia emcees teamed up for the song’s music video as well. Directed by Colin Tilley, the visual features plenty of wheelies as Latto rides around town and dances in front of high flying bike riders. The clip also includes choreography from Sean Bankhead.
Watch the visual and listen to the single below.
