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Rihanna – “Lift Me Up”
RiRi returns to music. After taking over the business world with her massively successful Fenty products, Rihanna reignites audiences with “Lift Me Up,” a single off the forthcoming Black Panther: Wakanda Forever soundtrack.
Ri’s soaring vocals fly within Ludwig Goransson’s soundscape. “Keep me safe, safe and sound,” she sings on the track. “Lift me up, hold me down / Keep me close, safe and sound.”
It’s a moving song that was co-written by TEMS. The “Higher” songstress recently described the song’s creative process in a statement, as per Billboard. “I wanted to write something that portrays a warm embrace from all the people that I’ve lost in my life,” she says. “I tried to imagine what it would feel like if I could sing to them now and express how much I miss them.”
TEMS continues: “Rihanna has been an inspiration to me, so hearing her convey this song is a great honor.”
The Wakanda Forever soundtrack is due to arrive next week while the film is scheduled to hit theaters Nov. 11. But it also feels like the start of a new era for Rihanna as the superstar is also slated to perform during the NFL halftime show in February, prompting fans to speculate over pending new music.
Listen to “Lift Me Up” below.
SZA — “Shirt”
SZA’s back with a new single. The Top Dawg Entertainment superstar reemerges in the music scene with her highly-anticipated single, “Shirt.”
Rodney “Darkchild” Jerkins and Freaky Rob are behind this one’s production. Meanwhile, Solana sings about the uncertain. “In the dark right now, feelin’ lost, but I like it,” she sings. “Still don’t know my worth / Still stressin’ perfection / Let you all in my mental / Got me lookin’ too desperate.”
Dave Myers, the renowned director, turns this song into a film for its music video. Actor Lakeith Stanfield co-stars in the clip, which is available below.
“Shirt” was reportedly not going to appear on SZA’s forthcoming album, but the song’s viral success shook plans up. “It’s always interesting to see what people gravitate toward and what they don’t,” she told PEOPLE last year. “It’s always a surprise for me, always on both ends, whether something is positively received or negatively received.”
Watch and listen to “Shirt” below.
Baby Keem — The Melodic Blue (Deluxe)
Baby Keem is currently touring the globe on Kendrick Lamar’s “The Big Steppers Tour.” But in the midst of that worldly jaunt, the Las Vegas emcee unleashes the deluxe version of his critically acclaimed album, The Melodic Blue.
The LP’s expanded version features 7 new songs, including “life of pain” and “highway 95.” Lil Uzi Vert, Don Toliver, and PinkPantheress appear as guests. Kendrick Lamar, Brent Faiyaz, and Travis Scott appeared on the original.
“I don’t think music has anything out right now, like this project,” Keem told Billboard about the project last year. “I took my time carefully recording every vocal, I was going through a lot during that process, just becoming a man.”
He went on: “A lot of people are embarrassed by their families, what happened to them and their traumas…[In] therapy, I’m telling this random person these things — so why can’t I tell the world? It just gave me the confidence to really start expressing myself more.”
Listen to The Melodic Blue’s deluxe version below.
Chlöe f. Latto — “For the Night”
Chlöe and Latto join forces. The Parkwood songstress teams up with the Georgia rhymer for a song about the peaks and valleys of a budding relationship.
“I know them other girls, yeah, they’re all the same / You could have the world or you could have L.A. / I’ma give it to you and I don’t hesitate / If I call you up, you know that I’m on the way,” Ms. Bailey sings over production by Omer Fedi, London On Da Track, and Boobie.
Latto adds her flavor to the song. “I’m the only one who knows everything you like / You could have this for the night or for your life,” she raps to summarize the conceptual cut.
Chlöe co-directed the song’s music video with Shermay Joh. The clip weaves in the track’s main story with a live performance from the 2022 iHeartRadio Music Festival. Listen to “For the Night” and watch the visual below.
Westside Gunn — 10
Westside Gunn ends a chapter in his discography with the 10th and final installment of his HWH series. In order to do this, the Griselda boss brings some prominent and powerful acts together both on the mic and behind the boards for 10.
This time around, A$AP Rocky, Black Star, Run The Jewels, Ghostface Killah, Raekwon, and Busta Rhymes join the party. Meanwhile, RZA, Swizz Beatz, Pete Rock, Alchemist, and Conductor Williams lend their talents to the production side.
The project also includes a 10-minute joint called “Red Death.” It features Conway The Machine, Benny The Butcher, Armani Caesar, Jay Worthy, Stove God Cooks, and more.
Although this is the 10th installment of the franchise, Westside says that this album won’t sound like any other. “No project sounds the same,” he tells Hot 97. “I put two records on there that’s trap, which I never do, and both of those are produced by my son, Fly God Jr.”
He adds: “I don’t make music for money, I don’t care if I chart, I don’t look at that. I’ve never looked at my analytics. Not one time. I’ve never looked to see where I’m big at or how many streams I’ve had on Spotify, how many streams I have on iTunes. Yeah, I’ve never looked once.”
