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J. Cole — “Procrastination (Broke)”
What happens if J. Cole decides to rap on a “J. Cole type beat?” The North Carolina rhymer finds out by hitting YouTube for an instrumental with that description. The result is his newest single, “Procrastination (Broke).”
This week, the lesser-known producer Bvtman published the track through his YouTube channel with a message from J. Cole. “I was looking for anything to inspire me,” Cole writes in the message to the producer. “Out of curiosity, I typed in ‘J. Cole type beat’ into YouTube. Yours was the first I saw. I pressed play, focused, and wrote this.”
He continues: “This song should live on your channel and serve as a thank you to you and every producer out there cooking up and sharing their work with the world. God bless bro and keep doing what you do.”
The song is also an ode to bravery and hunger. “I don’t even know if somebody gonna hear this,” he rhymes. “Got so many songs that get lost in the endless / folders of the hard drive, I wish I was more fearless.”
Fans are also celebrating the release because of another announcement in the song. “I need to finish this album,” he confirms on the cut. Listen to “Procrastination (Broke)” below.
A$AP Rocky — “Same Problems?”
A$AP Yams, the beloved leader of A$AP Mob, died Jan. 18, 2015. Exactly eight years later, A$AP Rocky reflects on the “Same Problems” with the release of his newest single as a tribute to his late friend.
“HAPPY YAMS DAY,” Rocky writes via social media. “8 YEARS STILL FEELS LIKE A DAY AGO, WE MISS YOU EVERYDAY.”
The song itself features a pensive and inquisitive Flacko. “How many problems get solved? Am I a product of things that I saw?” he ponders. “How many problems get solved? Am I a product of things in my songs?”
He goes on: “How many problems get solved? Am I a product of all of my flaws?” Then, he finally adds: “How many problems get solved if we don’t get involved?”
The New York emcee spoke about the song’s inspiration during an interview with Apple Music, according to Stereogum. “I think I was feeling plight,” he says. “I think I was also feeling a sense of guilt, because every time we lose somebody in our community, we all, especially me, have a habit of just saying things like, ‘It’s messed up. It’s wrong. Why do these kind of things happen?’ You ask a bunch of questions and usually … I never took time out to really understand that I was part of the problem because I was contributing those kind of lyrics and whatnot to songs.”
Listen to “Same Problems?” below.
Ice Spice — Like..?
Ice Spice continues to capitalize on the success of her breakout hit, “Munch (Feelin’ U).” After also releasing “Bikini Bottom” and “In Ha Mood,” the New York rapper unveils her new EP titled Like..?.
The 6-song offering features the aforementioned viral successes. Beyond that, it also includes “Princess Diana,” “Actin A Smoochie,” and “Gangsta Boo” with Lil Tjay. Spice talks about her rise on the latter joint. “Made it out as soon as I got fame / Walking passed them, they yelling my name,” she explains. “I’m a fan, but I’m keeping it cool / And I like it when you call me boo.”
RIOTUSA — the acclaimed producer behind “Munch” — handles the production for the entire project. He also serves as the offering’s executive producer.
Spice spoke about her plans for 2023 during an Interview piece with Erykah Badu. “There’s going to be a new body of work and it’s going to include drill tracks, it’s going to have some trap. It might have a surprise in there,” she says in the story.
Listen to Like..? below.
Macklemore f. DJ Premier — “HEROES”
Macklemore taps the iconic DJ Premier for his newest single, “HEROES.” Over the Gang Starr producer’s legendary scratches, the Seattle rapper pays tribute to some of his idols.
“Heroes” includes references to a few West Coast luminaries who impacted the globe. “[At] seven, I heard N.W.A in the street,” he explains on the cut. But the Hip-Hop fandom doesn’t stop there.
Soon, Mack adds a nod to a different artist who also came straight out of Compton: “Wanted a windbreaker and some Eastbay kicks / Wanted a perm like DJ Quik.”
Macklemore and Preemo appear together in the song’s music video. Directed and edited by Macklemore and Jake Magraw, the gritty clip also features a myriad of grainy black and white images to accompany the track’s ’90s era vibes.
Produced by longtime Macklemore collaborator Budo, the boom-bap-inspired track is also likely sign of things to come. This week, the “Can’t Hold Us” star announced that his forthcoming album, Ben, is slated to arrive March 3.
Listen to “HEROES” and watch the song’s music video below.
Trippie Redd — Mansion Musik
Trippie Redd is back. Dubbing himself the Dark Knight, the Ohio rapper delivers his highly-anticipated Mansion Musik LP today. It is a party full of familiar faces as the 25-song album doubles as a star-studded affair, boasting a who’s who roster of featured artists.
The guest list is strong. It features Travis Scott, Chief Keep, Future, Lil Baby and Juice WRLD. Kodak Black, Lil Durk, and G Herbo are also among the seasoned stars on the album. Meanwhile, the jam-packed project also features Ski Mask The Slump God, Rob49, DaBaby, Nardo Wick and Big30.
“I love you all,” Trippie says in a statement to fans on social media. “Thanks for your patience.”
Listen to Mansion Musik below.
