Cassius Life Featured Video
CLOSE
Young Thug In Concert - New York, NY

Source: Johnny Nunez / Getty

Young Thug feat. J. Cole & Travis Scott — “The London”

What happens when three of rap’s biggest names team up with one of hip-hop’s most sought-after beatmakers? Young Thug attempts to answer that question with “The London,” a T-Minus-produced collaboration featuring J. Cole and Travis Scott.

Jermaine uses the new release to boast about his superiority. “How could you come up out your face and say I ain’t the hottest nigga you done ever heard?” he raps. “I left a flock of rappers dead and burned / A verse from me is like 11 birds / I did the math, it’s like 2,000 dollars every word.”

Following La Flame’s chorus, Thugger makes his own boasts. “I’ma run the compound, I supply the cigarettes and bread,” he raps. “I got a main and she gon’ ride, she took a quarter and she fled / I’m in the Lam’ so she gon’ ride / I see the pain in shorty’s light brown eyes.”

“The London” continues Thug and Trav’s long history of collaborations on tracks like “Pick Up the Phone,” “Mamacita,” and “Floyd Mayweather.” It’s the first collaboration from Thug and Jermaine. While it might seem like an unlikely collaboration, fans should expect more from this duo as Cole is reportedly set to executive produce Thugger’s next album.

Go to “The London” below.

YG — 4REAL 4REAL

YG released his Stay Dangerous LP just one year ago. Now, in the wake of tragedy, the Compton, Calif. rapper returns with his latest full-length album, 4REAL 4REAL.

The project features YG’s previously-released singles “Stop Snitchin” and the Tyga and Jon Z-assisted “Go Loko.” Meek Mill, Kamaiyah, G-Eazy, Ty Dolla $ign, Valee, Boogie and Da Baby all guest throughout the effort while Mustard, Swish, Hit-Boy, and others handle production.

4REAL arrives during a trying time for the West Coast MC. YG’s been mourning the death of his longtime friend and frequent collaborator Nipsey Hussle, who was tragically shot and killed earlier this year. “Excuse my wack ass album rollout promotions,” YG tweeted on the album’s eve of release. “I ain’t been in the mood to do none of that shit since they took my brother! But ‘The Marathon Continues.’”

YG pays tribute to Hussle on “My Last Words – Nipsey Tribute,” which is an excerpt from his speech during the late rapper’s funeral service. “I wanna congratulate bro for his legacy and everything he did, all the game he gave me, all the people he touched, and for the brand he left behind,” he says in the clip. “We love you, my nigga. I’m gonna miss you, my nigga.”

Listen to 4REAL 4REAL below.

Ed Sheeran feat. Chance the Rapper & PnB Rock — “Cross Me”

Ed Sheeran may be a global pop star, but the singer-songwriter is also a major hip-hop and R&B fan. Today, he showcases that once again with the release of his “Cross Me” collaboration with Chance the Rapper and PnB Rock.

“If you cross her, then you cross me,” he sings on the track. “Nobody’s comin’ close / And I think that you should know that.” PnB Rock harmonizes with Ed before adding a nod to his daughter. “Anything she needs, she can call me / Don’t worry about her, that’s my seed, that’s all me.”

Lil Chano From 79th, who recently got married, uses his wife as his verse’s muse. “Now, what you not gon’ do is stand there, crouched for me, like you got kung-fu,” he raps on the track. “Death stare, cross-armed, runnin’ your mouth like a faucet / Bet you don’t know that my girl been doin’ CrossFit.”

Following “I Don’t Care,” which features Justin Bieber, “Cross Me” is a taste of things to come from Sheeran. The chart-topper recently announced his forthcoming album, No. 6 Collaborations, which is due in July.

“Before I was signed in 2011, I made an EP called No.5 Collaborations Project,” he told fans on social media. “Since then, I’ve always wanted to do another, so I started No.6 on my laptop when I was on tour last year. I’m a huge fan of all the artists I’ve collaborated with and it’s been a lot of fun to make.”

Joyner Lucas feat. Logic — “Isis”

Joyner Lucas and Logic put their quarrels to the side. Following a brief dispute, the fast-rapping MCs deliver a surprising collaboration titled “ISIS (ADHD).”

Logic explains how Detroit rapper Royce Da 5’9” brought peace to their beef during his verse. “5’9” was the middleman to get ’em in the same room / Now we on the same tune,” he raps. “The illest of lyricists on the same shit.”

Royce’s longtime friend Eminem may have also been an influence on this peacemaking effort. Slim Shady teamed up with Joyner on last year’s “Lucky You” before joining forces with Logic on this year’s “Homicide.”

Lucas, who seemed to diss Logic on his “Look Alive” freestyle, previously explained their feud during an interview with Complex. Joyner said he “could just tell” that Logic wasn’t excited to be featured on Tech N9ne’s “Sriracha” alongside him. He also seemed to point towards similarities between Logic’s No. 1 single “1-800-273-8255” and his own track, “I’m Sorry (508)507-2209).”

To go along with the track, Joyner and Logic released a music video. As the song’s title suggests, the visual features a military theme. Watch the clip below.

Beast Coast — Escape From New York

Beast Coast is here. The East Coast collective has been making noise for quite some time as an unofficial entity. Now, the Flatbush Zombies, Underachievers and Pro Era artists join forces for an official LP titled Escape From New York.

The 13-song album features a series of posse cuts and production from the likes of Kirk Knight, Tyler Dopps, Sam Wish, Erick the Architect, and Powers Pleasant. It also includes the team’s lead single “Left Hand.”

Zombie Juice recently talked about the group’s new LP during an interview with Complex. “I would dream about the moment that we shared in the beginning of our careers when all of us toured together through every tour I did since,” he said. “I kind of put that energy into the air that I wanted to do this every time. It’s not about, ‘When did I realize we were putting this album out?’ It was about always wanting to get back to this energy that I trust and love.”

Joey Bada$$ also explained how the group looked forward on this effort instead of looking to the past. “There was definitely some nostalgic vibes here, but there’s nothing more powerful than the present moment,” he added. “That’s really what it was…We didn’t look back, not once.”

Look forward with Beast Coast below.

Flying Lotus — Flamagra

Three years removed from his You’re Dead! LP, Flying Lotus blesses his fans with his latest release, Flamagra. Packed with 27 songs, the new project features a star-studded guest list, including Anderson .Paak, George Clinton, Solange, Thundercat, Toro y Moi, Denzel Curry, Little Dragon, and Tierra Whack, among others.

Flamagra was clearly inspired by fire, but it was also brought forth by death. Prior to making the album, FlyLo said he pondered questions like, “What if there’s a very contained fire in Los Angeles that couldn’t be put out, and what would that be like as a thing for the city, or any American city?”

He went on to tell Billboard: “I just felt some closeness to that and that concept. I think the one that really drove it home for me was when my friend told me a story of a friend of his who passed in the [2016] Oakland fire. There was a fire in a rave and there was an illegal party. A lot of people passed in there. People who were on the second floor was throwing themselves out of the building, saying they’d rather die that way. It’s a weird and scary thing to hear about. As someone who plays at clubs and warehouses and stuff, that story messed with my head for some time.”

Listen to Flamagra below.