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Drake — Care Package
Drake is giving fans a Care Package to digitally unbox. Just as the Toronto rapper gets ready for OVO Fest in his hometown, The 6 God unloads a career-spanning project full of loosies, which were previously unavailable on some streaming services.
Drizzy made the surprise announcement just hours before its release. “Available Friday on all platforms,” he wrote. “Some of our most important moments together available in one place. Care Package.”
J. Cole appears on “Jodeci Freestyle,” Rick Ross pops up on “Free Spirit,” and James Fauntleroy lends a hand on “Girls Love Beyoncé.” Other tracks include “Dreams Money Can Buy,” “The Motion,” “Trust Issues,” “Draft Day,” “Heat of the Moment,” “4PM in Calabasas,” and “5AM in Toronto.”
Some fans are going to use this as a way to reminisce through one-offs. Others are going to recollect rarities or discover songs they didn’t know existed. In any case, the praise is already bubbling. Rising rapper Guapdad 4000 has already referred to it as a “classic” in Drake’s comment section on Instagram. “I honestly wonder how it feels to scrape up your loosies put them on a playlist and have a classic album,” he wrote. “I can’t wait.”
Unbox the Care Package below.
Rich the Kid, Famous Dex, Jay Critch — Rich Forever 4
Rich the Kid, Famous Dex, and Jay Critch are back at it. Following three Rich Forever compilations, the crew unleashes the fourth installment of their mixtape franchise.
Familiar faces certainly make appearances throughout RF4. That includes Famous Dex, Jay Critch, and Rich the Kid, himself, of course. However, the project also features guest spots from A$AP Ferg, 83 Babies, Bino, and Airi, among others. Still, the hosting trio takes center stage on a bulk of this release.
Earlier this year, Rich the Kid dropped his The World Is Yours 2 effort, and around that time, he spoke with Billboard about the balance he strikes between his artistry and his work as a label leader.
“It’s just great being able to balance being a boss, a CEO of your own organization, helping out other people and people your team on [by] helping their families,” he said. “It’s just a blessing being able to do that because I got this blessing to help other people and bless others. It’s really a blessing. That’s one word I’d put it in altogether.”
See how he was able to balance both of those roles on Rich Forever 4 below.
Rapsody feat. GZA & D’Angelo — “Ibtihaj”
Rapsody wields her liquid swords on her newest single, “Ibtihaj.” Inspired by GZA’s “Liquid Swords” classic, the Jamla/Roc Nation star unleashes the lead track off her forthcoming album, Eve. Produced by frequent collaborator and mentor 9th Wonder, the hard-hitting cut also features D’Angelo and, fittingly, Wu-Tang Clan’s GZA himself.
The Carolina rhymer uses her verse to reference the song’s muse. “Ain’t an MC on this Earth that make me feel afraid,” she rhymes. “Wu-Tang is for the children, that’s the scripture and phrase.” But she also speaks on the history of women in hip-hop: “Women been leading the way since Roxanne Shante / And the Unit had Flava and Jay had Marcy neighbors that waved.”
Following D’Angelo’s smooth hook, GZA adds some of his seasoning. The Genius’ verse was, no doubt, influenced by his own Willie Mitchell-inspired original. “You follow the leader, the track is off the meter,” he raps. “A lot of rap is weak, low frequency in the tweeters / Very inaudible, clock radio speakers.” Fans will recall, his original line was: “Lyrics are weak like clock radio speakers.”
Rapsody is currently prepping for the release of her forthcoming album, Eve. The effort follows 2017’s Laila’s Wisdom and 2016’s Crown. Listen to “Ibtihaj” below.
Lil Durk — Love Songs 4 The Streets 2
Lil Durk keeps penning Love Songs 4 The Streets with the second installment of this series. This time around, the Alamo/Interscope star unloads a new 16-song LP featuring some famous friends like Nicki Minaj and Meek Mill.
But there’s more. 21 Savage, A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie, and Key Glock also appear on this LP. Meanwhile, Jahaan Sweet, Boi-1da, Jahlil Beats, The Beat Bully, Charlie Handsome, Julian Cruz, and others offer production across this buzzing new LP.
As the title suggests, Durk speaks to the streets throughout this new offering. “They told me don’t die young because I’m talented,” he raps on the opener “RN4L.” “You really for me, you been around and you ain’t asked for shit…I speak my soul through my music, I’m so passionate.” He reiterates this on the title track, which also works as the outro. “I make love songs for the streets,” he boasts on the cut.
It’s been two years since Durk dropped the first Love Songs 4 The Streets. That project featured appearances from YFN Lucci, Moneybagg Yo, Young Thug, and TK Kravitz. Durk also has another similarly titled mixtape series, Signed to the Streets and STTS 3 dropped just last year.
Open Durk’s Love Songs 4 The Streets 2 below.
Dave East — Survival Pacc
Dave East has been around for years. However, much like Chance the Rapper before The Big Day, he’s only officially dropped a series of mixtapes thus far. Now, as the New York rhymer is preparing his official Mass Appeal/Def Jam debut full-length Survival, he unleashes a two-song prep kit in Survival Pacc. The project features two songs, “Everyday” featuring Gunna and “Wanna Be a G” featuring Max B.
Produced by Street Symphony, D.O. Speaks, Mike Kuz, S. Dot, and Buda Da Future, “Everyday” is the two-pack’s opener. “Lotta lames in this industry,” Gunna raps. “Sucka free, me and Dave East.” Meanwhile, Dave acknowledges that this isn’t his rookie season. “Popular nigga, I’m not tryna start,” he raps. “This is not the beginning.” He goes on to reveal his relaxing lifestyle: “I’m tropical livin’ / I try not to pay no attention / They probably gone hate until I’m finished.”
Next, Dave gets an assist from Max B on “Wanna Be a G.” Backed by Beat Butcha’s production, East sing-raps about the realities of the street on this cut. “Shorty wanna be a G, corner of his block, that’s as far as he can see / The man on his block, that’s all he wants to be…Just thinking ‘bout his homies, lost them all in the street.” Max adds: “We rep this Harlem shit, me and my nigga East.”
Cop the Survival Pacc below.
Teyana Taylor feat. King Combs — “How You Want It?”
Teyana Taylor travels to Harlem World for her newest single. A year after dropping Keep That Same Energy, the R&B songstress unleashes a Ma$e-inspired single featuring King Combs in “How You Want It?”
Produced by Hitmaka, Cardiak, and BoogzDaBeast, “How You Want It?” was heavily inspired by Ma$e and Total’s “What You Want” single off the former’s debut album, Harlem World. King Combs’ father, Sean “Diddy” Combs, has a writing credit on the original, which itself was inspired by Curtis Mayfield’s “Right On the Darkness.” Puff Daddy was also that album’s executive producer.
Taylor isn’t afraid of getting raunchy here. “I’m a nasty bitch, so I’ma fuck you like I should,” she sings. “Know that you’ve been peepin’ I’m a savage / And the pussy good so if you want it, you can have it / Climb up on the dick, make it a habit / Fucking with a bitch that’s never average.”
Elsewhere, Teyana adds: “Ass up, face down with the loving…Make me curl my toes.” Soon, King Combs uses his verse as a response to Taylor’s lyrics, sometimes referencing them directly. “I’ma stand in that pussy, have you folding up,” he raps. “Face down, ass up, girl, you know what’s up / Eat it up, beat it up, make your toes curl up.”
This isn’t the first time King Combs has celebrated his father’s past. Last year, the rising rapper teamed up with Ma$e to perform his dad’s verse on the classic Notorious B.I.G. collaboration “Mo Money Mo Problems.” Last year, Combs also spoke on his upbringing during an interview with The Fader. “Growing up, I always listened to classic Bad Boy songs,” he said. “I was a big fan of G. Dep, Shyne, Ma$e, my pops. The whole Saga Continues album, I grew up while they was creating that, being at the music videos and stuff. It was a blessing. That was one of my favorite eras of music.”
Listen to Teyana’s ode to that era in “How You Want It?” below.
