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Rick Ross — Port of Miami 2
Rick Ross heads back to the Port of Miami. Almost exactly 13 years after dropping the original as his breakout LP, Rozay rolls out the star-studded sequel.
The Maybach Music Group boss keeps some of the collaborations in the family thanks to Wale, Meek Mill, and Gunplay. Others also lend their voices, including DeJ Loaf, Summer Walker, Swizz Beatz, Teyana Taylor, Jeezy, and more. The late Nipsey Hussle also shows up for a posthumous verse.
Pusha T was slated to appear on the album’s Maybach Music VI, which already features Lil Wayne. The collaboration was seen as one of the album’s highlights prior to its release due to the fact that Push and Wayne had been at odds for years. However, the official album version does not include King Push’s contribution.
Released in 2006, the original Port of Miami featured JAY-Z, Jeezy, Lil Wayne, Akon, and Lloyd, among others. The album included Renzel’s first major hit, “Hustlin’.” Rozay recently revealed it was a welcome “challenge” to craft the sequel.
“It’s most definitely a challenge,” he told Los Angeles’ Power 106. “That’s what you need to do instead of just settling to remain the same. You have to continue to challenge yourself. That’s the only way you get better…I try to make [every album] different in some way, either the way I approach the records, write the records, the way I pick the production, I try to do something unique, but my formula always remains the same.”
Set sail to the Port of Miami 2 below.
Megan Thee Stallion, Nicki Minaj & Ty Dolla $ign —“Hot Girl Summer”
Megan Thee Stallion’s summer just got hotter. After turning “hot girl summer” into a social media craze this year, the Texas rapper teams up with Nicki Minaj and Ty Dolla $ign for the highly-anticipated new single, “Hot Girl Summer.”
Thee Stallion wastes no time getting into the track’s theme. “Got a whole lot of options ’cause you know a bitch poppin’ / I’m a hot girl, so you know ain’t shit stoppin’,” she raps while Dolla $ign mans the hook.
For her part, Nicki celebrates Megan’s highly-publicized collegiate efforts before diving into the song’s thesis. “Who gon’ tell him that my bitch is getting her degree / And when we say it’s ‘Hot Girl Summer,’ we ain’t talkin’ ’bout degrees.”
Megan and Minaj recently teased the collaboration on Instagram Live. “The song was already recorded and ready to go, and then we just went live together,” Thee Stallion told E! News. “She literally recorded her verse that night. They sent the song to me and I was like ‘This is not real life. Y’all are playing right now.’ I love it. It was amazing. I can’t believe she did it so fast.”
Listen to “Hot Girl Summer,” which also features a prominent nod to City Girls’ “Act Up,” below.
Trippie Redd — !
A year after dropping A Love Letter to You 3, Trippie Redd exclaims once again with the release of his newest project, ! This time around, the Ohio rapper drops 14 new joints via TenThousand Projects.
Playboi Cart, The Game, Lil Baby, Lil Duke, and Coi Leray join Trippie for this new offering. Meanwhile, Diplo, Murda Beatz, Wheezy, ChopSquad DJ, Hammed Beats, Matthew Crabtree, and OZ are among the LP’s producers.
Trippie has also been teasing a rock album this year, which could be his next move. “I’m working on two albums right now,” he told Phoenix’s Power 98.3 back in April. “I got a rock album. Then I’m working on a hip-hop album too.”
For now, stream ! below.
Murs, 9th Wonder, The Soul Cycle — The Iliad Is Dead And The Odyssey Is Over
Murs is back. After teaming up with 9th Wonder for a series of critically-heralded projects, the Los Angeles rapper unleashes The Iliad Is Dead And The Odyssey Is Over.
Instead of being a duet project all the way through, this one was produced by 9th along with The Soul Council. The 12-song effort also features Rapsody, GQ, and Cojo, as well as Pookie Blow, Silk Money, and Reuben Vincent.
The Iliad Is Dead And The Odyssey Is Over marks the L.A. rapper’s first release after parting ways with Strange Music. To go along with the new album, Murs released a short film that was inspired by some of the project’s tracks. “I’ve always loved comic books, cinema, and Hip-Hop,” Murs told Okayplayer. “This video was a chance to combine all three. The first time I created a short film was for ‘Walk Like A Man’ off of me and 9th’s first album [Murs 3:16]. It was fun and very well received. I’ve wanted to do something similar for years, and now seemed like the perfect time!”
Stream The Iliad Is Dead And The Odyssey Is Over below.
Blueface — Dirt Bag
Blueface made a name for himself with an unorthodox rapping style. Thanks to songs like “Thotiana” and “Respect My Cryppin’,” the newcomer earned major popularity to go with some criticism last year. His polarizing impact continued on social media. Now, the Los Angeles rapper unleashes his newest chapter, Dirt Bag.
The eight-song EP features some familiar faces. Offset, Rich the Kid, The Game, Mozzy, and Lil Pump make up the guest list. Scum Beatz, F. Beats, Hunnid Bands, and Mike Crook handle the production here.
“I’m back on my dirt bag,” Blue announces on the opening title track. “I’m in front of the store with a paper bag / I’m back on my dirt bag / I’m back off that Henny in a brown bag / Stick on me like a nigga with a bad back.”
Stream Dirt Bag below.
Bas — Spilled Milk 1
Fresh off the Revenge of the Dreamers III LP, Dreamville’s Bas unloads a brand new four-track EP, Spilled Milk 1. Although it’s a short endeavor, the project packs quite the high-powered guest list.
Dreamville’s represented throughout. EARTHGANG join him on the opener, “Jollof Rice.” JID pops up on “Fried Rice” and Ari Lennox joins Kiddominant on the closer, “Amnesia.” Falcons and B. Lewis also lend a hand on “Nirvana.”
Bas announced the new set on social media earlier this week. “This project is a collection of collaborations I’ve been working on,” he said. “I’ll release the series episodically starting with these four songs on Friday.”
Bas was an integral part of Dreamville’s Revenge of the Dreamers III, which topped the Billboard 200 upon its release. Serve Spilled Milk 1 below.
