As the week in music comes to a close, Hypebeast has rounded up the best projects for the latest installment of Best New Tracks.
This week’s lineup is led by Usher, Don Toliver and Megan Thee Stallion, who released the singles “Ruin,” “Bandit” and the “Chopped & Screwed” version of “HISS.” Also joining this selection are offerings from BADBADNOTGOOD with reggie, The Alchemist with Hit-Boy, Zacari, Jamila Woods and Cash Cobain.
Usher – “Ruin”
Usher has a busy month ahead of him; as he prepares for his Super Bowl Halftime Show performance on February 11 and the release of his ninth studio album Coming Home on February 9, he released his newest single “Ruin.” The track features production and a guest appearance from Pheelz, and hears inspiration from Afrobeats and Amapiano.
Listen: Spotify | Apple Music
Don Toliver – “Bandit”
Don Toliver drops his first single of 2024 “Bandit,” which hears him sample Tame Impala’s instantly recognizable cut “One More Hour.” In the track’s two-and-a-half-minute cut’s infrared video, Toliver and his gang gallivant around the middle of the desert, skirting around on motorcycles and donning “Hard Stone Psycho” leather gear custom-designed by Elliot Evan. Two of the bikes Toliver and his crew use are actually pulled from the rapper’s own collection.
Listen: Spotify | Apple Music
Megan Thee Stallion – “HISS (chopped ‘n screwed)”
Amidst the seemingly one-sided beef of Megan Thee Stallion and Nicki Minaj, the Houston Hottie has personally kept it mum and released an instrumental and “Chopped & Screwed” version of her latest single “HISS.”
Listen: Spotify | Apple Music
The Alchemist x Hit-Boy – THEODORE & ANDRE
The Alchemist and Hit-Boy, two of hip-hop’s best producers, reunite for the three-track EP THEODORE & ANDRE. The project features a guest appearance from Johnathan Hulett on the cut “THE MAIN EVENT,” while the other two hears the pure prowess of Alc and Hit-Boy.
Listen: Spotify | Apple Music
Zacari – “Ocean”
Zacari preps for the release of his debut album with his latest single, “Ocean.” The TDE star’s newest cut features co-production from Pharaoh Vice and KND, and will join his upcoming project which “highlights his extraordinary songwriting talents allowing his vocal mastery to take center stage.”
Listen: Spotify | Apple Music
Jamila Woods – “Still”
Jamila Woods delivers an accompanying music video for “Still” as she kicks off her Water Made Us tour. “‘Still’ is a song about the space before ‘getting over,’ the period of time where you feel the presence of a past love even when they’re long gone. Sometimes ignoring or resisting the memories doesn’t help, you have to let them in, offer them a glass of water and maybe even dance with them in order for them to finally let you go,” she says in a statement. “The character ‘Absence,’ played by dancer Owen Scarlett, represents this lingering loved one. My friend, musician and filmmaker Hollis Wong-Wear directed the video and we worked with the brilliant Jas Lin on the choreography.”
Listen: Spotify | Apple Music
Cash Cobain – “Dunk Contest”
Grammy Next Generation Ambassador Cash Cobain debuts his newest single “Dunk Contest,” which was premiered during a guest appearance at The Lot Radio. The cut is his dedication to the women in his life, namedropping them and “dedicating a unique slizzy sentiment towards each one.”
Listen: Spotify | Apple Music
BADBADNOTGOOD x reggie – “Take What’s Given”
BADBADNOTGOOD and reggie team up for “Take What’s Given,” a country-inspired track that highlights reggie’s soulful voice and BBNG’s distinct sound. “We were doing a couple sessions around the time of Coachella 2022 and ended up having reggie by the studio. We were struck by his unique artistry and energy, and he played us some of his unreleased music that was just amazing,” the group says in a statement. “The groove for ‘Take What’s Given’ came together while we were messing around during setup, and we were just having fun with it until reggie started freestyling what became the lyrics. It quickly became an infectious song and we ended up laying it down within a couple takes. Stylistically it’s super different than anything we’ve put out before but we had such a fun time playing it and it was stuck in our heads for a year while we worked on other stuff.”
Listen: Spotify | Apple Music
