Top Song of the Week
Rap Song of the Week: Travis Scott Hatches an “ESCAPE PLAN”
Every week, our new music feature Rap Song of the Week breaks down our favorite hip-hop tracks that dropped this week. Check out the full playlist here. This week, Travis Scott makes his grand return with “ESCAPE PLAN.” Fans were anticipating Travis Scott’s newest single, “ESCAPE PLAN,” for several months before it officially dropped today (November 5th). After it was first previewed back in June through a Spotify ad, then during a Cactus Jack for Dior fashion show, the superstar opened his sets at Rolling Loud Miami and Rolling Loud NYC with the track. Now it’s finally here, just in time for his own Astroworld Festival this weekend. Featuring a woozy, atmospheric beat by frequent collaborators Nik D and OZ, the sound of “ESCAPE PLAN” doesn’t stray from the formula that allowed Scott ...
Song of the Week: JAY-Z and Kid Cudi Hit the Mark with “Guns Go Bang”
Song of the Week breaks down and talks about the song we just can’t get out of our head each week. Find these songs and more on our Spotify Top Songs playlist. For our favorite new songs from emerging artists, check out our Spotify New Sounds playlist. This week, JAY-Z teams up with Kid Cudi ahead of his Rock Hall induction. To accompany the release of Netflix’s upcoming Western The Harder They Fall — which boasts a stacked cast of Idris Elba, Regina King, LaKeith Stanfield, and the wonderful Jonathan Majors — an explosive soundtrack co-produced by JAY-Z has arrived today (October 29th). JAY-Z, whose hands are all over the project (he also produced the film), is featured on two tracks: “King Kong Riddim” with Jadakiss, Conway the Machine and BackRoad Gee, and “Guns Go Bang” alongside...
Rap Song of the Week: Maxo Kream Details Immeasurable Loss on “CRIPSTIAN”
Every week, our new music feature Rap Song of the Week breaks down our favorite hip-hop tracks of the week. Check out the full playlist here. This week, we highlight Maxo Kream’s WEIGHT OF THE WORLD opener “CRIPSTIAN.” The world has changed immeasurably in the two years since Maxo Kream released his standout project Brandon Banks, and the Houston rapper might be carrying more weight than anyone else. While still grieving the loss of his brother, Maxo’s grandmother was hospitalized due to COVID and he had a cousin die by suicide — not to mention a friend whose bail was set at a million dollars. Trauma is a theme explored throughout Maxo’s aptly titled new album WEIGHT OF THE WORLD, but the opening track “CRIPSTIAN” distills all his pain from the get-go. In addition to his dad and frien...
Song of the Week: Elton John and Eddie Vedder Go for a Wild Ride with “E-Ticket”
Song of the Week breaks down and talks about the song we just can’t get out of our head each week. Find these songs and more on our Spotify Top Songs playlist. For our favorite new songs from emerging artists, check out our Spotify New Sounds playlist. This week, Elton John recruits Eddie Vedder for his lockdown sessions. Elton John really loves to collaborate: his new album The Lockdown Sessions features him joining forces with some of the biggest musicians around, from Dua Lipa to Stevie Wonder. With “E-Ticket,” his new track with none other than Eddie Vedder, John goes back to basics. It’s an undeniably fun, classic piano jam from the prolific pair, and Vedder’s presence makes it all the more riveting. Their husky voices sync and blend so well that at times, it’s hard to tell who is who...
Song of the Week: Adele Confirms the Arrival of Sad Girl Autumn with “Easy On Me”
Song of the Week breaks down and talks about the song we just can’t get out of our head each week. Find these songs and more on our Spotify Top Songs playlist. For our favorite new songs from emerging artists, check out our Spotify New Sounds playlist. This week, Adele breaks her lengthy hiatus with an extremely on-brand ballad. What is it that separates a moody piano ballad from an Adele song? Is it the undeniable vocals? The reflective nature of the lyrics, nostalgic and sad? The overwhelming desire to suddenly go stand outside in the rain? It’s probably all of the above, and with “Easy On Me,” Adele takes it easy on absolutely no one — not the listeners, and not herself. The record-breaking vocalist has shared that her upcoming album is entitled 30, and the only thing truly surprising a...
Rap Song of the Week: Young Thug Remembers the “Day Before” with Mac Miller
Every week, our new music feature Rap Song of the Week breaks down our favorite rap tracks of the week. Check out the full playlist here. Today, Young Thug shares his posthumous Mac Miller collaboration “Day Before.” Young Thug just released his second official studio album Punk today (October 15th), and like most major hip-hop releases, it’s chock full of features. Drake, J. Cole, Travis Scott, Future, and A$AP Rocky all drop off guest verses, but Mac Miller’s posthumous appearance on “Day Before” stands above the rest. Thugger kicks off the track with a shoutout to Snoop Dogg before going into tales of self-defense (“I ain’t tryna give him a chance to kill me or take the stand on me”) and a relationship gone bad (“I had feelings for this girl that barely owned a residence”). Ho...
Rap Song of the Week: Conway the Machine Previews His Forthcoming Album with Some “Piano Love”
Every week, our new music feature Rap Song of the Week breaks down the essential rap and hip-hop tracks you need to hear. Check out the full playlist here. Today, Conway the Machine’s debut album on Shady Records is preceded by “Piano Love.” Dating back to a November 2017 interview with Consequence, Conway the Machine has been teasing his debut album on Shady Records, and “Piano Love” is a promising sign that it’s finally on the way. Featuring ominous production by frequent collaborator The Alchemist, the track itself arrives today (October 8th) after the Buffalo MC teased it on Instagram Live earlier this year. Advertisement Related Video With Spooky Season in full effect, the sinister keys are an appropriate soundtrack for the Griselda standout to do what he does best: Deliver raw s...
Song of the Week: Mitski Cuts to the Bone with “Working for the Knife”
Song of the Week breaks down and talks about the song we just can’t get out of our head each week. Find these songs and more on our Spotify Top Songs playlist. For our favorite new songs from emerging artists, check out our Spotify New Sounds playlist. This week, Mitski makes a welcome comeback. When the world needed her most, Mitski disappeared. In her two-year absence from music, from touring, and from social media, fans of the indie rock superstar found solace in her career highlights like “Nobody” and “Your Best American Girl,” which often centered around the fear of not living up to the expectations set by both others and yourself. “Working for the Knife,” her first new music since 2018’s Be the Cowboy, is no exception to the Mitski formula. From the get-go, “Working for the Knife” of...
Song of the Week: Kali Uchis and SZA Sizzle with “Fue Mejor”
Song of the Week breaks down and talks about the song we just can’t get out of our head each week. Find these songs and more on our Spotify Top Songs playlist. For our favorite new songs from emerging artists, check out our Spotify New Sounds playlist. This week, Kali Uchis turns up the heat with SZA’s Spanish-language debut. Steamy and dreamy: two words that have long applied to SZA’s discography, and that certainly apply to her latest collaboration with Grammy-winning Latin artist Kali Uchis. “Fue Mejor” is sad and sultry, grooving over a throbbing beat that wouldn’t sound out of place in any of SZA’s albums. The airy, whistle-toned background vocals are offset by the sound of a revving engine, grounding the fantastical atmosphere. Notably, SZA sings in Spanish alongside Kali Uchis while...
Rap Song of the Week: Wale and J. Cole Reunite on “Poke It Out”
Rap Song of the Week runs down the essential rap and hip-hop tracks you need to hear every week. Check out the full playlist here. This week, Wale and J. Cole reunite on “Poke It Out.” Later this month, Wale is dropping a sequel to his 2012 mixtape Folarin. To promote the project, the DC rapper reached out to his fellow blog era alum J. Cole for their new collaboration “Poke It Out,” a throwback single sharing the same sample as Q-Tip’s effervescent 1999 hit “Vivrant Thing.” After a brief falling out in late 2016, the dynamic duo officially made amends on Wale’s boastful 2018 track “My Boy (Freestyle),” and the new track finds the longtime collaborators fully unburdened from any past animosity and simply have a good time. Over a bouncy beat by Cool & Dre, Wale and Cole celebrate t...
Song of the Week: King Princess Offers a Faithful Velvet Underground Tribute With “There She Goes Again”
Song of the Week breaks down and talks about the song we just can’t get out of our head each week. Find these songs and more on our Spotify Top Songs playlist. For our favorite new songs from emerging artists, check out our Spotify New Sounds playlist. This week, King Princess provides a standout track off the new tribute album for The Velvet Underground and Nico. King Princess goes vintage this week with a cover of The Velvet Underground’s “There She Goes Again,” part of a new tribute album out today (September 24th). The collection includes quite a few beloved names offering their own homages to the seminal band — Sharon Van Etten, Courtney Barnett, and Iggy Pop are among them — and King Princess’ moment truly stuck the landing. Effectively capturing the 1960s spirit of the origina...
Rap Song of the Week: Lil Wayne Tag Teams with Run the Jewels on “ooh la la” Remix
Rap Song of the Week breaks down the essential rap and hip-hop tracks you need to hear every week. Check out the full playlist here. This week, Lil Wayne hops on Run the Jewels’ remix of “ooh la la.” Mixing the cutting edge sensibilities of Run the Jewels with their love for Golden Era hip-hop thanks to contributions from the legendary Greg Nice and DJ Premier, “ooh la la” instantly became a standout entry in their catalog when it was released in 2020. For the remix, El-P and Killer Mike recruited Lil Wayne, another veteran MC who has nothing to prove this deep into his career but continues to go toe-to-toe with the best rappers of any generation. Only getting better with age as he turns 39 years old this September, Wayne has been on a hot streak this year, popping up on tracks alongside r...
