1) Dice Soho feat. Ty Dolla $ign x Desiigner - SSP [Ehhhh]
Before this past Friday, I've only ever heard one song from Dice Soho. It was called "Ripped Jeans." Last year, it played almost every day on Sirius XM's Hip Hop Nation channel, and it kinda grew on me with every listen. He was one of countless rappers nominated for this year's XXL Freshman Class and having a hot feature artist like Ty Dolla $ign could boost his popularity. As far as this song goes, it's decent. Nothing special but nothing terrible either.
Verdict: It's a decent listen, it could grow on you.
2) Lil Baby - Southside [Ehhhh]
Lil Baby is another rising star in hip-hop who is nominated for this year's XXL Freshman list. Being signed to the same label as Migos and Lil Yachty and having an upcoming track with Drake is helping him gain tons of buzz. As for my opinion, I'm not too high on him. He has one of the worst names of any rapper right now and his music doesn't do much for me. I wasn't crazy about this song either, but I'm happy to see him grow in popularity I guess.
Verdict: It's not a bad song, but I don't see myself replaying it.
3) KYLE feat. 2 Chainz x Sophia Black - Ikuyo [Liked]
I wasn't looking forward to this track at all. The two previous singles for his upcoming "Light of Mine" album (To the Moon and Playinwitme) weren't good, but having 2 Chainz as a feature made me a bit curious. This song surprised me. There was a very moody sound to the production that somehow managed to fit KYLE's bubbly personality so well. The hook from Sophia Black was grating at first but grew on me as the song went on. 2 Chainz kills his feature as per usual.
Verdict: This is one of my favorite tracks from KYLE. I can't wait for his new album.
4) Rita Ora feat. Cardi B x Bebe Rexha x Carli XCX - Girls [Disliked]
This song seems like it could be a hit considering the star power on here. Cardi B is one of the biggest artists right now with her debut studio album being certified Gold on the day of release. Bebe Rexha has blown up thanks to her single "Meant to Be" with Florida Georgia Line, which peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100. Charli XCX has a decent internet following that could be interested here too. And yet, this song fell flat. The instrumental is not exciting at all. The hook is really annoying too. If there were any redeeming qualities to this song whatsoever, it would be Cardi B's verse which includes an amusing line about her being so sexy she could seduce herself.
Verdict: An incredibly disappointing single.
5) John Mayer - New Light [Liked]
I'm not normally a John Mayer fan, but after hearing that No I.D. has credit on production it got my attention. I thought that it was weird that the guy who made the beats for "4:44" by Jay-Z produced a song with the guy known for songs like "Waiting on the World to Change." This song is absolutely beautiful. No I.D.'s silky smooth instrumental is enchanting and totally sets the mood for summer. John Mayer's vocals ride the beat so well.
Verdict: I love this song. It's getting tons of plays from me this summer.
6) Childish Gambino - This Is America [Liked]
Donald Glover might be the most talented man in America. He can act, sing, rap, and even create outstanding television. Over a year after his critically acclaimed funk album "Awaken, My Love!" Gambino is back with a song that combines trap music tropes with social commentary. The song was released after hosting an episode of "Saturday Night Live" along with a visually stunning music video. The song itself includes many adlibs from trap music's household names like Young Thug, BlocBoy JB, 21 Savage, Quavo, Offset, and Slim Jxmmi. In a recent interview, Glover said his goal was to make a "We Are the World" song with only rappers, and he succeeded. Along with this song gaining tons of buzz, the music video has also generated countless internet memes.
Verdict: This is definitely one of the best songs to come out this year. Between this song and his role in the upcoming Star Wars movie, Glover is about to get even bigger in 2018.
7) Zaytoven feat. Rick Ross x Yo Gotti x Pusha T x T.I. - Go Get the Money [Liked]
The latest single for trap hitmaker Zaytoven's upcoming "Trap Holizay" project is an absolute banger. Zaytoven's production slaps as expected. We get some hard-hitting verses from Yo Gotti, Pusha T, and T.I. Rick Ross' hook, while repetitive, flows so well with the instrumental and makes this song incredibly catchy.
Verdict: This song is a certified dinger.
8) IDK feat. Joey Bada$$ x Russ - Lil Arrogant [Liked]
This song came out on SoundCloud weeks ago, but I'm reviewing it now because it just released on Spotify. I haven't heard much IDK besides his work with Denzel Curry and that he's currently nominated for the XXL Freshman list this year. Having one of the most insufferable artists in hip-hop right now (Russ) on this song along with a very talented rapper (Joey Bada$$) seemed very off-putting. However, everyone, even Russ, spits some great verses.
Verdict: I like this song. I'll be going back to it quite often.
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