1. Mood – 24kGoldn, iann dior
West Coast rapper/singer 24kGoldn has teamed up with Iann Dior to release their new collaboration, “Mood” Bending fresh guitar licks around a pumping bass line, the power duo play it cool as they each lend their melodic voices to the fun new track.
“Mood” ft. Iann Dior follows Goldn’s previous singles “Unbelievable” ft. Kaash Paige and “City Of Angels,” which is featured on his Dropped Outta College EP. The eight tracks collectively demonstrate his breadth of talent and tells the story of his life as a budding artist and a college student at USC – exploring the emotions, relationships, and desires he felt at the time. Listen to Dropped Outta College in full HERE.
2. Wap – Cardi B, Megan Thee Stallion
Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion are the perfect vessels for a filthy Bmore club remake. Cardi is one of the rare artists to make it out of the career graveyard that is Love and Hip-Hop, a show about rappers making music you almost never hear after the credits roll. Her big hits lean toward street shit, but her projects always make time for a nasty one like “Trick” or “Bickenhead.” Megan made waves in the past two years for the raunchy Al B. Sure! flip “Big Ole Freak” and “Cash Shit,” where she upstaged DaBaby in a verse about scamming guys out of money and nudes. “WAP” is a pivotal single for both artists; Cardi took most of the year off to raise Kulture, her and Offset’s daughter, and Megan is looking to move on from the incident involving Tory Lanez, when she was shot in both feet to the crude bemusement of social media. The beat for “WAP,” by “Bickenhead” producers Ayo and Keyz, takes subtle cues from “Cash Shit.” It’s a minimalist affair, just a splash of sinister bass over spacious drum programming and the Frank Ski chop. It’s skeletal for good reason. The main thrust here is the lyrics. There is so much thrusting going on in the lyrics.
“WAP” is Class-A filth, a torrent of horny one-liners that restores the feeling of sneaking and listening to rap songs with X-rated lyrics as a kid, whether you came up blushing at the “Fuck Me” interlude in the middle of Biggie’s Ready to Die or staying up late to catch “Tip Drill” during BET Uncut. The chorus — “Yeah, you fucking with some wet-ass pussy” — might be the song’s tamest bar. Cardi’s in heat: “My head game is fire, punani Dasani / It’s going in dry, and it’s coming out soggy.” Stallion didn’t come to play either: “Your Honor, I’m a freak bitch, handcuffs, leashes / Switch my wig, make him feel like he cheating.” The video is a vibrant celebration of women of color — barring the white woman with a spray tan — notably devoid of any men and possessed of a pinch of Sapphic Wild Things energy. It’s boss shit … dom shit, really. The clip shares the hyperreal, “green screen or nah” energy that the more lurid dance sequences in Beyoncé’s Black Is King have. Some of these set pieces look like video games; it’ll be interesting to see how surreal music videos get as tech levels up. The only knock is YouTube forcing the duo to use a watered down (!) clean version of the song, since the video-streaming site is increasingly willing to cut payments to creators for use of profanity. “WAP” makes YouTube look like stringent network TV. Republicans crowing about the lyrical content makes it feel like 1992 as much as the sample does. Everything old is new again!
3. Lemonade – Internet Money, Gunna, Don Toliver, Nav
Internet Money, the hottest Los Angeles production collection and label teamed up with Gunna, Nav and Don Toliver to release “Lemonade” on Friday, August 14. Reaching almost 10 million plays on Spotify alone.
The song was first previewed by Taz Taylor, the founder of Internet Money, in June 2020 during an Instagram live session. People were quick to hop on the beat and demanded to hear more from the label. Shortly after, Gunna previewed his verse, which had even more fans excited for the release. Sadly, the iconic song was leaked in pieces until the whole song was leaked on Tuesday, July 14. Luckily for Internet Group, the official song left out one of Don Toliver’s verse, which surprised the fans. Despite the leak, the song still managed to be Internet Money’s most successful song.
Along with the song release last Friday, fans were surprised to see a music video also dropped to complement the song. Lyrical Lemonade teamed up with the Internet Money and the rappers to produce a music video. The rappers are seen walking and driving in a fish tank filled with lemonade. Produced by Cole Bennett, the music video did not disappoint fans. He has worked with several famous rappers in the past, which helped jumpstart his career.
4. Hawái – Maluma
Maluma is using a past relationship as inspiration for his latest single, “Hawái.” The 26-year-old singer dropped the breakup song and its accompanying music video on Wednesday. The track talks about two people splitting up in the modern Instagram age, where the photos that one shares and the story they tell can be deceiving. Maluma went through his own personal breakup. He and model Natalia Barulích broke up at the end of last year after two years together.
The music video, directed by Jessy Terrero and shot in Miami, also follows Maluma as he goes on a roller coaster of emotions and situations in the dramatic aftermath of the end of his relationship.
“The relationship is becoming toxic. You just don’t get it. I can’t continue this,” the girl in the video says.
“Hawái” was written by Maluma, Keityn, Edgar Barrera and Bull Nene, and produced by Rude Boyz.
5. Dynamite – BTS
“Dynamite by BTS (aka Bangta Boys)” is an upbeat disco-pop track with funk and soul elements heavily inspired by the ’70s and ’80s. This theme echoes in the members’ vintage-inspired outfits and the nostalgic settings featured in the music video.
It is very much a summer song, with light and breezy lyrics and a catchy hook that will stick in your head for days. The funky bassline, layered vocals and synth all are nice callbacks to the era, making it an undeniably infectious song.
The music video only enhances the experience. From a poster-studded bedroom with tributes to David Bowie and The Beatles to a warmly-lit record store, the backgrounds are aesthetically pleasing and add a nostalgic feel. The choreography includes shoutouts to Elvis Presley and Michael Jackson (especially his iconic kick) as well as freestyle dance moves that are easy for viewers to follow and correspond well with the music.