There is one common theme that I have been mentioning in these A Few New(ish) Songs That I Love articles for months and months now. This is the fact that as shitty as 2020 has been as a whole, it has been a really excellent year for people who love to find new music. Maybe it is because artists have been confined to their houses, or maybe it is because all of the political and racial turmoil in our country is forcing people to let out all of their creative juices this year, but 2020 has had so much awesome music come out. Hopefully, some of the restrictions for COVID start to lessen here soon so we can start to see music live again because there are so many EPs and albums that have come out this year that I would really love to see performed on stage. If you are a huge fan of live music yourself and have the means, please consider looking up ways to donate to the theaters and music venues that are in your area. So many places are shutting down because they have no means to pay their property fees, and I guarantee there are venues in your areas that are in dire need of money. With that being said, here is my list of some songs I have been loving from the last few weeks. One thing about this piece that is different from a lot of other “new songs” articles I have written is this one has one theme and genre covered in it. This is a Hip Hop article, so if you are a big fan of rap music, this article is one for you!

THE VOICE – LIL DURK

One of my favorite things about 2020 is the fact that it really seems like Lil Durk is starting to blow up in the way he should have years ago. He had an album do super well in 2019, and has spent this year releasing a plethora of singles that have been going viral online. He really hit it big when he was featured on the Drake song ‘Laugh Now, Cry Later’ last month; Durkio had never been on a song that would reach these kinds of heights outside of the Hip Hop game, and it really put a lot of eyes on an artist that deserves all the hype. Lil Durk emerged out of the Drill Rap scene in Chicago that artists like Chief Keef, Fredo Santana, and Lil Reese originally made popular, and he has been able to adapt his sound to make it more “Pop” and more palatable for a much louder audience(traditional Chicago Drill music can be pretty intense and really isn’t for everyone). ‘The Voice’ is a song that has a Melodic Trap feeling to it that reminds me a lot of artists like Quavo or Future. Lil Durk truly is the verse of the streets, and this song does lyrically and sonically have moments on it that are pretty intense and gritty(as one would expect from him). But after being featured on that Drake song, it is smart for Durk to release a softer and more melodic track like this to draw more Pop-Rap fans in. I really hope and think that songs like ‘The Voice’ and ‘Laugh Now, Cry Later’ are able to catapult him to the top.

WHOLE LOTTA CHOPPAS – SADA BABY

Sada Baby is an artist that is truly like no one else in the Hip Hop game. There is a Youtube reactor who I watch named LV(the channel is called What’s Da Deal if you are interested. He is really funny so check him out) who describes Sada Baby perfectly: he is the only rapper that can literally make you want to dance the night away at a club and rob someone at gunpoint at the same time. This dude seriously evokes combinations of emotions that no other musician can make you feel. His latest single, ‘Whole Lotta Choppas,’ is absolutely no different. This track has an old school garage/drum and beat sort of sound that is so fun to listen to, and Sada Baby raps about killing people and banging girls with his super gruff voice and flow. It is not unlike a lot of his other best songs, and it is just as fun and catchy. In fact, this song is so fun and catchy that it is actually currently blowing up on Tik Tok. If you have not heard ‘Whole Lotta Choppas’ on social media yet, this is a song you should definitely check out because it is incredible.

WAVY(REMIX) – LIL KEED FEAT. TRAVIS SCOTT

One thing that is tough about working a full-time job and trying to keep up with this blog is the fact that sometimes I just forget to check out and review albums that I really should review. August was a long and busy month, and somehow I completely missed Lil Keed’s new mixtape Trapped On Cleveland 3. Lil Keed’s debut album, Long Live Mexico, was actually one of my favorite albums from 2019. Lil Keed is obviously the heir apparent to Young Thug’s throne, and he is excellent at taking all of the weird things Young Thug does in his music and making them weirder and better. Since I did not get a chance to review Lil Keed’s new mixtape and it is kind of too late to do it now, I wanted to talk about my favorite song on the record, ‘Wavy(Remix)’ featuring Travis Scott. This track has such a thundering melodic Trap instrumental; it is so big and fun and is the kind of instrumental that makes me want to do bad things. I really love the weird vocal fluctuations that Keed uses throughout the track. Lil Keed can hit some of the highest notes you will ever hear and still make them sound good on a trap song, and this track is an excellent example of this. If you are into melodic Trap music that absolutely bangs, ‘Wavy(Remix)’ is a song that you should download.

imma – bbno$ and LENTRA

bbno$ is one of those artists that never seems to be able to sit still and chill for a while. It seems like every month or so he is either featured on a new single or releasing new music of his own. If you are a big fan of his, it is almost impossible to start to miss him too much because he is so consistent with his content. If you were reading my blog last year, you would know that I actually reviewed bbno$’s album from last year and I liked it a lot. He really has a super unique flow, perspective, and lyrical style, and he also loves to embrace super strange sounds and loves to rap on some of the most interesting kinds of beats. He is a frequent collaborator with the producer Lentra, who loves to push bbno$ to the limit and make their sound together as strange and cool as possible. ‘imma’ is no different in this regard. This song has a sort of underground House kind of tempo that is super groovy and would be very fun to hear in a club. bbno’s flow on this song is constantly switching up and matches up with the beat super well. If you are a fan of either of these artists, I guarantee this is a song that you will be into if you have not heard it yet.

GIFTED – CORDAE FEAT. RODDY RICCH

Cordae is an artist that I have been really looking forward to hearing new music from in 2020. His debut record The Lost Boy, which came out in 2019, was also one of my favorite albums from last year. Cordae is a great lyricist and is excellent at telling relatable stories that really draw the listener in’ he is great at relaying feelings in his music that is similar to what his listeners are feelings at well. I am obviously not the only person that felt this way about Cordae’s debut record, as it was actually nominated for a Grammy in the Best Hip Hop category last year(which is pretty impressive for a young, up and coming rapper like him). His latest track. ‘Gifted,’ is a collaboration with another rising star in the rap game, Roddy Ricch. This track is not as deep or meaningful as a lot of his songs on his debut album were, but that is okay because it just creates a nice feeling. ‘Gifted’ has sort of a tropical Surf Trap sound; Cordae and Roddy effortlessly flow over this instrumental, rapping about how they are appreciative how far they have come considering the places they used to be in. If you are into fun bops that are uplifting and easy-going, ‘Gifted’ is a song for you to download.

HOW IT GO – KING VON

If you do not know who King Von is yet, this is your introduction to a rapper who I promise you will be one of the biggest rising Hip Hop stars for the foreseeable future. There is no reason that he should not make a run like Dababy and get to the top of the game very quickly in the coming months. King Von is a Drill rapper from Chicago with a little more flair and potential that a lot of his counterparts. Like his mentor, Lil Durk, King Von not only has an innate ability to connect with and relate to his listeners on a very personal level, but he also has a Pop sensibility to his music that makes it a lot more palatable for the mainstream that a lot of other Hardcore Drill rappers. One of the main criticisms from old Hip Hop heads of new rap music is that a lot of the artists put a lot more focus into the feeling and “vibe” of the song than they do into the lyricism; because of this, a lot of music from these new artists do not really have a meaning or message. That is not the case with King Von’s ‘How It Go,’ or really any of his other songs. King Von is an intricate storyteller, with every one of his songs explaining a setting and scenario in such a descriptive manner that you know he went through these situations himself. On ‘How It Go,’ King Von is talking about being in prison and just wanting to get out and see his kid in the first verse, and in the second verse he is talking about actually being out of prison with no money and no way to get in touch with his baby mama to see his kid. It is so interesting for a melodic Trap song that absolutely bumps to have such a vivid depiction of a sad situation like this. ‘How It Go’ is one of many songs in King Von’s catalog that shows off his lyrical ability and shows that he will be a major key in the game for a long time.