August is coming to a close, and while we don’t have a new Travis Scott album, we do have ten excellent releases for this week’s New Music Fridays.

Banks & Steelz – Anything But Words

The idea of a collaboration between the Abbot of the Wu-Tang Clan and the lead singer of slacker-rock band Interpol was met with understandable confusion, but RZA and Paul Banks seem to be one of the year’s most unstoppable duos. Early releases like “Love and War” and “Giant” – and their accompanying cinematic music videos – were nothing short of incredible, and the pair continued to deliver across 12 tracks that include Ghostface Killah, Method Man, and Florence Welch among their features. Cop it on iTunes.

Blu – soul amazing (part six)

LA rapper Blu has managed to achieve huge acclaim without losing his undergroud credentials, and despite working with huge names like Madlib and the Roots he still manages to exist just on the periphery of fame. Fresh off the release of a collaborative EP with producer Nottz a couple months ago, Blu’s returned with the sixth installment in his Soul Amazing series. The 37-track mixtape, available on his Bandcamp, pairs the rapper with a ton of big names including Open Mike Eagle, Kevin Abstract, Anderson .Paak, and Kool Keith.

De La Soul – …And the Anonymous Nobody

Back in the early nineties to the early 2000s, De La Soul were the kings of weird: albums like 3 Feet High and Rising and De La Soul Is Dead were polarizing alternatives to the kind of hip hop being made at the time. Nowadays the group is probably best known for their appearances on “Feel Good, Inc.” and “Superfast Jellyfish” by Gorrilaz, but their seven-album run from 1989-2004 was highly regarded. Today, the group dropped their first album in 12 years, titled …And the Anonymous Nobody, and it pairs the trio up with everyone from David Byrne (Talking Heads) and Justin Hawkins (The Darkness) to Usher, Roc Marciano, and 2 Chainz. Gorrilaz frontman Damon Albarn also makes an expected appearance.

Innanet James – Quebec Place

Innanet James’ “Summer” has been one of the year’s most underrated summer hits. Today the Maryland rapper dropped his debut mixtape, titled Quebec Place, on Soundcloud. Early singles like “Black” and the aforementioned “Summer” appear alongside eight new tracks, featuring production from the Kount, Chef Red, and more.

Ken Rebel – Indicted Mind

Brooklyn rapper Ken Rebel rose to quick acclaim for his track “Underwater Rebels“, which joined the young artist up with Japanese and Korean artists Keith Ape, JayAllDay, and Okasian. Today, Rebel’s released his debut project, Indicted Mind, on Soundcloud. Lil Yachty, Jazz Cartier, Rome Fortune, and many more are featured on the 12-track album, which also features production from 808 Mafia and Richie Souf.

Prophets of Rage – The Party’s Over EP

There was a lot of hype for rap-rock supergroup Prophets of Rage, which joined artists from Public Enemy, Rage Against the Machine, and Cypress Hill together in a musical war against Trump, but the group’s been met with a lukewarm response. The group’s first release is a five-track EP that includes three original songs and two live covers of Public Enemy and Rage songs. Cop it on iTunes.

 

Tink – Winter’s Diary 4

Tink’s been fairly quiet since her stint as an XXL Freshman last year as she prepares for her debut album Think Tink, but on Thursday she returned with the fourth installment in her Winter’s Diary series. The Illinois rapper has linked up with rapper Lil Durk and producers including Jahil Beats, 1500 or Nothing, and Timbaland (who recently signer her to his Mosley Music Group label) for an album that further entrenches the twenty-year-old as an artist to watch. Winter’s Diary 4 is available for free download on Datpiff.

Vince Staples – Prima Donna EP

Vince’s Summertime ’06 was undoubtedly one of 2015’s best albums. The Ramona Park rapper wears his gang affiliations on his sleeve, and he’s becoming more and more known as one of the most intelligent rappers in the game with his hard-hitting street raps. Staples’ style is malleable enough to fit over any beat, and this has never been shown better than on Prima Donna, a seven song EP that details the story of a rapper rising to fame before killing himself. Production comes via No I.D., DJ Dahi, John Hill and James Blake as Vince flexes his abilities over electric guitars, frantic drum hits and an incredible André 3000 sample on “War Ready”. Kilo Kish and A$AP Rocky made excellent contributions to the EP, which is available on iTunes.

Ye Ali – Traphouse Jodeci

R&B singer Ye Ali released his second project in as many weeks with his long-awaited debut album Traphouse Jodeci. The thirteen-track record, released on Soundcloud, is dominated by Ali with only three features courtesy of K. Camp, K Forest, and frequent collaborator Wes Period (who joined Ali and Tommy Genesis for joint EP baby.daddi back in June).

Young Thug – No, My Name Is Jeffery

Young Thug’s supposed transition to the name No, My Name Is Jeffery has led to a confusing couple of weeks and thought of identity crisis, but today the Atlanta trapper decided to use that name for the title of his sixteenth mixtape (still released under the Young Thug moniker). According to Thugga, the album’s nine tracks were each named for one of his idols, which include expected names like “Guwop” and “Kanye West” mixed in with tracks titled “RiRi” and “Harambe”. Thug’s still up to his usual tricks, but a noticeable reggae influence (probably thanks to Wyclef) and his noticeable progression as an artist makes Jeffery some of his best work yet. Cop it on iTunes.

Also released today: Beginner, Advanced Chemistry; Brittney Spears, Glory; Carly Rae Jepsen, Emotion: Side B; Glass Animals, How to Be a Human Being; Ingrid Michaelson, It Doesn’t Have to Make Sense