Dom Kennedy – Los Angeles Is Not For Sale, Vol. 1

California rapper Dom Kennedy emerged in 2008 with a sound that seemed destined to propel him into massive West Coast fame, with hugely-regarded mixtapes like From the Westside with Love and Yellow Album, but unfortunately, he never seemed to live up to his potential. He seems to be vying for his deserved fame once again, however, dropping a collaborative EP with Hit Boy last week, and now returning with his fourth solo studio album, Los Angeles Is Not For Sale, Vol. 1. The followup to last year’s underwhelming By Dom Kennedy, Los Angeles features lesser-known West Coast artists Troy Nōka, P Lo, and Niko G4.

Jeremih & Chance the Rapper – Merry Christmas Lil’ Mama

The Christmas album you never knew you needed, Chicago stars Jeremih and Chance the Rapper teamed up for a surprise Christmas album titled Merry Christmas Lil’ Mama. This isn’t simply a cover album of popular christmas albums either: it’s a nine-track EP of all new holiday-themed tracks, referencing everything from “Jingle Bells” to “Carol of the Bells” to “I Want You Back”. Noname, Francis & the Lights, and Hannibal Buress all contributed to the album, and standout track “I Should Left You” features Atlanta trap producer Zaytoven crafting his best Christmas beat since “St. Brick Intro“.

Lucy & Gods Wisdom – On Thin Ice

I can’t even stress enough how weird Gods Wisdom is, and by extension how weird all of his Dark World collective is. Following the release of his latest album Self Restraint in October, he’s teamed up with fellow Dark World artist Lucy (a male singer) for On Thin Ice. Early single “Beep Beep” is honestly one of the most infectious songs yet from the Massachusetts crew, but it’s still one of the strangest songs you’ll hear all year. The duo described the five-track EP as “Elliot Smith meets dub” (take from that what you will), and even includes a screamo Christmas song (“On Thin Ice”) on the tracklist. Check out this incredible article from the Fader to learn more about the Dark World collective.

Nine Inch Nails – Not the Actual Events

Trent Reznor promised new Nine Inch Nails music before the end of 2016, and he decided to cut it as close as possible. Not the Actual Events is a five track EP from Reznor and new NIN member Atticus Ross (although he’s been involved on every project since 2008’s Ghosts, Ross only just recently became an official member). Delineating from the more atmospheric sound that’s characterised the last few NIN releases – namely, the soundtracks to David Fincher’s last three films – Not the Actual Events is a heavy, angry-sounding return to the band’s early Industrial sound, described by Reznor as an “unfriendly, fairly impenetrable album that we needed to make”.

Roy Wood$ – Nocturnal

Dropping off his second release of the year (after July’s Waking At Dawn), OVO singer Roy Wood$ has returned with Nocturnal, a seven-track EP of “sleek nightime grooves”. With appearances from Madeintyo (of “Uber Everywhere” fame) and fellow OVO affiliate Majid Jordan. The Brampton native, fresh off an opening slot on Drake & Future’s Summer 16 tour and a solo North American tour this fall, is one of the most promising artists in OVO’s growing roster of atmospheric R&B artists.

Vic Spencer – The Ghost of Living

Chicago artists Vic Spencer has had a busy year, dropping off Who the Fuck is Chris Spencer?? with Chris Crack in February and St. Gregory in November. His latest release, The Ghost of Living, is another collaborative project, this time with infamous internet presence Big Ghost Ltd. Vic’s been racking up a lot of enemies this year, particularly after his petty beef with Mick Jenkins, but he’s undeniably a growing voice in the Chicago scene. The Ghost of Living features D. Brash, Goose, Alex P. Keaton, and Q. Grav.

Yo Gotti – White Friday (CM9)

Amidst rumours of GOOD Music affiliation, Southern rapper Yo Gotti surprise-released a new commercial mixtape, White Friday, the ninth installment in his Cocaine Music series (and his twentieth mixtape overall). Single “Castro”, released last week, has nearly the same feature list as “Champions” with appearances from Kanye West, 2 Chainz, Big Sean, and Quavo; other guest features include DJ Khaled, Blac Youngsta, and Kodak Black. Producers include StreetRunner, Ben Billions, Southside, and K Swisha.