Anna Wise – The Feminine: Act II

Anna Wise got her start as the frontwoman of Sonnymoon, a Brooklyn-based duo (with producer Dane Orr) that merged elements of pop, R&B, hip hop, and electronic music. The band’s eclectic, unique sound attracted the ear of one Kendrick Lamar, who went on to get her to feature on several of his tracks (most notably “Real” off GKMC and “Institutionalized” off TPAB). The Feminine: Act II is her second solo project, after dropping Act I last April, and as her career progresses, Wise’s capacity for merging an array of genres only becomes more refined.

Dude York – Sincerely

Washington band Dude York was already building a steady local following before signing to indie label Hardly Art, but with Sincerely the indie-rock trio have some big names behind them: most notably Seattle producer John Goodmanson, whose credits include Harvey Danger, Sleater-Kinney, and Bikini Kill. Their bandcamp page describes their latest record as a blend of power pop, glam, and indie rock that deals with themes of “anxiety and eroding mental health”. The result is a fun, yet serious rock album, that only suffers from not allowing bassist Claire England more time on vocals (she steals the show on “Love Is” and “Tonight”).

 

Fat Joe & Remy Ma – Plata O Plomo

The new duo of NY rappers Fat Joe and Remy Ma had a major 2016 with the release of their now-platinum single “All The Way Up”. After Joe signed to longtime rival Jay Z’s Roc Nation label, he and Remy have returned with a full project. Plata O Plomo includes features from French Montana, Ty Dolla $ign, Kingdom, The-Dream, Sevyn Streeter, and a surprising appearance from Kat Dahlia (a name I haven’t seen in a while). Expect more bombastic, East Coast rap from a couple of well-established veterans.

Future – Future

Returning to his underground roots, Future returns with a self-titled album that’s more 56 Nights than EVOL. Without a single feature, Future gives the king of modern Atlanta trap an opportunity to showcase just how proficient he is at weaving all of his vices and demons into radio-ready bangers. Usual suspects Metro Boomin, TM88, Southside, and Zaytoven all produced for the project, along with Jake One, DJ Khaled, and DJ Spinz. It’s been over a year since we’ve had a new Future project (a surprisingly long time, given his prolific album turnout from 2014-2016), but the wait was clearly worth it. Future refines the sound of his now-classic mixtape run of 56 Nights/Beastmode/Monster trilogy, which was itself an attempt to diverge from the pop sound of Honest and return to his original underground sound. Despite claims that he’s simply another voice in the sea of mumble rap, Future’s managed to stay on top for years now, with a sound that’s only getting more and more refined.

Homeboy Sandman – LoveLife

Teaming up with skate brand The Hundreds (who, fun fact, also have some sort of collaboration with MF DOOM coming up), Stones Throw rapper Homeboy Sandman follows up last year’s Kindness for Weakness and Lice 2: Still Buggin’ EP with Aesop Rock with a new EP. LoveLife is a ten-track EP with no features that comes in anticipation of his upcoming Veins album, due later this year.

 

Jidenna – The Chief

Jidenna blew onto the scene with “Classic Man”, a viral platinum single that received the remix treatment from Kendrick Lamar. Since then, he’s impressed with great singles like “Long Live the Chief” and some impressive freestyles that proved he’s much more than a well-dressed, throwback pop artist. The Chief features Roman GianArthur, Nana Kwabena, St. Beauty, and his label boss Janelle Monáe. Mixing American hip hop with traditional music of his Nigerian heritage, Jidenna’s debut album is an eclectic mix of genres, from rap (“Chief Don’t Run”, “Helicopters”) to pop (“Trampoline”, “Little Bit More”) to whatever “Bambi” is.

Jonwayne – Rap Album Two

The second Stones Throw project to drop this week, California rapper Jonwayne returns with Rap Album Two, a widely anticipated followup to the first Rap Album from 2013. Following in the verbose, intricate verbal style of rappers like Aesop Rock and Jeremiah Jae, Jonwayne’s latest project is an intimate look into the rapper’s struggles with massive anxiety and an alcohol addiction that saw him segregate himself into exile. It’s harrowing, existential, and personal, and might be Jonwayne’s strongest project to date. The 12-track album includes features with Shango, Danny Watts, Zeroh, and Low Leaf.

Ralo – Famerican Gangster 2

The first signee to Gucci Mane’s new 1017 Eskimo Records, Ralo’s latest project is still fairly generic trap music, but he’s started to sound less like a Young Thug ripoff and started establishing his own sound. Famerican Gangster 2 has some impressive features, with appearances from Gucci, Thug, Future, 21 Savage, Lil Yachty, Shy Glizzy, Dae Dae, and some adlibs from Lil Uzi Vert.

 

Saga & Thelonious Martin – Molotov

Brooklyn rapper Saga has a history of teaming up with one producer per project, releasing From Out of the Shadows with Marco Polo, Saga Ghanoush with Alchemist, and teaming up with Nottz for the upcoming The Catbird Seat. Molotov is the MC’s second project with SaveMoney’s Dilla-obsessed producer Thelonious Martin (after last year’s Cashmere Riot), and the two have proven that they’re a duo to watch out for.Catch Freddie Gibbs, Big Pooh, theMind, and Fashawn as features on the 12-track project.

Also released: Animal Collective, The Painters EP; Flume, Skin Companion EP II; Jens Lekman, Life Will See You Now; Mike G, Pink Kites (Chop Tape); Ryan Adams, Prisoner; Scotty ATL, Who Shot Cupid; Sun Kil Moon, Common As Light And Love Are Red Valleys Of Blood