Boldy James – House of Blues

After taking a four-year break following his acclaimed debut, My 1st Chemistry Set (which featured Earl Sweatshirt, Vince Staples, Action Bronson, Freeway, and Da$H), Detroit rapper returns with House of Blues, his second project of 2017. January’s The Art of Rock Climbing was an ode to his city, but this project returns the focus to the heavy, drug-fueled content of his early work.

 

Def Jam – Direct Deposit Vol. 2

It’s only been a few months since the first volume, but Def Jam’s returned quickly with the second set in their new compilation series Direct Deposit. Featuring some of the label’s biggest artists, this compilation mostly consists of previously released tracks from YG, Big Sean, Vince Staples, 2 Chainz, Bibi Bourelly, Jhené Aiko, and Fabolous; but also includes the collaboration you never knew you didn’t want: Iggy Azalea (in a desperate bid to stay relevant) and Lil Uzi Vert. I wanted better for Uzi.

Ed Sheeran – ÷

Ed Sheeran’s proven time and again to be one of England’s biggest hitmakers, having his debut album, +, going 7x platinum in the UK (2x in the States) and his followup, –, somehow doing even better. Following his theme of mathematical album titles, Sheeran returns today with ÷, and if the hype has been any indication, this album will do just as well as all of the others. “Shape of You” is already a massive single (complete with a remix from Stormzy, who’s had his hand in a lot of pies lately), with “Castle on the Hill” sure to follow. Sheeran teamed up with hitmaker Benny Blanco for a lot of the album, and the producer’s hip hop influence is clearly present on the album’s opener, “Eraser”, which just provides further evidence that Ed Sheeran shouldn’t rap (I’m not even going to talk about his godwaful Blackstreet/Macklemore cover).

Emily Blue – #BubbleGumAcidPop

Chicago’s indie scene is often (understandably) overshadowed by its the hip hop movement that’s propelled the city for decades, but there are still a few acts holding the scene down. Emily Blue has been one of these acts, fronting groups Tara Terra and Boycut, as well as venturing out on her own with last year’s crowdfunded EP Another Angry Woman (of which all the proceeds were donated to RACES, a rape crisis centre out of U of I). Her latest release, #BubbleGumAcidPop, is a quick two-single project, but it’s perfect for showing off her ability to craft both intensely catchy pop music (“Blackberries”) and atmospheric, inventive balladry (“Rico Acid”).

Ethika – RGB Mixtape

Ethika, an underwear company, dropped a mixtape. It has Meek Mill, Casey Veggies, 21 Savage, Dave East, Lil Durk, Kid Ink, and Ace Hood on it. There really isn’t that much more to say.

 

 

Khalid – American Teen

Khalid’s “Location” was a slowburning single, appearing on Soundcloud last August and gradually gaining momentum, mostly due to exposure by blogs like DJ Booth and P&P. Tracks like “Hopeless”, “Let’s Go”, “Saved”, and the incredible Brasstracks-assisted “Whirlwind” helped the eighteen-year-old Texan songbird break through into mainstream attention. From anthemic Americana (“American Teen”) to choral soul (“Angels”), Khalid’s teenage love stories tackle euphoria and heartbreak with a deft hand and an angellic voice. Khalid’s career seems destined for a constant upward trajectory, so expect to hear his name a lot in the coming years. American Teen already seems like the perfect road album for the upcoming summer.

Lido – Everything Remixes

With a history of working with huge artists (Chance the Rapper, Halsey, Towkio) and crafting incredible remixes (Yung Lean’s “Lemonade”, Goldlink’s “Sober Thoughts”, and most notably the entirety of Kanye’s TLOP), Lido’s debut album shouldn’t have flown as far under the radar as it did. Everything, released last October, was an excellent, nuanced electronic project with features from Halsey, Vic Mensa, Jaden Smith, and Axel. In a move that will hopefully draw more attention to the project, Lido’s released a remixed version of Everything, with contributions from Alison Wonderland (“I Want U”), Brasstracks (Khalid’s “Whirlwind”), mossy., Bobby Tank, and many more.

Lil Durk – Love Songs for the Streets

Atlanta’s Lil Durk has been making some solid melodic trap for a while now, collaborating with the likes of Future, Young Thug, G Herbo, and Dej Loaf. Following last year’s They Forgot, Durk’s latest project is a quick nine-track offering with a couple appearances from Thug, YFN Lucci, Moneybagg Yo, and TK Kravitz.

 

 

 

Nnamdi Ogbonnaya – Drool

Nnamdi Ogbonnaya has his hands in every aspect of Chicago’s music scene, from playing instruments in a variety of rock bands to co-0wning a record label, and with Drool he’s brought his innovative style to hip hop. Chicago hip hop publication These Days referred to the album as “an analysis of ambition versus ennui, acting versus reacting, everything from confidence and love, to religion and police violence”. It’s a complicated, innovative project from an artist who’s been proving himself in genre after genre, and is certainly one of the strangest albums you’ll hear yet this year.

Oswin Benjamin – HueMan

After filling in for an MC who was unable to one of Sway in the Morning’s Friday Cyphers in 2015, Oswin Benjamin quickly drew attention as a talented, underground wordsmith on the comeup. Premiered by Team BackPack, Benjamin’s finally released his long-awaited debut: a six-track, featureless EP titled HueMan.

 

 

Ravyn Lenae – Midnight Moonlight

Chicago singer Ravyn Lenae may only be eighteen years old, but that hasn’t kept her from catching the eye of some of her city’s biggest artists: last year, she appeared on Mick Jenkins’ “Communicate”, Saba’s “California”, and Noname’s “Forever”, all standout tracks from their respective albums. Her own release from last year, the 10-track Moon Shoes EP, was a soulful debut that proved Lenae is much more than just an exemplary feature artist. Her new EP, Midnight Moonlight, is as sleepy and lowkey as the name suggests, showcasing the singer’s gentle, subdued vocals and penchant for weaving a whole mood into a song.

Temples – Volcano

British psych-rock fourpiece Temples had a massive debut in 2014 with Sun Structures, a sprawling, ambitious project that ended up on many publications’ best-of-the-year lists. They followed up their debut with two EPs, but took a three-year hiatus before returning with Volcano. Opting for a more polished approach on their sophomore effort, Temples used Volcano to implement “a load of things that we didn’t know the first time around”, according to frontman James Bragshaw.

Also released: Casino, Ex-Drug Dealer 3; Don Q, Corner Stories; Sleaford Mods, English Tapas; Soulja Boy, Big Soulja; Swaghollywood & Richie Souf, Swoolin Swouf; Pollàri, days before “friend”…; Wicca Phase GBC Eternal, Stop Torturing Me