AD & Sorry Jaynari – Last of the 80’s

After collaborating on By the Way last year, Compton rapper AD and Cali producer Sorry Jaynari are back with a new project: Last of the 80’s. Expect more of the old school West Coast sound that this duo is known for. Along with G Perico on standout track “#CripLivsMatter”, Last of the 80’s features Wiz Khalifa, Kid Ink, OT Genasis, Tory Lanez, and more.

 

Busu – Family

Of all the genres to successfully blend with hip hop, I really never expected pop punk to make such an impact on the genre. Lil Peep, Lil Aaron, Baby E, Lil Uzi Vert have all managed to blend the genres, and now Swedish rapper Busu has dropped off a project that, despite being tagged as “Hip Hop & Rap”, seems to draw far more inspiration from mid-2000s punk and emo. “Curse on you and the clique you claim” even samples a distorted riff from Blink-182’s breakout single “Dammit”.

Cashmere Cat – 9

Cashmere Cat has been on the up since 2014, but last year was a banner year for the Norwegian producer: production credits on Kanye’s The Life of Pablo, A$AP Ferg’s Always Strive and Prosper, Francis and the Lights’ Farewell, Starlite!, and the Weeknd’s Starboy brought him further into the spotlight than ever before. Cashing in on that newfound fame, Cashmere Cat has followed up a series of EPs with his debut solo project. The tracklist features a impressive group of new and former collaborators, including Kehlani, Ariana Grande, the Weeknd, Francis and the Lights, Ty Dolla $ign, Kacy Hill, MØ, Selena Gomez, Tory Lanez, and Jhené Aiko. Cashmere Cat obviously produced the entire project, but he also brought in some help from SOPHIE, Frank Dukes, Benny Blanco, and more.

Divine Council – DB$B

Divine Council is a Virginia rap group that had been quietly working on the sidelines, gaining a small but significant underground following, until André 3000 gave them a cosign, a feature (on the excellent “Decemba” remix), and helped them get signed to Epic Records. The group, which consists of rappers $ilkmoney, Cyrax!, and Lord Linco, as well as producer ICYTWAT, have finally released a debut mixtape through Epic, hosted by DJ Jay Rock (not to be confused with the TDE rapper).

Feist – Pleasure

It’s been a long time since we’ve heard from Canadian indie queen Feist (six years, to be exact), but she’s finally returned today with her fifth solo album. Sounding like no time has passed since 2011’s Metals, Feist’s emotional, intimate, yet relentlessly catchy indie/pop is a worthy addition to her impressive discography. Look forward to hearing more of her on the upcoming Broken Social Scene album, due out later this year (it’s gonna be a banner year for Canadian indie comebacks, trust me).

G Perico – All Blue

I was a big fan of G Perico’s last album, Shit Don’t Stop, and now he’s back less than a year later with a new project. Titled All Blue, the sole features come from Sonny Digital (who also executive produces) and Polyester the Saint. The album also has significant input from Sid “Speakerbomb” Miller, known best for his work with fellow West Coast gangster rapper Freddie Gibbs.

 

Gorillaz – Humanz

Six years after quietly dropping The Fall and calling it quits, Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett finally reunited their genre-bending cartoon band for an album that throws a party in the face of the current absurd political climate. Albarn takes a backseat for this project (aside from standout solo cut “Busted and Blue”), giving the spotlight to his contributors, and there are many: Vince Staples, Danny Brown, Pusha T, De La Soul, Kali Uchis, Popcaan, D.R.A.M., Mavis Staples, Grace Jones, Kelela, Jehnny Beth, and many more appear on the sprawling 20-track project (25 if you opt for the deluxe edition). Despite sounding more like a playlist than an album, Humanz is an ambitious and impressive project from a musical act that’s managed to push the envelope further with every release.

JMSN – Whatever Makes U Happy

JMSN’s 2016 album It Is was a massive success for the Michigan-based singer/songwriter who, previously, had been mostly known for his production and features (he can be heard working with Game, Ab-Soul, Kaytranada, and providing background vocals for four tracks off Kendrick’s Good Kid, m.A.A.d. City). Whatever Makes U Happy is JMSN’s fifth album, a featureless and self-produced project that adds a distinct blues edge to his usual R&B/soul/rock crossover sound.

Kami – Just Like the Movies

SaveMoney’s Kami (fka Kami de Chukwu) established himself as a voice to watch on 2015’s Season, his collaborative album with Joey Purp as Leather Corduroys. Over the past year or so, he’s dropped a steady stream of cinema-themed singles on his Soundcloud, culminating today in his debut full-length, Just Like the Movies. The entire project was executive produced by Knox Fortune (who also produced for Leather Corduroys, and has a solo project of his own due out soon), with additional production coming from SaveMoney regulars Nate Fox, Smoko Ono, and Papi Beatz. The feature list comes entirely from the SaveMoney collective as well: catch Vic Mensa, Joey Purp, Towkio, and Sterling Hayes on the 13-track project.

Kweku Collins – Grey

Closed Sessions rapper Kweku Collins had one of my favourite albums of 2016 with Nat Love, a passionate, careful project that was absolutely brimming with raw emotion. This year, he’s dropped off a new 9-track album, Grey, and while it may not have the immediate impact of Nat Love, Collins continues to prove himself as one of Chicago’s most underrated talents. Kweku Collins produced the entire project himself, and got features from Allan Kingdom, Kipp Stone, and Sylvie Grace. Despite its brevity, Grey gives Collins ample opportunity to show off his remarkable ear for soulful, relatable music that blurs the border between hip hop and R&B.

Mary J. Blige – Strength of a Woman

One of the most acclaimed soul singers of all time, Mary J. Blige has returned with her thirteenth album, Strength of a Woman. Preceded by the single “Love Yourself” (which included a feature from Kanye that sounded like something straight off of Late Registration), the fourteen-track project also includes features from Quavo, Missy Elliott, and DJ Khaled on “Glow Up”. Most of the production comes from DJ Camper and B.A.M., but check out Kaytranada and BADBADNOTGOOD (who are proving to be a phenomenal production team) on “Telling the Truth”.

Rich Gains – Gains

One half of the acclaimed Chicago production duo Blended Babies (known for their work with Chuck Inglish, Asher Roth, Lorine Chia, Chance the Rapper, and many more of their city’s brightest talents), Rich Gains has set out on a solo project with some impressive features. Freddie Gribbs, ZZ Ward, GLC, Nico Segal, and Asher Roth.

 

Tara Carosielli – I Know You Hate Me

South London’s Tara Carosielli came out of nowhere last year with “Leave You Lonely”, a perfect little pop ballad that introduced her as an artist to watch for. I Know You Hate Me is her debut EP, a four-track tape of intimate, soulful pop from an up-and-coming young artist.

 

 

Also Released:

Anik Khan, Kites: Queens’ Anik Khan’s debut project incorporates elements of dancehall, afrobeat, jazz, R&B, and music from his native country of Bangladesh.
Czarface, First Weapon Drawn: Despite being released under the Czarface moniker, Inspectah Deck is absent from this record: it’s a beat tape from 7L, meant to be listened to with an accompanying comic book.
Jimmy Wopo, Jordan Kobe: The up-and-coming Pittsburgh rapper’s new project features Maxo Kream, Riff Raff, and more.
Nef the Pharaoh, The Chang Project: The Bay Area rappers drops a new project featuring Ty Dolla $ign, Larry June, and more.
Pilthy Rich, Seminary: The Oakland rapper returns with a new project, featuring Fetty Wap, Twista, and more.
Young M.A., Herstory: A new EP from Brooklyn’s Young M.A., who’s probably going to be an XXL freshman this year.