We are back! After a long time Cowboy Carter With Beyoncé on Christmas Day — and LeBron James allegedly replacing Drake’s New Year’s Day freestyle by Commanding Williams — it’s time to start 2025 on the right foot with the latest developments in new hip-hop and R&B music .
little baby (Weiheim) and Bad Bunny (I should take more photos) kicks off the new year with two major feature films that are sure to vie for the top spot on the Billboard 200, with Ice Spice (Y2K: I’m just a girl) and SZA (SOS Deluxe Edition: Lana) offered extended versions of their own hit records. During the holidays, Young Thug’s top two also appeared slime season mixtape on streaming, as well as the star-studded music video for “Denial Is A River” from Doechii.
Things will get better with the Grammy Awards and Super Bowl in February, which will certainly be big moments for Kendrick Lamar’s upcoming National Stadium Tour of North America.
Paired with fresh selections, advertising billboard Designed to highlight some of the best and most interesting new sounds in R&B and hip-hop – from GloRilla’s reimaginings of perennial OMB Peezy songs to G3’s viral new singles. Be sure to check out this week’s fresh picks in the Spotify playlist below.
G3 (Angelo Ball), “The Adjuster”
If Tweaker is anything to go by, 2025 will be another Y2K-obsessed year. After a clip of the early ’00s hip-hop track went viral, G3 (a.k.a. LiAngelo Ball, the second of the three Ball brothers) uploaded the full ensemble on WorldStarHipHop’s YouTube channel — and it’s a move you can’t help but feel I remember the scene during the pre-broadcast. “I might turn, bend that corner, bah/Bh, hold on tight ’cause I adjust, this bh, start letting go/I heard she wanna show-ow/I who she is, I kind of like it, Show me some,” he spat over the production, which harked back to ’00s NOLA rap, and begged artists from that era for remixes. It’s probably too early to tell whether “Tweaker” is the beginning of a fruitful rap career for Ball, but he has certainly become the first viral hip-hop hit of 2025. Kyle Dennis
SahBabii, “show off”
Nice to see SahBabii receiving flowers. NFL star Jahmyr Gibbs even performed Sahe’s “Viking” dance in the end zone after his touchdown. Kings Squad Delivers His Saaheem (a little more alu) Luxurious, shocked the music world when he teamed up with the uncredited Clairo for the unlikeliest of collaborations, “Show Off.” The alt-pop singer-songwriter’s soothing background vocals blend with SahBabii’s crooning, and the ethereal single feels like an offshoot of Young Thug’s avant-garde sound. beautiful thug girl Tree. — Michael Saponara
OMB Peezy and GloRilla, “Lay Down” (Remix)
Late last year, OMB Peezy’s seven-year-old hit “Lay Down” had a resurgence on streaming, fueled by the TikTok dance craze. This momentum turned into a veritable resurgence of the song, culminating in a new Glorilla-assisted remix, released on December 27, 2024. ,” spits Big Glo in the introduction to her short but effective verse. Her Memphis accent sounds right at home next to Peezy’s Mobile, Alabama drawl and Drum Dummie’s synth-laden beat. — KFC
Mozzy & Kalan.FrFr, “Where I Come From”
Sacramento meets Los Angeles here, where Mozzy’s grimy street stories intertwine with Kalan.FrFr’s 10-track melodic croon lucky her. On the sentimental “Where I Come From,” the two put their West Coast ties to the table and thank the tough times in Golden State for shaping them into the success they are today — in a way that doesn’t border on cliché, either . “I got out of the hood in my 30s/Feeling like I’d seen enough,” Moz admits of starting a new chapter in life. He can also spin the cube to compose a second poignant verse. — multiple sclerosis
Little Simz, “Hello, hi”
after landing advertising billboard The Best Rap Albums of 2024, Across Styles Drop 7 On the mixtape (No. 12), Little Simz kisses 2024 goodbye with a new straight-up rap song called “Hello, Hi.” “I don’t have to be what they wear or the latest style/I just want my end, I want Miu Miu with the same damn bop/Tell me, why do they all dress the same? Plagiarized essay/I use Japanese silhouettes Cut you, I know you’ve never seen these pieces,” she rhymes over SHYY and Rigas’ guitar-inspired London hip-hop production. Drill bounces back in the background as Simz compares her strengths in music and high fashion, setting the stage for more career milestones in 2025. KFC
Joey Bada$$, “The Dominator Returns”
The combination of Joey Bada$$’s dynamic poetry and Conductor’s grainy yet sparkling work is a match made in heaven. Hopefully there’s an EP in the storage room in the basement of the wine cellar. Joey set the tone with “The Ruler’s Back” and brought the rap game to the attention of the West Coast. “There’s so much West Coast dk-licking, it sounds like a stone’s throw to me, it doesn’t really stick,” he raps in a nod to Brooklyn legend Jay-Z’s 1996 song “22 Two’s.” Last year saw a renewed competitive spirit in hip-hop, and it’s continuing into 2025. multiple sclerosis
Hurricane Wisdom & Polo G, “Giannis Remix”
There are no promises about hurricane “wisdom” coming from North Florida. The Havana native broke Tallahassee’s zone barrier in August with the unnerving “Giannis,” and just like the Milwaukee Bucks superstar’s fast break through 2024, he’s building momentum. “Hurricane” tells the story of his gritty path to the top, but also offers a witty one-liner that makes light of his situation. He compared a gun to the size of Giannis Antetokounmpo and joked that he’s not good at math but wants to keep problem solvers — if you know what he meant. Wisdom caught the attention of Polo G, who connected Chicago to Florida with stellar assists, powered the “Giannis Remix” and ensured the Hurricanes were windy in the new year. — multiple sclerosis
King George and Snoop Dogg, ‘unbelievable’
It’s not the sinister star-studded cast from Death Row’s ’90s golden era, but Snoop Dogg has assembled a strong line-up of versatile artists for the revamped label, with a West Coast icon at the helm. this death row revue The compilation project arrived last week, with Snoop appearing alongside South Carolina’s King Geroge in the classic “Unbelievable,” in which the dog father repeatedly emphasizes the importance of loyalty. “Loyalty is rare / So when you find that special someone, make sure you stay locked in and prepared / ‘Cause it’s mind-boggling what could happen,” he says. — multiple sclerosis
