Tracks of the Week 1: 6/2 - 13/2

Check out these new tracks which caught my ear in the past week. There's probably a few, or more than a few, that I missed completely, so please let me know in the comments what you've heard that deserved a mention! For whatever reason this week is skewed towards Hip Hop & Contemporary R&B, but I'll do my best to be a bit more inclusive in the following weeks.

Beyonce – “Formation”

MY DADDY ALABAMA MOMMA LOUISANA

YOU MIX THAT NEGRO WITH THAT CREOLE MAKE A TEXAS BAMAAAAAAA

Bey hopping on the trap game, courtesy of producer Mike Will Made It & co-writer Swae Lee from the Southern hip hop duo Rae Sremmurd. Thought she absolutely killed it at the Super Bowl, by the way. A tad out of her comfort zone, musically & lyrically, which is what I like to see artists do, especially those at the top. Interest definitely piqued for whatever project she has lined up. 4/5

Death Grips – “Hot Head”

BLOW BLOW BLOW BLOW BLOW BLOW BLOW BLOW OH NO

BLOW BLOW BLOW BLOW HOT HEAD

Another giant shot of adrenalin from the Sacramento-based experimental/punk/noise/hip hop trio. Surprisingly there isn’t much in the way of harsh noise or distortion in this track, just a ton of chaos, except for the overlaying electronic arpeggios. 3/5

Future – “Lie to Me”

To me this was the standout from Future’s latest mixtape EVOL, which funnily enough I found out about through DJ Khaled’s snapchat… I smart, I loyal. Appreciate me. Future’s on his braggadocio grind, and on this occasion he’s somewhat intelligible! 3.5/5

Kanye West – “30 Hours”

Possibly the last (ever) “G.O.O.D. Friday” release, preceding The Life of Pablo which is due shortly… right? The track seems to reference one of Kanye’s past relationships, and beside a couple clever lines here and there (“I wake up, all veggies no eggs / I hit the gym, all chest no legs) there’s nothing spectacular here lyrically. The beat is fresh though, containing a sample of Arthur Russell’s “Answer Me”, an experimental folk/art pop piece. 3.5/5

Young Thug feat. Quavo – “F Cancer”

“Ayo fuck cancer” is a sentiment we can all rally behind, right? Sadly this track trails off from there, but as a pop trap party banger, there’s not much I can fault here. I think I’m starting to learn not to take this guy’s music terribly seriously. Throw this joint on when the alcohol kicks in, people will love it. 3/5

- Karl