HNHH is kicking off the new year with some small changes. Welcome to our brand new "New Music Friday" round-up, where we will be including all of the hottest new music from the past week, including everything that came out on Friday. In this weekly column, we will include some of our staff's personal favorite songs from the week, as well as a curated list of some of the most exciting hip-hop and R&B offerings from the last seven days.
In the round-up, you'll notice releases from some of your favorite mainstream rappers, as well as a few releases from artists to keep an eye on during 2022, and underground rap giants.
This week, we're starting off the column with two of the biggest albums to have dropped this week: Gunna's DS4EVER and The Weeknd's Dawn FM.
Despite only announcing their albums a few days before their respective releases, Gunna and The Weeknd managed to set the tone for this year of new music, pushing everybody to perform at their highest capacity. Gunna came through with nineteen songs that are suitable for the car, club, and streets. Whereas The Weeknd enters a new chapter of his career with a conceptual body of work that already sounds great, and will likely get even better with time.
Check out some of the hottest new hip-hop and R&B releases from this week below and let us know your favorite song and album of the week in the comments.
Atlanta rapper Gunna starts off the new year with the release of his new studio album DS4EVER, completing the Drip Season series. The new album includes features from Young Thug, Future, Lil Baby, Chris Brown, Chlöe, Kodak Black, and more. Surprisingly -- and despite being previously announced as a feature on the song "P***y Power" -- Drake did not appear on the album's release.
The album includes the previously released single "Too Easy." Some of our staff's early favorites include "Mop (feat. Young Thug)," "Thought I Was Playing (feat. 21 Savage)," "South To West," and more.
The Dawn has arrived. After months of teases, Canadian singer The Weeknd has released his new studio album Dawn FM, including features from Lil Wayne, Tyler, The Creator, and more, as well as appearances from Quincy Jones and Jim Carrey. The conceptual body of work contains sixteen tracks. Our staff's early favorites include "I Heard You're Married (feat. Lil Wayne)," "Gasoline," and "Here We Go... Again (feat. Tyler, The Creator)."
After the Grammy Awards snubbed his previous album, After Hours, in a shocking move, it will be interesting to see if the Recording Academy can ignore a second-straight masterpiece from The Weeknd, one of the greatest artists of our time.
With the release of "Million Dollars Worth of Game" featuring Detroit rapper 42 Dugg, College Park-based rapper 2 Chainz kicks off the rollout to his upcoming studio album, titled Dope Don't Sell Itself. The hot new single was produced by Lil Ju Made Da Beat, and it sets the tone for the project, which will be released later this month. This was an instant favorite for many of our staff members.
One of the most consistent rappers in the world, Baton Rouge-born artist YoungBoy Never Broke Again started off the year with the release of his new song "Fish Scale," which dropped earlier this week. Arriving alongside a new music video, the 22-year-old announced a new mixtape arriving within the next two weeks, so it definitely looks like this will be another busy year for the superstar rapper.
"Titanic" is unlike most songs you've heard from Earl Sweatshirt. Carving out a clear lane for himself over the years, the 27-year-old rapper deviates slightly from his formula to explore a new sound, which his fans are seriously digging. A favorite from our staff, this was the perfect way to hype up his new studio album SICK!, which drops next week.
Atlanta rap legend Gucci Mane has remained consistent for as long as we can remember, as a rapper and a serial entrepreneur. Gucci puts his business first, making sure that he signs the best artists and continues to level up as a music entrepreneur. But on "Fake Friends," we hear him return to some of his greatest flows from over the years. The music video also includes an appearance from Wop's toddler son, Ice.
Azizi Gibson - "Hate To Say It" (feat. Freddie Gibbs)
Azizi Gibson has shown his versatility over the years and on "Hate To Say It," he continues his upward trajectory with a feature from the trending Freddie Gibbs. From the sounds of this one, it could be a big year for both Gibson and Gibbs in 2022.
Chicago drill rapper Montana of 300 returns with his new studio album, titled Rap God, after testing positive for COVID-19 and spending some time in the hospital late last year. The twenty-five-song album is nearly two-hours-long, and it includes features from Talley of 300, Arsonal, No fatigue, and more.
Dom Vallie - "Been Himma"
Dom Vallie, Toronto's hottest upcoming rapper, is chilling in his chinchilla on his latest record, titled "Been Himma." The song has been going viral for a few weeks on TikTok and it officially hit streaming services on Friday. This could end up being Dom's biggest song to date, so he is definitely somebody to watch out for in the new year.
Let us know what music you've got on rotation today in the comment section. Check out our songs section for more new releases today.
