In hip-hop’s more than five-decade history, Queensbridge stands firmly as one of the genre’s foundational, load-bearing pillars. The same outer-borough NYC locale where MC Shan laid down the rap gauntlet with his seminal single “The Bridge” got reinforced further in the 1990s and 2000s by two more sons of the namesake housing development, Havoc and Prodigy. Their run as Mobb Deep hit its stride with 1995’s *The Infamous*, with the pair remaining a force to be reckoned with both lyrically and musically for another two decades. Were it not for Prodigy’s untimely and tragic passing in 2017, it stands to reason that they’d still be repping QB as a unit today, something the release of *Infinite* demonstrates. More than a decade after their presumed swan song, the double-disc *The Infamous Mobb Deep*, this posthumous collaboration not only honors the duo’s legacy but aims to advance what they cultivated as an enduring, relevant art form. With production duties divided between The Alchemist—Prodigy’s second-most-prolific co-conspirator—and Havoc himself, *Infinite* makes their case with beats and rhymes that feel downright timeless. Whether nodding to golden-age hip-hop heroics on “My Era,” cruising from the crib to the casino on “Taj Mahal,” or shrewdly menacing the opposition on “Gunfire,” their thematic bars seamlessly capture the rap veterans’ mindset. Nostalgia certainly has its place here, and the appearances by Big Noyd on the grimy “The M. The O. The B. The B.” and Nas on the more celebratory “Pour the Henny” keep that classic Queensbridge presence in prominent view. Indeed, most of the features come from artists who were aligned with the Mobb in the *Infamous* days, with Wu-Tang Clan spitters Ghostface Killah and Raekwon reprising their “Right Back at You” roles on “Clear Black Nights.” Yet there’s also a genuine vibrancy here so rarely found on albums released in this particular fashion, the unmistakable interplay between the core duo enlivening moments like “Against the World” and “Score Points” and further imbued with that improbable reunion spirit via the Clipse collab “Look at Me.”
“This is God’s plan/He said it to me.” So opens *The Boy Who Played the Harp*, the third album from Dave, his first full-length offering since 2021’s *We’re All Alone in This Together*, which cemented his legacy as one of UK rap’s most consummate storytellers. “My mum told me what my name really means and the powers just kicked in,” he continues on the James Blake collaboration “History,” aligning himself with the biblical King David—“the boy who played the harp” referenced in the album title. Certainly, Dave has his own giants to face. He lays out his fears most explicitly on “Selfish,” another James Blake joint, reeling off a litany of sins and self-suspicions over ominous chords and haunting vocal samples. “My 27th Birthday” underscores his inner conflicts across almost eight minutes of restrained piano and hi-hat-centric percussion: new money clashes with old, moral conviction with the ethics of consumption, work ethic with the sacrifice of ambition. The state of the world weighs heavy; “How can you be King?/How can you be King?/Don’t speak for the people,” he asks on the title track, closing out the record with a powerful interrogation of his own commitment to social justice and a sage reminder that the push for change is a collective, intergenerational effort. The introspection is admirable but the album’s highlights occur when Dave steps outside of himself, whether it’s to position himself as a narrator—unpicking the psychology of a criminal with “Marvellous,” calmly outlining the reasons women may fear men on “Fairchild”—or to engage with his peers as on the sultry Tems teamup “Raindance” or “Chapter 16,” which sees him form an inquisitive dialogue with grime heavyweight (and *Top Boy* co-star) Kano. And while *The Boy Who Played the Harp* is a more sonically somber affair than his previous works, the standard of observational insight and lyrical wordplay that have so far earned him an Ivor Novello, a BRIT, and the Mercury Music Prize, remains unchanged. Bending the word “Exodus” so that “there’s repentance in the Bible...” lands with the punchline “…God, remind my ex of this” (“175 Months”) is a shining example. It’s a timely record, arriving in a moment where problems seem insurmountable. In the Bible, Dave’s namesake was tasked with playing his harp to soothe a mind plagued by evil spirits—*The Boy Who Played the Harp* rises to the same challenge with aplomb.
At this point in their respective production careers, Hit-Boy and The Alchemist are responsible for so many hip-hop hits and faves that it seems pointless to try and list them. Their contributions to the culture span generations, with decades in the game and no signs of slowing down for either artist. Yet one area where the two don’t get nearly enough shine is in the vocal booth, their rap talents often overlooked by contrast with their widely recognized instrumental prowess. That’s precisely what makes *GOLDFISH* and their prior duo collabs of the past few years: their skills both behind the boards and on the mic put on proud display. Off the rip, they’re in fighting form with the one-two punch of “Doing My Best” and “Business Merger,” maintaining energetic confidence for the album’s full 50-minute runtime. “God Is Great” snarks at lesser beatmakers and wack wannabes with a pointed use of gospel flair, while “Show Me the Way” covers both parenthood and personal ambition as powerful midlife motivators. Indicative of Alchemist’s lengthy history with Mobb Deep, Havoc’s appearance on “Celebration Moments” emphasizes his own dual lane. Other rapper guests like Boldy James, Conway the Machine, and Jay Worthy offer features that serve to remind listeners of the headliners’ curatorial clout. Yet perhaps it’s the presence of Hit-Boy’s father, Big Hit, on “All Gas No Breaks” that best drives home the intimacy of the core duo’s partnership—one that hopefully has plenty of road ahead of it.
It would have been impossible to predict what would come next when Gucci Mane released his debut album *Trap House* in 2005, leading this century’s most influential hip-hop subgenre and skyrocketing the East Atlanta rapper to stardom. But since his release from prison in 2016, the trap pioneer has been transparent about the mental health struggles that informed the ups and downs of his 20-year career. Released, as per tradition, on 10/17 (which Atlanta officially declared “Gucci Mane Day” in 2023), Gucci’s 17th solo album is accompanied by his second book, *Episodes: The Diary of a Recovering Mad Man*, in which he gets real about his long road to redemption. “I done did all types of stupid shit,” he admits frankly on “Episodes Intro,” summing up his early-career legal drama in a nutshell. Much has changed for the trap icon, but some things stay the same: on “Back Cooking,” he reunites with longtime collaborator OJ da Juiceman for that vintage Guwop feeling.
The early 2020s was a period of leveling up for Daniel Caesar. The Toronto R&B artist signed to a major label, logged No. 1 hits with Justin Bieber and Tyler, The Creator, and with 2023’s *NEVER ENOUGH*, scored his highest-charting album to date and graduated to arena-headliner status. But as a child of the church, Caesar has always seemed less interested in indulging in the spoils of stardom than in forging a deep spiritual connection with his congregation of fans. In the lead-up to the release of his fourth full-length, *Son of Spergy*, Caesar hosted surprise pop-up concerts in various cities, turning up in local parks on a few hours’ notice with just an acoustic guitar—a fitting prelude to his most intimate and off-the-cuff album to date. Named for his gospel-singer father, *Son of Spergy* is a moment for Caesar to recalibrate after years of whirlwind success, and reconnect with family, old flames, and the church. “Lord, let your blessings rain down,” he sings on the opener, “Rain Down,” a hazy-headed hymn that sets the soul-searching tone for the album. Compared to the beat-driven experimentation of *NEVER ENOUGH*, *Son of Spergy* is both a more organic and psychedelic experience, favoring folky instrumentation that Caesar weaves to delightfully daydreamy effect on openhearted serenades like “Have a Baby (With Me)” and the Bon Iver-assisted beauty “Moon,” where jazzy piano wafts through the dulcet acoustic arrangement like a misty drizzle. But *Son of Spergy*’s Zen vibe is counterbalanced by Caesar’s growing confidence at drawing far outside the lines of R&B: “Call on Me” is an upbeat outlier that pairs crunchy alt-rock guitars and reggae riddims, while “Baby Blue” is a beautifully dazed ballad that just turns stranger and stranger over its six minutes, layering woozy strings, chopped-up vocals, and sound-effect samples with White Album-style wanderlust.
A few days before the release of *Fancy Some More?*, PinkPantheress posted a teaser video which starred her animated alter ego scribbling the names of 23 artists on a cartoon whiteboard. The list of names spanned genres, generations, and the globe: the Aussie pop icon Kylie Minogue, Swedish rap mystic Bladee, and K-pop supergroup SEVENTEEN were just a few. The artists were revealed as the featured guests on a sprawling, 22-track expansion of the British singer/producer’s second mixtape, *Fancy That*, which landed in May 2025 as her highest-charting album in her home country. Here, PinkPantheress adds two discs’ worth of high-end bonus versions to the original nine tracks, the first of which leans fully into cool, left-of-center pop, including a Spanish-language flip of “Illegal” from Brazilian reggaeton star Anitta and French electro-pop auteur Oklou’s dreamy reimagining of “Girl Like Me.” Disc two features remixes from a decade-spanning range of PinkPantheress’ dance-music favorites—from jungle revivalist Nia Archives to British house heroes Basement Jaxx, whose big-beat euphoria inspired several of *Fancy That*’s original tracks.
A lot has changed in the eight years since Miguel last released an album, from the state of the world to his personal life. (In 2023, his divorce from longtime partner Nazanin Mandi was finalized.) If 2017’s *War & Leisure* hinted at turmoil both personal and political, the fifth album from the R&B auteur lands directly in the thick of it. On *CAOS*, the fight for peace is messy, but cathartic. Previous hits like “Adorn” and “Coffee” reveled in the bliss of intimacy, but here Miguel ventures beyond soulful psychedelia to embrace darker sounds and themes, landing somewhere between P-Funk and Nine Inch Nails. In the dark underbelly of the present, love feels a lot like rage, and vulnerability and anarchy coexist more easily than you’d think. He’s masked, strapped, and ready for whatever on “New Martyrs (Ride 4 U),” a Bonnie and Clyde anthem for uncertain times. He sings in Spanish on the apocalyptic title track, interpolates 2Pac on “The Killing” (“I ain’t a killer, but don’t push me”), and flips a poignant piano ballad into a scuzzy house thumper on “RIP.” A streak of primal lust flashes through the darkness, and on “Angel’s Song,” he swoons amidst the flames (“I forget the world’s unraveling when I look at you”). And on the grungy “Always Time,” he delivers an elegy for his marriage, singing: “Maybe this time, love means letting go.”
With Bryson Tiller’s 2024 self-titled album, the Louisville crooner crafted a genre-bending departure from his comfort zone, experimenting with the soundscapes of dancehall, drill, and pop next to his signature mixture of hip-hop and R&B. Tiller fully embraced himself and where he was at within his artistry, so much so that he decided to take a hiatus from music after its release to pursue his passion for video game design. But now he’s back with *Solace & The Vices*, a double album that lets go of the pressures of the industry and starts a new chapter of his ever-evolving sound. On the first half of *Solace & The Vices*, Tiller looks inward as he gets somberly vulnerable about his struggles with romance, handling fame, and more. On the album opener “Strife,” he croons about wanting his lover to give him another chance, while on “Workaholic,” he exposes his own shortcomings as a partner due to obsessing over his career: “I was scared of going broke in 2018/That was after all the money and the fame/Going back to how it was, the shit’ll be a shame.” “I treated *Solace* like a therapy session,” Tiller tells Apple Music’s Zane Lowe. “I really want people to listen to it that way, almost as if I’m sitting on a couch and you’re just listening to what I’m saying.” And he does just that, taking listeners on a voyage through his psyche as he pulls himself apart to reflect on the highs and lows of his relationships, whether he’s dealing with losing a lover to someone else (“Damn”), making the hard decision to end a connection (“Uncertainty”), or finding new love again (“I Need Her,” “Star Signs”). The second half of *Solace & The Vices* finds Tiller showcasing the other side of his artistry. As he does across the majority of his discography, the singer-songwriter toes the line between singing and rapping; however, on *The Vices* he leans less into the moody trap-soul tracks that defined his career and launched him into superstardom. Instead, he dives deeper into the rap-heavy side of his musicality, delivering sharp flows and gritty, energetic bars over dynamic production from Charlie Heat, Gravez, Teddy Walton, and Hitmaka. Tiller is unapologetic as he revels in his impulsive nature, waxing poetic as he brags about his lifestyle (“First Place,” “200 Bands,” “Make Life Easy”) while navigating the ups and downs of his situationships (“No Sharing,” “More Than Money,” “Last Call”), and even contemplates letting go of his player ways (“Burnout”). Tiller isn’t alone as he ventures through partying and romance. He gets some help from Bossman Dlow, Rick Ross, Plies, T-Pain, BabyDrill, Luh Tyler, and Bun B, who are along for the ride. On the closing track “Finished,” Tiller addresses his naysayers and critics who doubt his ability to surpass his 2015 debut album *T R A P S O U L*. His resilience in the face of criticism is evident as he confidently asserts: “I’ll be done with this shit when I’m done/I ain’t lookin’ for the number one /Just money and the shit keep comin’/Kept goin’, can’t risk bein’ nothin’/Ain’t fallin’ off, bitch, you funny.”
In a city where idiosyncrasy comes from even the hardest of rappers, there’s still no one in Detroit doing it quite like Bruiser Wolf. Closely affiliated with Danny Brown and part of the insular Bruiser Brigade, he steps to the microphone with the survivalist savvy of a street poet and the poignant wit of a stand-up comic. He spits game because he’s *been* in the game, translating his knowledge into one-liners and double entendres on this collaboration with veteran hip-hop producer Harry Fraud. The cinematic quality of his life story thus far screens in 70mm clarity through the cheeky opener “Tubi,” though he cautions on “Against the Odds” that there’s enough fodder to fuel a full-blown saga. His provocative couplets on “Connect Four” and “Heart Broke” carry on a legacy that encompasses Rudy Ray Moore’s *Dolemite*, Suga Free, and Too $hort. Given Fraud’s own reputation for scoring rap songs like movie scenes, the ’70s throwback accents on “Eye Owe You” and “The Money Say” serve Wolf’s routines well. And if that weren’t enough, cameos by Benny the Butcher and fellow Bruiser brigadier Zelooperz, among others, add even further filmic thrills.
If you’ve been tracking the career of Detroit’s Danny Brown over the last decade or so, you’d know that he’s one of rap’s most unpredictable characters: a streetwise MC who can go dark, go humorous, go punk, or go techno with the flip of a switch. “You’d be hard-pressed to find another rap artist with a musical range comparable to Danny’s,” DJ A-Trak, who assembled Brown’s *XXX for 30* megamix, tells Apple Music. “I wanted the mix to reflect that. I had to show his full wingspan. It’s truly uncanny.” Across this set, punctuated with drops from G-Unit member Tony Yayo, you’ll catch the full breadth of Brown’s oeuvre—from tracks dating back to his 2000s mixtapes and his debut album, *The Hybrid*, on through to collaborations with ScHoolboy Q, BROCKHAMPTON, Gorillaz, Kendrick Lamar, Fred again.., and more. “Danny is one hell of a rapper,” adds A-Trak. “It’s so fun to sit back and listen to the way he attacks so many types of beats, tempos, styles, and cadences.”
There was a time in New York hip-hop when the mixtape format effectively trumped the album. With this looser format, some of the city’s best rappers delivered their hardest, cleverest verses over quality beats—not infrequently using uncleared samples—as a means to keep the streets fed and the fans hyped. And while the definition of a given project may have lost clear meaning over the past decade, Dave East clearly holds the mixtape spirit in high regard. With producers like Nicholas Craven, Harry Fraud, and HighHonors behind the boards, this fourth installment in the *Karma* series finds the raspy native doing what he loves on his own terms. The skits here draw inspiration from epic crime stories like *Goodfellas*, *Heat*, and *The Sopranos*, largely represented by appearances from infamous hip-hop impressionist Pain In Da Ass. But the most compelling narrative here belongs to East, fully prepared for the worst on “Ahki Store” and revealing all manner of escape routes on the impactful “Runnin’.” Few proper albums bring the lyrical heat the way he does on “Demon” or “Havana,” his pen as sharp as ever. His choice of guests also reflects his stature in the game, pulling from a national talent pool of other seasoned stars and independent winners. He details the rough road to a luxe life with Stove God Cooks, dips into a nostalgic cloud-rap bag alongside Wiz Khalifa, and gives the R&B-meets-rap model a rugged refresher opposite Jeremih and Roc-A-Fella vet Rell. As if that weren’t enough, the posthumous Nipsey Hussle presence on “12 Months” lends even greater gravity to the whole *Karma 4* endeavor.
There’s nothing subtle about cupcakKe’s music, and the Chicago-born rapper delights in how little she leaves to the imagination. After all, her biggest hit to date, “CPR,” is an extended metaphor for oral sex. Her 2025 album *The BakKery* takes things in even more explicit directions. Led by the stunningly titled dance-floor banger “One of My Bedbugs Ate My Pussy,” cupcakKe showcases why no one else in the rap game has her boldness or imagination. While it’s easy to shock, humor propels this album to exciting heights. The way she embraces dance music and the history of house in her hometown of Chicago gives *The BakKery* its electrifying energy, and its one-liners illustrate how thoughtful sex rhymes can really be. As she raps on “Bedbugs,” “It’s givin’ Lady Gaga, standin’ in a shoe/She love tall inches and I do too.”
A contemporary fixture of Los Angeles hip-hop, 03 Greedo has spent the 12 months since 2024’s Detroit-infused *Hella Greedy* focused on shorter-form drops. While the idiosyncratic rap phenomenon’s triples-is-best approach on the preceding *Death Comes in 3’s* and *Crushing on Twin* provided his fans with instant gratification, the nine-track *Another Night Out* benefits from being a more substantial offering. With eclectic yet consistently booming beats by the likes of Cassius Jay on “Rubber Band Man” and Hit-Boy on “Somebody,” he shares a plethora of gratifyingly true-to-form flexes. Atlanta trap pioneer Zaytoven shares a minimalist, atmospheric instrumental for “Sea World Abu Dhabi,” over which Greedo’s melodic warble floats into the ether. Even as some of the producers here represent scenes other than his own, local guests Wallie the Sensei and WhoKid Woody help to keep this an LA affair.
Beginning to conceptualize his fourth album last year, Khalid thought deeply about what exactly it was that he wanted to say. But when a dramatic incident became a blessing in disguise, the 27-year-old singer-songwriter instantly knew his direction. “In the process of creating the album, I got outed and then immediately knew everything that I needed to say,” he told Hattie Collins, host of Apple Music’s Proud Radio. “It’s time to make that album for myself. It’s time to make the album that solidifies who I am—not only as an artist, but just as a person in this world.” On the resulting record, *after the sun goes down*, the singer who’s been famous since blowing up as a teenager with his debut single, “Location,” and its follow-up, “Young Dumb & Broke,” finds himself fully in his element—passionate, unapologetic, and more confident than ever. Across 16 tracks, Khalid grapples candidly with lust and loss, yearning over hyperpop on “whenever you’re gone” and channeling Craig David on “in plain sight,” a UK garage-inspired meditation on infidelity. He’s joined by an all-star roster of collaborators, sharing writing credits with Tove Lo and Julia Michaels and recruiting legendary producer Darkchild for “out of body,” a hedonistic club jam straight out of 2001. Although the sweetest cameo comes from Khalid’s mom, who sings backup on “hurt people.” His aim, as he tells Apple Music, is to be fearless in returning the love he’s received over the past year. “I feel like the queer community has embraced me so much, and with love unconditionally,” he says. “I have to give that back to the world, because it’s a huge part of me. It’s who I am. And I feel like I’ve played it safe so many times in my life that this time, I felt like I wanted to be bold.”
As both a rapper and an R&B artist, BIA has spent more than a decade building up to the 2025 release of *BIANCA*. While the Massachusetts native’s well-received 2020s EPs *FOR CERTAIN* and *REALLY HER* received tracklist-expanding Deluxe Edition treatments, this 2025 outing marks her first proper album. Rising to the occasion with some of the strongest material of her career to date, she straddles her twin vocal skill sets, sometimes on the same song. Switching between earnest singing and frank bar-slinging, she contends with romantic regret on “SAD PARTY” and steps confidently into the reggae space of “ONE THING.” On the guest front, she’s joined by an impressive and eclectic group that enhances her strengths across genres and styles. Latin power-players Becky G and Young Miko amplify her bilingual might on “HARD WAY” and “BIRTHDAY BEHAVIOR,” respectively, while Southern rap stars Key Glock and Denzel Curry each match her lyrical energy on the booming pair “DADE” and “WE ON GO II,” the latter also featuring an especially animated A$AP Ferg.
Houston MC Monaleo has long draped herself in pink, using the color as both armor and attitude, but as she proves on *Who Did the Body*, beneath all the glam lies true grit. Tracks like “Spare Change” and “Sexy Soulaan” radiate the same fiery confidence that fueled her 2021 breakout single, “Beating Down Yo Block,” while the strip club-ready “Freak Show” (featuring Lizzo) is the MC’s audacity in full form. But don’t for a second believe Monaleo is going it alone. On “Tamron Hall” she declares, “I got God whenever I walk, I can never fail if I lose it all.” Hailing from a hometown that has always honored the ability to flex as a divine blessing, it’s no wonder Houston legends Bun B, Paul Wall, and Lil’ Keke show up on the triumphant closer “We on Dat,” happy to pass the torch to their shared city’s next star.
