GIVĒON has been working on his craft these past few years, and the fruits of his labor are resplendent on *BELOVED*, a love letter to R&B that has the timeless feel of ’70s soul sides while possessing a distinctly 21st-century sensibility. “There’s that element where I’m doing this because it’s in my DNA,” GIVĒON tells Apple Music’s Zane Lowe. “I didn’t choose music. I tell people all the time, ‘I didn’t choose it. It chose me.’ But I care about rhythm and blues. It means a lot to me.” *BELOVED* starts off in a big way: Surging strings create a high-drama atmosphere that sets the mood for “MUD,” a poison-pen letter to an ex that’s given a cushion by GIVĒON\'s supple croon and the sonic splendor surrounding it. Not only does the song send a message to the person who did GIVĒON wrong, it lets listeners know that the singer-songwriter has leveled up in the years since his last album, 2022’s *Give or Take*. “I think I grew as an artist exponentially,” he says. “There’s a leap in my knowing how to articulate what I feel, or what I have a taste for.” On *BELOVED*, GIVĒON showcases his evolution in a way that’s dazzling without being showy—the longing “I CAN TELL” frames his vulnerable vocals in rhythmic snaps and dry horns, while on the slow-burning “KEEPER” he fully throws himself into his plea to a lover he’s missing. Much of *BELOVED* came out of GIVĒON and his collaborators jamming in the studio, and its grooves possess the sort of loose yet locked-in feel that characterizes the most sublime soul. Despite growing up in Southern California, GIVĒON was raised on East Coast R&B, and he studied records by the likes of Teddy Pendergrass, as well as the productions of Philadelphia soul architects Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff, to get properly inspired for *BELOVED*. He also got better at fully tuning in to his artistic desires and curiosity. “I know what artist I am,” he says. “I understand my process. I understand how to evolve as well.”
In the course of making his fourth album, Loyle Carner came to the conclusion that perhaps it was time to lighten up a little. “I needed to not take myself so seriously,” he tells Apple Music. “I think I’m learning how to do that slowly.” One thing that has undoubtedly helped iron out that furrowed brow is just how much the South London rapper, songwriter, spoken-word artist, and now actor, born Ben Coyle-Larner, is reveling in fatherhood. “My son was in the studio so much, we were just in a place of living in the moment,” he explains. “When you’re around kids, that’s the only thing that exists to them. There’s no present or past or future or whatever.” That sense of savoring the here and now runs right through *hopefully !*. It’s an album that shakes off the contemplative turmoil of 2022’s *hugo*, where he explored his relationship with his own father, with these songs possessing a reassuring warmth. An airy, elegant hip-hop record from an artist who sounds totally at ease with himself, *hopefully !* has a cover that serves as the perfect snapshot for its themes of paternal love. “It always happens that my son just decides to draw on my face,” he says. “My partner captured the moment. What’s so nice is you can’t tell in that photo if he’s supporting me or comforting me or if I’m comforting him. I think that’s true of our relationship. It’s quite ambiguous, who’s looking after who?” Let Loyle Carner guide through the soothing sounds of *hopefully !*, track by track. **“feel at home”** “This was made with a friend of mine called Zach Nahome. I went to his house and we made it quite quickly. I was trying really hard to not write too many words down. Then, when I brought it back to the studio with my friends that I was working on the rest of the album with, I played them a little voice note I had on my phone of my son playing wind chimes in the park and it just happened to be in the perfect key with the song. Literally, he was kind of playing along with the song. It had to be at the start of the song and everyone around me was like, ‘It has to be the opener.’” **“in my mind”** “If ‘feel at home’ is the opening credits then ‘in my mind’ is the first scene. This was actually the first song we made together as a band and the first song for this album. We were in the studio in between sessions on tour and we had two days in the studio. It was a totally clean slate. I was listening to a lot more music from my childhood, The Smiths, The Cure, Bob Dylan, Stevie Smith, Elliott Smith—a lot of Smiths!—and new stuff too like Fontaines D.C.. Trying to get back to the stuff I listened to before I was told what I should listen to. That was feeding into it a lot.” **“all i need”** “This is one of my favorites. I wrote it in the car park of a Big Yellow Self Storage in East London. I was struck with how many things people keep, all the stuff that they hold onto. I wish that we had less stuff as people. I was thinking about all the emotional baggage that you don’t see that people carry around. I wish you could put that in a Big Yellow Self Storage instead.” **“lyin”** “This was written just before my daughter was born. It was about not being sure if she was going to make it or not. Birth and pregnancy is so complicated, and it doesn’t always work out. I was thinking about who she would be and hoping that she makes it. Also, putting my son to bed and thinking about how that’s my favorite time and how scared I was the first time around I was having a kid and how light and chill I was the second time because I knew it was easier than I thought.” **“time to go”** “‘time to go’’s days were numbered on the album for a long time. I was trying to get it to fit into the palette of the rest of the music, it was cool but it sounded so big and I wanted it to feel small. Then we went around the houses, tried to take everything away from it and, in the end, we decided that it was meant to be what it was and we couldn’t change it. We left it how it was and gave it a chance. We knew that there was something about it that made us feel good. We were like, ‘Look, if we can’t figure out how to change it, but we want it to come out, it’s going to have to be what it is.’” **“horcrux”** “I was thinking about my son and my daughter. In Harry Potter, Voldemort has the Horcruxes, where he takes a piece of his soul and puts it somewhere else. Someone had said to me, ‘You only get out of life alive through your kids. They’re the ones who get you out of life alive.’ I thought it was such a funny saying but I thought about it a lot because all of the best bits of me, I’ve taken them and tried to put them into my kids.” **“strangers”** “I made this with the intention of passing it over to someone I’m a big fan of: Adrianne Lenker. I really wanted her to sing it. I thought she could sing better than me, but she wasn’t around or whatever, so it fell back to me. At first, I was going to put it in the bin, and then I was like, ‘Actually, maybe this has got a chance.’ Other people started saying to me, ‘Please don’t lose this song. I really love it,’ so I gave it a shot, and here it is. Singing is fucking scary, if I’m honest. I didn’t think it through until it was too late. Obviously, it’s easy in front of no one. Then, the more people who started to come into touch with it and start to listen to it, it’s been a bit more scary. I’m trying to roll with it, trying to brave it.” **“hopefully” (with Benjamin Zephaniah)** “This features Benjamin Zephaniah. I was trying to be a little bit more coded in my language and be abstract a bit more to protect my kids, it’s so hard to express my love for them, literally. The echo you can hear is me and my son underneath a bridge on our bike. Every time we cycle underneath a bridge, he says, ‘Echo,’ because he likes the way it sounds, and so do I. I’ve recorded loads of those. Then, Benjamin Zephaniah, at the end, I had watched this documentary the day before and I heard that excerpt, and I was like, ‘That sums up what I’m saying in a more literal and pointed way.’” **“purpose” (with Navy Blue)** “This features Navy Blue. That was a dream come true, to collab with him. It came about really easily. We had been texting a bit. I texted him on a whim and was like, ‘I made this song, I think you’ll like it.’ He was sat on a beach in Jamaica and he wrote to it then and there and sent it back the next day.” **“don’t fix it” (with Nick Hakim)** “This is me and the main man, Nick Hakim. It was the last song we made for the album. It was in the studio at his in New York. It was quite a profound day for me to watch him. I’m a big fan of Nick Hakim. He wasn’t singing because obviously it’s a hard thing to part with when it’s so special to you. Then he got hunched up into the corner, put the mic to his lips, and spoke this little chorus into the mic. It was a privilege to watch someone do the thing they’re meant to do in your presence.” **“about time”** “It had to be at the end of the album because of my son, ’cause it sounds like he’s telling me to stop making music and focus on being a dad. I wanted it to be quite close to the beginning so it didn’t get lost but then it couldn’t be anywhere else. It was made to be there.”
As much as his Griselda affiliation connects him with a Buffalo, NY state of mind, Boldy James remains a Detroit rapper through and through. Coming amid a fast-and-furious run of new releases from the prodigious spitter, *Hommage* rightfully centers him in his hometown both physically and sonically. With the help of Antt Beatz, producer behind favorites by 42 Dugg and Icewear Vezzo, he shares his astutely local vision of the city on cuts like “Concrete Connie” and “Super Mario.” Even the track titles themselves reflect the rapper’s clever brand of lyricism, as cuts like the exultant “Brick James” and “Himothy Mcveigh” contain his all-but-patented blend of narco knowledge drops and street king statements. As expected, the guest list is rightfully restricted to residents, with Baby Money giving nothing but straight talk on the booming “Off the Richter” and BandGang Lonnie Bands trading tight verses off with Boldy on the melancholic “Met Me.”
CMG’s Louisville connect EST Gee made the shift from mixtape marvel to certified hitmaker with seeming ease. Linking with the likes of 42 Dugg, Future, and Jack Harlow, he’s impacted the charts without having to compromise his core strengths and the experiences in which those were forged. That hood-borne integrity continues on *I Aint Feeling You*, its title yet another variant on his discography’s prevailing theme. Such ruthlessness dominates his verses, both when taking calculated aim on \"Slime” and in showing love for his environs on “The Streets.” Recognizing that trap-house politics and personal matters invariably intertwine in the lifestyle, he turns baby-mama drama into opportunities on “Crash” and surveys a veritable war zone from his particular point of view on the vengeful “RIP LU MIKE.” A genuine love for Southern rap helps to rightfully secure Gee’s own place within its legacy. To that end, he nods to regional hip-hop greatness on “Plug Motivation” and reconnects with Lil Baby for “Houstonatlantaville,” with no less than Travis Scott representing the first part of that tri-city trifecta. Drawing direct inspiration from a Lil Scrappy hit, “Do My Own Stunts” showcases Gee’s defiant individualistic streak via a string of flexes and threats. An auspicious reunion with his “5500 Degrees” cohort Rylo Rodriguez out of Alabama, the Veeze-infused “My Love” sets unflinchingly real-life storytelling against a snappy, soulful beat. That reflectively confessional approach carries through to the album’s “Outro,” a clear-eyed accounting of his imperfections and mistakes that makes him even more relatable.
You could say that BigXthaPlug has always been country, from his deep Dallas drawl to the cowboy hat he rocked in the video for one of his earliest hits, 2022’s “Texas.” But his first official foray into country as a genre was in April 2025 with “All the Way,” a duet with rising country star Bailey Zimmerman featuring trap drums and steel guitar. With his hypnotic voice and over-the-top charisma, BigX has spent the past few years establishing himself as a bona fide star. But “All the Way” was the biggest hit to date for both BigX and Zimmerman. Throughout the 2020s, the lines between country and rap have blurred: Morgan Wallen and Lil Durk scored a hit with their 2021 collab “Broadway Girls,” onetime rappers like Jelly Roll and Post Malone have been embraced by Nashville, and the biggest song of 2024 was Shaboozey’s “A Bar Song (Tipsy),” a twangy rework of an old ringtone rap hit. With his third album, *I Hope You’re Happy*, BigX straddles that line with a foot firmly planted in each terrain. Besides a pair of interludes, each track features a duet with a country star, mostly centered around country music’s favorite topic: heartache. Speaking to Thomas Rhett on Apple Music Radio, BigX explained his methodology for choosing the album’s nine features: “The way I went about it, I looked for anybody who I felt like had some type of soul in them.” Hence the assist from Jelly Roll on the bittersweet “Box Me Up,” or the bluesy hook from Darius Rucker on the title track. Alabama’s Ella Langley is gorgeously petty on “Hell at Night,” an ode to taking the low road. (“It’s just one of those situations where you could tell two people was going through some of the same things, just in their own separate ways,” said BigX of the collaboration.) But on the Thomas Rhett duet “Long Nights,” BigX takes a moment to appreciate how far he’s come: “I thank God like every day, ’cause, shit, he helped me find my purpose/I was hurting/I went from hearing shots to hearing fans behind those curtains/So I know that it’s working.”
Like a fine wine, soul diva Mariah Carey matured into a classic vintage with the release of 2005’s *The Emancipation of Mimi*. The songs reflect a newfound intimacy and humor, while exploring gospel, hip-hop, and live band influences. The airy, then yearning vocals of “We Belong Together” are offset by the harmony-packed head-nodder “It’s Like That.” Meanwhile, blingtastic club bangers with Snoop Dogg and Pharrell Williams will start a party in your heart.
Roy Woods’ 2015 debut EP is a time capsule of an era when OVO Sound’s moody aesthetic was permeating pop culture like a late-night fog, and the words “(feat. Drake)” were a fail-safe cheat code to stardom. Woods was still in his teens when he signed to OVO and cut *Exis*, and though the EP establishes the trap&B stylistic template and thematic girl-trouble terrain Woods would refer to throughout his career, his performances here exude a raw, hungry spirit that would eventually give way to a more intensely introspective tone on later releases. When his echo-drenched vocals start poking through the woozy production of the opener, “Innocence,” it’s like an impatient kid trying to bust his way out of the womb, while “Unleashed” sees him ducking and weaving around a slow-stalking trap beat with pugilistic fervor. But the record’s breakthrough single, “Drama,” is an eternal emblem of Peak OVO, with Woods’ yearning, uncannily Weeknd-esque lead vocal giving way to a butter-smooth guest feature from Drizzy himself, before their two voices intertwine on the song’s earworm hook. In the years following *Exis*’ release, Woods distanced himself from the project, claiming it represented a snapshot of a teenage phase he had little desire to revisit. But this 10th-anniversary edition sees him coming to terms with his past by adding a trio of tracks from his SoundCloud archive, including “Done with You,” his plaintive rendition of Kodak Black’s 2014 single “SKRT.”
Named for the fearsome, loyal-to-the-end enforcer from Mario Puzo’s mafia epic *The Godfather*, the *Luca Brasi* saga has become nothing short of an institution for Kevin Gates. Though 2013’s *The Luca Brasi Story* certainly wasn’t his debut, it nonetheless brought the Baton Rouge rapper into the spotlight, where he’s remained ever since. Some seven years passed between the third and fourth installments, a time period in which the very same style of melodic, personal street rap he helped pioneer proliferated via a new generation of hip-hop artists. Of course, he kept busy that whole time with a rigorous and steady run of releases in the 2020s, making the arrival of *Luca Brasi 4* both momentous and of the moment in ways some other vet’s sequels are not. Frequently imitated by others, Gates’ signature style from the “2 Phones” and “I Don’t Get Tired” era remains undisputedly his own on tracks like “Bread Straight” and “Hard for Pt 2.” All about his business, he makes his position known to those who want in the game on “Stir the Pot,” his mid-song flow flip a more-than-modest flex. His defensively caustic wit comes through on “Stutter,” and he softens up for the thuggishly romantic pair “I Love This Bitch” and “Satellites 2.” Yet he still bears scars befitting a pain-rap progenitor on “Factory Reset” and “Disappoint Me,” the latter with rising rapper Hurricane Wisdom in tow. Other guests include fellow Louisiana native YoungBoy Never Broke Again, who brings his trademark charms to “I Am,” and Atlanta upstart YKNIECE, who eagerly matches Gates’ potent profanity on “BBO (Simon Says).”
“This is a warning: Your time is up,” announced Mariah the Scientist in the trailer for her fourth album, *HEARTS SOLD SEPARATELY*. “We will not be led by heartless womanizers. We are more than soldiers. We are heartbeats in a world of hollow men, defenders of a cause worth living and dying for. This is for the lovers.” Since her debut album, 2019’s *MASTER*, romantic drama has been the Georgia native’s muse, as she unpacks the complexities of disappointment and desire with an old soul and a light touch. Drawing from the classics of ’80s R&B, when slow jams by the likes of Sade and Babyface ruled the radio, *HEARTS SOLD SEPARATELY* harkens back to a smoother, sexier time, though there’s a tinge of melancholy to singles like “Burning Blue” and the Kali Uchis duet “Is It a Crime.” The pair of singles represent the 27-year-old singer’s biggest hits to date. “I tried new things with my voice,” she tells Apple Music. “I tried new vibes. New perspectives.” As for what’s changed personally since 2023’s *To Be Eaten Alive*—after four years of her highly publicized relationship with Young Thug, during most of which he was incarcerated, the rapper was released in October 2024. Mariah delves into the situation on “Sacrifice,” the wistful opening track. “When you love somebody, you make sacrifices,” she says. “There was a point in time when there was a lot of distance in my relationship, and I feel like I had to make that sacrifice.” Amidst the sea of love songs floats one self-reliance anthem: “All along, it was me, myself, and I,” the self-professed loner sings on “More.”
Scores of Puerto Rican artists have used their music to express love and pride in their island, but few do so with the same purposeful vigor as Bad Bunny. The superstar from Vega Baja is responsible for numerous songs that center his homeland, from unofficial national anthems like “Estamos Bien” and “El Apagón” to powerful posse cuts like “ACHO PR” with veteran reggaetón luminaries Arcángel, De La Ghetto, and Ñengo Flow. More recently, he’s been decidedly direct about his passions and concerns, expressed in vivid detail on 2024’s standalone single “Una Velita.” Positioned as his sixth proper studio album, *DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS* centers Puerto Rico in his work more so than before, celebrating various musical styles within its legacy. While 2023’s *nadie sabe lo que va a pasar mañana* validated his trapero past with a more modern take on the sound he emerged with in the 2010s, this follow-up largely diverges from hip-hop, demonstrating his apparent aversion to repeating himself from album to album. Instead, house music morphs into plena on “EL CLúB,” the latter genre resurfacing later in splendorous fashion on “CAFé CON RON” with Los Pleneros de la Cresta. Befitting its title, “VOY A LLeVARTE PA PR” is set to a sleek reggaetón rhythm for prime-time perreo vibes, as is also the case for “KETU TeCRÉ” and the relatively more rugged “EoO.” A bold salsa statement, “BAILE INoLVIDABLE” pays apparent homage to some seminal Fania releases by Willie Colón and Héctor Lavoe, with traces of the instrumental interplay of “Juanito Alimaña” and an irresistible coda reminiscent to that of “Periódico de Ayer.” Regardless of style, the political and the personal thematically blur throughout the album, a new year’s gloom hanging over “PIToRRO DE COCO” and a metaphorical wound left open after the poignant “TURISTA.” As before, Bad Bunny remains an excellent and inventive collaborator, linking here primarily with other Puerto Ricans as more than a mere symbolic gesture. Sociopolitically minded indie group Chuwi join for the eclectic and vibrant “WELTiTA,” its members providing melodic vocals that both complement and magnify those of their host. Carolina natives Dei V and Omar Courtz form a formidable trio for the thumping dancehall retrofuturism of “VeLDÁ,” while RaiNao proves an exceedingly worthy duet partner on “PERFuMITO NUEVO.”
