After back-to-back albums focused on their love of horror, experimental hip-hop trio clipping. head into the cybernetic unknown on their sixth, *Dead Channel Sky*. Even as their sound has become progressively more streamlined since the lurching abstractions of their self-titled debut on indie institution Sub Pop back in 2014, co-producers William Hutson and Jonathan Snipes conjure pure and jagged bolts of electricity across these 20 tracks, borrowing equally from the mechanical menace of early house and techno and the kitchen-sink IDM of Squarepusher and Aphex Twin. As with clipping.’s previous records, *Dead Channel Sky* is a highly collaborative affair: Wilco guitarist Nels Cline contributes scorched licks to the inside-out instrumental “Malleus” while indie hip-hop legend Aesop Rock lends his distinctive pipes to “Welcome Home Warrior.” But the speed-demon dexterity that is Daveed Diggs’ rapping skills remain as clipping.’s mainframe; he acrobatically hops across the album’s ones-and-zeroes eruptions like a computer virus avoiding detection, guiding listeners through *Dead Channel Sky*’s corroded landscape with ease.
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.
In the nearly five years since *Wish Me Well 3* dropped, YFN Lucci found himself stuck in a veritable morass of legal woes, not the least of which being a high-profile RICO case. These are the sorts of circumstances that derail rap careers, sometimes irreversibly. Thankfully, the Atlanta hitmaker behind “Everyday We Lit” and “Wet” emerged at the start of 2025 as a free man, culminating in a homecoming arena concert that summer and, now, a long-awaited new album. *ALREADY LEGEND.*—note the definitive period—proves that he’s as capable as he ever was at making melodic, street-level hip-hop, a now ubiquitous style he undeniably helped to popularize in the 2010s. With opener “PRACTICE WHAT YOU PREACH./ROBOCOP.,” Lucci slips right back in where he’s long fit in, addressing his situation without dwelling too deeply on it. He repeatedly resurfaces the topic of imprisonment throughout the album, bewildered at being so rich while stuck inside a cell on “LOOK WHAT I DID.” He’s returned to life on the outside with a reflective perspectlve, one conveyed well on “COSTLY.” and the previously released “JAN. 31st (MY TRUTH).” Beyond his own struggles, navigating the carceral system also means losing connections to friends and loved ones caught up in it, something he illustrates with sorrow and righteous frustration on “UNDENIABLE.” Considering Lucci’s preexisting penchant for turn-up anthems, he makes sure that *ALREADY LEGEND.* doesn’t stay exclusively in the pain-rap space. Luxury and lust make for obvious bedfellows on “BIRTHDAY.” and “USED TO IT.,” for instance. Still, it’s hard not to notice how the past half decade has reshaped him as a lyricist, his tribulations now meaningful fodder for his art.
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).”
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.”
“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.”
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.
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.”
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.”
