Injury Reserve

18 New Rap and R&B Songs Out This Week

Among this week’s many new albums are the two Princess Nokia LPs (which you can read about here) and the ShooterGang Kony LP (which you can read about here), and we also got singles from SZA/Justin Timberlake, Shabazz Palaces, Burna Boy, Injury Reserve, J Balvin, Aminé, 2 Chainz, and more. And last but certainly not least, “Rascal.” Scroll down for all the hip hop we posted this week…

RMR – “RASCAL”

So, if you’ve been online at all in the past 48 hours, you’ve probably come across RMR’s “Rascal,” the instantly-viral song/video which is basically a rewrite of Rascal Flatts’ “Bless the Broken Road” but with the sentiment of “Fuck the Police” and comes with a video where RMR is donning a ski mask and Saint Laurent bulletproof vest and surrounded by his boys who are all pointing guns at the camera. It’s kinda hilarious but also kinda menacing and probably destined to become 2020’s weirdest hit song. Just in case you still haven’t come across it, here it is:

https://youtu.be/gxIEt3KEohk

SZA & JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE – “THE OTHER SIDE”

One of Justin Timberlake’s biggest songs in recent memory is “Can’t Stop the Feeling” from the soundtrack to 2016’s Trolls (which he also voices a character in), and now Trolls has a sequel called Trolls World Tour (with a cast including JT, Ozzy Osbourne, Anderson .Paak, George Clinton, Mary J Blige, Gwen Stefani, J Balvin, Rachel Bloom, James Corden, Kenan Thompson, Sam Rockwell, and more) hitting theaters on April 17, and this one also includes a song from Justin Timberlake, and this time that song is a collaboration with SZA. “The Other Side” is a rubberry funk/R&B jam, and SZA and JT make quite the dynamic duo.

SHABAZZ PALACES – “FAST LEARNER”

Shabazz Palaces announced a new album and released this lead single, which you can read more about here.

BURNA BOY – “ODOGWU”

African Giant Burna Boy continues to be unstoppable, and ahead of his upcoming US tour, he dropped this breezy new single.

INJURY RESERVE – “HOODWINKED,” “WASTE MANAGEMENT” & “ROCK N ROLL”

Injury Reserve dropped three new singles this week, and they’re all very different kinds of avant-rap and all great in their own ways.

EVERYTHING IS RECORDED – “03:15AM/CAVIAR” (ft. GHOSTFACE KILLAH & INFINITE COLES)

XL Recordings co-founder Richard Russell is releasing a second guest-filled album as Everything Is Recorded, FRIDAY FOREVER, on April 3 via XL. This one features Ghostface Killah and Infinite Coles on the new single “03:15AM/CAVIAR,” and other guests on the album include Crass’ Penny Rimbaud, A.K. Paul, FLOHIO, and more.

100 GECS – “RINGTONE” REMIX FT. CHARLI XCX, RICO NASTY & KERO KERO BONITO

100 gecs share this new track from their upcoming remix album, 1000 gecs & The Tree of Clues, which features an all-star cast of guest vocalists. We wrote more about it here.

RESIDENTE – “RENÉ”

Puerto Rican rapper Residente has shared a lengthy, emotional new song called “René”(his real first name), and here’s what he tells Billboard about it:

When I started writing this song two years ago, I was in a hotel in Mexico. I was on top of the building while I had a stadium full of people waiting for me to perform and I didn’t want to go out. Not because I’m an a–hole, but because I was feeling bad. I had never felt like that in my life. I’m always strong. When my best friend was killed, I was the one that spoke at his funeral because everyone else was crying. For some reason, I’m not a crier.

I didn’t want to be there, and so I called my mom because I got scared and she knew I was looking for help. I wanted to jump from the building. I just didn’t want to be there. I called and called her and she answered and started talking to me and calmed me down, and I thought it was a good idea to go perform after I spoke to her. Even though I didn’t even want to sing. Imagine singing songs like “Atrevete Te Te” or any other happy song feeling like that? The next day, I wrote the whole first verse. It was good for me. Now I’m OK, because I was able to understand what was happening and I’ve tried to reconnect with my friends that I grew up with. I had my birthday the other day and they came over. I’m just trying to reconnect with my past.

J BALVIN – “ROJO”

J Balvin’s new album Colores comes out March 20, and you can read more about third single “Rojo” here.

AMINÉ – “SHIMMY”

Portland rapper Aminé has been making fun, melodic rap for a few years now, and his new single “Shimmy” proves he’s still got something to say.

KENNY MASON – “METAL WINGS”

Kenny Mason hails from Atlanta, but the raging rock-tinged rap of “Metal Wings” sounds more like Florida rapper Denzel Curry than the reigning trap of Kenny’s home city. Cool stuff.

PARTYNEXTDOOR – “SPLIT DECISION”

Drake associate PARTYNEXTDOOR will release his first album in four years, PARTYMOBILE, on March 27 via OVO, and the announcement is accompanied by the release of the very OVO-sounding “Split Decision.”

SWAE LEE – “SOMEONE SAID”

Rae Sremmurd’s Swae Lee has dropped a new solo single built around his “someone said” ad-lib on Travis Scott and Drake’s “Sicko Mode.” (He made it a hot line, and then he made it a hot song.)

2 CHAINZ – “NO TV”

2 Chainz showed off a more “mature” side on last year’s great Rap or Go To the League, but if you want more of 2 Chainz making no-frills bangers, don’t sleep on this one.

JHENE AIKO – “HAPPINESS OVER EVERYTHING (H.O.E.)” (ft. FUTURE & MIGUEL)

Here’s a hazy, all-star R&B slow jam from Jhene Aiko, Future, and Miguel which will appear on Jhene’s upcoming album Chilombo.

JAY WORTHY, G PERICO & THE ALCHEMIST – “THE ROUTINE”

West Coast rappers Jay Worthy and G Perico ride a psychedelic beat from The Alchemist on this one.

For even more new songs, browse our daily ‘New Songs’ lists. For more hip hop news, browse our ‘Hip Hop News’ category.