Meek Mill

30 New Rap and R&B Songs Released This Week

Not surprisingly, a lot of the new rap and R&B songs released this week were protest songs. Here’s all the hip hop we posted on BV this week, all in one place…

NEEM, PLAYS & ARAABMUZIK – “WHY LIE” (FT. JUELZ SANTANA)

Neem, Plays, and AraabMuzik have a collaborative album due on June 19, and following the recent Conway collab they’ve released this one with Juelz Santana.

FLEE LORD – HAND ME MY FLOWERS

Prodigy protege and Griselda associate Flee Lord dropped this new LP today — entirely produced by Buckwild — that fans of ’90s-style rap should not miss.

SLEEPY HALLOW – SLEEPY FOR PRESIDENT

Brooklyn drill rapper Sleepy Hallow dropped this promising new LP today featuring Sheff G on three songs, Fivio Foreign, Jay Critch, and Foushee.

SHABAZZ PALACES – “MEGA CHURCH” (FT. STAS THEE BOSS)

Not only is Shabazz Palaces’ album The Don of Diamond Dreams one of 17 independent hip hop releases of 2020 we recommend buying on Bandcamp today, they have this new single out for today’s Bandcamp fundraiser.

TERRACE MARTIN – “PIG FEET” (FEAT. DENZEL CURRY, KAMASI WASHINGTON, G PERICO & DAYLYT)

“Someone asked, how do I feel? I told them hurt, fearless, angry, aware and fully ready to protect me, my family & my people at all cost. I got together with Black men that felt the same way and created a work of truth,” said jazz/hip hop musician (and frequent Kendrick Lamar collaborator) Terrace Martin of this vital new collaboration with Denzel Curry, Kamasi Washington, G Perico and Daylyt. “Helicopters over my balcony / If the police can’t harass, they wanna smoke every ounce of me,” begins Denzel’s opening verse, and it’s the first of many impactful lines delivered in this song. And it may be wordless, but Kamasi’s sax solo sounds just as pained as the lyrics.

YG – “FTP”

As a followup to 2016’s “FDT” (Fuck Donald Trump), YG dropped “FTP” (Fuck The Police) on Blackout Tuesday. Like “FDT,” it’s a classic West Coast bounce and YG sounds as fired-up as ever. “Murder after murder after all these years / Buy a strap, bust back after all these tears / Mommas cryin’, how they gon’ heal? / How you would feel?”

MEEK MILL – “OTHERSIDE OF AMERICA”

Meek Mill has long been giving a voice to the unheard, and this powerful new song is no exception.

TEE GRIZZLEY – “MR. OFFICER” (FT. QUEEN NAIJA & MEMBERS OF THE DETROIT YOUTH CHOIR)

“Y’all supposed to be the heroes though / You know, protect and serve, not takin’ us off of the Earth” is how Grizzley opens this gospel-soul-tinged protest rap song. “He can’t breathe and you still chokin’ ’em, man, why would he lie? / Your knee in his neck, you ain’t gotta do all that / It’s one against five, RIP.”

RUN THE JEWELS – “WALKING IN THE SNOW”

Run The Jewels surprise-released their new album Run The Jewels 4 two days early because of everything going on. “Fuck it, why wait,” they wrote. “The world is infested with bullshit so here’s something raw to listen to while you deal with it all. We hope it brings you some joy.” This particular song was recorded in fall 2019, but it especially hits this week. “And everyday on evening news they feed you fear for free / And you so numb you watch the cops choke out a man like me,” Killer Mike raps. “And ’til my voice goes from a shriek to whisper, ‘I can’t breathe’ / And you sit there in the house on couch and watch it on TV / The most you give’s a Twitter rant and call it a tragedy.” Run The Jewels are also promoting several organizations worth donating to. You can read our full album review here.

MR. MUTHAFUCKIN’ EXQUIRE – “BOOTLICKER (BURN BABY BURN)”

In addition to appearing on the new Run The Jewels album, Mr. Muthafuckin’ eXquire released this impassioned new protest song which tackles police brutality and the white supremacy that enables it. “The cops the KKK and they ain’t even trying to hide.” All proceeds of downloads go to The Bail Project. Read more here.

CONWAY THE MACHINE – “FRONT LINES”

“Enough is enough! WE OUTSIDE!!! Fuck the police!,” Conway wrote on Instagram. “We had Enough of the police brutality of black people and systemic racism!!!” He then released this song, which directly addresses the killing of George Floyd: “I just seen a video on the news I couldn’t believe / Another racist cop killed a n**** and get to leave / He screamin’ ‘I can’t breathe,’ cop ignoring all his pleas / Hands in his pocket, leaning on his neck with his knees. Cracker invent the laws, that’s why the system is flawed / Cops killin’ black people on camera and don’t get charged.” As Conway explained to Complex, “I wanted to give you the mindset from the protesters point of view, and I was able to paint that picture perfectly over this Beat Butcha production.”

DRE – “CAPTURED ON A IPHONE”

Dre of veteran rap production duo Cool & Dre told HipHopDX that he had been making more beats than he had in years due to being quarantined because of the pandemic, and after he witnessed the killing of George Floyd and the protests that transpired, he released this song as a tribute to the police brutality victims whose names never went viral. “This for the souls that ain’t get captured on a iPhone / So many names who ain’t get hashtagged / Bodies dumped in a trash bag,” he raps. Speaking again to HipHopDX, Dre said, “I just hope that when people hear it, it moves them and makes them reflect on everything that’s going on.”

LL COOL J – INSTAGRAM FREESTYLE

“For 400 years, you had your knees on our necks,” begins LL Cool J in this powerful, impassioned rap that he uploaded to Instagram earlier this week. He pays tribute to Travyon Martin, Breonna Taylor, Amadou Diallo, and other victims of police brutality, and addresses the recent George Floyd killing in grave detail: “Watching that man die slow left a hole / He cried for his mama as the murder unfold / If it wasn’t for the phone, Chauvin would be at home / Feeling justified cause of George skin tone… America’s a graveyard filled with black man’s bones.” At the end, LL simply states, “Black lives matter forever.”

https://www.instagram.com/tv/CA4BGv9gvm8/

TEEJAYX6 – “BLACK LIVERS MATTER” (PROD. TM88)

Detroit rapper Teejayx6 has released a song that was written in direct response to George Floyd’s murder and the protests against police brutality that have been happening nationwide this week. “Another black man just died on camera / But we can’t even use our hammers / All we can say is, ‘Black lives matter,'” he raps.

JIM JONES – “THE PEOPLE” (PROD. HARRY FRAUD)

“Cap took a knee but I think it’s time we take a stand,” begins Jim Jones on this song that pays direct tribute to George Floyd and references exact Trump quotes. He encourages donations to the George Floyd Memorial Fund too.

JUELZ SANTANA – “JUSTICE FOR GEORGE”

Jim Jones’ fellow Dipset member Juelz Santana also uploaded this short George Floyd tribute song to his Instagram.

PAPOOSE – “TRIBUTE”

“George Floyd, three officers kneeled on him / He told ’em he couldn’t breathe, they didn’t care for him / The country, rioting everywhere for him / Fuck those cops, I have no fear for ’em.” The song also pays tribute to Amadou Diallo, Betty Jones, Cornelius Brown, Dominic Fuller, Eric Garner, Emmett Till, Freddie Gray, Hector Morejon, India Kager, Jamar Clark, and several other police brutality victims, and calls out the many cops who got off without charges or convictions.

LIL B – “I AM GEORGE FLOYD”

“I’m George Floyd with the beard and the dreadlocks / Forget the dreads, just locks, don’t stop / I’m Eric Garner, John Crawford / Michael Brown, Ezell Ford, Dante Parker / Michelle Laquan McDonald, George, man / Tanisha Anderson, Akhee, that’s my fam / We all kin, no matter the color of your skin.”

TY DOLLA $IGN – “YOU SEE IT” (FT. SKRILLEX, ANT CLEMONS, VIRTUAL RIOT, NIA MIRANDA)

Ty Dolla $ign uploaded this new song to Instagram and wrote, “Rip #georgefloyd and all the others that lost there life to police brutality and injustice. Shits been happening for far too long now. It’s time for change and we demand it!” Skrillex added, “There are many ways to stand up. I’m going out today to be with the people, clean up the city, show support however I can. But most importantly we really need to listen to the message and not get it conflated with the violence. That can’t be the focus. But in the mean time here’s what we did last night to hopefully ease your timeline.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/CA5vS4SDKiu/

NAPPY ROOTS – “BLIND FAITH”

“This is where the problem begins. While there are many solutions to a problem, we make an honest attempt and plea to listen to our inner selves to help find these answers. The world we live in is ever-changing and we must try our best to positively contribute to the human race,” Nappy Roots tell HipHopDX about “Blind Faith,” the first single off their upcoming album 40RTY, due September 18.

MAINO – “I CAN’T BREATHE”

Maino addresses the George Floyd murder in detail on this powerful new song, which comes with a video that also pays tribute to other police brutality victims and comes with footage of protests.

PHAROAHE MONCH – “SAME SH!T, DIFFERENT TOILET” (FT. STYLES P & MARCO POLO)

Veteran New York rappers Pharoahe Monch and Styles P link up with producer Marco Polo on this song that tackles the centuries-old racism that enables the issues that still plague our society today.

TREY SONGZ – “2020 RIOTS: HOW MANY TIMES”

R&B singer Trey Songz tackled everything going on with this soulful, mournful new song. “How many mothers have to cry? How many brothers gotta die? How many more times?”

NASTY C & T.I. – “THEY DON’T

South African rapper and T.I. linked up for this protest song, which benefits Until Freedom and Solidarity Fund. “How you supposed to serve and protect/With your knee on my neck?” T.I. raps.

FLATBUSH ZOMBIES – “WHEN I’M GONE”

Flatbush Zombies’ great new EP now, more than ever is out today (read our review), and here’s the standout closing track that sadly resonates very strongly this week.

ARMAND HAMMER – “RAMSES II” (ft. EARL SWEATSHIRT, MOOR MOTHER & FIELDED)

Armand Hammer’s (Billy Woods and Elucid) great new album Shrines is out today (read our review), and one of the standout tracks is this one with Earl Sweatshirt, Moor Mother, and Fielded.

BROCKHAMPTON – “CHAIN ON / HOLD ME” (ft. JPEGMAFIA) & “FISHBONE”

While we await their next album, Brockhampton continue to roll out new non-album tracks. Here are the two latest, including one with JPEGMAFIA, who fits right in with the boy band’s world.

https://youtu.be/t0RmMunFMKM

https://youtu.be/zC0EanEj-_A

CUPCAKKE – “LEMON PEPPER”

Chicago rapper CupcakKe is back with a new single and she’s donating half the proceeds from it to the Minneapolis Freedom Fund.

DAVE EAST – “MENACE”

New York rapper Dave East is gearing up for his Karma 3 mixtape, and he released this powerful new song which comes with a Boyz n the Hood-referencing video.

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

For ways to help fight racism and police brutality, we put together a list of resources.