The Best New Hip-Hop This Week

The Best New Hip-Hop This Week includes albums, videos, and songs from J. Cole, Rico Nasty, and Doechii.

I don’t know what was going on for the past seven days, but this week’s column is a doozy. To be fair, a sizable portion of this week’s absurd number of new releases have been sitting in my inbox for at least a month. Still, something seems to have kicked the creative minds of hip-hop into high gear. Here are a few examples:

Rico Nasty made a return to form (a common theme this year, for sure) with the thrash-rap single, “Teethsucker.”

J. Cole ended the drought with an introspective bar-fest called “Clouds,” released via his new blog.

2024’s breakout artist of the year, Doechii, teamed up with Blackpink rapper Jennie on “ExtraL,” a standout lyrical display for both artists.

IDK announced the deluxe edition of his 2024 album, Bravado + Intimo, with the video for “Mario Coins.”

And Quavo got back in his street rap bag with “Trappa Rappa.”

Here is the best of hip-hop this week ending February 21, 2025.

Dave East & Ransom — The Final Call

I’ve posted about this one a couple of times during its rollout. Two of New York’s most dedicated purveyors of punchlines team up for a gritty, witty display of good, old-fashioned concrete hard battle rap. As Funk Flex would say, “THAT’S BARS, SON!”

Eem Triplin — Melody Of A Memory

Due to the packed nature of the past week of projects, I didn’t get the chance to highlight this one the way I wanted, but don’t let that stop you from checking out one of rap’s most unique modern voices. If you took a little 2013 SoundCloud rap and sprinkled some of Tyler The Creator’s secret sauce from the last three albums on it, it’d sound a lot like Eem Triplin.

Hurricane Wisdom — Perfect Storm

Another mid-week release that truly deserved a little more shine, picture a less problematic Kodak Black or a more polished-but-street-rooted Luh Tyler, and you’ll get a pretty reasonable bead on where this Florida native is coming from.

Morray — Long Story Short

Right when I was starting to wonder, “Where’s Morray been?” his new PR team reached out to let us know he was working on a new album AND this mixtape, which explains exactly what he’s been going through as he recalibrated his business and took fellow Fayetteville native J. Cole’s advice about scrapping his old work.

Nardo Wick — Wick

Another rapper who’s been flying under the radar recently, the viral sensation whose debut garnered co-signs from the likes of Future, Lil Baby, 21 Savage, and more returns. And wouldn’t you know it, he hasn’t lost a step, reconnecting with two of the three, while Sexyy Red steals the show on their collaboration.

Smif-N-Wessun — Infinity

Despite what some of our readers might think, I wouldn’t call myself an “old head” just yet… but there will always be certain acts that ring the knell that tells me such a designation ain’t so far off in my future. I refuse to apologize. This is Real Hip-Hop, as determined by one of those listeners old enough to remember when “backpack rap” was a literal description.

Stalley — Gamla Kyrkogatan

I remain fascinated by the evolution of the Ohio rapper who once counted Rick Ross and Wale among his associates. His independent stuff has been sharp, innovative, and unusual, but I never really see his name in online rap convos anymore. This is a true crime, and you can do your part to correct this egregious oversight by giving his latest a spin.

310babii — “Bad” Feat. James Brown

The “Soak City” rapper puts a fresh spin on one of rap music’s go-to interpolations, turning those beloved James Brown ad-libs into a turnt-up anthem. For those ready to cry “blasphemy,” keep in mind, this song probably isn’t quite as far removed contextually speaking from what Brown was doing back in the day.

AZ Chike — “Whatx2”

Fresh off his appearance alongside Kendrick Lamar on “Peekaboo” from GNX, South Central’s AZ Chike takes his first steps into the mainstream from the LA underground with the a new single and a new deal with Warner Records. He’s been grinding for a minute; it’s nice to see the work pay off for him.

Curren$y — “Dream Machines” Feat. Premo Rice

Do I really have to sell you on Curren$y and Harry Fraud? Get serious. Press play on this ode to the holy grails of automobiles and watch a lit doobie magically appear between your fingers.

Deante’ Hitchcock — “Runaway Bride”/”On The Edge”

My guy Deante’ has been out of the spotlight for a little minute, but please believe he’s been working on that pen. Today’s double release kicks off his 2025 campaign in earnest, and the soulful, introspective bar work promises another shining body of work coming down the pike.

Joey Fatts — “STK”

Long Beach, California has produced its fair share of rap superstars, but its pulsars and quasars shouldn’t be ignored. Joey Fatts has long been one of those, flying below the radar thanks to his adamant indepent release policy. The bluesy, introspective “STK” appears on Fatts’ new EP, Blood In My Eye, which you can check out here.

Lelo — “Kudos”

Lelo’s got something. The Detroit rapper hasn’t yet lit on the Big One that’ll launch his career beyond the borders of his Midwestern home, but there’s an easygoing, natural charisma there that suggests he just needs to hit the right gear at the right time in the right lane and things will come together for him in a hurry.

Lexa Gates — “What You Wish For”

A standout from Gates’ recent album, Elite Vessel, “What You Wish For” is a smooth-grooving self-reflection with some low-key humblebrags that comes with a creative video that perfectly displays Gates’ acidic sense of humor.

Lola Brooke — “You The One”

Maybe it’s a week late for V-Day, but Lola’s lovey-dovey latest has a timeless quality that makes its romantic content easy to slot onto playlists for birthdays, anniversaries, date nights, and any other occasion where you want to show love… but without letting your thug slip.

Partyof2 — “All 4 The Best”

Formerly known as Grouptherapy, Partyof2’s new represents the group’s new composition as a duo, while “All 4 The Best” displays their revamped chemistry as a result. Positioned as a conversation, it makes excellent use of the give-and-go flow we all know I’m such a fan of, employing boom-bap and earnest empathy for an approach to hip-hop I’m not convinced we’ve ever seen before.

YTB Fatt — “Ghetto Fox” Feat. Rio Da Yung Og

Buckle your seatbelts, the Arkansas and Detroit natives grasp a breakneck beat in their latest collab and hang on for dear life, slinging guffaw-inducing punches all over the place. Expect to hear this bumping out of a lot of tinted-out Chargers this summer.