Like clockwork, the temperatures dropped to distinctly autumnal levels as soon as the West Indian Day Parade rounded its final block in Brooklyn. The annoyance was over. Summer is over and fall is here.
After dominating both spring and summer with Kendrick Lamar’s Drake disses, TDE’s current team leads us elegantly into fall. Led by Doechii’s stunning Alligator bites never heal Mixtape TDE undoubtedly dominated the long weekend’s cultural discussion amid top releases from Big Sean, Muni Long, and Destroy Lonely.
The biggest story of the last week was the heated battle for the Billboard 200 charts between Sabrina Carpenter’s star cementation Short and sweet LP and the release of Travis Scott’s debut mixtape for the tenth anniversary, Days before the rodeo. With only a few hundred copies sold, Carpenter ultimately trumped Scott, but not before the rapper posted the second-highest pure sales week of the year across all genres (331,000 copies sold). The Houston-born rapper also debuted atop Top Album Sales and posted the most successful opening week of 2024 for a rap album (361,000 copies sold).
Few stories could prevail in this nail-biting chart showdown, but those that did were just as compelling. Buju Banton, Masicka and Spice were some of the bigger winners at the 2024 Caribbean Music Awards last week (August 29). Ice Spice was embroiled in an imploding friendship and working relationship with fellow Bronx rapper and Y2K! Tour openers Cleotrapa and Playboi Carti graced Billboard latest cover.
With Fresh Picks, Billboard aims to highlight some of the best and most interesting new sounds in R&B and hip-hop – from Tyrese and Tamar Braxton’s heart-melting reinterpretation of an R&B classic to Erica Banks and Skilla Baby’s sultry new collaboration. Be sure to check out this week’s Fresh Picks in our Spotify playlist below.
Latest discovery: Doechii, “Denial Is a River”
Doechii has been a real star in the business for a minute, and after getting a taste of Top 40 success with her Hot 100 hit “What It Is” (No. 29) in 2023, the whole world now has no choice but to jump on the bandwagon. Alligator bites never healher first mixtape under Capitol/TDE, won the weekend and was ranked as one of the best hip-hop projects of the year with its elegant blend of boom-bap and melodic, house-influenced rap. Boom-bap reigns unchallenged on “Denial Is a River,” the tape’s hottest song, which finds Doechii telling a dizzying tale of betrayal. In short, she found out she was cheated on… while in the middle of a therapy session. “I was scrolling through his IG only to get a DM from his wife/ I was so confused, what was Doechii supposed to do?/ She didn’t know about me and I didn’t know about Sue,” she spits over a crisp beat from Iain James and Joey Hamhock. The track is a masterclass in both hip-hop storytelling and the infinite power of changing intonation to represent different characters and timelines. It is quite simply one of the best rap performances of the year.
Tyrese and Tamar Braxton, “None of us”
For those who have been paying attention, Tyrese has been dropping little hints of good old soulful R&B with each pre-released single from his new album. Beautiful pain album. Now that the full set is finally available on DSPs as of last Friday (August 30), the standout song is undoubtedly his and Tamar Braxton’s stirring rendition of Gladys Knights & The Pips’ 1972 classic “Neither One of Us (Wants to Be the First to Say Goodbye).” Tyrese’s buttery timbre combines with Tamar’s piercing soprano to create a delicious blend of goosebump-inducing harmonies that beautifully color their dynamic take on the track. The best thing about “Neither One of Us” is that neither artist’s vocal performance sounds strained; there’s a lightness and earnestness to their renditions that add some earthy elements that complement their sometimes superhuman riffs and vocals.
Syleena Johnson feat. Twista & Shawnna, “Burning in My Soul (Just a Freak)”
Just a few days after Billboard and Tres Generaciones counted down their best Chicago “get up” anthems, R&B diva Syleena Johnson makes her own late appearance. Johnson recruits Chicago music stars Twista and Shawnna and delivers a crash course in Chicago music history. In the first half of the track, Johnson’s voice lies at the intersection of soul and rock ‘n’ roll, breaking through the line “I’m on fire baby” just as harsh guitars slam into the arrangement. Twista gives her a distinctive rapid-fire vocal before Shawnna launches into the song’s second half – titled “Just a Freak” in parentheses – with a Beenie Man-referential verse that mixes hip-hop and soul with a little dash of reggae. In one of the lighter moments on her moving legacy On the album, Johnson still finds time to address R&B’s preoccupation with love and pain while also giving her late father a well-deserved send-off.
Erica Banks and Skilla Baby, “One Wish”
Erica Banks returned with her Arrogant on purpose 2 EP, and as always, the Dallas-born rapper expresses herself bluntly with sassy rhymes. She takes a softer approach, however, for the thoughtful “One Wish,” in which Banks talks about a temporary fling, but she’s here to have fun, not for long. “Could I fuck you right here on the spot/Could I smoke while you give me one/He’ll think I’m in love, but I’m not,” she raps softly. The ball bounces to Skilla Baby, who takes the guy’s perspective. He’s had a penchant for making romantic records that the ladies like, and adds another to his resume here. “I don’t play when it comes to you/I just wanna see you comfortable/Spit in your mouth when I fuck you,” he flows in his raunchy backing.
YTB Fatt, “Free Bank”
YTB Fatt launches his About Zai Deluxe EP features a recording of a phone call from prison where his friend Bankroll Freddie is slugging his shit out from behind bars. Fatt reflects on signing with Moneybagg Yo and how the vultures surround him like a cousin who wants him dead. Trust means a lot to the Arkansas-born rapper, who brushes aside the women who silenced his messages and vows to bless everyone who helped him on his path to fame. “I was all up on my dick, every bitch I wanted, they left me on the spot/ My broke days was over, I put a chain on every n—a that gave me a bed,” he raps over the thrilling production that could be the music for an action movie scene.
Diany Dior and Fivio Foreign, “Sex Love Demons”
There’s something in the water in the Bronx, as the charisma of a BX resident changes the temperature of any room. Diany Dior can be considered one of the queens of the sexy drill movement, spearheaded by fellow Bronx native Cash Cobain. Brooklyn drill sergeant Fivio Foreign tangoes with the “Favorite Lady” rapper for their hedonistic “Sex Love Demons” collaboration. “I could fuck you in Paris, but I’m not a French kisser,” Fivio raps cheekily. Dior grabs the mic and brags about flipping the script on an ex. “I made him leave his side, bitch. First I was his baby, now I made him my bitch,” Dior boasts. Check out the rest of the bangers from the Bronx Big Dior Debut project that arrived via GoodTalk.
