Getty Image/Merle Cooper

The Best New Hip-Hop This Week includes albums, videos, and songs from Doechii, Roddy Ricch, and Smino.

Actually, this week in hip-hop is actually going to be two weeks, due to the holiday that just passed. Thanksgiving is usually a light week for new releases, but that didn’t stop a handful of rap’s rising stars from taking advantage of the quiet to put out some new music in the hopes of avoiding the usual rush and giving their new projects a chance to breathe.

This week, ASAP Rocky, Lil Baby, and Quavo all put out new singles. In addition, Lil Tjay dropped a new collaboration with longtime partner in rhyme Polo G, “Way Out The Hood II,” on a new EP, Farewell.

Big Sean jumped on the K-and/or-J-pop bandwagon, contributing a verse to J-hop boy band One Or Eight’s hit single, “Kawasaki.”

And although Roddy Ricch unexpectedly delayed his new album, The Navy Album, that didn’t stop him from sharing the heartfelt video for “Lonely Road.”

Meanwhile, Doechii capped her breakout 2024 with a captivating NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert.

Here is the best of hip-hop this week ending December 6, 2024.

Albums/EPs/Mixtapes

Juice WRLD — The Party Never Ends 2.0

Juice WRLD

Released the day after Thanksgiving, Juice’s latest could possibly constitute the final posthumous release of the Chicago rapper’s recorded material. As such, it doesn’t stray too far from the content we’ve already received from Jarad, and even the guestlist — which features Eminem, Nicki Minaj, Offset, and even Fall Out Boy, is made up of either artists he collaborated with in life, or would almost certainly have wanted to.

Kenny Muney — The Blue Seasons Super Deluxe

Kenny Muney

One underrated great thing about the glut of deluxe editions in hip-hop is that if I miss a release the first week around, I get a chance to make up for it down the line. In the case of the Paper Route Empire rapper, who carries on the spirit of Young Dolph as admirably as PRE golden boy Key Glock, who appears here, as does fellow labelmate Big Moochie Grape, bearer of the greatest name in rap today.

Kodak Black — Trill Bill

Kodak Black

Say what you want about the kid, but he remains a peerless rapper whose style provided the high tide that lifted every rapper’s boat south of the Florida panhandle. You can hear echoes of his flow throughout the catalogs of buzzy burgeoning artists like Luh Tyler, Real Boston Richey, and BossMan Dlow… and yet, Kodak’s still the most original-sounding rapper from his home state.

Skyzoo — Keep Me Company

Skyzoo

Confession time: I pretty much decided to cover the last two weeks of releases in part because of how few releases each week offered individually, and in part, so I could get a second crack at telling people that Skyzoo, the MC’s MC, has a new album out. I shouldn’t have to convince you to listen to it; if you don’t know how good Sky has been for the past two decades, you might already be a lost cause.

Smino — Maybe In Nirvana

Smino

Speaking of MC’s MCs, peerless performers, and original sounds, Smino’s had all those traits down — in spades — since he first started popping up on SoundCloud in the 2010s. It has been a long time since his last official release, but we are so back, as Maybe In Nirvana brings his soulful, psychedelic St. Louis sounds back in a concise, easily repeatable package for the new year.

Singles/Videos

Chow Lee — “I’m Not Really Spiritual” Feat. AJ Tracey

Play the above video with caution; as one of the pioneers of the “Sexy Drill” subgenre, Chow Lee’s raunchy approach to the normally gritty sound suits the NSFW visuals here. Also fitting: Attaching a British drill star, as the London-based take on the grimy Chicago movement has had the largest influence on that version of drill favored by New Yorkers like Chow.

Connie Diiamond — “Jodeci (Remix)” Feat. Cash Cobain

With all the talk about the ongoing proliferation of women in rap, New Yorker Connie Diiamond is not to be overlooked. Perhaps connecting with her hometown’s man of the year, Cash Cobain, on this remix of her smooth August single will swivel some spotlight in her direction.

PlayThatBoiZay — “Put It Down” Feat. Ferg

The Denzel Curry affiliate dropped the deluxe edition of his new album VIP, adding five new songs. Two of those songs include Curry, one includes 03 Greedo(!), but this one is the one that got the video treatment. It’s a signature raucous affair, with menacing horns, clattering drums, and forceful chants — exactly the kind of goth-trap we’ve come to expect from this crew.

Skepta — “Alpha Omega”

Speaking of Brits, the original English rapper to blow up Stateside (all respect due to Dizzee Rascal) returns with a half-drill, half-trap block banger. He debuted the new track as a freestyle for On The Radar, which means he’s likely gearing up for a big announcement soon.

Valee — “Why Not” Feat. Surf Gang

Hey, remember Valee? The pioneer of the slurry, disaffected, conversational rap style that’s become something of a vogue these days had a quiet last few years as he watched characters like Karrahbooo and Veeze blow up off a flow he more or less invented. Such is the game, I guess. He’s back, though, on a new project titled Grey Sky London with Surf Gang, the collaborative project of producer evilgiane, who you may know from the beat of Baby Keem and Kendrick Lamar’s “The Hillbillies.” That drops next week.