Here it is, our weekly rundown of whats new and notable at the top of our charts.
Please keep in mind that Top Tracks highlights a hand-picked assortment of the most popular songs on our Top 100 chart. These are songs that generated a lot of interest, whether it be through comments or views, and still deserve a second look or a deeper consideration.
This week features a number of great tracks from Trinidad James, Rowdy Rebel and Young Dolph. It also contains at least three rappers who wish they were in space. Take a look at the list and feel free to suggest your own top tracks in the comments.
WIZ KHALIFA & TY DOLLA $IGN – Refresh/ Say No More
This is what we’re talking about. If Wiz's rapping is going to go downhill, at least he can do it in an interesting way.
Wiz doesn’t address anything new in this new track “Refresh/Say No More,” - it’s still all weed, women and shots for the Pittsburgh rapper - but the cut is a nearly 9-minute space odyssey filled with chimes, synth runs and a Ty Dolla $ign assist that sounds like it was beamed from the outer edges of the solar system.
Following a track built off of a Mac DeMarco sample, it’s clear that Wiz is ready to let his freak flag fly for the foreseeable future, and anything that moves us away from Blacc Hollywood is a victory.
ACTION BRONSON – “Actin Crazy”
Noah “40” Shebib left his cryogenic pod deep underneath Drake’s Toronto home to produce a beat for Action Bronson and the results are spectacular.
“Actin Crazy” finds 40 meeting Bam Bam somewhere in between the Queens rapper’s psyched-out boom-bap and the understated bass-driven slap he’s perfected with Drizzy. Like the insane cover art, it shouldn’t work on paper, but Bronson manages to hold the whole thing together with his charismatic delivery.
MEEK MILL – Ice Cream (Freestyle)
Meek Mill’s out of jail and ready to shout in your ear for two-and-a-half minutes. Mill’s time locked up gave him something to scream about and he goes in on the justice system over the beat from Wu-Tang Clan’s classic cut “Ice Cream.” This is one of two tracks that generated a lot of attention over the weekend, we've included the second one below as well, "The Get Back (Freestyle)."
Mill begins with “The revolution shall be televised/ this year it’s all about us, so fuck the other side/ gotta get killed on camera for us to come alive” before launching into a series of bars about unfair sentencing and heavy handed police tactics.
If this doesn’t get you hyped for Dreams Worth More Than Money, check your pulse.
ROWDY REBEL (feat. BOBBY SHMURDA and TOO SHORT) – She All About The Shmoney
The charges GS9 are facing could put them away for a long, long time. The biggest loss for hip-hop, should this come to pass, would be the stymieing of Rowdy Rebel’s career. Rebel is by far the most promising member of the collective and he proves it on this latest posse cut (with an assist from Too Short).
“Hot Nigga” beatmaker Jahlil Beats provides the perfect soundtrack for this cross-country track, copping the New Orleans “Triggaman” sound for Rowdy and associates to flex on.
YOUNG DOLPH feat. RICK ROSS & YOUNG JEEZY – Preach (Remix)
They’re gonna make Young Dolph happen, we might as well accept it.
The heavy-tongued rapper behind “Preach” and “Not No Mo” (which is great) gets a co-sign from Rick Ross and Young Jeezy in the remix of his track off of High Class Street Music 4 (American Gangster). They bookend the passable verses from the Memphis rapper to push this one into your local rap station’s lineup.
TRINIDAD JAMES – BlackMan Pt. 2
Trinidad James is unfairly maligned as a one-hit wonder. Yes, he’s the dude who wore a leopard coat and rode a gold BMX bike in the “All Gold Everything” video. But he’s also the artist behind three excellent mixtapes Don’t Be S.A.F.E., 10 pc Mild and The WAKE Up EP.
James details his struggles with major labels and attempting to land another hit over a beat produced by Diplo of all people. Like most things the oddball Atlantan has done, it’s awesome.
AUDIO PUSH & OG MACO – Heavy
OG Maco is continuing his campaign to not go down in history as the “U Guessed It” guy. He addresses the misconception that he can’t rap in his absolutely killer verse on Audio Push’s latest track “Heavy.”
That's not to say that Oktane and Price don’t hold their own. They both delivered over this excellent Hit-Boy beat and might just bring a few more fans out to their joint tour with Wale.