No one was more thankful last week than hip-hop fans. On Thanksgiving, we feasted upon Lil Wayne's follow-up to his 2009 classic mixtape, No Ceilings, and the hysteria continued on Black Friday with 34 new tracks from Chris Brown and some much-needed Free Crack from Lil Bibby.
Three tracks off NC2 made it into this week's Top 10, but only one placed in the Top 5. The biggest surprise came when the two saviors of "lyrical" rap decided to trade remixes and tease a future joint project that, when it arrives, will stand as the counterpoint to WATTBA. We've got a lot to look forward to in 2016.
Elsewhere in the Top 100, ex Hall of Fame boos Erykah Badu and Andre 3k linked back up on the hotline, and Thugger kept up his hot streak with three tracks in the Top 20: "No Problem" (#12), "Relax" (#16), and "Magnificent" (#18). Check out the Top 10 below.
10. Future - Last Breath (Prod. by Metro Boomin)
Future's rework of the "Rocky" theme, off the "Creed" soundtrack, managed to grab the final spot in the Top 10 after going No. 1 for two weeks in a row. The film has been met with rave reviews, and Future Hendrix provided the perfect pump-up music for Michael B. Jordan.
9. Lil Wayne - The Hills (Remix)
Weezy didn't have to apologize for any delays, and he served up No Ceilings 2 on Thanksgiving. The tape's final track was a remix of The Weeknd's smash hit "The Hills," which found Wayne crooning in auto-tune over the magically illicit Mano production.
8. Lil Wayne - Jumpman (Freestyle)
No Ceilings 2 featured 5 remixes of cuts off Drake and Future's joint album, What a Time to Be Alive. He got back in his codeine zone for his "Jumpman" freestyle, wailing and whispering through a variety of different flows.
7. Sauce Twinz & Meek Mill - Winnin'
If you take the Sauce Twinz new collab with Meek Mill as a Drake diss track, it's pretty underwhelming. But all hype aside, it's a high-octane street anthem, and though the HNHH community was NOT FEELING IT, "Winnin" gained enough exposure to land at No. 7 in its first week.
6. Fetty Wap - Grandma
Fetty Wap is gonna stick to the same rhyming scheme until we get sick of it. And lucky for him, it doesn't look like that will happen any time soon. He's got an unmatched knack for making tracks that are both street-oriented and pop-friendly. We imagine that Grandma is proud of him now.
5. Lil Wayne - Where Ya At
In addition to the 5 WATTBA remixes, Weezy also rapped over the OVOFBG collab that landed on Future's DS2. Weezy knows a thing or two about loyalty, and it seems that Drake has been one of the guys who has stuck with him through thick and thin.
4. 50 Cent - Too Rich (Prod. by London on da Track)
So we didn't get The Kanan Tape on Thanksgiving, but 50 Cent was able to keep us waiting patiently by dropping a hard track with one of the game's freshest producers, London on da Track. The vets should take his example and call upon the young ATL hitmakers to revamp their sound.
3. G-Eazy Feat. Chris Brown & Tory Lanez - Drifting
"Drifting" added some R&B sauce to G-Eazy's Bay Area formula, and it's proven to be his biggest hit all year, coming in at No. 3 for the second straight week. Eazy's sophomore album, When It's Dark Out, arrives on December 4.
2. J. Cole - Black Friday (Alright Remix)
After Thanksgiving, which brought us No Ceilings 2 as well as new tapes from Fabolous, Rick Ross, and Yo Gotti, we thought it couldn't get any better. Then came Black Friday, and J. Cole and Kendrick Lamar positioned themselves as the only duo who can perhaps outmuscle Drake and Future. They reworked each other's hits and ended up with the top 2 spots on this week's chart.
1. Kendrick Lamar - Black Friday (A Tale of 2 Citiez Remix)
J. Cole remixed the To Pimp a Butterfly standout "Alright," and then K. Dot reminded us how good 2014 Forest Hills Drive was by taking on "A Tale of 2 Citiez." K-Dot's remix came out on top, and though he hasn't been quite as prolific as some of his competitors, no one's touching him quality-wise.
Remember, they still haven't gotten on the same track together -- but their delivery on Black Friday served as one hell of a premonition.