Hip-hop fans, before we let the music take us away on this Friday night, let's say a prayer for Kanye West, who, instead of spending the holidays with his young family, is in the hospital (allegedly) due to a state of psychosis induced by high levels of stress and exhaustion. Understandably so. Could anyone live a life of such vast ambition, under such constant scrutiny, and maintain his or her sanity? Yes, his ego has proven to be too big for his own good many times over, but through it all, he's never let his lust for greatness drown out his love for humanity. Now it's time to send some love back his way.
After paying your respects, let's celebrate the great state of hip-hop with another finely curated weekly round-up playlist, courtesy of the HNHH staff. This week's edition brings together a nice mix of new material from artists both young and seasoned, and sounds both smooth and stirring. There are two tracks off the new joint tape from Lil Uzi Vert and Gucci Mane, one produced by the certified legend Mannie Fresh and the other by C Note, who's on his way to achieving the same status. Elsewhere, you'll find a smooth-sailing track from the Jet Life family, fascinating vocal textures from Kweku Collins, and another trigger-happy collab involving the unavoidable 21 Savage. The playlist ends with a deep, deep remix effort from Dej Loaf, who, to our delight, decided to try out a Heavy D production from an '05 Beanie Sigel album.
Stream the playlist and check out each staff member's picks below.
Angus Walker: Smoke DZA & Pete Rock feat. Rick Ross "Black Superhero Car"; Lil Uzi Vert & Gucci Mane "Blonde Brigitte"
Kevin Goddard: Lil Durk feat. 21 Savage "Shooter 2x"
Danny Schwartz: Trademark Da Skydiver & Young Roddy "Family Business"; Noname, Saba, Chelsea Reject & Phoelix "Counterfeit"
Zakk Feig: Sylvan LaCue feat. Rayana Jay
Rose Lilah: Lil Uzi Vert & Gucci Mane "Today"
Carver Low: Kweku Collins "jump.i"; Madeintyo feat. A$AP Rocky & A$AP Nast "I Want (Remix)"
Trevor Smith: Dej Loaf "In the Air (Remix)"