Welcome to 2025, a year that already kicked off with a bang in the hip-hop world. That's why our latest Fire Emoji playlist update is here to round up the best of the best rap music that dropped this week (on streaming services), although there are only a couple of truly big releases to talk about. Leading the way is the new Lil Baby album WHAM, his first of two projects set to come out in the first quarter of this year. The easy standout here is "Dum, Dumb, And Dumber" with Young Thug and Future. Not only is it Thugger's first verse since getting out of prison, but the chemistry these artists share is pretty killer.
However, Fire Emoji didn't skip out on some other highlights on Lil Baby's new tracklist. "Outfit" with 21 Savage also got a lot of buzz for how the featured guest seemed to subliminally diss Kendrick Lamar on the cut, although we doubt that anything will really come from that since it's unlikely that we'll get clarification on it. On the other hand, "Stuff" with Travis Scott is a more spacey and woozy cut that still delivers hard-hitting trap drums and well-meshed flows.
HNHH Fire Emoji Playlist
Speaking of new albums, we also wanted to shout out one of the most prolific rappers in the game right now with this latest Fire Emoji update. Boldy James dropped his fifth project in 12 months, the collaborative Murder During Drug Traffic with RichGains. It's got a lot of varied, lo-fi, gritty, and cold-blooded hip-hop, and it's a nice change of pace when compared to more classic or old-school sounds that Boldy's known for. For example, "No Screenshot" with Detroit King Tape is an eerie trap slow-burner with an energizing performance from both MCs.
Finally, we wanted to wrap Fire Emoji up by highlighting Hurricane Wisdom and Polo G's new "Giannis Remix," a Florida and Chicago crossover with a lot of chemistry between its artists. The beat's steady pianos contrast well with more rapid-fire percussive embellishments, whereas the melodic flows and stretched-out deliveries over this instrumental are the right balance of malleable and focused.