New Music Friday

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Featuring Russ, $uicideBoy$, and the YBN collective.

Although the summer is drawing to a close, that doesn’t mean that the surplus of releases is following suit. While these past few months of sunshine have brought some incredible releases, like Kanye’s five-album rollout, Drake’s Scorpion, and Travis Scott’s Astroworld, there is still a bevy of projects to look forward to. Kicking off the first September Friday, we’ve got several strong releases from disparate yet equally talented artists: Russ, $uicideBoy$, and the YBN crew’s collective mixtape.

The self-proclaimed DIY pioneer, Russ follows his successful debut album, There’s Really A Wolf, with his sophomore project, Zoo. A 14-track album, Zoo displays Russ’ jaded feelings towards the industry that he’s harbored on his unique ascent to his current superstar status. A man whose vision was purely materialized off the strength of a resolute vision and perseverance, Russ doesn’t mince words when disdaining the majority of today’s rappers. Call him pretentious or self-righteous, but Russ always delivers his heart and mind on a silver platter to his cult-following.

Hailing from New Orleans, the exciting and unpredictable rap duo, $uicideBoy$, continue their lengthy discography today with their aptly-titled new album, I Want To Die In New Orleans. A 14-track effort, their first release since 2016’s Eternal Grey, I Want To Die In New Orleans is a featureless effort predicated on classic $uicideBoy$ tropes: depression, angst, drugs, and emotion. While they’ve achieved an impressive following, they currently enjoy >2.8mm monthly Spotify listeners, they’ve retained a gritty, authentic texture lost on most of today’s mainstream acts.

While their average age is just over 19-years-old, the YBN crew is poised for a bright future. Consisting of three members, Cordae, Nahmir, and Almighty Jay, the YBN gang has enjoyed individual success, such as Nahmir’s wildly popular “Rubbin Off The Paint”, and are distilling those specialized talents into the group’s debut project, YBN: The Mixtape. Coming in at an ambitious 23-tracks, the new YBN project features some familiar voices: Chris Brown, Lil Skies, Wiz Khalifa, Gucci Mane, and more, are all featured. Given their unique abilities that coalesce to create a multi-textured unit, it’s no surprise that this young crew is able to attract A-List features.

Don’t fret if summer’s close is bringing a tear to your eye–New Music Fridays aren’t going anywhere.

Listen to all of today’s new releases below: