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A series of star-studded events dominated the hip-hop and R&B world over the past week – the 55th NAACP Image Awards, Rolling Loud California and the final weekend of SXSW. Chris Brown picked up three awards at the NAACP Image Awards hosted by Grammy Award-winning Kennedy Center honoree Queen Latifah, including his Two trophies for the hit song “Sensational” with Davido and Lojay. Victoria Monet followed with two wins – Outstanding Album and Best New Artist for Jaguar II, while Usher won Outstanding Male Artist, Entertainer of the Year and the President’s Award. Of course, The Color Purple movie musical took home an astonishing 12 awards, including Best Picture, Best Score/Compilation Album, and four individual performance awards.
In addition to the awards show, hip-hop and R&B music had impressive performances at two major music festivals in March. At SXSW (March 14), PARTYNETDOOR debuts his new single “Real Woman,” the first release from his upcoming LP PartyNexxtDoor4, where he headlines Billboard’s annual THE STAGE at SXSW concert series The album’s release date (April 26) was revealed during the show. In several California states, Nicki Minaj turned Inglewood into Gag City, Kanye West and Ty Dolla $ign performed a few Vultures cuts but no actual performances at all, and Metro Boomin and Future previewed their two upcoming joint albums Some exciting new tracks from .
With Fresh Picks, Billboard aims to highlight some of the best and most interesting new sounds in R&B and hip-hop—from sexyy red’s latest banger to Maxo Kream’s thoughtful reflections on his late father. Be sure to check out this week’s fresh picks in the Spotify playlist below.
Latest Discoveries: Rapsody, “Stand Tall”
As she continues to prepare for the release of her upcoming fourth studio album Please Don’t Cry , Rapsody is taking some time to address those obsessing over the details of her personal life. “The judgment is on me, they want to know if I’m an ‘Eat the c-chie’ fan/All because I choose to wear sneakers and baggy pants/To make me look bulky and want to be like an Aggie fan Blackened,” she spits about a brooding piece directed by Eric G that’s subtly tempered with twinkling piano keys.
The hat trick of “Stand Tall,” however, is that Rap doesn’t give the most chaotic among us the satisfaction of seeing her dedicate an entire song to their speculations. Instead, she flips the script, using “Stand Up” to refocus the conversation on the sanctity of family, learning to live with anxiety, and a cheeky reminder to read the architects of black political thought. “Navigating this industry, trying to find some decency/But you just wanna know if I eat c-chie or like some dk in me/Y’all need to read Dick Gregory, b-tches,” she begins The rhyming chorus has the charming quality of a letter postscript.
Sexy red, “be sexy”
Sexyy has been keeping a low profile for most of 2024 so far. In addition to a few shows, she’s enjoying time with her new baby and the continued success of her SZA-assisted Drake collaboration hit “Rich Baby Daddy.” With “Get It Sexy,” Sexxy Red SZN is officially in full effect: over typically heady beats (provided by go-to collaborators Tay Keith and Jake Fridkis), Sexxy delivers a series of familiar, irresistible hooks Catchy couplets (“Booty Shorts, c-chie swole/thong stuffed up my ass hole”), hilarious background ad-libs (“I’m his favorite hoe!”) and “Little Sally Walker” a clever interpolation of the nursery rhyme – “Little miss sexyy walkin'” ‘On the street/I don’t know what to do’ ‘Cause n-like behind me/I’m so fucking sexy, yeah, my skin Wrecking it/Diamond slam, n-as want to drive my tank. “
Maxo Kream, “No, then you’re a hoe”
“No Then You a Hoe” is another strong addition to Maxo’s recent indie singles, but it also uses that to disguise the fact that it’s a loving tribute to his late father. “Papa Maxo was a soldier, and through me he lives forever,” he declares in the song’s final line, but is preceded by two heart-wrenching verses that speak to the dynamic cycle of family and death. sex. Over the incredible Nascent-generated beat, Maxo spits, “Got a call the other day, big brother was diagnosed with lupus/ He told me he’s probably going to die soon and I told him, ‘B- ch, you fool’/ ‘Cause the real gangster lives forever.” Maxo’s delivery is filled with sadness that bubbles beneath the surface while the man inside does his best to compose himself. “No Then You a Hoe” is both reflective and therapeutic, a home run for Maxo.
Mackenzie and TA Thomas, “Maybe”
For her first official album under Warner Records, MaKenzie enlists TA Thomas to create a stirring duet that embodies the hallmarks of ’90s and ’00s R&B vocal collaborations without falling into the cliche pastiches of those eras. “Why can’t you look me in the eyes? / Trust me, swear I’ll never make you cry / Lately, you’ve been keeping me up at night / Running through my head,” they croon in harmony on the second verse . Their shared love of dizzying descending riffs pairs perfectly with Rob Knox and Daryl Pearson’s carefully crafted beats, which incorporate distorted strings and subtle grounded percussion.
Ermion “Crystal Tears”
Elmiene’s “Crystal Tears” is his first new single of 2024, a successful collaboration with Grammy Award-winning R&B talent D’Mile. “I apologize for leaving, I know / if I curse my way / doesn’t mean you might stay,” he murmurs in his signature sweet tone. The British R&B breakout artist’s voice complements D’Mile’s sexy guitar-centric arrangements; he uses a delicate falsetto to express the most painful parts of his introspection, then introduces his immersive background harmonies, Paired with shimmering synths and earthy drums. “My dreams are delayed/Despite having my home/I can be lonely,” he sings.
Chief Keef and Mike WiLL feat. 2 Chainz, “Raise the Ghost Tribe”
The Trap-A-Holics label blends Chief Keef and Mike WiLL’s Made-It’s Dirty Nachos with 2000s mixtape nostalgia that’s lacking in today’s rap scene. Sosa pours a sweet verse into the standout song “PULL-UP GHOST-CLAN,” then adds a succinct PSA for the listener. “No – like drinking brown lean, act like a straw drinker/be careful because that stuff could kill you,” he argued. 2 Chainz crashes the party as the perfect guest star, using basic rhymes that wouldn’t work if spewed by any other rapper besides the Drench God. “Don’t try to compare, I’m in a whole other category/Everyone knows my process is dirtier than a toilet/I’m straight out of the lab,” he boasts. Dirty Nachos set the stage for a stellar year for McIwell and Sosa.
Don Tolliver’s “Deep Water”
Building on the success of “Bandit,” Don Toliver emerged from the chaotic New Music Fridays midweek with the dizzying “Deep in the Water.” The Cactus Jack artist dives headfirst into the emotional kaleidoscope of Deep in the Water, in which he opens up about his close relationship with girlfriend Kali Uchis while trying to curb the habits that create obstacles in their relationship . “You say you want to control me, but I got all the answers/You want me to end up at the strip club, you know I’m over their dancers,” he croons. The accompanying blue musical video gave fans their first look at Tolliver in dad mode; earlier this year, Uchis gave birth to the couple’s first child, a baby boy.
