Here are our top 5 songs to stream this week.
Vince Staples – Señorita
If you want to make a good first impression, use Vince Staples as your guide. He’s been playing around for the last few years, dropping a mixtape here and there, building his way up to last year’s Hell Can Wait EP. It’s all been quality music, but very informal — which is perhaps fitting for a young rapper who doesn’t seem all that interested in fitting a mold. Finally, Staples has given the world his first full-length album and it’s a doozy — a double disc release titled Summer ’06.
Even with his new tracks spread across two albums, he spends no time toiling with rap tropes. There are no skits, no instrumental breaks, just heater after heater of the Long Island rapper’s best work to date. On the opening song Señorita, Staples starts at what sounds like a peak and just keeps climbing. The rapid-fire delivery over the top of the banging back beat has Staples taking on the expectations of a newcomer in the rap game and blowing them out of the water.
Bilal – Open Up the Door
Bilal is anything but predictable. Regularly classified as neo-soul, he’s done just about everything he possibly can do to shake that identity. His latest album In Another Life takes a step toward defining himself by defying definition. Though he’s clearly pulled some influence from his work on Kendrick Lamar’s latest, he goes off in another direction with Open Up the Door. Laced with a motown sound, Bilal rides the groove and croons along.
Diddy – Finna Get Loose
It’s been a minute since the world’s heard from Diddy — at least on a track. He’s still shaking the cobwebs off on Finna Get Loose, making the title a fitting label for this stage of his career. The song is a preview of his upcoming album, which will bear the Puff Daddy moniker, but the Pharrell-produced track is worth a listen for the beat alone. Disjointed, loud, and an instant party starter, it’s everything that we’ve come to expect from Pharrell’s production efforts.
Neil Young – Workin’ Man
Neil Young, now approaching his 70th year on Earth, is still capable of mustering the anger that drove him in his youth. Submit into evidence The Monsanto Years, the singer-songwriter’s latest album dedicated to taking on (and, if he can help it, taking down) agriculture giant and GMO-pusher Monsanto. Workin’ Man may not be the most biting track on the record — it plays more like satire than spitfire — but it’s one of the most fun listens you’ll find.
Miguel – A Beautiful Exit
It’s safe to assume at the moment that if Miguel is putting out music, it’s going to be good. The R&B star has been on fire lately, and the release of his new record Wildheart only serves to stoke the flame. Kicking off the album is A Beautiful Exit. Driven by a grimy guitar and reverb, the track veers off in a slightly different direction, which sets the tone for the record. Miguel regularly blends genres and adds elements from others to the R&B formula with incredible success.
That’s it for this week, but check back every Saturday for more new tunes to stream!
