Welcome back to another round of New Music Fridays. As we get deeper into December, we want to present to you a collection of softer hip hop and r&b tracks to help you relax on the shorter days. This week features music from Kid Cudi, Channel Tres, Chance the Rapper, and Mozzy.
She Knows This – Kid Cudi
A decade after his last edition of the Man on the Moon series, Kid Cudi is back. This track in particular really showcases some of Cudi’s creativity and talent. Man on the moon was traditionally a narrative to himself and the way he utilizes his voice in this track makes it particularly special. By adding a lot of reverb to his voice in the first section of the track, it creates a very distant vocal effect. This is then countered by a faster-paced and more present vocal that encapsulates urgency. The switch-up creates contrast in moods and is an ode to the instability of emotional trials which is a staple of Cudi’s sound.
Fuego (feat. Tyler the Creator) – Channel Tres
An extremely tasteful duo, Channel Tres teams up with Tyler the Creator to create a funk-driven tune. Tres is well known for the darker tone in his beats which compliments his low voice. In fact, the reason why Tyler as a feature is so relevant is cause he has a similar tone to his voice. However, Tyler takes it farther and pitches his voice down for a section of the song creating a real sludgy effect to his voice. Together the two have created a really jazzy disco-inspired tune that will get your head nodding no matter where you hear it.
The Return – Chance the Rapper
Chance the Rapper is back in the game with his newest single ‘The Return.” The track shows chance’s maturity in his rapping. His bars are clean and the rhymes are tight, however still holding his iconic flow. In addition, the beat has a twist between jazzy Christmas tones with a low-fi tone to it creating a relaxing track in which Chance’s lyrics can really shine. The Christmas influenced lyrics stem from the fact that this track will be featured on a deluxe version of the collaborative Christmas album between Chance and Jeremih released back in 2017.
Keep Hope – Mozzy, Blxst
Mozzy comes in hard on this track with Blxst. The two discuss the current events and struggles of black culture touching on various subjects such as the death of idols such as Kobe and Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman) and political issues such as the Black Lives Matter movement. Despite these struggles, the two rap about keeping hope over a slow and smooth beat.
And that’s a wrap from us on New Music Fridays. Let us know in the comments below who else dropped some heat this week. And if you missed last week’s playlist click here.