After a pretty slow January (minus CULTURE), February 2017 has turned out to be pretty crazy, mostly courtesy of Mr. FUTURE HNDRXX, but also because of big projects from Syd, Young Dolph, Big Sean, Lupe Fiasco, Fat Joe & Remy Ma, Roc Marciano, and Nav. There was a point early on in the month when Raekwon and 2 Chainz were literally the only rappers with announced release dates for their upcoming projects, but thankfully, that drought ended ridiculously quickly.
Fittingly, Future's the only artist with two appearances in our top ten this week. New releases barely missing out on a spot include Ace Hood's "Guess Who" (#11), Wale and G-Eazy's "Fashion Week" (#13), DJ Premier and Miguel's "2 LOVIN U" (#14), and Young Scooter and Young Thug's "Cook Up" (#15).
10. Future Feat. Rihanna - Selfish
The second and more eye-catching feature on Future's HNDRXX, "Selfish," comes in the form of a duet between the pair behind 2012's "Loveee Song," and it certainly doesn't disappoint. Fewtch and Rihanna weave in and out of each others' voices on this lovestruck, pop-leaning track that shows us once again why they've been two of the most dominant forces in music for several years now. "Selfish" debuts at #10.
9. Future - Mask Off
Just like he'll probably also accomplish on the Billboard album chart next week, Future's got two joints in the top ten of our TOP 100. "Mask Off" was almost the unanimous pick for best song off of FUTURE, but HNDRXX's standout is a little harder to determine (I, personally, still dk), so it's easy to see why this track has had greater chart dominance than any on the latter album. In its second week out, "Mask Off" is down seven places from #2 to #9.
8. Thundercat Feat. Kendrick Lamar - Walk On By
Last week, bassist extraordinaire dropped his excellent third album, Drunk, and on one of its tracks, Kendrick Lamar returned the favor for Thundercat's bass work on To Pimp A Butterfly. "Walk On By" features an ace verse from Lamar, and is one of the many highlights of the eclectic album. The track debuts at #8.
7. Gucci Mane Feat. Nicki Minaj - Make Love
Before Nicki got obliterated by Remy Ma on a diss track, she linked up with Gucci Mane for the first time in years on a track from Gucci's upcoming album DropTopWop. "Make Love" may not live up to its creator's "hardest song of the year" promise, but still, it's nice to hear Nicki rapping like this again. The track debuts at #7.
6. Desiigner - Outlet
Since DJ Khaled's behemoth track "Do You Mind" fell off our chart, there hasn't been a track that's appeared in more than two consecutive weeks until Desiigner's recent single "Outlet." This one's attached to a tour, not an album (yet), but it's certainly got everyone hype to hear more music from Brooklyn's most turnt resident. In its third week out, "Outlet" is down one spot from #5 to #6.
5. Young Thug - Safe
My personal pick for best song that dropped last week and wasn't on HNDRXX, Young Thug's new track "Safe" isn't even a single, if you can believe it. Instead, the super catchy song is the prelude to a single, presumably from HiTunes, his long-awaited official debut album. In its first week out, "Safe" debuts at #5.
4. Calvin Harris Feat. Frank Ocean & Migos - Slide
Frank Ocean features don't come around every day, so don't blame Calvin Harris for teasing "Slide" on Snapchat for quite a while before it actually dropped. When it did, late last week, it didn't disappoint, except for the fact that like "Bad & Boujee," it doesn't feature a Takeoff verse. Oh well, I guess that's the cost of a Frank hook. "Slide" debuts at #4.
3. 6LACK Feat. Jhene Aiko - First F*ck
6LACK's been a breakout story ever since he dropped his debut project last fall, but the Jhene Aiko-assisted "First F*ck" is his first track that's cracked our top ten. Look for the ATL-based singer to drop more heat in the coming months. "First F*ck" debuts at #3.
2. Kodak Black Feat. A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie - Water
Is "Water" really a better Kodak Black track than "Tunnel Vision," which dropped around the same time two weeks ago? No, but it is unofficial, and no longer exists online, so that makes it more in-demand. In its second week out, it's up one spot from #3 to #2.
1. Remy Ma - ShETHER (Nicki Minaj Diss)
Here at Top Tracks, it's a time-honored tradition that diss tracks hit #1, even if they're by artists like Remy Ma who rarely sniff the chart otherwise. Even though her Nicki Minaj-skewering "ShETHER" dropped a mere 48 hours ago, it's already rocketed to the top. In its first week out, "ShETHER" debuts at #1.
