How dominant is OVO Sound Radio? So dominant that they can resurrect a completely outdated style of music and make it popping. Mashups were mega-popular about ten years ago in the mid-2000s, when Girl Talk and others (Super Mash Bros, The Hood Internet, etc.) competed to see who could make the most WTF-inducing blends of otherwise unrelated songs-- for instance, "Hustler Musik" x The Office theme song. But the novelty wore off pretty quickly, and mashups have shared the same coolness trajectory/timeline as Kanye's once-iconic shutter shades, that is, they've really fallen off since around 2009. But this week, a mashup premiered on OVO Sound tops our chart. Go figure.
Gucci Mane notches the most appearances on this week's list with three, and Drake's right behind him with two. New tracks barely missing out on spots this week include Lana Del Rey and The Weeknd's "Lust For Life" (#11), Nas' "Systematic" (#12), Big Boi, Killer Mike, and Jeezy's "Kill Jill" (#13), and Hopsin's "BUS That" (#14).
10. Playboi Carti - Magnolia
As expected, Playboi Carti's self-titled debut mixtape was a highly controversial affair, with comments on the HNHH review of it ranging from "garbage" to "BANGERS," with every possible opinion in between also expressed, and then some. But even if you can't rock with the full thing, you've gotta admit that "Magnolia" seems poised to ring off in clubs all summer. This standout cut debuts at #10.
9. Kendrick Lamar - ELEMENT.
Lat week, more immediate DAMN. highlight "DNA" debuted on the chart, but fittingly, it's this slow-grower that's taken an extra week to make the jump. "ELEMENT" may not boast the immediately-eye-catching production of Mike Will Made It, but James Blake certainly does a bang-up job at crafting a more subtly thrilling cut. In its second week out, "ELEMENT" is up ten places from #19 to #9.
8. Young Thug - All The Time
On Friday, Thugger dropped off a follow-up to last month's "Safe," a new single entitled "All The Time." Accompanying the Tampax Pearl-referencing song is a new video, which was additionally posted as a track on HNHH, and winds up in the top ten. "All The Time" debuts at #8.
7. XXXTENTACION - Slipknot
Controversial buzzing rapper XXXTENTACION released four new songs this past week, and unsurprisingly, the one that made this week's top ten also has the honor of being the lowest-ranked song on this list. What is a bit surprising, though, is that "Slipknot" is basically a boom bap track. Not what you'd expect from the latest rapper that the kids are all into. "Slipknot" debuts at #7.
6. D.R.A.M. Feat. ASAP Rocky & Juicy J - Gilligan
We haven't heard much from D.R.A.M. since he released his debut album last fall, but he returned last week with both a guest appearance on the new Gorillaz album and "Gilligan," a standalone new track that features high-profile guests ASAP Rocky and Juicy J. Juicy lends Three 6-reminiscent production to this one, which ends up being a pretty uncharacteristic record for D.R.A.M. "Gilligan" debuts at #6.
5. Gucci Mane Feat. Drake & Lil Wayne - Both (Remix)
The first of Guwop's three appearances this week (all in the top five, if you can believe it) is the only one that's a holdover from last week. He scored a rare Weezy verse on a remix of his Drake-featuring Return of East Atlanta Santa cut "Both," and it's clearly done well for him. In its second week out, the "Both" remix drops three places from #2 to #5.
4. Zaytoven Feat. Gucci Mane & 21 Savage - East Atlanta Day
Despite the fact that Gucci's been instrumental in grooming up-and-coming ATL rappers for success, he'd never had a track with 21 Savage until last week. It's also surprising because 21's a devout Guwop fan, releasing an EP entitled Free Guwop in 2015. This Zaytoven-helmed track debuts at #4.
3. Gucci Mane - Coachella
"Coachella" is not only Gucci's third track in this week's top ten, it's also his third consecutive one. The track features Murda Beatz's trademark flute (or is it a recorder), as well as lyrics directly related to Guwop's recent performance at the Indio, California music festival. "Coachella" debuts at #3.
2. Desiigner - Outlet
How long will this track's reign last? "Outlet" has now appeared on 11 consecutive Top Tens, and not only that, but it hasn't followed a steadily downward-trending trajectory. In its 11th week out, "Outlet" is up one spot from #3 to #2.
1. Drake & The Weeknd - Secret Passionfruit ("Starboy" & "More Life" Mashup)
During last week's edition of OVO Sound Radio, Oliver El-Khatib played a mashup between The Weeknd's "Secrets" and Drake's "Passionfruit" that may have simply been ripped from a Kanye To The user. Is it spectacular? No. Are people just excited at the prospect of hearing the first Abel/Aubrey collab in years? That seems like the case. In its first week out, this mashup debuts at #1.
