Another week, and the rap game ain't slowing down. TDE proved its youngest member is one of its most prized assets, Tyga finally dropped his mixtape, Mike Will seriously upped the expectations for Ransom 2, and a random Thugger leak managed to crack the Top 5. And that was before the weekend...
Then Meek Mill came outta hiding, though instead of dropping the long-awaited Dreamchasers 4, he let loose a 4-track EP. We'd be underwhelmed had the EP not shown Meek on an inspired tear, crushing street raps over thrilling production from the likes of C-Sick and Jahlil Beats. Though, as he's done so often within the past year, Future proved to have the last laugh by dropping Purple Reign on early Sunday morning. Look for a whole bunch of tracks from both releases to appear in next week's Top 10.
Elsewhere in this week's Top 100, A$AP Ferg and Rick Ross jumped on the "Milly Rock" (#21), Flacko remixed a classic Drake tune (#14), and Gangsta Gibbs dropped off a tough-as-nails tribute to N.O.'s 9th ward (#24).
Find the Top 10 tracks of the week, as decided by the entire HNHH audience, below.
10. Isaiah Rashad - Smile
Rashad still hasn't released an album yet, but for my money, he can already rap toe-to-toe with anyone in TDE, save for maybe Kendrick. "Smile," his new single, signals the album will likely be a seriously compelling piece of work. There's nothing wrong with adding a little Tennessee sauce to TDE's West Coast lineup.
9. Fetty Wap Feat. Bleek Blaze - Make You Smile (Prod. by Yung Lan)
I'm glad Fetty -- despite baby mama drama -- hasn't ditched the romance game. This is the kind of track he's best at, and he could have another hit on his hands with the Lan-produced "Make You Smile." He also continues to put on for the up-and-comers, giving VA rapper Bleek Blaze a nice look here.
8. Tyga Feat. Chris Brown - Rumorz
T-raww finally came through with Rawwest Nigga Alive, and one of the standout tracks features his main partner in Chris Breezy. There are few artists in the industry who are the subject of more rumors than these two. Luckily, that's done little to stunt the cashflow.
Tyga - Rumorz Feat. Chris Brown
7. Dr. Dre Feat. T.I., Justus, Victoria Monet & Sly Piper - Back to Business (Prod. by Swiff D)
Dre's Beats 1 show The Pharmacy continues to be essential listening. The highlight of last week's episode was an unreleased collab, on which the certified vets, Dre and Tip, drop off some wisdom to spark the dreams of the three remaining young talents on "Back to Business."
6. Wiz Khalifa & Travi$ Scott - Bake Sale (Snippet)
Though it's just a snippet, y'all are way amped for Wiz and La Flame on "Bake Sale." From early listening, you can feel the pair is on a wicked late-night wave. The collab will appear on Wiz' upcoming album, out this Friday!
5. DJ Mustard & Travi$ Scott - Whole Lotta Lovin'
This is the third straight week Travi$ Scott has had at least two songs in Top Tracks -- he's definitely off to a roaring start this year. "Whole Lotta Lovin'," DJ Mustard's latest single, finds Trav ditching the trap for Ibiza, and it gets catchier and catchier with each listen.
4. Future - Al Sharpton (Prod. by Mike Will Made-It)
After Rae Sremmurd's "By Chance," and now this -- it's looking like Mike Will's Ransom 2 is gonna be something scary. The Ear Drummers boss deployed a new 808 machine for the first time on "Al Sharpton," and boy, combined with Future's OG trap flow, it's fucking lethal. Honestly, this one might be a little too aggressive for the headphones, but I can't wait to hear it dropped in the club -- and hopefully live to tell the tale.
3. Young Thug - Made a Lot (Prod. by Metro Boomin)
Warning: the quality of this is such that it might be worth it just to wait for the CDQ. This leak is enough to know that when the real version drops, though, it's gonna be crazy. Metro fills the atmosphere with bass -- muted to an extent to allow Thug to be extra graceful with his flow. The track is reminiscent of the type of vibes they created with "Free Gucci." Metro will continue to be Future's right-hand man, though we can only hope he finds the time for Metro Thuggin.
2. The Game Feat. Trey Songz - Do It to You (Prod. by Cool & Dre)
As if The Game didn't provide enough heat on Doc. 2 & 2.5, he's now about to release both albums in a box set, along with 4 new bonus songs. The first of those is one for the ladies featuring the king of the sex jam, Trey Songz. The lyrics here might be too explicit were it not for the lush production from Cool & Dre.
1. Kanye West Feat. Ty Dolla $ign - Real Friends/No Parties in LA (Snippet)
And #1 for the second week in a row -- no surprise: Kanye's "Real Friends," which has now clocked over 1.1 million hits on the site. Fans are loving the throwback, from-the-heart 'Ye that came as a surprise following "FACTS," his New Year's shit-starter. At the end of "Real Friends" (produced by 'Ye, Boi-1da, Frank Dukes, and Havoc), we got a snippet of the Madlib-produced, Kendrick Lamar-featuring "No Parties in LA."
Well, early this morning, 'Ye dropped off the full song. Surprisingly, this is the first official collaboration between West and Lamar, two of music's most influential personas. Head here to listen to the full "No Parties in LA," and look for the song to vie for the #1 spot in next week's Top Tracks.
