12 New Albums You Should Be Listening To (Week of January 22)
This week came with new albums from Kota the Friend, Erick the Architect and more.
New Music Fridays can be overwhelming if you’re not tapped in to all your favorite artists’ social media feeds. With the amount of new artists emerging from the ether nowadays, every month brings new albums for fans to get familiar with.
Every Friday, Okayplayer sifts through the noise to pick out new albums that you might love. This week, we get new projects from Lo Village, Peewee Longway, Hus KingPin and many more. Give the projects a listen below.
Remy Banks – the phantom of paradise.
Fools’ Gold signee Remy Banks returns with an 11-track project. The Queens MC recruited names like eXquire, Wiki, Pink Siifu and Maxo for the new album. “triboro” also features scratches by the legendary A-Trak.
Alycia Bella – Muse
Bay Area-bred singer/songwriter Alycia Bella drops her first full-length project, complete with guest appearances from Westside Boogie, Vince Staples, Summer Walker and E-40.
Kota the Friend – Lyrics to GO, Vol. 2
Brooklyn MC Kota the Friend returns with the second edition of his Lyrics to Go project. The 10-track project explores topics like coming of age in Brooklyn, gentrification, and more.
Rhye – Home
Canadian band Rhye returns with their first project in nearly two years. The group’s frontman Mike Milosh started recording the album pre-lockdown, but says time spent in quarantine “really caused me to solidify what Home means to me.”
Hus KingPin – Portishus
New York MC Hus KingPin draws inspiration from an unlikely source–British experimental band Portishead–for this project. The 20-track project features Willie the Kid, Ransom, and Vinnie Paz and already has the group’s full support.
Whats better than genuine support from the Portishead crew ?? pic.twitter.com/qLmePQGq2g
— PORTISHUS OUT NOW! ☠? (@HusKingpin) January 22, 2021
Erick the Architect – Future Proof EP
Flatbush Zombies’ Erick the Architect drops a reflective, level-headed five-track EP, his fourth solo project and first since 2011. The project features British MC Loyle Carner, Sophie Faith and more.
Peewee Longway – Longway Sinatra 2
Atlanta rap royalty Peewee Longway gets in the lab with Cassius Jay and Jazze Pha, for good measure. Between the two, Longway offers his takes on classics like “Cell Therapy,” “I Wonder if Heaven Got a Ghetto,” “White Horse,” and “I Will Die 4 U.”
Lo Village – Lost in America
Maryland trio Lo Village’s fourth project is inspired by neo-soul jams as well as protest anthems. Lost in America follows siblings processing the events of 2020 with singles like the bouncy “Terry Crews” and the fiery “Out the Window.”
BRS Kash – Kash Only
The man with the raunchiest single of 2020 has finally released his debut. The project features the “Throat Baby” remix and other strip club cuts like “Kash App” and “Do It.”
YG Teck – Undeniable
On his seventh project, Baltimore MC YG Teck floats over everything from London drill beats (Shootout) to 80s R&B-inspired synths (Wraith Stars).
Breeze Brewin – Hindsight
Breeze Brewin of the Bronx underground crew the Juggaknots releases his solo debut. The album covers his take on Donald Trump’s presidency, the music industry at large, and his experience as a middle school teacher. Guest appearances include DJ Maseo and Marco Polo.
CJ Fly – The Way I H(ear) It, Vol. 1
CJ Fly is the second Beast Coast member to drop a new project this week. The Way I H(ear) It, his first beat tape, features a broad spectrum from folksy uptempo cuts to brooding, plaintive symphonies.