For the first week of February, we got new albums from Pooh Shiesty, VanJess, Conway the Machine & Big Ghost LTD, and… us.
There is an overwhelming amount of music that drops on New Music Fridays. Unless you have hours of free time, it’s almost impossible to wade through all the sewage out there to get to the good stuff.
That’s where Okayplayer comes in. On Friday morning, we are out here listening to as many new albums as humanly possible. For the first week of February, we got new albums from Pooh Shiesty, VanJess, Conway the Machine and Big Ghost LTD, Devin the Dude, and… us.
Pooh Shiesty — Shiesty Season
Photo Credit: Atlantic Records
Pooh Shiesty is a rapper from Memphis, Tennessee who is signed to Gucci Mane’s 1017 Records. He just released his debut mixtape, Shiesty Season, which features appearances from Lil Durk, 21 Savage, Tay Keith, Gucci, and more.
J Dilla — Welcome 2 Detroit – The 20th Anniversary Edition
Photo Credit: BBE Music
February 26th will be the 20 year anniversary of Welcome 2 Detroit, J Dilla’s masterful debut album. To celebrate, BBE released a special 20th Anniversary Box Set. You can stream that album on DSPs. Celebrate Dilla Day this Sunday by giving this a spin.
VanJess — Homegrown EP
Photo Credit: RCA Records
Nigerian-American duo VanJess has released a new EP called Homegrown. We spoke to Van and Jess about the making of the album. Jess broke down the title, saying:
“You’re your true self at home, and so I think for us that title really represented the fact that VanJess was really built by VanJess. Now it’s like a precursor to our album, which is going to come out this year as well. “
The Weeknd — The Highlights
Photo Credit: The Weeknd XO
The Weeknd will be performing the halftime show at Super Bowl LV. To fully capitalize on the moment, Weeknd released a greatest hits album called The Highlights.
Conway the Machine & Big Ghost LTD — If It Bleeds It Can Be Killed
Photo Credit: BigGhostLimited
Conway and producer BigGhost link for the second time. They just released the hard-ass-nails If it Bleeds it Can Be Killed.
Okayplayer — PASSAGE, The EP
Photo Credit: Okayplayer
PASSAGE is a curated mental health and wellness initiative created by Okayplayer. The program was developed to amplify the collective stories and healing practices of millennials of color. Listen to the initiative’s EP, PASSAGE, which features Big K.R.I.T., Kenji Summers, and more.
Devin the Dude — Soulful Distance
Photo Credit: Coughee Brothaz Enterprise
Legendary rapper Devin the Dude is still out here making bomb ass music. He just released his new album, Soulful Distance, which features Scarface, Slim Thug, Lil’ Keke, and more.
Papoose — January
Photo Credit: Honorable Records
Veteran rapper Papoose has announced that he’s retiring from making rap music. So he’s going out with a bang. He plans on releasing one new album every month of the year. He starts with January. Speaking about his decision with the HollywoodLife Podcast, Papoose said: “I’m in a different space in my life. I just want to focus more on my family.”
Tragedy Khadafi — Hidden Files
Photo Credit: Triple Beam Stream
Queensbridge legend Tragedy Khadafi has released Hidden Files, a new album that features N.O.R.E, Raekwon, Planet Asia, and more.
Hayley Williams — FLOWERS for VASES / descanos
Photo Credit: Atlantic
After releasing her debut album, Petals for Armor, last year, Haley Williams comes back with a new album, FLOWERS for VASES / descanos.
In a statement, Williams said:
“This isn’t really a follow-up to Petals for Armor… If anything, it’s a prequel, or some sort of detour between parts 1 and 2 of Petals.”
D Smoke — Black Habits (Deluxe)
Photo Credit: WoodWorks Records
Two time Grammy nominee D Smoke has added a couple of tracks to his Black Habits album. We recently spoke to D Smoke about his Grammy nominations. He told us:
“It makes me hella proud. I always wanted to put on for the city in a different way. People know Inglewood as a Blood city — as a gang city. Although plenty of that is true, there’s so much more to the city than that. It’s a proud moment to put on for Inglewood on this platform. “
Rob Markman — If You Don’t You’ll Regret it
Photo Credit: Write to Dream
Journalist turned rapper Rob Markman has been constantly putting out new music over the last couple of months. He threw those songs on a new project called If You Don’t You’ll Regret It. The project features production from the likes of !illmind, DviousMindZ, and BurnsBeats.