June has been a relatively quiet month for new Hip Hop and R&B music. Many artists have delayed their projects out of respect for the ongoing Black Lives Matter protests, which have spread worldwide since the police killing of George Floyd on May 25.
But with Juneteenth being celebrated on Friday (June 19), there’s a noticeable uptick in the number of releases this week. A variety of albums, EPs, mixtapes and deluxe editions of projects are available to stream.
Teyana Taylor’s The Album, Wale’s The Imperfect Storm EP and an expanded version of A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie’s Artist 2.0 are among the prominent Juneteenth releases. Check out all of the notable streams below.
Multiple Hip Hop/R&B Artists Postpone Album & EP Releases Amid George Floyd Protests
Teyana Taylor – The Album [Def Jam Recordings]
Teyana Taylor didn’t come up with any fancy title for her third studio LP; it’s simply called The Album. The 20-plus track release includes collaborations with Lauryn Hill, Future, Missy Elliott, Quavo, Rick Ross, Erykah Badu, Big Sean and more.
Wale – The Imperfect Storm EP [Warner Records]
Wale has dropped an EP titled The Imperfect Storm inspired by the turbulent times for Black America. After being on the frontlines of protests, the veteran rapper hit the studio and recorded six tracks detailing his perspective on the fight against racial injustice.
A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie – Artist 2.0 (Deluxe) [Atlantic Records]
Four months after the release of Artist 2.0, A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie has returned with an expanded version of the album. The deluxe edition adds nine songs to the LP, which peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard 200.
Smokepurpp – Florida Jit [Alamo Records]
Smokepurpp’s latest work Florida Jit relies heavily on the production of Ronny J, who handles 10 of the beats on the 17-song album. On the LP, Purpp is joined by guests such as Denzel Curry, Lil Pump, Rick Ross, Jack Harlow and Young Ruddy.
Curren$y & Fuse – Spring Clean [Jet Life Recordings]
The nonstop output of Curren$y continues on Juneteenth 2020 with Spring Clean, a joint release with 808 Mafia’s Fuse. Spitta’s fourth collaborative project of the year features Wiz Khalifa, Gunplay, T.Y. and Fendi P.
Skyzoo – Milestones [Mello Music Group]
Skyzoo provides a fitting soundtrack for Father’s Day (June 21) with Milestones, a conceptual EP about fatherhood. The project is the veteran MC’s second release of the year following April’s The Bluest Note with Italian jazz band Dumbo Station.
Tee Grizzley – The Smartest [300 Entertainment]
Tee Grizzley’s new mixtape The Smartest boasts production from DJ Mustard, Hit-Boy, Scott Storch and Helluva, among others. The Detroit-bred artist gets vocal assistance from Lil Baby, Meek Mill, Big Sean, Queen Naija and Lil Keed.
Pi’erre Bourne – The Life Of Pi’erre 4 (Deluxe) [Interscope Records]
Pi’erre Bourne has jumped on Hip Hop’s growing trending of deluxe editions, but it’s not for something he put out earlier this year. Instead, the multi-platinum selling producer goes back to 2019’s The Life Of Pi’erre 4 and essentially adds a whole new album to it, bolstering it with 15 tracks.
Black Eyed Peas – Translation [Epic Records]
The Black Eyed Peas’ Translation album sees the group mixing their Hip Hop base with dance, reggaeton and trap styles. J Balvin, Tyga, French Montana, Shakira, Becky G and others join the trio on the eclectic LP.
John Legend – Bigger Love [Columbia Records]
John Legend is back with Bigger Love, his first non-Christmas album since 2016. The Grammy Award-winning singer’s 16-track LP hosts collaborations with Rapsody, Jhené Aiko and Gary Clark Jr.
42 Dugg – Young & Turnt Vol. 2 (Deluxe) [4PF/CMG]
42 Dugg adds to the already large pile of deluxe releases with an updated version of Young & Turnt Vol. 2. The expanded edition of the project features nine new songs, including cuts with Moneybagg Yo and DeJ Loaf.