Vince Staples, “Blackberry Marmalade”
As shortcuts to profundity go, a Martin Luther King Jr. quote laid over footage of racialized violence is not exactly novel. But the one that appears at the end of “Blackberry Marmalade”—“So the question is not whether we will be extremists, but what kind of extremists we will be”—is a poignant organizing principle for American life in 2026. When King wrote that line while locked up in Birmingham, he was tracing a history of moral resistance and state persecution; today, we exist in a landscape where the lines between participant, prop, and target have blurred significantly.
A decade ago, Vince Staples released the video for “Señorita,” a track that commodified violence for white amusement. “Blackberry Marmalade” adopts a different visual logic, echoing the unsettling nature of modern digital documentation. Musically, while his earlier work was stark and bone-on-bone, his 2020s output leans into fuzzier, more textured production, even as the guitars remain sharp and serrated.
Action Bronson, “Triceratops” f/ Lil Yachty & Paul Wall
Action Bronson remains a durable force in rap, largely due to his adventurous production choices and his ability to keep his imagery lucid. On “Triceratops,” he is joined by Lil Yachty and Paul Wall. The track is low-stakes by design, showcasing a level of competence that only comes from years of refinement. Bronson’s self-aware bars about aging pair perfectly with Wall’s buoyant flow and Yachty’s newfound charm.
JPEGMAFIA, “babygirl”
Since his 2018 breakthrough with Veteran, JPEGMAFIA has been defined by his innate sense for texture. His latest single, “babygirl,” continues this trend. While some critics have pointed to his use of familiar triplet flows, the vocals here are intentionally buried, treated as a component of the overall soundscape rather than the primary anchor.
Shoreline Mafia, “TAKE U HOME”
Years removed from the initial explosion of L.A. street rap, Shoreline Mafia—comprised of OhGeesy and Fenix Flexin—returns with a rejuvenated sound. Where they once might have seemed plodding compared to their contemporaries, their current output is nimble and sharp, proving that these emcees still possess a distinct bite.