With artists releasing songs at a fast and furious pace it’s difficult for the average hip-hop head to keep track of it all—no matter how tapped in they are. That’s why we created The Ones, a daily roundup of the best new rap tracks you need to hear curated by the Levels team. We sort through all the new songs—across all the platforms and subgenres—so you don’t have to. Thank us later.
CBlack821 and Shawny Bin Laden - “CBSB”
The Queens rap scene needs eyes on it right now. The video for CBlack821 and Shawny Bin Laden’s “CBSB” starts out with a Remy Ma IG Live where she’s got the track blasting from her speakers. It’s an important moment because the burgeoning scene built on fast-paced high-energy bars and airy hard-hitting production has yet to get co-signs from other New York OGs who are still around. The track itself is a showcase for their circle, building on the lively beat with their stop-start flows. And you can’t be a rapper from Queens if the bars aren’t right, and even if their sound is partially rooted in the internet, the rapping is some New York shit.
Lerado - “Lost”
Saint Paul, Minn. may never become a rap hotbed but it does have some talent. In 2014 Corbin, Allan Kingdom, and Bobby Raps were able to use SoundCloud to extend their reach outside of the Midwest capital and now Lerado is looking to do the same. On “Lost” Lerado sounds sedated as he floats over a spaced-out Sad Balmain beat. The song is choppy and laid-back with a slight shade of influence from Lucki’s Days B4 II EP. It’s a promising track from a rapper with a ton of promise to make the leap.
Kilo Kish - “Elegance”
Kilo Kish has always made compelling—if not always consistent—music. When Kish is on, her music can become a fascinating blend of hip-hop and dream pop production mixed with her light and whispery flow. On “Elegance” Kish explores her pop fantasies over rich and lush production that sounds like it could have found its way onto a Charli XCX mixtape. And she doesn’t lose grasp of that fluffy flow that has kept her on hip-hop fans’ radars for over half of a decade now.
Da$h - “Bad Joke”
Every time it has felt like Da$h was on the brink of a breakthrough he would disappear and his career would take a sudden dip. On his latest single he dives back into the Jersey underground scene, linking up with sample-flipping producer Revenxnt. The gritty track is a minute-long teaser that feels like Da$h’s return to spitting ridiculous lines (“Favorite singer almost had my babies”) on a beat cold enough for the quickly approaching East Coast winter.
Rico Pressley - “Socialite”
Rico Pressley’s high-pitched voice is reminiscent of his EarDrummers label-mate Swae Lee’s but without the control. The Atlanta rapper’s flow drifts and he doesn’t have much of a natural melody but there’s an appeal to the looseness. “Socialite” wouldn’t work without Rico exploring this vocal quirk, because the track’s subject matter is bland. But that voice keeps you coming back and it’s unclear if Rico can keep this up, it feels gimmicky, but it’ll be fun seeing him try.
Check out yesterday’s Ones, and listen to new rap from CBlack821, Lerado, Kilo Kish, and more on our Spotify playlist, Apple Music playlist, and SoundCloud playlist.
