When The Dust Settles
When The Dust Settles Album ∙ Hip-Hop/Rap ∙ 2025 K-Trap
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4
4 Album ∙ Hip-Hop/Rap ∙ 2025 Aitch “Since 2018, I brought life to the game. From the M-Town, Europe, States, even Zante. Cooking up with Sheeran, on stage with Ashanti,” Aitch raps on “STRAIGHT RHYMEZ 2.” That’s one of many typically confident bars that Aitch—born Harrison Armstrong—spits on his second album, 4 . The Mancunian rapper has seen a shift in the landscape since 2022’s Close to Home , and 4 reflects that. “Music’s changed a lot since album one and I think I tried to find the balance of not trying to look like the sickest rapper in the world, but then over-confusing people,” he tells Apple Music’s Dotty. “I’ve found the middle ground of making a three-and-a-half-minute song into a two-minute song, also getting my point across.” It’s an efficiency that extends to the largely sinewy beats that back his verses across the album. Aitch sees 4 as a move away from more heartfelt, personal tracks of the past like “My G,” his Ed Sheeran-assist...
Don't Die Before You're Dead
Don't Die Before You're Dead Album ∙ Hip-Hop/Rap ∙ 2025 AJ Tracey Death is at the forefront of AJ Tracey’s mind on his third studio album; the title, Don’t Die Before You’re Dead , makes that more than clear. And although success has granted the West London rapper a certain level of immortality, no one, not even Tracey—who has seen his career go from strength to strength since he put his home borough on the map with the 2019 hit single “Ladbroke Grove”—lives forever. “I’ve been through a lot of things since I dropped the second album,” he tells Apple Music’s Dotty. “Life is beautiful, but it’s also quite tough sometimes…We all go through it, but I come out the other side stronger and with a different perspective on life.” The reason for his preoccupation is laid out in “3rd Time Lucky,” which finds him sorting through his emotions as his mother recovers from cancer, over solemn chords reminiscent of Sting’s “Shape of My Heart.” The track is a rare moment of vulnerability on...
THAT'S SHOWBIZ BABY!
THAT'S SHOWBIZ BABY! Album ∙ Pop ∙ 2025 JADE Pre-add the debut solo album from the BRIT Award-winning “IT girl” now.
with all due respect
with all due respect Album ∙ R&B/Soul ∙ 2025 kwn A diaristic EP of alt-R&B from the East Londoner.
I quit
I quit Album ∙ Alternative ∙ 2025 HAIM Even though HAIM named their fourth studio album—and first since 2020’s Women in Music, Pt. III — I quit , the trio of sisters aren’t quitters. “Quitting can be looked at as giving up in normal circumstances,” bassist/vocalist Este Haim tells Apple Music. “We look at it as a new beginning and betting on yourself. We quit things that don’t serve us anymore.” The follow-up to their Grammy-nominated opus takes its name from a scene in 1996’s That Thing You Do! where the band’s leader announces his departure by snapping his fingers and sing-talking the words “I quit”—a move the women use regularly as an inside joke. “One day, we were checking the mic and we did it again,” Este adds. “We were like, ‘Wait, should we name our album I quit ? Say that again.’ ‘Wait a minute. Should we?’ It took on a life of its own.” Produced by Rostam and lead vocalist/guitarist Danielle Haim, the band’s latest takes parting shots at the peop...
Fine Dining
Fine Dining Album ∙ Hip-Hop ∙ 2025 Dave East & Young Chris In the roughly two years since his Def Jam return Fortune Favors the Bold , Dave East opted to build as an independent with some choice collaborators. A good deal of this came as proper projects co-headlined by AraabMUZIK, Cruch Calhoun, and Scram Jones, among others. Arriving mere months after The Final Call , his joint album with Ransom, he links here in similar fashion with Roc-A-Fella Records alumnus Young Chris. Those who remember Philly duo Young Gunz and the adjacent State Property collective know how well Chris works with others, and Fine Dining demonstrates that he’s only gotten better at it with time. Most of the beats come from East’s go-to Triple A, who lays down rugged and soulful instrumentals like “Pablo & Gunner” and “Ain’t Adding Up” for the formidable pair to get their seasoned streetwise bars off. Their insular guest list reflects the respect they deservedly g...
Five Forever (Deluxe)
Five Forever (Deluxe) Album ∙ Hip-Hop/Rap ∙ 2025 PlaqueBoyMax No one would accuse PlaqueBoyMax of lacking creativity. The internet celebrity turned hip-hop curator made his first two EPs, 2025’s LONDON and ATLANTA , by traveling to those cities, recruiting local stars, and recording the entire projects during livestream events. Five Forever , his debut mixtape, strips away all the excess and attention-grabbing approaches to making an album. Without any features, Max takes center stage for the very first time, retiring his role as master of ceremonies and approaching the mic with the confidence of someone who’s been co-signed by many of the biggest names in the game. It’s clear that PlaqueBoy is heavily influenced by boundary-pushing rappers like Playboi Carti and Yeat, even embracing their use of clever one-liners and bass-heavy beats accented by glimmering, blown-out synths. On “Layflat,” he raps, “I only fly if it’s first class/I only fly if it’s lay-fla...
KPop Demon Hunters (Soundtrack from the Netflix Film)
KPop Demon Hunters (Soundtrack from the Netflix Film) Album ∙ K-Pop ∙ 2025 KPop Demon Hunters Cast , HUNTRX & Saja Boys The animated feature gets an action-packed, high-key K-pop soundtrack.
