New Music Friday (2/24/23) Includes drops from Don Toliver, Yeat and more
Don Toliver: Love Sick
On this New Music Friday, Don Toliver, following the release of his 2021 album Life of a Don, released his diverse love album, Love Sick. Toliver brought artists such as Brent Faiyaz, Justin Bieber, Future and Wizkid, who all performed well as expected.
I mentioned the diversity of this album, however, that shouldn’t take away from the overall theme of Love and in some instances, the lack of it. He does a good job of both maintaining the theme, while also implementing variation in each track.
This album is for sure the first album to listen to this New Music Friday. Songs to look out for include “Private Landing,” “Slow Motion,” and “Bus Stop.”
Key Glock: GLOCKOMA 2
On first impression I’m not very impressed with the final product of GLOCKOMA 2. The lyrics feel almost corny from Key Glock, for instance “I work, work, work my ass off” doesn’t strike anything that makes me pay attention to it.
To be fair though, he never was one that was known for his lyrical prowess, but I expected at least a little more, especially since Key Glock has some absolute bangers on his Yellow Tape series like “1997” and “Word on the Streets.” And yet, nothing showed any hints of that talent on this album.
However, the album is not all bad. The production of the album was phenomenal, especially with the variation in beats. All of the songs didn’t sound the same and allowed for a smooth listen. It just fell down to the artist’s performance and that was extremely lacking.
In the end, the songs I’d recommend are “Dirt” and “From Nothing.”
Yeat: AFTERLYFE
AFTERLYFE is probably the worst album released this New Music Friday. It clocks in at a little over an hour long, but it felt like an eternity. There are barely any differences between tracks, making it feel like an hour-long song.
Although the album lacks variation, the songs that do stand out, and the ones I would recommend, are “Shmunk” feat. YoungBoy Never Broke Again, “Now” feat. Luh Geeky, and “Myself.”
Logic: College Park
First off, I enjoy a great concept album over most great albums. However, College Park is a good concept album. There weren’t a lot of songs that stood out but understanding the story assist the listener to appreciate the album.
I didn’t think anything was special about this album until I listened through it fully and noticed that the album’s timeline is similar to that of a Tarantino movie. This is not the only time he is mentioned in projects by Logic. In fact, there is a dialogue about him in “Metropolis,” a song on Under Pressure.
Not only that, but Logic fans will also notice a similar voice that comes in halfway through “Lightyear.” That would be Quentin Thomas, the same character that appears in The Incredible True Story.
There are plenty of other references, but this album just seems like a perfect summary encapsulating the listener in the past, present, and other parts of Logic’s life to tell a story of Logic. Perfect for fans of Logic but this won’t appeal to someone just getting into the rapper.
The Kid LAROI: “I Guess It’s Love?”
The Kid LAROI does it again on New Music Friday bringing another love song. However, out of all of the songs he has released in 2023, this one by far takes the cake as the best. It’s catchy, has a great chorus that lovers will sing to each other, and overall, has that replay ability factor that will allow it to skyrocket on the radio.
With the sheer number of songs, The Kid LAROI has released, it begs the question: Is there an album in the near future or is he just having fun and pushing out anything?
The Weeknd: “Die For You Remix” feat. Arianna Grande
This duo never fails to be one of the best in the world. Both of them complement each other so well in their songs. Whether it’s during their harmonizing or when they each have a verse, the end product is just near perfection every time.
However, I personally think the original is still just slightly better. But I am sure that this will be a huge hit and others’ preferences would rank this one above the original.
Lil Wayne: “Kant Nobody” feat. DMX
Lil Wayne did not lie when he said “all I need is a beat with a DMX sample” because he used this to remind the new and old generations that he remains one of the top rappers. The production with the sample is absolutely amazing and allowed Lil Wayne to seamlessly glide with his lyrical ability.
“Kant Nobody” brings a catchy chorus, lyrically elevated verses, and an amazing beat — it’s all you could ask for in a song. Perfect for this New Music Friday.
Chloe & Chris Brown: “How Does It Feel”
This song is a perfect breakup song. The track follows Chloe and Chris Brown as they express that they put too much effort into the relationship. Now that they have left, the past partner realizes what they lost, so the duo asks, “How Does It Feel?”
Both artists, vocally, performed spectacularly and should be at the top of the list for new RnB this New Music Friday.
A Boogie Wit da Hoodie: “Secret” feat. Mariah The Scientist
Mariah The Scientist was a perfect addition to the “Secret” remix. Having the point of view of both perspectives adds another layer that elevated the original song. Definitely one of the best releases of New Music Friday. This should take somewhat priority in the new music this week.
Rich The Kid & Lil Tjay: “Do You Love Me”
Lil Tjay is very familiar with drill-type beats, and this is another example of that with his great performance alongside Rich The Kid. I was surprised with how well Rich performed as not a lot of his content involves drill beats, but he did find one of the best in that category to assist him. Overall, this song was alright. For sure not the best, but easily wasn’t the worst.
Lil Pump: “Tesla”
The TikTok snippets over this song were fun while they lasted. The SoundCloud rapper, who fell off, had a good hook to convince people he was going to make a comeback in the rap scene. I am here to tell you a comeback is not in the near future for Lil Pump.
This ep that had “Tesla” within it was just, well, what you would expect from a rapper who fell off. It was trying to be trendy while also somehow maintaining the SoundCloud-era style. Safe to say it didn’t work. This shouldn’t be a listen on New Music Friday.
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