Best Songs of the Week Featuring Childish Gambino, Mac Miller and More
Hip-hop has been going strong all year, with that trend continuing throughout this week. It's safe to say that fans of the genre (no matter what their preference) have found something to love. This week's collection of songs has a strong mix of young talent and industry veterans, with both parties dropping their best music a little after the midpoint of the year. Get into XXL's best songs of the week.
Childish Gambino scored the biggest hit of his career earlier this year with the bass-heavy "This Is America," but one of his more recent offerings is much more relaxed. His new song, "Summertime Magic," is about a hot weather love affair, as he tries to decide why this new girl has him so wrapped up. Mac Miller's new song "Self Care" is of a similar tone, albeit a somewhat sadder one. The final verse features Mac trying to find out if a girl really wants to be with him, even with all of his problems laid bare.
Juice WRLD, the rapper and singer who has been dominating the charts on and offline, recently teamed up with Lil Uzi Vert for the new single "Wasted." The track is about struggling through issues with a woman, but is still somewhat upbeat and might just end up being yet another hit for both artists.
On a completely different note, YBN Nahmir breaks his relative silence with the song "Automatic." The track's infectious bounce is catchy; coupled with Nahmir's straightforward raps, he may be onto something. It's been good week for YBN period, as YBN Cordae dropped his song "Kung Fu," where he impressively runs through a variety of flows.
As it comes to rap crews, Shoreline Mafia is having a pretty good year, using their traction on the internet to sign a deal with Atlantic Records. Today, an official solo release from group member Rob Vicious arrives with Shoreline Mafia Presents Rob Vicious: Traplantic. One of the best songs on it is the Shoreline posse cut "Bands," buoyed by a fun hook from Ohgeesy. Rob Vicious' verse is quality and shows off his charisma and comfort on the mic.
Atlanta rapper Father's strength has always been his charisma and sense of humor. His latest song is the creeping "We Had a Deal," where he mixes in threats with hilarious references ("Break a bitch back like Bane").
Denzel Curry's "Clout Cobain" was a surprise this week. The song is about the paranoia that comes with success and fighting to stay focused on your goals. The hook also uses Kurt Cobain's suicide as a way to describe a new car. The song will appear on Zeltron's forthcoming Ta13oo album. Smino also has a song with a car-centric hook with "Coupe Se' Yern" off of his new two-song set 4sport. He runs all over the low-key beat and may need more credit for his technical skills.
This week's list comes to a close with a song from a living legend. Houston rap mainstay Lil Keke released his album SlfMade II today and it contains the track "Still Ballin" featuring Z-Ro and Mike D. Rap has been full of ballers for quite some time; Lil Keke surely knows how the game is played.
Listen to the best songs of the week below.
See New Music Releases for July 2018