Best New Music This Week: Drake, DaBaby, Rod Wave, and More
Written by SOURCE on April 4, 2020
We’re only three days into April, and there’s already a slew of new music to run through. Drake dropped his viral hit “Toosie Slide” on Friday, and it’s bound to take over TikTok by the end of the weekend. Frank Ocean officially released two acoustic singles he originally previewed during his PrEP+ club night in 2019. DaBaby is showing a different side of himself on “Find My Way,” and Gunna, Young Thug, and Turbo connected for the pandemic-inspired anthem, “Quarantine Clean.” Thundercat, Rod Wave, and Tory Lanez also dropped some new heat. Here’s the best new music of the week.
And make sure to follow our accompanying Best New Music playlist on Spotify here!
Drake, “Toosie Slide”
Drake’s newest single “Toosie Slide” was already a viral hit nearly a week before its official release. The rapper began teasing the track with help from Atlanta dancer Toosie, who performed the instructional choreography from the chorus (“It go right foot up, left foot slide/ Left foot up, right foot slide”). Drake couldn’t have picked a better time to drop the track. “Toosie Slide” is exactly what everyone is looking for as we’re all holed up inside during the pandemic and seeking new challenges to try. People will get caught up in the dance, but “Toosie Slide” isn’t all gimmick. Sure you can create a Tiktok video to it, but Drake’s melodic bars layered with OZ’s production is also worth listening to when you’re riding around in the car or heading out for a quick walk around the block. Maybe someday we’ll actually get to hear it in a club. —Jessica McKinney
Frank Ocean, “Dear April”
Frank Ocean dropped off “Dear April” on streaming services after original teasing the record during his inaugural PrEP+ club in New York City in October 2019. The track is an emotional love letter to a significant other, with introspective lyrics about changes in their relationship. “Dear April, we were safe for a while/We were safe as the years flew by/If you could take two strangers/Lead them left and right/At a certain place and time,” he sings. The song doesn’t really have a structure; there’s just one verse and an outro. But it’s another soothing and sweet-sounding record from Frank. —Jessica McKinney
DaBaby, “Find My Way”
“Find My Way” isn’t your typical track from DaBaby. Many fans have criticized the rapper for coming out with the same song and same flow every few months. Even DaBaby himself has joked about making every song sound like a continuation of his previous hits, but he decided to switch things up here. On “Find My Way,” he flexes his melodic skills, singing with raspy baritone vocals on the chorus. While he still raps with the same aggression and energy he is known for on the verses, his subject matter shifts from raunchy bars about taking someone’s girl to a reflection about someone who stepped on his heart. —Jessica McKinney
Turbo, Gunna, Young Thug, “Quarantine Clean”
Turbo, Gunna, and Young Thug linked up on the latest pandemic-inspired record. “Quarantine Clean” is a slow-building track but has a nice bounce once Gunna cuts in on the chorus. Gunna and Thug aren’t exactly talking about breaking out the hand sanitizer and bleach, though. “Yeah, I’m quarantine-clean, so relaxed/Got my pillows in my Benz Maybach/I don’t choose a ho, I got hoes by the batch,” Gunna raps. Both Gunna and Young Thug have voiced their concerns and frustrations about the coronavirus. Gunna revealed on Twitter that he planned to take a few “special fans” to watch the NBA season, but was forced to cancel due to the pandemic. At least “Quarantine Clean” will give the fans something to listen to in the meantime. —Jessica McKinney
Rod Wave, “Fuck the World”
Rod Wave’s “Fuck the World” is an antisocial anthem for the fans who are okay with not going outside or talking to anyone at the moment. On the track, Rod sings about wanting to escape, saying, “I told em take me to the moon, bitch, I’ll get dropped off.” Rod told us that “Fuck the World” was one of his favorite songs on his sophomore album Pray 4 Love, which is out now. “That’s how I feel sometimes,” Rod said about the song’s message. “I don’t want to be around nobody. I just want to be alone.” —Jessica McKinney
Jelani Aryeh, “Stella Brown”
If you’re looking for a breezy alt-pop song that’ll make you feel warm, nostalgic, and forget about everything else going on in the world, Jelani Aryeh’s “Stella Brown” is the one. It’s a fairly simple song about meeting girls but not knowing what to talk about with them, leaving room for Jelani to flex his tight songwriting chops over a comforting little guitar riff. It sounds like simpler times. It sounds timeless. It sounds like exactly what we need right now. Thank you, Jelani. —Eric Skelton
Thundercat f/ Steve Lacy, Steve Arrington, Childish Gambino, “Black Qualls”
Thundercat assembled the perfect group for his funky collaboration, “Black Qualls.” Together, Thundercat, Steve Lacy, Childish Gambino, and Steve Arrington sound like a retro ’70s band. With an assist from Flying Lotus on the production, the collaborators created an upbeat record with a positive message about letting go of fear and self-doubt. “There’s no more livin’ in fear/No more livin’ fear/If we don’t talk about it then who will,” Thundercat sings on the chorus. During a time when people have low spirits due to the pandemic, “Black Qualls” arrived at the perfect time to help lift people’s spirits. —Jessica McKinney
Conway the Machine f/ Cormega, “They Got Sonny”
A week seldom goes by without new music from Buffalo’s Griselda collective. The opposite is true of Cormega, the Queens legend whose last release, an EP called MEGA, quietly arrived in 2018. So to Mega fans, the most important track on LULU, Conway’s new project with the Alchemist, is “They Got Sonny,” which sees both rappers go in over a slow, menacing beat from the producer. While Conway delivers a strong verse, Cormega doesn’t reach the heights he did on 2001’s The Realness, though he finds the pocket and does come through with bars like, “You can’t impress me with talkin’/unless you’re a lawyer finessin’ the court/to take my people from detention to walkin’.” The song inspired certain commentators to suggest that Alchemist and Mega should release a project “dedicated to that classic QB vibe but with Alc’s slow stoner vibes.” We’d be satisfied with a sequel to The Realness—something Mega says is on the way. —Lucas Wisenthal
Tory Lanez, “Who Needs Love”
Who needs love when you have luxurious material things like diamond VVS’s and a lot of cash? Tory Lanez doesn’t. On his new single “Who Needs Love,” the Canadian artist brushes off companionship after experiencing heartbreak. “Don’t wanna take her back, she did the damage in this bitch,” he croons. “Who Needs Love” is the third release from Tory in the last couple of months. The single, along with “W” and “Do the Most” will appear on his upcoming mixtape, New Toronto 3. We can probably expect more songs like “Who Needs Love” on NT3 because Lanez previously suggested that the project was inspired by a breakup, saying, “I’m definitely getting over a girl that I felt did me wrong.” —Jessica McKinney
Flo Milli, “Not Friendly”
Flo Milli is your typical “mean girl” on her new single “Not Friendly.” On the WhoIsMike-produced record, she has no time for fake people, rapping about steering clear of other girls who are jealous and insecure. “Everything I do irritate insecure bitches/Follow my every move/Call that ho a fiend, she addicted/When I walk up int he room, I fuck up her whole mood,” she spits. The great thing about the single is that Flo Milli spends four minutes ripping “fake” girls and haters apart, but the song and her flow is so animated and playful that the people the record is directed at won’t even notice. —Jessica McKinney
Sleepy Hallow, “Deep End Freestyle”
“Deep End” leaked months before its official release and has been blowing up on TikTok. While Sleepy Hallow spits a typical Brooklyn drill flow, he separates himself from other artists in his lane by incorporating an electronic sample of a woman’s vocals that plays on a loop in the background. On the track’s only verse, Sleepy delivers hard-hitting bars with aggression and intention as he talks about everything from his street lifestyle to his come-up. “I took a L, but now I’m back grand winnin’/Look, and I’m doing well/Don’t even ask I’m livin’,” he raps. —Jessica McKinney
BIA, “Cover Girl”
BIA’s new single “Cover Girl” is just what the girls need. On the track, BIA is ruthless as she raps about her lavish lifestyle and spending men’s money. She also criticizes “fuckboys” who waste her time. “Niggas act like Future but they say they want a Lauren/The irony, huh/Quit tryin’ me/Okay take me out to Barney’s if you proud of me,” she raps. “Cover Girl” is a saucy anthem that all the girls will be playing once it’s safe to go outside. —Jessica McKinney
