Asset.Radio is a weekly playlist of new hip hop releases curated by OGM contributor Aidan C Werder (@aidantheasset). Listen on Spotify and see last week’s Asset.Radio.22.11.3 here.
(December 2022, Week 1)
Amid a busy week of big releases and instant album of the year contenders from Metro Boomin and Babyface Ray, Shy Glizzy came out of absolutely nowhere to have a huge bona fide viral moment and grace the cover of this week’s Asset Radio.
Eight years after dropping the original in 2014, completely out of the blue Shy Glizzy dropped the music video for his smash hit “White Girl” with a very special feature from the white girl of the moment, Sky Bri – the newly famous adult star who has risen to fame this year under the unique guidance of No Jumper’s Adam22 and Lena the Plug.
While the familiar smash hit definitely strikes a nostalgic chord (closing in on its 10th birthday), its catchy hook and scandalous bars still manage to feel fresh and of-the-moment – with the polished black-and-white visual giving new life to this timeless mid 2010s classic.
Metro Boomin definitely made it boom last week. The Atlanta super producer pulled a DJ Khaled and dropped an insanely good, cohesive project featuring many of the biggest names in music including Future, Chris Brown, Travis Scott, Young Thug, The Weeknd, 21 Savage and more. While “Superhero” with Future and Chris Brown was an obvious favorite ever since it was previewed in the insane Heroes vs Villains themed short film that accompanied the project’s release, The Weeknd and 21 Savage’s “Creepin” (a captivating remix of Mario Winans’ 2004 smash “I Don’t Wanna Know,” featuring P. Diddy and Enya) has slowly crept up the charts to become the early fan-favorite of the project. Savage also had another standout moment on his tag-team effort with his real life cousin and cult-legend Young Nudy on “Umbrella.” Overall, Heroes & Villains is already a massive success and a huge moment for Metro Boomin, who quite possibly just delivered the elusive, cohesive super producer album we have all been waiting for.
Babyface Ray dropped his new album Mob this week, going two-for-two in his freshman year and continuing to realize his elevation from a scrappy, fringe gangster rapper to a mainstream superstar with a ton of institutional critical acclaim from Rolling Stone, Pitch Fork, Rap Caviar, and even a live performance on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon. Whether you are a Babyface Ray stan or still wondering why he’s your favorite rappers’ favorite rapper, Mob is a must-listen. Instantly one of my favorite albums of the year, I could go on forever about this project… and I did. Read my full breakdown of Babyface Ray’s album on OGM here.
Philly’s 2Rare continues to build on the dance craze and carve out a lane for his signature club-infused style. This week he dropped what may be his best song yet with “Lil Mama” – adding an R&B spin to his distinct style with a club-mixed sampling of Mario’s “Let Me Love You.” It’s very easy to imagine partygoers across the tri-state area and beyond getting down to “Lil Mama,” belting along to the familiar lyrics of the R&B classic with intermittent dance breaks to show off the signature club moves of their respective regions.
Taking it to the oppositie coast, OHGEESY continues to make the most of his new solo career as he consistently drops high quality bangers like “Gallery.” While many are trying, OHGEESY has definitely been one of the most successful Cali artists to blend the increasingly popular Detroit-style production with the umistkable feel of the west coast – probably most evident on his ENRGY-produced “UP” from earlier this year.
DB.Boutabag is easily one of the hottest new faces emerging on the west coast. His punchy flow, his uniquely savage bars & personal lingo, and his consistently top notch production from best-in-class producers like Al B Smoov and Thank You Fizzle all seem to getting even better with each new release. His uniquely compelling style was showcased this week on “All These Blues,” a new single ahead of his upcoming project Motion Not Emotion set to drop Dec 16th.
DaBoii is another underappreciated voice on the West Coast. For years he has pushed the line on his distinctly emotive delivery and unmistkably Cali sound, and this year finally seems to be fully stepping into his own. His Can’t Tame Us project was already one of my favorite West Coast projects of the year, and last week he followed up with a new 11 tracks on Onna Gang. Some of the standouts from the project are its lead single “Built,” a killer Babytron feature on “What’s What,” a very gangster love song with “My Boo,” and the showstopping “No Manners” with rising SoCal artists Stoneda5th and R3 da Chilliman.
Doodie Lo dropped a big new tough-talking Part 2 to follow up his “ISTG” single from earlier this year with high-flying music video and a gritty verse from Kodak Black.
Detroit’s Icewear Vezzo is gearing up for the release of his Gangsta Grillz tape with DJ Drama. He teased its release this week with a hard-hitting new single, weaving his signature gritty Detroit sound with the classic trap feel of a certified trap legend in Jeezy on “One Time.”
Brooklyn’s Lola Brooke has certainly earned her spot as the sole representative from NYC on the list this week. Even though her bubbling hit “Don’t Play With It” was originally released over a year ago, the tough talking, sub-five-foot firecracker has been making huge waves in recent months as her fiery bars and larger-than-life charisma find their way to the masses – with a boost from a viral appearance on popular freestyle platform From the Block.
Moving on to the New Wave. Despite underwhelming sales (which have been widely discussed) SoFaygo’s long-awaited Pink Heartz project is proving to have a ton of revisit value. Last week he dropped the visual for “Goin Back” showcasing his elevated new wave sound and lavish new lifestyle with a polished music video – perhaps to drive home the point that he is one of the few new wave staples to fully capitalize on their underground success.
Dom Corleo is undoubtedly one of the newest names to bubble up to the forefront of the new wave in recent months. He’s continued to capitalize on the success of viral hits like “Ginseng” and “Penthouse Shordy” with a consistent string of quality singles – doing it one this week with “Party Girlz.”
2KBaby dropped a new single this week, “Stand Love,” further showcasing his catchy high-pitched melodic delivery with a short-and-sweet angsty love song about young love. As he continues to carve out a path for his unique sound, he also continues to cover his face with an increasing number of tattoos – sitting for a fresh face tat in the music video.
Glokk40Spaz is one of the most interesting new underground acts in Atlanta. Despite having some troubles with the law, he’s managed to garner a loyal cult following that can’t get enough of the way he combines his gritty ATL trap demeanor with the forward-thinking production of the new wave. One of the best examples of his uniquely raw style is on “Free Me,” where he somehow manages to marry his gangster rap style with vibey, pluggnb-esque production (by Sensei ATL) – and petitions for his own release as he currently sits behind bars. Hopefully he’ll be free soon, as there’s a growing following of eager new fans waiting to see what this unique young powerhouse’s next move is.
And finally, there were two entries from two underground GOATs this week that could not be ignored.
After existing as a cool guy in the underground scene for many years, and bolstered by his on-and-off role as a cohost on No Jumper, Lil House Phone has been making big strides to solidify his place in the game. After the successful launch of his streetwear brand High Rollers, he followed up with the release of his long-awaited and much discussed album Voicemails 3. While songs like “Ketamine” and “Speak on That” featuring fellow No Jumper alum and prolific streetwear designer, Blazzy, have been buzzing with the NJ audience, the real winner of the album has to be “Shitty Phone” – where Housephone goes full Detroit scammer and completely holds his own with killer verses from StanWill and the larger-than-life Babytron. Despite being Disconnected from his own show on No Jumper, there is a lot of love for House Phone in these streets – and hopefully he’ll continue to be able capitalize on his status as an underground legend.
And last but certainly not least, the highly entertaining Nate Numba Eight dropped a new music video this week. Known for his hilarious and hugely clever viral songs based around popular memes (including Tris Dog, ZaMonkey or Queen Elizabeth Runtz), behind the silly bars and over-the-top affect is an undeniably electric entertainer with his finger on the pulse of online culture – he was even recognized by Rolling Stone for his “Racist Robot Diss” aimed at the disastrous AI rapper, FK Meka. With his “real” songs like “Baccarat,” he manages to channel the same boisterous feel of his viral memes into full blown songs, channeling the spirit of a Flint, Michigan scam rapper the way he tries to say the most outrageous possible one-liners – but with his own one-of-a-kind Nate Numba Eight spin.
In conclusion, Metro Boomin and Babyface Ray owned the week – with a special shoutout to Shy Glizzy for his out-of-the-box move to revamp his classic single. Side note, this week’s playlist in particular has banger after banger and is probably one of my personal favorites of the year.
Tune in weekly for a freshly curated batch of new releases. Or listen on shuffle for a random sampling of new music from some of the most original and compelling new artists in hip hop.
The goal of Asset.Radio is to paint a picture of what the cutting edge looks like, answering questions like: Which artists are bringing something new to the table? What are the cool kids listening to? And who is an asset to the culture?
And keep in mind, all in the humble opinion of Aidan the Asset
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