Asset.Radio is a weekly playlist of new hip-hop releases curated by OGM contributor Aidan C Werder (@aidantheasset). See last week’s here.
Tune in weekly for a fresh batch of 25 (ish) new releases, or throw on shuffle for a random sampling of new music from some of the most original and compelling 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
For Asset.Radio.22.7.1. (July 2022, Part 1), Bino Rideaux claimed the top spot after dropping his long-awaited Sorry 4 Tha Wait II. The west coast’s rising star has been pushing the line for years with his smooth melodies and rap/R&B hybrid sound, and last week delivered a ‘knoccout’ project featuring numerous standouts including “IF U EVER” and “HEARTLESS” featuring a posthumous verse from Drakeo the Ruler.
Also deserving of his own shoutout, the underground’s best-kept secret Highway finally dropped his own self-titled (and self-produced) project — earning the second spot on this week’s list with “Right Way9,” an early standout from the tape that captures his unique and compelling style.
Apparently this week was one for huge collabs. Some made perfect sense like CMG labelmates Mozzy and EST Gee teaming up for the grimy “Lurkin,” or ATL big dogs Gucci Mane and Lil Baby linking up to show off “All Dz Chainz” they’ve gathered from putting on for the A.
And some were less expected, like Cardi B’s “Hot Shit” with eyebrow-raising features from Ye and Lil Durk or DJ Drama’s “Forever” featuring a New York dream team of Fabolous, Jim Jones and Benny the Butcher — with a surprise appearance from the viral uptown gyalis, Capella Grey. Another treat for the golden-era-boom-bap-inclined, Lloyd Banks and Conway the Machine bodied their collab track, “Menace.”
Money Man and G Herbo are representing for the streets, articulating just how cold they can be on “Streets Cold” off Money Man’s new album. From Atlanta, CEO Trayle continues to double down on his unorthodox style and nonstop release strategy, celebrating the holiday weekend with “July 4th” and Strick carries the YSL torch with his new project The Machine, Vol. 3. Broward County’s FCG Heem tapped the quietly lit rising star out of Pompano Beach, Loe Shimmy for “Not Lit.” From Texas, Dallas’ BigXThaPlug continued to scorch the mic with his relentless flow on “Active” and Fort Worth’s Enchanting dropped an incredibly catchy R&B bop with Jacquees — continuing to prove why she’s one of the most promising acts on the roster of Gucci Mane’s New 1017.
From the West Coast, Ralfy the Plug extends his residency on Asset.Radio another week with “Big Loaf” off his recent Skateboard P (Deluxe) — which was accompanied by a funny visual of Ralfy and Detroit’s Peezy flexing literal loaves of bread in a supermarket. Cookies kingpin Berner dropped a new single, surely celebrating some massive legal cannabis deal with “Cold Champagne For Lunch.” And promising Long Beach newcomer MyCrazyRo dropped “Disguise,” a catchy and surprisingly gentle new single showcasing his compelling melodic delivery — in the best way sounding like a west coast PNB Rock.
Love him or hate him, the polarizing new wave behemoth, Yeat dominated the week’s news coverage with the release of “Rich Minion” for the the new Minions movie — and the accompanying viral madness that ensued at movie theatres across the country. “Rich Minion” was so viral it became the inspiration for this week’s coverart.
From the rest of the new wave, SSGKobe dropped “Getcha” with an eye-popping DotComNirvan visual ahead of his new EP, Sig.Carlito (aka 16YROLD) remixed Drake’s “What’s Next” for his new single “I & v”, and Dro Kenji and KillBunk collided worlds for “My World” as Kenji gets ready to release a new EP this month.
Out of the ATL, Bear1Boss dropped a new single “nike!” and Tony Shhnow linked with prolific pluggnb staple, Cashcache! for a knockout single in “real runtz” — all of whom appeared in SoundCloud’s recent documentary exploring Atlanta’s plugg scene.
Tapping into the growing trend of bass-bumping dance music, two new wave newcomers of NYC both came with their own dance-infused bops. Hass Irv continues to carve out his own place on NYC’s cutting edge with the bouncy “Let Me Know” and Pasto Flocco utilized the same sample from Drake’s “Flight’s Booked” for his “GLE Freestyle 2.”
Philly is also getting in on the dance-fueled club music wave, with popular faces like DSturdy and 2RARE exporting their popular “blick” dance moves with infectious songs like “Shake That,” “Remember Me” and joining forces with PGS Spence for “Sri Lanka.” 2Rare even had Drake blicking in the club while shooting the “Sticky” music video in a viral video that circulated earlier this month.
Finally, Sad Frosty’s album was posthumously released this week after tragically passing away at just 24 years old earlier this year. It contained features from Chief Keef, DC the Don and Big Teezo and received an outpouring of support from the underground community — and included one of his biggest and most defining songs, “Ice Cream.” Rest in Peace Sad Frosty.
Listen to Asset.Radio.22.7.1 below and tune in every week for a fresh batch of new releases
