Asset.Radio is a weekly playlist of new hip-hop releases curated by OGM contributor Aidan Werder (@aidantheasset). See last week’s Asset.Radio.22.8.2 here
Tune in weekly for a freshly curated batch of 25 (ish) new releases from the week, 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
The week of Asset.Radio.22.8.3 (August 2022, Part 3) apparently was a big week for a Drake. Not only did he break the Beatles’ record for most Top 5 Billboard Hits and permanently mark his face with his mother’s initials – which can really only be seen as a symbol of the full integration of the 2017 face-tat Soundcloud era into the mainstream – he appears to have enthusiastically co-signed Ice Spice, a bodacious female NY drill rapper who seemingly appeared out of thin air with a highly polished, viral-friendly take on the Bronx drill sound designed for broad appeal.
Additionally, many long-awaited projects dropped this week. The new hope for Playboi Carti’s Opium, Destroy Lonely lived up to high expectations and touched on nearly every sound of the new wave with No Stylist. Rod Wave definitely exceeded expectations with the release of Beautiful Mind, his first number one debut. The Game finally dropped his epic-length DRILLMATIC, packed with features minus the notable omission of Nipsey Hussle. The enigmatic Young Nudy fed his cult fan base with a new 11-song project, EA Monster. And Detroit big dog Peezy put out one of the most polished projects we’ve seen from the notoriously unpolished Detroit subgenre, that’s captured the attention of wordy hustlers and flashy scammers around the country.
Now that his new 43B label is situated it seems like Chicago drill godfather Chief Keef may finally be in album mode as he drops a new single “Chief So.” If we had to guess, it also sounds like Kodak Black, Babyface Ray and EST Gee might all be testing the waters for their next albums with their new respective singles: “Haitian Scarface,” “Anotha One” and “Love is Blind.” Babyface Ray also joined underground veteran Warhol.ss for what may be one of the best songs of the year in “Deuce & Fanta” off his new 3-pack 3PEAT.
From the west coast, in addition to Game’s album, Tyga works to redeem himself from his (aptly titled) “Ay Caramba” misstep, pairing a Jhené Aiko hook and a verse from late legend Pop Smoke on his new single “Sunshine.” OHGEESY teamed up with Flint, Michigan staple ENRGY Beats for his new single “Up,” adopting a popular Midwestern phrase on the hook “It’s up, It’s on the floor” – combining two phrases that point in the opposite direction but mean the same thing. AD from No Jumper (and Compton) took a break from his newfound podcast host/streamer career to take a stab at the new melodic west coast sound with a new single with Landstrip Chip, “You Got It.”
From Chicago, in addition to “Chief So” and Young Nudy’s new album, Lil Zay Osama dropped his own project Trench Baby 3 with a bunch of big features from Lil Durk, PGF Nuk, Icewear Vezzo and Fredo Bang, as well as G Herbo on “Chase Em Down.” And the ever-strong BigKayBeezy remains consistent with his uniquely aggressive brand of Chicago drill on his new single “Paraphernalia.”
Detroit newcomer Baby Money has been on an absolute tear, captivating audiences with his particularly hard-hitting approach to the Motor City sound. He’s gearing up to put out another new album with a new single “Get Dangerous,” not long after dropping his successful QC debut in February.
New Orleans’ Rob 49 and Tallahassee’s Real Boston Richey are two of the grittiest, most exciting new street-oriented artists to have popped off this year, and this week they combined their unique sounds for a joint single, “Yes, You Did”… and boy did they.
From the east coast, the Bronx’s Ice Spice dominated the news cycle with the apparent Drake co-sign of her new single “Munch” – another example of her broad appeal drill sound and eyebrow-raising usage of popular NYC slang (See “smoochie” from her breakout song “Name of Love”). One thing to note, a Drake co-sign is usually pretty unambiguous, so more to come on that. Also from the BX, Bronx drill staple Dougie B teamed up with Brooklyn’s babyfaced crooner Melvoni for “BEAM” featuring KALIQ. And Swoosh God made a very valid foray into the club-music lane with his infectious new single “Do Ya Shit.”
From Jersey, Cookie Kawaii reminded everyone why she is one of the undisputed originators of the jersey club frenzy with a rare new single “Hips Real Sturdy.” In a similar (but not the same) dance-inducing lane, the consistently enchanting Pink Pantheress dropped “Pictture in my mind,” a new catchy single featuring Sam Gellaitry.
Versatile DMV-native Yung Manny dropped a new project with some big features from Chief Keef, Sheff G, and joined by Kalan.frfr on “Georgia.” And Joony, another rising new wave-adjacent DMV-native dropped the deluxe version of his recent project.
As for the new wave proper, Destroy Lonely finally dropped No Stylist, what may be the most successful project yet to fully encapsulate what the new wave sounds like. Tana (formerly known as Baby Santana) dropped “swaggin like this,” a new single with East London’s Lancey Foux. And another DMV-native, yvngxchris dropped a a new single “Giig,” as he also appears to be getting ready to drop a new project.
Overall, a busy week. Big winners would probably have to include Rod Wave, Destroy Lonely, Drake’s mom, and whatever you think about her, Ice Spice. And special shoutouts to Warhol.ss for dropping a killer 3-pack with one of the best songs of the year, to Peezy on his killer new album, and to Detroit’s Baby Money whose new album is almost certain to be a banger.
Listen to Asset.Radio.22.8.3 below and tune in every week for a fresh batch of new releases
