R&B/Hip-Hop Fresh Picks of the Week: Chxrry22, Luh Tyler, Kanii & More

As the first gusts of autumn begin, it’s time to accept that we are now closer to sweater weather than the peak of summer vacation.

Although summer is nearing its end — with Kendrick Lamar‘s “Not Like Us” sitting comfortably in the Billboard Hot 100’s top 10 for a 15th consecutive week, no less — Drake seems to be alluding to a round two of their world-stopping feud. On Friday (Aug. 23), Drizzy self-leaked a second batch of unreleased content and music from his 100 Gigs franchise, this time featuring a collaboration with Playboi Carti. Notably, the 100 Gigs update also featured footage of Kanye “Ye” West giving Drake his flowers while onstage at OVO Fest 2013. It’s a smart play that complements Ye’s recent shoutout to Drake during a blockbuster Goyang Stadium Vultures II listening party in South Korea (Aug. 23).

Outside of the Kendrick-Drake beef and its supporting characters, Travis Scott‘s beloved breakthrough 2014 mixtape Days Before Rodeo finally hit streaming services in time for its 10th anniversary, Macklemore accidentally brought a fan onstage who was being looked for by the Slovak Republic Police (she is now in jail), and A$AP Rocky graced Billboard’s latest cover and talked everything from his forthcoming Don’t Be Dumb LP and the differences between his and Rihanna‘s parenting styles.

With Fresh Picks, Billboard aims to highlight some of the best and most interesting new sounds across R&B and hip-hop — from Chxrry22’s new girls-night-out anthem to Luh Tyler’s swaggering new banger. Be sure to check out this week’s Fresh Picks in our Spotify playlist below.

Freshest Find: Hamzaa, “25!”

Heavy percussion and a buttery timbre that sneakily traverses the border between mezzo-soprano and contralto introduce “25,” the heartfelt closing track from Hamzaa’s EP of the same name. “Made it to 25 on my / Made it out alive on my / Now I’m on my A-game / We’re not on the same page, no,” she croons in the chorus, finding a hard-fought peace of mind in light of a pivotal birthday year. Countless songs explore the myriad fears, hopes and anxieties of different stages of your twenties, and Hamzaa stake a claim for herself in that conversation as it relates to the age of 25. Often the age that makes your thirties feel particularly real and near, 25 can get a bad rap because many people feel as if they have to have accomplished something major in their lives by that age. Those anxieties aren’t the primary concern of “25”; Hamzaa is more focused on the stability, growth and self-sufficiency that comes with finally trusting yourself after surviving the abyss that is your early twenties.

Luh Tyler, “Mr. Skii”

The Tallahassee wunderkind dropped his debut album last week (Aug. 23), as the Bossman Dlow-assisted “2 Slippery” continues to explode across socials — but that’s not the only song from the project worth adding to your playlists. The title track, “Mr. Skii,” finds Tyler employing a laid-back flow through which he effortlessly skates across OhYeaCris’s trap-indebted beat, which smartly plays on the sweet melody of Earl Klugh’s “Living Inside Your Love.” The song’s lone verse is typical braggadocio rap fare, but Tyler’s cavalier delivery and humorous punchlines make it all feel fresh. As he says himself, “P—y capping, that’s a cat in a hat, yeah/ Real shit, ain’t no cap in my rap.”

Ye Ali & Ant Clemons, “All Summer”

To put it plainly, “We f–king all summer,” even if summer is basically over. R&B maestros Ye Ali and Ant Clemons join forces on this slinky ode to steamy summer nights. Sultry saxophone, sparse 808s, and subtle harmonies all coalesce for a particularly immersive soundscape that conjures up just the allure and mystique the duo’s X-rated lyrics forgo. At just under two minutes, this is more of an overgrown interlude than a full-bodied song, but “All Summer” sources its charm from its brevity. Not only do they get straight to business, but they also stand on it without coming off as aggressive or overly eager; their joint suaveness is the song’s superpower.

Kanii, “Same Stories (Come and Go)”

Kanii is tired of running in circles for a toxic relationship, but he’s not ready to completely cut her off and close the book on things possibly turning around. The D.C.-bred singer leans into his pop&B bag for the brooding “Same Stories (Come and Go),” with pulsating synths pacing the dance-leaning track as he falls in and out of lust. “I’m tired of the same stories, the same games, the same lies / The tricks that you playing think I won’t realize / The same outcome again I waste my damn time,” he laments. Watch Kanii clear his head and explore what NYC has to offer in the track’s grainy visual. 

Chxrry22, “Poppin Out (Mistakes)”

Kendrick Lamar said something about needing to pop out and show the haters what’s good. The perfect pre-game playlist for girls night, Chxrry22 crafted an awfully fun bop to reverse a heartbreak. And rule No. 1 for Chxrry: there’s no crying over any boys inside her nightclub. But for the guys looking to win her attention, it’s going to be pricey – starting with sending her over six figures because someone has to pay for her mistakes. The best part might be the First Lady of XO living out her raps, as she enjoyed a not-so-demure girls’ night out last week turning up and celebrating “Poppin Out”’s arrival with her friends.

Free Party, “Eyespy”

Free Party returned on Friday (Aug. 23) to drop off their anticipated Cut Your Teeth EP. It’s an appetizing sprint clocking in at 10 minutes, with “Eyespy” finding the DMV-bred duo showing off their rapping versatility and seamless chemistry in the booth. Jay Veno comes out of the gates blazing with a speedy flow as Free Party looks to make a leap. “They better never let us see a crevice/ Better keep it zealous or we looting the s–t,” he raps. MoCo takes the baton and the plug gets pulled before the AUX cord melts, leaving listeners wanting more. When is that full-length LP coming again?