In recent years, he's evolved into an emissary of Florida hip-hop and a rap star at the nexus of niche underground fame and household ubiquity, able to stunt on blockbuster movie soundtracks one minute and do pop-ups at Chinatown arcades with no security the next.
R&B in the 21st century has been in a constant state of flux, tugged between safe traditionalism and blurry attempts at progression. For the last decade-plus that "progression" has seen R&B music become more indebted to trap records and the moody atmospherics of alternative bands like Radiohead, Coldplay, or My Bloody Valentine.
Done it twice now they think I'm insane. I'm a boss, so I always find my way, I'm that guy, the boss of the UK. The wanted criminal, whose music video is seemingly recorded while he is sitting in the back of a car and holding an inflated balloon, boasts about his ability to evade capture and his status as a criminal figure.
In §46, Kant defines genius as "the inborn predisposition of the mind through which nature gives the rule to art" (5:307). Because beautiful art cannot be created according to fixed rules, the artistic genius is a kind of channel for the way beauty appears spontaneously in nature. (My slideshow includes Angelus Silesius's "Die Rose" on this point: "The rose is without why.") For Kant, genius has a talent that cannot be learned or taught, and it cannot give an account of itself.
Rockie does kinda feel like the album Donna Hayward would make if she could pursue her musical ambitions: She'd be influenced by Julee Cruise, for sure, and probably Chromatics, and Sky Ferreira, and what could be more Badalamentian than the cloudburst of synth that opens "On Our Knees"?
to goon-the act of masturbating alone for hours or days on end-is to search for ultimate euphoria through a mythologized trance-like state. For some, it is a way of life. This lifestyle is at the center of 2charm's restless and escapist debut record, star scum city.
Chances are, if the Atlanta rapper sounds like they have a loogie stuck in their throat, I'll probably like them. B5 and Zeeball? Yep-"Heist" might be the biggest omission from our Best Rap Songs of 2025 list. Rroxket? I still listen to his zooted-out regularly. Before I get carried away, let's add Bby Kell to that list. Her new tape, Straight Pop, is cool as hell-it reminds me of Glokk40Spaz back when his bread and butter was belligerent dark plugg.
Over freakishly lucid, cybernetic production, Zel pens dope boy anecdotes and takes a scalpel to them, splicing, re-shaping, and overlapping his punch-ins as he fits them in wayward pockets. After years of SoundCloud-only singles, his first solo full-length is immediately up there as one of the most singular rap debuts of the decade so far.
What does Comic Sans sound like? What does it feel like? And is it actually kinda good? These were the questions ever-present in the minds of early PC Music acts like Kero Kero Bonito's Gus Bonito, who, to this day, performs DJ sets in front of a strobing projection of his moniker Kane West in the notorious font.
The gift of skaiwater's best music is its unique shape, blown-out underground rap styles carefully folded into delicate origami. Forget every preconceived notion you might have about 'rage rap' and put on 'rain'-it's so pretty, a butterfly fluttering around a bomb site. On that album, skai harnessed beat drops like wrecking balls crashing into the walls of their heart.
The rapper, known on his tax form as Charles Wingate and known by his old Harlem associates as Charley Rambo, made his name in the rap game during an all-too-brief run in the 2000s, as one of the most colorful members of Jim Jones' Byrdgang, his solo offshoot from the Diplomats (although due to his growing up with rappers Cam and Mase, Max is like honorary Dipset).
Central Cee has shared a new song "Iceman Freestyle" along with a music video. Directed by Don Prod, the clip tracks the British rapper driving an old Aston Martin, drinks whiskey, and literally digging his own grave. Watch it below. "Iceman Freestyle" is the second solo single Central Cee has released following 2025's Can't Rush Greatness, his debut album on Columbia. The rapper also linked up for a few collaborations last year, including Drake's " Which One " and Sexyy Red's "Guilt Trippin."
fakemink has a new mixtape on the way. The Boy Who Cried Terrified is out January 29 on EtnaVeraVela. Although details around the release remain scarce, you can check out the cover art below. Alongside the tape, the UK artist has also begun teasing a new album, Terrified. There's even less information currently available about this record-all we know so far is that it's due out sometime in 2026, and that it's a separate project from The Boy Who Cried Terrified.
The staff of Pitchfork listens to a lot of new music. A lot of it. On any given day our writers, editors, and contributors go through an imposing number of new releases, giving recommendations to each other and discovering new favorites along the way. Each Monday, with our Pitchfork Selects playlist, we're sharing what our writers are playing obsessively and highlighting some of the Pitchfork staff's favorite new music.
I am extremely heartbroken for the tragic loss of our son, Nathan Smith. His mother [Nicole Smith] and I are devastated, the statement said. Lil Jon described his son as an amazingly talented young man who was a music producer, artist, engineer and New York University graduate. Thank you for all of the prayers and support in trying to locate him over the last several days. Thank you to the entire Milton police department involved, the Snap Yo Fingers rapper added.