What I thought was just a one off release of pent up feelings, now seems to be building into something much more, which would be an incredibly short turnaround for Ariana Grande after what was easily her most successful album to date. But I guess you gotta strike when you’re hot, and musically she’s on absolute fire right now, with everything she releases turning into a certified hit; and you can add the banger that is “7 Rings” to that growing list, as she continues to burn any images of her vulnerable older self down. Ella Mai had herself a big year too that resulted in some deserved Grammys love and she keeps things pushing with a new video for one of my favorite tracks off her last album. The video is a fairly straightforward affair but the song is a great groove. I mean, Drake always “borrows” from other artists so it’s only right some of his work experiences the same, and to great effect. Kanye West has made a lot of unexpected appearances this year with the most unexpected one probably being this guest feature for newcomer YNW Melly, but it actually might be his best one as he leaves the bullshit at the door and just lets the music speak for itself. It’s a cool little vibe – the video though? A whole bunch of CGI’d nonsense.
We just had a discussion about this, but Royce da 5’9″ easily had one of the best and most slept on albums of 2018, and easily his best album to date. So I’m glad to see him still pushing that project with one of my personal favorites off that tape. “Cocaine” is a very personal story for the rapper and the video walks us through that tale to powerful effect. Despite anything Soulja Boy has to say about it, Tyga easily had the biggest comeback of any rapper last year and he’s trying to make it a perfect 3 for 3 with “Floss In The Bank.” I could see it having some club appeal but out of all three offerings so far, which all seem to use a different distinct instrument as backing for their production, it’s the weakest one with the video reaching peak generic Tyga aesthetics.
Check out everything I rounded up below and let me know which ones were your favorites.
