Weekly Hot Tracks Feat. Frankie Simone, Blimes & Gab, Dess Dior, Tinashe, & BLACKPINK
6/29/20
This past week marked an incredible one for women in hiphop, with loads of new tracks from the likes of Megan Thee Stallion, Cupcakke, City Girls, and more. Below is the latest juicy playlist, and 5 standout tracks to help get you through this week.
Playlist Highlights:
“KING” - Frankie Simone
Coming right off Pride Weekend and last week’s special Pride playlist, Portland-based pop-newcomer Frankie Simone is an unapologetically queer artist who just happened to drop this hard-hitting, hip hop infused, genderfu*k banger track this past week. Over a heart pumping boom-clap bass and gym coach whistling, Simone declares both in full force or via whisper, boastful lyrics like “I’m a motherfuc*ing king” and “You’ve never had nothing quite like me”. If you’ve been yearning for a new summer anthem from the likes of M.I.A. or Santigold, look no further—Frankie Simone has got you covered, pulling off double duty for both of them.
“Hot Damn (Remix) - Blimes and Gab feat. Method Man
It seems queer artists were in full force last week, and finally, finally the dynamic duo Blimes and Gab have dropped their debut album, Talk About It. And boy, do I want to talk about it. I’ve already gushed before about previously released singles like “Feelin It” and “Shelly’s (It’s Chill)”, and now there’s a plethora of new, incredible tracks to choose from that made it hard to pick a standout. If you haven’t listened to the aforementioned singles, definitely check those out, but also worth the listen is “Hot Damn - Remix” which is an update to the already great “Hot Damn” off Blimes’ 2019 solo album Castles. Over a retro soul beat, Gab introduces Blimes in the opening moments of the track, who then drops a series of confident rap lines, totally backing up her own lyrics: “Ima take it back to these bars/Give em casualty scars/I’m going casually hard/‘Cause I’m not about to flex ‘till I master it all.” Blimes then displays her soulful singing voice in the chorus, after which the track pulls in the legendary Method Man of Wu-Tang Clan fame for a few bars. With Method on track (and also Bahamadia featured on another song) you know the duo has the blessings of hip hop royalty, and I’d be surprised if they don’t go far.
“Drip” - Dess Dior
Born in Saint Louis, Missouri, up and coming rapper Dess Dior started her music career at a very young age, (13, to be exact) when she started a rap group with her friends. After listening to “Drip” though, the highlight off her new EP Definition of Dess, you’ll know that by now the rapper is very much all grown up. The song is undeniably sexual, opening right out of the gate with the fantastic set of bars “P**sy dripping on his Balmains/P**sy dripping leaving no stains”. Dior’s sultry rap voice works perfectly here throughout the track, and the way she spits the word “Drip” over and over in the chorus will make you double check to ensure that you’re not somehow soaking wet yourself. Dess Dior is also a model and entrepreneur, but after this EP I hope she sticks around to make more music, as I’m titillated to see what she’ll put out next.
“Hopscotch-Remix” - Tinashe, THEY.
Last year, RnB songstress Tinashe released her best album to date since her 2014 debut, which included the hip hop laden track, “Hopscotch”. The 2019 album Songs For You was also important for the artist as it marked her first independent release after a long struggle with major label delays and politics. This past week, Tinashe revisited her 2019 album when she released a dope remix to “Hopscotch”, enlisting fellow RnB/Hip Hop duo, THEY. The new production adds a much needed punch to the track, giving it a more rapid, upbeat tempo and modifying Tinashe’s voice by giving it a bit of a hazy, robotic tinge to it that makes her sounds a little more airy and dreamy. The original “Hopscotch” was already a sassy and flavorful bad-girl number, and this remix just made it ever more spicy.
“How You Like That” - BLACKPINK
BLACKPINK are officially back to conquer 2020, and this time the girls are clearly gunning for world stardom and domination. The K-Pop foursome are just coming off a sizzling feature on Lady Gaga’s single, “Sour Candy”, off her recently released album, Chromatica, and I am sure that the collaboration garnered the group an even more widespread audience than before. Not that the group really needed it. The music video for their new single “How You Like That” has already broken Youtube records, becoming the number 1 trending video on the platform and gaining 82.4 million(!) views in just the first 24 hours since its release. That being said, “How You Like That” is absolutely set to be a top song of the summer across the world, despite the fact that it combines lyrics in both Korean and English. The best thing about the track, though, is its duality—it starts off with light, uplifting and sweet pop verses, sung mostly in Korean, but pops off with MAJOR attitude once it hits the chorus, with an almost EDM-like surprise beat drop and a torrent of swagger as the girls start rapping hard and with impressive fury. Don’t be fooled by the BLACKPINK girls’ initial quiet and cute demeanors, this song is proof that they will absolutely slay you when your back is turned. BLACKPINK? More like BLACKWIDOW. Now how do you like that? Video below!