The Ones: 5 Best New Rap Songs From Valee, Aminé, Reese LaFlare, YBS Skola, and Warhol.ss
With artists releasing songs at a fast and furious pace it’s difficult for the average hip-hop head to keep track of it all—no matter how tapped in they are. That’s why we created The Ones, a daily roundup of the best new rap tracks you need to hear curated by the Levels team. We sort through all the new songs—across all the platforms and subgenres—so you don’t have to. Thank us later.
Aminé - “SUGARPARENTS” [ft. Rico Nasty]
Aminé loves a concept song and on “SUGARPARENTS” Maryland’s Rico Nasty joins him to rap from the perspective of two successful artists who refuse to support their gold-digging love interests. Like a lot of Aminé’s music, the mood here is lighthearted: “I could be a sugar daddy but I’d rather not/This how I keep my money baby, and I got me a lot,” he says in a slow-moving drift. Then Rico slides in implementing her smooth and buttery sing-rap flow that she hasn’t used as much since she traded in her bright aesthetic for a harder-edged sound, rounding out their clever money management fantasy.
Reese LaFlare - “Nosebleeds” [ft. Young Thug]
Young Thug has been popping up everywhere lately, and this time he gifts Atlanta’s favorite socialite, Reese LaFlare, with a feature. Thug is in an ad-lib frenzy, shouting and making sound effects like he’s still in his vibrant Slime Season era. Reese plays off of Thug well, his flow is calm and direct. The Ayocain beat is slightly off-kilter with hectic drums that don’t follow a predictable pattern but Thug always sounds best when structure is an afterthought.
Valee - “Vlone”
Yes, your YouTube playback speed is still set to “normal,” Valee is just moving that leisurely through “Vlone.” For the last several weeks a portion of the rap internet has been irate because Valee’s flows have allegedly been stolen by other rappers. Whether you believe that to be true or not, Valee doesn’t seem to care because he’s got new flows in his back pocket. The flow he breaks out on “Vlone” may be his best yet. Every line over the staticky bass drags on and he completes them with his most nonchalant ad-lib: “These are vintage jeans (uh-huh).”
YBS Skola - “Life of a Shinner”
The accessibility of rising Baltimore rapper YBS Skola’s music has made him a key figure in Maryland’s thriving rap scene. On “Life of a Shinner” (pronounced “shiner”), Skola gives us a glimpse of his world; speaking on both his lavish lifestyle and the more grim aspects of his reality: "I'm so glad that that fucking cop ain't shoot me when he booked me." After dropping that grave detail he effortlessly transitions back to his melodic flexing, displaying the dexterity that has made him one of the DMV's best new artists.
Warhol.ss - “Layin Low”
There’s no producer more reliable than Kenny Beats right now. He brings the best out of the artists he collaborates with like Rico Nasty, 03 Greedo and Key! and now that hot streak continues as he links with Chicago’s Warhol.ss. Warhol has been on the verge of a breakout moment for a while now, and if the aforementioned artists have taught us anything it’s that the booming bass and crisp melodies of Kenny can get you there.
Check out yesterday’s Ones, and listen to new rap from Aminé, Valee, Reese LaFlare, and more on our Spotify playlist, Apple Music playlist, and SoundCloud playlist.
