The Ones: 5 Best New Rap Songs From Lil Tjay, Chester Watson, Yung Bleu and Kevin Gates, and Medhane
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.
Lil Tjay - “Slow Grind”
There’s not a NYC corner you can turn onto without hearing a high school kid playing Lil Tjay from their iPhone speaker—even an out of touch Funk Flex has recognized his talent. Within months the teenage phenom has used CashMoneyAp’s piano-heavy sound and turned those beats into melodic yet spiteful love anthems. “Slow Grind” follows that same formula as Tjay’s vocals continue to improve. The track has all the makings of a WorldStarHipHop hit and more: it’s catchy, he’s got a great flow, and he’s the up-and-coming star that everyone is trying to learn about before he inevitably signs to a major label.
Chester Watson - “40 Acres”
Florida raised rapper Chester Watson has got bars. Watson on “40 Acres” creates his own utopia on the track where he can spend his time, “Bumping Wu-Tang, rolling dank, watching Kevin Gates interviews, for the inspiration.” And while we don’t advise taking too much inspiration from Kevin Gates interviews that’s the sort of detailed and humorous line that sets Watson apart.
Yung Bleu - “Ice on My Baby (Remix)” [ft. Kevin Gates]
Yung Bleu stays on brand here, incorporating a blend of whites and sky blues to match the color of his jewelry in video of the year contender, “Ice on My Baby (Remix).” The song itself is a romantic Auto-Tune ballad on which Bleu exhibits complete control of his smooth voice. And Kevin Gates slides in for a show-stealing verse pouring his heart out: “Every time I hit your phone, bae, you know my only question/When is we gonna get together? Cancel plans and it’s whatever.”
Medhane - “Sky”
Medhane is spitting gas. The Khalil Blu beat adds an extra bounce to the Brooklyn emcee’s raps and Medhane complements the production by lifting his spirits. Medhane tells some of these other rappers what it is (“All these niggas food, I’m a different breed”), takes a look in the mirror (“Anger get the best of me”), and reflects (“All this shine when the sky looks the fakest”). And he’s only getting better.
LC Levi - “fidget vision”
The drums are faint, the melody is overpowering, and about halfway through the song a soothing flute completes the dreamy beat producer Nonayme provides LC Levi on “fidget vision.” The Stone Mountain, Ga. rapper feeds off of the hazy energy of the beat in a near whisper, capped off with a catchy hook: “Smoking that Henn, young nigga spinning like fidget.”
Check out yesterday’s Ones, and listen to new rap from Lil Tjay, Chester Watson, Kevin Gates, and more on our Spotify playlist, Apple Music playlist, and SoundCloud playlist.
