New Music Friday brings 50 essential drops
Tonight's New Music Friday is packed with 50 essential hip-hop and R&B releases including full albums from Concrete Boys (*It's Us Vol. 2*), CHASE B (*BE VERY AFRAID*), plus singles from Juvenile & Megan Thee Stallion ("B.B.B."), Anderson .Paak & Aespa ("Keychain"), and Mýa & 21 Savage ("ASAP Remix"). Other standouts include Yeat & EsDeeKid's "Made It On Our Own" and Bruno Mars' soulful return.
Concrete Boys is a hip-hop collective founded and led by Lil Yachty under his Concrete Rekordz imprint. The group includes artists Draft Day, Camo!, Dc2trill, and the newest member, Honest. *It's Us Vol. 2* serves as the quick follow-up to their debut compilation project, *It's Us Vol. 1*, which was released in early 2025. CHASE B, known as Travis Scott's official DJ, steps into the spotlight with *BE VERY AFRAID*, a curated mixtape-style album he has been teasing for several years. The project is packed with high-profile collaborations, including features from Travis Scott, Don Toliver, Quavo, Big Sean, and Swae Lee. The "B.B.B." remix unites New Orleans bounce legend Juvenile with Houston's Megan Thee Stallion, bridging two generations of Southern rap. The original track, released in January, became a viral anthem for millennials, with Juvenile stating he intentionally created the song for that demographic. Megan's addition brings the momentum of a current "Hot Girl" to a "Hot Boy" original. The collaboration "Keychain" is the first single from a musical project inspired by Anderson .Paak's directorial debut, the film *K-POPS!* The track fuses the hip-hop and funk roots of .Paak, who is of Korean and African-American heritage, with the distinct K-pop style of the girl group Aespa, mirroring the film's cross-cultural themes. The "ASAP Remix" adds a verse from 21 Savage to Mýa's original single, which was released in January. The song is the lead single from Mýa's upcoming tenth studio album, *Retrospect*, her first full-length project since 2018's *T.K.O.* Yeat's "Made It On Our Own" with Liverpool rapper EsDeeKid is the lead single from his anticipated upcoming album, *A Dangerous Lyfe*. The music video was filmed at Drake's Toronto mansion and features cameos from quarterback Caleb Williams and Lyrical Lemonade founder Cole Bennett. Bruno Mars' latest release is from his fourth solo studio album, *The Romantic*, his first solo effort in nearly a decade since 2016's *24K Magic*. The new album moves away from the funk of his previous work to explore soft soul and Latin-influenced sounds.
