XXL’s Songs of the Week (Feb. 7–Feb. 13)

The latter half of this week was dominated by the marquee names. Just yesterday (Feb. 12), Kanye West unveiled his late-Hunger Games clothing line (and a phenomenal new song from his upcoming album), and Drake unleashed his surprise album, If You're Reading This It's Too Late. Only the latter is represented here--West's Vic Mensa- and Sia-featuring "Wolves" has yet to be released in proper quality. But the week saw stellar releases from esteemed 40-somethings (Ghostface, GZA), insatiable up-and-comers (Lil Herb, Father) and, well, Kendrick Lamar. These are the XXL staff picks for the best songs of the week ending Feb. 13.

Kendrick Lamar "The Blacker The Berry"

"My hair is nappy, my dick is big, my nose is round and wide." Kendrick Lamar's second Interscope album has yet to be announced, but "The Black The Berry" is a potent reminder of just how easily the Compton MC can rattle the proverbial cage. The tension in "Berry" is the intersection of thousands of years' worth of systemic racism and personal, immediate insecurities. Where political songs can easily raise up arms against straw men, Kendrick (casting himself as "the biggest hypocrite of 2015") looks inward, asking what it means to be militant. None of this curbs the vitriol for the Aryans. Boi-1da's drums are barely street legal.

Father Featuring iLoveMakonnen & Rich Po Slim "Young Hot Ebony (Remix)"

If the era of the unlikable male protagonist is finally drawing to a close in television and film, Father seems determined to bring it home to Atlanta. The muted marksman won't tell you who his plug is, but he'll school you in the culinary arts. On the remix to his album Young Hot Ebony's title track, Father enlists Rich Po Slim and iLoveMakonnen, the only artist who provides a framework in which Father makes sense. This is what happens when you leave someone alone with a xylophone and 16 strippers.

Mick Jenkins "Time"

Mick Jenkins is unimpeachable. The Chicago upstart has an inhuman batting average; after breaking through nationally with last year's mixtape, The Water[s], Jenkins has quickly become known as one of the city's--and country's--most prominent young rappers. The space he occupies is the intersection between the college classrooms from whence he dropped out and the streets from which he runs. On "Time," Jenkins dips in and out of a hypnotic, droning flow, but makes tight, economical use of each and every syllable. He isn't playing around--he doesn't have the time.

Lil Herb "I'm Rollin'"

On "I'm Rollin'," Lil Herb proves once again that he's one of the most vital rappers in the world right now. The title is appropriate--Herb sounds as if he's squarely in his comfort zone, rattling off threats and designer labels as if they share the same Latin roots. The diversion about "gangbanging" that comes halfway through the song is one of the most creative uses of repetition in his catalog. Herb's violence comes with context and consequences, sure--but when he wrangles you into the present tense, there's only his growl.

Drake "10 Bands" / "Preach"

Drake's If You're Reading This It's Too Late is one long alibi--this is what I've been doing while I was gone. "I've been at the house taking nooooo calls" is the thesis of "10 Bands." There are no outsiders peering through the blinds. He "hasn't left the condo for a week," and on this, the tape's standout cut, he sounds appropriately sharp. Conversely, the PARTYNEXTDOOR-featuring "Preach" is an airy, subdued voicemail left for the significant other he hasn't seen in too long.

Related: Drake Drops A New Mixtape

GZA "The Mexican"

Some rappers never grasp when it's time to move forward. They stay retreading the same tired tropes until they caricature themselves, then fade into the abyss, and, if they're lucky, re-emerge as legacy acts. Others can't shake the temptation to chase the newest trends, losing sight of what made them great in the first place. GZA has found a way to toe the line, retaining what made him great, yet avoiding the pitfalls of rap conservatism. Billed as a cover of the 1972 Babe Ruth song of the same name (and with an assist from Rage Against The Machine's Tom Morello), "The Mexican" is third-decade rap done right.

Ghostface Featuring BADBADNOTGOOD "Tone's Rap"

Ghostface is one of the few rappers who has created a syntax all his own. The Shaolin legend has always been known for his left-field phrasing, his too-detailed imagery, his bizarre backstories for even the side characters in his narratives. In recent years, these tics have become less pronounced, Ghost increasingly comfortable playing a supporting role in the visions of others--his vocals on 12 Reasons To Die are often impressive, but it's an Adrian Younge album through and through. On "Tone's Rap," his newest collaboration with BADBADNOTGOOD, his inimitable voice is back at the forefront, Wallabees tightly laced.

Filed Under: XXL's Songs Of The Week

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