XXL’s Songs of the Week (July 4 – July 10)

This week, America celebrated its 239th birthday. There were parades, cookouts, NFL stars mortgaging their careers for a better fireworks display. And before the nation turns it collective attention to one Future Hendrix, five rap acts took it upon themselves to celebrate their beloved country the best way they know how. From Boosie BadAzz resurrecting the polyphonic cellphone rap beats from a decade ago to Gunplay barring English in his home, these are the XXL staff's picks for the best rap songs released during the week that ends today, July 10.

Young Thug, "Paradise"

When Young Thug dropped Barter 6 in April, his detractors--and even the more impatient among his fans--cried that there were no hits, no hooks, not enough joy. If the potential Top 40 barn-burners included in the debilitating hard drive leaks weren't enough, "Paradise" is proof positive that Barter 6's muted approach was a conscious choice. Thug is at his slippery, animated best, packing changes of pace and cadence into the song's tightest corners.

Jay Rock, "Gumbo"

Since Kendrick Lamar became a national force as 2011 bled into 2012, Jay Rock has been the quietest of all the Black Hippies. Ab-Soul bored his third eye into listeners over and over, and Schoolboy Q put out a solid, single-driven album on Interscope. Kendrick, of course, is Kendrick. But Jay Rock was always the elder statesman, the rock-solid presence at the center of the group. His latest single, "Gumbo," might not make him a household name, but it should. At the same time solemn and soulful, stern and optimistic, "Gumbo" is the closest hip-hop has to a true hymnal this year.

Gunplay Feat. Rick Ross, "Be Like Me"

After years of waiting--not to mention "Bible on the Dash" and a show-stopping verse on "Cartoon & Cereal," one of Kendrick Lamar's best songs--Gunplay's retail debut is finally upon us. At the end of this month, the Miami rapper's Living Legend will hit shelves, courtesy of Def Jam (and, in small part, of DJ Mustard and YG). "Be Like Me" is Gunplay in his element, which is to say it's Gunplay in a dilapidated beach-front shack with grams and guns and your older sister's most intimidating friends. Rick Ross is in "BMF" form.

The Underachievers, "Take Your Place"

The Underachievers exist at a curious intersection of New York rap. Theirs is the space where pop culture-conscious millennials come face-to-face with the spiritual healers, the conspiracy theorists, the truly, verifiably woke. On "Take Your Place," the barbs are as sharp as ever, with a death march pace and howling flows. Though they may never reach the commercial heights of more palatable hometown heroes like Bronson or the A$AP folks, a coalition with the enlightened isn't a bad tree house to hole up in.