XXL’s Songs of the Week (Aug. 8 – Aug. 14)

If only we were talking about Compton. Let me editorialize for a second. Just over three weeks ago, I wrote the last post XXL would ever run on Sean Price while he was alive. It was lighthearted: In an effort to promote his new Songs in the Key of Price (out next Friday, Aug. 21 via Duck Down), Sean P had recreated Tyrese's famous Coke ad from 1994. It was funny, it was smart, it was irreverent. He wouldn't live to see if the promo worked. Last weekend, Price passed away in his sleep at his Brooklyn apartment. As I imagine is the case with most people in the hip-hop world, I have more to say about Price than can fit in this space. But for the time being, please donate whatever you can to his family's fundraising page, as he is survived by his wife and four children. Rest in peace.

Sean Price, "Planet Apes"

Sean Price was such a superlatively talented rapper that he could write his way out of whatever corner the beat backed him into. On "Planet Apes," you're lulled into a false sense of security; this is comic book fare, no? But Price is really carrying duffle bags with God-knows-what in them, and you don't want to be the one to cross him. If there's another rapper the PF Cuttin-produced beat evokes, it's MF DOOM, who just today eulogized P from a speed boat. If you're not up on the back catalog, grab Monkey Barz from your nearest record store.

Rich Homie Quan, "Bankroll"

Young Thug has become one of the best and most-discussed rappers in the world, but those who spent time with last year's phenomenal Rich Gang mixtape, Tha Tour, Part One, know that Rich Homie Quan pulled at least his fair share of the weight. Now, as he finds himself caught up in a legal battle that controls the masters to his hits "Type of Way" and "Flex (Ooh, Ooh, Ooh)," he returns to dropping cuts directly to Soundcloud. The Goose-produced "Bankroll" is an ode to money that can't fit comfortably in your pockets and those who tell you to get rid of it.

Chance The Rapper Feat. Noname Gypsy, "Israel (Sparring)"

Chance The Rapper has stopped burning Kobe Bryant jerseys and is apparently lighting more incense. The Chicago rapper dropped one of the most celebrated mixtapes of 2013, then receded into the spoken-word forestry, dropping solo tracks sporadically and with hooks few and far between. "Israel (Sparring)" is a sparse, considered cut, where Noname Gypsy is allowed to shine with her show-stealing verses. Chance has promised that his next solo single, "Paradise," will drop soon after being teased at shows for several months now.

Chief Keef Feat. Lil Durk, "Young & Reckless"

There was a time when Rahm Emanuel represented all that was right with Chicago. The one-time Democratic Representative from Illinois' 5th District served as White House Chief of Staff for the first two years of Barack Obama's presidency, then came home to become Chicago's first Jewish mayor. More recently, he's been caught up in a bizarre, misguided fight to ban Chief Keef's likeness from being beamed into the city via hologram. In any event, Keef teams up with another of the Windy City's finest, Lil Durk, for the remarkable new "Young & Reckless." Keef's Bang 3 is out now.

Dr. Dre Feat. Anderson .Paak, "Animals"

Lost in the sea of anniversaries and reunions is one very important historical note: "Animals," from Dr. Dre's long-awaited third album, Compton: A Soundtrack, is the first time Dre and DJ Premier have officially worked together. Sure, they've had credits on the same albums before--Dre and Preemo, respectively, produced "Watch Me" and "So Ghetto" from Jay Z's Vol. 3: The Life and Times of S. Carter and "Nas Is Coming" and "I Gave You Power" from Nas' It Was Written, to name two examples. But "Animals" is a special song. Anderson .Paak, whom Preemo first worked with at a Boiler Room show in Russia, is the track's backbone, speaking pointedly about how Black people are treated and viewed by the police and country at large. Dre's gravelly verse is his best this decade. You can listen to the whole album on iTunes or any streaming service.