Ten albums land this Friday spanning boom-bap, UK dance-R&B, Afrobeats, dancehall, and West Coast rap, plus a previously unreleased Mac Miller vault cut and a 25th-anniversary Mariah Carey remix. Here's the full slate, each with the Apple Music player and a Spotify link.
Listen to the full Uristocrat New Music Friday tape →
Rapsody — God Gotta Afro & Gold Hoops
God Gotta Afro & Gold Hoops is Rapsody's fifth studio album and her first for Roc Nation Records since 2022's Please Don't Cry. The 16-track set is led by the title single featuring South African rapper Karabo Ya Morena, and continues the boom-bap-rooted, lyrics-first lane that's defined her catalog since 2017's Laila's Wisdom.
Denzel Curry & Kenneth Blume — ii
ii reunites Denzel Curry with producer Kenneth Blume (formerly known as Kenny Beats) six years after their acclaimed 2020 collaboration UNLOCKED, out via Loma Vista. The nine-track, 24-minute record was built with nothing but an SP-404 and a cheap microphone after the pair worked through creative disagreements during sessions. Closing track "DIFFERENCE" features Yebba, alongside additional guest turns from JPEGMAFIA and Westside Gunn across the record.
Jorja Smith — What Are The Odds
What Are The Odds is Jorja Smith's third studio album, released via FAMM and produced entirely by her longtime collaborator P2J. The 12-track record trades her usual soul-ballad lane for a dance-floor pivot through UK garage, grime, 2-step, UK funky, soulful house, and Afro house. Lead single "Alive," featuring Wizkid, sets the tone; grime MC Devlin also appears, on "This City."
Thirteendegrees — GHETTO HIPSTER
GHETTO HIPSTER is produced entirely by Gyant and marks a deliberate return to the rapper's earlier, rawer 2023 style after last year's more polished Young World. In interviews around the release, Thirteendegrees pointed to Nas and Westside Gunn as reference points, framing the record as music "for literally everybody" rather than a single scene.
Victony — STARLIFE
STARLIFE is Victony's sophomore album, executive produced by Shay Royale and Elochukwu Ububa. What started in February 2026 as a planned four-song EP grew into a full 15-track record after "FRE$H" sparked a wider creative run. The title track features Blaqbonez and YKB, who first appeared alongside Victony on 2023's OHEMA, while BNXN, Young Jonn, BabyboyAV, and Fola round out the guest list. It debuted at No. 1 on Apple Music's Nigeria Albums chart.
The Game — The Documentary III
The Documentary III is The Game's 11th studio album, closing out the trilogy he started with 2005's The Documentary and 2015's The Documentary 2. The 24-track project was co-produced by The Game with Tommy Brown, Mike & Keys, and Travis Wilson, and carries one of his widest guest lists yet: Drake, Kanye West, Lil Wayne, PARTYNEXTDOOR, Snoop Dogg, YG, Tyga, Black Thought, and more. Preview single "No Brakes" put Drake on the hook and drew immediate attention for lyrics read as The Game siding with Drake in his ongoing back-and-forth with Kendrick Lamar.
PARTYNEXTDOOR — PARTYNEXTDOOR 3 (P3) [10-Year Edition]
PARTYNEXTDOOR 3 (P3) [10-Year Edition] marks a decade since the original P3 arrived via OVO Sound and Warner Records in August 2016. The reissue carries the full 18-track original plus three previously unreleased vault cuts recorded during those sessions — "Some Of Your Love," "Routine Rouge," and "You Made It" — bringing the anniversary edition to 21 tracks total.
Niniola — Without You
Without You is a four-track EP Niniola wrote and released in memory of her late husband, Michael Ndika, roughly three months after his passing. The Afro-house vocalist keeps her signature vibrant, dance-driven production, but turns it toward grief, love, and independence rather than the club-facing themes she's known for.
Cleo Sol — Gentlewoman
Gentlewoman is Cleo Sol's fifth studio album and her first solo LP since 2023's Gold, released through Forever Living Originals. The 15-track record was produced by Inflo alongside collaborators including Chronixx, Dave Okumu, and Rick Nowels, and leans into classic Motown soul, gospel, and jazz-tinged neo-soul, with the press framing centered on faith, reflection, and emotional reassurance.
Beenie Man — Eminence
Eminence is a 16-track album produced by Kemar McGregor (The Billboard King) via Billboard King Records, a project that grew from a handful of planned tracks into a full record as the pair kept recording. It moves across dancehall, reggae, hip-hop, and R&B with an unusually wide cast: Rick Ross and Rènata open the record on "305/876," connecting Kingston and Miami, with further guest turns from Snoop Dogg, Ashanti, T.I., Mýa, Lola Brooke, Rotimi, Elephant Man, Etana, and Stefflon Don, among others.
Singles & tracks worth pulling
- Mac Miller — "Butterflies": a previously unreleased track from the 2016 Divine Feminine sessions, produced by Taylor Graves with Thundercat on bass, out ahead of the album's October 2 10th-anniversary reissue.
- Mariah Carey & Rochelle Jordan — "Didn't Mean to Turn You On" (Rochelle Jordan Remix): a KLSH-produced reimagining previewing the October 30 25th-anniversary reissue of Glitter, pairing Carey's original R&B-funk foundation with Jordan's UK garage-leaning production.
The week in context
Ten projects across four continents' worth of scenes land within a day of each other — Roc Nation, Loma Vista, FAMM, OVO Sound, Forever Living Originals, and Billboard King Records all shipped a record between August 20 and 21. Three are anniversary or tribute releases rather than new-era statements: PARTYNEXTDOOR's P3 reissue marks its 10th year, Mac Miller's "Butterflies" previews a Divine Feminine 10th-anniversary edition, and Niniola's Without You is a grief EP written in memory of her late husband — a reminder that "new music" this week is as much about looking back as moving forward. It also follows directly behind last week's Starr Girl-led roundup; for more from this stretch, browse the full Hip-Hop archive.
Comments