New Music: 5 Hip Hop Albums To Look Out For This July
By: Cory Utsey
June was an amazing month for music. From albums alone, we got an amazing amount of range from Tyler, the Creator’s “CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST”, H.E.R’s “Back Of My Mind”, Doja Cat’s “Planet Her” and even Justine Skye’s “Space & Time”. In regards to singles, Megan Thee Stallion’s “Thot Sh*t” and Jazmine Sullivan’s “Tragic” allowed us to go from screaming “We Outside!” to reflecting on time that needs to be reclaimed.
With all of this in mind, June’s releases have quite the competition. However, July started off with “Wasting Time”, a collaboration between Brent Faiyaz and Drake that was produced by The Neptunes, so it already seems as though this month will have some great contenders.
Here are five album releases to look out for this July.
G Herbo, “25” - July 2
Kicking off the first “New Music Friday” of the month is G Herbo with the release of his LP “25”. Herbo told Complex that the project, pronounced as “Two Five”, celebrates both his age and the significance of the resultant of “2+5”; he states that seven signifies “the guardian”. “25” also pays homage to the people in his life who did not make it to 25, such as his brother and a close friend. The 19-track project, which features artists such as Gunna, 21 Savage and Polo G, comes over a year after “PTSD”.
Amorphous, “Things Take Shape” - July 7
Amorphous, a DJ and producer known on social media for creating amazing mash-ups, will be releasing his debut EP on July 7 called “Things Take Shape”. He first went viral for his mash-up of Rihanna’s “Kiss It Better” and Luther Vandross’s “Never Too Much” in late 2020. The accolades from this mix landed him a call from Fat Joe, who vied to use the mix for a song. The song, called “Sunshine” came out in January and features DJ Khaled. Although the EP is not slated to come out until the seventh, two tracks (“Back Together” featuring Kehlani and “Finally (Cannot Hide It) with Kelly Rowland and Cece Piston) are already out.
Snoh Aalegra, “TEMPORARY HIGHS IN THE VIOLET SKIES” - July 9
Smooth and soulful singer Snoh Aalegra announced on June 7 via Instagram that she would be releasing a new album, “TEMPORARY HIGHS IN THE VIOLET SKIES”. On June 16, she released one track from the album, called “LOST YOU”. This album comes a year after the release of the single “DYING 4 YOUR LOVE” (which will be featured on this upcoming album), and three years after her second studio album, “Ugh, Those Feels Again”.
WILLOW, “lately I feel EVERYTHING” - July 16
Willow Smith constantly gives Black alternative-music lovers something to rock to, and it seems as though lovers of that genre will be getting more of the sort on July 16. She released two singles already: “t r a n s p a r e n t s o u l” featuring Travis Barker in April and “Lipstick” in June, Known for her creative, experimental style, this album comes a little over a year after the release of “THE ANXIETY”, a collaborative project with Tyler Cole and THE ANXIETY.
Pop Smoke, “Pop Smoke” - July 16
Gracing the world with another posthumous album, Pop Smoke’s team announced they would be releasing the self-titled album on July 16. This is the second posthumous album to be released on his behalf, with the first one (“Shoot for the Stars Aim for the Moon”) having been released in July 2020 with much critical acclaim. The Woo’s fans are hopeful that this will be an amazing project.