The DX Digest for Wednesday (February 22) finds Future telling the tale of a femme fatale in his “Draco” video and THEY. requiring some much needed “Silence” with their new single, which comes from their upcoming album, Nü Religion: Hyena. Bay Area kingpin E-40 also makes the list with his “Somebody” visual and Strange Music Inc. indie rap god Tech N9ne’s “Put Em On” slides in the number four slot. Music from Wale, LIKE, Otis Clapp, Nomis, Faith Evans (with Jadakiss and Biggie), a video game trailer featuring a remix of Rae Sremmurd’s “Black Beatles,” and Erykah Badu’s first open mic performance in the late ’90s also make the cut.
Future – “draco”
After performing the track on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, Future has delivered a video for “Draco,” which comes from his recently released self-titled project. The Freebandz king plans on dropping his second album of the month, HNDRXX,on Friday (February 24). Until then, check out the cinematic visual above.
they. – “silence”
THEY. continues to build its momentum and the duo’s latest release, “Silence,” will do nothing to slow it down. With its pop-friendly songwriting, R&B arrangement, Hip Hop attitude, and rock instrumentation, the track is a prime example of what makes THEY. different. Dante Jones and Drew Love’s 14-track debut, Nü Religion: Hyena, is expected to drop Friday (February 24).
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e-40 f. ricco Barrino – “Somebody”
Bay Area stalwart E-40 is back with another video, this time for “Somebody” featuring Ricco Barrino, which comes from Book 1 of his 2016 double-album The D-Boy Diaries Book 1 & 2. Packed with that West Coast G-funk flavor, the laid-back track is the perfect soundtrack for E-40’s signature flow to ride shotgun.
tech n9ne – “put em on”
With assistance from singer Darrein Safron and longtime Strange Music Inc. labelmate Stevie Stone, Tech N9ne’s new single “Put Em On” serves as the first from his upcoming project (yes, another one), Dominion. Dubbed a “collabo series,” the album is expected to arrive on April 7. Pre-order is available here and comes with a free bonus track, “Love.”
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wale – “groundhog day (poem)”
Washington D.C. rhymeslinger Wale apparently has a lot to get off his chest in the latter part of the extended version of “Groundhog Day (Poem).” The original version of the song first surfaced last year and was dubbed a “J. Cole Response.” The track comes after his recent collaboration with Lil Wayne, “Running Back.”
erykah badu- “first open mic”
Before Erykah Badu was an R&B/soul Hip Hop goddess, she was just another kid trying to make an impact with her art. In a video the Houston native posted to her Facebook page, a young Ms. Badu can been seen executing her first open mic event she titled “I guess you just gotta take that first leap…huh?.” She goes on to perform a raw version of “On & On,” which would eventually wind up on her debut magnum opus, 1997’s Baduizm.
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FAITH EVANS & THE NOTORIOUS B.I.G. F. jadakiss – “NYC”
As the rollout for Faith Evans’ The King & I continues ahead of its May 19 scheduled release, the Grammy Award winning singer has shared another single from the project, “NYC” featuring Jadakiss, an ode to the Big Apple. The King & I includes guest appearances from Busta Rhymes, Lil Cease, Lil Kim, Sheek Louch, and Styles P.
RAE SREMMURD- “BLACK BEATLES (REMIX) VIDEO GAME TRAILER”
EarDrummer Records/Interscope Records recording duo Rae Sremmurd has partnered with Electronic Arts for an exclusive preview of the official remix of their #1 single “Black Beatles.” Produced by Madsonik and executive produced by Mike WiLL Made-It, the hard-hitting remix serves as the background music for EA’s video game trailer for Battlefield 1.
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LIKE (Pac Div)- “MUSHROOM CLOUD”
LIKE wilds out with a new animated visual for “Mushroom Cloud,” which is taken from his debut full length album, Songs Made While High (obviously). The Grammy Award-nominated producer has earned nods for work on Kendrick Lamar’s “Sing About Me, I’m Dying Of Thirst” from his good kid, m.A.A.d city project and Anderson .Paak’s “Room In Here” from Malibu.
OTIS CLAPP- “DEMONS INTO DIAMONDS”
Queens-based rapper/producer Otis Clapp continues riding the wave he caught with “Fiona” with the new single “Demons Into Diamonds,” which is produced by 20th Letter. The song is the first track from his upcoming EP, Hellen Keller. “When I wrote this, I hadn’t put out music in a while, so I was approaching this as my ‘welcome back party,'” he explained in a press release. “‘Demons into Diamonds’ is about turning my negatives into positives; turning short comings into advantages; conquering the things that used to hold me back. In reality, it was, and still is, all mental. It’s also a testament to my growth as a man while paying homage to the hardships from which I came.”
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nomis – “Chapters”
Positivity abounds with Nomis’ latest track, “Chapters.” As he explained in a press release, “In a time where America appears to be divided more than ever, it would sometimes seem as if the people as a whole have absolutely nothing in common. But the one thing that all creeds and colors can relate to is hardship. All cultures and social economic groups can feel a kinship in the reality that there is no escaping tribulation. While some focus solely on the trial, Nomis offers us an alternative. A reminder that its always darkest before the dawn. A mantra professing that our past choices and current predicaments do not define our future. A slogan we can all latch on to. ‘When it hurts and its doomed for disaster, our story ain’t done time to write a new chapter.'”
Want more? Check out Tuesday’s DX Digest.
