J. Cole — “Port Antonio”

J. Cole finally reflects on the Kendrick Lamar and Drake feud in his music. Months after bowing out of the rap battle during his Dreamville Fest set, the Fayetteville MC unleashes his newest song, “Port Antonio.”

The cut begins with a thoughtful reflection on the past. “Young Jermaine walked the straight and narrow,” he explains. “I’ve seen good, I’ve seen bad, had my melanin mocked / I’ve seen lifelong friends turn to devilish opps / I was Mike in red leather, tryna tell ‘em to stop / You better beat it ‘fore you see the heavy-metal get popped.”

That sort of childhood peacekeeping remains intact in adulthood, it seems. During the song’s second verse, he explains why he avoided the feud between two of his peers as well. “I pulled the plug because I’ve seen where that was ’bout to go / They wanted blood, they wanted clicks to make they pockets grow /  They see this fire in my pen and think I’m dodgin’ smoke / I wouldn’t have lost a battle, dawg, I would have lost a bro / I would have gained a foe.”

That idea of a bloody battle spills into the rest of the second verse. “I understand the thirst of being first that made ’em both swing / Protecting legacies, so lines got crossed, perhaps regrettably / My friends went to war, I walked away with all they blood on me / Now some will discredit me, try wipe away my pedigree / But please, find a n-gga a out that’s rappin’ this incredibly.”

“Port Antonio” could be a loose single or it could be part of Cole’s forthcoming long-awaited album, The Fall Off. The Dreamville boss has been active and recently dropped bars on songs by Daylyt and Tee Grizzley. Listen to “Port Antonio” below.

Pharrell Williams — Piece By Piece

Pharrell Williams is continuing to build upon his storied legacy with a new film, Piece By Piece. He is sharing his life journey through LEGO animation and, naturally, through new music that accompanies the film.

“The Piece By Piece soundtrack is a celebration of my music and friends, featuring tracks both old and new,” he recently announced on social media. Tyler, The Creator shows up on one of those new tracks, “Virginia Boy (Remix).”

The soundtrack also features some other Pharrell classics like Kendrick Lamar’s “Alright,” Snoop Dogg’s “Beautiful,” Clipse’s “Grindin’,” and Noreaga’s “Superthug.”

Director Morgan Neville spoke about the film during an interview with MovieFone. “This crazy idea came from Pharrell, where he apparently had the idea that if he was ever going to do anything like a documentary, it would be in LEGO,” he said. “Apparently, everybody he told this to said, ‘That’s a terrible idea,’ or ‘It’s a crazy idea. It’s an unattainable idea.’ Fortunately, he was a big fan of my films, and he said, ‘I want Morgan to do it.’”

Skateboard P recently spoke about the film, as well. He marveled at how the format allowed him to explore his love for music in a unique way. “Helping people understand the process of synesthesia, seeing sounds and hearing colors, illustrating it is one thing, but taking it to the next level and depicting it through LEGO was another challenge,” he told Hot Ones. “But I was very happy with the way it ended up.”

GloRilla — Glorious

After dropping a series of hits and an acclaimed mixtape, GloRilla continues to write a Glorious story with the release of her highly-anticipated debut album.

The solo banger “Hollon” is on the LP, but Glo comes with a flurry of features too. Latto, Muni Long, Megan Thee Stallion, BossMan Dlow, T-Pain, and Fridayy are among the album’s guests. Meanwhile, Sexyy Red appears on the offering’s newest single, “Whatchu Know About Me.”

GloRilla broke onto the scene back in 2022. After releasing “F.N.F. (Let’s Go)” and “Tomorrow 2” with Cardi B, the rising star seemed poised for more. But after a couple of songs didn’t land the way she might have intended, she stopped working on her debut album and focused on her Ehhthang Ehhthang mixtape instead.

Glo spoke about this with Shannon Sharpe earlier this year. “I told myself to stop overthinking,” she said. “I was just trying to stretch out. But the whole time, I got big off being me. So I was like, ‘I don’t need to try to be bigger than what I really am. People like me for me.’ So I’m like, okay. I don’t need to be bigger than what I already am. People like me for me.”

Listen to Glorious below.

Rod Wave — Last Lap

One year after Nostalgia, Rod Wave returns with a new 23-song album, Last Lap. The rising star holds most of it down on his own, but calls on familiar names like Lil Yachty, Lil Baby, and Rylo Rodriguez, who appear on the project.

Rod kicks the album off with an introspective note. “Lord, don’t let me leave this Earth so early / Let me watch my seeds grow and flourish,” he says on “Turtle Race.” “Promise to change my ways; I’m going corporate / Mama said this where the thuggin’ ends.”

The album’s title refers to this idea of a turtle race as well. “It’s impossible for me to see you like that / Tell me how do I move forward without you watching my back / Tell me, how do I move on now that you gone? I can’t / It’s the last lap of the turtle race,” he rhymes on the title track. “And every step I take, I can hear you say, ‘Keep going.’”

Rod recently spoke about where he is in life during an interview with Montreality. “I’ve got a lot of mixed feelings,” he said during the conversation. “This is probably the most lost I’ve ever been but at the same time the most free I done ever felt, though. Financially free. Emotionally free. No chains holding me down. Nothing can really bother me or get under my skin. Right now, I’m just floating.”