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3 New Hip-Hop and R&B Songs You Must Hear This Week (5/1/26)

Noisey selects three of the best new hip-hop songs and R&B records from this week’s loaded slate of releases.

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Every week, seemingly a gazillion new hip-hop songs are released on streaming services. From SoundCloud and Bandcamp exclusives to the endless array of songs on Spotify and Apple Music, it’s a lot to take in.

Additionally, some tracks aren’t nearly as good as they should be. Who wants to waste their time sifting through records in fear that some aren’t very listenable? How can one possibly have the time to even do it?

This is where Noisey has you covered. We’re saving you time in the playlist department to narrow it down to the three most essential songs in hip-hop and R&B you should hear. Maybe you’ll find a new favorite artist or album in the process.

3 of the Best New Hip-Hop Songs and R&B Records of the Week

“Melanate It” by La Reezy

When guys like Nas and Q-Tip lamented the death of hip-hop in the mid 2000s, it was an issue of commercialism hollowing out the culture. But a lot of people interpreted it as the music itself losing its way. It didn’t sound like it once did back in the lauded ‘golden age’ of hip-hop. Even today, the........

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