Earlier this week, 21 Savage slid the announcement everybody’s been waiting on. A quick Instagram video revealed What Happened to the Streets?, his first solo album since 2024’s chart-topping American Dream, arriving December 12. From the I Am > I Was era to the two Savage Mode tapes that redefined trap menace with Metro Boomin, the Slaughter Gang leader has spent a decade carving out one of the grimmest lanes in rap. This year alone he added weight to Summer Walker’s Finally Over It and Travis Scott’s Jackboys 2, but it’s clear the solo bag is where he still does the most damage.
21 Savage doesn’t drop often, but when he does, the conversation shifts. What Happened to the Streets? looks ready to answer its own question the only way he knows how – brutally.
(REMIXER – Black Motion / Image Credit: @StillzBytrei)
‘Better Than That (Black Motion Remix)’ landed on December 5th, 2025 and adds a new rhythmic charge to the ongoing rise of Black Motion. The South African group, made up of Thabo “Smol” Mabogwane, Bongani “Murdah Bongz” Mohosana and Kabelo “Problem Child Ten83” Koma, built their reputation on heavy percussion that cuts through club systems with precision. Their catalog includes Gold certification on Fortune Teller, Platinum success and Best Dance Album for Ya Badimo and four SAMA31 nominations for The Cradle of Art. They also brought their live energy into a performance for NPR Tiny Desk (Home). Their collaborator, Lisa Ramey, first reached national audiences on The Voice, and moved across the US earlier this year as one of two vocalists touring with Zayn Malik. Her debut Surrender hit #34 on Good Morning America’s Top 50 Albums of 2020. Her track ‘Better Than That’ appears on the 2024 EP Foretaste, produced by Joe “Capo” Kent with Sam Maul and Glenn Schick shaping the final mix and master.
The remix strips the original soul-pop framework into something more physical. The tension in Lisa’s vocal lines remains, now wound tighter by rolling percussion and sharp edits that move her voice through reverb and delay. The groove feels grounded and heavy, with each drum hit carrying more weight than the last.
Black Motion keep the focus on rhythm, letting Lisa’s performance hover above a shifting pattern of drums and atmospheric details. Fans of Shimza, Black Coffee and Culoe De Song will recognize that approach, though this track still holds onto the emotional pull of the original cut.
This version hints at how easily Lisa’s voice can live inside Afro-House. The remix pushes her sound into a new lane without losing the urgency of her delivery.
Black Motion shared: “When the challenge came to remix Lisa Ramey’s ‘Better Than That’, we were all in. We wanted to bring our own touch and feel to the song, giving her audience a taste of the South African vibe. With Spice Drums adding his signature feel, we hope people feel the same energy and joy we felt while creating it.”
Jairic has spent years laying the groundwork for this moment, and with n=40 dropping today, his vision finally takes center stage. Born in Detroit and now based in Cannes, he is a creative force who writes every lyric, crafts every beat, and directs every shot himself. That fierce independence has already propelled him past two million streams worldwide, landed his early singles in the playlists of Wonderland Magazine, NOTION, CLASH Magazine, and EARMILK, and kept his sound spinning on NPR Music. Onstage, Jairic transforms exclusive venues into his own world, performing at Château Les Alouettes in Cannes, Villa Balbiano above Lake Como, and premiering the short film Azur in Paris. Drawing inspiration from Nas and Wu-Tang Clan, Detroit’s underground, classic funk, 60s rock, and the cinematic sweep of film scores, Jairic has spent five years forging a path that is unmistakably his own.
The eight tracks on n=40 are sharp, restless, and brimming with intricate detail. Deep bass lines collide with warped guitars, dusty samples are reimagined into fresh forms, and the drums swing with a loose, live-wire energy that keeps listeners guessing. Jairic’s voice adapts effortlessly: intimate and conversational when drawing you in, rapid-fire and breathless when the moment calls for it. The lead single, ‘Yolo 2 Yoga,’ fires the opening salvo, blending experimental hip-hop with echoes of A$AP Rocky’s cool confidence and Kanye West’s fearless genre-mixing, yet always sounding uniquely Jairic. The Vansh Luthra-directed video brings the concept to life, showing Jairic in conversation with his younger selves, watching them fade as he strides forward without hesitation.
Jairic shared: “n=40 isn’t midlife. It’s mid-war. I’ve spent my life building things that last—this album is no different. The music, the visuals, the moves—I’m making every second count.”
n=40 EP Tracklist:
1. Antagonist (Intro) 2. Mitt Rock Me 3. Yolo 2 Yoga 4. Young, Old, Short & Tall 5. Don’t Let Me Put A Track On You 6. UDK WTF I Am 7. Stick Figaro 8. Still AF Gospel
Long Island-born, Fredericksburg-based rapper ACE MEDA4 just released his first full-length Life / Stories, a no-gimmicks statement that plants him squarely in the lane he calls adult contemporary rap. No viral stunts, no industry plug, just a Roosevelt native who grew up on golden-era lyricism and decided the grown-ups still deserve bars that hit like they used to. He bridges that 90s/early-2000s craftsmanship with a 2025 mindset, delivering stories and reflections for people who never stopped loving hip-hop—they just outgrew the kiddie table. Today the album is out everywhere, speaking directly to that crowd.
From the opening blast of “WE IN HERE” featuring Rayla Devine—pure entrance music with knocking production and relentless flow—to the sun-drenched West Coast bounce of “NOBODY” that nods at Dr. Dre without copying homework, the tracklist keeps shifting shapes. “LIKE I LOVE YOU” slides in funky rhythm guitar and a laid-back groove that proves he’s not afraid to stretch. Every cut feels lived-in, the kind of record where the beats serve the message instead of stealing the show.
ACE MEDA4 explained the split in the title: “A way to express and share parts of myself and my perspective while also exploring concepts and thoughts outside of myself. Hence the split in the title. Some things are life, some things are stories, both come from my mind.“
Jairic releases his latest single ‘Young, Old, Short & Tall’ today, November 14, 2025, complete with a video rollout via Rich Air Music. It’s the final preview from his EP n=40, hitting December 5, 2025. These tracks have pulled in props from Wonderland Magazine, NOTION, CLASH Magazine, and EARMILK, on top of rotation from NPR Music. Jairic‘s stage presence has turned heads at private shows in Château Les Alouettes in Cannes and Villa Balbiano on Lake Como, plus a key live turn during the Paris launch of the short film Azur. Working across France, Italy, Prague, and the U.S., he’s clocked almost 2 million streams. He handles every element himself—lyrics, beats, performance—tying it to visuals that layer upscale settings with street-sharp details, locking him in as a connector across hip-hop, visuals, and high fashion.
From Detroit roots to his current spot in Cannes, France, Jairic grew up in a house full of music, starting out by crafting beats for local rappers before honing his own direct, boundary-pushing style. Drawing from Nas, Wu-Tang Clan, Detroit’s raw scene, old-school funk, ’60s rock, and score work from films, he packs dense bars into beats that shift genres without apology. Earlier cuts like ‘Stick Figaro’ hook listeners who dig 21 Savage, Yung Thug, Playboi Carti, and A$AP Mob, setting the table for this hip-hop surge.
Watch ‘Young, Old, Short & Tall’:
‘Young, Old, Short & Tall’ eases in on a vocal hook that grabs hold quick, then Jairic unleashes bars with real momentum over a beat loaded with punch and control. The mix starts clean but piles on distortion as it rolls, giving his flow room to cut through the build. The Bastien Leblanc video catches him in motion through a massive house, spitting sharp lines and showcasing how two versions of himself wake up from what can be described as a fever dream. As he goes about his day, he gets flashbacks to the fever dream which can be interpreted through the use of saturated magenta lights and hazy neons.
Jairic told us: “There are so many beautiful people in the world—and then there’s a ton of hate and doubt. Be strong. Keep forging and let the fire burn inside. There are a thousand reasons to stop—forget them.“
OutKast‘s induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame on November 8 capped a legacy that reshaped Southern hip-hop from the ground up. The Atlanta duo—André 3000 and Big Boi—broke through in 1994 with their debut Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik, a slab of funk-laced trap that spotlighted the Dirty South’s gritty edge. They kept pushing boundaries across ATLiens in 1996, Aquemini two years later, and Stankonia in 2000, blending cosmic soul with booming basslines. Their 2003 double set, Speakerboxxx/The Love Below, snagged the Grammy for Album of the Year and went diamond, proving rap could dominate pop charts without losing its bite.
At the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, Childish Gambino handed over the honor, crediting OutKast for building Atlanta into a hip-hop powerhouse and paving the way for acts like his own. The pair kept it light with a quick Rock, Paper, Scissors round to pick speech order. Big Boi led off, shouting out the divine spark that linked him with his partner from the jump. André 3000 followed with an off-the-cuff reflection, voice cracking as he nodded to humble origins in the cramped Dungeon Family setup—echoing Jack White‘s nod to “little rooms” where big ideas ignite.
Big Boi closed the night solo, ripping through a high-energy medley of classics backed by Tyler, The Creator, J.I.D, Killer Mike, Janelle Monáe, and Doja Cat. As the lone hip-hop group in this year’s class, OutKast slots in alongside past inductees like Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, Run-DMC, Public Enemy, N.W.A, Tupac Shakur, Jay-Z, Eminem, and Missy Elliott—plus last year’s A Tribe Called Quest. Salt-N-Pepa picked up the Musical Influence Award, while the late Warren Zevon got his due in rock.
Australia’s own Ollie Hunt returns with ‘Ah!’, a genre-blurring banger that refuses to be boxed in—electrified with the kind of self-determination rarely this polished. The Melbourne native channels a fearless new era here: one where the pop star isn’t seeking the spotlight but is the spotlight.
Think melodic high fashion meets emotional catharsis. Hunt’s vocals skate over a production laced with house shimmer, R&B sleekness, and pop punch. But beyond the sonic design lies the ethos—this is a track about owning it, whatever “it” is to you. Anxiety is no longer the monster under the bed; it’s been laced into the lyricism and transmuted into a rhythmic weapon.
Having already clocked over 240K combined streams with previous releases, Hunt levels up on ‘Ah!’ with a track that stares back at the industry and says, “Watch me.” And honestly? We will.
Der Oscar Effekt, the Cameroon-born artist now based in Germany, kicked off his latest chapter with the release of ‘Fool‘ on October 17, 2025, serving as the lead single for his forthcoming album three stone fireside, vol. 1, due out October 24. Drawing from Afrofusion, Makossa, Bikutsi, African folk, and hip-hop, he builds tracks that pulse with introspection and groove, all while holding down a day job as a project manager—embodying his #9to5isnoexcuse ethos that turns constraints into fuel for creation. Over the past couple years, he’s solidified his voice through two standout full-lengths: the unguarded Kryptonite in 2023, which laid bare his inner workings, and 2024’s Neige et Poussière, a bilingual nod to the push-pull of African dust and European chill, exploring renewal and split identities. With this new project, Der Oscar Effekt channels the communal hum of Cameroon’s three-stone fireside setups—those outdoor hearths for cooking, chatting, and handing down stories—into beats crafted by producers back home, threading themes of love, betrayal, grit, and thanks across the record.
On ‘Fool‘, Der Oscar Effekt leans into quiet intensity, weaving English and Pidgin over a steady, contemplative rhythm that lets the lyrics simmer. It’s a track forged in the aftermath of repeatedly being misunderstood and betrayed.
Der Oscar Effekt had this to say: “Before we can shine for the world, we must understand the fire that keeps us warm.” In a scene quick to hype the next big drop, his work cuts deeper, merging daily grind with deep-rooted sounds to build something that resonates long after the beat fades.
Groundbreaking social music platform PLAYY. Music has just launched a game-changing competition for independent artists all over the world.
The recently launched platform is offering a $25,000 record deal that includes full recording costs, studio production, and a comprehensive international PR and marketing campaign for an entire year. This opportunity is open to all artists who sign up and upload music to PLAYY. Music before 20 February 2026.
The winner will receive professional recording and production support, as well as a full-scale global press and radio campaign. This includes blogs, webzines, broadsheets, national and regional radio and press, YouTube channels, and Spotify playlisting across 10 countries: United States, Canada, France, Germany, Spain, Portugal, Netherlands, Italy, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa as well as Brazil. In addition, the selected artist will have an exclusive feature in YourEDM as well as PLAYY. Mag.
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Sharing more on the vision behind the platform, Director Warren Morris revealed; “Our mission is simple, to give independent artists the same power and global reach that major labels offer—without the red tape. This record deal giveaway isn’t just about a single artist’s success story; it’s about showing what’s possible when artists control their music, data, and destiny.”
D’Angelo, the trailblazing R&B and soul artist whose real name was Michael Eugene Archer, died on October 14, 2025, at age 51 following a diagnosis of pancreatic cancer. Born in Richmond, Virginia, to a Pentecostal minister father, he picked up piano skills by age three and cut his teeth in local outfits like Three of a Kind and I.D.U. before snagging a publishing deal with EMI after dominating the Apollo Theater’s amateur night. His 1995 debut Brown Sugar put him on the map, with the single ‘Lady’ climbing to No. 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 and earning Grammy nods that cemented his rise. Over three albums, he snagged four Grammys, blending R&B roots with hip-hop grooves and jazz flourishes to forge neo-soul’s core sound.
What set D’Angelo apart was his raw command of melody and rhythm, evident from the sultry, unbroken-take video for ‘Untitled (How Does It Feel)’ that sparked endless talk in the late ’90s. Voodoo, his 2000 sophomore effort, hit No. 1 on the US charts and later earned a spot at No. 28 on Rolling Stone’s all-time greats list, just edging out The Beatles’ White Album. Even after personal battles with addiction and a near-fatal 2005 crash, he reemerged in 2014 with Black Messiah, sparked by unrest over cases like Michael Brown and Eric Garner, which took home the best R&B album Grammy in 2016. Early collaborations with Lauryn Hill and The Roots underscored his songwriting chops before he became a commercial powerhouse.
As tributes roll in from peers like Beyoncé, who hailed his genre-shifting impact, and Lauryn Hill, who praised his blend of toughness and nuance in Black expression, D’Angelo’s influence echoes through today’s acts. Nile Rodgers remembered pushing the young talent to release his demos, only to hear them dominate airwaves soon after. From Doja Cat calling him a generational spark to Tyler, the Creator crediting him for wiring his own sound, the outpouring highlights a career that reshaped soul’s boundaries. Working on a fourth album with Raphael Saadiq right up to the end, he leaves behind a catalog that keeps pushing musicians forward.
