A heavy week for new music, and a heavier one for African music in particular. Two full-length albums, an EP, a Wale DJ mix, and a run of singles out of Ghana and Nigeria worth knowing about. The names you know are Blxst and Rhye. The one you might not, Joey B, is the most interesting listen on the list.
Blxst — Labor of Love
Blxst is one of the most consistent names in R&B right now, and Labor of Love is the argument for it. Thirteen tracks, 32 minutes, out on EMPIRE. The whole record is built around a single idea he states in the opening keyboard doodle: love is something you work at, not just something you feel. That gives the project a spine most R&B albums skip.
The standouts make the thesis concrete. "Something Bout It" is about pushing through the rough patches. "Outside" is a stripped-back acoustic cut about choosing time with your partner over everything else. "Work" turns the same lens on fatherhood. At 32 minutes Blxst doesn't pad it, which is the right call. This is a front-to-back listen, not a singles dump.
Joey B — Sexy Highlife
This is the sleeper. Joey B took Ghanaian highlife and ran it through a contemporary hip-hop filter, borrowing rhythmic cues from Cash Cobain's sexy drill and building something that works on a late-night drive and a dance floor both. Nine tracks, 18 minutes, on rain. Labs under license from World Records. Tight and intentional, which is rare.
The features do real work here. "Exopa" with Odunsi (The Engine) is the lead, with a video to match. "Kyeiwaa" brings in Bisa Kdei and is sung in Twi. And the late highlife legend Daddy Lumba is sampled on both "Princess" and "Akosua Broni," which roots the whole project in the tradition it's updating. If you only pull one new album this week, make it this one.
Rhye — JOY (EP)
Rhye, Mike Milosh's project, has spent a decade making some of the most intimate electronic R&B around, and JOY is six tracks and 20 minutes squarely in that lane. Out on his own Secular Sabbath Records. There are videos for "Hold On" and "Fatal," which are the two to start with. This is headphones music, built for mood over impact.
Wale x DJ Money — welcome to the aprtment (DJ Mix)
Not an album, a blend tape, and a good one. Thirty-eight tracks across 65 minutes, with Wale and DJ Money running a continuous mix rather than a sequenced record. It's been out since mid-May, so if you missed it the first time, this is the reminder. The format is a throwback to the mixtape era, which is exactly the point. Put it on and let it run.
Singles and Tracks Worth Pulling
Ayra Starr, "Tornado" (Spotify) — Two minutes of Mavin's biggest star, out through Republic and UMG. Short, sharp, and already landing on Apple Music's R&B and Afrobeats playlists. Built for rotation.
Black Sherif, "Find a Way" (Spotify) — More Ghana. Blacko keeps building the Afro-pop lane that's made him one of the most exciting voices on the continent. EMPIRE.
Shallipopi, "Allergies" (Spotify) — Two minutes of Nigerian Afrobeats with a video to match, out on Sony's Since 93. Shallipopi has been on a run, and this keeps it going.
Camidoh ft. PBee, "A Thing I Like" (Spotify) — A three-track Afro-pop single on TOPBÖY SOUND / GRIND DONT STOP. Camidoh's melodic instincts carry it.
Ludacris & GloRilla, "Real Hustla" (Spotify) — Luda pulling in the hottest name in rap right now and letting her carry it, which is the right call. The veteran-plus-rising-star formula works when the veteran knows to step back. This one does.
Rick Ross ft. T.I., "Mahogany Caskets" (Spotify) — A pre-release cut off Ross's Set In Stone album, due July 17 on Maybach Music Group and gamma. Two veterans doing exactly what you'd expect, which is the appeal.
The Week in Context
The throughline this week is African music, and it isn't subtle. The most interesting album is Ghanaian highlife reimagined. Four of the six singles worth pulling come out of Ghana and Nigeria. And EMPIRE has its name on both Blxst's album and Black Sherif's single, which tells you where at least one major distributor is placing its bets. Afrobeats and Afro-pop stopped being a crossover story a while ago. This week they're just the story.
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