Four albums anchored this Friday, split almost evenly between hip-hop's past and present: AZ Chike's Tyler, The Creator and Pharrell-assisted breakout, a reunion LP pairing Rakim with Kurupt and Masta Killa, Chaka Khan's first album in seven years, and Miley's tenth studio record under her mononym. Rockstar and Atlantic also put the first six songs from Grand Theft Auto VI: The Album into the world a day early.
This week's tape:
AZ Chike — No Rest for the Wicked
AZ Chike broke through last year on Kendrick Lamar's GNX, delivering the standout verse on "peekaboo." No Rest for the Wicked is his follow-through: a 14-track album with Tyler, The Creator appearing twice ("Look Like My Mama" and "The World Is Ours"), plus production from Pharrell Williams, Terrace Martin and Hit-Boy. Kendrick was rumored to appear after the two were photographed together in the studio, but he does not show up on the final tracklist — a late scratch that's driven most of the week's chatter around the project.
Rakim, Kurupt & Masta Killa — The Godbody
The Godbody LP unites two of the most quoted crews in rap history — Rakim standing in for Eric B. & Rakim and the Juice Crew lineage, Kurupt for Death Row's Dogg Pound, and Masta Killa for Wu-Tang Clan. The 16-track project is produced entirely by Rakim and Nick Wiz and pulls in Snoop Dogg, Ghostface Killah, Raekwon, Daz Dillinger, KRS-One and Kool G Rap across its runtime, with an Eminem and Jay-Z interlude ("God Speak") bridging the two halves. It's Rakim's first full-length since 2009's The Seventh Seal.
Chaka Khan — Chakzilla
Chakzilla is Chaka Khan's thirteenth studio album and her first in seven years, since 2019's collaborative work with Rufus. She co-wrote the record with Sia and brought in Lenny Kravitz, Snoop Dogg and Greg Kurstin across its ten tracks. In the years since her last album, Khan was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and became the subject of a jukebox musical — both of which get referenced on the record's opening title track.
Miley — Bass Persuades
Bass Persuades is Miley Cyrus's tenth studio album, her first release under Atlantic Records and her first billed under the mononym Miley. The 11-track record is built around her relationship with fiancé Maxx Morando, with features from Model/Actriz and Andrew Wyatt of Miike Snow. The title track dropped as the lead single on September 3.
Singles & tracks worth pulling
- Travis Scott — "RHYNO", produced by Daft Punk's Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo, is one of six songs Rockstar Games and Atlantic released a day early from Grand Theft Auto VI: The Album. The full 34-track soundtrack, which also includes contributions from Morgan Wallen and Keith Richards, arrives November 19 alongside the game itself. It's the latest move for Travis Scott's Cactus Jack, which signed a first-look film deal with Paramount earlier this year. (Apple Music)
- Rauw Alejandro — "Macacoa 2000" is his contribution to the same GTA VI batch. (Apple Music)
- ROSÉ — "new trick" arrived a day early, on September 17, with a video shot entirely on iPhone 18 Pro as part of Apple's "Shot on iPhone" music series. Full coverage here.
Looking ahead: Quavo's Qrömelife, executive produced by Pharrell Williams, is set for October 2 — details on that here.
The week in context
Two generations of hip-hop lineage collided on the same release date: AZ Chike's Kendrick-adjacent breakout going head to head with Rakim, Kurupt and Masta Killa's cross-crew reunion, while Chaka Khan closed a seven-year gap with her own record. Meanwhile Rockstar and Atlantic used the same week to seed Grand Theft Auto VI: The Album two months ahead of the game's November 19 release — a soundtrack drop built to dominate playlists well before launch day.
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