Nine notable projects landed this Friday, split between mixtape culture and catalog history: Beyoncé closed out the summer with a 27-track reissue of her second album on her 45th birthday, while a run of hip-hop and UK rap mixtapes — from a reunited French Montana and Max B to fresh statements from Nemzzz, Karrahbooo, and Dizzee Rascal — filled out the week. It's a heavier hip-hop week than the last New Music Friday roundup, which leaned more toward Afrobeats and R&B catalog news.
Beyoncé — B'Day (20th Anniversary Deluxe Edition)
Beyoncé marked her 45th birthday and the 20th anniversary of her sophomore album with a 27-track deluxe edition, expanding the original "Déjà Vu," "Ring the Alarm," "Irreplaceable," and "Get Me Bodied" with B-sides, Spanish-language recordings, extended versions, and her July surprise single "Morning Dew (Donk)." The reissue adds "Irreemplazable (Como La Flor)," a duet with Selena Quintanilla approved by her estate, and "CUERPO (TUMBAO)," a Latin rework of "Get Me Bodied" sampling Celia Cruz's "La Negra Tiene Tumbao" with a Maluma feature. Physical editions include a four-LP "bayou blue" vinyl pressing with a 60-page booklet. The lead track, "Déjà Vu," features Jay-Z, who's spent 2026 on his own coordinated catalog rollout.
French Montana & Max B — Night To Remember
The Coke Boys reunion continues: French Montana and Max B's second full collaborative project of 2026, a 10-track disco-inflected tape led by the single "Cheat Code (Follow Me)," follows January's Coke Wave and its 3.5: Narcos follow-up. It's their most sustained joint output since Max B's release from federal prison in November 2025 after serving sixteen years, and the pair have played it out live all summer, including sets at Summer Jam and the BET Awards.
Nemzzz — Locked In
The Manchester rapper's third mixtape, 17 tracks deep, is his biggest guest list yet: Travis Scott shows up on "GASS," Latto on "OK," and Cash Cobain on "TRICK." It follows Do Not Disturb, which introduced his understated, drill-and-trap-leaning style to a wider audience, and Rent's Due, which reached the UK Top 10 and established him as one of British rap's defining new names.
Karrahbooo — Not Da 2
The Atlanta rapper's debut mixtape, 11 tracks, brings in Monaleo, Lil Yachty, and Zukenee alongside previously released singles "WYD," "Keep Up W Me," and "No Hook." It's the formal introduction for an artist who's spent 2026 building a reputation on Atlanta's newer-generation rap scene — laid-back delivery, distinct personality, first full-length statement.
Dizzee Rascal — We Want Bass
Dizzee Rascal's ninth album, 15 tracks, is built for the dancefloor rather than the archive — bass-driven production across grime, house, and UK garage, including "Hit The Spot" and "So Hot," which sample 50 Cent's "Candy Shop" and Nelly's "Hot in Herre." "What U Need" leans back into a classic grime register. It's a rare same-week pairing with Nemzzz's Locked In — two generations of UK rap and bass music dropping on the same Friday.
Mykki Blanco — Cafe Paradiso
Mykki Blanco's first full-length since 2022's Stay Close To Music, recorded in New York with longtime producer Drew "FaltyDL" Lustman. The 12-track project is structured as what Blanco calls a "three-act play," built around images of transit and solitude — New York lunch counters, Parisian cafes, the tea houses of Tangier — and pulls from Saint Etienne, The Silver Apples, and Towa Tei. Lead single "Little Feet" features Ian Isiah and Breakaway.
Rebecca Black — Age of the Exhibitionist
Black's second studio album, 12 tracks, follows Let Her Burn and pushes further into the heavier, hyperpop-adjacent electronic sound she's built over the past few years. Singles "Speakerphone" and "Hot Wet Delirious" led the rollout; Black has framed the record around being seen and understood, reclaiming "exhibitionist" on her own terms.
Singles & tracks worth pulling
- Blu & Sndtrak, "LA" — title track and first single off their joint album on Nature Sounds, with Volume 10, Thurz, MED, Iman Omari, Trizz, and ICECOLDBISHOP.
- Sam Tompkins, "HEATED SEATS" — the latest cut from his upcoming second album ARE WE GONNA SING?
- Ellie Goulding, "Black Prada Dress" — lead single off her sixth studio album, out the same day.
The week in context
Two generations of UK rap and bass music — Nemzzz's Locked In and Dizzee Rascal's We Want Bass — landed on the same Friday, while a cluster of Southern-rooted hip-hop mixtapes (French Montana & Max B, Karrahbooo) leaned on reunion and debut narratives rather than album-cycle rollouts. Sitting apart from both: Beyoncé's B'Day reissue, timed to her own birthday rather than the release calendar, turning a catalog anniversary into the week's biggest event — the same anniversary-as-event playbook that's driven this year's biggest hip-hop stories.
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