Okayplayer

There’s almost always great, new music dropping, and we are proof positive. But this week is an especially dope week for true music lovers. We’ve got some real heat hitting the streets as August comes to a close. Let’s just dive right in. After countless delays and building fan anticipation over the past several months, Erykah Badu and The Alchemist drop their much-hyped collaborative album.

As the sophomore triumph turns 30, Okayplayer’s private eye examines the catalog of hip-hop’s psychedelic duo. I’m tripping – in every sense of the word imaginable. It’s 10:04 p.m. in Southwest Atlanta as cold sweats surround me and artificial turf pierces into my back. I’ve been sprawled out on the basement floor of this Airbnb Experience for what feels like eternity. Suddenly, my polyphonic ringtone — “Hip Hop Police” by Chamillionaire — snaps me out of my nightmare state.

We're deep into the month of August and getting close to September — and summer 2026 has been one for the books! But as this memorable summer comes to a close, we’ve got a lineup of new music to soundtrack your last few weeks of fun in the sun. Rapsody drops her fifth studio album after some very buzzworthy singles; plus we get a killer remix from Mariah Carey with an assist from Rochelle Jordan. The Harlem legend Tobe Nwigwe is back with heat; as well as new music from French Montana.

It does seem like August is just flying by. The middle of the month is here, and temperatures are still hot–and the nights are even hotter, but lots of students are back to school and you can feel fall waiting around the corner. As we continue through these last days of summer, there are a lot of major releases to choose from as the lazy days wind down. Bino Rideaux drops his highly anticipated collaborative Nipsey Hussle album, honoring the legacy of the West Coast legend.

You can feel the summer energy starting to wind down, and many of us will be sad to see Summer 2026 end. But fret not–we’ve still got a few weeks before the unofficial/official goodbye to the season, so lean back and dive into some of hottest tracks as we speed towards the fall. Beyoncé drops her new track, evoking everything from the Isleys to Goodie Mob–with an assist from her famous hubby.

This week’s new music Friday also features October London, Too $hort, Wale, Storm Reid, E-40 & Juvenile, Juicy J and Jacquees. Meek Mill performs onstage during Young Thug & Friends: A Benefit Concert at State Farm Arena on December 16, 2025 in Atlanta, Georgia. As we say farewell to July, it’s also getting close to back to school season for so many young people. But if you’re preparing to get back to the books, you’ve still got about another month before summer officially comes to a close.

The face of the new Black Panther has been revealed. Actor David Jonsson will star as the titular superhero in the upcoming Black Panther 3, the next installment in the hit Marvel franchise. Director Ryan Coogler introduced Jonsson during a panel at San Diego Comic-Con on Saturday, July 25. The 32-year-old British actor is playing the son of T’Challa, the king of Wakanda.

HOT 97's Summer Jam 2026 took over the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ. The arena show featured major performances including French Montana, Mariah the Scientist, DaBaby, Yung Miami, G Herbo, Conway The Machine and a special welcome-home set for Fetty Wap. Prudential Center was sold out, but the performances were stripped-down and immediate; there wasn’t an abundance of pyrotechnics and stagecraft. It kept the performers — and the performances — front and center.

It’s a pretty big week for new music this week. Some real titans are dropping their latest albums and singles, and it’s the kind of summer drops that seem prepped to set you up for the remainder of the warmer months. The BAWSE is back! Rick Ross returns with his new album, as he also celebrates 20 years since his debut. We get the latest instrumental collection from Zaytoven, plus some new heat from Lil Baby and none other than Larry June. and don’t sleep on Raq Baby’s new album.

About an hour after I devoured my surprisingly affordable thin-crust pizza from Yankee Stadium’s Colony Grill, my second or third favorite rapper began rewriting history. He punctuated the first revision with the most profound understatement ever made.