Welcome to The Pop Off—a brand new playlist from Poptized featuring our favorite and your new favorite songs from the last week (or so). Curated by Poptized contributor Marc Griffin, The Pop Off is your guide through a litany of tracks ranging from popular bangers to infectious sleepers spanning various genres, cultures, and sounds. The Pop Off is a playlist for the tastemakers always searching for new music, and I guess you can say we kinda popped off.
What’s Poppin
6LACK – “Rent Free”
Just when you thought we would have to wait until 2022 for a glimpse into what 6LACK is working on, he drops a two-piece on us. Of the two, “Rent Free,” a smoky R&B track laced with 6LACK’s signature slick vocals, sees the young R&B star crooning and reflecting on life as it stands between now and the last year. “Been through a lot this year/Had to pay the price this year,” he harmonizes effortlessly. “All the wrongs and the rights this year/Got me looking at my life this year/ Like I really got to make things clear.” A track that, honestly, hits too close to home, especially with the current climate of our world. It’s this absolute life honesty that makes the track so hauntingly addictive.
Billie Essco, Jae Skeese ft. OG Sole – “UPTOWN SWAY”
The latest offering from Buffalo, NY rappers Jae Skeese and Billie Essco comes in the form of an 8-track collaboration entitled GODBODY. While the project in itself is fantastic (that’s a conversation for another day), the track “Uptown Sway” is a master class in staunch braggadocio, with Skeese’s verse, in particular, offering a neck-breaking flow that sets the tone for the whole song. As a result, you can easily consider this song a statement performance.
Fana Hues – “Breakfast”
Hot on the heels of her 2020 debut album Hues and her much-felt appearance on Tyler, the Creator’s “SWEET/I THOUGHT YOU WANTED TO DANCE” from his critically acclaimed album Call Me If You Get Lost, Fana Hues is back at it with “Breakfast.” With a performance that feels as if she’s floating over slick guitar licks in real-time, Hues paints a vivid portrait of overwhelming loss coupled with the dynamic pains of a hallowed love. Hues’ revealingly bare vocalizations embrace the listener in a way that many singers aren’t doing these days, and this song has been on repeat as a result. If we’re being sincere, this is easily one of the best songs of 2021.
Ruel – “GROWING UP IS_____”
“GROWING UP IS_____” is a shot of nostalgia. Ruel’s performance on the track is the personification of teenage angst and the forlorn failings of faulty love in your twenties. Ruel was discovered by Grammy Award winner M-Phazes in 2015, and since then, his music has continued to evolve as his vocals and style. With his latest offering, it would appear that the young musician is carving out a heart-shaped lane for himself, creating music through the pluckings of heartstrings. “GROWING UP IS____” is a timeless piece of pop that transcends age and era, allowing for anybody to find identity and solace in the song’s lyrics.
Valley Boy – “Cozy”
Valley Boy’s “Cozy” feels like a chill day by a fire; the warm embrace of the track’s vocal execution is almost reminiscent of the kindest lullaby, luring you deeper into the arms of sleep, gently stroking each strain of hair on your head as you fall deeper into night’s death. Lush, ethereal, and consoling, “Cozy” details the feeling of being held by a significant other as the rest of the world fades to gray. It’s the perfect love song for all the chilled souls out there.
Listen to The Pop Off down below:
6LACK – “Rent Free”
Thundercat, Raedio, Louis Cole, Genevieve Artadi – “Satellite”
Billie Essco, Jae Skeese, OG Sole – “UPTOWN SWAY”
Fana Hues – “Breakfast”
Boldy James, The Alchemist – “Great Adventures”
Best Coast – “Leading”
Burna Boy, Wizkid – “B. D’OR”
Tierra Whack – “Heaven”
Madison Ryann Ward – “Anchor”
Valley Boy – “Cozy”
SAINt JHN – “The Best Part of Life”
Tame Impala – “No Choice”
Roddy Ricch – “25 million”
Ruel – “GROWING UP IS _____”
SpotemGottem – “Deep Fried”
Astrid S, Dagny – “Pretty”
Russ, Big Sean, Hit-Boy, Wale, Joey Bada$$ – “Note To Self”
SZA – “I Hate U”
Brent Faiyaz – “MERCEDES”
FKA twigs, The Weeknd – “Tears In The Club”
Khalid, Ari Lennox, Smino – “Scenic Drive”
Hayd – “What Did I Do?”
Rebecca Black, Slayyyter – “Read My Mind”
Slatt Zy – “Beautiful Scars”
