N*E*R*D Hand Kendrick Lamar The Mic Again. Their Second Collabo Flies (Audio)

Life is too short to listen to bad music. So…let AFH fight through it for you and only supply you with that great stuff. Despite the reports, Hip-Hop is alive and well and, in many ways, is better than it’s ever been. Not only are we able to go back and listen to all of our favorites, at the click of a button, there is also a ton of great music still being made by artists, young and veteran alike…if you know where to look.

To help with that task, we’ve created two playlists. One features more recent music—songs that have been released within the last year or so—while the other is throwback, focused on the 1980s and ’90s. We update each of these playlists regularly, so, if you like what you hear, subscribe to follow us on Spotify.

J. Cole & Kendrick Lamar Join Jeezy On An All-Star Collabo (Audio)

On one of the biggest album release Fridays of the year, N*E*R*D strikes with NO ONE EVER REALLY DIES. Earlier in the week, Heads got a glimpse of Kendrick Lamar and Frank Ocean collaboration “Don’t Don’t Do It.” The political song inspired by police killing innocent Black men and boys is not K-Dot’s only album contribution. The TDE superstar who has worked with Pharrell on several of his albums also appears on “Kites.” This song involves M.I.A. too, and a series of beats that put that signature N*E*R*D percussion on blast.

The political bend of Pharrell Williams, Chad Hugo, and Shay Haley’s new album is upheld. P sings about a rally, oppressors shooting, and the uncertainty of survival. “The day I have a J.R., I tell him the worth of God only, and quit his day job (mother-f*ck the bullsh*t) / Radio never play ours / This revolution ain’t televised with prayer, jumping over borders / Ain’t no ruler for restrictions, ain’t no police to deport us / Ain’t no summers for our sons, ain’t no dealings for our daughters / Every prosecution hung, save the verdict for the lawyers / Illuminate the corner, celebrate humanity scream and back at me in the morning / Every field in Mississippi, every street in California / Know the devil is a liar, it’s the time to be anointed,” raps Kendrick as a message to his unborn kids. Pharrell interplays with Lamar at several points in the song, further reminding the listener that this is far from a phoned-in collabo’. M.I.A., no stranger to sociopolitical anthems, closes out with her rally-cry. On N*E*R*D’s first album in seven years, “Kites” flies high.

 

Kendrick Lamar Is Releasing A Collector’s Edition Of DAMN. With The Songs In Reverse Order

In addition to several N*E*R*D highlights, the playlist is updated with highlights from Jeezy, Statik Selektah, Brent Faiyaz, Jaden Smith, CyHi The Prynce, Scarface, Rapsody, Talib Kweli, Evidence, Fabolous, Jadakiss, Big K.R.I.T., Wu-Tang Clan, Madlib, and a host of others.