New Music Friday: AZ Chike, Rakim, Kurupt & Masta Killa, Yeat, and More Stack September 18

September 18 brings a packed New Music Friday slate across hip-hop, R&B, soul, and electronic-leaning sounds. AZ Chike makes his major-label entrance, Rakim joins Kurupt and Masta Killa for a cross-coastal rap summit, and Yeat turns a tour stop into a surprise seven-track EP.

There is also new music from Hunxho, FERG, Kareen Lomax, Daley, Thee Sinseers, Joey Quinones, and more. Here is the release-day desk roundup from Power JDM The Beat.

1. AZ Chike: No Rest for the Wicked

Genre: Hip-hop/R&B
Label: Warner Records
Format: Album, 14 tracks

Standout tracks: “Mercy,” “Sky Rockets,” “Uncomfortable Conversations,” “Hateful + Ungrateful,” “Look Like My Mama,” and “Are You Tired Yet?”

AZ Chike’s major-label debut follows the momentum of his GNX-era buzz with a full 14-track statement. Tyler, The Creator appears on “Look Like My Mama” and “The World Is Ours,” while JMSN joins “Need Your Love.” The production lineup includes Pharrell Williams, Terrace Martin, and Hit-Boy.

Fans heavily speculated about a Kendrick Lamar appearance after AZ Chike’s connection to the GNX moment, but Kendrick is not on the final tracklist. There is no need to treat that speculation as anything more than fan conversation.

Quick listening notes: West Coast bounce, polished drums, soulful edges, and enough space for AZ Chike to test how far his sound can travel beyond a viral moment.

**Radio talking point: ** Does No Rest for the Wicked turn AZ Chike’s recent buzz into a durable album identity?

Read The Source’s album coverage.

Silhouetted Los Angeles rapper in a warm recording studio with vintage microphone and MPC pads

2. Rakim, Kurupt & Masta Killa: DPG WU-TANG, WU-TANG DPG: THE GODBODY LP

Genre: Hip-hop
Label: Holy Toledo/DMG/Compound Interest
Format: Collaborative album, 16 tracks

Standout tracks: “Goin’ Down” featuring Kokane, “DPG-Wu-Tang, Wu-Tang-DPG,” “Still Ill” featuring KRS-One and Kool G Rap, “Rock Ya Body” featuring Ghostface Killah, Raekwon and Daz Dillinger, and Rakim’s solo cut “A Different Kind.”

The Godbody brings together Rakim, Kurupt, and Masta Killa across two legendary hip-hop regions. The guest list adds Snoop Dogg, KRS-One, Kool G Rap, Kokane, Buckshot, Ghostface Killah, Raekwon, and Daz Dillinger. The album closes with a remix featuring Mic King.

Quick listening notes: Dense lyricism, veteran chemistry, classic-minded production, and a deliberate bridge between Death Row, Wu-Tang, and golden-era rap traditions.

**Radio talking point: ** What happens when three established voices build a new record instead of simply revisiting old memories?

The project’s official release information is available at the Godbody LP website.

3. Yeat: COCOON

Genre: Hip-hop
Format: Surprise EP, 7 tracks

Standout tracks: “earnëd it,” “in2that,” “miss my dawg,” “luh birk,” “holy watër,” “cocoon,” and “tënnis.”

Yeat released COCOON during his LOVE/LYFE Tour. The project began as a planned five-song pack before expanding to seven tracks. Drake appears on “miss my dawg,” giving the surprise release its biggest feature moment.

Quick listening notes: Tour-made, atmospheric, distorted, and built for listeners who like their rap loose, digital, and unpredictable.

**Radio talking point: ** Does the expanded seven-track version feel like a complete project or a live snapshot from Yeat’s current run?

The Source has more on the surprise EP and Drake collaboration.

Futuristic trap concert with red and blue stage lights, haze, and a silhouetted performer

4. Hunxho: I Quit Rap

Genre: Hip-hop

Hunxho uses I Quit Rap as a forceful title for a project that keeps him firmly in the conversation. It reads like a strong statement from an artist who is still keeping his foot on the gas.

Quick listening notes: Direct Atlanta rap energy, street-focused writing, and a long-form release built around Hunxho’s current momentum.

**Radio talking point: ** Is I Quit Rap a real farewell concept or a dramatic title for another chapter?

5. FERG: CYCLE

Genre: Hip-hop

FERG adds another major name to the week’s album releases with CYCLE. The project keeps the focus on his delivery and rhythmic production, giving this Friday slate another recognizable rap voice.

Quick listening notes: Sharp flows, high-energy percussion, and a modern Harlem rap edge.

**Radio talking point: ** How does FERG’s latest solo direction fit into the larger evolution of the A$AP Mob era?

6. Kareen Lomax: NAJI

Genre: Alternative R&B
Label: Music is Fun
Format: Debut album, 13 tracks

Standout tracks: The album’s electronic-leaning vocal pieces and its most intimate identity-driven moments.

Produced by Daoud, NAJI explores Kareen Lomax’s two personal identities through alternative R&B and electronic textures. The 13-track debut sits between vocal-led songwriting and synthetic atmosphere.

Quick listening notes: Spacious, reflective, and sleek without losing the emotional center of the songs.

**Radio talking point: ** How can artists use electronic production to create a new emotional language without losing the strength of the vocal?

Intimate alternative R&B listening session with synthesizers, tape machine, and soft purple lighting

7. Daley: Strange Nature

Genre: R&B
Label: TEXX7 Records
Format: Album, 10 tracks

Standout tracks: “Zone” featuring Blue Lab Beats and the album’s reflective closing stretch.

Strange Nature ends Daley’s near-decade silence with a 10-track project centered on life, love, and loss. Blue Lab Beats appear on “Zone,” the closing track, adding a jazz-informed electronic touch to the final scene.

Quick listening notes: Thoughtful, melodic R&B with an adult perspective and a patient pace.

**Radio talking point: ** What changes in an artist’s writing when almost a decade passes between full-length albums?

8. Thee Sinseers & Joey Quinones: Love Stories

Genre: Soul
Label: Colemine

Standout tracks: The title project as a full listen, especially its romantic vocal exchanges and vintage soul arrangements.

Love Stories brings together Thee Sinseers and Joey Quinones for a romantic, vintage-inspired project rooted in East LA’s Chicano soul tradition. The sound is warm, orchestral, and built around the feeling of a classic slow dance.

Quick listening notes: Retro without sounding detached from the present, with sweet harmonies and a strong old-school soul atmosphere.

**Radio talking point: ** Why does the Chicano soul revival continue to connect with both longtime soul fans and younger listeners?

Two essential listens

Why AZ Chike’s No Rest for the Wicked matters

This is the week’s clearest test of whether GNX-era attention can become a full body of work. AZ Chike has Pharrell, Hit-Boy, and Terrace Martin behind the boards, two Tyler, The Creator appearances, and a 14-track run built around West Coast bounce with R&B shading.

The album matters as a statement about LA rap’s next chapter: not as a Kendrick Lamar project and not as an extension of another artist’s rollout. AZ Chike has to establish his own voice, and No Rest for the Wicked gives him the room to do it.

Why The Godbody matters

Rakim, Kurupt, and Masta Killa are not simply assembling a nostalgia compilation. They are using their different histories to build a deliberate cross-generational record. The guest list stretches from Snoop Dogg and Daz Dillinger to KRS-One, Kool G Rap, Ghostface Killah, and Raekwon.

That range makes The Godbody an argument that craft and lyricism still move records. For classic hip-hop heads, it is one of the most important album releases to spend time with this week.

A quick artist note on publishing and SoundExchange

Release day is also a reminder that artists need to track their rights information. Songwriters should confirm that their compositions are registered with the appropriate performing rights organization and that splits are documented before a release gains momentum.

SoundExchange is separate from traditional publishing collection. Artists who own or control their master recordings may also collect eligible SoundExchange royalties when their music is played on qualifying non-interactive digital services. Artists should make sure their recordings, ownership details, and performer information are accurate in the relevant registrations.

That distinction is useful industry news for independent artists: publishing money and sound recording performance money do not always come from the same place.

Notable singles

  • Offset: “Something I Need” continues his solo run as conversation around a possible final Migos album builds.
  • Travis Scott: “RHYNO” connects to GTA VI: The Album, with the game scheduled for November 19.
  • Seyi Vibez: “SWAGUU” featuring Quavo adds an international rap crossover to the week.

For more context, compare this week’s releases with last week’s New Music Friday roundup, which covered Jhené Aiko, Rio Da Yung OG, EST Gee, Hoodrich Pablo Juan, and Nine Vicious. For listeners keeping up with hip hop news, r&b radio online, and the week’s newest album releases, September 18 offers plenty to discuss on Power JDM The Beat.