August Alsina-Benediction (feat. Rick Ross)

It's been a great year for August Alsina. The impressive R&B artist has been getting some good feature work, was one of XXL's Freshmen, and released his major label debut album Testimony. The album has features from Pusha T, Jeezy, B.O.B., Trinidad James, and more. "Benediction" is a great example of the throwback 90's sound that Alsina is bringing back. He also taps Rick Ross for a solid, radio-clean verse.

Russ-Silence

One of my favorite projects as of late has been Russ's 3rd mixtape of the year, Silence. The man produces, writes, and puts his own vocals on all of his tracks with minimal features and is constantly releasing music. In fact, he's already released another single since this mixtape dropped featuring the long silent Chiddy. With Silence Russ is finally getting the attention he deserves, getting some radio time and a shout out from DJ Booth as one of their new top prospects for the year. Don't sleep on this guy.

Shlohmoh & Jeremih-The End (ft. Chance The Rapper)

Chance has been shy about releasing music for a while. Consumed by his touring, I'm unsure how much time he's had to work on his new album. However, the touring just ended and he's on a break until Lollapalooza so hopefully we'll here some of his new solo work soon. In the meantime, listen to "The End" off Sholohmoh & Jeremih's excellent new six-track EP No More, which features a short but good verse from Chano.

Angel-Keys

It's been more than a month since my last post but I assure you I haven't stopped finding new music. For the next few days I'll be trying to catch up on posts and then I'll return to the regular daily posts. First up is Angel. I can't find too much information on this guy but it's clear from his new EP, The Lost Tapes, that he's talented. Each song has an impressive backdrop and a pretty dynamic and interesting flow from the newcomer. "Keys", howerver, is far and away my favorite track of the project. Angel finds a perfect balance between Hip-Hop and R&B and makes the beat seem like it was tailor-made just for him.

Russ-Naked

Since I first learned about DIEMON rep Russ from his Brain Dead mixtape, I've been listening to his music non-stop. Not only does this guy make all of his own beats, but he came out with another mixtape back in January in addition to March's Brain Dead. Now he's dropped another track from his third project of the year, not even 6 months into the year. "Naked" is one of Russ' more chill songs, where he's found fantasizing about a woman. Look out for Silence on June 7.

SZA-Babylon (Feat. Kendrick Lamar)

TDE songstress SZA has a second single from her debut album Z. The result is a calmer Jhene Aiko with a killer Kendrick Lamar verse, who sounds like he might be pulling away from the screaming stuff he's been dropping recently.

Redline Graffiti-The Drill EP

Washington D.C. outfit Redline Graffiti have recently released their 5-track EP The Drill. As you can here on "Mayfair", the group sounds a lot like Frank Ocean. Not just because of the lead singer's voice either. The tone of the songs and the electronic production draw numerous similarities. While they don't have the same type of introspective lyrics, they're definitely a band to look out for.

Rita Satch-Love You Like I Do

Melbourne artist Rita Satch drops her first single since her Awoken EP from 2011. "Love You Like I Do" is definitely the way to begin her comeback, though. It's a great R&B/Soul track with smooth melodies and a great voice.

SZA-Childs Play (ft. Chance The Rapper)

I don't know what I've done to deserve this, but Chance came out with more music today. This time in a more conventional verse on TDE's songstress SZA's single Childs Play. Great mellow track and now Chance has worked with 2 members from TDE. One day. One day...

Frank Ocean x Mick Jones x Paul Simonon x Diplo-Hero

Frank Ocean finally releases some new music on the single "Hero", produced by Diplo and featuring Mick Jones and Paul Simonon of The Clash.

The Weeknd-Drunk In Love

The Weeknd loosely remixes Beyonce's "Drunk In Love" for his 21st birthday. Kiss Land may not have been the best album but I expect his next project to amazing judging from the stuff he's been releasing lately.

Jr. Hi-Trillion Girls ft. Childish Gambino

Newcomer Jr. Hi releases his second single 3 months after his debut with The Weeknd. This time, he gets Childish Gambino to lend his voice on this mellow song composed of R&B, hip hop, and electronic.

Years & Years-Real

London based electro-pop trio Years & Years have released their video for their single "Real." The group creates a unique sound by fusing R&B, EDM, and pop together, all while keeping the focus on the vocals and lyrics. The video is also pretty amusing and includes some interesting cameos from Skyfall's Ben Whishaw and Misfits' Nathan Stewart-Jarrett. Look for Years & Years' new EP Real, out February 18.

Miguel-Simplethings

Miguel releases his blissful single "Simplethings" for the Girls Vol. 2 soundtrack. Usually, compilation albums like this are full of throwaway singles that didn't make it onto the artist's album, but this track is completely solid and is one of my favorite Miguel joints.

Mack Wilds-Henny (Video)

Up & comer Mack Wilds (Michael Lee from The Wire) released a pretty weak video for "Henny" today, but don't let that scare you. Mack's project New York: A Love Story was one of the best R&B albums of the year and is nominated for a Grammy.

KiD CuDi-Satelite Flight

KiD CuDi releases his first single off his upcoming project KiD CuDi Presents: Satellite Flight: The Journey to Mother Moon EP.

Justin Bieber-Confident (ft. Chance The Rapper)

I Definitely never thought I would be posting about Justin Bieber, and there is only possibility in which I would, and now that is a reality. It seems Chance The Rapper has decided to do a guest verse on a Justin Bieber song, and there's a rumor that there may be another collab on the way. A lot of people said that Chance is selling out, but that's bullshit. He's still an independent artist and doing a feature with Justin Bieber is a great way to get publicity. In fact, as I'm posting this, the midnight the song was released, Chance is now featured in the #6 song in the iTunes Top Singles Chart. Not bad for a guy who only has two mixtapes under his belt. And as much as I hate to admit it, Bieber has recently been releasing some quality music, veering away from his old pop sound to a more R&B vibe. Add that to the fact that Chance murders his verse and I definitely fuck with "Confident."

Yasmin Green-Into The Night

Smooth R&B jam by UK newcomer Yasmin Green

The Weeknd-Devil May Cry

The Weeknd releases his single from the Catching Fire soundtrack. The awesome beat is produced by Rick Rubin.

Jr. Hi ft. The Weeknd-Secrets

The Weeknd lends his voices to Jr. Hi for his debut single