R&B/Hip-Hop Fresh Picks of the Week: G3 (LiAngelo Ball), SahBabii & Clairo, Joey Bada$$ & More
And we’re back! After a very Cowboy Carter Christmas courtesy of Beyoncé — and a New Year’s Day that quickly gave into allegedly LeBron James-subbing Drake freestyle by way of Conductor Williams — it’s time to start 2025 off on the right foot when it comes to running down the latest in new hip-hop and R&B music.
Lil Baby (WHAM) and Bad Bunny (Debí Tirar Más Fotos) kicked off the new year with two major full-length releases that are sure to battle for the top of the Billboard 200, while Ice Spice (Y2K: I’m Just A Girl) and SZA (SOS Deluxe: LANA) offered expanded editions of their own hit records. The holiday period also saw the arrival of Young Thug‘s first two Slime Season mixtapes on streaming, as well as a star-studded “Denial Is A River” music video from Doechii.
Things will pick up in February between the Grammys and the Super Bowl, both of which will surely be major moments for Kendrick Lamar ahead of his forthcoming North American Grand National stadium tour.
With Fresh Picks, Billboard aims to highlight some of the best and most interesting new sounds across R&B and hip-hop — from GloRilla’s reboot of a years-old OMB Peezy banger to G3’s instantly viral new track. Be sure to check out this week’s Fresh Picks in our Spotify playlist below.
G3 (LiAngelo Ball), “Tweaker”
If “Tweaker,” is anything to go by, 2025 is shaping up to be another Y2K-obsessed year. After a snippet of the early ’00s hip-hop-informed track went viral, G3 (aka LiAngelo Ball, the second of the three Ball Brothers) uploaded the full joint on WorldStarHipHop’s YouTube channel — a move that’s poignantly reminiscent of the pre-streaming days, just like the song itself. “I might swerve, bend that corner, woah-woah/ B—h, hold on tight ’cause I tweak and this b—h, start lettin’ s—t go/ And I heard that she wanna show-ow/ Me who she be, I’m kinda f—kin’ with it, show me some mo’,” he spits over production that recalls ’00s NOLA rap and begs for a remix by an artist of that era. It may be too early to tell if “Tweaker” is the start of a fruitful rap career for Ball, but he undoubtedly has scored the first viral hip-hop hit of 2025. — KYLE DENIS
SahBabii, “Show Off”
It’s beautiful to see SahBabii getting his flowers. NFL star Jahmyr Gibbs even hit Sah’s “Viking” dance in the endzone after scoring a touchdown. King Squad delivered his Saaheem (A Lu Bit More) deluxe, and he shocked the music community when teaming up with an uncredited Clairo for the unlikeliest of collaborations on “Show Off.” The alt-pop singer-songwriter’s soothing background vocals blend with SahBabii’s croon, as the ethereal single feels like a branch off Young Thug’s pioneering Beautiful Thugger Girls tree. — MICHAEL SAPONARA
OMB Peezy & GloRilla, “Lay Down” (Remix)
Late last year, OMB Peezy’s seven-year-old breakout song, “Lay Down” experienced a streaming resurgence thanks to a viral TikTok dance trend. That momentum turned into a genuine revival of the song, culminating in a new Glorilla-assisted remix, which arrived on Dec. 27, 2024. “All of that cheatin’, lyin’, connivin’ s—t, had to drop that b—h/ He must’ve thought I was gon’ stay ’round,” Big Glo spits in the intro to her brief, but effective, verse. Her Memphis accent sounds right at home next to Peezy’s Mobile, Ala. drawl over Drum Dummie’s synth-laden beat. — K.D.
Mozzy & Kalan.FrFr, “Where I Come From”
Sacramento meets Los Angeles here, as Mozzy’s grimy street tales mesh with Kalan.FrFr’s melodic croon for the 10 tracks making up Lucky Her. The sentimental “Where I Come From” finds the duo putting their West Coast ties on the table and thanking the harsh times in the Golden State for molding them into the successes they are today – in a way that doesn’t border on being corny, either. “I left the hood in my 30s/ Feel like I’ve seen enough,” Mozzy admits about turning a new leaf in life. He could’ve spun the block for a second poignant verse too. — M.S.
Little Simz, “Hello, Hi”
After landing on Billboard’s Best Rap Albums of 2024 with her genre-expansive Drop 7 mixtape (No. 12), Little Simz kissed 2024 goodbye with a new straightforward rap tune called “Hello, Hi.” “I ain’t gotta be what they on or be in the latest drop/ I just want my ends, and I want Miu Miu with the same damn bop/ Tell me, why they all dress the same? Carbon copy thesis/ I cut you with a Japanese silhouette, I know you ain’t never seen these pieces,” she rhymes over SHYY and Rigas’ guitar-inflected, London hip-hop production. Drill snares ricochet in the background as Simz draws parallels between her ascendance in music and high fashion, setting the stage for even more career milestones in 2025. — K.D.
Joey Bada$$, “The Ruler’s Back”
Joey Bada$$’s poetry in motion mixed with Conductor’s grainy yet gleaming production is like a match made in heaven. Hopefully, there’s an EP in the stash of the bodega basement. Joey set the tone with “The Ruler’s Back” putting the rap game on notice as the West Coast’s ears collectively perked up. “Too much West Coast d–k-licking, I’m hearin’ n—as throwin’ rocks, really ain’t s–t sticking,” he raps in an homage to fellow Brooklyn legend Jay-Z’s 1996 track “22 Two’s.” Last year brought the competitive spirit back to hip-hop, and that has spilled into 2025. — M.S.
Hurricane Wisdom & Polo G, “Giannis Remix”
Nothing was promised for Hurricane Wisdom hailing from North Florida. The Havana native broke down the regional barriers of Tallahassee with the twitchy “Giannis” in August, which picked up momentum like the Milwaukee Bucks superstar on a fast break to close out 2024. Hurricane narrates his gritty come-up but also delivers witty one-liners making light of his situation. He compares guns to the size of Giannis Antentokounmpo and jokes about not being good at math, but keeping problem-solvers around – if you catch his drift. Wisdom caught the ear of Polo G, who connects Chicago to Florida with a glossy assist to power the “Giannis Remix,” and ensure Hurricane gusts into the new year. — M.S.
King George & Snoop Dogg, “Unbelievable”
It’s not the star-studded menacing cast from Death Row’s 90s golden era, but Snoop Dogg has assembled a strong roster of versatile artists for the revamped label, with the West Coast icon at the helm. The Death Row Revue compilation project arrived last week and Snoop makes an appearance on the groovy “Unbelievable” alongside South Carolina’s King Geroge, which finds the Doggfather harping on the importance of loyalty. “Loyalty is rare/ So when you find that special someone, makes sure you stay locked and loaded/ Because it’s unbelievable what could happen,” he says. — M.S.
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