In the throes of protest and pandemic, with festivities dotted and distant while black deaths and police brutality stretched out the themes of Juneteenth, the Fourth of July and Independence Day this year feels more like a reckoning than a celebration. Kanye West and Sufjan Stevens, artists who moved from soul and roots to scabrous electronic experimentation and today navigate the borders of the sacred and profane, marked the moment this week with two songs on the state of God and America: anxiety-fuelled, blurring the boundaries of the personal and collective, consumed by the culture or solitary flags flapping against the wind. Through the birth pains of bad album illustration the posthumous voice of Pop Smoke still steadily emerged, Babyxsosa and BKTHERULA set out their stalls for the summer, and 18Veno left the rap game trailing in his wake. Thereās post-punk by Special Interest, jazzy flourishes from Jorja Smith, and SPARKLE DIVISION pay tribute to the enigmatic double bassist Henry Grimes. Haim and Charli XCX continue to roll out their latest albums, and thereās new music from G Herbo, Willie Nelson, BlueBucksClan, Saweetie, John Carpenter, ZOMBIE-CHANG, and Duwap Kaine.
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Sufjan Stevens ā āAmericaā
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Kanye West ā āWash Us In The Bloodā (feat. Travis Scott)
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Saweetie ā āPretty Bitch Freestyleā
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Pop Smoke ā āGot It On Meā
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Special Interest ā āAll Tomorrowās Carryā
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18Veno ā āFuck Rapā
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Babyxsosa ā āHi Rollerā
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4BUMzluBaws
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Greg Foat ā āAnticipationā
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Let It Come Down ā āPenniesā
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070 Phi ā āNo Resourcesā
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SPARKLE DIVISION ā āOh Henry!ā
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No Home ā āI Couldnāt Cry Before I Wrote EPsā
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BKTHERULA ā āSummerā
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Jason Molina ā āThe Missionās Endā
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Andrew Wasylyk ā āLast Sunbeams of Childhoodā
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Burna Boy ā āWonderfulā
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Ty Dolla $ign ā āEgo Deathā (feat. Kanye West, FKA twigs, and Skrillex)
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Willie Nelson ā āWe Are The Cowboysā
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Westside Gunn ā āLil Ceaseā (feat. Armani Caesar)
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G Herbo ā āLike Thisā (feat. Lil Uzi Vert)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VR9Gh9Cq9_Y
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Boris ā āAnti-Goneā
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patten ā āRorschachā
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Jorja Smith ā āRose Rougeā
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Lucrecia Dalt ā āDisueltaā
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Shabazz Palaces ā āMEGA CHURCHā (feat. Stas THEE Boss)
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Mark White x Sada Baby ā āBreadedā
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Mozzy ā āSo Lonelyā (feat. Shordie Shordie)
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Lianne La Havas ā āCanāt Fightā
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D_ExSUvjOSQ
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Haim ā āDonāt Wannaā
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Hayley Williams ā āSugar On The Rimā
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John Carpenter ā āSkeletonā
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Lonnie Holley ā āLike Hell Broke Awayā
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Lil Gotit ā āNo Kizzyā
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Kaash Paige ā āJadedā
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BlueBucksClan ā āWant Me Toā
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A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie & Don Q ā āFlood My Wristā (feat. Lil Uzi Vert)
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Lil Poppa ā āNo Issuesā
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Shirley Collins ā āSweet Greens and Bluesā
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Charli XCX ā āEnemyā
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GĆ”bor LĆ”zĆ”r ā āExciteā
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Duwap Kaine ā āAināt Nothinā
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Rah Swish ā āTongue Out (Treeshin 2)ā
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ZOMBIE-CHANG ā ā???????ā
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Jadakiss ā āPearly Gatesā