NBA Youngboy, GELO, Jim Legxacy & Karri

Comprised of sisters Jakiya and Shaina, The Amours have been churning out luscious bites of soulful R&B all year, and their latest offering continues that momentum. A well-paced ode to the sanctity of prioritizing your peace and knowing your worth, “Clarity” features more of the duo’s trademark harmonies, as well as Camper’s lush production. “If you don’t wanna be, then say that you don’t,” they implore as their voices meld together into one plea for clarity that will only jumpstart their respective searches for inner peace. — KYLE DENIS

Jim Legxacy recently dropped one of the more interesting U.K. rap albums in black british music, where’s he’s putting pop, R&B, hip-hop, indie folk, U.K. rap and grime, and afrobeats into a pot on the stove and coming back with cooked crack that would’ve made Stringer Bell envious. While the whole project is exceptional, this track is the one that stood out for me because he’s spitting raps like, “This that Giggs, Blade Brown up in the kitchen sh—t,” over a piano loop. Check it out and tell me I’m lying. — A.D.

GELO completed his hoops-to-rap transformation with the release of his League of My Own debut album on Friday (July 18). He wastes no time building on his “TWEAKER” success with the project’s thumping opener “POLLASEEDS.” It’s not quite a sequel to Ice Cube’s “Spittin’ Pollaseeds,” but GELO does take aim at his opposition. “B—h, I’m from the West Coast, you know it’s f—k your policy,” he spews while figuratively flipping the bird. He has some fun on the bridge while seemingly interpolating the flow from Fast Life Yungstaz’s classic “Swag Surfin.’” I’d bet the Ball brothers have hit the Swag Surf together at one point or another. — M.S.

Karri and Isaiah Falls’ new duet is a smooth, West Coast love song that celebrates emotional intimacy, loyalty, and desire. Karri opens the track with vulnerability and patience, offering space but also making it clear he’s in this for real. He acknowledges the strength and wisdom his love interest carries from growing up in Oakland, admiring her fire while reaffirming his loyalty. Isaiah Falls brings in a sensual, thug-with-a-soft-side energy, showing he’s willing to match her pace emotionally and physically. The chemistry between the two reflects the push and pull of real relationships; it’s a track about loving someone who’s been through it and proving you’re built to ride with them. — CHRISTOPHER CLAXTON

With her third studio album, The BPM, just a few months away (out Oct. 17 via Stones Throw), LA-based musician Sudan Archives is diving headfirst into a chrome-gilded dance world. “My Type,” the set’s lead single alongside “Yea Yea Yea,” finds her spitting unexpectedly tough, liberation-minded bars across production that pulls from disco’s more cantankerous edges. “She want her name big on the screens/ I wanna backstroke cross the sea/ She said if I don’t come back Tuesday/ Take my things back to my hometown, let them hold that,” she spits. — KYLE DENIS

At this point, NBA YoungBoy is completing rap side missions and passing with flying colors. He extended the envelope of his creativity when joining forces with Mellow Rackz while putting a spin on Cyndi Lauper’s classic, but from the fellas’ perspective with “Guys Just Wanna Have Fun.” Mellow and YoungBoy harmonize on the chorus as her gentle tone meshes with YB’s opposing ruggedness. “I come from the bottom, I slept with the bums/ I ain’t havin’ no problems/ It’s time to have fun,” the Baton Rouge native innocently raps about his rags-to-riches story. The focus now shifts to YoungBoy’s MASA album, slated to arrive on Friday (July 25). — MICHAEL SAPONARA

When Aka the Darknight started his verse with, “Uptown outlaw BB belt with a sag/ Had to cut a b—ch off ‘cause her Yankee brim was black,” I said, “F—k school.” We’ve covered the gods back in April after they appeared on Colors, and they’ve since performed at Central Park Summerstage and had this very song premiered by Zane Lowe on his Apple Music show. There’s really nobody sounding like this right now, so tap in before it’s too late. — ANGEL DIAZ

Jahson Paynter’s new joint captures the ache of lost connection and the pull of unfinished love. Framed around a drive past an ex’s old address, the song unfolds as a truth-baring stream of consciousness. Jahson reflects on the emotional distance that’s grown between them, even though the memories still live vividly in his mind. Throughout the track, Highway 403 becomes a symbol of their past — something he’s still driving through emotionally, even as time moves on; it’s a heartfelt track about wanting closure, or maybe just one more chance. — C.C.