R&B/Hip-Hop Fresh Picks of the Week: Leon Thomas, Jay Swishes, Babyface Ray, Yolanda Adams & More

After Wednesday night’s (Sept. 11) VMAs ceremony treated viewers to performances by Megan Thee Stallion, Eminem, GloRilla, DJ Khaled, Fat Joe, and a special Def Jam 40th Anniversary medley featuring LL Cool J and Public Enemy, the past weekend in hip-hop and R&B had a lot to live up to.

Playboi Carti and The Weeknd both launched their new eras with the release of their lead singles “All Red” and “Dancing In The Flames,” respectively; Nicki Minaj announced a forthcoming third installment of her Pink Friday album series; and NYC banded together at the Apollo Theater to honor the life of Grammy-winning Harlem native Fatman Scoop (Sept. 12). It’s been a heavy few weeks for the world of hip-hop and R&B, with the losses of Scoop, Rich Homie Quan, Frankie Beverly and Tito Jackson hitting the community in quick succession.

With Fresh Picks, Billboard aims to highlight some of the best and most interesting new sounds across R&B and hip-hop — from Leon Thomas and Ty Dolla $ign’s scorching new duet to Jdot Breezy’s emotional new track. Be sure to check out this week’s Fresh Picks in our Spotify playlist below.

Freshest Find: Leon Thomas & Ty Dolla $ign, “Far Fetched”

Is it really toxic if you’re up front about it? With their latest collaboration, Leon Thomas and Ty Dolla $ign lay all of their cards on the table, and that commitment to honesty ultimately trumps the darkest parts of those cards. “She got dreams of love and marriage/ But that’s far-fetched, far-fetched/ ‘Cause if we don’t work out, girl, that’s a large check,” Thomas explains over a heavily percussive beat peppered with electric guitar and morose piano, courtesy of Oshi and Thomas himself. Ty smoothly slides in with a verse of his own that recounts all the money he’s put up for this lady, but there’s a hint of exasperation in his tone that calls back to Thomas’ overarching message: anything beyond the current state of this relationship isn’t feasible. “Far Fetched” follows “Mutt” as the second single from Thomas’ forthcoming Mutt LP, giving him two standout singles in a row.

Jay Swishes, “Mona Lisa”

On this Afrobeats-infused hip-hop joint, Ontario-born, Brooklyn-raised rapper Jay Swishes sings the praises of a woman so beautiful her only point of comparison is the Mona Lisa. “Melanin hit her like the sun, her complexion/ 5’2,” one not the two, no contestant/ She a lil freak, we Minaj with her best friend,” he sing-raps before dipping into a more dancehall-adjacent cadence, with X-rated bars like, “Make her suck pon di c–ky like breadfruit/ Put mi wood inna her belly, don’t run.” Accented by shimmering synths and fingerpicked guitar, “Mona Lisa” combines different elements from the year’s hottest sounds into one sultry banger.

Yolanda Adams, “On God”

Last week (Sept. 13), gospel icon Yolanda Adams dropped off Sunny Days her first studio album in 13 years, and she wasted no time to get things started with the terrific opener, “On God.” A sleek mélange of contemporary R&B and gospel, “On God” finds Adam honoring the Man Above for all of the times he showed up for her — even when times looked especially dark. “That’s my God, that’s my Rock, that’s my King, my Messiah/ Gave His all for mе/ He made a way out of no way/ That’s on God, on God, on God, on God, on God,” she croons over a sparkling R&B-infused arrangement crafted by John Jackson and Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis.

Ray Vaughn & SiR, “Everybody Dies”

The Top Dawg Entertainment rapper wastes no bars with his layered messaging. “Everybody Dies” is a sobering reality and Ray Vaughn confronts a cross-roads in his life while internally grappling with if the juice is worth the squeeze when attempting to conquer your dreams. SiR takes the baton and angelically croons on the soulful chorus as he asserts his legacy will live on long after his physical existence on earth is over. With a handful of singles under his belt in 2024, it’s gotta be album time for Vaughn. 

Babyface Ray & Hunxho, “Delusional”

Babyface Ray is The Kid That Did It. The Detroit spitter narrates his rags to riches story with his fourth studio album. “Delusional” serves as a project standout and the first team-up between Ray and Hunxho. A certain woman in Babyface’s life is using him, but he doesn’t even care at this point as he’s blinded by her beauty. Love can make you do crazy things and Hunxho promises to ink her name on his body so she knows it’s real. “I’m stuck on you, get a new b—h and look for you underneath/ I don’t even put names on my body, but I put you on my neck,” he raps with a heavy dose of AutoTune. 

Jdot Breezy, “Heart of Flames”

It’s a game of fire and ice. If Rod Wave has his “Heart on Ice,” Jdot Breezy flips the script with “Heart of Flames” to serve as his apologetic Sorry I Took Long project opener. The Florida rapper vulnerably opens up about going to great lengths to win over a potential girlfriend. While he fits into the melodic rap landscape, Breezy has an old soul with shout-outs to Phil Jackson and shrewd wordplay referencing Morgan Freeman’s 1989 film Lean on Me. Look for Jdot to hit the road with his woozy tunes for the Straight Madness Tour next month.