Friday, November 6 was stacked. Lil Baby finally dropped his album, Skepta ended a seven-year wait, and Statik Selektah called in half of rap’s best lyricists. Here’s what landed since last Friday, with release details and a quick take on each.
The Big Albums
Lil Baby — FRESH
Details: His fifth studio album, 17 tracks, out through Quality Control and Motown, per InMusic. Guests are kept tight: Future, Young Thug and Rylo Rodriguez on “All My Patnas,” with Rylo back again on “In Your Head.” Production comes from Pharrell, Metro Boomin, Wheezy, Hitmaka and London on da Track, Revolt reports. The Pharrell-produced lead single “Dead Fresh” debuted at No. 18 on the Hot 100.
Our take: Baby put himself front and center instead of leaning on a long feature list, and the Thug and Future reunion alone is worth the press of play.
Skepta — The Fork and Knife
Details: His first solo album since 2019’s Ignorance Is Bliss, out via Big Smoke/Epic, per The Line of Best Fit. It runs 15 tracks, including “Gas Me Up (Diligent)” and “Victory Lap,” with Novelist and Project Pat among the guests, per HotNewHipHop. The title comes from his Nigerian mother’s lesson: work hard now so one day you eat with a fork and knife.
Our take: An immigrant story from the UK’s most important MC. The Project Pat feature tells you he’s still a student of the South.
Statik Selektah — Expensive Taste
Details: Out on Mass Appeal. The opener alone has AZ, Boldy James, Ab-Soul and Bruiser Wolf, and the guest list keeps going with Styles P, Killer Mike, Busta Rhymes and Smif-N-Wessun, per HotNewHipHop. Lead single “The Louvre” brought Joey Bada$$, Westside Gunn, Stove God Cooks and Rome Streetz together.
Our take: The posse cut is alive and well. If you miss boom bap with a who’s-who of lyricists, this is your album of the week.
Curren$y & Harry Fraud — Off To The Races
Details: Ten tracks with four guests, including Wiz Khalifa and Rome Streetz. It’s Curren$y’s fifth album of 2026, per Ratings Game Music, and it was previewed by “Duffle 2 The Dealership.”
Our take: Spitta and Fraud have been doing this together for more than a decade. Smooth, short and made for the ride.
Jack Harlow — Sweet Action II (EP)
Details: Seven tracks, one feature: Babyface on “Too Soon,” per Clash. It’s the sequel to the 2020 EP that gave us “Whats Poppin,” and it arrives less than eight months after his album Monica.
Our take: Don’t expect “Whats Poppin” energy. This one leans R&B and relationship talk, as Revolt notes.
Mathematics & Wu-Tang Clan — Black Samson: The Saga Continues
Details: The Wu’s longtime DJ and producer is back with the Clan. “God Body” features Method Man and AZ, and Masta Killa and Inspectah Deck show up on “Knowledge My Wisdom,” per HotNewHipHop.
Our take: Fitting timing, the same week 36 Chambers turned 33.
Kenny Mason — BULLDAWG: GRAVEYARD SHIFT
Details: An expanded take on his summer album BULLDAWG, now 19 tracks with JID, Paris Texas and Dominic Fike among the guests, per the tracklist. Vibe included it in its New Music Friday list.
Our take: Atlanta’s rap-rock outlier, still doing it his way. If you slept on BULLDAWG, this is the excuse to catch up.
Singles to Run Back
- GloRilla & Sexyy Red — “Jiggly Bow Bow” (CMG/Interscope). The duo behind “Whatchu Kno About Me” link again, per V101.9. Take: pure club fuel, and Glo has already told the critics where to put it.
- Novelist feat. Skepta — “DIAMONDS DANCING”. Skepta pulling double duty on his album week. Take: grime royalty, two generations.
- Coi Leray — “Spin Back” (Epic). Take: another bounce-ready single from Coi.
- Jessie Reyez — “GO 2 WAR”. Take: Reyez sounds ready for a fight, which is when she’s best.
R&B Corner
- Ella Mai — 3two (EP). A surprise three-track birthday drop via 10 Summers/Interscope, continuing the tradition she started with 2024’s 3, per The Music Universe. Take: a short, sweet bonus after her February album Do You Still Love Me?
- Dawuna — Love’s Arp. Glitchy neo-soul and ’90s R&B pulled apart and rebuilt, per Bandcamp Daily. Take: for the D’Angelo heads who like it a little strange.
Also Out Friday
HotNewHipHop’s Friday drop list also included French Montana’s Coke Boys 7: All Dogs Go to Heaven, SOB X RBE’s FROM THE LAND, Molly Santana’s A Girl Is a Gun, Stove God Cooks’ “Stovie’s Home (Down Down),” Dej Loaf’s “OOSOOM” and Fivio Foreign’s “You Make Me.”
Soundtrack Watch
No major hip hop or R&B film or TV soundtrack landed this week. Friday’s soundtrack slate was mostly score albums, like Lorne Balfe’s The Cat in the Hat, per Film Music Reporter. Coming up: the GTA VI Official Soundtrack is listed for November 19 by HotNewHipHop, and Netflix’s Steps soundtrack arrives November 20, previewed by JENNIE’s “Someone To Hold,” per ET.
On Deck This Week
Bruiser Wolf and Conductor Williams’ The Dealer Wins is listed for Wednesday, November 11. Friday, November 13 brings Westside Gunn’s HEELMATIC, Offset’s GMFU, Wiz Khalifa’s Cool and Snoh Aalegra’s Legendary Love, per HotNewHipHop, plus Benny the Butcher’s A Friend of Ours 2, per Ratings Game Music.
Sources
- InMusic: Lil Baby FRESH details
- Revolt: Lil Baby FRESH reactions
- The Line of Best Fit: Skepta announces The Fork and Knife
- HotNewHipHop: The Fork and Knife
- HotNewHipHop: Expensive Taste
- Ratings Game Music: Off To The Races
- Clash: Jack Harlow Sweet Action II
- HotNewHipHop: Black Samson: The Saga Continues
- Vibe: New Music Friday, November 6
- V101.9: GloRilla and Sexyy Red announce Jiggly Bow Bow
- The Music Universe: Ella Mai 3two
- Bandcamp Daily: Essential Releases, November 6
- HotNewHipHop: Albums & Songs Dropping November 6
- Film Music Reporter: Upcoming Soundtrack Albums
