Last Friday’s drop was loaded. Yung Miami finally went solo, Anderson .Paak and Cordae made a whole album together with some Carolina help, and Raleigh-raised Toosii ran back Platinum Heart. Here’s what came out since Friday, Oct. 23, and what’s worth your time.
Albums
- Anderson .Paak & Cordae, Heavy Is the Crown (Oct. 23). An 11-track joint album, and the announcement named J. Cole, 9th Wonder, Conductor Williams and Swizz Beatz among the collaborators. Take: Fayetteville and Winston-Salem fingerprints on a .Paak and Cordae record? Start here.
- Yung Miami, Watch Dis! (Oct. 23). Her 21-track solo debut, and her first album as a fully independent artist after finishing her Quality Control deal. Travis Scott, Summer Walker, Bryson Tiller, Quavo, G Herbo, Rick Ross, Trina and Trick Daddy all show up, and there’s a track called “Dear JT.” Take: Rick Ross, Trina and Trick Daddy on one song (“Dade County”) tells you she came to rep the 305.
- Toosii, Platinum Heart 2 (Oct. 23). A 13-song sequel to his 2020 mixtape, with Hunxho and YoungBoy Never Broke Again. Toosii was born in Syracuse and moved to Raleigh at 13, which is where he got serious about music. Take: Going back to the project that put him on is a confident move.
- John Legend, Muse (Oct. 23). 16 tracks, all produced by Pharrell Williams, who co-wrote the project and appears on six songs. Clipse pop up on “Bodies On The Floor.” Take: A Pharrell-produced John Legend album with a Clipse verse is not a sentence we expected to type.
- Luna Elle, R.S.V.P. (Oct. 23). The Mississauga singer’s 12-track debut, with Shae Universe on “Blame Me.” Take: Old-school love songs from a new voice. She’s in today’s Who You Should Hear.
- LAILA!, We’ll Never Be This Young Again (Oct. 23). A 12-track sophomore album with Teezo Touchdown on “ANGEL.” Take: Worth a spin if you like your R&B a little left of center.
- Yeat, Luh Leakyz Vol. 1 (Oct. 23). Fan-requested songs pulled from different points in his career. Take: A gift for the people who’ve been begging for those leaks.
- Also out Friday: Hit-Boy’s The Chauncey Hollis Project II, MC Eiht’s The Story of My Life, Che Noir’s It Takes a Village, Adrian Younge & Ali Shaheed Muhammad’s The Midnight Hour: Lost Tapes JID028, Shabazz Palaces’ It’s a Style Sport, Kolo & 6ix’s SONATA and B.U.G Antman’s Colony Season.
Singles
- Sleepy Brown feat. Big Boi, “Dooley Wap.” Take: Dungeon Family energy. Enough said.
- Wale, “WYFL.” Take: New Folarin from the DMV’s reliable storyteller.
- Erick the Architect feat. Ghostface Killah & Fergie Baby, “YERR.” Take: Brooklyn meets Staten Island. The Ghost feature alone makes it a must-hear.
- Westside Gunn, “ZILLA” and Benny the Butcher, “Elevate.” Take: Griselda kept the Friday tradition going.
- Bruiser Wolf & Conductor Williams, “Ain’t Got Time.” Take: Bruiser Wolf’s off-kilter Detroit humor over Conductor Williams’ beats.
- Doechii, “CATWOMAN (Swamp Sessions)” and Megan Thee Stallion, “Thin Ice (Tina Tuesday Freestyle).” Take: Two freestyle-minded drops from two of the best rappers in the game.
- Mannywellz & Odeal, “cry on you.” A new version of a song from Mannywellz’s June EP Small Chops. Take: Smooth, and Odeal fits right in.
- Snoh Aalegra, “I Love You,” and Jacquees, “Lick Back (Remix)” feat. Lil Baby. Take: Two very different moods for your R&B playlist.
Soundtracks and Reissues
Record stores are getting a wave of hip hop reissues and vinyl arrivals this week, according to Good Taste Records’ Oct. 23 list.
- Samurai Champloo Music Record: Departure (Fat Jon & Nujabes) and Impression (Force of Nature, Nujabes & Fat Jon). The anime soundtracks that turned a generation onto lo-fi hip hop are back on shelves. Take: Required listening for the Archive.
- Tales from the Crypt Presents: Demon Knight (Real Gone Music). The horror soundtrack is back just in time for Halloween.
- Nobody Wants This: Season 3 (Atlantic, Oct. 23). The Netflix series soundtrack is out. It leans pop and country, but J Balvin is on it.
- Also arriving on vinyl and CD: De La Soul’s Stakes Is High (30th Anniversary Edition), Organized Konfusion’s self-titled debut (35th Anniversary), OutKast’s Big Boi & Dre Present… OutKast and Idlewild, Pete Rock’s Soul Survivor and Amy Winehouse’s Back to Black (20th Anniversary).
What are you running back first? Let us know.
Sources
- Remixd Magazine: New Music Friday, Oct. 23
- Shatter the Standards: New Music Drops, Oct. 23, 2026
- Good Taste Records: New Album Releases, Oct. 23, 2026
- Ratings Game Music: Cordae & Anderson .Paak announce Heavy Is the Crown
- Hot 100.9: Takeaways from Watch Dis!
- Toosii, Wikipedia
- Film Music Reporter
