This week’s hip hop is all about patience and feel. These are tracks made for late-night drives and repeated listens, atmospheric and unhurried, the kind that trust a mood to do the talking. Even when they reach for the dancefloor, they keep their cool.
Nawlenz – Luv Meh
“Luv Meh” is a gorgeous slice of late-night R&B-rap from Nawlenz, atmospheric and intimate enough to soundtrack any midnight drive.
Nawlenz’s new stunner moves at a 2am pace. Atmospheric production from Tracmuzik wraps around conversational vocals, and the whole track sits in that hazy space where melodic R&B and hip-hop storytelling blur into one. I love the sound world, and this one explores attraction, connection and the uncertainty between two people without ever forcing the drama, letting the mood carry the weight instead. The featured turn from Ronni J adds a second voice to the conversation, and the result feels great; built for reflection AND for the club.
Nawlenz is originally from New Orleans and now based in Alaska, bridging Southern hip-hop roots with modern R&B, citing Drake, PARTYNEXTDOOR and The Weeknd. “Luv Meh” has a remarkable backstory: it began in late 2021 as a 60-second open verse challenge on the collaboration app Voisey, where he first connected with Ronni J. Over several years it grew into a full single, recorded across two coasts with Nawlenz in San Diego and Ronni J in New Jersey, finally completed in 2025 after listeners kept urging him to finish it. We’re glad he did, cos this one pops hard. A brilliant single.
Ray Gibbz – Hope and Need
“Hope and Need” is a brilliant, unguarded piece of personal rap from Ray Gibbz, the sound of an artist holding nothing back and it landing in style
Ray Gibbz’s latest single is rap stripped of armour. Billed as his most personal statement yet, “Hope and Need” digs into family, ambition and the pressure that drives him, and the writing stays unflinchingly direct throughout. There is no posturing here, just an honest account delivered with real conviction. I love stuff that feels like the layers have been peeled back, and this one genuinely pops off in style. More polished than his other stuff, but without sanding off the raw edges, it’s an emotionally exposed song that is fantastic. Vulnerability used as a strength.
Ray Gibbz is a self-taught producer, songwriter and rapper from San Diego who builds every track himself from his apartment, with no formal training behind him. He cites Nas as a guiding influence, and that lyric-first, story-driven lineage runs through everything he does. “Hope and Need” reflects his completely DIY ethos, handling production, writing and performance alone, and his determination to connect through honest storytelling rather than industry shortcuts. More of this please, Ray Gibbz, it’s a genuine vibe.
Francis Bleu – REM90
Francis Bleu delivers a stunning piece of experimental hip-hop, a dreamlike fuzz-fest of track that rewards every single replay.
This is hip hop built from atmosphere up. Layered vocals and out there production create a dreamlike, slightly submerged space, the sound living as much in texture and mood as in melody. It pulls trip-hop, lo-fi electronics and alternative R&B into one hazy whole. Maybe with a touch of gaming vibe too. This one’s properly weird, and I love it. It unfolds gradually, revealing new details, with some pop sensibilities underneath all that fuzz. It’s immersive, unhurried and genuinely absorbing.
Francis Bleu is a Newark, Delaware based alternative artist who blends experimental hip-hop, indie rock, alternative R&B and lo-fi electronics into a sound rooted as much in atmosphere as melody. There is a striking patience to his approach, and a fitting backstory to match: “REM90” is reportedly a nine-year-old song only now seeing release, a slow-burn that mirrors the restraint of the music itself. Francis, if you read this; keep being weird and making the music you need to. Cos this single is great.
Tyler Brooker – Step Aside
“Step Aside” is a superb, sun-soaked dance-pop cut from Tyler Brooker, an irresistible summer shake-up you’ll want on repeat all season.
This one bursts right into summer. It wastes literally no time in staking its claim as a fun, high-energy dance-pop track with a clear Major Lazer influence. It rides bright, and has a tasty, tropical-leaning production toward a hook built for summer. The smooth, positive vocals come courtesy of UK artist PHAZE MUSIC, whose rapped delivery keeps everything buoyant and easy. It is unashamedly feel-good, and the brightness never lets up from the first bar. A proper stunning shot of dance-pop sunshine.
Tyler Brooker is a British artist, producer, YouTuber, Twitch streamer and software developer who has independently released three EPs and the 2021 album Blood, Sweat and Fears. “Step Aside” is a deliberate departure from his usual style, signed to Deep Elite, and is a notably brighter move for him. He has been a regular on BBC Introducing in Suffolk and Essex, and his biggest track to date is a 2022 remix of Bayraktar that reached number 97 in the Ukrainian charts and drew widespread attention online. An impressive collection of achievements, but surely this summer banger tops them all. A brilliant track.
SPACE3GHXSTX – Full Metal
SPACE3GHXSTX’s new single is a brilliant hybrid-trap banger, a cyberpunk love song that hits as hard as it hurts.
SPACE3GHXSTX’s new single is trap with the lights flickering. Hypnotic 808s and gritty, dystopian synths lock under haunting, autotuned melodic vocals. It’s a compelling mix, and the thing plays like the soundtrack to a cyberpunk edgerunner romance. It captures that dangerous attraction, a seductive but destructive love, and mate, I’ve been there. Honestly that late-night melancholy hits harder than I expected when I hit play, and the hits are genuinely massive. And underneath all that fuzz, it never loses its emotional core. Proper moody, proper immersive, and a genuine banger.
SPACE3GHXSTX is a hybrid trap and dark R&B artist and owner of Ballestas Industries, based in Boston. He builds a whole cosmic, futuristic universe across music, visuals and storytelling, fusing heavy 808s, cinematic synths and distorted melodic vocals with a dystopian cyberpunk aesthetic. Releasing consistently and fiercely independent, we basically love it. He’s clearly playing a long game here, world-building rather than chasing singles. It’s ambitious stuff, and I’m properly intrigued to see where the universe goes next. A cracking track.