HHW Presents: CRT FRSH (Certified Fresh) Playlist 4.3.26

Salute to the entire Hip-Hop Wired Nation! We’re back with CRT FRSH, also known as Certified Fresh, our playlist where we feature acts you know and acts you need to know. We’ve been away for a while, and there is a lot of music that we’ve missed over the months, but CRT FRSH is here to stay, so let’s get into some music.

I want to explain how I approach curating the CRT FRSH playlist. Most importantly, I don’t segregate my Hip-Hop. Every form of music from the main cultural tree deserves a listen and a look. When I construct the playlist, I want to include all regions across the States and, when applicable, across the globe. I also want to entertain every fan of Hip-Hop, not just those who enjoy one segment of it. Now that we’ve got that out of the way, let’s get to it. — D.L. Chandler, lead curator for CRT FRSH

It’s been far too long but we’re back with a slightly beefed up version of the playlist with 25 songs instead of our usual 20. I’ve neglected this space for too long and I’m just now getting back into the flow of things. Allow me to spotlight some joints from this, ahem, “fresh” batch.

We open up the playlist with “PREACHER MAN” from Kanye West aka Ye’s new album, BULLY, which captures some of the superproducer’s beatmaking magic. We follow that with longtime collaborators MIKE and Earl Sweatshirt’s “Leadbelly” from their joint album, POMPEII/UTILITY. It won’t be for everyone but MIKE and Earl Sweatshirt are two of Hip-Hop’s best acts at the moment.

We then trek down to the A for T.I.’s “Trauma Bond,” with Tip in full braggodocio mode celebrating his wins. The Rap God himself, Casual, whose Black Magic project might be some of the best rapping we’ve heard all year so far, checks in with “See Them Mics.”

Going back a few months, Don Tolliver’s “K9” features SahBabii from the Houston artist’s OCTANE album. Now, we usually don’t feature albums from the previous year but Cleveland rapepr 12k Gotti’s 800 Degrees is one we hope folks go check out. The intro song from the project is one of the best we’ve heard in years.

A big shout to Latto, J. Cole, Erykah Badu, Mike WiLL Made-It, Young Dro, Killer Mike, DJ Muggs, T.F, Ghostface Killah, 50 Cent, Leon Thomas, Baby Keem, Swae Lee, Fre$h, Ab-Soul, MudBaby Ru, Key Glock, Samara Cyn, Ovrkast., JAŸ-Z, Larry June, 2 Chainz, The Alchemist, French Montana, Max B, Boldy James, Rome Streetz, Denzel Curry, A$AP Ferg, TiaCorine, IDK, Black Thought, Benny The Butcher, Grafh, Mike & Ley, Sideshow, El Cousteau, Buddy, and Guapdad 4000.

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Photo: Getty