What's Good (Week of 10/26/25)
Happy Halloween weekend friends, you made it here so take a break before you head out for trick-or-treatin', costume parties, or general tomfoolery for a bit of What's Good. This week we've got:
New Albums
- Aesop Rock
- Big Kahuna OG & Foisey
- Chat Pile & Hayden Pedigo
- keiyaA
- Heems
- Makaya McCraven
- Shad
- Saba
New Singles
- Azakazin Magic World
- Boldy James & Nicholas Craven
- Chè Noir & 7xvethegenius
- Melody's Echo Chamber
- Navy Blue
- Sleep Sinatra
- Vial
And a ton more. If it's your first time here or you haven't subscribed yet, use the box below to do so. You get What's Good in your inbox every Friday, so that way you don't miss the heat.
Also if you'd like to do me an additional solid, given that we're on the verge of SNAP benefits running out, take my suggestion from last week and donate some time and money to your local food pantries. They're going to be some of the best ways to get food and necessary resources to people that relied on SNAP in your community. You can locate yours via Feeding America and Food Pantries.org
Now let's get to it.
Playlists
TIDAL
TIDAL: What's Good Playlist - Week of 10/26/25
YouTube
Bonus Beats
POW empressario Jeff Weiss sat down with LA legend Blu on The Truth Hurts podcast to talk about the emcee's, career from almost being signed by Suge Knight until now, with some incredible tidbits along the way (like his connection to the song "Car Wash"). Also be sure to check out Blu and Myka 9 on Truth Hurts talking their album God Takes Care of Babies and Fools.
Natalie Weiner
Friend of the blog and Don't Rock The Inbox co-founder Natalie Weiner interviewed Ashawnta Jackson about their new book Soul-Folk on the eponymous subgenre and the black artists that created within (and beyond) it:
NW: What surprised you most as you were researching and writing? As you're saying, so much of the story was there in pieces, but not really presented together, coherently.
AJ: When I had initially pitched the book, I did have this idea of what this genre was. And the thing that most surprised me as I was writing it was that…it's not really a genre. The more I started learning and listening, the more I realized that while it is helpful to give it a name, it's also so confining to put the music into that small box. The more I was writing, the less I felt that it was actually a genre, which is kind of…antithetical to the whole project.
NW: But you know and I know that genre isn't real. That's the caveat I'm constantly giving here at DRTI — like, we're a country music newsletter but one that acknowledges that genre is not real.
AJ: That's another thing — a common thread for many of the artists I wrote about is that that they just didn't want to be put into a genre. They were like, "I just want to express myself through my music, and this is how it sounds." There's this kind of tension about giving it a name when the artists were so resistant to being defined. That resistance is also one thing that made that genre hard to market. As I was writing, I was just trying to find that space in between all of that — between wanting to be on the outside, and knowing that people need names and categories to understand things. It was difficult to thread that needle and not just throw my hands up and say, "Well, but it doesn't exist. Here's some music to listen to, it doesn't exist."
Dash Lewis spoke to a number of Richmond, VA artists (including Ohbliv) about what D'Angelo meant to them musically:
Ohbliv, a producer who also hails from the Southside, regards D’Angelo as “Richmond’s North Star of Black music,” and asserts that he carved out a distinct space for Virginia. But rather than the building blocks of a specific style, Ohbliv thinks D left Richmond with an ethos: wholesale commitment to the music.
“I feel like his testament is staying true to the art,” he says. “We’re really dedicated to the music. If it ain’t about that, I don’t really care.” DJ Harrison sees D’Angelo as a conduit, conveying the history of Black music through a specific Virginia lens: “We came here as slaves from across the ocean. There are dark tones and frequencies. You can see how that evolves — Ohbliv has it, Michael Millions has it. A lot of us have it. You look back, and who was the person from Richmond that started that?”
Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson
And speaking of D'Angelo, Questlove wrote a tribute for his brother-in-arms at Rolling Stone:
During the Voodoo sessions he once called at 4 a.m. “Yo man, we gotta talk.” Was this a confrontation? What kept him up? The idea that Common had a funkier track for his Like Water for Chocolate LP (which D’Angelo and I both were working on at the time) than D’Angelo had for Voodoo.
“That’s my funk!!!!!!!!!! He don’t know what to do with that funk!!”
I called Common and suggested a swap. He was chill. “Chicken Grease” went to Voodoo; “Geto Heaven Pt. 2” (originally D & Lauryn Hill) went to Common.
Then came Voodoo. Then came everything. That album remade Black music. There’s a before and an after. Its tour was the greatest soul revue since prime Prince — we spent four years studying him; naturally, we wrote our love letter back.
But D’s core never changed. One day on tour — in a nondescript spot like Milwaukee — Halle Berry happened to be side-stage during soundcheck. I couldn’t see her behind my cymbal, but D could. Suddenly soundcheck turns into full-throttle, balls-to-the-wall performance with no warning. Why are we doing a full-fledged, life-depends-on-it 18-minute version of “Devil’s Pie”?! Dude, save it for the show! Mic tricks, dips, splits, slides, the whole thing. On one slide, a nail tore his faux-leather pants from thigh to ankle. Pants became skirt. And yeah — commando.
That was D: all in, even at soundcheck.
HUMAN ERROR CLUB chopped it up with the Rap Music Plug Podcast to talk their background, creative process, and their collaborative album with Kenny Segal, HUMAN ERROR CLUB AT KENNY'S HOUSE.
The homey Open Mike Eagle took to his Twitch community to pay tribute to Freestyle Fellowship member and LA titan P.E.A.C.E., who passed away last week. Tap in for a playlist that includes Freestyle Fellowship gems, standout appearances on comps like Beneath The Surface, a battle with Dose One, and of course, incredible freestyles.
Beth Gibbons live from the Sydney Opera House, 'nuff said.
August Fanon and billy woods dropped off a Halloween suprise in the form of a reworked worked version of woods' GOLLIWOG entitled gowillog, which you can copy from Backwoodz on vinyl, CD, digitally, and as a short film on VHS. You can also watch the short film on Vimeo for a short time, right now.
clipping. stopped by the Tiny Desk for a career spanning set with MIDI-triggered robots as part of the accompaniment, setting things off for the season with a rendition of "Nothing Is Safe" from There Existed an Addiction to Blood.
Die Spitz touched down and raised hell at the KEXP studios, ripping through joints from their Something To Consume LP.
Music
Daedelus - Remember (From Em Dash, out now. Purchase: Bandcamp | Qobuz, Stream: Tidal | Apple | YouTube Music)
The 6th Letter - Ride Around Steamin' (From Smoke Sumn Radio, Vol. 1, out now. Purchase: Bandcamp | Qobuz, Stream: Tidal | Apple | YouTube Music)
Wynne - Show Me Sum (From Say Wynne, out now. Download: Wynne's website, Stream: YouTube)
Open Mike Eagle - relentless hands and feet (From Neighborhood Gods Unlimited, out now. Purchase: Bandcamp | Qobuz, Stream: Tidal | Apple | YouTube Music)
Shad - Slanted (From Start Anew, out now. Purchase: Bandcamp | Limited signed vinyl w/custom messages via Shad's website | Qobuz, Stream: Tidal | Apple | YouTube Music)
BoriRock - MONUMENTAL (From VICTORY DISEASE, out now. Purchase/Stream: Bandcamp)
Aesop Rock - Full House Pinball (From I Hear It's A Mess There Too, out now. Purchase: Bandcamp | Merch, physicals, and digital via Aesop Rock's site | Other retailer, Stream: Tidal | Apple | YouTube Music)
Navy Blue - Orchards (From The Sword & The Soaring, out on 11/11. Preorder: Bandcamp | Qobuz, Stream: Tidal | Apple | YouTube Music)
Fatboi Sharif & Roper Williams - Goth Girl On The Enterprise (From Goth Girl On The Enterprise, out now. Purchase: Bandcamp | Qobuz, Stream: Tidal | Apple | YouTube Music)
Saba - Today Years Old (From C0FFEE!, out now. Purchase: Bandcamp, Stream: Tidal | Apple | Youtube Music)
Intuition & Equalibrum - Even Keel (From Leave A Mark, out now. Purchase: Bandcamp | Qobuz, Stream: Tidal | Apple | YouTube Music)
Melody's Echo Chamber - Eyes Closed (From Unclouded, out on 12/5. Preorder: Bandcamp | Physicals and merch via Hello Merch | Qobuz, Stream: Tidal | Apple | YouTube Music)
Vial - Idle Hands (Out now. Purchase: Qobuz, Stream: Tidal | Apple | YouTube Music)
Azakazin Magic World - Dorephin Shopping Center (Rhythm*Pocket Remix) (From Memory Overdrive, out January of next year. YouTube only.)
Verb T & Vic Grimes - Distraction (From To Love A Phantom, out on 12/11. Preorder: Bandcamp | Physicals, digital, and merch via High Focus (UK), Stream: Tidal | Apple | YouTube Music)
Automatic - Terminal (طرفي) (From Is It Now?, out now. Purchase: Bandcamp | Vinyl and merch via ThreeFour Inc. | Qobuz, Stream: Tidal | Apple | YouTube Music)
The Coathangers - Drifter (Demo) (From the Hurry b/w Drifter 7", out now. Purchase: Bandcamp | Vinyl via Suicide Squeeze | Qobuz, Stream: Tidal | Apple | YouTube Music)
Nappy Nina - Mid Migration (From Sweets For Cynics, out now. Purchase: Bandcamp | Qobuz, Stream: Tidal | Apple | YouTube Music)
claire rousay - just (feat m sage) (From a little death, out now. Purchase: Bandcamp | Physicals and digital via Thrill Jockey, Stream: Tidal | Apple | YouTube Music)
Sleep Sinatra - Designer Reality feat. Breeze Brewin (From the upcoming LP TIMESOFPERIL. Purchase "Designer Reality": Bandcamp | Qobuz, Stream: Tidal | Apple | YouTube Music)
Boldy James & Nicholas Craven - Infrared Dot Com (From the upcoming Criminally Attached. Purchase: Qobuz, Stream: Tidal | Apple | YouTube Music)
Chè Noir & 7xvethegenius - Sum Of Two Evils (From Desired Crowns, out on 11/14. Preorder: Bandcamp | Qobuz, Stream: Tidal | Apple | YouTube Music)
keiyaA - k.i.s.s (From kooke's law, out now. Purchase: Bandcamp | keiyaA's Official Store | Qobuz, Stream: Tidal | Apple | YouTube Music)
12k Gotti - BLIND feat. MIKE (From 800°, out on 11/7. Preorder: Bandcamp | 10k Global Store | Qobuz, Stream: Tidal | Apple | YouTube Music)
Count Bass D - Hats Off (Out now. Purchase: Bandcamp | Digital via Count Bass D's website | Qobuz, Stream: Tidal | Apple | YouTube Music)
Westside Gunn - TITO SANTANA feat. Rome Streetz (From HEELS HAVE EYES 3, out now. Purchase: CD via Roc Nation | Qobuz, Stream: Tidal | Apple | YouTube Music)
Makaya McCraven - Lake Shore Drive Five (From The People's Mixtape, one of 4 EPs released altogether as Off The Record out now. Purchase: The People's Mixtape digitally via Bandcamp | Off The Record on vinyl via Bandcamp | Off The Record on Vinyl or CD via None Such Records | Physicals and digital via XL Recordings, Stream "The People's Mixtape": Tidal | Apple | YouTube Music)
Noname - Hundred Acres feat. Devin Morrison (From the upcoming Cartoon Radio. Stream: Tidal | Apple | YouTube Music)
Ovrkast. - New Era/truth? (From While The Iron Is Hot, out now. Purchase: Qobuz, Stream: Tidal | Apple | YouTube Music)
The Doppelgangaz - Live 2 Regret It (From Bet On Black Cloak, out now. Purchase: Bandcamp | Qobuz | Vinyl, digital, and merch via The Doppelgangaz site, Stream: Tidal | Apple | YouTube Music)
Primative Man - Seer (From Observance, out now. Purchase: Bandcamp | Physicals and merch via Relapse Records | Observance, Stream: Tidal | Apple | YouTube Music)
Snocaps - Coast (From Snocaps, out now. Purchase: Bandcamp | Preorder physicals and merch via Kung Fu Merch | Qobuz, Stream: Tidal | Apple | YouTube Music)
Asal Hazel - Sweet Butter (Out now. Purchase: Qobuz, Stream: Tidal | Apple | YouTube Music)
Chat Pile & Hayden Pedigo - The Magic of the World (From In The Earth Again, out now. Purchase: Bandcamp | Physicals and digital via Computer Students | Qobuz, Stream: Tidal | Apple | YouTube Music)
Big Kahuna OG & Foisey - Pillow Fightin' Wit Ya Hoe feat. bbymutha (From She Know U Lame, out now. Purchase: Bandcamp | Qobuz, Stream: Tidal | Apple | YouTube Music)
Bandcamp Album of the Day Apr 29, 2025
Nickelus F - Orders of Magnitude (From Disclosure Vol. 1, out now. Purchase/Stream: Bandcamp)
dela - Océan Pacifique (From Jour & Nuit Beat Tape, out now. Purchase: Bandcamp | Qobuz, Stream: Tidal | Apple | YouTube Music)
Stephen Brodsky - Farewell Note To This City (Converge cover) (From Cut To The Core Vol. 1, out now. Purchase: Bandcamp | Other retailer, Stream: Tidal | Apple | YouTube Music)
Bandcamp New & Notable Aug 6, 2025
blackchai - Skinny 6 Pack (From UMIBŌZU, out now. Purchase/Stream: Bandcamp)
Deathbomb Arc
J Fisher - DUST (From DEADLOOPS2025, out now. Purchase/Stream: Bandcamp)
Hilary Woods - Brightly (From Night CRIÚ, out now. Purchase: Bandcamp | Sacred Bones | Other retailer, Stream: Tidal | Apple | YouTube Music)
Heems - Star-Crossed feat. Panda Bear (From A Hundred Alibis, out now. Purchase: Bandcamp | Qobuz, Stream: Tidal | Apple | YouTube Music)
That does it for this week. Thanks for rocking with me, and if you enjoyed this or found anything new, don't hesitate to let me know in the comments, and share the blog with your people. Take care of each other, stay safe out there, and make good choices.
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