What's Good (Week of 4/13)
Want some good music for Good Friday? I've got you, with this week's edition of What's Good. As usual, I give you a big ol' list of music that I'm keen on, as well as features from around the web. If it's your first time here, the main categories I've got set up are:
- Playlists: Just the playlists, for your convenience if you're in a hurry to just throw the music on and vibe. TIDAL for the DSPs, BNDCMPR for a streaming option that gives you links to buy, and YouTube to have the visuals in tow.
- Bonus Beats: A space for live performances, music feature writing, and other cool music shit from around the web.
- Music: The main event, the big list of music from the week, with videos and individual links for purchasing and streaming (Editor's Note: If you're viewing this in your mail, be sure to hit 'View In Browser' 'cause this section usually gets clipped).
This week we've got:
New Albums
- Blackwater Holylight
- Blu & August Fanon
- Rhiannon Giddens & Justin Robinson
- Tunde Adebimpe
- Video Dave
- Westside Gunn
New Singles
- Asterisk w/Nosaj from New Kingdom & Open Mike Eagle
- Boldy James & Real Bad Man
- Deradoorian
- Kilo Kish
- Milc
- MIKE & Tony Seltzer
And a ton more. Let's get into it.
Playlists
TIDAL
TIDAL: What's Good Playlist - Week of 4/13/25
BNDCMPR
BNCMPR: What's Good Playlist - Week of 4/13/25
YouTube
Bonus Beats
Sarah Tudzin and illuminati hotties made a quick run through the band's catalog for NPR's Tiny Desk with some tweaks (like the brief ska switch-up during "Pool Hopping"). Check out their new single with PUP, "Wreck My Life" down in the Music section below.
Larry June gives us a behind the scenes look at the making of Life Is Beautiful with 2 Chainz and The Alchemist with a minidoc over on his YouTube channel.
Molly Burch sat down with Eli Enis for Stereogum to talk about her pivot from working musician to running Picnic Studio, a “progressive art space for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities.”
I think it’s really cool that you’re explicitly helping the artists to make an income from their work. Being working artists yourselves, I’m sure that’s an important aspect of what you’re doing with Picnic.
BURCH: I think that the two most important [components] are having an opportunity to make, first of all, any income, but also meaningful income. I kind of can’t I stress enough how broken the system is for people with disabilities. Laws are outdated, this is a community that is so pushed aside, and it’s really heartbreaking when you really see what’s going on. I didn’t know what it was like before I really started to look. It’s not something that’s really talked about. The opportunities are super limited, and I think that it’s really hard to have any income, let alone meaningful income. So that’s a huge part of it. Getting our artists to make money.
The second huge part is to have an inclusive space. And I think that’s almost the most important thing for us. People with intellectual and developmental disabilities, their social lives can be really small. Like family, staff workers if they’re in a program, or just their peers. Even within that system, things are really limited. We want to create a social environment where people with disabilities are exposed to people without, and people without are exposed to people with. I just think that’s so, so important for everyone.
Gary Suarez
Deem Spencer tapped in with Gary Suarez at CABBAGES to talk about his new yung EP:
Considering how much you recorded with Pittman, what prompted the release of yung as a three-song EP as opposed to something longer?
I was going to release the songs separately, but drink sum wtr thought it would be good to package them. I had the three songs in a folder called yung. I don't why I called it that, but I just had it saved as that. Even though it didn't come from any sort of inspired idea, sometimes things just go together aesthetically. The photo that I chose for the cover, that's one of the first photos I remember taking, physically remember being in front of a camera for.
Is that a school photo or is that from a studio?
That was a daycare photo. That's a very early memory. I've always had that photo; my friends have laughed at that photo.
"even if it's tho," that song was a highlight of my sessions with Jackson. My boy Mike was even there. I didn't even realize he was there. I didn't even remember that part. According to Mike, we were all in the room that we were making the songs and I said, excuse me, I'm going to go out there for a little bit. I'll be right back. I went outside, I came back and I said, yo, I just made some shit. and I played them "even if it is tho," which I had recorded in the living room. I don't remember the process of making it, but just every time I listen to that song and that idea, it's just such a beautiful song.
L.A. Witch talk their latest album, this month's DOGGOD.
Beth Gibbons and company treat KCRW to a selection of songs from her debut solo album Lives Outgrown.
Pearl & The Oysters go in depth on Planet Pearl in the first part of a conversation with Shags Chamberlain (mixing engineer of Planet Pearl) and Lionel "Vinyl" Williams.
Music
Frak - Fried Rice feat. Ozer (Out now. Stream: Tidal | Apple | Spotify)
Madison McFerrin - I Don't (Out now. Purchase: Bandcamp, Stream: Tidal | Apple | Spotify)
Genevieve Artadi with Norrbotten Big Band - My Smile Has Wandered Off Alone (From Another Leaf, out now. Purchase: Bandcamp | Ninja Tune/Brainfeeder, Stream: Tidal | Apple | Spotify)
Deradoorian - No No Yes Yes (From Ready For Heaven, out on 5/9/25. Preorder Bandcamp | Fire Records (UK), Stream: Tidal | Apple | Spotify)
Tunde Adebimpe - Somebody New (From Thee Black Boltz, out now. Purchase: Bandcamp | Sub Pop Mega Mart, Stream: Tidal | Apple | Spotify)
Del The Funky Homosapien + thegoodnews. - fakebreaker (Out now. Stream: Tidal | Apple | Spotify)
Mick Jenkins - Brown Recluse (From Type Shit, out now. Purchase: Purchase via EVEN)
Jabee - God Made Rap Too (Just added to last year's The Spirit Is Willing, But The Flesh Is Weak. Purchase: Bandcamp, Stream: Tidal | Apple | Spotify)
Blood $moke Body x Sherman - Amerie feat. Jjsax (Out now. Stream: Tidal | Apple | Spotify)
Asterisk - Two Stars feat. Nosaj from New Kingdom & Open Mike Eagle (From No School, out on 5/2/25. Preorder: Bandcamp)
Boldy James & Real Bad Man - Come Back Around feat. Dreamcastmoe (From Conversational Pieces, out on 5/2/25. Stream (Linking to the full single here as "It Factor", the b-side featuring a verse from El-P, is incredible): Tidal | Apple | Spotify)
Milc - Crayons feat. Open Mike Eagle & Something Something Brax (Out now. Stream: Tidal | Apple | Spotify)
MIKE & Tony Seltzer - Prezzy (From Pinball II, out on 5/7/25. Preorder: Bandcamp | 10k Global, Stream: Tidal | Apple | Spotify)
NCY Milky Band - High Speed Clouds feat. Quelle Chris (From Gangster Doodles Vol. 3, out now. Purchase/Stream: Bandcamp)
Lionmilk - Only One (From When The Flowers Bloom, out on 5/30/25. Preorder: Bandcamp | Stones Throw, Stream: Tidal | Apple | Spotify)
Che` Noir & Jynx716 - Lava Lamp feat. Stove God Cooks (Out now. Purchase/Stream: Bandcamp)
Jason Griff & Alaska - Lean in to the Curve (From Gerasco EP, out on 5/6/25. Preorder: Bandcamp, Stream: Tidal | Apple | Spotify)
Bandcamp New & Notable Jul 25, 2022
GloRilla - Blessed (Ongjoco Remix) (Out now. Purchase/Stream: Bandcamp)
illuminati hotties - Wreck My Life feat. PUP (From Nickel on the Fountain Floor, out on 5/30/25. Preorder: Bandcamp, Stream: Tidal | Apple | Spotify)
Age of Apocalypse - Impulse (From In Oblivion, out on 5/23/25. Preorder: Bandcamp | Closed Casket Activities, Stream: Tidal | Apple | Spotify)
Kipp Stone - Blue Collar Freestyle (From I Ain't Want Nothin', out on 5/23/25. Preorder: Bandcamp, Stream: Tidal | Apple | Spotify)
Rhiannon Giddens & Justin Robinson - John Henry (From What Did the Blackbird Say to the Crow, out now. Purchase: Bandcamp | Physicals and Digital via Nonesuch Records, Stream: Tidal | Apple | Spotify)
Kilo Kish - negotiate feat. Miguel (From Negotiations, out on 5/16/25. Stream: Tidal | Apple | Spotify)
Azymuth - Andaraí (From Marco Passo, out on 6/6/25. Preorder: Bandcamp | Merch and Vinyl via Far Out Recordings, Stream: Tidal | Apple | Spotify)
Ovrkast. - Small Talk feat. Samara Cyn (Out now. Stream: Tidal | Apple | Spotify)
The Underachievers - Losing Feathers (From Homecoming, out now. Stream: Tidal | Apple | Spotify)
Blackwater Holylight - Torn Reckless (From If You Only Knew, out now. Purchase: Bandcamp | Suicide Squeeze, Stream: Tidal | Apple | Spotify)
Count Bass D & Your Old Droog - Caddy (Out now. Purchase: Bandcamp, Stream: Tidal | Apple | Spotify)
Blu & August Fanon - Simple feat. Sene & Chester Watson (From 40, out now. Purchase: Bandcamp | Vinyl and CD via Nature Sounds, Stream: Tidal | Apple | Spotify)
Squadda B - Birds Eye feat. J.U.S (From The Wonderful World of Squadda B, out now. Purchase: Bandcamp, Stream: Tidal | Apple | Spotify)
Westside Gunn - GORO (From HEELS HAVE EYES, out now. Stream: Tidal | Apple | Spotify)
Video Dave - the spelling bee (the letter e) (From Old Chicago Stadium, out now. Purchase: Bandcamp, Stream: Tidal | Apple | Spotify)
Lady Wray - Best For Us (From Be A Witness b/w Best For Us single, out now. Purchase: Bandcamp | Big Crown Records, Stream: Tidal | Apple | Spotify)
That'll do us for this week. If you dug it, be sure to share it with your friends, family, and favorite folks. Be sure to subscribe to get every edition of What's Good sent straight to your inbox, or add me to your RSS feed if that's your thing. Take care of each other out there, and as always, make good choices.
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