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New Music Friday delivers eight essential albums this week, featuring standout releases from Ledisi, Bryson Tiller and Alfa Mist alongside notable projects from Say She She, Mick Jenkins & EMIL, and more. This week’s new music releases span jazz, hip-hop, R&B, alt-disco and Afrobeats, offering a focused look at tributes, collabs and culture-forward experimentation. From jazz craftsmanship to rap precision and club-ready harmonies, these are the albums to stream now. This recap is curated by HYFIN, your trusted source for Black music and culture—stream and save your favorites today.
Chicago MC Mick Jenkins teams with UK producer EMIL for an 11-track set that arrived on DSPs today following a direct-to-fan window on EVEN that began Sept. 19. The Apple Music listing confirms the Stem distribution and Oct. 3 date, while the EVEN page documents the early windowing and track list, including “Words I Should’ve Said (feat. ENNY)” and “DeadStock.”
Jenkins’ roll-out underscores an artist-first approach—pay-what-you-want access before the wide release—while EMIL’s moody, UK-leaning production threads through the album’s concise 29-minute runtime. “Words I Should’ve Said” pairs Jenkins and ENNY over airy keys and sax flourishes; “Coco Gauff,” teased during the EVEN campaign, doubles as a victory-lap metaphor; both cuts were flagged ahead of today’s stream date by independent outlets tracking the staggered release.
Queens-raised veteran Homeboy Sandman returns with a six-song EP produced entirely by GUIDANCE. Bandcamp shows the full track list (“Artist’s Creed,” “Nick of Time” feat. Scarub, “The Veil,” “It’s You,” “Use It or Lose It,” “Meadowlark”) and the Oct. 3 release date; Apple Music files it under Dirty Looks. The project leans into reflective, stripped-back writing with tight runtimes and minimalist beats. “Artist’s Creed” functions as a thesis statement over dusty drums; “Nick of Time,” featuring Scarub, loosens the cadence into a nimble back-and-forth. The Bandcamp credits confirm GUIDANCE’s full-project production, keeping the sonic palette cohesive.
Bryson Tiller completes his two-part album: “The Vices” arrived Aug. 8 and “Solace” landed Oct. 2, forming a 24-track double LP now live on Apple Music under RCA/TrapSoul. Sony/RCA’s earlier press pegged “The Vices” as part one of the double set, with the second half arriving this fall—fulfilled by yesterday’s drop. Across the two discs, Tiller toggles between introspective trap-soul and chest-out rap cadences. “Strife,” leading the “Solace” sequence, opens with self-accounting; “Workaholic” frames career obsession as a relationship stressor. The combined Apple Music listing confirms the Oct. 2 date and 24-track runtime, while coverage of the part-two release highlights the return-to-roots feel.
The NYC-born vocal trio—Piya Malik, Sabrina Mileo Cunningham and Nya Gazelle Brown—deliver their third LP and first for drink sum wtr. The label’s press notice and the band’s Bandcamp confirm the Oct. 3 date, along with a 12-song track list steeped in punk-chic “discodelic” energy and ESG/Arthur Russell lineage. Vinyl/CD are shipping via drink sum wtr. Expect tight rhythm-guitar vamps, stacked harmonies and politically edged writing. The title track sets the groove template; deeper cuts riff on late-’70s downtown aesthetics without trading away the trio’s bright, modern hooks. Shore Fire’s brief lays out the aesthetic influences that inform the album’s stance.
LA producer Real Bad Man and vocalist/producer Genevieve Artadi reunite for their first full-length together since working side by side in the electronic trio Pollyn, issuing a sleek, synth-led set on Real Bad Man Records. The rollout arrived with two early singles — “Don’t Gotta Think About U” and “Little Claws” — that flagged the album’s electropop/new-wave core and Artadi’s vapor-light vocals riding dense drums and analog-leaning keys.
For listeners who only know Real Bad Man through his 2025 hip-hop run — ZelooperZ’s “Dear Psilocybin” (Feb. 7), Boldy James’ “Conversational Pieces” (May 2) and Willie the Kid’s “Midnight” (Mar. 28) — this record opens a different lane, leaning into Artadi’s Brainfeeder-honed art-pop instincts and their long creative history from Pollyn to KNOWER. “Little Claws” stacks clipped drum programming and elastic vocal lines; “Don’t Gotta Think About U” plays like neon-gloss electro-soul, both signaling a deliberate pivot from sample-driven rap palettes to synth-forward songwriting. Artadi’s recent “Another Leaf,” made with Sweden’s Norrbotten Big Band, underscores her range and helps explain the meticulous arrangements threaded through this collaboration.
Ledisi salutes Dinah Washington with an eight-song set co-produced by Christian McBride and Rex Rideout. Apple Music confirms the Oct. 3 release and license to Candid; multiple outlets documented advance singles and guest turns, including a duet with Gregory Porter (“You’ve Got What It Takes”), and appearances by bassist-producer McBride, guitarist Paul Jackson Jr. and pianist Michael King. Musically, the album balances big-room swing and intimate torch-song phrasing. “What a Difference a Day Made” arrived Aug. 22 with credits noting McBride’s production role; the Porter duet followed in September. The Walt Disney Concert Hall-timed release celebration and Candid’s rollout position this as a major fall jazz event.
London composer-pianist Alfa Mist returns on his own Sekito imprint with a compact, groove-driven set; Bandcamp lists the full sequence, including “Reincarnation (feat. Homeboy Sandman),” “Roulette,” and “All Time (feat. Tawiah).” Alfa’s bio situates him as a self-taught pianist whose beat-making roots evolved into a hybrid of jazz improvisation and hip-hop textures; Sekito’s catalog confirms the label’s in-house approach. The title track stretches into modal-leaning ensemble play, while “All Time” frames Tawiah’s vocal in soft-focus Rhodes and brushed-snare swing. “Reincarnation” taps Sandman for a pocket-rap cameo that locks with Alfa’s head-nod drums—an inter-scene handshake that fits this week’s cross-genre theme.
Adekunle Gold, aka Adekunle Almoruf Kosoko, is a renowned Nigerian Afrobeats singer and songwriter currently signed to Def Jam Recordings. Growing up in Lagos and inspired by local legends like King Sunny Ade, he first gained major attention in 2015 with his hit single “Sade,” a highlife rendition of One Direction’s “Story of My Life.” Over his career, Adekunle Gold has released multiple acclaimed albums, blending traditional Nigerian sounds with contemporary pop, Afrobeats, and R&B. As a descendant of the Kosoko royal family, his work often reflects a deep connection to his Yoruba heritage, and he has become one of the most inventive voices in modern Afropop, known for both musical and visual artistry.
His latest album, “Fuji,” is a deeply personal and genre-bending tribute to the Fuji style, a staple of Yoruba street culture characterized by layered percussion and social themes. With “Fuji,” Adekunle Gold reimagines this energetic, ancestral music for a global audience, blending traditional elements with Afrobeats, hip-hop, and electronic sounds. Through 15 tracks chronicling belief, perseverance, and self-definition, the album serves as a vibrant cultural statement, celebrating Lagos life and the dreams of every Nigerian youth. Adekunle describes the album as both a reinvention and a celebration—bringing Nigerian heritage to the world’s biggest stages and inviting listeners to experience the music’s stories and emotions firsthand.
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