New Music Friday: 7 essential albums from Amber Mark, Makaya McCraven, Princess Nokia, Mobb Deep and more

New Music Friday delivers seven essential albums this week, led by standout releases from Princess Nokia, Mobb Deep, and Makaya McCraven, alongside notable projects from Amber Mark, BIA, The Cool Kids, and Niia. This week’s new music releases span hip-hop, jazz, R&B, and alt-pop, highlighting veteran craftsmanship and sharp new voices. From Queensbridge grit to Chicago’s live-beat experiments and sleek, modern soul, these are the albums to stream now.

Princess Nokia — “Girls” (Artist House) — Release date: Oct. 10, 2025

The Nuyorican shapeshifter returns with a compact, confrontational set that pairs razor-edged rap with noir-pop moods. “Girls” follows this summer’s singles “Drop Dead Gorgeous” and “Blue Velvet,” the latter previewing the album’s darker palette and survivor-anthem grit. Official listings place the full-length on Artist House, featuring 12 tracks that clock in at roughly 34 minutes, framing Nokia’s feminist storytelling with punchy hooks and club-ready drum programming. Across the sequence, she toggles between smirking bravado and diaristic catharsis, a stance telegraphed in recent interviews and reviews that note her pivot back to rap after forays into hyperpop. If you’re sampling, start with “Blue Velvet” for the record’s chiaroscuro tone and “Medusa” for its chant-like cadence. 

Makaya McCraven — “Off the Record” (International Anthem / Nonesuch / XL) 

Chicago drummer-producer Makaya McCraven corrals four interlinked EPs—“Techno Logic,” “The People’s Mixtape,” “Hidden Out!,” and “PopUp Shop”—into a two-LP / two-CD package, highlighting his “organic beat-music” approach built from live takes re-composed in the studio. Guests span modern jazz’s vanguard (Ben LaMar Gay, Theon Cross, Jeff Parker), and the vinyl ships mid-October with the EPs hitting streaming at the end of the month. Sonically, it’s McCraven’s kinetic sweet spot: tumbling drum language, woody bass, wind-borne horns and tape-worn edits that make the band feel both onstage and inside the sampler. “The People’s Mixtape” and “Techno Logic” carry the clearest dance-floor pulse; cue those first to hear how his collage method keeps improvisation front-and-center. 

Mobb Deep — “Infinite” (HClass / Infamous / Mass Appeal)

Havoc completes a careful, years-in-the-making Mobb Deep album built around unreleased Prodigy vocals, produced with The Alchemist and released through Mass Appeal’s “Legend Has It” series—a true posthumous full-length that aims to preserve the duo’s Queensbridge menace rather than update it beyond recognition. Lead-up materials flagged heavy-hitter cameos (Nas, Clipse, Jorja Smith, Ghostface Killah, Raekwon, H.E.R.) and the Havoc-produced single “Against the World.” The result reads like a memorial framed as a victory lap: sepulchral strings, iron-clad drums, and Prodigy’s ice-cold cadences threaded through. Spin “Against the World” and the snarling “The M. The O. The B. The B.” to hear the mission statement. 

Amber Mark — “Pretty Idea” (PMR / Interscope) 

Amber Mark’s second studio album leans into supple disco-R&B and sleek pop craftsmanship, released via PMR/Interscope. Official listings confirm a 13-track set; pre-release singles like “Let Me Love You” showcased co-production from Julian Bunetta and Matt Zara, while additional notes point to contributions from Two Fresh. Mark’s writing focuses on self-interrogation and intimacy without melodrama—clean basslines, satin keys, and that unhurried, breathy phrasing. Start with “Let Me Love You” for the record’s buoyant chassis and “Sweet Serotonin” for a slower, after-hours shimmer. 

BIA — “BIANCA” (Epic Records)

BIA’s long-teased full-length arrives on Epic, balancing composed menace with glossy hooks. Official store and DSP pages confirm a 16-track set with features including Key Glock, Denzel Curry, A$AP Ferg, Becky G, Young Miko and Ty Dolla $ign; the single “Dade” set the tone with a Memphis-leaning bounce. Production keeps drums dry and upfront so her clipped, conversational flow can slice through. Zero in on “DADE” (ft. Key Glock) for screw-face energy, and “We On Go II” with Denzel Curry and A$AP Ferg for an arena-scale flex. 

The Cool Kids — “Hi Top Fade” (Fool’s Gold / Reservoir) 

Chuck Inglish and Sir Michael Rocks resurface with a throwback-fresh LP whose digital release hits today while physical editions land in November. Retail and label listings confirm the vinyl street date and a feature list that includes Sango, A-Trak, Seafood Sam, Radamiz, Pink Siifu, Jess Connelly and more. It’s classic Cool Kids DNA—808 slap, neon synth stabs, and deadpan bars—updated with club-calibrated low end. Test drive “Banana in the Tailpipe” and the A-Trak/Sango-assisted “95 South” to hear their blog-era minimalism re-wired for 2025. 

Niia — “V” (Candid Records)

The Los Angeles vocalist/pianist deepens her torch-song-meets-trip-hop world on “V,” released via storied jazz imprint Candid. Co-production from Spencer Zahn and Lawrence Rothman gives the arrangements a cinematic glow—sub-bass murmurs, brushed drums and strings that creep in like moonlight. Niia’s phrasing remains the draw: cool to the touch, quietly devastating. Start with the opener for a smoked-glass introduction, then let a late-album ballad unfurl; both spotlight how she smuggles jazz classicism into modern alt-pop contours.