Taking it back to the old school, Megan Thee Stallion has sampled Eazy-E’s 1987 breakout “Boyz-N-The-Hood” with her own take on the neighbourhood truth-telling track. An ode to South Park, Houston, where she was raised, “Girls In The Hood” celebrates the spirit of Meg’s community, pointing out that: “Ever since sixteen, I been havin’ a job / Knowin’ nothin’ in life, but I gotta get rich / You could check the throwback pics, I been that bitch”. The release follows her chart-topping “Savage” remix featuring Beyoncé, and comes just in time to open this week’s i-D playlist and soundtrack your very own hot girl summer.
Also out today is Arca’s long-awaited album, KiCk i. Her first in three years, it boasts features from her friends Björk, Rosalía, SOPHIE and Shygirl and sits at a deconstructed intersection of pop and reggaeton. “There’s a part of me that’s like, wait, why am I afraid to connect?” Alejandra mused in the interview for her digital cover story. “Let me take this opportunity to reach out in a different way with my music. Something more inviting, more like a celebration, a party that people want to go to.”
Other additions to our BEST NEW MUSIC playlist come from Park Hye Jin (her How Can I EP is out today), BLACKPINK (back with a banger), Raven Artson (a Dutch artist you should get to know) and Khruangbin (who we just had a lovely album-related chat with). Plus, expect new stuff from 6LACK, Tei Shi, Jean Dawson, Kelly Lee Owens, HAIM, Soko, Jonsi, Friday Night Plans and more.