All of the biggest music headlines in one place and playlist. Updated live throughout the week.LUCKI Delivers a Dr*gs R Bad Prelude, Daysb4bad*Earlier this week, LUCKI took to socials to pose the question of a potential EP dubbed Daysb4bad*. The next day, he dropped the cover art. Today, the EP is here, and features "BAD Influence Freestyle 2 (FOR THE LOVE)," "BAD Influence 2" – his remix of Future's "MADE MY H*E FAINT" – and a Lil Yachty assist on "Sex Mula / Pete." Drugs R Bad is still set to drop on May 15.North West Drops Debut EPNorth West's formal introduction as a solo musician has materialized. N0rth4evr spans six high-octane tracks, hearing West experiment with different lanes of rage rap and begin to find her sound.Isaiah Rashad Returns With an Instant Classic: IT'S BEEN AWFUL Is HereThe moment we've all been waiting for. Isaiah Rashad has lifted the veil on his fourth studio album – and first in five years – IT'S BEEN AWFUL. The 16-track offering was worth every minute of the wait. Features come from SZA, Dominic Fike, and Julian Sintonia, a TDE affiliate who also contributed ample production to the project as well.Our Don Toliver Cover Story: "Don Toliver Has Tunnel Vision"This week, we unveiled Don Toliver as our third and final cover star for Hypebeast Magazine #37: The Architects Issue. Read the full story here.JPEGMAFIA Is Going on Tour With redveil and matt proxyPeggy pulled out all the stops for the album announcement, also revealing that he's hitting the road this summer on The Experimental Rap Tour. The 20-date North American run kicks off on September 22 in Spokane, Washington, and comes equipped with support from seasoned collaborator redveil and matt proxy.Lelo Announces Mastiff EPOn the heels of last week's “Yoppenheimer” remix with Joey Bada$$, Lelo is in the lab once again. The Detroit rapper revealed that he’s got an EP coming out on May 5th, entitled Mastiff. A tracklist has yet to be revealed.North West’s Merch Capsule Spans the Entire Color SpectrumAhead of N0rth4evr’s drop, North lifted the veil on the EP’s accompanying merch suite, which spans the full range of hues. Including apparel, accessories, and vinyl, the drop’s hoodies and tees feature the cover art and tracklist, the lettering landing in shades of blue, pink, purple, red, yellow, green, and white. Vinyls take a similar color palette, while the punk-inspired accessories – like a key necklace and studded wrist cuff – take to an all-black colorway.The First Single From Experimental Rap Has LandedDubbed "babygirl," Peggy was quick to drop off the lead single from his imminent new project. The high-octane cut is a classic JPEG offering, fusing rap, rock, and punk, and paired with a cinematic music video.Little Simz Is Dropping an EP Next WeekLittle Simz is staying booked and busy. Less than a year off her latest longform opus, Lotus, and fresh off a packed few months of fashion projects, the UK rapper has announced a new EP set to drop in just eight days. Due out May 8th is Simz's SUGAR GIRL , her first formal project of 2026. Other details – like a tracklist, features, or cover art – are still under wraps.JPEGMAFIA Announces Experimental Rap AlbumWe're so back – Peggy is dropping experimental rap. Or should we say, Experimental Rap, as it's actually the title of his next studio album. Described by a press release as "both a display of power and a gauntlet thrown to the industry," Experimental Rap marks JPEGMAFIA's first studio album since 2024's I Lay Down My Life For You. "The era-defining magnum opus is a masterclass in left-field innovation, blending rap, punk, rock, industrial and gospel music with his signature “no-rules” production and sharp lyricism," continues the press release. Expect Experimental Rap to drop everywhere on May 21.Isaiah Rashad Ramps Up Final Stages of It's Been Awful RolloutWe're in the final hours of Isaiah Rashad's It's Been Awful's album rollout, with just a few hours left until the rapper's third studio project drops on streaming. Zay has stayed busy this week, though, having shared both "EPISODE 3" of his DJ Sonny Roshi TV series, along with a new freestyle that he delivered due to the third episode's initial delay in droppping.Max B Is Headlining MIKE’s Young World Festival – Along With MIKE HimselfAfter its abrupt cancellation last year, MIKE’s completely free, all-ages Young World Festival is returning to Brooklyn’s Herbert Von King Park on July 11, and this week, the two headlining acts were revealed: Max B and MIKE. New York’s Old Guard and New Guard take the stage among a soon-to-be-revealed lineup of other acts, including the stage debut of MIKE’s Band of the Century group that he performed with for his Tiny Desk Concert.Vince Staples’ Official Album AnnouncementAfter dropping off “Blackberry Marmalade” onto DSPs, Staples responded to the “CRYBABY” internet discourse – confirming that the red baseball hat in the music video did, in fact, confirm his next studio album and its release date. In the words of Staples himself, CRY BABY is confirmed to drop everywhere on June 5.Also, in the words of Vince himself: "As the world burns, I have decided to release this album. Thanks for listening."​​North West’s Debut EP Loading…North West has been serious about getting into her music bag. After stacking a selection of solid co-signs and production collaborations from the entire hip-hop spectrum – ranging from Ice Spice to Che, and FKA Twigs to skaiwater  –West is ready to make her first longform move. With her first solo single, “PIERCING ON MY HAND,” almost three months old now, the 12-year-old is taking it to the next level with her first-ever EP. Entitled N0rth4evr, the project is slated to drop this Friday, May 1, and spans six new tracks – “PIERCING ON MY HAND” not included. West produced all of it herself.Vince Staples Readies ReturnAbout two weeks back, Vince Staples sent out an email blast to fans updating them on his new private Discord server, creating the channel as a way to “improve the fan experience.” He didn’t share too much else in that initial message, aside from the ominous: “Stay tuned, because there will be both hijinks and shenanigans…. I will be back sooner than you think.”And indeed he was. Over the weekend, the rapper took to Instagram to share his first-ever studio single since he dropped Dark Times in May of 2024. Uploaded to streaming earlier this week, “Blackberry Marmalade” harkens back to Staples’ old sound, leaning into a guitar-heavy beat, and premiered alongside a striking Bradley J. Calder-co-directed music video.Fans clocked a “CRYBABY” red cap in the visual – resting on Staples’ car dashboard for all of thirty seconds at the start of the video – with “June 5th” etched on the side.