Kendrick Lamar & J. Cole Return On Our New “Fire Emoji” Playlist Update

It’s the most wonderful time of the year, and hip-hop still has some gifts to give us on our latest Fire Emoji playlist update, which rounds up the genre’s best releases this week. Leading the way is one more Kendrick Lamar track before his dominant 2024 comes to an end, and it’s another SZA collab on her SOS Deluxe: LANA, “30 For 30.” Unsurprisingly, they share a lot of vocal chemistry and charisma over an easy-going beat that fuses melodic rap flows with a bouncy clap beat. They both sound heavenly on the cut, closing out their year on a sweet, fun-loving, and confident note.

Speaking of “the Big Three,” our Fire Emoji update also highlights J. Cole‘s tenth anniversary streaming re-release of 2014 Forest Hills Drive. It includes eight new bonus cuts that are really resonating with fans during this celebratory time, especially the hard-hitting and gritty “Die Together.” It features the North Carolina MC’s trademark vivid picture-painting, casual but solid rhyme schemes, and impassioned delivery. In other words, these tracks show everything that made 2014 Forest Hills Drive such an enduring and beloved record.

For those looking for some more relatively underground gems on Fire Emoji, we’re happy to say that one of 2024’s most prolific runs had one more chapter to cover. Following three other collaborative LPs with other producers, Boldy James dropped off the Hidden In Plain Sight EP with beat wizard whothehelliscarlo, and it’s a succinct but fittingly grimy unwinder. However, the title track, which features Conway The Machine and Styles P, is a good example of how the dusty and street-based vibe of the project can also mix beautifully with more soulful sounds.

As for new singles this week, we’d be remiss not to mention Gunna‘s new single “GOT DAMN” and its chilled, calming, and dreamy synth atmosphere. While the trap drums are simple and not much happens here melodically, Wunna’s voice fills in the empty space for the most part. Finally on Fire Emoji, we wanted to shout out the new Tee Grizzley remix of “Diana,” which features Flo Milli. The drill swing courtesy of BNYX and the more auto-tuned delivery are a welcome change of pace for the Detroit spitter, whereas the Alabama femcee skates on the beat in breathy but engaging fashion.