What we're listening to this week at The Shift

August continues to chug along, which means we have more music to listen to as the summer season wanes to a close. This time around, we got albums from The Game and Rod Wave and Megan Thee Stallion as well as singles by Nicki Minaj and Tyga, featuring Pop Smoke and Jhené Aiko.

You should know the drill at this point. You can hear what our crew is listening to at the official The Shift playlist on Spotify. More life, more music, for you.

The Game - Drillmatic: Heart vs. Mind

After a few delays, the Game has released his 10th studio album, Drillmatic: Heart vs. Mind, which marks his first long-play since 2019’s Born 2 Rap. The 30-track mega project features a star-studded guest list that includes Lil Wayne, Pusha-T, NBA YoungBoy, Roddy Ricch, Fivio Foreign, YG, A$AP Rocky and the artist formerly known as Kanye West. 

It’s a project fueled by the Game’s pure confidence in his abilities to rap and produce, as the Compton rapper previewed his album three months ago on Instagram, boldly claiming Drillmatic will be album of the year. 

“I know my album gone be the best album of 2022, ’cause the energy feels like I just signed my deal,” he wrote in a post on Instagram. “You’ve never heard me rap like this, I promise you.”

Rod Wave - Beautiful Mind

Rod Wave’s talent is undeniable and it’s all laid out in his new, lengthy project, Beautiful Mind, a complex and emotional rollercoaster that Wave has dubbed his final “sad a**” record.

The 24-track project is carved out primarily by Wave, who only sees two collaborations across the whole album with Jack Harlow (“Yungen”) and December Joy (“Quiet Storm”). Led by two singles in “Alone” and “Stone Rolling,” Beautiful Mind picks up right where SoulFly left off without skipping a beat, and yet he still feels that he’s yet to tap his fullest potential. Most recently in an interview with Complex, Wave spoke about missing out on an opportunity to collaborate with Drake because he wasn't satisfied with the music he made, holding himself accountable to reach that level soon.

Megan Thee Stallion - Traumazine

The reigning queen of rap returns with her latest album, Traumazine, and in her latest project, she has a bone to pick with a lot of people.

Featuring contributions by Future, Jhené Aiko, Dua Lipa, Latto, Key Glock, Pooh Shiesty, and Rico Nasty among others, Megan spits some heavy bars about some key issues in her life right now, such as an alleged incident between her and Tory Lanez, her contract dispute with record label 1501, and the overturning of Roe v. Wade by the U.S. Supreme Court. All in all, it’s an explosive and passionate project that sees Megan show her angry and confident sides, as well as her vulnerable one.

Nicki Minaj - “Super Freaky Girl”

Following her amazing performance at OVO Fest’s “Young Money Reunion”, Nicki Minaj continues to stay busy as she gears up to headline at the 2022 MTV VMAs later this month.

But despite all the public performance obligations, she has still found time to drop her latest track, “Super Freaky Girl”. After days and days of blowing up as a TikTok sound, Nicki’s finally dropped her latest that sees her sample Rick James’ 1981 hit song “Super Freak.” Teasing the project on social media before release, it received James’ stamp of approval on Twitter!

Tyga ft. Pop Smoke & Jhené Aiko - “Sunshine”

Tyga returns with a heavy dose of nostalgia as he drops a summertime track that samples the classic hit of the same name from 2004 by Lil Flip. He links up with Jhené Aiko and the late Pop Smoke – Aiko handles the hook while Type and Pop bring out their own affectionate bars on a track that’s on the sweeter side, a different step from the usual party anthem we expect to hear from him.

Lil Flip makes an appearance in the music video which was a nice touch, as does Pop Smoke's mother and brother, who share a message at the end of the visual.