We’re just in the second quarter of 2023, but the incredible hip-hop black songs we enjoy and relax with have grown exponentially. Famous black artists drop mind-blowing tracks every month, from “The Hillbillies” to “Eyes Closed.” Here are the black hip-hop tracks that have defined the soundscape of 2023.
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1. Baby Keem x Kendrick Lamar – “The Hillbillies”
- Album: The Hillbillies
- Released: 2023
- Artists: Kendrick Lamar, Baby Keem
Kendrick Lamar and Baby Keem, one of the best duos in hip hop, first dropped Hillbillies on May 30, 2023, as a YouTube exclusive. Then, on June 5, 2023, the song was serviced to online streaming platforms through PGLang and Columbia Records.
Surf Gang’s Evilgiane produced the Hillbillies, while the instrumental is built on a sample of Bon Iver’s 2020 track “PDLIF.”
The crew embarked on a thrilling jet-setting adventure in the VHS-shot music video, traversing iconic locations across London. Throughout the video, Tyler, the creator, steals the spotlight, effortlessly commanding the camera with his magnetic presence.
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2. Chester Watson – “Eyes Closed”
- Artist: Chester Watson
- Released: 2023
- Album: fish don’t climb trees
St Louis rapper Chester Watson announced the release of his new album “Fish Don’t Climb Trees” in April 2023. The album is mainly self-produced, and its name came from Albert Einstein’s quote, “Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.”
Alongside his Fish Don’t Climb Tree album announcement, Chester Watson dropped “Eyes Closed,” a captivating rap track with a subtle beat featuring vintage samples. Eyes Closed came with a music video directed and edited by the rapper.
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3. Lil Uzi Vert – Just Wanna Rock
- Released: 2023
- Album: Pink Tape
- Artist: Lil Uzi Vert
The song Just Wanna Rock is a true gem that shows off Lil Uzi Vert’s exceptional song writing skills and impeccable composition. He wrote the song with producers MCVertt and Synthetic and released it through Atlantic Records.
The black arts first teased the song on their TikTok account, and it gained over 500 million views. Just Wanna Rock is an increased-tempo club song. It shows the artist chanting frantically over a synthy, queasy, high-BPM beat.
4. James BKS – Celebrate Blessing
- Artist: James BKS
- Released: 2023
- Album: Celebrate Blessings
French-Cameroonian rapper and producer James BKS gives music lovers a taste of his upcoming album with a new single titled “Celebrate Blessing.” The song celebrates positivity and benevolence over obstacles.
Celebrate Blessing is packed with Bantu rhythms and an African gospel choir mixed with elements of hip-hop and drill. The song Celebrate Blessing generally explores the black musician’s heritage and life influences.
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5. Young Thug Ft Drake – Oh You Went
- Artist: James Young Thug and Drake
- Released: June 23, 2023
- Album: Business is Business
Multi-talented songwriter and artist Young Thug comes through with yet another hit song titled “Oh You Went.” The single was taken from his album “Business is Business.”
The song features Drake and was produced by Metro FnZ, Boomin, and BoogzDaBeast. In the song, Young Thug delivered smooth flows with the elasticity of his voice, while Drake came through with a stand-out verse filled with opulent flexes and effortless wordplay.
6. Gunna – Fukumean
- Artist: Gunna
- Released: 2023
- Album: A Gift & a Curse
Edited for radio as Umean, Fukumean is a song by a black artist, Gunna. Fukumean contains a few lightly plucked pianos and strings alongside bass, snare, and hi-hat. The lyrics of the song center around the musician’s lifestyle of wealth, fame, women, and drugs.
7. Lil Baby California breeze
- Released: 2022
- Album: It’s Only Me
- Artist: Lil Baby
- Genre: Hip-Hop/Rap
This is yet another thrilling hip-hop black song released in 2023. The song came from Lil Baby’s third studio album, “It’s Only Me.” Murda Beatz and MARS produced California Breeze. It peaked at number four on the Billboard Hot 100. This made it the artist’s highest-charting song on the album.
8. “Princess Diana” – Ice Spice f. Nick Minaj
- Artists: Ice Spice, Nicki Minaj
- Released: 2023
- Album: Like..?
Released on January 20, 2023, through 10K Projects and Capitol Records, “Princess Diana” is among the black-hit hip-hop songs to listen to. The song is the track on Ice Spice’s album “Like..?.”
The song’s remix featuring Nick Minaj was released on April 14, 2023, and peaked at number four on the Billboard Hot 100.
9. “Ain’t Gonna Answer” – NLE Choppa & Lil Wayne
- Released: 2023
- Album: Cottonwood 2
- Artists: Lil Wayne, NLE Choppa
Released on March 23, 2023, Ain’t Gonna Answer is the seventh single from NLE Choppa’s second album. Ben Billions produced the song and featured a sample of “Stuntin’ Like My Daddy” by Lil Wayne and Birdman.
10. “Bacc Like I Never Left” – 03 Greedo
- Album: Halfway There
- Released: 2023
- Artists: 03 Greedo, Bighead
03 Greedo has consistently updated fans on his recording process since he left prison. His newly released track, titled “Bacc Like I Never Left,” is just a taste of what fans can expect from his upcoming musical project.
The top 10 hip-hop black songs of 2023 covered in this post showcase black artists’ incredible talent, creativity, and cultural influence.
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