Albums that dropped over spring break


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Rosalía’s new album, “Motomami,” finds the Spanish artist experimenting with her flamenco, pop and reggaeton influences and is only one of the many album drops you may have missed last week. (Photo courtesy of Creative Commons)

With school back in session, albums that dropped over spring break are at risk of flying under the radar. Here are some projects released during the break that you won’t want to miss.

“Candydrip” by Lucky Daye, released March 10

His first studio album since 2019’s “Painted,” New Orleans artist Lucky Daye released “Candydrip,” which featured three artists: Lil Durk, Smino and Chiiild. The 17-track, hour-long album presents a mix of R&B and pop music, with much of the album’s bright sound giving feel-good vibes all around. The album also offers some mellow songs sprinkled into the tracklist, rounding the project out in a more complete way than his previous releases. The 36-year-old puts all of his talents on display, with his especially notable falsetto in the groovy “Feels Like” and other moments of strong vocal performance throughout the album.

“7220” by Lil Durk, released March 11

Chicago rapper Lil Durk released his first project of 2022, and his first solo project since 2020, containing 17 tracks over a runtime of 45 minutes. While Durk tries to experiment with new sounds and collaborations, evident on “Broadway Girls,” featuring country singer Morgan Wallen, much of this album’s content is relatively similar. Along with Wallen, Durk has brought a wealth of stars to hop on the album, with Future, Gunna and Summer Walker all making appearances. While Durk is one of hip-hop’s current powerhouses, much of his work seems to fall back on the same thing, his melodic flow behind a harsh and heavy drill beat. To be fair, that reliance isn’t necessarily a bad thing, as he does it well. “7220” is a decent project with some tracks to revisit like “Petty Too,” “AHHH HA” and “Golden Child.”

“Tana Talk 4” by Benny the Butcher, released March 11

The rapper from Buffalo, N.Y., dropped the fourth edition of his “Tana Talk” series on March 11, his first project of 2022. An artist from the Griselda collective, Benny features former Griselda member Conway the Machine and current Griselda member Westside Gunn on the 12-track album. Legendary hip-hop mogul Diddy and one of the biggest stars in rap, J. Cole, also contributed standout verses to the project. The veteran rapper uses his verbal prowess to express detailed recounts of his experiences through each of his songs. Much of the album uses jazz-like beats, creating an intricate stage for Benny’s words to flow over. His wordplay, rhythm, instrumentals and strong features make this a consistently great album throughout.

“HDIGH” by Dave East, released March 11

The New York native returns with a new project titled “HDIGH,” an abbreviation for “How Did I Get Here?” — a question that which the album focuses on. East meditates on his life growing up in the bustling city. With a shorter run time than average, the 9-track album totals to only 34 minutes, but East uses it well. With notable features from Method Man, Musiq Soulchild and Benny the Butcher, Dave East analyzes his lifestyle and comments on how he portrays and carries himself. While it may not be his best work to date, the album, with his nonchalant yet hard-hitting style, shows enough care and detail to be enjoyable throughout.

“Pier Pressure” by ArrDee, released March 11

Following his breakthrough verse in the popular “Body (Remix)” by Russ Millions and Tion Wayne, rapper ArrDee released his debut album last Friday. The Brighton-born artist is one of the hottest prospects coming out of the U.K. drill wave, and along with the mega-hit “Body,” he includes his own hit single, “Oliver Twist,” on the album. ArrDee also recruited fellow big-name U.K. artist Aitch to hop on the track “War.” Like many debuts, the album focuses on his newfound celebrity lifestyle and popularity, all done over drill beats. There are also a few new standouts in the album, such as “Come and Go” and “Early Hours.” ArrDee’s main goal seems to be to create another hit with these songs, but as a collection, the one-note style and theme can get a bit redundant. Still, it’s a good first album for the 19-year old Brit as he looks to establish himself in the U.K. hip-hop scene.

“Motomami” by Rosalía, released March 11

Rosalía dropped her third album three and a half years after the release of her sophomore album, “El Mal Querer” in 2018. With just two features on the tracklist, The Weeknd and Tokischa, most of the album focuses on Rosalía’s talents and artistic vision — and they don’t disappoint. The Spanish artist willingly experiments with different genres, with a very apparent flamenco influence as well as pop and reggaeton throughout. The 29-year-old also experiments with her production, using autotune and distorted instrumentals in a variety of songs. There are different moods and intentions in her songs, with some light-hearted moments like “CHICKEN TERIYAKI” or more serious and heartfelt songs such as “G3 N15.” Rosalía’s amazing vocal talent, mixed with her creativity and vision, make this album one of the best to come out in 2022.