R&B/Hip-Hop Fresh Picks of the Week: Kehlani, Tiwa Savage, Skrilla, BabyTron, Tiara Thomas & More

August has arrived, and with it comes the first whispers of autumn. There’s still a bit more summertime left in the tank, however, as several of hip-hop’s biggest stars reminded us over the past week.

Last Friday (Aug. 1), superstar producer Metro Boomin unveiled a lush tribute to Atlanta’s futuristic era with his A Futuristic Summa mixtape, featuring collaborations with both titans of that era (J Money, Roscoe Dash, Young Dro, etc.) and new-gen talent (BunnaB, Breskii, YK Niece, etc.). Crafted with the same intentions Tyler, the Creator funnelled into Don’t Tap the Glass, Metro’s new DJ Spinz-hosted project aims to keep the dancefloor full and active for the party, afterparty, and even the afters.

The next day (Aug. 2), Cardi B kicked off night one of WWE SummerSlam 2025 with a preview of a new song — one that many presumed was a taste of her long-awaited forthcoming sophomore LP, Am I the Drama? Due Sept. 19, Cardi’s new album is a little over a month away, and surprises like her SummerSlam appearance are keeping the rollout at the top of everyone’s timelines.

Spike Lee, Denzel Washington and A$AP Rocky carried that late summer energy into Monday (Aug. 4) with the debut of the trailer for their forthcoming Highest 2 Lowest film. “Don’t sleep on A$AP. In this film, Denzel and A$AP go toe-to-toe,” Spike teased during a Tonight Show interview last week (July 31). “What’s interesting is, even before I got involved with this film, I always thought that A$AP looked like he could be Denzel’s son. There’s a big resemblance. So when you see it on the screen, it adds an element of father and son.”

With Fresh Picks, Billboard aims to highlight some of the best and most interesting new sounds across R&B and hip-hop — from Knowledge the Pirate and Roc Marciano’s new link-up to Kehlani’s kaleidoscopic reimagining of her latest hit. Be sure to check out this week’s Fresh Picks in our Spotify playlist below.