R&B/Hip-Hop Fresh Picks of the Week: Karri, The Amours, Sudan Archives, GELO, Jim Legxacy & More

It’s been a good week for the OGs in hip-hop. 16 years after their last studio album, Clipse earned a lofty No. 4 debut on the Billboard 200 with their acclaimed Let God Sort Em Out LP. The set also concurrently debuts at the penthouse of both Vinyl Albums and Independent Albums. Flanked with pristine beats courtesy of Pharrell and guest stars like Kendrick Lamar and Tyler, the Creator, who both rose to the barred-up occasion, Clipse seems to have successfully restored that classic hip-hop feeling in all areas.

Wu-Tang Clan founding member Raekwon also made his return last week, sharing The Emperor’s New Clothes, his first new studio album in eight years, last Friday (July 18). Released via Nas’ Mass Appeal, the new 17-track set features several notable featured artists, including Ghostface Killah, Method Man, Benny the Butcher, Conway the Machine, Westside Gunn, Inspectah Deck and Marsha Ambrosius.

The new class of MCs also kept their foot on the gas pedal. The Travis Scott-fronted Jackboys collective earned a No. 1 Billboard 200 debut with just five weeks of tracking, and Tyler, the Creator surprised the world with his new Don’t Tap the Glass album, which arrived just nine months after 2024’s chart-topping Chromakopia. R&B’s younger stars also had something to say over the past week, between Giveon earning another Billboard 200 top 10 album with Beloved (No. 8) and Ravyn Lenae earning her first Hot 100 top 10 hit with “Love Me Not” (No. 7).

In less savory news, just two weeks after the delivery of the verdict in Diddy’s bombshell sex trafficking trial, ATL rapper Ca$h Out was sentenced to life in prison plus a 70-year sentence for racketeering, rape and sex trafficking charges tied to him allegedly running a prostitution enterprise.

Finally, the world lost Grammy-winning Cosby Show star Malcolm-Jamal Warner on Sunday afternoon (July 20). The beloved multihyphenate and Black television icon died by accidentally drowning off the coast of the Limón Province in Costa Rica. Warner is survived by his eight-year-old daughter.

With Fresh Picks, Billboard aims to highlight some of the best and most interesting new sounds across R&B and hip-hop — from Karri and Isaiah Falls’ new duet to Sudan Archives’ new banger. Be sure to check out this week’s Fresh Picks in our Spotify playlist below.