Moments in Timelessness

everything is a lot. Album ∙ Hip-Hop/Rap ∙ 2025 Wale everything is a lot.  marks Wale’s first full-length since his 2021 album  Folarin II , titled after his nickname. While  everything is a lot.  shares some of the joyful DNA that courses through the project named after his alter ego, Wale Folarin , it showcases another side of the D.C.-born rapper’s personality—more introspective, alone, and yearning than ever before. Throughout the album, Wale works through relationship struggles while readily admitting that he’s part of (if not all of) the problem. On opener “ Conundrum ,” he notes that his heart is colder than most, before explaining why it’s this way: “My ex, I was in love with her/Passionate sex but couldn’t cuddle her/Tell me, was it lust or did I love for her?/Her clothes off, I’m closed off, which one is worse?” On “ Power and Problems ,” Wale croons over live drums and gentle keyboard chords. He implores himself to slow down, noting that life in the fast l...

Light-Years Album ∙ Rap ∙ 2025 Nas &  DJ Premier Any telling of Nas’ story would be woefully incomplete without mentioning DJ Premier. Back in the day, the esteemed Gang Starr producer laced the then-rising Queensbridge MC with three beats that made his game-changing 1994 debut,  Illmatic . That professional connection continued with placements on albums like  I Am…  and the triumphant  Stillmatic , further linking the two artists in the annals in hip-hop history. As such, the arrival of  Light-Years , fully produced by Preemo at the virtual halfway point of Nasir ’s improbable 2020s run, seems like the fulfillment of rap destiny. Naturally, these men have grown and evolved in the three decades since their first team-up. Nas’ references to crypto portfolios and Saudi investments on “ GiT Ready ” and “ Welcome to the Underground ” are exceedingly far from those found on their initial studio collaborations, a better reflection of the artist as c...

WHAT HAPPENED TO THE STREETS? Album ∙ Rap ∙ 2025 21 Savage Since breaking through with 2016’s icy  Savage Mode , a joint EP between himself and Metro Boomin , the Atlanta-based rapper has countered menace with candor, revealing his story in glimpses between scenes of cold-blooded murder and exorbitant flexing. It’s not that 21 Savage has let his guard down exactly, though on his third solo album, 2024’s  american dream , he let go of the pure nihilism of his early work to begin to open up about his family and his past. The 33-year-old rapper’s fourth album, announced just four days before its release, centers around familiar themes—chiefly, trying to make it in a bleak and cutthroat world. On “ DOG $HIT ,” featuring GloRilla , 21 makes balling out sound sinister, and on “ HA ,” he turns a supervillain laugh into a hook over a Zaytoven production straight out of the aughts (with a sample of a 2007 Gucci Mane mixtape cut for good measure). But on closing track “ I WISH ,” with...

The Leaks Album ∙ Hip-Hop/Rap ∙ 2025 Lil Baby Lil Baby’s most die-hard fans know that some of his best work never made it onto his albums. Whether shared as snippets or leaked in some form or another, several such songs have become the stuff of legend in the Quality Control Music artist’s wider catalog. Dropped auspiciously on the occasion of his 31st birthday,  The Leaks  gives many of these cuts, as well as some unexpected tracks, a proper release for the first time. In the preceding weeks, a handful of these tracks appeared in an official capacity as  Wham Wednesday  singles, including “ Otha Boy ,” “Try to Love,” and the success self-assessment “Middle of the Summer.” These and the rest of the collection take a looser approach than his better-known material while remaining representative of various stages of his career, from his exciting beginnings to his hit-making era. Songs like “Violation” and “What She Like” reflect a range of his solo stylings, though man...

Influence, New and Expanded Audiobook ∙ Self-Development ∙ 2021 Robert B. Cialdini The foundational and wildly popular go-to resource for influence and persuasion —a renowned international bestseller, with over 5 million copies sold—now revised adding: new research, new insights, new examples, and online applications. In the new edition of this highly acclaimed bestseller, Robert Cialdini—New York Times bestselling author of  Pre-Suasion  and the seminal expert in the fields of influence and persuasion—explains the psychology of why people say yes and how to apply these insights ethically in business and everyday settings. Using memorable stories and relatable examples, Cialdini makes this crucially important subject surprisingly easy. With Cialdini as a guide, you don’t have to be a scientist to learn how to use this science. You’ll learn Cialdini’s Universal Principles of Influence , including new research and new uses so you can become an even more skilled persu...