New Music Friday (August 28): Cardi B, Dahi, Fat Joe, Ice Spice, and more

New Music Friday just handed over one of its heaviest weeks of the summer, and it starts with a producer stepping out from behind the boards. Here's who's dominating the release calendar, plus a few more names worth your attention — including a callback to my interview with Dear Silas last week, whose SophistiRatchet: RED and SophistiRatchet: BLUE also landed this Friday, and a preview of tomorrow's conversation with Vory, who just dropped his new album DONDADA.

Cardi B – "AH HA"

Dahi – Black Boy (Alternative)

Dahi released his debut album Black Boy (Alternative) on August 28 via ALTER, and I got to watch this one unfold from close range — I caught his talk at Public Records with Marcus J. Moore and picked up the double-disc vinyl and an autograph while I was there, then came back for the album release party at Soho House in New York.

The 11-track project is intentionally hard to pin to one genre — gorgeously layered vocals, airy soundbeds, live instrumentation — and the features read like a career highlight reel: Kendrick Lamar and Amber Mark on the standout "How to Pray," Childish Gambino on "Running," plus Vince Staples, Channel Tres, Ravyn Lenae, Elmiene, Moses Sumney, Baby Rose and Ant Clemons across the rest of it.

Lyrically it circles the pressures that come with individuality and responsibility, and the through-line is that there's freedom in figuring yourself out instead of letting other people do it for you. This is Dahi finally stepping forward as an artist in his own right, and it's one of the best records of the year. I see (more) Grammy nods in his future.

Fat Joe – Organized Rhyme

Fat Joe dropped Organized Rhyme on August 28, his first solo full-length in over a decade and a title that plays on "organized crime" without leaning into the obvious. Produced largely by his longtime team Cool & Dre, the 12-track set brings in CeeLo Green, Jadakiss, Yung Miami, Pusha T and Steve God Cooks, and it lands the same year Joe and Jadakiss have been building out The Joe & Jada Show into one of hip-hop's most-watched podcasts, with guests running from Allen Iverson to Cardi B to Clipse. He's also got the Starz interview series Fat Joe Talks on the way. Say what you want about the Crack season branding — the man is everywhere right now, and so is Organized Rhyme .

Ice Spice – "Out My Face (My Baby)" ft. Lil Yachty

Ice Spice linked up with Lil Yachty for "Out My Face (My Baby)," out August 28 via 10K Projects/Capitol, and the two-part structure is the whole point: Ice attacks the first half over relentless drums before the beat flips and Yachty takes the wheel on a looser, more erratic second act. The video, co-directed by AMD and Yachty himself, moves from a surreal boardwalk set to a diner scene pulling in Gio, Karrahboo, the Concrete Boys and Che Mario. It's her first proper single since "Big Guy" took over TikTok this summer courtesy of the SpongeBob movie, and it keeps her momentum rolling into the fall without missing a beat.

Chris Patrick – "CHECK ME"

Don't check him, but check this out .

Vory – DONDADA

The Louisville-born, Houston-based singer-rapper-songwriter also released his new 10-track album DONDADA this week via EROS LLC/EMPIRE, led by "SIAMESE" with Rich The Kid and featuring 2 Chainz, Domani, Trae Tha Truth, Fredo Bang and Dame Atlas. I'm sitting down with him tomorrow, so expect a fuller conversation on this one soon.

Nippa x Jordan Ward – "Kacey"

London's Nippa (born Jordan Adebiyi, who's penned material for Craig David and soundtracked a Tottenham Hotspur kit launch) linked with St. Louis's Jordan Ward for "Kacey," two Jordans in two accents both left on read by the same woman. "Nobody keeps me waiting / Women don't take this long, if I do say so myself," goes the hook, which somehow makes wounded ego sound like a masterclass. It's one of the funnier, more assured R&B duets of the summer, and it's a great entry point if you've slept on Nippa's "hood R&B" lane.

Dear Silas – SophistiRatchet: RED / SophistiRatchet: BLUE

The Jackson, Mississippi rapper and trumpeter also dropped his dual rap-and-jazz albums this week — I caught up with him ahead of the release, so consider this your reminder to go back and read that if you missed it the first time.

Armanii – "PROPERTY TAX"

Kingston's Armanii closed out a scorching summer run with "Property Tax," his third single of the season after "WORLD CLASS" and "WUL UP." Produced by Weekday (Alkaline, Shenseea), it's built on spindly guitar and percolating 808s, with Armanii working a higher register to profess he isn't letting his woman go — equally at home in the club and the bedroom. The single caps a run that's included three 2026 Caribbean Music Award nominations off the strength of his album THE IMPACT , which hit No. 1 on the U.S. iTunes and Apple Music Reggae charts.

Eli Derby – "Fumble"

Eli Derby released his Art@War/Warner Records debut EP LOVESHY this week, and "Fumble," the project's focus track, is the one to start with — a D'Angelo-coded confession where Derby takes accountability for losing someone he loved ("I was moving inconsistent / I want you to be my Mrs"). The video pairs him with Love Island season 7 winner Amaya Espinal, and their chemistry gives the whole thing a cinematic, will-they-won't-they pull that matches the song's tug-of-war.

JIREH – Rope Burn

The Baton Rouge rapper closed out the week with Rope Burn , a tight thirty minutes built around hustle music that keeps insisting on its own innocence even as the dollars pile up. "HURT NOBODY," the title track and "WTA" are the early standouts, and the Ovrkast. feature on "AUCTION BLOCK" is doing some of the album's heaviest lifting. JIREH has been steadily building since 2023's A Guide 2 Recognizing Your Saints and last year's PERFECT CIRCLE , and he's on record saying he has zero interest in chasing a TikTok dance to get people to listen. Based on this project, he shouldn't have to.