Azealia Banks's Icy Prayer, Shamir's Accidental Quarantine Anthem, And More Songs We Love

The search for the ever-elusive "bop" is complicated. Playlists and streaming-service suggestions can only do so much. They often leave a lingering question: Are these songs really good, or are they just new?

Enter Bop Shop, a hand-picked selection of songs from the MTV News team. This weekly collection doesn't discriminate by genre and could contribute anything — it's a snapshot of what's on our minds and what sounds good. We'll keep it fresh with the latest music, however expect several oldies however goodies) every once in a while, also. And this week, in honor of June being Black Music Month, we're shining the spotlight on Black musicians making art that feels vital to this moment. Some tracks have just been released; some are old favorites we're revisiting. However all of it matters.

Get ready: The Bop Shop is currently open for business.

Juicy J: “Hella Fuckin’ Trauma”

https://www.Youtube.Com/watch?V=KCEfjo9zXpU

“Enough is enough.” That’s the takeaway from Memphis mainstay Juicy J’s new banger “Hella Fuckin’ Trauma,” and he makes sure to punctuate each line of the chorus with those direct words. In just three minutes, the Oscar winner goes in to smash police violence, his own issues with his label, COVID-19, and racism in general: “Freedom of speech, I got prosperous off of beats / I can get you impeached, you ain't outta my reach.” —Patrick Hosken

Kaytranada ft. GoldLink, Ari PenSmith, Eight9FLY: “Vex Oh”

https://www.Youtube.Com/watch?V=dYmOwEO-_-Y

Kaytranada’s good second album Bubba slipped out at the end of 2019, so by the time several of us really felt the brilliance of this collection — an infectious set of slinky electronic, dancehall fusions — quarantine had locked all of the clubs down. However blast “Vex Oh” in your apartment (which features Eight9FLY, Ari PenSmith, and a wonderful verse from GoldLink) so you could almost feel the sweat beads. —Terron Moore

Azealia Banks ft. Lex Luger: “Black Madonna”

https://youtu.Be/F0hy4JIv4T8

Lex Luger’s eerie production on Azealia Banks’s newest drop, “Black Madonna,” paves the way for the Harlem rapper’s undeniably slick flow. The frigid track resonates as a prayer to the wealthy and bad, hustling through lines about showing “some ass,” “bitches in the Jag,” and Birkin bags. “You want hell you could find it,” she spits, because in the church of Banks, we only honor the ice and the ice-cold. —Coco Romack

Naeem: “Stone Harbor”

https://www.Youtube.Com/watch?V=2sQrmDYKpeA&feature=youtu.Be

A decade ago, Baltimore-raised Naeem was referred to as Spank Rock, a passionate party rapper whose rhymes noticed a house on dance floors and music blogs. However the artist, going by his given name of Naeem right now, sounds more realized than ever on his new album, Startisha, which features collaborations with Justin Vernon, Francis and the Lights, and more. “Stone Harbor,” a wonderfully glowing club track, finds Naeem reflecting, “Every love I’ve had, I think of you” as he asserts his truest self. Sounds like a different sort of party, although a party all of the same. —Patrick Hosken

Tafari Anthony: “Live in a Dream”

https://www.Youtube.Com/watch?V=NL81O7Ndkt4

“Yeah, stay in a dream / However once you gonna wake up?” Asks Tafari Anthony on “Live in a Dream,” his latest single. The Toronto-based indie act — who counts Prince, John Legend, along with contemporary pop singers Lennon Stella and Charlie Puth among his creative inspirations — pairs sleek R&B vocals with soul-inspired instrumentals, resulting in an infectious self-empowerment anthem that is uniquely his. “Yeah, you hold the key / You hold it from me / ‘Cause you scared I’m the answer,” Anthony sings, invoking the institutional barriers that keep Black creatives out of positions of power. Inclusion never sounded so silky-smooth. —Sam Manzella

Kelechi: “Forever Tonight”

https://youtu.Be/0AXKv-ev-aA

“Forever Tonight” takes me back to one of these hot, humid, and heavy summer evenings. Imagine: It’s mid-July, 3 a.M. On a Saturday night, and you're at a dimly lit New York City club. The dance floor is packed, however you’re one of the lucky ones, swaying in the arms of your weekend fling. Is this real? Is this love? Kelechi’s joyful midnight disco aches for that feeling to last forever. So far, sink into this track with a cocktail and twirl in your living room endlessly, tonight. —Daniel Head

Shamir: “On My Own”

https://youtu.Be/KFJMAJT_BNc

Shamir penned “On My Own” soon after a breakup, nevertheless this electric slice of alt-pop plays just as properly while in each year as soon as people have largely had to stay indoors. “Considering the pandemic, it’s also morphed into an accidental quarantine anthem,” he says, and he’s right. If you’re feeling alone, that’s fully fine; let Shamir’s shaggy guitars and irresistible melodies keep you agency. —Patrick Hosken

Lonr. Ft. H.E.R.: “Make the Most”

https://www.Youtube.Com/watch?V=4GR4OJgDvFY&list=PLw-VjHDlEOguu-pJiTZcqWqw4k-JRoI0L&index=56

Soft, rolling drums and the strum of a guitar open Lonr.’s single “Make the Most.” It’s a sound that is essentially ethereal, setting the emotional landscape for the sort of whimsical romance complex in the chorus. “I wanna grow old with you, make the most with you, that’s the goal,” Lonr. Croons. H.E.R. lends her buttery-smooth vocals to the track, transforming the song into a meditation, a mantra, urging the listener to state their intentions and desires plainly. It calls for connection that is certain and secure; one that you feel in your soul. —Virginia Lowman

Lil Yachty, Tierra Whack ft. A$AP Rocky and Tyler, the Creator: “T.D”

https://www.Youtube.Com/watch?V=h0gxofdZ4Cw

Here’s an experiment. Take The Neptunes’s hypnotic Tokyo Drift beat, muddy it up with crisp trap percussion, then let Tierra Whack, Tyler, the Creator, Lil Yachty, and A$AP Rocky make it their absolute playground. The result is enough to create an impression; this week, the head-spinning “T.D” became Whack’s first Hot 100-charting single. “If we cross paths, leave you cross-eyed,” she raps, like she knew all along. —Patrick Hosken