February flew by in an instant, but its hardships, challenges, and festivities still linger. Along the way, we were accompanied by a fresh wave of new music. A particularly hip-hop-heavy month, we’re breaking down some of our personal favourites—from local underground ballads to J. Cole’s alleged final album. Together, these releases span genres and fanbases, and do more than just fill a playlist. These tracks carried us through a hectic month as we prepared for Esquire Malaysia’s official print launch.
JENNIE sinks her teeth into Tame Impala’s Dracula remix, and leaves clear bite marks. Kevin Parker, the mastermind behind the psychedelic project, shared that he had always wanted to work with a K-pop artist. And this playful track definitely delivers on the collaborative chemistry. The BLACKPINK member adds texture and contrast to the hazy disco production with a slick rap verse. Her tone locks into the song’s late-night pulse, giving the vampire theme a fresh bite. The result pulls indie rock heads and K-pop fans into the same orbit, proof that crossovers work.
American singer-songwriter Nick Jonas returns with his fifth solo album, and it plays like a grown-up checkpoint. The project leans into pop and soft rock production, with lyrics that look back on key turning points in his life. The Greatest features his band, the Jonas Brothers, bringing Kevin and Joe into one of the more heartfelt tracks. Much of the record centres on how marriage and fatherhood have reshaped his priorities. Sonically, it balances radio-ready hooks with mid-tempo cuts, presenting Jonas at a stage where career and home life sit side by side.
J. Cole bows out on his own terms with a final album. Clocking in at over an hour, the project mirrors two points in his life, split into Disc 29 and Disc 39. The first revisits his hometown as a young man pulled between ambition, love, and loyalty. The second returns to the same streets a decade later, this time with more clarity, peace, and distance. The record also features Future, Burna Boy, Erykah Badu, Tems, and others, widening its sonic range. Upon release, it debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, marking his seventh consecutive album to top the chart.
Charli xcx trades neon clubs for candlelit corridors, proving she can score heartbreak as well as the dance floor. Written for the film adaptation, the soundtrack leans into drama, distortion, and a distinctly gothic edge. Lead single House, featuring Welsh musician John Cale, opens the film with grinding textures and a brooding pulse that feels raw and confrontational. The follow-up single, Chains of Love, softens the blow with synth-driven production and sweeping strings, echoing elements from the British singer's True Romance era. It's Charli xcx in cinematic mode.
After a three-year pause, Brent Faiyaz dials down the toxicity that defined parts of his catalogue, and leans fully into romance. Drawing from nu disco and 90s' R&B influences, the production blends glossy electronic textures with layered keyboards, guitar rifts, and live horns. His signature falsetto drifts through themes of innocence and indulgence, vulnerability and guardedness, capturing the push-and-pull between wanting love and fearing it. With no guest features, the spotlight stays firmly on Faiyaz, letting him steer this chapter on his own terms.
Don Toliver hits the gas on Octane, slamming listeners to the back of their seats. In a climate where big, drawn-out productions are valued less than quick hits of dopamine, Toliver was able to give us both. The Houston artist frames the album around velocity, layering thick synths and bass-heavy production beneath his elastic, melody-first delivery. It opens with the chart-climbing E85, which secured its second number one in three weeks on Billboard’s Hot Rap Songs chart.
Coming off back-to-back Artist of the Year wins at the Korean Hip Hop Awards, Sik-K returns with his fifth album. After a prolific run under his KC imprint, many expected the South Korean rapper to double down on hard-hitting hip-hop. Instead, he eases us back into his R&B roots. It feels like a deliberate recalibration, handing the heavier sound to his labelmates while Sik-K refines his melodic instincts. The production allows his signature autotuned vocals to shine through. In a climate that rewards louder, punchier music, Sik-K’s choice to pivot is a brave one.
The Man on the Run album arrives alongside the Paul McCartney documentary, tracing his restless 70s’ era with the band Wings, post-Beatles, and beyond. It gathers recordings from that decade while spotlighting three previously unreleased tracks: a rough mix of Arrow Through Me, a live version of Live and Let Die, and Gotta Sing Gotta Dance from his 1973 TV special. Even with McCartney’s extensive discography, it somehow still leaves fans wanting more. And this vault-clearing exercise does exactly that, functioning as a textured time capsule of McCartney.
Joji releases his first full-length album since leaving the record label 88rising. For this project, he double-downs on the instincts that built his following: a familiar emotional haze. Joji has always lived and died by lyrical ambiguity. It allowed his listeners to project their own feelings onto the music. Now, as both he and we, the listeners, grow older, is relying solely on vibes enough? I can’t help but wonder how long heartbreak really lasts because the melancholy still lands. Whether that signals confidence or a creative plateau will determine his status as a ‘sad boy’ hall-of-famer.
In a moment where underground trap and grittier music seem to dominate the conversation, it’s refreshing to see the 23-year-old Johorian PAMI go left field with his debut single. ISTERI leans into heartfelt balladry and melodic rap, sidestepping the distortion and darkness rooted in much of the current underground wave. The track balances featured artist Razsick’s smooth flow with PAMI’s raw, occasionally imperfect vocals. The result is an unpolished gem, rough around the edges, but sincere enough to leave a lasting impression.
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