What we’re listening to this week at The Shift

This week’s instalment sees us getting the chance to finally listen to some long-awaited projects, while some surprise tracks also dropped as well to keep spicing up this summer’s playlist! On tap this week, we have albums by Calvin Harris, NBA Youngboy, as well as singles by DJ Khaled, featuring Drake and Lil Baby, as well as another hit by Trippie Redd, featuring Offset and Moneybagg Yo.

You can catch what our team is listening to at the official THE SHIFT playlist on Spotify. The playlist that’s guaranteed to make it impossible for you to get kicked off the aux cord. Now, onto the music!

Calvin Harris - Funk Wav Bounces Vol. 2

The highly-anticipated studio album of summer vibes by Swedish DJ Calvin Harris has finally dropped.

This nostalgic, enthralling, tropical, and of course, funky production features an all-star cast of guests. Seriously. Over 20 features are included throughout the album’s 14 tracks, including Dua Lipa, Justin Timberlake, Halsey, Pharell Williams, Snoop Dogg and Swae Lee to name a few. 

Much like volume 1, this project compliments the season perfectly as it drops at the apex of the summer months and features the same blend of sunny dance and EDM beats. This time around however, Harris opts to blend in live sounds as well into his project to bring out the natural feel of his music. 

NBA YoungBoy - The Last Slimeto

You’ve probably heard of the term, “YB Better,” and for all intents and purposes, it appears that’s the motto that NBA YoungBoy has been living by seeing as he’s taken some definitive victories in his own career lately. 

Fresh off of beating a federal case that could have seen him locked up for quite some time, YoungBoy has finally released the full version of his fourth studio album just four months after giving listeners a taste with his The Last Slimeto Sampler.

The 30-track megalbum features seven of the 11 cuts YoungBoy teased in his sampler, and features guest appearances from Quavo, Rod Wave and Kehlani. It marks a new era in his career as well, as The Last Slimeto marks YoungBoy’s final album with Atlantic Records. 

DJ Khaled ft. Drake, Lil Baby - “STAYING ALIVE”

The iconic 1977 anthem by the Bee Gees is brought back and re-envisioned into a modern day anthem by the trio of DJ Khaled, Drake and Lil Baby’s latest, “STAYING ALIVE.”

Khaled refreshes the old school disco all-time classic with his patented production and sharp hi-hats. The Bee Gees — made up of brothers Robin, Andy and Maurice Gibb — are credited as lyricists on the new track. 

The accompanying music video opens with Khaled inspirationally speaking to medical students at the Khaled Khaled Hospital surgical residency program while Drake and Baby play a couple of doctors who like to party.

“STAYING ALIVE”  is the first single to be shared from God Did, Khaled’s upcoming 13th studio album set to release on August 26.

Trippie Redd ft. Offset, Moneybagg Yo - “Big 14”

Last summer, Trippie Redd’s collaborative single “Miss The Rage” with Playboi Carti cemented itself as one of 2021’s biggest songs. Now, Trippie’s aiming for another hit with “Big 14,” featuring the hard-hitting vocals of Moneybagg Yo and Offset.

Outside of the usual charisma or ominous sound that we typically hear from Trippie, he shows his more cunning and menacing side this time around. Together, the trio flexes their wealth but also makes it very clear that no one should try and get in their way. Their aggressive lyrics are complemented by the visuals surrounding them in the music video, from abandoned skyscrapers to hospital corridors.

Honorable C.N.O.T.E., the mastermind behind “Ghost Busters” and “Dark Knight Dummo,” among other Trippie tracks, leads the production on this joint.