This has been said by many people, including me, but 2020 has already been a great year for hip hop music. We’ve received many projects and singles from artists we haven’t heard from recently and had a lot of announcements. Luckily for us, March has been the most packed month so far with new music. Below, I’ll be recapping the most notable music that dropped during the month for your listening pleasure. This isn’t a comprehensive list, but it’s a good start. Here’s my March 2020 recap. 

March 2020 recap

During March, there were a few artists that originally planned to drop during the month, and some that completely caught us by surprise. For example, we knew that The Weeknd was dropping his album on March 20th but that’s about it. PARTYNEXTDOOR was playing the waiting game, as were Lil Uzi Vert and Childish Gambino. But thankfully, we’ve got new work from each of them.

Lil Uzi Vert

As you’ve probably read from my extensive coverage, Uzi finally released his second album Eternal Atake in March. A week later, he released the deluxe edition which doubled as Lil Uzi Vert vs. The World 2. This project was heavily anticipated by almost everyone that enjoys modern hip hop. And it did not disappoint at all. It has been in constant rotation for me since it dropped because the songs are so catchy and fun to listen to. I’d recommend checking this one out as Uzi displays a lot of versatility and keeps the project flowing. 

Childish Gambino

Now this one was a certified surprise. On March 15th, a random website called Childish Gambino Presents popped up and began streaming new Gambino music. The site ran for 12 hours and then was taken down. A week later, the project landed on streaming services under the name 3.15.20. This came as a huge surprise as there was no regular announcement, rollout, etc. The album just came out. At first, I wasn’t really feeling this one. But upon subsequent listenings, it really grew on me and is a statement by Donald Glover. For more coverage, read this 3.15.20 album review by K-UTE contributor Victoria Iuzzini. 

The Weeknd

This was one of my most hyped releases of the year and boy did it deliver. The Weeknd released his best body of work so far and it is a must listen. Clocking in at less than an hour, it is quite the ride. After Hours is very emotionally intense and personal work that really shows us a peek into Abel’s life. Read my review of this album of the year frontrunner at this link. You won’t regret this listen if you even remotely enjoy R&B music.   

PARTYNEXTDOOR

This is yet another project that I was eagerly awaiting. It had been nearly four years since we received 2016’s PartyNextDoor 3, so we were overdue for new PND work. I previewed this album, as well as The Weeknd’s, in this piece from December 2019 when they were both announced. My hype was through the roof when PARTYMOBILE was announced for a January 2020 release. Clearly, that didn’t happen and we got the album on March 27th instead. PARTYMOBILE is full of classic PND sounds with a hint of new. I really enjoy this project and I think you will too. Find it on your preferred streaming service!    

Random singles

In addition to many dope albums, we also got loose singles from many artists in March. Here are a few of my favorite singles of the month from notable artists. 

“Skybox” – Gunna

This track appears to be the lead single from a new Gunna project. I really enjoy this one because of the spacey beat. Gunna, as usual, flows amazingly well over varied production. This one has been stuck in my head since I initially heard it on March 6th. I’m sure it’ll stick in yours too.

“Can’t Go” – UnoTheActivist ft. Ty Dolla $ign

“Can’t Go” was a big surprise to me when I first heard it. I’ve been on Uno for a few years now, but he’s been a bit hit or miss for me. However, he’s got a real summer bop here with a Ty$ feature. That’s a recipe for success and it definitely does the job. This one will be in constant rotation all summer. 

“Oprah’s Bank Account” – Lil Yachty ft. Drake and DaBaby

I’ll say this right now, I absolutely love this track. I’ve been a big Yachty fan since he came out and have stuck with him even when everyone switched on him. He brings the Lil Boat vibes back on this one and has dope features. The melodies are also top notch and make me think he’s really back. I’m hoping that Lil Boat 3 keeps this same energy because I’ll be really happy with it if so. 

Honorable mentions:

• “Toxic” – Kehlani 
• “Between Us” – dvsn ft. Snoh Aalegra 
• “Always Be Gangsta Freestyle” – Kevin Gates 
• “Turks” – Nav ft. Gunna and Travis Scott.     

What’s next?

Even with these huge drops in March 2020, there are sure to be plenty more throughout the year. Not all of the artists that are slated to drop are ready yet, so it’ll be spaced out a bit. You can check this post out for what else is expected for the year. Once new hip hop drops, check kuteradio.org and @youngthuggamanekyle on Instagram for the best coverage!

K-UTE Radio/University of Utah does not own any images in this piece.