Halloween weekend is here, and New Music Friday came with plenty of treats. BigXthaPlug is back on rap duty, Nettspend dropped a new EP, Dominic Fike returned with his third album, nomi. delivered her debut, BKTHERULA entered her N5ON era, and Maliibu Miitch finally delivered her debut album. Kaliii, 9lives and more round out a packed week. Keep reading to see our roundup of the best new music out today.
New Music Friday Picks
BigXthaPlug: BETTER OVER TIME (Album)
After last year’s country crossover, BigXthaPlug is fully back on rap with BETTER OVER TIME, his fourth studio album. The Dallas rapper packs 18 songs with nine guests, including GloRilla on “FAF,” Lil Yachty and Babyface Ray on “BELIEVE,” Leon Thomas on “NO LIMIT” and Ava Max on “BURN.” Lead single “LITE” with Belly Gang Kushington is here too. According to Complex, he backed the rollout with hometown billboards for his features and a short film told through his parents’ eyes. Closer “ONE” is a statement of where he thinks he stands.
Nettspend: Virginia Creeper (EP)
Nettspend is keeping his 2026 run going with Virginia Creeper, a six-song EP named after an aggressive vine from his home state. The 19-year-old Richmond rapper follows March’s early life crisis, which hit No. 2 on Spotify’s Global and US Top Albums charts. Producers like CXO, zoot, zuro, exset, 1Deep and Che shape the sound. Start with “same language” and “Get Guap,” then sit with “LL50,” a tribute to the late BloodHound Q50 that he played twice during his III Points set in Miami. It’s short, focused and made for repeat plays.
Also read New Music Friday: The best new music featuring Lucky Daye, Gucci Mane, Fireboy DML, Nao & More
Dominic Fike: HOW TO QUIT SMOKING (Album)
Dominic Fike’s third album, HOW TO QUIT SMOKING, is finally here after getting pushed back from its original Oct. 9 date. The follow-up to 2023’s Sunburn runs 15 songs in about 40 minutes, and per Billboard Philippines, he made it outside a traditional studio, recording in hotel rooms on the North American leg of his Comedy Tragedy Parody Tour. Danny Brown joins him on “NOT THE SPIRIT,” Grace Ives is on “HONEYLOVE,” Emma Ogier shows up twice, and Tay-K closes things out on “SPOTLIGHT / INNER CHILD.” The Euphoria star is now 30, newly sober and a dad, and the album sounds like him figuring out how to grow up. If you already had “WALLFLOWER,” “SMALL TOWN” and “PANGEA” on repeat, you know where to start.
nomi.: this wolf may cry (Album)
North Carolina singer and songwriter nomi. dropped her debut album, this wolf may cry, and if “sweet talk” or “what u want” landed on your feed this year, you already know the voice. She’s picked up support from Tyler, The Creator, SZA, Pharrell, Kaytranada, Erykah Badu and even Coco Gauff, all off a short run of singles. The 13-song, 33-minute album uses the fable of The Boy Who Cried Wolf to tell her own story about love, loss and uncertainty, and she told NME the title came to her in a dream more than five years ago. Recent single “right/left” is on here too. She’s set to play Camp Flog Gnaw next month, so now’s the time to get familiar.
BKTHERULA: N5ON (Album)
BKTHERULA’s N5ON is here, and the Atlanta artist is leaning all the way into loud, genre-blurring energy. The 14-track album follows 2025’s Lucy and opens with “I GO PUNK,” her electronic link-up with Whethan that pulls from rock, punk and dubstep. Juicy J pops up next on “ACTIVATED,” underscores joins her on “ADDICTED2U,” and ¥en Diezel slides onto “JEVITAS.” She also reworks her February single into “BIG FEELING (N5ON MIX).” If you’re into rap that sounds like a rave at 2 a.m., this is your weekend soundtrack.
Maliibu Miitch: Sailor Goon (Album)
Bronx rapper Maliibu Miitch finally dropped her debut studio album, Sailor Goon, and the title says a lot. It’s a play on Sailor Moon, a nickname she’s used for years that sums up her cutesy but tough energy. The 10-track project features Rich The Kid on “Do A Trick” and Lady London and Mz Hustle on “Been Wavey,” with production from DJ EverB, DJ Rocco, Musik Major, Paul Couture and more. Miitch has talked about learning patience while stuck in a contract, so this one feels like a long-awaited payoff for her and her fans.
Kaliii: Wit 3 iii’s (EP)
Kaliii is back with Wit 3 iii’s, a nine-track project from the Platinum-certified Atlanta rapper. She’s best known for “Area Codes,” which has passed 330 million streams on Spotify, and this year she kept the momentum going with the single “GIRLS WANT BOYS WHO STFU.” The new project gives fans a fuller look at her sharp, playful pen and the confident delivery that made her a go-to voice for girls’ night playlists. If you’ve only heard the viral hits, this is a good time to catch up on what Kaliii can do across a full tape.
9lives: 9 (EP)
Auckland producer 9lives just released 9, a five-song EP with features from kuru, Lucy Bedroque, Slayr and Egobreak. If his name sounds familiar, it’s probably from “I LOVE YOU HOE” with Odetari or “Go (Xtayalive 2)” with Kanii, two RIAA Gold tracks that helped push his catalog past 1.5 billion streams. He also produced BKTHERULA’s “BBGIRLGOSLOW” featuring Ty Dolla $ign, which he broke down with NME. The EP lands right after his first North American tour, opening for Lucy Bedroque.
Qiuntellii: Room Service (Album)
Little Rock, Arkansas singer Qiuntellii checks in with Room Service, a 10-song R&B album that lands about a year after 2025’s IF IM BEING HONEST. His recent singles “Crash,” “After Party” and “Shotgun” all made the tracklist, and BJRNCK joins him on “J.L.U.” If you know him from “Your Type” with K CAMP or “Sensitive Gangsta” with Eric Bellinger, this is a good time to hear what he does over a full project. Start with “Crash,” which he also just performed live for On The Radar, then let “Check In” and “No Angel” play through.
More New Music
Over in Afrobeats, Omah Lay expanded Clarity of Mind with four new songs, led by “Back to Lagos” with Gunna and “Take” with French star Tiakola.
Buffalo’s Conway the Machine is also back with “Diggwutumsayn!” ahead of his next album, OTIS, listed on Spotify for Nov. 20. And if you start your holiday playlist before Halloween is even over, Coi Leray and Grammy winner Lucky Daye have you covered with “Milk N Cookies,” a quick 2:40 holiday duet. It’s an original song, not a cover, it’s part of a new holiday compilation with Meghan Trainor, GIVĒON and Mariah the Scientist. It follows her recent Diplo collab, “Nothing Into Something.”
Connie Diiamond: “Wait” feat. DreamDoll
Omah Lay: Clarity of Mind (Extended) feat. Gunna and Tiakola
Conway the Machine: “Diggwutumsayn!”
Coi Leray: “Milk N Cookies” feat. Lucky Daye
In Case You Missed It
MIRIAH: PINK GUN (Mixtape)
Chicago’s MIRIAH dropped her debut mixtape, PINK GUN, and it’s 12 songs about heartbreak, grief, relationship drama and healing. The South Side native told FLOOD she pulled from everything she grew up on: her dad’s rap, her mom’s ’80s synths, church worship music and alt rock. She also named Jhené Aiko, Rihanna, SZA and King Krule as inspirations. Start with “WHEREVER U ARE” and “SUPERPOWERS.” Released Oct. 20, 2026.
Jamal Baq: “ISN’T MINE”
Jamal Baq is a Sydney alt-R&B artist, producer and songwriter moving independently, and “ISN’T MINE” shows why he’s worth your attention. As a producer and songwriter as well as a singer, he brings a full creative vision to his music, and this one has a personal feel. Add it to your late-night rotation if you like your R&B moody and honest. Released Oct. 20, 2026.
Ceazy: “Prime Life”
Houston’s Ceazy is an independent rap and R&B artist, and “Prime Life” is a quick hit at just 2:22. Produced by KINGXMAGS, the track mixes his rap delivery with an R&B feel that fits right into the city’s long tradition of smooth, slow-riding records. He’s serious about building something with his music, and this is a good place to start. Released Oct. 16, 2026.
Maeta: “Decimate”
After a four-year hiatus, R&B singer Maeta is back with “Decimate,” an intimate first look at her new, more vulnerable era. She once topped Billboard’s Adult R&B Airplay chart with “Through the Night” and has worked with SZA, Kehlani and Pharrell. Now independent and co-producing, she’ll perform it at her sold-out Nov. 19 show at The Peppermint Club in Los Angeles. Released Oct. 13, 2026.
Sexxy Lexxy: Suffocated (UMLB) (Soundtrack)
Harlem MC, actress and producer Sexxy Lexxy pairs her bars with film on Suffocated (UMLB), the soundtrack to Suffocated 3: Until My Last Breath, now streaming on Tubi and Amazon. The movie draws from her real life surviving a toxic relationship, and the eight songs turn those themes of survival, self-worth and healing into music. Listen on Apple Music. Released Sept. 29, 2026.
