Period: Megan Thee Stallion, “Southside Forever Freestyle” – For Megan Thee Stallion’s 26th birthday, the Hot Girl gave us a present. “Southside Forever Freestyle” is a fun little throwback to what made Megan a force to reckon with in the first place: Her natural talent and confidence. Take away the high-profile collabs with people like Ariana Grande, Beyoncé, and Nicki Minaj, and you’ve got a young woman from Houston whose flow can run laps around your fave, and “Southside Forever Freestyle” acts as a helpful reminder for those who dared forget. There was one moment early on in the song that gave me pause, but in a good way. She gave a shout out to her mother and grandmother, both of whom died not long after her career started to take off. “I’m goin hard for my mama / She knew I could do it / I pray every day just to prove it,” Megan raps. We see it, sis. We see it! —Ashley Reese
Fine: Sam Fischer, Demi Lovato, “What Other People Say” – Lovato’s diaristic singing hits harder than most; she controls her emotive range with the same precision she does her vocal one. And for that reason, partnered with a few too many references to “God,” “What Other People Say” feels like a trip to church. And because of her talent, Lovato accidentally drowns out Sam Fischer (who?), though that doesn’t strike me as a hard thing to do.
Fine: Sam Fischer, Demi Lovato, “What Other People Say” – Lovato’s diaristic singing hits harder than most; she controls her emotive range with the same precision she does her vocal one. And for that reason, partnered with a few too many references to “God,” “What Other People Say” feels like a trip to church. And because of her talent, Lovato accidentally drowns out Sam Fischer (who?), though that doesn’t strike me as a hard thing to do.