May 2023 New Music Releases

Following a strong month in April with albums from the likes of Jack Harlow and YoungBoy Never Broke Again, May 2023 keeps the year’s momentum rolling when it comes to new hip-hop releases.

Fresh off his first Coachella performance and just in time for a new headlining tour this summer, IDK is set to come through with his new album, F65, on May 5. Drawing inspiration from the unique combination of Formula 1 racing and the 1965 death of human rights activist Malcolm X, F65 boasts the same thought-provoking lyrical content the philosophical artist has become known for.

The 22-track LP has already been previewed by three previously released singles, “Mr. Police,” “850 (We on Top)” featuring Rich The Kid and his most recent drop, “Salty,” which features IDK‘s labelmate, NLE Choppa. Other guest appearances on F65 are set to include vocals from Snoop Dogg, Benny The Butcher, Musiq Soulchild and Saucy Santana, among others.

Next month, IDK will embark on a lengthy 22-date tour in support of F65, which kicks off in Paris on June 23 and wraps up in Toronto on Oct. 29.

After the hype that has been building for nearly a year surrounding the release of Destroy Lonely‘s debut album, the Opium Records artist recently announced that If Looks Could Kill will finally arrive this month. Set to drop on May 5, the Atlanta rap-crooner’s first full-length offering was previewed by the album’s title track, “If Looks Could Kill,” which has already raked in over 22 million streams on Spotify since it dropped in March.

The sole guest feature on the 26-track Opium-released opus will find Destroy Lonely collaborating with his fellow labelmate and close friend, Ken Carson. With If Looks Could Kill, Destroy Lonely looks to capitalize on the momentum he’s built following the two critically acclaimed projects he dropped in 2022, No Stylist and NS+ (Ultra). After just recently wrapping up the North American portion of his No Stylist Tour, the release of his long-awaited album comes just in time for Destroy Lonely to head out on the run’s lengthy international leg, which kicks off on May 19 in Montreal, Quebec.

On May 19, Belly comes through with his new album, Mumble Rap 2. As the sequel to 2017’s Mumble Rap, Belly enlisted the services of Hit-Boy this time around to not only lay down beats for Mumble Rap 2 but to also serve as the LP’s executive producer.

“I feel like with somebody like Hit-Boy, I wanted to approach it in a way where I was letting the beats tell me what to do,” Belly said in an Instagram video when speaking on his working relationship with the renowned beatmaker. “It wasn’t about me being like, ‘Yo, I got this tucked or that tucked, let me just listen and see what the mood is, what the vibe is, what it’s telling me to do.'”

Led by the single “American Nightmare,” which dropped in April and finds the Roc Nation rhymer paying homage to his Arab descent, Belly‘s 11-track offering will feature guest appearances from Gucci Mane, Rick Ross and Gil Scott-Heron, among others.

Check out all the May 2023 new hip-hop album releases including drops from Conway The Machine, Armani White, DC The Don and more below.

See May 2023 New Music Releases