What you need to hear from across the city

Detroit's rap artists stayed true to their sound for more than a decade and are finally being heard among the major players within America's most popular genre.

👋🏽 Sam is here to keep track of the must-hear songs from across the city:

BandGang Lonnie Bands' "Detroit Hu$$le" is Lonnie at his best. The production by Tommy II gets darker and darker as Lonnie effortlessly details his street prowess using clever lines and a catchy hook.

• Lonnie's "Crank or Die" and "Jr Cali & Bam" — also produced by Tommy II — are among my favorites off his latest project, "Creatures in Paris."

Veeze's "Close Friends" is the latest installment in his loose catalog of violin-led "I'm getting money and you're not" anthems.

• "It'll either give you a rush or make you block me for even recommending it," writes Pitchfork's Alphonse Pierre.

Icewear Vezzo (ft. Babyface Ray) "God Bless the 6": Hearing DJ Drama yell "Ain't no place like the D!" during his signature tag and knowing he's talking about Detroit and not Dallas is beautiful.

• Vezzo and Drama drop their collaboration project, Paint the City, on Dec. 8.

DaeMoney's "Slaeski" is the first single off his upcoming Slae Season 3 mixtape, which I'm excited to hear after the strength of his latest tape.

• Posters featuring the cover art of DaeMoney's summer 2022 project, Slayer's Coming, can still be seen driving through Hazel Park on 8 Mile — and I'm still playing "Andrew Wiggins."

BabyTron's "AirTron": The Ypsilanti native's masterful appeal to late '90s baby nostalgia is no better showcased than this Mark Anthony production containing a sample from Kurtis Blow's "Basketball," known for being the official intro theme of NBA 2K12.