This is an edition of Tap In, the weekly newsletter featuring the last words from GQ senior associate editor Frazier Tharpe on the hottest online discussions about music, movies and TV. Sign up here to get it free.
June is a few weeks away, the games are about to end, flights are being booked and we’re all out and about. What will be the soundtrack? I’ve been out in clubs, festivals and festivals doing boots-on-the-ground reporting – you know, the hard work – coming back with real data and scientific insights to investigate where Summer 2026 is musically. On top of that, looking at my curated list: Reports of Drake’s supposed demise were greatly exaggerated, Max B – Max B! – There’s a song playing during the NBA Finals, and girls are talking shit, as usual. Let’s join in.
Note: This column is my domain, where my tastes and preferences prevail over objectivity… so artists and songs I don’t care about will not be represented. Thanks-Management.
Drake, “Shabang”
“Janice STFU” is a hit, and I’ve seen “Road Trips” do some damage in some rooms, but Big Ice’s tongue-in-cheek Hickory Dickory Doc Flow has a hold of every function right now. That sample and those first notes of the beat get people fired up in a way that’s reminiscent of “Bad and Bougie.”
DaBaby, “Pop Dat Thang”
