New Music Friday comes with a serious birthday celebration and a rap linkup nobody had on the bingo card. Beyoncé has reopened the vault for the 20th anniversary of “B’Day,” while 2 Chainz connects with Cash Cobain and Young Nudy on “Reign,” giving this week’s releases a little something for both the nostalgia crowd and anyone looking for something brand new.
Twenty years after “B’Day” helped cement Beyoncé’s solo takeover, she is celebrating the album with a remastered 31-track “B’Day (20th Anniversary Edition).” The expanded digital deluxe arrives on Beyoncé’s 45th birthday and goes far beyond a basic anniversary reissue. Alongside staples including “Déjà Vu,” “Get Me Bodied,” “Upgrade U,” “Ring the Alarm,” “Irreplaceable,” “Freakum Dress,” and “Green Light,” the project opens up previously unreleased material, B-sides, alternate versions, Spanish-language recordings, and new collaborations. The additions include “Morning Dew (Donk),” “My First Time,” the Pharrell-assisted “Can I Watch You,” and previously familiar deep cuts such as “Lost Yo Mind,” “Creole,” and “Back Up.”
And Bey did not stop at cleaning out the archive. “Cuerpo Tumbao (Get Me Bodied)” brings Maluma into the mix and samples Celia Cruz’s “La Negra Tiene Tumbao,” while “Irreemplazable (Como La Flor)” pairs Beyoncé with vocals from the late Selena Quintanilla after the collaboration received approval from Selena’s estate. The anniversary rollout also includes remastered visuals, with footage originally captured on 35mm upgraded and finished in 4K. Looking back at the original album, Beyoncé explained exactly what she was chasing sonically: “I wanted the album to be big, percussive, hard, up-tempo, and energized, and it was important to me that we used live instrumentation.” Twenty years later, “B’Day” apparently still had a few more presents hiding in the closet.
Meanwhile, 2 Chainz is outside with “Reign,” a new collaboration featuring Cash Cobain and Young Nudy, with Statik Selektah handling production. The track flips 21st Century’s “Remember the Rain,” turning the recognizable soul sample into a meeting point between Atlanta rap and Cash Cobain’s New York sound. Cash handles the hook, 2 Chainz brings the veteran punchlines, and Young Nudy slides into the record with the relaxed delivery that has become part of his signature. It is an unusual lineup on paper, but the sample gives everybody enough room to operate without the record feeling stitched together.
“Reign” also continues the run between 2 Chainz and Statik Selektah after the pair released “Pops” earlier this year. That track arrived following Chainz’s memoir “The Voice in My Head Is God,” but this time the focus is squarely back on the music. Bringing Cash Cobain and Young Nudy onto the same record gives Chainz another cross-generational collaboration without sounding like he is chasing anybody else’s lane.
So, this week’s New Music Friday is playing both sides of the timeline. Beyoncé is giving a 2006 classic a 2026 expansion big enough to feel like an event of its own, while 2 Chainz is still finding new combinations more than a decade into his solo run. The weekend playlist just got longer.
2 Chainz feat. Cash Cobain & Young Nudy – “Reign” (single)
Memphis Bleek – “Difference” (single)
Marco Plus feat. Veeze – “4EVA” (single)
Nemzzz feat. Travis Scott – “Gass” (single)
Master Peace feat. Muni Long – “Act Like You Know” (single)
Shenseea – “Tightness” (single)
Wiz Khalifa – “Yiccen” (single)
Beyoncé – “B’Day 20th Anniversary” (album)
