Casey McQuillen’s single “Better” arrives not with a bang, but with the quiet, decisive click of a well-made lock securing a door. It’s pop music, certainly, groomed and gleaming, yet beneath the surface bubbles a fierce kind of self-possession that’s less about demanding attention and more about curating who gets past the velvet rope of your own contentment. Coming from someone known for empowerment...

The gloves are officially off in the Ga rap community. Fast-rising hip-hop artist Keddi has delivered a direct and uncompromising message to his peers with the release of a bristling teaser for his new track, “Shele,” a potent Ga slang term for “challenge.” The strictly hip-hop record serves as Keddi’s opening gambit, a daring verbal gauntlet thrown at any rapper who claims the top spot....