The search for the ever-elusive “bop” is difficult. Playlists and streaming-service recommendations can only do so much. They often leave a lingering question: Are these songs really good, or are they just new?

Enter Bop Shop, a hand-picked selection of songs from the MTV News team. This weekly collection doesn’t discriminate by genre and can include anything — it’s a snapshot of what’s on our minds and what sounds good. We’ll keep it fresh with the latest music, but expect a few oldies (but goodies) every once in a while, too. Get ready: The Bop Shop is now open for business.

• Nipsey Hussle: “Last Time That I Checc’d”

  Last year, I studied Gary Vaynerchuk and Nipsey Hussle in different ways. Both were rich. Both explained how to get there. But while I studied Gary Vee like an instructor from afar, with Nipsey, it felt like a big brother locking his arms around your neck and shoulders, schooling you on how things should be. Nipsey was like that to a lot of people. His music and actions away from the microphone portrayed a guy who wanted to share the wealth as much as he wanted to obtain it. He also kept it in the community; after years of giving out game, he earned the ability to take a step back and talk his shit. That track was 2018’s “Last Time That I Checc’d” and it’s impossible not to listen to it and smile. This guy knew he was good.

  Nipsey wasn’t one for excessive smiling. He always appeared either plain faced or disgruntled, but when he spoke, it was from a place of eloquence and tranquility instead of confusion or annoyance. “Last Time That I Checc’d” sounds like smiling all over the course of its four minutes. Nipsey’s loud, and his angry energy gives me life. But he’s not forcing his greatness upon you. Instead, he makes you get off your backside and get to work. In the video, he rides in Lamborghini cars clad in white, fiercely glaring at the camera as if to say, “This is my reality, now make yours similar.” It’s angelic. He may have tragically died on March 31, but his message is living on through the song’s dancing brilliance. Change your reality. —Trey Alston

• Alex Lahey: “Am I Doing It Right?”

  Alex Lahey is quickly becoming the queen of big, catchy pop-rock hooks, and her latest single “Am I Doing It Right?” is a perfect example of this. On the second track to be released from her forthcoming sophomore album The Best of Luck Club, Lahey shares her struggles with career anxiety with the very relatable lyrics “Day and night and night and day / I can fuck it all up in a million different ways.” Too real, Alex. Too real. —Bob Marshall

• Barns Courtney: “99”

  “Nintendo, Atari. Sega’s my Ferrari.”

  I never fail to sing along to the outro to Barns Courtney’s “99” because it so perfectly sums up my childhood. It’s a song I’m constantly searching for on my favorite radio station, giving it hundreds of Spotify plays a week, and aspiring to be as cool as.

  Though the track didn’t hit airwaves until late 2018, I only recently discovered it, so I’m feeling like I really missed out. Encapsulated in a breezy, retro-flavored tune, I found the shining moments of my childhood. Courtney sings about staying up late by the light of your television, sleeping all day and talking all night, and all the simple pleasures that came with growing up in the ’90s. Every verse feels so personal, as if I could have penned the track myself. That’s why it’s quickly become one of my go-to Rock Band 4 tracks.

  I’ll always remember the nights I stayed on the phone with my friends, boyfriends, and internet acquaintances on the phone or via AOL Instant Messenger in the pitch black, the inky darkness illuminated only by my computer or television screen. Much of my adulthood is spent chasing the joy of my childhood and the moments I thought would last forever, like when the most difficult decision I had to make at the time was which game to rent from the Movie Gallery by my house. Life was simple, easy to understand, and beautiful.

  I never want to let go of those memories, and “99” ensures I’ll never have to. —Brittany Vincent

• Ben Platt: “Grow As We Go”

  With a Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical already under his belt – shout out Dear Evan Hansen – Ben Platt could’ve taken his album any number of ways. Blue polos and arm slings fully aside, his pop debut follows the rise and fall of a relationship with candid intensity. He doesn’t shy away from male pronouns, nor signs of weakness. Stand-out track “Grow As We Go” is restrained and soft pleading – nearly a whisper – over guitar plucking and warm background vocals. The easiest out in any relationship is to say, “We need time to grow,” or “People change,” but what if the need for development wasn’t solely singular? Platt pleads for a compromise – to grow as we go, together. His voice is never fully convinced that it’s going to work, but he’s completely enamored and willing to give anything a try. It’s a tune as melancholy as it’s hopeful, lending itself to any listener’s hesitation or instinct. Still, Ben never gets an answer from his lover, making it all the more heartbreaking. —Carson Mlnarik

• Georgia: “About Work the Dancefloor”

  What elements make for a perfect dance song? Because there’s something about London producer Georgia’s new banger “About Work the Dancefloor” that makes it the ideal companion for a sweaty night in the club. Is it the Stranger Things-y percussive ’80s synths? The grammatically awkward but easily chant-able chorus? All of the above? (It’s all of the above.) —Bob Marshall

• Kim Viera: “Here For Ya”

  Old is new again with Kim Viera’s “Here For Ya.” The first thing you notice about the upbeat pop song is the nostalgic quality it possesses. It’s not until the hook that you realize the song interpolates Ghost Town DJs’ ’90s hit “My Boo (I Want To Be Your Lady Baby).” In the ultimate mix of old school meets new school, Viera gives a tune that’s on the cusp of turning 25 a fresh take. It’s a song made for summer, and although it will make you long for the days of cassette mixtapes and roller skates, the catchy Miami bass and feel-good lyrics pair just as well with high-tops, headphones, and daydreams of the beach. —Virginia Lowman

• Hip-Hop
• Rock
• Pop
• R&B
• Electronic
• Music
• Nipsey Hussle

Lil Nas X has gone through a number of hoops in recent weeks regarding his breakout single “Old Town Road” and its yee-hawthenticity to its country sound. The tune’s composed with all of the modern trappings of a country record in 2019, save for the fact that there’s some trunk-rattling bass backing up the horse references.

While it’s been a divisive road of acceptance — Billboard removed it from its country chart last month — there’s one person who does get it: Billy Ray Cyrus. The legendary country singer gets it so much, in fact, that he’s appeared on the song’s official remix. And it makes for a rootin’, tootin’ good time, one anchored by Cyrus’s absurdly energetic vocals.

What makes country music? Is it rural accents and cowboy imagery? Is it the long, drawn-out feeling of the sun slowly folding into the sky that its music regularly brings? “Old Town Road” had these things but was still removed by Billboard after hitting number 19 on the Hot Country chart. “When determining genres, a few factors are examined, but first and foremost is musical composition,” Billboard‘s statement said. “While ‘Old Town Road’ incorporates references to country and cowboy imagery, it does not embrace enough elements of today’s country music to chart in its current version.”

Cyrus was one of the first country stars to embrace Lil Nas X following his chart removal. “When I got thrown off the charts, Waylon Jennings said to me ‘Take this as a compliment’ means you’re doing something great!” the singer — whose 1992 hit “Achy Breaky Heart” topped the same chart and also hit No. 4 on the Hot 100 — tweeted. “Only Outlaws are outlawed. Welcome to the club!” The country legend (and father of Miley) then extended his hand by appearing on the remix.

And what an appearance it is. Cyrus’s grandiose voice is light and clashes with the foreboding production that blends elements of trap and the country genre that Lil Nas X is a part of. Cyrus takes control of the chorus with a lively chant of, “Yeah, I’m gonna take my horse to the old town road / I’m gonna ride ’til I can’t no more.” He then sings of material possessions, Maserati cars and diamond rings, and brings a furious energy.

It’s apparent that Lil Nas X is just coming into the country experience while Cyrus, a veteran to the lifestyle, has moved onto more material things and wants to take a step back. No matter what genre this song falls into, it’s brilliant. Listen to the genre-bending “Old Town Road” remix up above.

• Hip-Hop
• Music
• Billy Ray Cyrus
• Lil Nas X