Welcome to our Rap Weekly number 46. It is a format where we bring you all the hot news from the scene, all new releases, clips, and announcements that you should not miss. Today’s news feed is filled to the brim: Ransom and Nicholas Craven are back in the director’s chair and YL releases another music video that immerses you in New York like nothing else. The Patience is paying off; Mick Jenkins announces his fourth album and JID guest features in the new video. Griselda Records sent three of its rappers to the Red Bull Spiral Freestyle and The Alchemist gave another flawless performance behind the mic. This week, you’ll get some quick news that you can’t miss. What dope albums and music videos have been released last week? That and much more can be found by scrolling down.
NEWS OF THE WEEK
Rapper Ransom and producer Nicholas Craven form a duo that will find little competition. Their Director’s Cut Scene series is one of the best you’ll find in modern rap. The highly anticipated fourth installment was released this May exclusively on the EVEN platform but is now available on all streaming services. So you can give it a listen and then consider supporting the artist via the aforementioned EVEN service. They deserve it.
As the titles of the individual tracks suggest, the fourth installment of the series stands between crime thrillers and dystopian futures. The artists borrow the titles of famous films or other artworks and build on their core ideas. The track The Last Of Us was produced by NY Vanno, and the beat for Across 110th Street was provided by Fruition. The rest was done by Nicholas Craven, so expect great-sounding beats full of awesome samples. Craven can’t go wrong, and his beats are something that fits perfectly with the rapper’s laid-back rap, which is based on sophisticated lyrics and gives him plenty of space. For the beats, all we have to write is Stop Sample Snitching.
Ransom has been in the game for a number of years, yet his skill continues to grow. He’s at his best on Directors Cut 4, his utterly precise flows go through all the beats like it’s the easiest thing in the world. His lyrics are sophisticated and full of great puns. What’s a bit disappointing are some of the conservative opinions that the whole album is laced with, which we definitely don’t share. It’s nothing radical, though; we enjoyed the album very much and definitely admire the abilities of both artists mentioned.
NEWS
Heavy boombap beats, dirty mafioso rap and authentic storytelling
Are you in the mood for something from the nineties? Do you want a record that has the essence of the nineties in it? Do you miss hard boombap beats, dirty mafioso rap, and authentic storytelling? Criminal Discourse is what you’re looking for. It is the third album by Jay Royale, a rapper from Baltimore. The project was already released earlier this year on Bandcamp but now hits all the major streaming services. Jay Royale concludes his trilogy with an amazing record that takes you behind the curtain of American metropolises. The album features legends of the scene like Kool G Rap, Havoc, Styles P, and AZ. Even the one and only Willie The Kid stopped by and delivered a verse. Criminal Discourse is a must-have for every single fan of rap. And die-hard fans of the 90s sound may find their record of the year in it, even though the album sounds very fresh.
Mick Jenkins announces fourth studio album
Patience pays off. Mick Jenkins is one of Chicago’s most distinctive rappers. He’s got a mixtape, some EPs, and three studio albums to his credit. The last one, Elephant in the Room, was released in 2021. But now he’s back, announcing The Patience, which will be released on August 18. Alongside the announcement, the rapper gave us a pilot track for the album called Smoke Break-Dance (feat. JID, Prod. By Stoic). The track is accompanied by a great video clip. Are you excited?
Griselda Records sent three of its rappers to the Red Bull Spiral Freestyle
Armani Caesar, Rome Streetz, and Jay Worthy on a beat by Conductor Williams? This couldn’t have gone badly. Three MCs from Griselda Records appeared in the Red Bull Spiral Freestyle, and all of them brought their A Game with them. The artists added icing on the cake with the perfect adlibs. This is rap at its rawest.
QUICK NEWS
- Get behind your screens, the new episode of F*ck That’s Delicious is out. Action Bronson goes on an Italian, Jewish and deli-esque style food all in one restaurant, Mark’s Off Madison.
- Rapper Cavalier will release his debut under the Backwoodz Studioz label this year. Expectations are enormous. The artist tweeted a list of rappers and producers last week saying “thank you”. That would be a list of guests and producers for the new record? It’s very likely.
- Raz Fresco visited Solid 16 and once again delivered a superhuman performance.
- Da$h hasn’t released any albums this year, but new stuff is on the way. Projects A Quiet Storm, Skrewface 2 and DOUBLE A-SIDE vol. 8-10 are coming soon. You can check out snippets of the new tracks here.
- Westside Gunn once again teases the anticipated And Then You Pray For Me. His album is being hyped by Eastside Flip, and the rapper himself shares a snippet of a great sounding track featuring a guest appearance from Rome Streetz.
- Figerson has released an excellent album Year Of The Dragon this year, but he is definitely working on other things. One of them will be a project with producer Hagakure, which is already 60% finished.
- Dom Tomato, the world star of parkour, shared with the audience a montage of his June stunts. Lee Scott – It’s not Cricket from the rapper’s newest album plays in the background.
- Rapper Joell Ortiz and producer L’Orange will release their collaborative album Signature on Aug. 11. The album will consist of ten tracks and feature guest appearances from KXNG Crooked, CyHi, and Sheek Louch. Check out the music video for the OG pilot track below.
- Tree & Vic Spencer presents a deluxe edition of Nothing Is Something, featuring four new tracks. But that’s not all, the deluxe edition is also complemented by a whole new album Something Is Not, featuring ten tracks.
- We started the Quick News with Action Bronson and we will end it with him. He’s featured on the track Vibrant, which comes from the upcoming Virtuoso album by rapper Valee and producer Harry Fraud. The album will be released on July 21.
BEST RELEASES
Vega7 The Ronin & Superior – Sleep is the Cousin
Pull out your katanas and pay attention; here comes a record as sharp as the legendary bar “I never sleep, ’cause sleep is the cousin of death” from the N.Y. State of Mind track that lends it its name. Vega7 The Ronin already showed us his ronin mindset on The Lead Lined Wall, but Sleep is the Cousin puts him among the most interesting rappers of the current scene. The samurai theme that runs throughout the album is truly fitting for the album. The Sleep is the Cousin project is hard-hitting, and extremely entertaining. Vega7 raps like he’s had 10,000 hours of Japanese and is a master of his craft. Producer Superior has done an excellent job and offered a plethora of interesting beats that incorporate both innovative techniques and traditional scratches. References to different movies or skits from classics like There Will Be Blood are then just icing on the already delicious cake. Oh, and let’s not forget the plethora of great guests, including Daniel Son and the mythical Cambatta.
Shottie – Death Occurred Last Night
When a rap album introduces a skit from a 1970s Italian thriller, you know that there is a special experience coming. The album Death Occurred Last Night is as mysterious as the film of the same name, as chilling as Italian horror classics, and as dope as Brian De Palma films. Rapper Shottie takes you into his world, where danger and death await on every corner. As the Art Vandelay song illustrates, this is not a life you want to live. The album is interwoven with sophisticated themes yet offers an adrenaline-fueled, almost cinematic experience. The productions of talents like Ched, MZA, and Alejandrito Argeñal have a big part in this. They lend the record a completely unique vibe that you won’t find elsewhere. The aforementioned atmosphere is exemplified by the rapper’s unique voice, which will haunt you like a killer follows his prey in the giallo films of Dario Argento. Brilliant work.
Bub Styles & MichaelAngelo – Behold The Andean Condor
As Bub Styles says at the beginning of this album, he wants to have fun. And you will have fun too. Behold The Andean Condor is another flawless project on which the distinctive rapper takes us into his world. His music reminds us of the crazy action flicks from Hong Kong, and in every track you’ll come across humorous scenes that simultaneously give you chills. Brains mix with tomato sauce, and you feel like you’re watching Takashi Miike’s twisted films. Something is wrong, but you can’t tear yourself away. The life situations and experiences Bub comes from are certainly not something to be jealous of, but the artist manages to share them in his own unique way, a way that will stick with you. MichaelAngelo is a producer who plays his own game, and no one else makes beats like this. Bub Styles hunts his prey like the Andean Condor, and you can forget about wannabe gangster rappers; you haven’t heard an album this hard this year.
Lord Jah-Monte Ogbon – I’ve Really Never Been Better
We are always amazed by Lord Jah-Monte Ogbon. His unique beat selection, energy behind the mic, distinctive voice, and rap style itself are something no one else can emulate. Rapper released Highly Favored (w/ Buck Dudley) and The Black Messiah (w/ Sadhugold) earlier this year, and now he comes with I’ve Really Never Been Better. On his newest album, the talented artist goes back to his lost love, reflects on his life, which is running away way too fast, or just has fun and spreads his energy to his listeners. As the album title suggests, Lord Jah-Monte has truly never been better. He’s been this good for a year now, though. Production has been handled by Tyrus Diary, Cloudboy, Saint James, Dirty Art Club, and Ogbon himself. In conclusion, we can only add one thing: The Best Rapper in Charlotte.
AJ Suede – Ark Flashington
You already know what time it is. AJ Suede continues his unprecedented pace and releases his third album this year. After Indica Music and Parthian Shots, his art will illuminate and ignite us like Ark Flashington. The magician from Seattle is once again a one-man army on his latest project; he produced the whole thing, mixed it all, and mastered it as well. Wow. His beats are on another level compared to Darth Sueder 7: Rogues Gallery, so you can look forward to rich melodic productions that will absolutely suck you in. AJ Suede is an absolutely unique rapper who intertwines everyday stories with supernatural and sci-fi elements. A plethora of talented guests also do a great job, including Brainorchestra and Sleep Sinatra. Ark Flashington is another gem in the rapper’s now-truly extensive discography. AJ Suede will thus be among rap’s MVPs this year, just like last year. Knowhatimean. Unfortunately, no video was released for the album, so we attach the video for the track PBS Kids ft. Mr. Muthafuckin’ eXquire.
ANOTHER DOPE RELEASES
BLOODBLIXING – SODOM AND GOMORRAH GANGSTA EDITION
SOO DO KOO – TREASURE FLEET
sean links & Machacha – The Iceman
Drumwork – Conway the Machine Presents: Drumwork the Album
CAPRIISUN – Calliope
A$ap Twelvyy – Kid$ Gotta Eat
The Musalini & 9th Wonder – The Don & Eye 2
Osbe Chill & Dough Networkz – Los Ultimos
Raz Fresco – pocket operations II: forty seconds only
Asun Eastwood – 7EVENTH
BEST MUSIC VIDEOS
Soak up the unique atmosphere of duo B. Cool-Aid. They will remind us of their last album with a stunning music video.
Where on the scale is the The Alchemist? He´s too various to measure and his rap style is 1 of 1.
Chruch! Tree Mason & Spanish Ran remind us of their masterpiece with a new music video.
Jesse James Solomon can still be reached at OXFORD ST. He’s making perfect rap music there.
YL releases another music video that immerses you in New York like nothing else.
ANOTHER DOPE VIDEOS
”Conjure Yo Wager” Waterr & Spanish Ran (Feat AM Early Morning)
Jamal Gasol & Vic Spencer – The Last One
K’Nen x Chillon Daviz – Murkaba
Verbz, Nelson Dialect & Mr Slipz – Sight Beyond Sight
WhoisBravy – 450 feat. CharlieBeatz
J HART FT. STUYVILLE (EDDIE KAINE & RIM) BROOKLAND
Jay Worthy & Roc Marciano – How?
The Musalini & 9th Wonder- No Complaints ft. Sweata
Manu Mainetti x dylantheinfamous x Immi Larusso – LEAVE IT [Video by Lillie Kowalik]
And that’s it all the important news on the scene from the last week. What caught your eye this week? Let us know on Instagram or Twitter. You can expect another one next Monday. It’s going to be really interesting, so don’t miss it.
Translated from Czech by Rado.
