Welcome to our Rap Weekly number 50. 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: The born innovator Rahiem Supreme releases his latest opus and Injury Reserve says goodbye; please welcome By Storm. Rap fans can celebrate: Armand Hammer have announced a new album. The Alchemist on the beat and T.F. & Boldy James on the mic? That always spells trouble. 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. We are happy to bring you the best of the best news from the rap world for 50 weeks. See you at #100.
NEWS OF THE WEEK
You’d be hard pressed to find a more unique artist in contemporary rap than Rahiem Supreme. The born innovator never ceases to amaze us with each new project, carving out paths that have never been traveled before. He gifted us with a great album, Untitled, at the beginning of the year, and his most ambitious work of the year so far comes just now. The rapper has teamed up with producer Wino Willy, and together they are releasing Snake & Crane Secret.
Wino Willy is one of those producers who has bottomless pockets of great beats. This year he produced, for example, the excellent MANGROVE MAZE (with Obijuan) and Dirty Work (with Pro Dillinger). On the Snake & Crane Secret album, he tailored beats for Rahiem, who was able to go all out with his flows and catchy lyrics. Rahiem Supreme is first and foremost dope, and his music never fails to entertain. He spits one witty and original bar after another at the listener, and you don’t have to go far for an original idea. In addition, the record features a guest appearance from ANKHLEJOHN, and SadhuGold even helped Wily with a beat. There’s nothing to talk about here; the fresher record didn’t come out last week. Go listen to it.
NEWS
Rap fans can celebrate: Armand Hammer have announced a new album
We can’t remember a month when we didn’t write about the Backwoodz Studioz label and praise its unprecedented last two years. There’s no point in listing all the great albums that have been released under its wing in the last two years; we’ll just remind you of the latest cut, Decay, by rapper Fatboi Sharif and producer steel tipped dove. Circle the date of September 29 as the release of arguably the most anticipated Backwoodz record of the year, the new album from the Armand Hammer duo. Yes, as if it weren’t enough that billy woods released the excellent Maps earlier this year, in September they will reunite with E L U C I D to release their sixth studio album, We Buy Diabetic Test Strips.
Their last album, Haram, produced by The Alchemist, secured them a whole new fan base, so it will be very interesting to see where the duo goes with their latest project. As the tracklist, cover, album title, and first video reveal, we can look forward to a crazy ride like we haven’t had before. The album will feature guest appearances from Cavalier, Junglepussy, Moneynicca (Soul Glo), Curly Castro, Pink Siifu, and Moor Mother. The beats are provided by JPEGMAFIA, Child Actor, Pudge, Preservation, DJ Haram, August Fanon, El-P, steel tipped dove, Messiah Musik, Kenny Segal, Willie Green, Black Noi$e, Jeff Markey, Sebb Bash, and E L U C I D himself. Shorten your wait with the excellent video for the pilot track, Trauma Mic feat. Pink Siifu.
Injury Reserve says goodbye; please welcome By Storm
Trio Injury Reserve has been bringing us great and innovative music since 2013. Sadly, one of the members, Step J. Groggs, left us in 2020, and the last studio album, By the Time I Get to Phoenix, was completed after his death and dedicated to his memory. Injury Reserve said goodbye last week with their final song, Bye Storm, and members Ritchie with a T and Parker Corey formed a new duo, By Storm. You can stream their first track, Double Trio, on all streaming services. A great, emotional music video was released for both of the aforementioned tracks, ending one chapter and opening a new one. We thank Injury Reserve for their cultural contribution and look forward to new projects from By Storm. R.I.P. Step J. Groggs.
Beware, rap mage Lungs has a new album ready
Lungs announced via his Instagram a collaborative album, Catch&Release, with artist S!LENCE, which will be released on August 11. The project was recorded during the 2020 pandemic, and we can look forward to guests like Semiratruth and phiik. A fishing expedition awaits us in the form of eleven tracks produced by Lungs himself. If you want to get a feel for the chemistry of these artists, play the pilot track from the upcoming album or listen to their previous album, THAT WAS A TEST from 2021. We definitely have a lot to look forward to.
QUICK NEWS
- Denzel Curry releases the track ICE COLD ZEL FREESTYLE, featuring a guest appearance by ICECOLDBISHOP.
- GRUBBY PAWZ, after his successful WAVY BULLET with BoriRock, revealed that he is working on another promising project. This time with The Hidden Character.
- YL has posted a leak of the next RRR record on his Instagram, which will be called DIAMOND COLLECTION.
- Kofi Flexxx releases the new track Apothecary, which features a guest appearance by the unique billy woods.
- dylantheinfamous announces a new collaborative album with Manics called Cottonmouth, out on August 18. Watch the music video for the pilot track, Disturbance.
- Obijuan continues his unprecedented ride and releases more dope tracks. You can check out the track SMOKEY JOE produced by LEE SCOTT on his Instagram and the track DAY SMOKER on YouTube.
- The renowned FXCK RXP label is releasing a compilation of tracks titled A short history of FXCK RXP 2017-2019 LIMITED EDITIONS 2017-2019 on Bandcamp, featuring artists such as Rome Streetz and Willie The Kid.
- Another freestyle is coming out under the Chinatown Sound banner. This time, Dizzy Banko shares his skills.
- Legendary hip-hop group Souls of Mischief freestyles to the beat of their iconic track 93 ‘Til Infinity on Red Bull Spiral. Go watch the video; it’s an absolute must for any fan of the genre.
- Josue Thomas, the man behind Gallery Dept., shared a collage of his boxing workouts. The video is accompanied by the bone-chilling voice of Roc Marciano.
BEST RELEASES
Rick Hyde & Black Soprano Family – LUPARA
Rick Hyde releases his audio film LUPARA under the Black Soprano Family. The whole album is a reference to the huge successes that the entire BSF has achieved. Even though Rick is becoming more and more famous, he is still loyal to his craft, and the whole album is intertwined with his lyrical skills and good feeling for storytelling. In addition to Rick, the record features an incredible list of guests such as Heem, Elcamino, Benny The Butcher, Boldy James, Fuego Base, and Flames Dot Malik. Rick Hyde pays homage to the golden era of hip-hop and follows in its footsteps. The album is a great success, and we definitely consider it one of the best parts of the BSF discography.
Sideshow & Alexander Spit – JAM
Sideshow & Alexander Spit release JAM, a rap book with seven chapters. Sideshow is 1 of 1, he let his inimitable style shine earlier this year on 2MM DON’T JUST STAND THERE! and now he’s going in a slightly different direction again. The album JAM offers a unique experience, each chapter creates a different atmosphere and sparks different emotions. Chapter 6: Hard 2 Kill, which is accompanied by an excellent music video, is a driving banger that sees Sideshow taking down his enemies. As such, Chapter 5: Handicappers is much more intimate and emotional, and the rapper isn’t afraid to show his vulnerability. Immerse yourself in this rap book; you won’t regret it.
enkay & New Villain – From the Villain with Love III
The waiting is over. Artists enkay and New Villain finished their trilogy From the Villain with Love with their biggest project to date. From the mysterious world of the second volume, we move into the comic-book-like final chapter. Here, it is all or nothing. The unique atmospheric soundscape created by enkay will hypnotize you and will not release you until the New Villain finishes his last charm. New Villian fills the role of rap villain perfectly, yet he isn’t afraid to be vulnerable and make his values known. After all, he writes to his listeners with love. The conclusion to the trilogy has it all, from the driving beats to the great lyrics to the plethora of talented guests. In short, the finale is as it should be. Thank you for this ride.
A.P. Da Ovelord & Damien – Dangerous II (Still Dangerous)
A.P. Da Ovelord releases Dangerous II (Still Dangerous), the follow-up to January’s Dangerous II. The follow-up is spectacular; the entire record was produced by Damien, and we get to hear names like TYRNT and Rome Mallory on the feats. We’ve been following Overlord for a long time now, and it’s absolutely fascinating to watch his progression. With each record, he wins us over more and more. But with this project, he has completely blown us away. His unique style gets under your skin, and the rapper’s charismatic voice makes the record impossible to tear yourself away from. Of course, Damien manages to cook up hard beats that have exactly the dusty sound we love. If it were up to us, the album should become an underground anthem and a pure example of how it should be done. No more words are needed; go listen to the recording so you can understand what we’re talking about. Unfortunately, no video was released for the album, so we are attaching the whole album.
Qthree & BudaMunk – Peace Of Mind
Qthree and BudaMunk have teamed up for a new album, Peace of Mind. Rapper Qhtree is releasing a project he didn’t produce himself for the first time ever. The experienced BudaMunk played his role excellently and delivered a master’s work. In addition to the aforementioned artists, the album features names like DøøFus, 96supavillin, and Kenza. The whole album is designed as a guide to help one find peace in any endeavor. So, in addition to supporting these unique artists by listening, you’ll also be doing something good for yourself, and perhaps the album will give you a ground for thought-provoking thoughts or a space to let out bad emotions. The album is dedicated to the rapper’s grandfather, James Dunn, from whom he received much wise advice. Sit back, listen to the album from start to finish, and try to find some peace of mind. Unfortunately, no music video was released for the album, so here is the video for the track strike gold (feat. Navy Blue).
ANOTHER DOPE RELEASES
The five albums mentioned above are not the only ones you should hear. We’ve picked ten more dope albums that no one should miss. Give all the projects mentioned a chance; every single one deserves it. O Finnes is HIGHLY COOL on his new album; the charismatic rapper doesn’t know any other way. Hus Kingpin releases the fourth installment of his excellent Threesome series, this time revealing his Dirty Secrets to his fans. Chase Fetti also gave us some first-class street rap last week. Lyrical genius Homeboy Sandman returns with his new album Rich, proving once again that wealth is all about the man within. Other excellent releases came from MATT MARS & BLOODBLIXING, Unsung, Marlon Craft, Novatore, BhramaBull, and Pawz One & Preed One.
MATT MARS & BLOODBLIXING – BLXXD MOON 3: GANGSTA EDITION
O Finess – HIGHLY COOL
Hus Kingpin – Threesome pt. 4: Dirty Secrets
Chase Fetti – Blender Talk
Unsung – Hand Painted Model Trains
Marlon Craft – HOMECOURT ADVANTAGE, Vol. 2
Homeboy Sandman – Rich
Novatore – Alchemy and Black Magick
BhramaBull – Evolution 4
Pawz One & Preed One – Murals & Mayhem
BEST MUSIC VIDEOS
The Alchemist on the beat and T.F. & Boldy James on the mic? That always spells trouble.
When artists DJ MUGGS, MEYHEM LAUREN and MADLIB come together, expect everything BIG. Playin’ big, countin’ big, whip is big, s/o to Big Body Bes.
You can now absorb the spectacular A Bronx Tale in visual form. The video for the song Hearts Of Men is out.
Lord Jah-Monte Ogbon brings the warmth of I’ve Really Never Been Better highlight SHE GOT THAT DAWG IN HER to life in his latest music video
2 Eleven, T.F and Rome Streetz recorded such a bone-chilling track that Flee Lord and ScHoolboy Q had to appear in the music video.
ANOTHER DOPE VIDEOS
We’re definitely not done with the top five music videos. We’ve picked out ten more dope clips that you definitely need to see. Give all the artists below a chance; they deserve it. Who else should release a summer hit than Curren$y, Harry Fraud, and Larry June? Check out their banger, Marble Columns. The inimitable vibe of The Policy is recalled by artists zoomo & Aasir. Ovrkast has released a breathtaking video for the track Month In Brooklyn. The video was directed by Maxim Klub. Gabe ‘Nandez returns with the track Semtex Freestyle. Are you enjoying it more than Louis XIV? Top-notch videos were also released last week by artists Sxint Chris & Arkin, LNDN DRGS (Jay Worthy x Sean House), Vitamin G & Illinformed, 8TARI LOFI PUNK x DJ MUGGS, Bubu The Prince, and Dillon & Diamond D.
Sxint Chris & Arkin – Incognito / Sax FIf
Curren$y x Harry Fraud x Larry June – Marble Columns
ZOOMO & AASIR – AZ (I LOVE YOU)
Gabe ‘Nandez – Semtex Freestyle
LNDN DRGS (Jay Worthy x Sean House) ‘SUMMER MADNESS Freestyle’
Vitamin G & Illinformed – Big Spender
8TARI LOFI PUNK x DJ MUGGS – Baby Pandas
Bubu The Prince – FOREVERHUMBLED
Ovrkast “Month In Brooklyn” Directed by Maxim Klub)
Dillon & Diamond D – Comin’ Out Swingin’ feat. eLZhi
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.
