Welcome to our Rap Weekly 51: Noname lets her fighting soul shine on Sundial. 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: Rome Streetz’s new album will be accompanied by a video game, Action Bronson put on a flawless performance with a live band at the Tiny Desk Concert, and South London rapper Big Novelist releases his new album 3.5 4 THA RIDE. The Musalini, Pete Rock & 9th Wonder have released a great video for one of the biggest rap bangers of the year and Nas & Hit-Boy work their magic again, this time in the music video for Motion. 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
Noname lets her fighting soul shine on Sundial
The wait is over. Five years after Room 25, Noname, the Chicago star, returns with her third studio album, Sundial. You can look forward to another highly personal project full of soulful beats and a never-ending stream of thought-provoking lyrics. On Sundial, however, Noname is much more aggressive and uncompromising than ever before, so expect to be confronted with views you may not share with the rapper, which may open the door to a more profound understanding of many issues.
Noname opens the album with the words:
„She‘s a shadow alker, moon stalker, black author
Librarian, contrarian
The state say we dead, we say we not
That‘s my bitch, I believe my sister
There are no winners.“
These words encapsulate both the wide range of topics Noname touches on in the album and the pessimistic, sometimes even nihilistic undertone. The rapper doesn’t leave a single topic untouched; the album is laced with lyrics about culture, the consumption of trauma and pain, toxic relationships, and US war policy, but there is also a good dose of introspection. This makes the album a thought-provoking work, as the rapper is not only critiquing her surroundings but herself as well. The beats are simple and great to listen to, and yes, the verse from billy woods is absolutely phenomenal. Noname did not disappoint, proving for the third time that she is one of the greatest contemporary rap talents. But we definitely could have done without Jay Electronica’s verse, which is chock full of questionable bars.
NEWS
Rome Streetz’s new album will be accompanied by a video game
Rome Streetz has risen over the years to become one of the rappers everyone is watching closely. His Griselda debut, Kiss The Ring, was released last fall and cemented his position in the scene. This year saw the release of Wasn’t Built in a Day, a project produced by Big Ghost Ltd., but fans are already eagerly awaiting the next big album. And the wait is coming to an end. The anticipated album will be none other than the fifth installment of the Noise Kandy series. The rapper took to Instagram to share a teaser of the upcoming videogame that will accompany the album. Yes, we weren’t expecting this either. We’ll have to wait a little longer for more details, but according to the rapper, they’ll be coming really soon.
Action Bronson put on a flawless performance with a live band at the Tiny Desk Concert
Action Bronson is a new guest at the Tiny Desk, and his energy absolutely took over the room. Baklava himself revealed that when he listens to music, he can’t stand still. So it’s no wonder if he walks away from the mic a few times during the session. It makes his show all the more interesting and better. It is truly a joy to watch Bronson’s perception and love of music. Of course, the band Human Growth Hormone also deserves a round of applause, as they delivered amazing harmonies that really made it hard not to move. Be sure to give this magnificent performance half an hour of your time; we believe you will love it.
Explore all the details of one of this year’s best British albums
The duo of King Kashmere and Alecs DeLarge, who recently took the UK scene by storm with their counterpunch against UFO invasion (in the form of The Album To End All Alien Abductions), met with Solomon PM to discuss the process of recording the aforementioned album and how they perceive the underground scene. Of course, in the interview, you will find out what the artists have planned for the future. Both artists revealed that they are planning their solo albums, on which they will be guesting each other. We have a lot to look forward to.
BEST RELEASES
al.divino & MichaelAngelo – WILE COYOTE
This is exactly what we’ve been waiting for. al.divino is one of our favorite contemporary rappers. A born innovator from Massachusetts who continually pushes the boundaries of the genre, he is highly productive year after year. Last year, we were most impressed by his projects Triple Black Diamonds 2 and GL1TCH, which we included in our Top 100 Best Rap Albums of 2022. This year, al.divino is once again releasing one great album after another, namely MGNTK, “SHEET MUSIC” VOL. 1000, and the albums he released under the pseudonym cvv.vino. Yet somehow, we knew that the best was yet to come. al.divino did not disappoint us and released the album WILE COYOTE, which reminds us of his best works. You can look forward to an aggressive, psychedelic, immersive journey into the artist’s mind that knows no boundaries. All the beats were handled by the talented MichaelAngelo, who can’t produce a bad album. The artists have been saving the album since 2019, and this year was the perfect time to release it. Add in verses from Estee Nack and Starker, and you have a recipe for one of the best albums of the year. Be sure to also read our analysis of Monumentality, where we went into detail about al.divino.
Joell Ortiz & L’Orange – Signature
Joell Ortiz is one of the rappers who perfectly combines the best of the golden era of rap with modern, innovative techniques. Joell Ortiz is an MC from the old school; his greatest weapon is his sophisticated lyrics and bottomless skill behind the mic. Yet he chooses progressive and modern-sounding beats that make his records hard-hitting and highly entertaining. On his latest album, Signature, he teamed up with producer L’Orange, who has done his job to perfection. Such beats for tracks like Masked Up or OG will hardly find competition in their hard-hitting nature this year, yet the album also features laid-back productions with great samples, such as the track Uncle Chris Car. Joell Ortiz has made his signature on all the beats with his storytelling, where he jumps from the drug underworld to the realm of rap. Signature is an excellent record that will please any fan of the genre.
Novelist – 3.5 4 THA RIDE
South London rapper Big Novelist releases his new album 3.5 4 THA RIDE, which is available to stream now. If you like to own something tangible, the only physical medium available for purchase is a USB stick, whose packaging is designed to resemble a 3.5-gram of loud. That fact alone suggests that Novelist’s imaginative spirit knows no bounds. On the record, he has moved away from his grime roots and set out to explore a wider spectrum of sound. On every track, he emphasizes his skills; the beats are dark and at times edge into boom bap or have an afro feel, but of course, in each one you’ll find the essence of the typical UK sound. Novelist outdoes himself with each new record, and we’re curious to see what else he has in store for us.
Mally Abstract – No More Mr. Nice Guy II
Producer Mally Abstract releases the anticipated follow-up to his No More Mr. Nice Guy album. The record features remixes of various tracks, be it Earl Sweatshirt – Titanic, Roc Marciano – Richard Geer, Kendrick Lamar – Backseat Freestyle and many more. Mally does very diverse productions, be they dirty beats or soulful loops. Show some love to this talent. Again, we’re starting to look forward to the next installment of this series or a collaborative album with an artist. Unfortunately, no music video was released for the album, so we’re attaching the full album.
The Bad Seed & JR Swiftz – Strike The Shepherd
The Bad Seed and JR Swiftz have teamed up on a new record to bring us Strike The Shepherd. We got to like producer JR a lot when he released Seven Times Down Eight Times Up with the legendary Elzhi a few years ago. On Strike The Shepherd, he cooked up some really hard, dark, and strict beats that just suit rapper The Bad Seed. The album features only a couple of guests, including Skyzoo and Tone Spliff. Aside from the two tracks with guests, The Bad Seed and JR Swiftz pull off the whole record by themselves, and the result is really great. Any hip-hop fan who enjoys raw rap will love the album.
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. REASON, the young hope of the TDE label, releases its second studio album. K.A.A.N. and MIKE SUMMERS come up with a strongly conceptual album, The Death Of A Rapper, which takes you through the complete career of a rapper. CKooliente was inspired by the world-famous Dutch painter’s paintings and based his album Charlie Vincent Van Gogh on them. AKTHESAVIOR releases the Deluxe Edition of his amazing album Tracing Patterns. You can look forward to two new tracks. Other excellent releases include Earleybird & Krohme, Phineus Phenomenal, Leo Laru$$o, HalfCut & Reks, Ferris Flea & Machacha, and All Hail Y.T.
All Hail Y.T. – Penthouse
Ferris Blusa & Machacha – Forever Is Not For Everybody
HalfCut & Reks – Survival Mode
REASON – Porches
Leo Laru$$o – JUKEBOX TOONS
K.A.A.N. & MIKE SUMMERS – The Death Of A Rapper
CKooliente – Charlie Vincent Van Gogh
Phineus Phenomenal – BEAT PHENOMENON 2: I MISS DA 80’s
Earleybird & Krohme – Riddles, Romance, & Rainbows Remixes
AKTHESAVIOR – Tracing Patterns (Deluxe)
BEST MUSIC VIDEOS
O Finess is Less Fortunate, that’s why he has to work twice as hard. On his latest album Highly Cool, he’s reaping the rewards.
Some things never change. Like the fact that YL has never let us down.
HWY 308 and Finn remind us why they are among the top names in the rap underground.
Sideshow remembers the pain. In his new music video, the talented rapper takes us into his world.
The Musalini, Pete Rock & 9th Wonder have released a great video for one of the biggest rap bangers of the year.
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. Nas and Hit-Boy work their magic again, this time in the music video for Motion. New Villain and Enkay round out a great chapter with the video for Round My Way, and the trio of Madlib, Meyhem Lauren, and DJ Muggs release the sixth video for their collaborative album Champagne For Breakfast. Check out the heartfelt video for Jet Fuel by the deceased talent Mac Miller. Top-notch videos were also released last week by artists ZooDeVille x slug x HEBL, NEMS x SCRAM JONES, Rasheed Chappell, SiriusB, REASON, and Verb T.
ZooDeVille x slug x HEBL – Valencia
MADLIB x MEYHEM LAUREN x DJ MUGGS – Evolution
New Villain & Enkay – Round My Way
Verb T – Four Oh! (Prod. Vic Grimes)
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.
