Welcome to our Rap Weekly 52: The album Waste Management will recultivate your music taste. Rap Weekly is a format where we bring you all the hot news from the scene, all new releases, clips, announcements that you should not miss. Today’s news feed is filled to the brim, Travis Scott releases his mystery film on YouTube and Vel Nine masterfully combines rap and singing in her flawless performance. This is the best bad news: Real Bad Man and Blu will release a joint album. Your patience has been rewarded, Mick Jenkins has released an anticipated album. A$AP Twelvyy proves once again that he is the best artist in the A$AP Mob right now. What albums and music videos has been released last week? That and much more is just a one scroll away.
NEWS OF THE WEEK
The album Waste Management will recultivate your music taste
This year, there weren’t many albums released that we were looking forward to since their announcement, like Waste Management from artists Theravada & zoomo. These two talents absolutely dominated last year and our Top 100 Best Rap Albums of 2022 list. zoomo made it four times: with Freakjet (with Vel Nine), In Memory Of (with YL), Cloyd, and RRR: The Album (with YL and Starker). Theravada was certainly not far behind with his three albums: Up Against The Wall; A Degree Of Lunacy (with YUNGMORPHEUS), Strange Voice, and My Own 2 Hands. They continue their dominance this year. Theravada has released three instrumental projects, but it’s not until now that we’ve heard him behind the mic besides the singles. On top of his instrumental project Riezu, zoomo has released an excellent album, The Policy (with Aasir).
On the album Waste Management, they prove once again why they are among the best artists in their field. The title of the album is really appropriate, as you can feel a certain rawness in each track that could be compared to hard manual labor. Mechanicality squeaks from every beat, and sweat pours from Theravada’s verses. These things can only be achieved through perfect technical knowledge of the rap field and 100% commitment. Nothing extra goes to waste; every second is utilized and has a fixed purpose. They both give their best to their work and use every detail. Zoomo recycles and recultivates old songs in his beats, which breathe new life thanks to sampling. Theravada is completely genuine, authentic, and often very funny in his lyrics, you simply get the feeling that he is not afraid to get dirty, he doesn’t get arrogant, and he approaches people with humility. Yet his rap is subtle and sophisticated, like the processes and activities required to manage waste from its creation to its final disposal.
We must also praise the perfect cover of the album, which will reward anyone who tries to look for details in it. The album has ten tracks and is without a single featured guest. You can find an atmospheric music video on YouTube, and you can buy the vinyl now! This is what it’s supposed to look like. Absolutely clean work; handling waste pays off. Xen is really that dead nice on zoomo beats.
NEWS
Travis Scott releases his mystery film on YouTube
As you all surely noticed, Friday, July 28th, saw the release of perhaps the most anticipated rap album of the year, UTOPIA, from rapper Travis Scott. We have to admit, we are not avid Travis Scott fans, yet the album surprised us in some ways. Today, however, we’re not talking about the album but about the movie Circus Maximus. To celebrate the album’s release, the rapper released Circus Maximus, a seventy-five minute film he wrote and directed, in select theaters. Legends of the film industry such as Gaspar Noé, Nicolas Winding Refn, Harmony Korine, Valdimar Jóhannsson, and Kahlil Joseph also contributed to the film.
Today, you can watch the full film from the comfort of your own home; just head over to YouTube. For those of you who can’t stay in front of the screen for more than a few minutes, Travis has released music videos for HYAENA, MODERN JAM, SIRENS, and DELRESTO (ECHOES). All of the music videos are included in the film, but you can also watch them separately.
This is the best bad news: Real Bad Man and Blu will release a joint album
You don’t often see the combination of rapper Blu and producer Real Bad Man, but that’s about to change. The artists are releasing their new track, Aladdin, and on top of that, they’re delivering the best BAD NEWS possible. That’s because that’s the name of their new record, which is due out September 1. More details about the record have not been revealed yet, but after listening to the pilot track, we can’t wait to hear it. The combination of these talents can’t go wrong.
The totally unique Death Tape 1: Black Cottonwood is available on vinyl
Quelle Chris totally won us over last year with his album Deathfame. Some of you may remember that he gave us another surprise at the end of the year in the form of Death Tape 1: Black Cottonwood. This is the first installment of the so-called Death Tape series that Quelle is creating with rapper Cavalier. Until now, you could buy the album exclusively on the project’s website. However, that has changed, and it is also available on Bandcamp and especially on vinyl. The vinyl is handled by the renowned FXCK RXP label, so expect top-notch treatment.
BEST RELEASES
Mick Jenkins – The Patience
Mick Jenkins is one of the rare rappers who have commercial success and whose music pleases even listeners not familiar with underground rap, yet they have a strong artistic vision and can impress even die-hard fans of the genre. He’s got numerous mixtapes, some EPs, and three studio albums to his credit. The last one, Elephant in the Room, was released in 2021. Now, however, he’s back with The Patience, proving that he’s still one of the top acts in popular rap. The Patience is the first album that is not under contract with the label that has been pressuring the artist financially and creatively for the past decade. Patience was over, and Mick is hungrier than ever. Some of the tracks on the album really kick; guests include greats like Benny The Butcher, JID, and Freddie Gibbs, and Mick is uncompromising in his pursuit. Still, don’t worry; once again, he has prepared for the listener plenty of spiritual lyrics that reflect his feelings in detail.
S!LENCE x Lungs – Catch and Release
Almost no one has a rap style as unique as that of the duo phiik and Lungs. Their album Another Planet 4 is one of the best and most fascinating projects of this year. Plus, the artists will be releasing CARROT SEASON later this year, so we have a lot to look forward to. But that’s not enough for them, so Lungs shares a buried treasure. He’s releasing Catch and Release, an LP he recorded with rapper S!LENCE in 2020 in the vortex of the COVID pandemic. As you’d expect, both rappers spit one sophisticated bar after another at a pace all their own. They call the record A Fishing Expedition, a term that refers to the gathering of a great deal of information, mostly in secret. And that we’re going to get a lot of information. Hidden meanings, all sorts of references, associations, and winks—you’ll have to decipher for yourself. The album has a slightly slower pace than Another Planet 4, and the beats have a strong jazz feel, so it might interest even listeners not familiar with Lungs. A fascinating work.
Ovrkast. – RESET!
Ovrkast. is an artist we noticed when he released his first album, Try Again (2020), which really won us over. The second record, however, was long out of sight, with the rapper only releasing a couple of singles. But that has changed, and now he brings his RESET!. Ovrkast. describes the process of creating the aforementioned project as the most vivid yet. It has been a very long, tedious, yet exciting journey for him. RESET! is a new beginning that is as refreshing as washing your face with cold water in the morning. We firmly believe that the record has enriched his life as much as it has enriched the culture, and more projects will come after smaller breaks.
A.P. Da Overlord – For The Sport
A.P. Da Overlord is perhaps the most productive rapper we know. Almost every week, he releases a project or at least one song. Last week was no exception, and he actually released two projects. In addition to For The Sport, he released Fork In The Road, which you can buy vinyl and merch for on his Bandcamp. Both projects are equally good, but we chose For The Sport because we didn’t want the other project, which benefits from vinyl and merch, to overshadow it. Overlod’s qualities are growing week by week, and we’re happy to listen to anything he has in store for us. Both records offer raw rap, just the way the rapper does it best. This is an absolute must for any fan of gritty rap. No music video was released for the album, so we’re attaching the full album.
BISK & SPECTACULAR DIAGNOSTICS – DIORETIX
Rapper Bisk and producer Spectacular Diagnostics have teamed up to release a collaborative album, DIORETIX, with Clbrks as the only guest. The whole record feels almost therapeutic as it tries to teach you how to deal with anxiety. Each song is a mental exercise that you let yourself get carried away with. The title of the record is inspired by the book Dioretix: The Science of Matter Over Mind, which appeared in the classic movie Repo Man (1984). The methods from the book are deciphered by the artists on the record themselves, opening a gateway to the unknown ways of your body. At the end of this journey, you will be closer to fulfilling your life goals. There is no time to wait for the right time, as the time is now. There is no music video for the album, so here is the video for the track KUZEN from SAMOSH!T.
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. ElCamino and King Ralph team up on No Weapon Formed Against Me. You won’t find a better combination of bone-chilling rap and singing. New verses are also spelled out by the utterly unique magician Killah Priest, who has been expanding his incredible discography month after month and year after year. Zilla Rocca and Jason Griff, two of the most exciting artists in modern alternative rap, have teamed up for the album Stacking Chips. WateRR deserves all the recognition he can get after his project with Spanish Ran this year, yet he keeps on working and drops the Follow The Drip EP. Other excellent releases have come from P-Ro, Mad1ne, Big Cheeko, Cam Chambers & Nice Rec, Blazy Green, and Cuse Williams & Vanderslice.
WateRR & Work Scorsese – Follow The Drip
P-Ro – Handwriting on the Wall
ElCamino & King Ralph – No Weapon Formed Against Me
Mad1ne – Madman Architecture
Zilla Rocca & Jason Griff – Stacking Chips
Big Cheeko – The Soul Theme EP
Cam Chambers & Nice Rec – Check Please
Blazy Green – Beware the Serpent 2
Cuse Williams & Vanderslice – Welcome To The Real
Killah Priest – Vedic Vape Room
BEST MUSIC VIDEOS
Rahiem Supreme washes his Betty 300zx turbo z31 while sharpening his another crystal clear flow.
Vel Nine masterfully combines rap and singing in her flawless performance.
Wheel Of Fortune is spinning and Lord Juco and Finn give you an insight into their creative process in a new video.
Let yourself be hypnotized by the song Faded. Jman & The Argonautz release a brilliant stoner anthem.
A$AP Twelvyy proves once again that he is the best artist in the A$AP Mob right now.
ANOTHER DOPE VIDEOS
We’re definitely not done with the best 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. DJ MUGGS releases another single from Soul Assassins 3, featuring guest appearances from B Real, MC Ren, and Ice Cube. We can’t wait for Friday. Gabe ‘Nandez continues his momentum and releases the single Long Reach. Zombie Juice, currently the most prolific member of the Flatbush Zombies trio, isn’t slowing down either, releasing a video for Pistolas (Freestyle). Curren$y and Harry Fraud recall their album Vices. Top-notch videos were also released last week by artists Daniel Son & Monday Night, Jamal Gasol, Dead Players, Fuego Gawdz, Pazuzu, and HWY 308 & Slang Hugh.
Daniel Son x Monday Night – Mischvif (Prod. BhramaBull)
Jamal Gasol – Pride feat. Rico Tellem & GBlock Tez
Curren$y feat: Vico Purple Picasso
Zombie 🤎 Juice – Pistolas ( Freestyle)
DJ MUGGS – Dump On Em ft. B Real, MC Ren & Ice Cube
Fuego Gawdz – Different League feat. Asun Eastwood
HWY 308 & Slang Hugh – Standing On Ten
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.
