Welcome to Rap Weekly 104: Pride of A Man. Every Monday, we’ll take you into the world of rap and summarise the most exciting news, announcements and can’t-miss stories. Find out everything you need to know in one place. We only write about the best, so you get the best rap delicacies on a golden platter. ANKHLEJOHN knows where he belongs: among the rap elite. Kendrick Lamar will be headlining the Super Bowl LIX halftime show. CunninLynguists have announced a new album after seven years. The unique hip-hop trio, whose legacy will last Forever, have a lot in store. A$AP Rocky, J. Cole, and The Alchemist have released a collaborative track. Yes, you read that right. Money Bag is one of the biggest bangers of the year. Larry June & Cookin Soul made an unforgettable track. Good Job. All this and much more in Rap Weekly.
NEWS OF THE WEEK
Pride of A Man
ANKHLEJOHN, aka LORDY, is one of the best contemporary rappers. Over the last few years, he has earned a strong position in the field of underground rap, and we annually rank his albums among the Best Albums of the Year. We even wrote an extensive article about the Van Ghost project (w/ Big Ghost). His most notable album, however, was released just this year. ANKHLEJOHN refuses to play in a small playground; he wants to conquer the entire rap world. LORDY knows where he belongs: among rap’s elite. The album Pride of A Man is a manifesto of that.
ANKHLEJOHN announced Pride of A Man last year and raised our expectations. The resulting album has not disappointed us in a single aspect; it is a milestone in his career and an artistic highlight so far. From the intro of the album, where ANKHLEJOHN demands your full attention and a little patience, it is clear that LORDY knew his aces up his sleeve and decided to unload them. His distinctive voice immediately starts to cut through the incredibly imaginative and beautiful beats from producers like The Alchemist, August Fanon, Nicholas Craven, V DON, and Statik Selektah, and you will be hypnotized. The production line-up is truly stellar; the soundscape of the record is constantly changing and surprising, yet the whole project is cohesive. The record features guest appearances from Navy Blue, Willie The Kid, Domo Genesis, Fly Anakin, and Inspectah Deck, so expect only the best here as well. Pride of A Man shows what a modern rap record should be like in 2024.
Even with the elite team of people who contributed to the album, the main star is ANKHLEJOHN himself. Pride of A Man is a kaleidoscopic probe into the core of his soul, taking you through every corner of his personality. You’ll catch glimpses of his childhood and his wry sense of humor. You simply must hear this record.
NEWS
Kendrick Lamar will be headlining the Super Bowl LIX halftime show
You don’t have to be a sports enthusiast to know the Super Bowl. It is the final game that culminates the North American National Football League playoffs in American football. It has been played every year since 1967, and on February 9, 2025, the 59th edition, or Super Bowl LIX, will be held in New Orleans, Louisiana. The Super Bowl is not only a celebration of sport but also of culture (and American imperialism). The much-anticipated movie trailers premiere each year, and the halftime show, a huge performance by America’s greatest artists, draws worldwide attention. Kendrick Lamar will be headlining the Super Bowl LIX halftime show and speaks to fans in a new video. Some criticize Kendrick because the Super Bowl is a showcase for American imperialism and propaganda, concepts that Kendrick reflects in his music. But we’ll see how he handles the show itself; we might be surprised. His participation is also a notional continuation of his victory lap after his beef with Drake. Commenting on his participation, Kendrick said: „Rap music is still the most impactful genre to date. And I’ll be there to remind the world why. They got the right one.“ We’re not done yet. Kendrick Lamar has released a new five-minute single on his Instagram, Watch The Party Die, in which he criticizes the current state of rap culture.
CunninLynguists have announced a new album
The hip-hop trio CunninLynguists, consisting of members Deacon the Villain, Kno, and Natti, is one of the most prominent rap acts of the new millennium. Their six studio albums, led by projects A Piece of Strange and Oneirology, have left a huge imprint on the scene. Producer Kno’s atmospheric melodic beats are completely unique and have given each record a distinctive soundscape; add to that the sophisticated and sensitive lyrics of all the rappers, and you have a recipe for something special. It’s been seven years since their last track, and fans have grown impatient. Thankfully, CunninLynguists will be back this year, and in a big way. The trio has announced a new album, The Heartstring Theory (Part One), which will be released this October. They’ve released the pilot single Forever, accompanied by a music video, and announced a European tour. It starts on October 3, and you can buy tickets on their website. Collectors of physical media can look forward to a vinyl re-release of the trio’s debut album, Will Rap For Food, which will also drop in October. We’re excited to have CunninLynguists back and look forward to the new album.
A$AP Rocky, J. Cole and The Alchemist
A$AP Rocky, J. Cole, and The Alchemist have released a collaborative track. Yes, you read that right; no, we’re not kidding. Ruby Rosary fulfills several rap fans’ dreams. The Alchemist produced a slow melancholic and atmospheric beat, prompting Rocky to put out something extraordinary. A$AP Rocky took on the task phenomenally and showed us why he is a rap star. He flows through the beat in a fascinating way and is supremely smooth. We’re a little bit disappointed with the approach of J. Cole, who sped up the tempo of the track and disrupted the great atmosphere.
QUICK NEWS
- Sadistik has announced the album At Night The Silence Eats Me. Begin your journey through the recesses of a mind that has spent years dancing towards oblivion with the video for the pilot track Astral Plain.
- CRIMEAPPLE has released a limited amount of vinyl and cassettes of the HIDDEN BUTTER VOL. 1, a compilation of unreleased demo cuts that will never appear on streaming services.
- Babyface Ray has released a trailer for The Kid That Did. Have you heard the album yet?
- THE WORLD IS DOG is a storm with no escape. E L U C I D has released the third single from the upcoming album REVELATOR.
- Blu & Evidence pulled up to Genius to discuss their song The Land.
BEST ALBUMS
Phiik & Lungs – Carrot Season
Have you ever listened to revolutionary, mind-bending, and avant-garde rap projects as Dr. Octagonecologyst, Funcrusher Plus, or Fantastic Damage and wondered what it must have been like to hear them at the time they came out? Now’s your chance to experience something similar. New York innovators Phiik & Lungs, whose last year’s Another Planet 4 was ranked really high on our Top 100 Best Rap Albums of 2023 list, released their new opus this year. If you don’t know them, you better believe you haven’t heard anything like it. The album Carrot Season, with phenomenal production by OLASEGUN, is a groundbreaking rap work; it’s all weirdness set in the whirlwind of the big city, bizarre situations with a hint of the supernatural, and the chaos of New York City exposing injustice and corruption. Carrot Season is the pure art of rap, a genre gnawed to the bone yet full of nuance. A myriad of ever-changing beats, flows, and incredible bars await you in a field of fifty-five minutes. Phiik & Lungs have a million unorthodox punchlines, yet their rap is not lacking in emotion and sharp criticism of society. On the contrary, their lyrical skill allows them to reflect societal issues in a way that resonates with the listener. “Eric Adams in Versace telling me the city is improving.” The album also features a plethora of the best names in contemporary rap, such as YL, AKAI SOLO, Wavy Bagels, Michael Christmas, Lord Jah-Monte Ogbon, Homeboy Sandman, and Fatboi Sharif. Carrot Season is a groundbreaking work, rap at its most pure, yet it has nothing remotely in common with the old-school sound. Yo, from the dirt it’s carrot season, what?
Blackchai & August Fanon – OTHERWISE A BLUR
Rapper blackchai already impressed us this year with his album Year Wandering, but we didn’t know that his next album will be completely produced by one and only August Fanon. August is one of the best producers of the new millennium, and this year you could hear his beats on #RICHAXXHAITIAN or Pride of A Man, which we wrote about in the article earlier. OTHERWISE A BLUR is a record full of solidarity, empathy, and defiance against unjust systems riddled with colonialism, imperialism, and racism. blackchai has compelling lyrics and a charismatic voice and uses these tools to create a powerful spiritual rap. August Fanon has produced a diverse range of beats that carry eerie, almost spacey sounds. There is often a loud noise on the record that is reminiscent of the tuning of a radio or television broadcast. The listener is thus drawn into a vivid world and feels like they are listening to a broadcast of a forbidden station that proclaims solidarity and ignites the fires of rebellion in a dystopian future (which is frighteningly close to the present). OTHERWISE A BLUR is a powerful record that will resonate within you for a very long time.
Mourning Run & Skip The Kid – Every Head Must Bow Every Tongue Must Confess
The duo of Mourning Run & Skip The Kid is definitely no stranger to us. They already showed their artistic chemistry on last year’s Great Tribulatia, and this year they continue their collaboration. It hasn’t even been a few months since Mourning Run released Magic N Bird with Knowitall, and he’s already pounding out beats like a bulldozer once again. Every Head Must Bow Every Tongue Must Confess is an album where there’s always something going on; the artists don’t let you breathe for a second. Skip The Kid has chosen beautiful samples and transformed them into great beats that are bursting with life. Never working as just music, they offer the listener an almost tangible space to enter. Mourning Run uses that space flawlessly, and you can look forward to a plethora of some of the most exciting young talent in the contemporary underground. Unfortunately, no music video was released for the album, so we attach the video for the track Cows 2 the Slaughter (prod by ZILLY900).
Josiah the Gift – Lavish Language
When we heard the TOGO album two years ago, we knew immediately that Josiah the Gift is a special artist. Last year’s God is Gracious only confirmed that. Capturing life in the excluded neighborhoods of America’s big cities is a mainstay of the art of rap, and Josiah the Gift excels at exactly that. To describe street life this masterfully, you have to master the Lavish Language. Josiah the Gift has created yet another meticulously detailed semi-autobiographical rap world, where you learn snippets of his life in adrenaline-soaked tracks. Bishop has provided a soundscape of modern boom bap beats that Josiah the Gift is in tune with. Unfortunately no music video was released for the album, so we’re attaching the video for the track Conqueror (Produced by Rob Deniro).
Jvly38! & pty – FRACTURED
The world is falling apart, but the music remembers. The sky is fractured, but rap music is in the air. Writing these articles each week is a new adventure that always enriches us. That’s why we actively try to explore and bring you the most interesting stuff we come across. A few days ago, though, we definitely wouldn’t have expected to hear something like FRACTURED. Jvly38! & pty open a gate to hell with a 15-minute avant-garde intro, from which neither demons come out nor fire crackles, but the truth. And it burns even more than lava. pty has produced a soundscape that crumbles in all directions and constantly hypnotizes you, while Jvly38! calls those infernal truths to you with her seemingly monotone voice. We must also mention the excellent posse cut OPEN WINDOW (BLUES FOR A CHOIR), which took our breath away. FREE PALESTINE. No music video is released for the album, so we attach the whole album.
DOPE ALBUMS
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.
Supreme Cerebral & Eloh Kush – Clark Connoisseurs 3
Ransom, Conway the Machine & V Don – Chaos Is My Ladder 2
Q Prodigal – THIS ISN’T ME
Recognize Ali – Underground King III
Jay Worthy x MadeInTYO – Time After Time
Black Soprano Family and ElCamino – Built for Cuban Links
Talib Kweli & J. Rawls – The Confidence Of Knowing
2 Eleven – Proof Of Concept
Jamal Gasol & Sayzee – Smoke Wave
Sphere47 – BAD: Beautiful Art Dealer
BEST MUSIC VIDEOS
BUB STYLES is El Diablo with a devilish work ethic. Watch the music video for JAW TALK.
“The beat don’t need a drop.” Jay Worthy and MadeInTYO show what showcase smooth rap looks like on NINO.
Money Bag is one of the biggest bangers of the year. Larry June & Cookin Soul made an unforgettable track. Good Job.
The grimy rap masterpiece is coming. Rome Streetz & Daringer have released a phenomenal music video for the pilot track from their upcoming collaborative album.
Will the rap of myquale and lojii or the beat of hagen bros make you cry? We’ll find out. Watch the beautiful music video for Isaiah 54:17.
DOPE VIDEOS
Our list of must-see music videos doesn’t end with the top five. We’ve picked out ten more dope clips that you definitely need to see. Give all the artists below a chance, they deserve it.
Kal Banx ft Smino x Buddy – HOP OUT CHO FEELINGS
Babyface Ray, Veeze – Wavy Navy University
A$AP Twelvyy – Verrazzano Visionz
Lay It Down Curren$y X Dj Fresh
Vulture Love – Roll With The Snipes ft. Taji Akeil, Project Pooh, GorditoFlo, Big Fredo, Jay Dirty
Vitamin G & Mr Slipz – High Scores
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.
