EVERYTHING IS EVERYTHING (Chapter Ten)
“Everything is everything, I hope you know this
Everything is everything, I hope you know this“
From Everything is Everything by Sunmundi and klwn cat
10. Chuck Strangers – A Forsaken Lover’s Plea
Our list is heading into its final chapter; we are nearing the end. Chuck Strangers opens the top ten. We certainly don’t take it for granted that Chuck Strangers released two projects in less than twelve months. The Flatbush, New York, veteran released his debut album Consumers Park in 2018 and gifted us with Too Afraid to Dance in 2020 (which, by the way, is the title of one of the tracks on his latest project). In 2023, he absolutely dazzled us with the excellent The Boys & Girls EP, which ranked really high on our Top 100 Best Rap Albums of 2023 list. However, his biggest and most comprehensive work was released last year, and we’re telling you straight away that you’ve got a lot to look forward to.
Chuck Strangers is both old-world and contemporary at the same time. You can feel the incredible care and love for the genre in every aspect of the album. Just listening to the album took us back a few years. We don’t want to sound nostalgic; the album is modern and certainly doesn’t sound old-school, yet it has the aura of something that breaks out of the natural flow of time. A Forsaken Lover’s Plea is an odyssey of romance and hip-hop. Chuck Strangers is incredibly open and introspective on the record, describing his surroundings and inner self, present and past, through his relationship with rap. Tracks like Feelings, Home, and Count on My Love are powerfully emotional pieces that won’t leave you untouched. The mix and master of the album are also specific; the music surrounds you, and you feel that you are alone with the rapper in a closed room, and you only hear his words. You have to really listen and concentrate, but you will be rewarded. The record was produced by Chuck himself, NV, The Alchemist, Animoss, Graymatter, Zoomo, and Obii Say. Obii, Remy Banks, Joey Bada$$, and Erick the Architect make guest appearances on the album. “A forsaken lover’s plea, too G to take a knee Still I gave you all of me.”
9. Larry June – Doing It for Me
Larry June, sunny summer days, soulful beats, and rap that is peaceful and pleasantly motivational. There are few better things in the rap world. The San Francisco artist has been in the rapgame since 2010, and in 2023 he released two phenomenal records straight, The Great Escape (w/ The Alchemist) and The Night Shift (w/ Cardo). Doing It for Me continues his victory lap, and while it doesn’t offer anything innovative, as they say, what works doesn’t need to be changed. Larry June will absolutely hypnotize you behind the mic, with beats from producers Harry Fraud, Cookin Soul, Cardo, and more. The last track, Money Bag, is an impressive celebratory anthem that will be playing for at least the next three years. Ay ay ay, ay ay ay.
8. Dylan Gray – Graystation 2
Dylantheinfamous is undoubtedly one of the best producers of our time. His work on the GUANAHANI trilogy with rapper Obijuan is absolutely fascinating and is one of the most significant artistic expressions of this decade. We named APOXALYPSO the Best Rap Album of 2023, and we couldn’t wait to see what both artists had in store for us in 2024. Welcome To The Third Space. Right off the bat, let us state that Graystation 2 is Dylan’s best record. From the very first minute, you will be engulfed by a completely unique soundscape and an inimitably angsty atmosphere. As Dylan himself announces, the album sounds like a meditation of nostalgia and the death of our future. We have been betrayed and left for dead. It is the sound of late-stage capitalism, a world in which we surround ourselves with countless things that are meant to stimulate us, but within us we have a void. Graystation 2 perfectly evokes the feeling of wandering through an empty world where all hope has been extinguished. It’s trying to be romantic in a world that has reduced human relationships to transactions, trying to love in a world without love.
Dylan is a masterful rapper, and with his sophisticated lyrics, he paints vivid pictures that will evoke a lot of emotions in you. Listening to the album, we were reminded of films such as New Rose Hotel (1998), Demonlover (2002), and Red Desert (1964). Dylan portrayed a dark and empty world with the skill of a great visionary artist whose work will resonate decades later. It should be mentioned that the album features a plethora of talented guest appearances, and each of them delivers a first-rate performance. Graystation 2 is a must-hear album. But beware: “Anything can happen in here.”
7. E L U C I D – REVELATOR
E L U C I D forms the duo Armand Hammer with billy woods, but like billy, he has a fascinating solo discography. Three years ago he released his phenomenal third solo studio album, I Told Bessie, and the rest is history. Armand Hammer are becoming increasingly successful; their music is resonating with new listeners, and the old ones never cease to be fascinated by how the billy and E L U C I D keep doing it. It’s time to reveal the truth. E L U C I D is blowing up the status quo with his fourth solo album REVELATOR, but what you find in its ruins is left up to you. REVELATOR is a groundbreaking and innovative record, a unique album that sounds like no other rap project. E L U C I D teamed up with a plethora of talented producers, drummers, and other musicians to create a new soundscape full of bold drums, magic with tempos, and memorable melodies. REVELATOR is an experimental record in the truest sense of the word. E L U C I D has come unhinged behind the mic, and his lyrics have evolved as well. He writes more abstractly, more suggestively, and uses a lot of strong associations. E L U C I D assaults the listener’s senses and leaves it up to him what he imagines behind the words. REVELATOR is an immersive record that keeps surprising you and makes you disappear and forget about the real world. However, at the end there is a bone-chilling realization that what REVELATOR describes is the present, just now, our world full of violence and injustice. “ALL POWER TO OPPRESSED PEOPLE, RED LIGHT ON THE VIRTUE SIGNAL FOR THE COME LATELYS, ESCALATE SINCE WE DONE WAITING, TAKE FREEDOM.”
6. Tyler, The Creator – CHROMAKOPIA
Nobody does it like Tyler, The Creator. Certainly not on the level of mainstream rap that tens of millions of people listen to every month. All of his projects feature Tyler taking on a new persona, building a new world, and tying everything together with an original aesthetic. It’s no different on the eighth record. Tyler, The Creator put on his mask so he could finally take it off. You are a light in a wicked world. Welcome to CHROMAKOPIA. Each album brings us a new Tyler, each marked by the personal growth of the artist. The days of Goblin are long gone, yet Tyler has lost none of his aura or distinctive handwriting. Now he puts on the mask to take it off for the first time in his life. His former self, as well as the people in the music video for St. Chroma, enter the container Tyler is blowing up. CHROMAKOPIA is an album built around a fictional world and a masked hero, yet Tyler is more open than ever on it. Each track is a look in the mirror, a shattered illusion, a grapple with a personality crisis, a meditation on a particular segment of life. CHROMAKOPIA is an album in the truest sense. All of the songs stick together, change, flow into each other, and together create one huge experience. This is something very rare in the field of mainstream rap; few prominent artists have done something like this (for example, ScHoolboy Q with his BLUE LIPS album). You’ll look in vain for stand-alone singles here; this album only makes sense from start to finish.
Tyler, The Creator completely produced the album, and his creativity blew us away. CHROMAKOPIA is an album living in a post-IGOR world; it contains many melodic elements or surprising musical twists. Still, you can also look forward to some hard rap; this album is a fusion of everything we love about Tyler’s music. CHROMAKOPIA reveals the truth in a twisted world. Paranoia is not only present in the track Noid but is woven throughout the entire album. Tyler has really grown up; on the track Darling, I he even plays with the idea of fatherhood and emphasizes that each person is special and will spice up your life in a unique way. Yet even this track has a cheeky Tyler twist, where it ends with the narrator declaring that you should always wear a condom. The album is really colorful; the track Judge Judy has an almost campfire country vibe yet is followed by the essential rap gangsta banger Sticky. The mainstay of the record is the track Take Your Mask Off, where Tyler doesn’t take off his mask, but through stories about archetypal characters, he encourages his listeners to take off their masks, stop living a lie, and get to know themselves. You can allow yourself to do that because the light in this world is you. Keep Shining. CHROMAKOPIA.
5. Navy Blue – Memoirs in Armour
Navy Blue, born Sage Gabriel Gabriel Carlos Atreyu Elsesser (note that each album in the Saga of Sage quadrilogy bears one of his names), has been making and releasing music since 2015, but he didn’t release his studio debut, Àdá Irin, until 2020. In 2023, Navy released his seventh studio album, Ways of Knowing, which was produced entirely by Budgie and was Navy’s first release after signing to the Def Jam label. He had been working hard for the past two years on a record that was supposed to be released under Def Jam, but the label decided not to release the album, leaving Navy to lose all of his work. In response to this event, he created his latest record, Memoirs in Armour, which he released independently. “It’s Navy Blue the Truest; it takes a lot to do this.”
Memoirs in Armour is closer in sound to Navy’s earlier albums, yet it’s another step forward. Navy Blue continues to crystallize his rap artistry, and on his latest record, he writes more captivatingly than ever before. As a result, the listener can look forward to a spiritual journey through a labyrinth of self-discovery where the greatest enemies lurk in the mirrors. Memoirs in Armour is a butterfly born out of darkness and depression.
„I couldn’t fake it, I’ma tell the truth
Depression was the birth of Navy Blue
My message is to serve a greater you
The transmutation of my hurt is now of use“
Time Slips by Navy Blue (2024)
Navy Blue often revisits the past, his ancestors, his family, and his younger self to understand the present and to become a better person every day. Production was handled by Chuck Strangers, Budgie, Child Actor, Nicholas Craven, Ntvrme, Graymatter, Grant Lapointe, and Navy Blue himself. To the sounds of the art of these masters, with the moonlight at his back, Sage Gabriel Carlos Atreyu Elsesserr walks into the embrace of La Noche (the night).
4. Roc Marciano – Marciology
Marciology… a cult. All Hail the King. We dare to start rather dramatically, but this album encourages it. Roc Marciano is a rapper who needs no introduction to our readers. To call him an underground legend would be an understatement. Marciano has carved out a strong position in the scene that even the biggest players respect. Yet he is the one who has contributed the most to the revitalization of underground rap over the past decade or so. Drumless loops, strong lyrics, and a modern take on gangster themes are some of the few elements we associate with Marciano. In 2022, Marciano teamed up with The Alchemist to release his most successful album to date, The Elephant Man’s Bones. At the end of last year, the duo followed it up with The Skeleton Key, but we liked the album Maricano released last April a bit better.
Marciology is an opulent work comprising fourteen pieces, ten of which were produced by Marciano himself. The album has all the elements that make us love the artist’s music: uncompromising bars, stone-cold flows, unique humor, and sheer rap mastery. Still, we’ve never heard an album like this from Marciano before. Once again, Roc has proven that he will never release the same project twice, and he has once again created a unique soundscape that you won’t find anywhere else. The album alternates between dark beats that recall the soundtrack to Italian giallo films, soulful productions with a hint of late-night New York, and opulent beats that simply can’t be categorized. Marciano once again combines the cold truths of life and the grime of the streets with luxury. Marciology is another scintillating addition to the unprecedented discography of one of the best rappers and producers of all time. Thank God For Roc Marci.
3. Sunmundi & klwn cat – Lived and Born
On behalf of the SudetyRaport team, we chose the breakthrough work Lived and Born by producer Klwn cat and rapper Sunmundi as the third best album of 2024. Two years ago we would have presented it as a work of newcomers; today it is no longer appropriate. Both artists have proven that they are masters in their fields, a new generation of artists who love rap and will set a new direction for the genre. The album Lived and Born by klwn cat and Sunmundi is like an intense trip into the dark and mysterious depths of the human mind. It’s an encounter with hypnotic sound and vocabulary that chases away the light but, at the same time, doesn’t let you escape. The lyrics are like images that are projected into empty rooms, putting the listener into a state of deep contemplation. Each track is like a glimpse into the inner workings of artists who are not afraid to explore the dark corners of human existence. Lived and Born is certainly a challenging listen, but those who choose to immerse themselves in this work will be rewarded with extraordinary depth and originality that will linger long in the memory.
2. Mach-Hommy – #RICHAXXHAITIAN
We place Mach-Hommy’s latest album in the second spot. We named his album Pray for Haiti the best album of 2021, and his latest breathtaking rap effort didn’t disappoint us in the slightest, earning a beautiful silver position. #RICHAXXHAITIAN is a monumental piece of art featuring guest appearances from 03 Greedo, Black Thought, Roc Marciano, HEPHZIBAH, Drea D’Nur, Your Old Droog, Tha God Fahim, and Big Cheeko, and beats produced by Conductor Williams, Quelle Chris, SadhuGold, KAYTRANADA, and more.
#RICHAXXHAITIAN will undoubtedly join the golden fund of hip-hop. Not only does Mach rap with incredible skill, but the record also offers thought-provoking content and a cohesive, memorable experience. Hip-hop has always been a genre for the downtrodden. It is an artistic revolt against a system that exploits certain groups of people. And few countries in the world can speak of oppression with the same experience as Haiti. Mach-Hommy masterfully reflects on the problems of his homeland, but his ideas are broader and universally applicable. Mach mentions the genocide in Gaza, but his primary focus is on the very nature of late-stage capitalism. Entire societies are being exploited so that a few people who own the largest multinational corporations can have as much money as no individual in the world should have. The #RICHAXXHAITIAN is further proof that Mach-Hommy is one of the greatest artists of his generation. It’s a work that everyone should hear. Pray for Haiti.
1. Ka – The Thief Next To Jesus
On October 12, 2024, Kaseem Ryan, a producer and rapper going by the pseudonym Ka, passed away. Writing these words carries an indescribable sadness, heaviness, but also gratitude that we were so lucky to hear the rap great’s eleventh and sadly final album last year. We’ll cover the legacy of his work in the epilogue of our list; now let’s take a look at what Ka gifted us before his death. The inhospitable streets of Brownsville, Brooklyn, created a rap master whose approach to music is closer to the great thinkers and writers than to his fellow rap artists. The Thief Next to Jesus is an epic about evil hiding in the shadows, lending a helping hand only when the other is wielding a knife. “They comme ci, comme ça, Want a world of superlatives? Come see Ka.” Right from the opening of the video for the pilot track Such Devotion, Ka lets us know that he is sampling gospel on his latest album. However, the title of the album, which Ka completely produced, suggests that we’re not expecting too many celebratory religious chants. Ka has already used religious themes on albums like Descendants of Cain (2020), where he described life in the Brookyn ghetto through Biblical parallels, and A Martyr’s Reward (2021), where he recalled the bloody injustices that people of dark skin color have had to and must deal with. Once again, The Thief Next to Jesus has a unique concept. It is an album about people, governments, and systems that hurt others by their actions, which they present as good but are hidden in a fog of lies. In the opening track, Ka criticizes other rappers who glorify drugs and violence and become tools of those who restrict, colonize, and oppress people of color.
That Ka is a well-read and extremely intelligent and empathetic artist, as we have known for several years. Still, we are fascinated by the breathtaking scope and complexity of the new album. Ka literally brings to life and musicalizes the experience of people of color who grew up in absolutely horrific conditions. This gives the listener all the tools to develop a tremendous amount of understanding and empathy. The ubiquitous gospel samples, heavily harmony-driven vocals, elements of blues, and beats without drums create a claustrophobic atmosphere. Ka turns beautiful music into horror and reveals the true face of things. He exposes the hypocrisy of Christianity and how it has been and is being abused by white people. He juxtaposes the spirituality of the slaves, who gained strength through their faith that kept them alive, with the religion that killed them. The Thief Next to Jesus is a masterpiece, a pinnacle of the rap genre that will be studied for decades to come. „To succeed you’ve never seen such devotion.“
EPILOG
“To succeed, you’ve never seen such devotion (Never)
To succeed, you’ve never seen such devotion (Never seen)
To succeed, you’ve never seen such devotion (Never seen it)“
From Such Devotion by Ka
Dedicated to the memory and work of Kaseem Ryan
We founded the SudetyRaport Instagram profile in 2020, driven by the desire to write about rap, which is not given much space, especially in the Czech Republic. For a few months, however, we only had an empty and inactive Instagram profile. We knew we wanted to write about rap, but we didn’t know how yet. One day we heard the Honor Killed the Samurai album and, fascinated by its depth, we had to write about it. So we published our first post. If it weren’t for Ka, there might not even be a SudetyRaport. His work will forever inspire artists across the world and stand as a pillar and reminder that even out of the greatest darkness, light can come. Ka has not only provided inspiration to artists but also to those of us who write about rap. He has shown us that reflecting and discussing the essence of rap is the mechanism that maintains the health and strength of the genre, providing power to the people who need it most. That’s why we need to not abuse it, not exploit it, and approach it with as much understanding as possible. The dedication with which African-American artists, who are the soul of the genre, create is something to be admired. Or as Ka says on the track Such Devotion, “To succeed, you’ve never seen such devotion.” Rest in peace.
