NOT LIKE US (Chapter Two)
“Where you from? Not where I’m from, we all indigenous
Against all odds, I squabbled up for them dividends”
From wacced out murals by Kendrick Lamar
90. Ben Beal & Wun Two – gazebo
The album gazebo is like a night drive on a deserted road, where every corner hides a dark secret and every turn draws you into a world of unexplainable sensations. The collaboration between rapper Ben Beal and producer Wun Two has created a record that includes ten tracks with a running time of almost 18 minutes, but the deep impression it leaves on you is one of intense poetry and atmospheric storytelling. The lyrics reveal the inner feelings and thoughts of an artist trying to find his place in a world full of chaotic situations and ambiguities. Deep reflections on life, love, fear, and isolation are backed by Wun Two’s minimalistic yet effective beats. The musical landscapes created by Wun Two are almost hypnotic, allowing Ben Beal to freely express his thoughts and emotions.
89. Black Noi$e & Valee – Partridge
Do you want to take a break from heavy topics and listen to rap music that entertains you in the first place? Partridge is exactly what you’re looking for. The EP is only five tracks long, yet on them, rapper Valee comes up with as many sophisticated, imaginative, and witty punchlines as most rappers come up with in a lifetime. However, it’s the beats from Detroit producer Black Noi$e that make the project special. Because he’s managed to mix a bunch of great ideas and his signature style without the beats losing the punch that a rapper like Valee needs. The album is entertaining enough for mainstream listeners to listen to, yet in many ways it is much more complex than it may seem at first listen. Unfortunately, no music video was released for the album, so we are attaching the video for the track LIQUID.
88. cropscropscrops & Steel Tipped Dove – Long-Light Derecho
This album is like the seconds before a summer storm—the air gets heavier, the pressure rises, and then it comes. Steel tipped dove serves up a dusty, hypnotic backdrop while cropscropscrops floats over the beats with a dead calm, as if he already knew the storm was coming. Esoteric samples, quiet panic in the lyrics, and intensity without being overly pretentious. Long-Light Derecho draws you in and doesn’t let go. An underground that shatters boredom and leaves only echoes of thoughts.
87. MIKE & Tony Seltzer – Pinball
Pinball by rapper MIKE and producer Tony Seltzer is like a walk through the narrow alleys of your own mind, where every sound and word becomes part of an internal dialogue. Each track delivers musical and lyrical depth that makes the authenticity of the artists and their uncompromising approach to expressing themselves evident. Guest artists such as Earl Sweatshirt provide an additional perspective that enriches and expands the horizons of the project. The album is like a fusion of unique musical visionaries who, together, create an exceptional body of work. MIKE expresses himself with poetic elegance in the lyrics and raps with his own distinctive style, bringing depth and introspection.
86. Josiah the Gift & Ed Glorious – The Glorious Si
This isn’t just a record; this is a chronicle of a fight where every bar carries weight as first-hand testimony. Josiah the Gift raps with such precision that his words cut to the bone, no embellished story, just the raw truth. Ed Glorious builds beats like monuments to the street, where melancholy and determination go hand in hand. It’s an album for those who know hard times, but also for those looking for authenticity in a sea of empty poses. The Glorious Si is a soundtrack of survival, the testimony of a man who has weathered the storm and still stands firm. Unfortunately, no music video was released for the album, so we attach the video for the track Conqueror.
85. Bisk & dylantheinfamous – FITL2: Fire, Burn, Flames
FITL2: Fire, Burn, Flames is a searing darkness full of pain and introspection, a journey through the shards into unending darkness. Over absolutely phenomenal atmospheric beats by dylantheinfamous, Bisk gives space to his feelings and thoughts, and the listener is constantly plagued by the weight of every word. This album is dark in the truest sense of the word, and that is exactly why it resonates so strongly. You haven’t heard anything like it this. Unfortunately, no music video was released for the album, so we’re attaching a clip for the track CBA.
84. Maxo Kream – Personification
Maxo Kream ak Trigga Maxo is an American rapper with Nigerian roots. His four mixtapes, including the iconic The Persona Tape , have earned him the aura of one of the most prominent artists from Houston, Texas. After releasing three studio albums, Punken, Brandon Banks, and Weight of the World, Maxo has become a world-renowned rapper. We’ll stick with the symbolic three, as his fourth studio album, Personification, tells the story of all three of Maxo Kream’s personalities: gangster, rapper, and father. Personification is a brutally honest record that has no barriers. Like all of the artist’s previous albums, this one is full of anger, violence, and aggression, yet Maxo manages to reflect on these emotions and memories more critically than ever before. We can’t blame him; the way of life he has lived has taken its toll. Personification is the trauma of a gangster, the story of a man who was born into a world where he had to forsake pity and love in order to survive at all. After all these years, though, he still manages to feel some of that love, especially from his daughter. And that’s an emotion worth living for to the fullest.
83. Wolftone & AJ Suede – Permafrost Discoveries
With their album Permafrost Discoveries, AJ Suede and producer Wolftone are taking us on a musical journey that is not to be missed. This project, enriched with guest artists such as Maya Marie, Perry Porter, BlkSknn, and Wishbaby, brings listeners an incredible sonic experience that is both hypnotic and insistently immersive. Wolftone showcases his production talents in full force here. His sonic landscape is completely new to what we are used to with AJ Suede. The album’s sonic palette shifts between dark, mystical tones and experimental beats that draw you into their world and don’t let you leave. Hypnotizing beats are at every turn. AJ Suede convinces us once again of his lyrical skills. His slow, deliberate flow acts as a magnet that draws you closer and closer. AJ Suede creates worlds full of nuance; his lyrics are packed with images and metaphors that create a complex yet fascinating structure. Permafrost Discoveries is an album that demands your full attention and rewards you for it with myriad layers of sound and lyrics. Wolftone and AJ Suede have created something that goes beyond the ordinary rap album, a work of art that takes you on a hypnotic journey full of sonic and lyrical discoveries.
82. BoriRock & DVNTBEATS – JONDO3
BoriRock, one of the most prominent rappers from the state of Massachusetts, is an artist we write about often and very much like. Last year, he continued the frantic pace he set a few years back and released a slew of great records. Unfortunately, a tragic event befell him at the end of the year. On December 2, a fire broke out on the first floor of BoriRock’s and his family’s home, affecting all three floors and destroying the entire house. As a result, a fundraiser was set up on GoFundMe to help raise the necessary funds. If you can, please consider supporting. But now back to the music. We’ve selected JONDO3, produced entirely by DVNTBEATS, as Bori’s best album of last year. Its beats have a specific groove that fits perfectly with Bori’s uncompromising flow. BoriRock comes across on the tracks like a character from a crazy gangster movie, an anti-hero you have to like for his charisma and humor. The groovy beats, which Bori also sings to in addition to rapping, are the perfect encapsulation of this distinctive artist’s aura.
81. mary sue – Voice Memos From A Winter In China
mary sue, a rapper from Singapore, expanded his ever-growing catalogue with several projects last year, but the one that resonated with us the most was Voice Memos From A Winter In China, an album he made while performing in China during the winter. As we’ve written more than once, mary sue is an absolute master at capturing the mundane emotions, details of the everyday, and the ephemeral nature of life. Concerting in China gave him plenty of incentive to soak up the country, the culture, and, most importantly, the people. Voice Memos From A Winter In China is like sipping a fine Chinese oolong. Whether you drink it alone or with friends, it has the essence of something ancient and universal. You have to approach it with respect and try to feel it.
