Welcome to Rap Weekly 133: Glockaveli. 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. We review the albums Glockaveli by Key Glock, emerge “n” see by Shemar, Water Under the Bridge by Le$, Ask God for Help by Asun Eastwood & MK Ortiz, Excelsior by Benny The Butcher, Conversational Pieces by Boldy James & Real Bad Man. Also look forward to great music videos from SAMSON, SALIMATA, Mike Shabb, Xp The Marxman, Emilio Craig, DoamPeace, Central Cee, 2 Chainz, or MIKE All this and much more in Rap Weekly.
NEWS OF THE WEEK
Key Glock – Glockaveli review
Key Glock is without a doubt one of the most distinctive rappers coming out of Memphis right now. His albums Yellow Tape and Yellow Tape 2 are hard-hitting trap statements that are impossible not to love. After his 2023 release Glockoma 2, we eagerly awaited the arrival of Glockaveli — an album that faced multiple delays. Now, after months of anticipation, it’s finally here, taking us on an adrenaline-fueled trap ride that pays homage to 2Pac and his album The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory aka Makaveli, while remaining modern and never boring. Even gangsters just want to have fun. Glockaveli by Key Glock is banger after banger.
Glockaveli is a ride we haven’t experienced in a long time. From the opening track sampling Hallelujah to the closing cut 3AM in ToKEYo, you’re in for a raw street confession wrapped in insanely entertaining beats, packed with one catchy sample after another. This album is like a vibrant amusement park where everyone can find their favorite ride. No Sweat feels like the soundtrack to a hypnotic Italian giallo, while the title track Glockaveli flips the legendary Hail Mary sample into something fresh and powerful. If you’re looking for rap that’s as fun as it is real, this album is exactly what you need.
NEWS
Marcberg
In recent years, the phrase underground renaissance has been echoing throughout the rap community. The comeback of coke (mafioso) rap, the rise of drumless beats, and the skyrocketing sales of vinyl records are just a few aspects of this movement — led by names like the Griselda label, The Alchemist, and Roc Marciano. It was this last name that, on May 4th, 2010, released his debut album, Marcberg — a record that forever changed the rap game and sparked the very underground renaissance we now speak of. To us, Marcberg is nothing short of a classic — one of the most important rap albums of all time. To celebrate its 15th anniversary, Roc Marciano has dropped a special vinyl edition and brought the album back to streaming platforms. Yes, you read that right — for a long time, the album wasn’t available to stream, but that changed last week. The special edition also includes the bonus track Snow Remix featuring Sean Price and a previously unreleased cut titled Period Blood. Marcberg may be fifteen years old, but it hasn’t aged a day. This is pure genre-defining greatness — an essential listen.
Westside Gunn & Doechii
Westside Gunn and Doechii on a track together? EGYPT (Remix) is the stuff of wildest fan dreams. A few weeks ago, Gunn dropped a short EP titled HEELS HAVE EYES, featuring five tracks. The biggest standout quickly became EGYPT, which opens with a skit from Doechii — the 2024 Grammy winner for Best Rap Album — revealing in an interview that she’s recently gotten into MF DOOM and Westside Gunn. It didn’t take long: the very same day she heard EGYPT with her skit on it, Doechii hit the studio and sent Gunn a verse. The result? EGYPT (Remix) — a straight-up banger. Doechii sounds like she’s having a blast, mimicking Gunn’s signature ad-libs at the top of her verse, flowing effortlessly, and dropping bar after bar of pure heat.
McKinley Dixon & Teller Bank$
McKinley Dixon is no ordinary rapper — he’s a poet in the body of a storyteller, spitting bar after bar packed with so much raw emotion it’ll knock you over before you even blink. On On The Radar, he delivered a freestyle that pulls you into a world where reality, memory, and spirituality melt into one massive flow: melancholy, rage, love, and anxiety about the future all wrapped together. And it hits hard. Dixon digs deep into his memory, piecing together fragments of identity and leaping between past and present like he’s seeing it all at once. He’s not putting on a tough-guy mask — he’s being human. He raps about survival, guilt, responsibility, loss, and a longing for eternity. And yet, for all the introspection, he never loses sight of the streets. Alongside that freestyle, he dropped a new track, Recitatif (feat. Teller Bank$), which all but confirms that his upcoming June 6 album, Magic, Alive!, is going to be a major moment for rap. Dixon wields his words like a katana, slicing from spiritual reflection to street-level reality with ease. This isn’t just another rap record — it’s a manifesto, a balance between the sacred and the grimy. McKinley Dixon isn’t afraid to name the pain, but he also knows how to find hope in the rubble. Whether he’s contemplating eternity or dancing with demons, one thing’s clear: Magic, Alive! won’t be an album you just listen to—it’ll be one you live through.
QUICK NEWS
- Listen to a great live performance of the song and FEW songs ft. Love Mansuy, Ogi and Smino from From the Private Collection of Saba & No ID.
- The live performance of Freddis Revolt feat. Manny Noir at Studio Nord Bremen is a multi-genre experience you have to witness.
- The phenomenal album NEW BLOOD by Obijuan is available on all streaming services.
- Cadence, punchlines, and absolute precision — listen to Lunch Break Freestyle by Denzel Curry.
- Maze Overlay lets his rap skills speak for themselves in the latest episode of Off Top” Freestyle (Top Shelf Premium).
BEST ALBUMS
shemar – emerge “n” see review
Brooklyn talent shemar is a rapper and producer whose album obtuse ways to say that i love you was featured in our TOP 100 Best Rap Albums of 2023. At the start of last year, he released sunscreen w/ Child Actor, and since then he has been working on his latest project. emerge “n” see is a monumental album with a revolutionary undertone that sounds the alarm. The record is truly diverse—a constantly pulsing mosaic that surprises you with every track. The beats were produced by Outside House, shemar, bloomcycle, shemar, kiluhmanjaro, MILLENIUM, and Sasco, and together they’ve crafted a weighty soundscape capable of carrying the full emotional force of shemar’s words. The album features guest appearances from bcvbaby, Jay Cinema, Yo OG, Hester Valentine, baegull, Deleteeglitch, Defcee, and money for water, giving the project a communal essence, woven from the thoughts of like-minded individuals who truly have something to say. emerge “n” see is a constant battle of the individual within a capitalist system, living in the heart of a global superpower ruled by white supremacists with fascist tendencies supporting genocide. shemar doesn’t approach these themes in a didactic or macro-political way; instead, he portrays the experience with sensitivity, reflecting through his emotions and channeling his inner rage. emerge “n” see is a mind-bending work we desperately need right now.
Le$ – Water under the bridge review
Le$ returns with an album that perfectly matches his long-term approach — subtle, yet unshakable. Water Under the Bridge is another project built on consistency, calm confidence, and the ability to operate outside the mainstream. It doesn’t mark a major shift in sound but rather continues the path Le$ has been walking for years, emphasizing independence, perseverance, and quality. Tracks like Lil Saint and Sad but True hit thanks to Le$’s natural delivery. He reflects on work ethic, pressure to deliver, and the often-absent recognition — even when it’s well-earned. The lyrics are straightforward but capture experiences that many can interpret in their own way. The production is minimalist and slow-burning, often with muted grooves and a nostalgic touch — the perfect backdrop for his storytelling. It doesn’t aim to surprise, but it maintains a consistent vibe from start to finish. The album doesn’t bore, even though it avoids big, showy moments. Water Under the Bridge doesn’t rely on hype — it’s a calm, steady record that proves you can say a lot without raising your voice. A great project, especially for longtime listeners who’ve been following Le$ for years. Unfortunately, no official music video was released for the album, so we’re attaching the visual for the track W.A.N. instead.
Asun Eastwood & MK Ortiz – Ask God for Help review
Asun Eastwood brings his personal war to life with raw, unfiltered rhymes. When he says Ask God for Help, it’s not a catchy phrase for your IG bio; it’s a desperate cry from the depths, emerging only when everything betrays you — even your own hands. This album isn’t for everyone. It’s for those who understand that life isn’t a linear story of growth but a mosaic of falls, comebacks, and survival. MK Ortiz crafts beats like grimy storefront windows, shattered, but every piece carries weight. The production is deliberately heavy, dragging like a night in a cell where you’re left questioning if anyone will ever believe you. The drums hit with minimal effects — raw, cold, but undeniably human. Asun raps like someone who’s long stopped waiting for salvation. In Heart of Bullets, he delivers bar after bar as if writing his own epitaph, speaking of hunger for a better life, frustration driving him forward, yet slowly destroying him from the inside. Features from artists like Bub Styles, Cousin Feo, Smoovth, and Falcon Outlaw add extra layers to the album. Each brings their own style, yet all share the same tone: survival, pride, trauma. Don’t look for ego trips or pseudo-wisdom here. This is rap as a record of a soul that refuses to blend in, even knowing it will never shake off its grime. The entire project feels like a torn diary pieced back together and replayed through an MPC. You believe it because there’s no calculation — each word feels earned, felt in its deepest form.
Benny The Butcher – Excelsior review
Memories as weapons, bars as testimony. An album that doesn’t scream but speaks directly to the soul. Benny The Butcher returns on Excelsior as someone who doesn’t celebrate the past but refuses to let it be forgotten. This isn’t flexing for the sake of flexing. It’s pain transformed into precision. It’s the calm of a killer who has survived everything and is no longer afraid to speak out loud, not to impress you, but to warn you. From the opening track, The Corner, you feel that this won’t be just another superficial game about streams. This is block poetry. It reflects trauma, memory, and pride. Benny’s ability to distill chaos into a cohesive narrative is surgical. His voice is tired but precise. He sounds like the last witness, who knows that if he doesn’t speak, the truth will remain forever buried in concrete. Duffel Bag Hottie’s Revenge with Boldy James is a highlight that breaks and motivates you at the same time. Benny builds metaphors from his personal history, each bar either a shard or a cobblestone. He mentions Gotti and Neil Dellacroce, not because of mafia as a pose, but because of loyalty and the unspoken code between men who carry the weight for themselves and the fallen. Boldy James kills the beat calmly, without theatrics; his words crawl under your nails like the reality of life in the streets. The album doesn’t rely on hits but on atmosphere. Premo contributes with the energetic I AM THE PROGRAM, while Styles P on Toxic delivers the familiar mix of grime and spirituality. The production is not meant to be catchy; it’s functional. The beats are not for the club; they are for thinking. It sounds like a raw journal, sometimes like the silence before a shot, other times like the echo of a long-lost scream. Excelsior is not just another project where Benny proves he’s a “veteran.” It’s a manifesto about survival in a time when surviving is a statement in itself. It elevates Black Soprano Family as an entity that is more than just a crew, as a community where pain, glory, and downfall are shared experiences.
Boldy James & Real Bad Man – Conversational Pieces review
Boldy James is absolutely unstoppable. For several years now, Boldy has maintained his legendary pace of releases, which in recent months has only intensified. This year alone, he has released albums like Murder During Drug Traffic (w/ RichGains), Permanent Ink (w/ Royal House Recordings), Token of Appreciation (w/ Chuck Strangers), Hommage (w/ Antt Beatz), and Alphabet Highway (w/ V Don). The albums with V Don and Chuck Strangers are among his best, and last week, the album Conversational Pieces, entirely produced by Real Bad Man, joined them. The artists continue the legacy of their previous works, Real Bad Boldy and Killing Nothing. Conversational Pieces feels like a hypnotic crime thriller, where every new track is a twist in the story. Real Bad Man has crafted an atmospheric soundscape that blends jazz-inspired productions with almost futuristic tones. A prime example of this is the track ITT Tech, which erases the boundaries of time and wraps Boldy’s bone-chilling street tales in pulsating futuristic rap jazz. In a similar vein, the track Come Back Around follows suit. Each track in the album represents a new, suspenseful, and introspective scene in the mosaic of a gangster’s life, one trying to escape the grasp of his past. One of the highlights is the track Triple Platinum, where both artists prove they belong to the elite of contemporary rap.
DOPE ALBUMS
The five albums above aren’t the only ones you need to hear. We’ve handpicked ten more dope records that no one should sleep on. Give every one of these projects a shot — they all deserve your time.
J Littles & Kong The Artisan – FURTHERMORE
UFO Fev & Vanderslice – Pyramid Schemes
Everything Is Psychedelic – The Beautiful Malais
Jimmie D & Nicholas Craven – Good Music Hypnotizes
Jmo Let Em Know – Billy Clubs
Seafood Sam – DOGS IN THE FRONT YARD
Sphere47 – The Anchor Of My Own Weight
Wretch 32 – Home?
Lloyd Banks – A.O.N. 3: DESPITE MY MISTAKES
Jericho Jackson (Elzhi & Khrysis) – I Am Him
BEST MUSIC VIDEOS
The lyric video for TWENIPHIVE! by SAMSON is the most imaginative we’ve seen in months.
SALIMATA in the streets of Marseille: the music video for foil captures the essential meaning of rap as a tool and voice of the people.
Vision and a relentless drive to follow his own artistic path — breakadawn crystallizes everything that makes Mike Shabb special.
Xp The Marxman, Emilio Craig, and DoamPeace are razor-sharp on House Of Hanzos — as precise as alligators striking at their prey.
The music video for No Introduction by Central Cee captures the feeling of what it’s like to be the biggest rapper in your city.
DOPE VIDEOS
Our list of must-see music videos doesn’t stop at the top five. We’ve selected ten more fire clips you need to check out. Show some love to all the artists below — they truly deserve the spotlight.
2 Chainz, Ronald Isley, The Isley Brothers – THE ATL EXPERIENCE
$amaad – Hi, Im Drama (DIRECTED BY DIGGGERS)
Joel Q – Chvmpion Seedz Ft @heavycrownz
JABEE • No Love (prod. Conductor Williams)
Rick Hyde, Benny The Butcher, Lo Profile & BSF – Minimal Effort
That’s a wrap on today’s news roundup. What caught your attention the most? Hit us up on Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, Bluesky or Threads. We’ll be back next Monday with another dose of the Rap Weekly and fresh heat from the scene — don’t miss it!
