Welcome to Rap Weekly 152: A Murder of Crows. 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 A Murder of Crows by Mick Jenkins & EMIL, Crash The Party by Dango Forlaine & Christopher Jose, The Cold Don’t Fold by Old Orleans & Don Carrera, THE HAND THAT FEEDS by Shaykh Hanif, Billy’s Revenge by BLUEHILLBILL & Grubby Pawz, and MINO by Elcamino & Black Soprano Family. Also look forward to great music videos from El Cousteau, Niontay, insyt., Freddie Gibbs, The Alchemist, Clipse, and Hit-Boy, Spank Nitti James & Don Q. All this and much more in Rap Weekly.
NEWS OF THE WEEK
Mick Jenkins & EMIL – A MURDER OF CROWS
Mick Jenkins is part of the Chicago rap scene that, over the past decade, has produced a generation of artists shaping the city’s poetic rap movement. His 2014 project The Waters was a breakthrough moment, introducing him to a much wider audience. Since then, he’s released four – or rather, five – studio albums. His latest record, A Murder of Crows, entirely produced by EMIL, a multi-instrumentalist from Southeast London, dropped exclusively on EVEN on September 19 and became available on streaming platforms last week. Purchasing the album through EVEN directly supports the artist — and we definitely recommend that option. The album is excellent, and Mick Jenkins will also be bringing it to Europe, where he’s set to join JID on tour.
The last ones on the battlefield, soaring over an empty field – Mick Jenkins and EMIL return with their album A Murder of Crows, a record that searches for peace and meaning in today’s world and music industry. Mick Jenkins has refined his poetic rap to perfection, carefully guiding his style exactly where he wants it to go. EMIL’s production work complements Jenkins’s tone seamlessly. Both artists stand out for their calm precision — the album never rushes, instead observing its surroundings like a flock of crows waiting for the right moment. The record is cohesive yet thematically diverse, balancing socially charged tracks like Workers’ Comp with lighter moments such as on VHS.
NEWS
Pray For Cali
From the underworld of New Jersey to the streets of Watts, Mach-Hommy and 03 Greedo have joined forces on their upcoming project, Pray For Cali. Described by both artists as deeply personal, the album was first mentioned by Greedo in an interview with Patta Magazine, while Mach later confirmed it on Instagram. Greedo paints the environment he grew up in as a place “in the middle of hell.” The Jordan Downs Projects, immortalized in Menace II Society, weren’t just a movie backdrop for him — they were a reality where you could get shot next to a children’s slide. This raw experience, combined with Mach-Hommy’s philosophical calm, has sparked an unexpected chemistry between the two. The pair first connected on #RICHAXHAITIAN (prod. Kaytranada) and, according to Greedo, already have several new songs finished. Pray For Cali aims to be more than just a rap album — it’s a joint meditation on survival, identity, and finding peace amid America’s chaos. Once haunted by dark thoughts, Greedo now speaks from a place of transformation. His journey from a Grape Street Crips member to sitting front row at Paris fashion shows is living proof that pain can be turned into beauty. “I wanna make money like Lauryn Hill and disappear to an island where I’ll build my own paradise,” Greedo says. Maybe Pray For Cali will be the road that finally takes him there.
crickets!
Back in 2022, we wrote about Mike Shabb, the most distinctive rap artist out of Montreal, as an up-and-coming star. By now, he’s not just a star — he’s an innovator. Earlier this year, in March, he dropped the phenomenal shabbvangogh, and this October we’re expecting his next project, Fight the power!. A few weeks ago, Shabb revealed that the album would include 12 tracks with a total runtime of 27 minutes and 55 seconds, though that may have changed since. What’s certain, however, is that we’re in for another breathtaking display of rap — a fresh fusion of styles and sounds that only Shabb could pull off. Following the release of Supercat!, his new single crickets! pushes boundaries even further, blending dancehall energy with a hypnotic sample and Shabb’s magnetic trap flow. Rap has never sounded quite like this — Mike Shabb continues to recharge us with his boundless love for music.
Business Merger
“It all starts now. Stay tuned.” With these words, The Alchemist introduced his brand-new joint single with rapper and producer Hit-Boy. The track, Business Merger, comes with a slick video and serves as yet another testament to the undeniable chemistry between the two artists. This unique duo of producers-turned-rappers already released the collaborative EP THEODORE & ANDRE in 2024, followed by the full-length Black & Whites (w/ Big Hit). Their new single could very well be a teaser for an upcoming album where both artists take center stage as rappers. Of course, The Alchemist’s statement — “It all starts now. Stay tuned.” — might also be hinting at his massive fall run, which includes four highly anticipated projects: a Mobb Deep album with Havoc (dropping this Friday), a collaboration with Armand Hammer (November 7), and joint albums with Erykah Badu and Mos Def. Whatever The Alchemist and Hit-Boy have in store, one thing’s for sure — Business Merger is a certified banger, and big things are on the horizon.
QUICK NEWS
- Tyler, The Creator has released a live performance video of SUGAR ON MY TONGUE. He was right: his latest album is pure MOVEMENT and DANCE.
- Top Shelf Premium has released the “Off Top” BONUS Freestyle by Reek Osama.
- al.divino has released the monumental project jus2feelsumn.
- Boldy James and Nicholas Craven will release their fourth collaborative album on November 14. A new single will be released on Friday.
- q no rap name, Killer Kane, Philth Spector and Ayashi have released the instrumental version of DRUG$$$ by Teller Bank$.
BEST ALBUMS
Dango Forlaine & Christopher Jose – Fly Lordz: Crash The Party
Dango Forlaine and Christopher Jose return with their new album, Crash The Party, and while the title might suggest chaos, the result feels surprisingly calm — almost meditative. As Fly Lordz, the duo stays true to their philosophy of Peace To The Gods & The Earths, a spiritually grounded approach to rap that exists outside trends, algorithms, and the glitter of the modern scene. This record isn’t for the crowd — it’s for those who want to hear life energy transformed into rhythm and word. The entire project is produced by Christopher Jose, who also raps on every track. His fingerprint is clear: a minimalist, organic sound that feels like it was recorded in a room with low ceilings, filled with incense and the scent of old wood. Jose handles every detail himself — from production to mixing and mastering — and it shows. Every track breathes. Dango Forlaine remains the storyteller, weaving wisdom and tension into his verses. At times he sounds like a teacher, other times like a friend who’s been through hell and doesn’t need to convince you — he just whispers it between the lines. Crash The Party isn’t about rebellion; it’s about the peace that follows the storm. The track Claim To Be featuring Stunna Gang perfectly captures the album’s essence. Christopher Jose raps with quiet confidence — steady, not flashy. Fly Lordz aren’t here to prove they can rap better than anyone else. They want you to sit still for a moment and listen. Paradoxically, Crash The Party isn’t the soundtrack to the chaos of the party — it’s the record that pulls you out of it, into the fresh air.
Old Orleans & Don Carrera – The Cold Dont Fold
At a time when rap leans more and more on effect and instant gratification, The Cold Don’t Fold arrives as a reminder that music can be both vulnerable and unyielding. Old Orleans and Don Carrera aren’t chasing the wave — they stand right in the middle of it. The title says it all: seven tracks, no filler. Each one feels like a diary entry from someone who’s learned to live with the weight instead of running from it. Carrera handles the production, crafting a sound that feels like a mix of dusty tapes, church echoes, and the city’s nighttime breath. It’s not nostalgia — it’s an awareness of time. The rhythms move slowly but pulse with life. Old Orleans raps with a calm that doesn’t come from certainty but from accepting pain. His flow is restrained, yet every word burns. On Bladework (feat. Black Watr), introspection collides with aggression, and that tension defines much of the album. Flowers Never Die, featuring Scolla, brings a fleeting warmth that quickly fades as Ghost of the Garden descends back into darkness — a kind of philosophy of cold, not as an absence of emotion, but as a means of survival. The Cold Don’t Fold isn’t about posturing. It’s about inner strength born from the cracks. Old Orleans and Don Carrera sound like men who no longer need to prove they’re tough. They know it — and that’s exactly why they can allow themselves to be vulnerable. No video accompanies the release yet, so we’re linking the full album instead.
Shaykh Hanif – THE HAND THAT FEEDS
When Shaykh Hanif names his album The Hand That Feeds, it’s no coincidence. The title carries both bitterness and dignity — a reminder that the one who gives has usually had to earn the right to do so, and that the hand that feeds often bleeds. Across the project, Hanif builds a mosaic of places where luxury meets the street, and prayer collides with the pistol. Guests like Rome Streetz, Smoke DZA, Estee Nack, and Al Doe appear, but even without them it’s clear that Shaykh stands on the frontlines of the modern underground — where philosophy meets the grit of survival. Everything here feels real, raw, yet meticulously crafted. The production lineup is stunning: Conductor Williams, Statik Selektah, V Don, Nicholas Craven, Camouflage Monk — a roster that defines today’s sound of gold dust and concrete. The tracks play out like film scenes: yellow streetlights, a shout from a window, a voice in the background speaking French about the block. On the title track The Hand That Feeds, Hanif blends the language of faith, survival, and pride. It’s not just about drugs, money, or cars — it’s a meditation on the cycle that never stops, on the tension between being outside while longing to be inside, on the art of surviving in a world that gives nothing freely. Hanif’s style stands apart from most of today’s “Griselda” peers — he doesn’t try to sound dangerous. He sounds tired, but calm. Every word feels weighed, every memory delivered with humility. His voice tells stories with respect for pain — not to glorify it, but to understand it. Tracks like Older Than My Heroes and Iftar at Tiffany’s dig even deeper, as if Hanif were searching for balance between faith and survival. Islam, luxury, trauma, forgiveness — all meet here in a single breath.
BLUEHILLBILL & Grubby Pawz – Billy’s Revenge
A rap album as sharp as a killer’s knife in an Italian giallo — rapper BLUEHILLBILL and producer Grubby Pawz have released Billy’s Revenge. The horror aesthetic fits rap perfectly — both genres are suggestive, immersive, and unapologetic. But this isn’t horrorcore; rather, it’s that kind of street rap that turns life on the edge of the law and the drug trade into dark, suspenseful stories the listener would never want to live through. And if any rap today cuts as deep and seduces like a stylish Italian horror film, it’s the modern sound coming out of Massachusetts. al.divino, BoriRock, and ??? — names you see on our site every day — all appear on Billy’s Revenge. Yet the main voice here is unmistakably BLUEHILLBILL, who delivers his life stories with a blend of raw authenticity and cinematic tension, evoking the eerie beauty of films by Mario Bava or Dario Argento. As for Grubby Pawz, he once again proves himself one of the key architects of the current Massachusetts sound — his beats are as haunting and hypnotic as BLUEHILLBILL’s storytelling.
Elcamino & Black Soprano Family – MINO
Dirty streets and a life on the edge of the law transformed into musical elegance—that’s the artistic process Elcamino works with. The Buffalo rapper and member of Black Soprano Family stands out for fusing drug‑world narratives and strict rap with melodious, sonically rich elegance. Over the past few years, he’s released numerous impressive projects, many of which we’ve covered, but now he presents his most ambitious album yet: MINO. The record balances the celebration of success with painful reflections on the past. Elcamino aimed to craft his biggest album, reaching the widest possible audience without sacrificing his signature style. Yet he wasn’t afraid to experiment — the single N.I.A. feat. Benny The Butcher demonstrates this, with a trap beat one might normally expect from someone like Future. The album feels like forbidden luxury, evoking the mood of classic mafia films. A deluxe version is also expected soon.
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.
ERG ONE X BONEWESO – THE LIFE OF ERG (co-starring Estee Nack)
Bisk & YUNGMORPHEUS – EternalBlue
Dizzy Wright & Kxvi – Soul Searching
Recognize Ali – Back To Mecca 3
Sphere47 – 7&SS1EP1
Action Figure 973 & Machacha – The Most Interesting Man In The World
Homeboy Sandman & GUIDANCE – Tears of Joy
Slik Jack & Vincent Pryce – The Pryce You Pay
Myka 9, Blu, Mono En Stereo – God Takes Care Of Babies & Fools
gustavo louis & dr loomis – BREVILOQUENT
BEST MUSIC VIDEOS
Yeah, El Cousteau and Niontay are a truly dangerous rap duo. Watch the video for their track Rose Ave.
Puppet Strings by insyt. runs just over a minute, yet leaves a lasting impression that stays with you for days.
The next chapter in a Japanese mafia saga — Freddie Gibbs & The Alchemist have released the music video for Shangri La.
A bone-chilling family story: Clipse have released the music video for The Birds Don’t Sing, serving as the gateway to their newest album.
Want to see how a banger comes to life? Hit-Boy, Spank Nitti James & Don Q take you behind the scenes in the music video for I.K.A.N..
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.
The Musalini & O Finess – Front & Center
JasonMartin and Mike & Keys – WE KNOW THE TRUTH
Python P, Ab-Soul, T.F, ICECOLDBISHOP – CALL DAT
QShiesty x Boogie Osama – Mj & Pippen
LORD JAH-MONTE OGBON – I’m Getting Too Famous
That’s a wrap on today’s news roundup. What caught your attention the most? Hit us up on Twitter, Instagram, Threads or Bluesky We’ll be back next Monday with another dose of the Rap Weekly and fresh heat from the scene — don’t miss it!
