Welcome to Rap Weekly 157: Stardust. 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 Stardust by Danny Brown, Mercy by Armand Hammer & The Alchemist, SCRAM! by Domo Genesis & Graymatter, Bloo Velvet by Bloo Azul & Good Food, Faith In The Unknown by Shungu, and Everything In My Soul_BLUE by REASON. Also look forward to great music videos from Kal Banx, MEZ, LIJAH., R. SOL, OT The Real, Bruiser Wolf, Harry Fraud, and MONDAY NIGHT & LOOK DAMIEN!. All this and much more in Rap Weekly.
NEWS OF THE WEEK
Danny Brown – Stardust
2023 was a monumental year for Detroit artist Danny Brown. Not only did he release the unexpected and successful Scaring the Hoes (with JPEGMafia), but after twelve years of waiting, he followed up his legendary album XXX with the project Quaranta. The record was far calmer than any of Danny’s previous releases, with slower beats that gave the rapper space to pour out everything on his mind. With Quaranta, Danny Brown emerged from the darker chapters of his life, becoming freer both personally and artistically. And that freedom is something you can feel on his new album, Stardust.
Danny Brown dances on the graves of his personal demons in a chaotic fusion of hyperpop and hip-hop. Stardust is a bright, energetic album unlike anything else released in the genre this year. The record features Quadeca, underscores, JOHNNASCUS, 8485, Frost Children, IssBrokie, Femtanyl, Nnamdï, Ta Ukrainka, Zheani, Cynthoni, and Jane Remover. Every track radiates freedom and zero artistic censorship — Danny reaches for wild sounds, collaborates with artists he genuinely loves, and refuses to conform to listener expectations. Stardust is framed by powerful, introspective opening and closing tracks, with everything in between being a chaotic ride you simply have to experience.
NEWS
Cabin in the Sky
De La Soul have finally announced their long-awaited tenth studio album, Cabin in the Sky, set for release next Friday, November 21, 2025, via Mass Appeal as part of their Legend Has It series, which we’ve covered several times before. The first single, The Package, is already available today on all streaming platforms. This marks the group’s first album since the passing of member David Jolicoeur in 2023, featuring previously unreleased vocals from him that promise to give the record a strong emotional depth. Legendary producer Prince Paul returns behind the boards, joined by DJ Premier, Super Dave, and Pete Rock, who all contribute to the project’s distinctive sound. Guest appearances include Killer Mike, Yukimi from Little Dragon, Common, Nas, and Black Thought from The Roots, promising a blend of classic De La Soul vibes with modern hip-hop influences. If you’re not familiar with De La Soul’s discography — recently added to streaming platforms just a few months ago — now’s the time to catch up. It’s a cornerstone of rap history. Rest in peace, Trugoy the Dove.
Mach-Hommy
Rapper 03 Greedo recently revealed that he’s working on a joint album with Mach-Hommy titled Pray For Cali. In an interview with Patta Magazine, Greedo described the record as deeply personal, while Mach-Hommy confirmed the collaboration on his Instagram. However, this isn’t the only album Mach-Hommy is currently working on. Last week, during an appearance on Wrist Check Pod, he mentioned that two of his albums are now in the mixing and mastering stages, meaning we might be hearing them soon. Our guess is that these are the project with 03 Greedo and the previously announced collaboration with producer Conductor Williams. Mach-Hommy also shared that he’s working on more music — an album with August Fanon, a project with the late Ras G (Rest in Peace, Ras G), and a collaboration with rapper Black Thought. These are exactly the kind of updates we love to hear — and we’re truly excited for all of them.
PORTISHUS 2
The Brooklyn rapper in the shadow of the rain is back. Hus KingPin has just released the follow-up to his modern underground cult classic, PORTISHUS. Twenty tracks steeped in melancholy, philosophy, and street grit. The album isn’t on streaming platforms yet but is available for purchase on Bandcamp and on his official website. Production comes from Fredro Starr, Owltree, Onesession, Dani, and Relense, while the features confirm that Hus keeps his circle tight — appearances include MF Grimm, Conway The Machine, Shyheim, Smoovth, and more. The project continues where the first PORTISHUS left off, promising another dose of dark, introspective rap sampling the legendary British group Portishead.
BEST ALBUMS
Armand Hammer & The Alchemist – Mercy
When Armand Hammer and The Alchemist announced they were teaming up again, we expected a profound rap experience. Mercy is not just another collaborative album — it’s an inner seismograph of a world breaking from within. Where Haram felt like a lurking from the underground, Mercy sounds like the chronicle of a city that burned yet still stands in the ashes. billy woods and E L U C I D open their wounds across the album. Each verse is a fragment, a conversation with the past, a report from a crumbling reality. Their voices alternate, complement, and interrupt each other. Everything is tight, confined, yet astonishingly precise. Meanwhile, The Alchemist does what only he can, crafting a world from details that can’t be described, only felt. The beat on Laraaji cracks like an old vinyl in an empty apartment. Crisis Phone with Pink Siifu feels like listening to a conversation through static, while California Games with Earl Sweatshirt emerges from the smoke and vanishes before you can catch it. The album carries blood, dirt, childlike laughter, and even something that looks like hope—though maybe it’s just an echo. Mercy forces you to slow down, to look where you don’t want to. It’s a heavy, poetic, and honest piece of art. Mercy doesn’t promise salvation — it offers only truth, and sometimes, that is the greatest mercy of all.
Domo Genesis & Graymatter – SCRAM!
Domo Genesis has spent the past decade learning to slow down and move at his pace while the rest rush headlong forward. SCRAM!, produced with Graymatter, marks the moment Domo stopped looking back. This album breathes the calm of someone who knows they don’t need to prove anything, only to be precise. Graymatter’s sound is dusty, earthy, yet fresh—every beat feels like it was recorded in a room filled with smoke and streetlight. Domo raps with a confidence that doesn’t come from success but from perseverance. On KURTRAMBIS, he reflects on humility, grit, faith, and work that can’t be skipped. Where others talk about grind culture, he talks about calm in motion. Evidence and 3wayslim appear more as witnesses than featured guests. SCRAM! is an album about adulthood that isn’t boring—about an inner certainty that doesn’t need hype, confident and precise.
Bloo Azul & Good Food – Bloo Velvet
On Bloo Velvet, everything unfolds slowly. Bloo Azul and Good Food build a world of calm, subtle gestures, and a rhythm that never rushes anywhere. It’s an album that lets you breathe—no pressure, just a flow of thoughts transforming into music. Bloo raps as if speaking to himself, openly yet with distance. His lyrics carry life, work, desire, and acceptance. On Mirror Man, he turns inward while remaining present, certain that everything that was difficult had its purpose. Meanwhile, Good Food paints the backdrop—a velvety sound with a jazz touch that holds the album together. Each track is part of a single current, with no extremes, just balance and elegance.
Shungu – Faith In The Unknown
“I’ve always dreamed of making an album where I could bring together artists I deeply admire, curating voices, energies, and sensibilities that have inspired me,”says Brussels-based producer and multidisciplinary artist ShunGu about his new album, Faith in the Unknown (Bandcamp, 2025). His selection of guests is truly refined—Pink Siifu, Liv.e, Fly Anakin, Chester Watson, Fatima, Maxo, Navy Blue, Dreamcastmoe, Ruqqiyah, Zekeultra, and Goya Gumbani—among the most distinctive voices in contemporary rap (and beyond), artists whose records we’re always excited to write about. Faith in the Unknown is a significant album for us as well, allowing us to hear together voices that often create their own worlds, now unified within the beautiful atmospheric soundscape ShunGu has crafted. Producing a sonic melancholy that carries both the joy of life and a spectrum of human stories is no easy task. The album feels incredibly human from the opening track Written Down to the climactic All I Needed Was A Little A Bit. The skits that weave through the record further give it the aura of a single, cohesive story. This is music that doesn’t rush anywhere—it is allowed to breathe slowly. In today’s fast-paced world of endless stimuli, that almost feels miraculous.
REASON – Everything In My Soul_BLUE
Let’s not beat around the bush — REASON truly surprised us with his first project of the year, I Love You Again. Once expected to be the next big star of Top Dawg Entertainment, REASON’s earlier albums didn’t quite achieve the success many anticipated. Last year, after seven years with the label, he parted ways with TDE and set off on an independent path. The weight — but above all, the freedom — of that independence and outsider position is reflected on I Love You Again, a project that embodies the phrase “back to the basics” in the best possible way. And if I Love You Again was a return to his roots, then his second project of the year, Everything In My Soul_BLUE, is a step toward a sonically more ambitious sound. REASON easily captures the listener’s attention, rapping as if he’s narrating a grand story. On the new record, he skillfully balances between gritty street themes and softer emotions — a contrast that shines especially on the closing track Thass My Word_BLUE, where his verses blend seamlessly with melodic singing. Everything In My Soul_BLUE will likely please nearly every listener; it may not leave an indelible mark, but those 20 minutes with the album are sure to be a genuine pleasure.
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.
Daniel Son – French River Radio
Tha God Fahim & Nicholas Craven – Dump Gawd: Hyperbolic Time Chamber Rap 20
Jouquin Fox – Silver Cliff (+ some other singles)
Oldman Freeman & Clayhead – XANDARIAN WORLDMIND
Big Cheeko – YOU NEVER KNEW ME
JasonMartin and Mike & Keys – MAFIA CAFE
Termanology & Nef – Shut Up And Write
MONEY MOGLY – What Storms May Come
Bart Oatmeal & Dough Networkz – Steel Cut 2 The Big Apple
Griot Noy – Tears of an Apostle
BEST MUSIC VIDEOS
Kal Banx has released a video for CHICKEN featuring MEZ from his album Rhoda.
Yeah, these are the underdogs you need to know — LIJAH. and R. SOL have dropped a video for DAWGGGG.
OT The Real is back with his signature raw honesty — check out the video for FISHTOWN.
Bruiser Wolf & Harry Fraud remind us of their excellent joint album with a new video for HEART BROKE.
MONDAY NIGHT & LOOK DAMIEN! announce their collaborative EP, Quintana Place, with a video for WHEN I DIE.
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.
redveil – lone star (feat. Carolyn Malachi)
Wynne – The British Are Coming
Papo2oo4 & Subjxct 5 – Warren Sapp
BLUEHILLBILL– BRICKS (Prod. GRUBBY PAWZ)
Gunna – wgft (feat. Burna Boy)
Rx Papi “Groovy Lou” Prod. By Nicholas Craven
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!
