Welcome to Rap Weekly 161: sankofa. 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 Sankofa by redveil, Eh… Such is Life by Passport Rav & SHOWALTER!, The Company You Keep 2 by Young Roddy, Solar Lottery by your best friend jippy & Tha God Fahim, Views of a Lifetime by Skyzoo, and TIMESOFPERIL by Sleep Sinatra. Also look forward to great music videos from mary sue, THERAVADA, Pink Siifu, Bruiser Wolf, Harry Fraud, OT The Real, T.F, and Benny the Butcher. All this and much more in Rap Weekly.
NEWS OF THE WEEK
redveil – Sankofa
redveil is a young artist—only 21 years old—yet he already has four albums and several smaller projects under his belt. What’s fascinating isn’t just the amount of professional music he’s managed to produce, but especially the sensitivity with which he observes himself and the world around him in his work. His newest album sankofa is his most ambitious project, both sonically and thematically. Sankofa is a powerful concept meaning “to go back and get it,” symbolizing the importance of learning from the past in order to build a better future. And it’s precisely the relationship between past and future that most of the record explores.
redveil reflects on the defining moments of his childhood and adolescence and tries to learn from them so he can fully live in today’s chaotic world. The album is highly melodic, filled with sung passages, immersive beats, and intriguing arrangements. It carries a distinct winter vibe, and its warm, soothing sound can brighten even the long, cold nights.
NEWS
Westside Gunn – MY SAUCONYS GLOWIN
December started for Westside Gunn exactly the way we expect it from FLYGOD: big style, chaotic colors, and rap that cuts straight into your ribs. After months of teasing, the first release from his long-prepared collaboration with Saucony is finally out, and just like most things from Gunn, this drop is a piece of art by itself. On 4 December 2025, the day of Art Basel Miami, the first colorway of the ProGrid Triumph 4 dropped, clearly inspired by Gunn’s world—neon green mesh, sharp pink, yellow, and blue accents, and the SUPER FLYGOD branding on the side, plus a custom box reading My Saucony’s Glowin. KITH is also hosting a special event in Miami, where Gunn will be signing pairs in person—exclusive, one drop only, no “maybe later.” And even though the all-red version appeared earlier, it’s still taking its time, exactly in Gunn’s spirit—if you wait, you might eventually buy something that raises both your blood pressure and its price on StockX. As if limited sneakers weren’t enough, Gunn also added a new EP, which sounds like the soundtrack to staring at your glow-in-the-dark sneakers after the lights go out. The tracklist is short but fully loaded, with the biggest spotlight on DONT BE BRUEL, a track that doesn’t just burn—it hisses. Gunn once again paints images only he can: rustling silk, halal food in the back of a Maybach, and a life caught between beauty and brutality, while dropping lines that feel almost human—a plan to survive five more years or a moment when he talks about wanting to see his grandchildren someday. In Gunn’s language, it’s nearly a confession. Stove God Cooks follows with the precision we expect from him—sharp, with punchlines that click like the zipper on a custom jacket by Dapper Dan. The whole EP sits somewhere between a fashion show, a noir film, and a snow-covered street, and it doesn’t need a long tracklist; just a few shots are enough to let you know it hit exactly where it should.
Mike Shabb – melted faces, vol. 1
We’ll repeat it once more: Mike Shabb is simply one of the most distinctive rap artists of today, and this year he has only strengthened his position on the scene. He released two phenomenal albums on which he handled both production and rapping, which is absolutely fascinating. His versatility shines again on his latest project, the instrumental album melted faces vol.1, offering twenty beats from this rap wizard. In every discussion about the best producer/rapper, Mike Shabb has to be included. His beats perfectly combine a feel for catchy, hypnotizing sound with a fierce essence of revolt and anti-system spirit. Which beat is your favorite? We’ve got TERRORDOME on repeat!
Nicholas Craven 2026
It’s no surprise that Canadian producer Nicholas Craven has had a successful year—only a fool would expect anything else, as Craven has been one of the most distinctive producers on the rap scene for years. This year he released two albums with Boldy James, a record with Jimmie D, and several projects with Tha God Fahim. And next year he has no intention of slowing down. On Twitter, he revealed that in 2026 he will release at least six albums and eleven singles, meaning we’ll get new music every three weeks. Early in the year, we should receive a project with Boldy and Ransom, and if our information is correct, Craven has not yet revealed the artists he’ll be collaborating with on the other releases. We do, however, expect the album Craven N 4, hinted at through several of the producer’s social media posts. We are looking forward to everything Craven touches. No sample snitching!
BEST ALBUMS
Passport Rav & SHOWALTER! – Eh… Such is Life
The joint album by Passport Rav and SHOWALTER! feels like something born out of necessity rather than ambition. Short runtime, ten tracks, no unnecessary embellishments—just raw rap, minimalist production, and the sense that you’re peeking into someone’s diary that wasn’t meant to see the light of day. Eh… Such is Life is a project that won’t overwhelm you with length, but with emotion. SHOWALTER! produced the entire album, tying everything together into one smooth yet tense line: solid rhythm, soulful breaths, subtle crackles, and occasional glitch moments. Nothing overshadows Rav’s voice, weary yet defiant. And that contrast is exactly what works. On this album, Rav isn’t showing off; he’s more of a storyteller, pouring you coffee in the kitchen and talking about what weighs on him. On the track Where is Home, you feel it’s someone with more memories than plans, and when he steps into the light, it’s only for a brief moment. The album carries exactly the kind of honesty that is understated but all the more painful.
Young Roddy – The Company You Keep 2
When Young Roddy, Kingikeem, Jamaal, and JNX announced the continuation of The Company You Keep, it was clear it wouldn’t be just another rap album. This crew has never made music for show—they make it for people who had to navigate life not in a straight line, but in twists and turns. And the sequel deepens that feeling even more. The Company You Keep 2 stands on values often mentioned in rap but rarely felt this genuinely: family, loyalty, survival, responsibility, pressure—and the belief that even when you’re tired and drained, something still keeps you in the game. Roddy, Jameel, Keem, and JNX are here as four storytellers with different layers of experience but the same foundation. The opening track, The Commission, is exactly the kind of song you hear, sit down, and stop moving for a moment. It’s a testimony: six minutes of dense imagery, paranoia, experience, decisions, and above all, responsibility. The artists speak about what it means to grow up in an environment where a bad day could be your last, and that’s the empathy the album evokes—not for their hustle, but for their human burden.
your best friend jippy & Tha God Fahim – Solar Lottery
When your best friend jippy teams up with Tha God Fahim, you already know it’s going to be a project that makes you think. Solar Lottery isn’t just another short collaborative album; it’s eight cuts that function as thought experiments. Each track feels like it teeters between a manifesto and a zen exercise for people who grew up on boom-bap but live in harsh reality. Fahim has long had the gift of translating motivation, pain, discipline, and philosophy into simple lines, and jippy provides minimalist yet sensitive backdrops, with beats flowing like a stream of consciousness—no unnecessary embellishments, no detours. Simple to highlight the words, raw to preserve life’s pressure. The track Eternal Recurrence is a perfect example of why this duo works. The opening line, “The greatest enemy of man is himself,” is so straightforward it’s unsettling—like a sentence you’ve repeated in your head a thousand times but never aloud. This simplicity evokes empathy; the album doesn’t moralize, it just reminds. In the verse, you feel a kind of spiritual street pragmatism. Fahim speaks of ancestors, pressure, limited time, and values meant to be passed on. There’s pride without pathos, perspective without naive optimism, appreciation of life without denying its harshness. Then comes the outro, essentially a mantra—repetitive, concentrated, decisive. The repetition doesn’t feel like filler but like a deliberate reinforcement.
Skyzoo – Views of a Lifetime
Skyzoo sets his standard on a completely different level. His new “EP,” Views of a Lifetime, is a dense 35 minutes of meticulously crafted stories wrapped in fascinating, complex verses. Yes, in today’s music industry few would call a 35-minute project an EP, but Skyzoo was raised on the old school. Not a single element of this project is phoned in—there isn’t a single compromise here. The artist looks back at his life so far and tries to find order in the chaos of memories and emotions. The bridge between past and future is symbolized by the front and back covers of the record—on the front, the train is leaving the rapper; on the back, it seems to be arriving. Expect modern boom bap that feels genuinely fresh. Producers like Camoflauge Monk and Conductor Williams contributed to the record, and Skyzoo floats over all those heavy beats with complete freedom.
Sleep Sinatra – TIMESOFPERIL
To withstand dark, turbulent times and preserve inner peace—Sleep Sinatra has released the self-produced album TIMESOFPERIL. Sleep Sinatra is one of those artists we wish received much more attention, yet every one of his records radiates such a deep love for rap that we can’t imagine him ever stopping. His ability to move through every obstacle life throws at him with grace is ever-present on this new project. TIMESOFPERIL is a nostalgic, cinematic album created entirely on the SP404MKII. Sinatra isn’t alone behind the mic—Doseone, Nolan the Ninja, and Breeze Brewin all make appearances, placing Sleep in the finest company as he walks across these gorgeous beats with the calm of a samurai. The album is full of powerful emotions, yet every beat sounds dope and fresh, a balance that’s not easy to achieve.
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.
BAMBEH X DYLANTHEINFAMOUS – POVERTY LUXÉ
BLOODBLIXING – BLOCK HEAVY GANGSTA EDITION
Mark 4ord – GHOSTS & GOBLINS ON LSD II
The Game, DJ Drama & Mike & Keys – Gangsta Grillz: Every Movie Needs a Trailer
Homeboy Sandman – Turns Out I Can Sell a Few More of These
Jawnino & SURF GANG – amnesia
Kay Franklin & Dom Kennedy – Come See Me
Erick Sermon – Dynamic Duos
The Bad Seed – Four Finger Ring III
sleepingdogs (andrew, Jesse the Tree) – home remedies to cure bad luck
BEST MUSIC VIDEOS
mary sue has dropped a phenomenal video for Mosquito, a vibrant celebration of Chengdu’s culture.
A surprise drop we didn’t deserve: Theravada released his new project T90 GYRO along with a video for the lead single Polarity.
The video for G CHECK’! by Pink Siifu will pump life straight into your veins.
Life as a movie — Bruiser Wolf & Harry Fraud have released the video for Tubi.
OT The Real, T.F & Benny the Butcher? Life Plus Life is a new street anthem. Go watch the video.
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.
Hit-Boy, Spank Nitti James & Terrace Martin – SCALE BACK
Bloo Azul & Good Food David’s Lynch/Psycho Logical
Starz Coleman – COUNTER CLOCKWISE X prod. DIRTY DIGGS
Jay Worthy – True Story (feat. Ty Dolla $ign & Hit-Boy)
Young Thug – Revenge (feat. Lil Gotit & 1300Saint)
DJ Harrison – Seek God ft. Fly Anakin
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!
