WAR (Chapter V.)
“The genocide will be televised ’til it’s normalized
The quota rised, immortalized in the oil price
That’s just the way it goes”
From War by Preservation, Gabe ’Nandez & billy woods
60. Raz Fresco & Futurewave – Stadium Lo Champions
On Stadium Lo Champions, two creators who have long established themselves as consistent architects of aesthetics within the indie scene meet: Raz Fresco as a rapper, thinker, and voice of a generation growing up on the essence of boom bap, and Futurewave as a producer who relies on precision and atmosphere instead of pomp. Their collaboration feels like a return to their roots without falling into the trap of nostalgia. The album doesn’t build a monument to the past but rather builds new foundations from it. Stadium Lo Champions is a collection of anthems about perseverance, self-awareness, and spiritual ascension, set within the aesthetic of Lo Life culture. This record transforms the street aesthetic into a literary statement. It has dirt and refinement, gunshots, and meditation. Futurewave’s beats work with minimal elements but maximum impact. They are raw and dusty but open, giving Raz enough space for his words to resonate. At the same time, they don’t slip into sterility; each track has its own pulse, its own color, even if everything remains in an austere, deliberately muted palette. Raz Fresco raps like someone who has found peace in the midst of chaos. His lyrics are incisive, full of metaphor and insight. Strong moments come in tracks like Lauren Story and Sam Never Was My Uncle, which have autobiographical depth without slipping into pathos. Guests like Estee Nack, al.divino, Sonnyjim, and Daniel Son respect the poetics of the record and enrich it with their bars. Each of them brings their own language, their own energy, but they all stay on the same frequency.
59. GDP & Fatboi Sharif – ENDOCRINE
We strive to study rap music thoroughly and diligently, so we could say we never even dreamed of the return of legendary rapper GDP. The truth is, however, we only discovered his music thanks to the album ENDOCRINE, created together with the one and only Fatboi Sharif. Two lifelong students of hip-hop intertwine their unique creative palettes: GDP & Fatboi Sharif paint with yet undiscovered colors on ENDOCRINE. It’s truly impossible to capture or present the nuances or essence of any Fatboi project in such a short paragraph. We devoted an entire article to his album Decay (w/ steel tipped dove) for that very reason — but today, unfortunately, we don’t have that much space. We’ll repeat ourselves, but you’ve never heard anything like ENDOCRINE. GDP and Fatboi rap in very different styles, yet their singular vision, passion, and love for the genre make them a perfect match. Their chemistry shifts the pace of the album with every track, and you get the feeling you’re watching a long-lost psychedelic film that constantly surprises you. Nothing more needs to be said — see for yourself.
58. 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 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.
57. Open Mike Eagle – Neighborhood Gods Unlimited
American rapper and multifaceted author Open Mike Eagle returns with another studio album that reaffirms his exceptional standing in the realm of alternative and introspective hip-hop. His new project, Neighborhood Gods Unlimited, builds on his previous work and is rich with personal observations, humor, melancholy, and linguistic playfulness. Across fourteen tracks, everyday poetry intertwines with surreal reflections on the self and the surrounding world. Eagle once again balances autobiographical storytelling, cultural critique, and absurdist humor. His lyrics tackle sensitive topics without ever slipping into pathos, often resembling internal monologues of someone acutely aware of their own strangeness — and embracing it with calm and self-irony. The album’s production is handled by longtime collaborators including Kenny Segal, Child Actor, K-Nite 13, August Fanon, and others. The resulting sound drifts between lo-fi aesthetics, alternative boom-bap, and gently experimental textures. Each beat creates a distinct micro-universe tailored to the tone of the lyrics — sometimes nostalgic, sometimes tense, sometimes airy. One of the highlights is Wide-leg Michael Jordan Generation X Jeans, where Eagle, with his signature wit and verbal dexterity, unpacks the theme of baggy jeans as a generational symbol. Beneath the seemingly playful topic lies a meditation on personal identity, cultural memory, and what it means to be oneself in a constantly shifting world. ok but im the phone screen is further proof of Open Mike’s ability to combine melancholic songs with humor. PS: It can’t compare to RZA’s flooded basement, but we’re really sorry, Mike.
56. Qthree – new jawn
If you’re looking for rap that gets inside your head and makes you think, Qthree last year dropped new jawn, a record that’s as introspective as it is raw. From the first track, the album draws you into a world where paranoia, survival, and inner demons battle for dominance. The opener, as of late, sets the tone: a raw confession of disillusionment, paranoia, and the struggle to make it through each day. The production is dark and minimalistic, with no unnecessary frills, just pure street atmosphere. The record is crammed with collaborations with Navy Blue, Cavalier, groundskeeper, and others, but the main character is still Qthree; his flow is precise, his storytelling makes you want to give a repeat, and his voice sounds like the soul of someone who has seen more than he should. all we got with Navy Blue brings a moment of reflection and melancholy. The whole album feels like the diary of someone who has been through hell but not lost in it. Qthree serves up uncompromising bars without a filter, and even though some moments feel dark, you can find a spark of hope between the lines. “I’m prayin’ that my people may get home safely,” perhaps the most important line of the whole record, because even in this brutal world, one of the main themes is taking care of your people. PS: We won’t be sample snitching, but as Czechs, we know the sample at the beginning and end of no cause very well.
55. Pink Siifu – BLACK’!ANTIQUE; ONYX’!
Pink Siifu is an innovative artist who pushes the boundaries of the genre forward with every work. Yet we feel that his entire artistic journey has led here. We don’t like to overuse the word experimental, but BLACK’!ANTIQUE is indeed experimental. It’s a monumental record that engulfs all your senses. Each track could have fallen apart under the sheer amount of ideas, pure creativity, and raw energy, yet the whole piece holds together. The album is constantly changing; enjoy truly unique beats full of bridges, switches, and surprises. BLACK’!ANTIQUE is the result of the work of many talented artists, yet at its heart sits Siifu himself, calm as if he has seen through the Matrix and can bend every rule of it to suit himself. And that’s exactly how the record sounds: it has no rules; it doesn’t bend the spoon, but the whole space around it. If Siifu is reading this, could he please tell us if the sound from the video game Bulánci was used on the track V12′!HML’!? Nineteen tracks weren’t enough for the Siifu, so at the end of 2025, he expanded the album and turned it into a monumental double album, BLACK’!ANTIQUE; ONYX’!, with thirty-one tracks. Wow.
54. pulp Cruz – in a pigs eye
The tracklist for Pulp Cruz’s album In a Pig’s Eye is minimalist, often with just one-word titles, suggesting that Cruz wants no unnecessary embellishments and gets straight to the point. A key moment is the track super! featuring Willyynova. This isn’t just a club banger but a stream of consciousness where rawness and fragility alternate. Cruz raps as if trying to piece together a fragmented image of himself, speaking sometimes of faith, then of falls, of the world collapsing around him, yet still seeking a way forward. The track conveys fatigue and gratitude, an admission of weakness and anger, but also resilience against being consumed. The entire album oscillates between experimentation and relaxed flow, between minimalism and moments where the beat steps back and Cruz’s words carry everything.
53. CRIMEAPPLE & DJ Skizz – Rose Gold
CRIMEAPPLE and DJ Skizz have teamed up once again, this time under the banner of the album Rose Gold—and what they’re serving isn’t just another collection of throwaway rap bars. This is an album that walks the line between gritty street tales and the introspective reflections of someone who’s put in the work—not just in the studio, but in life. Right from the opening track, Taste Like Butter, it’s clear what this is about: CRIMEAPPLE blends hard-hitting real talk with personal insights. He raps about fading days, about love he couldn’t take seriously. These bars aren’t cheap storytelling—they’re a record of how to survive and not lose yourself in the process. You’ll find pain in them, but also the strength that comes from clawing your way out and telling your story without whining. DJ Skizz acts like a silent partner, providing beats that give the album a solid backbone—they’re never overdone, but know exactly when to get grimy, when to pull back, and when to let the lyrics breathe. Estee Nack and Eto on the track World Famous aren’t just features—they’re equal voices in the narrative this album tells. Even though the lyrics often circle around classic street motifs—money and mistrust—Rose Gold delivers them with a sense of honesty that keeps you coming back.
52. 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. 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.
51. Clipse – Let God Sort Em Out
Sixteen years of waiting are over. The legendary duo Clipse (Pusha T and Malice) has released their fourth studio album. The record, Let God Sort Em Out, was entirely produced by the one and only Pharrell Williams, and the duo—with a clear vision and monumental ambition—builds on the classics Lord Willin’ (2002), Hell Hath No Fury (2006), and Til the Casket Drops (2009). The entire rollout before the release was masterfully executed: Clipse stirred up the internet when Pusha T dissed Travis Scott, appealed to culture fans with a capsule collection in collaboration with Carhartt, and most importantly, announced to the world with two excellent singles that modern coke rap will forever be their domain. This album rightfully defined the rap year 2025. By placing it at number 51, we’re not trying to cause a sensation; we just enjoyed the other 50 albums more. But the bottom line remains the same—Clipse are back!
Let God Sort Em Out is a grand, nasty rap blockbuster. The album plays like a mafia-themed James Bond film, where both rappers return to their youth, confronting still-bleeding family wounds, dark and suspenseful drug tales, and triumphant celebrations of success towering across continents. Each track feels like a cinematic set piece, elevated by stellar production from Pharrell. While the beats may not push rap into unexplored territory, they stand out within the mainstream thanks to their distinct, commanding sound. A clear highlight is the track F.I.C.O. featuring Stove God Cook$ — this is the action sequence that follows the movie’s tensest moment, when the (anti)heroes regain their resolve and prepare to enter the final act. Pusha T and Malice confidently prove they have something to say, they love rap, and they belong among the best of the best.
