EMERGE “N” SEE (Chapter VI.)
“I comb through summoning spells with clout
Seen but, it’s not enough power (It’s not enough)“
From Clout Spells by Sunmundi & Sasco feat. shemar
50. Lord Sko – PIFF
Lord Sko is undoubtedly one of the most distinctive voices of the current generation of rappers. His vision of New York, his relationship with the art, culture, rap, and communities there is something that breathes from every second of his music. His 2023 album, UNITED PALACE, established him strongly in the scene, and we’re all eagerly anticipating where the rapper will take us next. Lord Sko carefully built his momentum, releasing singles, guesting on other albums, and keeping his fans on their toes. After two years, we finally got to see a new record that didn’t disappoint in the slightest.
PIFF is the essence of New York in recent years. It’s not as if Lord Sko went to make music, but as if he went to transform his life into music. PIFF is the voice of people for whom friendship, music, authenticity, and art are more important than the pursuit of fame and false success. The album is completely authentic and easy to relate to. It feels like a great, modern, comprehensive New York rap album, with great beats, determined rapping, catchy choruses, a diverse soundscape, and a varied list of guests. The album features guest appearances from MAVI, Curren$y, Coway the Machine, Del The Funky Homosapien, and more. PIFF confirms why Lord Sko is the new rap sensation. It’s the work of a man for whom art is more important than anything else.
49. Jay Worthy – Once Upon a Time
Jay Worthy, a rapper from Compton, California (originally from Canada), is essentially a rap veteran. Yet on every project so far, he has always worked with one producer or another rapper — meaning his entire career has been a wait for the moment he’d finally release a true solo debut album. That moment came last year in the form of a monumental rap epic: Once Upon a Time, divided into two parts. Get ready for a grand journey through modern West Coast sound and the communities that shape it. It’s no coincidence that Jay Worthy references Sergio Leone — his album is a truly monumental, cinematic epic split into two halves with an intermission. And as with any grand story, it needs a large cast of characters. Across the first fifteen tracks, you’ll hear appearances from Wiz Khalifa, E-40, Vince Staples, 03 Greedo, Conway the Machine, Boldy James, Larry June, Ty Dolla $ign, Westside Gunn, and Ab-Soul. The album has a really strong narrative, with the introduction to the first part acting as the beginning and the last track as a twist in the story – a transition to the next part, which is even more epic than the first. Many of the guest rappers explicitly reference their connection to P Worthy or share unforgettable memories, cementing Jay as the central figure of the story. The beats are top-tier — modern, yet infused with that unmistakable California essence — and the wide range of guests keeps the experience fresh.
48. RLX & Loman – Madon’
RLX and Loman team up on Madon’, an album that acts as a soundtrack to late-night musings and sunny mornings. Loman’s production is minimalistic but precise, leaving RLX enough room for his lyrics to stand out. He’s not afraid to open up his heart and serve up bars that grab you and don’t let go. Each track is like a piece of a mosaic; together they form a picture of a man who has been through his paces and now shares his truth. The album is just under half an hour long, but every track hits the mark. Agua Fria opens the record like an icy shower, the beat reminiscent of a cold river, while RLX spits lyrics with fiery intensity. Arabian Packflip with Michael Christmas adds humor and lightness but still maintains a flow that won’t let you breathe. Never Thought with Chandler Ward and Swizzy brings deeper emotion, while Gone with Swan Ling offers a melancholic meditation on life’s losses. RLX hints from the beginning of the album that this will not be your average ride. His voice has a kind of raw power and calmness that makes you want to listen. RLX’s rap is like ice and fire all at once. Loman proves here that even a simple beat can be devastating when it has the right energy and the right rapper.
47. Kemp Dupri & Ill-Sugi – CANARY
American rapper Kemp Dupri and Japanese producer Ill-Sugi present their joint album CANARY, a fifteen-track project that feels like a sonic sketchbook of personal introspection, calm, and subtle poetics. Most tracks are short in length, evoking the format of minimalist vignettes that feel more like captured moments, fleeting thoughts, moods, and fragments of life reflection than conventional songs. Yet the album never feels disjointed. On the contrary, it flows as a cohesive, meditative exploration of the relationship between body and spirit, city and nature, tradition and the present. The opening track BK to JAPAN immediately sets the tone: introspective rather than showy, and with its gentle, understated delivery, it creates space for deeper contemplation. Kemp Dupri frequently returns to themes of solitude, memory, and the identity of a Black man’s life. It’s not traditional storytelling—it’s a stream of consciousness, stylistically akin to jazz improvisation. The production work of Ill-Sugi is equally subtle and sophisticated, rich in texture. His beats blend analog warmth with electronic detail, using silence and noise as full-fledged instruments. On tracks like GYOZA, NIKUJAGA, or SELECT FEW, one can hear the influence of lo-fi aesthetics, the Japanese ambient school, and classic boom-bap structures—all delivered with poise and precision. Food, clothing, urban textures, architecture, nature—the album often moves along the edge of everyday life and symbolic meaning. A standout moment comes with RAP CHECK, the only track featuring a guest—none other than producer Ill-Sugi himself.
46. Harry Shotta – Odyssey
Last year, Harry Shotta released his most ambitious project to date, as indicated by its title. Odyssey is a personal manifesto, a journey through memories, pain, and victories. 21 tracks of pure passion, hard work, and respect for his roots. After years of dominating the drum and bass scene and breaking records with his rap speed, Shotta returns to where it all began—to hip hop. And it’s a comeback with a capital “C.” This album isn’t about chasing trends. This is Harry, taking off the mask and showing his true self. Different Fabric clearly showcases his mindset and confidence built on hard work, experience, and love for the craft. No fake vibes, no flex without substance. Harry steps into the beats like a bulldozer, spitting bars that stay with you even after the tenth listen. He’s not playing the superstar but showing why he’s in the elite. Every track on Odyssey has its place. Powerful moments like It Wasn’t Easy, where he speaks about struggle and loss (a tribute to his mentor Skibadee can be felt in every word), are contrasted by bangers like Imposter with Rag’n’Bone Man, P Money, and MC Spyda, where Harry shows that he can dominate across genres. The album feels like a letter to fans and to himself, full of gratitude but also hungry energy that drives him forward. The beats are diverse, from classic boom-bap to harder basslines to melodic passages, and Harry surfs on them with absolute ease.
45. 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.
44. YL & Subjxct 5 – RRR & 2oo4 Presents…Only Ones Taxin’
RRR & 2oo4 Presents…Only Ones Taxin’ is an album that feels like captured motion: sixteen short tracks and concentrated rap living in the moment. YL lets his story flicker between the lines, while producer Subjxct 5 holds the entire project together. Thanks to this, the album feels cohesive and authentic, like a long night drive through the city where success blends with paranoia. Despite the adrenaline and pace bursting from every track, this Subjxct project is calmer than, for example, Papaholic, Vol. 1, which is still waiting for you later in the list. The empathy and YL’s story on Only Ones Taxin’ lie in fast-passing details. RRR & 2oo4 Presents…Only Ones Taxin’ is a raw snapshot of the contemporary underground.
43. Vel Nine – A Beautiful Day to Die
Vel Nine on the album A Beautiful Day to Die leaves no room for escape or comfort for the listener. Ten tracks where anger mixes with humor, vulnerability with brutality, and every verse breathes out something that has been burning inside her for a long time. This is not a “tough girl” pose but an authentic statement from a woman who has been through a lot and decided she won’t apologize to anyone. The album’s title is also its key — A Beautiful Day to Die doesn’t sound like resignation but like a transformation, a moment when it no longer matters what anyone thinks, as long as the truth finally speaks out loud. And that truth is often dirty, raw, and straightforward. Right from the opening track, Me vs. Me, Vel makes it clear that her biggest battle is within herself. No masks, just uncompromising real talk about doubts, trust, and self-defense. The album’s peak is the track Bumchick, where Vel Nine joins forces with Chyna Streetz and Pookie Blow to shatter stereotypes about female rap. It sounds like a recording from a bunker during a war — loud, unfiltered, with language sharp as a razor. The vulgarity here isn’t gratuitous but a conscious provocation and a diagnosis of a patriarchal world that doesn’t want women to speak loudly. On tracks like Cry While You Sing and Porcelain Sink, Vel Nine slows down and shows that vulnerability is also a form of strength. Every line lets you feel that beneath the tough shell is someone who knows pain and has learned to rap because of it. Production-wise, the album is dark and minimalist, focused on words and grooves reminiscent of the gritty beats from the Los Angeles underground. That’s where its power lies.
42. Radamiz & Fortes – LIGHTMAN, the album
In the flood of rap releases driven mainly by momentary hype, LIGHTMAN feels almost like a counterpoint. Brooklyn rapper Radamiz delivers a focused, deeply personal confession about relationships and the price one bears for their own ambitions. The production by Fortes, whom you may know from Mach-Hommy’s albums, is minimalist and often meditative, creating space where every thought and every uncertainty hidden between the lines can stand out. Radamiz tries to understand what will remain of him once the world falls silent. The motif of recognition arriving only after death comes across on the album as a painfully honest reflection on the life of an artist and a human being alike. LIGHTMAN grows with each subsequent listen, revealing layers and subtly settling under the skin, which is precisely why—thanks to its authenticity and consistent atmosphere—we rank it among the TOP 100 best rap albums of 2025.
41. August Fanon and Vic Spencer – Psychological Cheat Sheet 6
August Fanon is the producer with the highest number of albums in our list, right after The Alchemist. His talent never ceases to fascinate us, and we can’t wait to see what he has in store for us this year. If you are familiar with our website, you will not be surprised that Vic Spencer, the legendary rapper from Chicago, is once again among the best albums of the year. Spencer released four albums last year, and the one that struck us the most was the most introspective one. Psychological Cheat Sheet 6 is another installment in an unprecedented, introspective, emotional, and very personal series. Vic Spencer spent much of his childhood in group homes, which are facilities for children, youth, or adults who cannot live with their biological family. He was sent there by his aunt, who changed his life forever. Each episode of the series contains fourteen tracks without a single guest, and Vic plans to do fourteen albums in total. This number symbolizes the “14-day notice” or the 14-day notice before taking custody of a child. Psychological Cheat Sheet 6 is the pure essence of rap, a story of people who are unfairly overlooked. It’s a piece of art that puts people who are forgotten by the system at the forefront. On the album, Vic Spencer tells stories from group homes with his characteristic grace, skill, and humor, so you can look forward to a barrage of memorable punchlines.
