Welcome to Rap Weekly 123: Infinity. 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. The legendary duo Smif-N-Wessun reflects their legacy on their new album Infinity. A$AP Rocky is innocent; thankfully he’ll be behind bars only in the new Spike Lee movie. Check out the official photo. What is magic? McKinley Dixon has announced his fifth studio album, which promises a unique concept. Rico Nasty has announced a new album, Lethal. Watch the pilot music video. Two music videos simultaneously, i.e., Quavo is Trappa, Quavo is Rappa. When Elcamino & 38 Spesh come together, the result is always real talk from the street, delivered with the precision of seasoned storytellers. Martyr’s Prayer III is no exception. All this and much more in Rap Weekly.
NEWS OF THE WEEK
Infinity
Smif-n-Wessun is a legendary rap duo from Brooklyn consisting of rappers Tek & Steele, who are also part of the rap supergroup Boot Camp Clik. Their 1995 debut album, Dah Shinin’, is one of the absolute classics, and if you haven’t heard this gem, you should further your education. That the debut album and the rest of the discography are still relevant today is proven by Mike Shabb, a Montreal-based artist who is one of rap’s current top artists and who quoted the cover of Dah Shinin’ on the cover of his last year’s album Sewaside III. The legacy of the Smif-n-Wessun duo is simply alive and well, and the duo is well aware of it. Six years after the release of their last album, they have released a new record called Infinity that reflects on their life’s work.
The production of the album was handled by The Soul Council production team, consisting of artists 9th Wonder, Khrysis, Nottz, Eric G, Kash, Amp, E Jones, and Sndtrak. Sometimes it’s better not to experiment and stick with what works. You can look forward to laid-back beats that are reminiscent of golden age hip-hop and while they certainly won’t wow today’s younger generation of listeners, they certainly don’t sound outdated. Importantly, Smif-n-Wessun are very comfortable on these tracks, and their rapping, full of life experiences, can shine through. The record features a plethora of interesting guest appearances, including Prodigy and Sean Price, but you can also look forward to verses from Conway the Machine, Pharoahe Monch, and more. Smif-n-Wessun still has a lot to offer after all these years, and while their record may not surprise, it certainly doesn’t disappoint.
NEWS
A$AP Rocky is innocent, Spike Lee is happy
As you may have noticed, since 2022, there has been a court case between A$AP Rocky and Terell Ephron, Rocky’s former childhood friend. The prosecution alleged that on November 6, 2021, Rocky pulled a gun on Terell during a scuffle, fired a shot, and grazed his knuckles. The artist faced up to 24 years in prison, but the jury found no evidence to support his guilt. So Rocky is innocent and has a big year ahead of him. We will see him in prison this year, but fortunately only in a new film from legendary director Spike Lee. The director took to his Instagram to express his excitement with the jury’s verdict and shared an official photo from the film, in which Rocky is wearing a prison suit. What kind of film will it be? Rocky will play one of the lead roles in Highest 2 Lowest. This is a remake of the 1963 cult classic High and Low, which will also feature Denzel Washington, Ilfenesh Hadera, Jeffrey Wright, and Ice Spice alongside Rocky. The film will be released in spring 2025.
Magic, Alive!
Mckinley Dixon is one of today’s most distinctive rap artists. His albums are heavily narrative and have garnered acclaim around the world. With his latest album, 2023’s Beloved! Paradise! Jazz!?, he has earned acclaim throughout rap culture, leaving us all anxiously awaiting his new project for over a year. It will be released on June 6, will be titled Magic, Alive!, and will consist of eleven tracks. The album features guest appearances from a number of great artists including Quelle Chris, Blu, Pink Siifu and Teller Bank$. As is usual with Mckinley, the album will be heavily narrative and conceptual. What does the artist himself say about it? “In many ways, the breathless and ebullient Magic, Alive! continues the work of its predecessors: It is the story of three kids who lose their best friend and wrestle with the subsequent turmoil. The essential twist, though, is that the trio wonder what they can do to bring their pal back or, at the very least, reconvene with him, so that their friendship does not end with mortality. Indeed, the crux of Magic, Alive! is a broad contemplation of what constitutes magic at all. Why can’t it be the guy who simply gets away with something by ducking from authorities, or the slippery way the world starts to feel after a long pull on a joint or a slow drink from a bottle? Can it merely be the belief in something we cannot plainly see just as well as an abiding trust in miracles, spells, and portals for something beyond our own experience? On Magic, Alive!, Dixon—a son of the ghost-haunted South—says yes to all of it.” Play the pilot single, because the wait is going to be a hell of a long one.
Rico is back in her wildest form
If you thought Rico Nasty would slow down, rethink your assumptions. Her new album, Lethal, will be out in May, and it’s already clear that it’s going to be a whirlwind of uncompromising energy, sass, and insane sound that will blast your speakers. The first single, Teethsucker (Yea3x), is out and immediately sets the rules of the game: hard beats, pissed-off flow, and unmistakable chaos that Rico can serve up like no other. This girl isn’t afraid of anything, and when she says this is the beginning of a new era, you know the next era isn’t going to be anything tame. Producer Imad Royal is pulling the strings behind the entire project, and if this single is any indication, it’s that we should prepare to blow up. Rico is back in her wildest form, and Lethal will be just as deadly as the title promises.
QUICK NEWS
- Joey Bada$$ continues the West Coast vs. East Coast beef on the track Pardon Me. He once again answers diss tracks from rappers AzChike, Ray Vaughn, and more.
- Another episode of RAP CAMP TV is out, and this time it recaps PUFFCON 24. Larry June & Action Bronson appear alongside The Alchemist.
- Check out a great Monday Night Raw with DJ HARAM & AUGUST FANON.
- Check out great new episodes of Chinatown Sound Freestyle and a special interview with Brother Ali.
- Rome Streetz talks living in London, Twitter, and Kendrick Lamar in a new episode of Mass Appeal’s Open Space.
BEST ALBUMS
Qthree – new jawn
If you’re looking for rap that gets inside your head and makes you think, Qthree just dropped new jawn, a record that’s as introspective as it is raw. This isn’t some wannabe profound pose; this is reality digging under your skin. 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. This isn’t just rap; this is a philosophy of survival in the digital age. 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.
Jmo Let Em Know – I’m serious, don’t take me seriously.
With I’m Serious, don’t take me seriously., Jmo Let Em Know puts himself in the middle of the ring and makes it clear that he plays by his own rules. If you’re expecting deep philosophizing, you’re in the wrong place; this is pure energy, flex, and irony mixed with katana-sharp bars. The track Malice in The Palace takes you on a ride where luxury fashion and rap ego clash with a warrior who has the scene on his back. “Used to rock palace, now it’s malice in the palace,” used to drip, now war, no sentiment, just rap dominance. Jmo serves up punchlines with icy calm, but with the explosiveness of a runback from the NFL. He’s always ready for a fight, reminiscent of the Winter Soldier, and doesn’t care who falls under his flow. The whole record rides a wave of endless confidence, but Jmo also throws irony between the lines, knowing that rap is also a game and that sometimes it’s best not to take things too seriously. But make no mistake, when it comes to bars, this isn’t about humor; it’s about precision attack. Production-wise, the album holds a dirty but infectious vibe, the beats carry the scent of the underground and a bit of experimentation, but most importantly, they provide the right soundtrack to Jmo’s stories. Unfortunately no music video was released for the album, so we’re attaching the video for the track WTFYTYKAM.
Elcamino & 38 Spesh – Martyr’s Prayer III
When Elcamino & 38 Spesh come together, the result is always uncompromising real talk from the street, delivered with the precision of seasoned storytellers. Martyr’s Prayer III is exactly the album you expect: dirty, gritty boom-bap with bone-chilling authenticity. Each track is like letters from the Fed, written between the smoke of Cognac and the sound of a gun reloading. This isn’t rap for the radio; this is the soundtrack of survival. The track Animal Life is like a night patrol in a neighborhood where the rules aren’t played by the book. ElCamino plants bars with a weight that presses on your chest, hustling from a young age, no idols, just OGs and the Bible next to the gun. The system doesn’t play fair, and survival means always being one step ahead. Whether it’s weighing grams, escaping the feds, or staying true to the street code, Camino and Spesh have their finger on the pulse of reality. With a style that’s minimalistic but strong as a punch to the ribs, the beats carry a dark and cold vibe, no embellishments, just a raw backdrop for bars that cut like razor blades. When Benny The Butcher jumps in on track Mobile Phone, the vibe tightens up even more, it’s a mafia debate in a smoky basement where business, not feelings, is being dealt with.
Teller Bank$ & Wino Willy – Black Man!
How raw can a rap album be? Teller Bank$ & Wino Willy have the answer. It’s only been three months since rapper Teller Bank$ released Loose Leaves, which we included in our Top 100 Best Rap Albums of 2024, but it already looks like this year will be a breakout year for the artist. In June, he’ll appear on two tracks straight off the new album by Mckinley Dixon, which we wrote about above, and earlier in the year he’ll release the excellent Black Man!, which is produced entirely by Wino Willy. Their collaborative record is raw in every detail, a rough, uncut gem full of pain and determination. Teller Bank$ tells stories from his life, delving into dark feelings and describing both his worldview and the wider web of emotions experienced by marginalized groups of people of color due to deeply entrenched racism in the United States. Bars like “I’m suicidal on my best days and homicidal on my worst ones,” from the track Best Days, can be found in every verse and confirm Teller’s ability to truly describe the dark trappings of life in an imaginative and profound way. Wino Willy has produced beats that are as raw as the rapper’s lyrics, so expect nothing but 100% authentically raw rap.
FastLife, Madhattan & Spanish Ran – Bergin Hunt & Fish
Spanish Ran, a producer from the Bronx, is one of New York’s most prominent artists. His sound is one of the pillars of the current underground and we never cease to be amazed at the ease with which he can draw from golden age hip-hop, yet every beat sounds incredibly modern and fresh. Spanish Ran is simply one of our favourite artists and this year, as in the last few years, he plans to release more than one project. He’s teamed up with the usual suspects that are FastLife and Madhattan on his new record Bergin Hunt & Fish, whose title refers to the former Gambino crime family hideout at 98-04 101st Avenue in Ozone Park. The dynamic between the two rappers brings a fusion of adrenaline-charged mafioso rap, but it’s authentic, down-to-earth, and all the more powerful and believable for it. All three artists manage to translate their complex lives into art that is very hard-hitting and effective. A case in point is the great chorus of Paid the Price, where not one word is extra. You can also look forward to a verse from Al-Doe and scratches by Pinnland. Unfortunately, no music video has been released for the album, so we are attaching the whole album.
DOPE ALBUMS
The five albums mentioned above are not the only ones you should hear. We’ve picked ten more dope albums that no one should miss. Give all the projects mentioned a chance; every single one deserves it.
SEK X SOODOKOO – BORN2BURN EP
BA PACE / HVY.ARMS – “TKO.LV”
IAMGAWD & Master ILL – City xf GAWD
Henny L.O. & ewonee – Fougère
Eclyse – Power of a Comet
Stalley – Gamla Kyrkogatan
Herbie Lancock – wunderland
Chase Fetti & B.I. – On The Road to MPR
Papo2oo4 & Subjxct 5 – WINNERTIME 2.0
Dave East & Ransom – THE FINAL CALL
BEST MUSIC VIDEOS
Two music videos simultaneously, i.e., Quavo is Trappa, Quavo is Rappa.
Dave East & Ransom say farewell to street life. Check out the new music video.
“A TREE FELL AND NO ONE HEARD”. BA PACE has released another surreal music video for the album BLACKBOOK.
OT The Real is forces of nature. His new track KICKED is an elaborate street story.
SHABB VAN GOGH will be out soon! Mike Shabb brings an innovative beat and rap on the track merry go round.
DOPE VIDEOS
Our list of must-see music videos doesn’t end with the top five. We’ve picked out ten more dope clips that you definitely need to see. Give all the artists below a chance, they deserve it.
Manast LL’ & 528ron – Idk Much
Jay Worthy & LNDN DRGS ‘I WISH’
doseone x Steel Tipped Dove “Untouchable”
JRed The Doctor & Boldy James – Running Late (prod. Nicholas Craven)
And that’s it all the important news on the scene from the last week. What caught your eye this week? Let us know on Instagram or Twitter. You can expect another one next Monday. It’s going to be really interesting, so don’t miss it.
