Welcome to Rap Weekly Rap Weekly 148: Lonely At The Top. 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 HEELS HAVE EYES 2 by Westside Gunn, GOAT FARM II by Shottie & TeV95, 8/30 by Curren$y, No Validation by Che Noir & The Other Guys, Skepta .. Fred by Skepta & Fred again.., Lonely At The Top by Joey Bada$$. Also look forward to great music videos from JID, Clipse, Pusha T, Malice, THERAVADA, Yeat, DNTWATCHTV or Kamaiyah & Hottboy Zay. All this and much more in Rap Weekly.
NEWS OF THE WEEK
Joey Bada$$ – Lonely At The Top
On his new album Lonely At The Top, Joey Bada$$ finds himself exactly where the title points—at the top, yet in a space dominated by silence and the weight of his own thoughts. He has always been a rapper carrying the burden of Brooklyn, the legacy of Pro Era, and an entire generation on his shoulders, and here he seems to be trying once again to find balance between what success has given him and what it has taken away.
The tracklist is packed with features that add varied textures to the album—Westside Gunn, Ab-Soul, Rapsody, Ty Dolla $ign, and A$AP Ferg. Yet, it remains Joey’s story. The cover also plays a significant role, which Joey describes as an abstract depiction of loneliness at the top. Gold symbolizes success, red represents effort, and blue and white eyes pose questions—are they tears, sky, or just a mirror? The music works the same way, like a painting that the listener will never experience exactly as Joey does.
NEWS
Collection Plates
Sometimes rap doesn’t feel like music but like a confession under harsh light. That’s exactly the feeling on Collection Plates, where Boldy James, Ransom, Nicholas Craven, and Young Chris come together. The track is hard, raw, yet strangely intimate—it’s not just another street anthem, but a slice of reality where faith, pain, and survival intertwine. Boldy James opens the track with his signature rawness, weaving together family stories, church, and the ever-present possibility of returning behind bars. It’s the voice of someone who knows life is fragile and that entire dramas can hide in the smallest details. Ransom adds his typically literary imagery—suburban mansions worth hundreds of thousands, demons conjured by the beat, prayers weighed against scales. In his hands, blood money is not just a metaphor but a question of faith and redemption. Young Chris closes the track in grand style, nodding to classics like Purple Tape by Raekwon, yet staying personal, rapping about friends in prison, his mother fighting cancer, and the struggle to survive in a system that offers no forgiveness. Behind it all is Nicholas Craven, who built a dark cathedral with his beat—a space where hardness and prayer coexist. His signature is evident in every detail: melancholic loops, minimalist groove, space for raps that burn like confessions on paper. On top of that, Craven announced on X that BOLDY JAMES X NICHOLAS CRAVEN ALBUM 4 IS DONE, so we can expect the next chapter, where hard reality and deep introspection will meet in a way this duo has already perfected.
2DEAD BOYZ
Flatbush Zombies is a trio of artists that needs no introduction. Meechy Darko, Zombie Juice, and Erick the Architect delivered several cult rap albums to fans between 2010 and 2020. From 2021 to 2024, however, they focused on releasing solo albums. Now, with Erick continuing his solo career in 2025, Meechy Darko and Zombie Juice have reunited for a long-awaited joint project. With the duo name 2DEAD BOYZ and the album title NO1LIVES4EVER, they continue the longstanding Flatbush Zombies motif of “death,” an allegory for metaphysical concepts like reincarnation and the death of the ego. The horror-infused vibe carries through the debut video for the single Blood On My Knife, which looks like a film by Mario Bava. NO1LIVES4EVER will be a journey beyond death and the horizon of understanding, and we can’t wait.
Backwoodz season
Backwoodz Studioz continues its impressive streak this year, releasing phenomenal albums under the renowned label, such as GOLLIWOG by billy woods and Sortilège by Gabe ‘Nandez & Preservation. When the label itself claims that autumn will be Backwoodz season, we know it’s no exaggeration. It all kicks off on September 26 with the album Human Error Club At Kenny’s House. The album is the result of a collaboration between producer Kenny Segal and the Los Angeles jazz trio Human Error Club, last heard on the closing track of GOLLIWOG. The album features Moor Mother, ELUCID, Cavalier, Quelle Chris, Shabaka Hutchings, billy woods, and more, and you can already watch the debut video today. But that’s not all. The Alchemist confirmed on Twitter that his second album with the duo Armand Hammer will drop this year, which is truly impressive news. We also can’t forget the previously announced E L U C I D album, which is also expected to be released this year. And we’re certain the Backwoodz label has more surprises in store for us.
BEST ALBUMS
Westside Gunn – HEELS HAVE EYES 2
Westside Gunn possesses a gift rarely found in rap—his music is like a collage. Luxury fashion, raw street life, prayer, and trauma are all woven into a single fabric. On HEELS HAVE EYES 2, he takes this aesthetic even further. The tracklist is diverse, ranging from HEEL CENA to POWER HOUSE HOBBS with Benny and closing with LOVE YOU PT. 2. But what makes the album more than just a continuation of the series is its humanity, present in both pain and joy, in tributes to fallen friends, and in the moments of gratitude when Gunn never forgets to thank God. The track PRICK showcases the heart of this album. Brother Tom Sos opens with a verse that feels almost like a confession—dreams, debts, funerals of loved ones, constant pressure from the world, yet gratitude that art ultimately provides a way out: “If it wasn’t for this art, then it would’ve been me.” Westside Gunn follows with his own mosaic of memories, from school days to the present, with six figures on his wrist and his own shoes on his feet. At the same time, he doesn’t forget friends in prison or Shaye, who passed away during the pandemic. The alternating luxury and pain aren’t for show—they’re reality. Gunn lives in contrast, where champagne mixes with prayer and every success carries a trace of loss. The album is full of features—Benny the Butcher, Stove God Cook$, Skyzoo, MIKE, and more—but it never feels disjointed. On the contrary, Westside Gunn manages to place everyone into his visual-musical world, where even chaos has its order. The production is once again an art gallery of samples and unexpected nuances, making the listening experience almost cinematic. Unfortunately, no official music video was released for the album, so here is the video for the track OUTLANDER.
Shottie & TeV95 – GOAT FARM II
Shottie and TeV95 are reopening the gates of the farm, with their joint project GOAT FARM II having already circulated among their most loyal fans. The deluxe version, complete with bonus tracks, physical releases, and even a contest for custom Jordan 2’s, dropped on Bandcamp back in July. Now, however, the album is reaching streaming platforms, so no one has an excuse not to dive in. The duo’s chemistry is exceptional. TeV95 delivers production that feels like a mix of retro game levels and hard New York streets—just play the opener Warp Zone and you’re right there. Meanwhile, Shottie brings sharp raps full of technical turns and personal energy. Features only enhance the atmosphere, whether it’s Grafh on Air Penny, Vic Spencer on Smoked Duck, or Andre DeSaint and Asun Eastwood on Encounters of the 3rd Kind. Air Penny is a textbook example: razor-sharp lyrics that blend perspective with street reality, nods to OGs, and the message that no cosign will make your career. You can feel that Shottie raps not just for respect but for the pure joy of writing, which still manages to surprise. It’s clear that GOAT FARM II is a project made for the community, not for the algorithm—from the cover Shottie designed himself to the physical formats. If you’re into rap that maintains its own identity, honors tradition, yet still sounds fresh, then GOAT FARM II is the obvious choice.
Curren$y – 8/30
Some people are born for rap. Among them is the one and only Curren$y, a rapper from New Orleans, car enthusiast, and tireless creator, with music and perseverance running through his veins. He kicked off this year with the highly anticipated album Never Catch Us (w/ Harry Fraud), setting a high bar for 2025. Little did we know that he would also expand his iconic Andretti series, which he began in 2016 by releasing one album from the series each month from September to December. Andretti 8/30 is a grand addition to Curren$y’s most notable series—sixteen tracks that serve as a soundtrack for movement and elegance. 8/30 is rap for every occasion, a colorful dose of dope music in which everyone can find their own favorite moments. Curren$y collaborated with a stellar lineup of producers, including MadeinTyo, Cookin Soul, Flu, and Harry Fraud, and invited rappers such as Wiz Khalifa, Killer Mike, and Freeway to contribute. Everyone involved is clearly having fun; the album is playful, as demonstrated by the skit on Kush Clouds, where Curren$y jokes that Killer Mike humiliated him with an amazing verse. That Curren$y has taste and elegance is further proven by his mention of his favorite film, Sunset Boulevard (1950), on the album.
Che Noir & The Other Guys – No Validation
There’s no room for debate—Che Noir, with her third album of the year, proves she belongs among the best of the best. Following Seeds In Babylon (w/ Superior) and The Color Chocolate 2, the rapper continues to expand her world of hypnotic storytelling, strong introspection, and retrospective bars, using journeys into the past to grapple with the present and her own emotions. On No Validation, whose title cements her position in the rap game, Che Noir teamed up with the production duo The Other Guys, who provided a cinematic soundtrack for her complex lyrics. The album feels more cohesive and filmic than The Color Chocolate 2, with beats pulsing with the scent of jazz, while Che Noir remains as precise and conscious in her bars as ever. Add in a lineup of standout features—including 38 Spesh, Jae Skeese, and Skyzoo—and you’ve got a dense rap narrative centered on Che Noir, yet populated with many other significant voices.
Skepta & Fred again.. – Skepta .. Fred
There’s probably no grime rapper more well-known than Skepta. The London star has been in the game for 21 years, as he reflects on the track 21 Years, and during that time his music has reached nearly every corner of the globe. Since 2021, however, he had taken a break from releasing full projects, putting out only singles. It only took five phenomenal electronic beats from producer Fred again.. to put Skepta back at the top of the grime scene. Fred again.. brought an explosive spark that reminded everyone why Skepta is a legend of UK grime. Skepta .. Fred ranks among the rapper’s best projects. Their joint EP is a fast, hard-hitting adrenaline ride—a fusion of energy, electronic beats, and rap. It has everything we love about grime and will get you moving like few releases this year. The artists are breaking records, and it’s no coincidence they named the final track Victory Lap. This duo has found its rhythm, and we hope it will lead to a full-length album.
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.
Rahiem Supreme & BROWN13 – RISK IT FOR THE BISCUIT
Arsinel – MOUTH TO EAR
CRIMEAPPLE & V Don – Bulletproof Chicken
Sphere47 – EMPIRICAL EVIDENCE INSIDE MY KALEIDOSCOPE
Willie Mays Blaze & Dom 2XL – I DONT SEE ‘EM OUTSIDE
Patty Honcho – AUTHENIC: EARTH 001
Y.N.X. 716 – Winter Poetry
Roc C & Ariano – Homegrown
AJ Suede – Grateful Dread
Bronze Nazareth & Salute Da Kidd – Time Heals All Wounds
BEST MUSIC VIDEOS
Community by JID & Clipse is an impressive and immersive glimpse into the world of a society oppressed by the status quo.
We couldn’t have asked for a better teaser for the album THE YEARS WE HAVE than the video for the track Droste Effect. The album is out now.
An almost grotesquely monumental aura — Yeat released a great video for the track COMË N GO.
ARTMONEY$TAINZ — the title says it all — DNTWATCHTV just dropped a dope new video.
An unmistakable rap bounce. Kamaiyah and Hottboy Zay just dropped a banger — Good News.
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.
ALL HAIL THE CLAW (prod. by illsugi) (YL x Another Planet)
K.A.A.N. x Dj Hoppa – Comment Section
Mick Jenkins & EMIL – Coco Gauff
GDP and Fatboi Sharif – “Deer Witch”
Rome Streetz, Conductor Williams, & Jay Worthy – 10 Toes
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!
