Welcome to Rap Weekly 160: The Pilot. 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 The Pilot by MAVI, ONYX’! by Pink Siifu, Luxury Art 4 by RU$H & Tha God Fahim, Yeast Talkin’ by Hit-Boy & Spank Nitti James, SUMMIT SHOOTOUT by Starker & Zoomo, and The Man Who Couldn’t Die by Trellion. Also look forward to great music videos from Ntwali, Saint Kay, Chester Watson, sen 09, hazbeen, Kong The Artisan, Conway the Machine, Roc Marciano, and CENTRAL CEE. All this and much more in Rap Weekly.
NEWS OF THE WEEK
MAVI – The Pilot
MAVI’s The Pilot is a record that slips into your life quietly, but once you listen closely, you realize it carries more weight than most rap that claims to be deep. The battle with himself and with the world is a daily ritual MAVI flies through. It’s an album by someone who’s had enough of chaos but doesn’t believe he’ll ever fully escape it. It’s intimate but not soft. Vulnerable but not weak. MAVI holds a balance only someone who’s spent years wrestling with pressure and his own mind can hold — and who has finally learned to say it out loud. The production is beautifully dusty, loose, free of unnecessary gestures. There’s warmth, but not the comforting kind — it’s the kind of light that slips through blinds and lands on the table where you’re learning to live with what shaped you. And it still burns. The track Typewriter captures the album’s essence best. MAVI raps like someone who finally understands that too much of his life has been about survival. Every bar smells like reality, but not the tired, dull kind. It’s the honesty of a man who finally knows his own worth — and is afraid to lose it. Kenny Mason brings a surge of energy in the second verse that lights the track up completely. It’s not aggression, it’s intensity. He sounds like someone living fast, dangerously, with a mind running on two planes at once — a perfect contrast. And MIKE with Earl open the darker layers of the record, not through stylization but through experience. You can hear that everyone on the album knows exactly what they’re talking about.
NEWS
Light-Years
One of the most anticipated albums in rap history now has a name, a cover, and a release date. After thirty years, the wait is finally over — Nas and DJ Premier will release their joint album Light-Years on December 13. Ever since 1994, when one of the most important rap albums ever — Illmatic — came out and fans first heard N.Y. State of Mind, Memory Lane (Sittin’ in da Park), and Represent, people have been calling for a full-length collaboration between Nas and Preemo. The album arrives as part of the Legend Has It… series, which we’ll be covering once again. The series includes seven albums from legendary artists released throughout 2025. Records from Slick Rick, Ghostface Killah, Raekwon, Mobb Deep, Big L, and De La Soul have already dropped, and December 13 brings the grand finale. A reminder: DJ Premier & The Alchemist have launched their WORLD TOUR, and on December 9 they will perform in Prague. Maybe Preemo will play a track from Light-Years? We’ll see. We still don’t know the tracklist, but hit us on Instagram and tell us who you’d like to hear on the album—and which Nas & Preemo track is your all-time favorite.
Soundpieces: Da Antidote!
Relive a seminal piece of hip-hop history with the first album produced by Madlib – Soundpieces: Da Antidote!, the debut from the trio Lootpack, which is now getting a special vinyl release. Lootpack is a trio signed to Stones Throw Records, consisting of Madlib, Wildchild, and DJ Romes. Soundpieces: Da Antidote! was originally released on June 29, 1999, with all beats produced by Madlib, and featured guest appearances from Medaphoar, Declaime, Godz Gift, Kazi, Oh No, Defari, Dilated Peoples, and Tha Alkaholiks. This gem – a hidden treasure for the casual listener – is a crucial milestone in rap and deserves a new vinyl pressing. You can preorder it today on Stones Throw. Two original, uncompressed music videos are also available on YouTube.
Goat Stamp
Stove God Cook$ returns in a way only he can — with a voice soaked in luxury and trauma, and imagery so sharp it cuts its way straight into your mind. The new single Goat Stamp is exactly the kind of track that makes you realize this man hasn’t been playing a small game for a long time. Not only does it confirm that his kitchen is still burning at maximum heat, but we can also expect a full album of the same name, likely arriving on February 27, 2026. Goat Stamp isn’t just another dope-boy anthem. It’s the testimony of someone whose world stretches between penthouse suites, the Amalfi Coast, and paranoid runs where every phone call can change a life. Stove raps like someone who’s been through things that would break most people — but he learned to carve a legend out of them. You can feel the experience, the exhaustion, but also the certainty that all of this means something, because he survived it. It’s striking how easily he balances high energy with quiet, cutting detail. In one bar he throws a reference to Devin Booker; in the next he’s talking sanity, old plugs, and money that’s “way too long,” while leaving emotions between the lines that most rappers only pretend to understand. Even if the whole thing looks like an endless flex, it’s more than that — it’s reflection. Memories of someone who’s seen too much for jewelry to ever be the point. The second verse is darker, tighter, and at moments almost chilling. Stove God Cook$ sounds like a narrator who doesn’t want anyone to make him a hero, yet knows that in the world he comes from, survival itself is a form of legendary status. From the reference to short-sleeved Avirex jackets turned bullet-ridden to the minimalist but piercing “money don’t sleep,” everything feels like a detail from a film you maybe didn’t want to watch — but can’t look away from.
BEST ALBUMS
Pink Siifu – ONYX’!
Pink Siifu expands the world of BLACK’!ANTIQUE with the project ONYX’! — a work that doesn’t feel like a classic album but rather a state of consciousness, shifting and evolving with every listen. Siifu has never followed a straight path, but this time he bends structures even further, blending worlds and letting emotions flow without a filter. ONYX’! is darker, tighter, more introspective, yet unexpectedly warm in how honestly it speaks about loyalty, disappointment, faith, and survival. The tracklist is packed with guests who don’t feel like additions but like extensions of Siifu’s universe — Armand Hammer, Valee, Kal Banx, FULLBODYDURAG, and more. The entire album feels like a closed circle of people who understand the tone, energy, and message without needing anything explained aloud. And then there’s 4DOE [EXT], the track that ties the whole project together and brings its emotional resolution. The lyrics are a long confession — a stream of thoughts mixing exhaustion, faith, street reality, disloyal people, family, pressure, pain, and that strange form of hope that keeps surviving even when you’re not sure why. It’s a moment where Siifu doesn’t feel like an experimentalist or a conceptual artist, but like a human being who’s been through a lot and finally pauses to name it all. No pose. No mask. No convincing anyone. The entire ONYX’! project stands on this collision: hardness and softness, chaos and order, spiritual energy and the gritty reality of the streets.
RU$H & Tha God Fahim – Luxury Art 4
RU$H and Tha God Fahim return with the fourth installment of the Luxury Art series and once again prove that the luxury they rap about isn’t about glitter, but about attitude. About the calm you earn when you’ve survived enough dirt that you no longer need to explain anything. These two don’t chase trends — they build their own aesthetic, where haute couture meets the philosophy of survival. Even the opener, Fendi Don & Dump Gawd, Own the Night 3 sets the tone of the record: dim light, a night in the city, and elegance blended with the underworld. RU$H delivers his signature cinematic style — smooth, yet cold like marble. Every image feels like a luxury photograph, but there’s always something painful lurking in the background. Bars about weapons keep the atmosphere tight; it’s glamour and trauma at the same time. Tha God Fahim then enters as the heavier half of the duo, the spiritual gravity of the project. His verse is tougher, more esoteric, grounded in strength, experience, and a nearly meditative certainty. There’s a calmness of someone who never tried to play king but became one by accident simply because he survived more than others could bear. His stories aren’t just about power but about how fragile that power really is. Luxury Art 4 isn’t a project meant to be broken down track by track — this isn’t an album to analyze, but an album to absorb. Each track is another chamber in a gallery: something glitters, something gleams, but there’s a shadow hanging everywhere. The aesthetics of Fendi, Dior, Rick Owens, or GQ don’t function here as opulent flexes but as the language of two people who defined luxury for themselves because the reality around them used to be the exact opposite.
Hit-Boy & Spank Nitti James – Yeast Talkin’
Hit-Boy & Spank Nitti James dropped a monumental West Coast album, Yeast Talkin’, just a few days ago, and it’s packed with star-studded features – all less than six months after their last collaborative project, High-Class Wiggler. While Spank James mostly carried the mic on the previous record, on Yeast Talkin’ both titans take turns rapping. For Hit-Boy, it’s a true victory lap, showcasing his skills not only as a producer and rapper but as an artist who can craft outstanding rap alongside different collaborators – one moment with The Alchemist, a few days later with Spank James. Yeast Talkin’ is a massive album featuring Buddy, GSnook, Doley Bernays, HoodTrophy Bino, 03 Greedo, Big Sad 1900, Don Q, Terrace Martin, Lefty Gunplay, AZ Chike, BabyTron, Rio Da Yung Og, and even Mach-Hommy. Yes, you read that right – Mach-Hommy over a Hit-Boy beat, which was truly unexpected. On the track COMPLETED AGREEMENT, the album hits its most heartfelt moment, as Big Hit asks his son for forgiveness. If you’re looking for an hour of modern West Coast sound, Yeast Talkin’ is one of the very best picks.
Starker & Zoomo – SUMMIT SHOOTOUT
Years of waiting are finally over – Starker & Zoomo have released the highly anticipated album SUMMIT SHOOTOUT, a testament to their completely unique style and sound. Starker is one of the most distinctive rappers today, and his style is truly inimitable. Fast rap often fizzles into emptiness and leaves no emotion – with Starker, it’s the opposite: his words land on the beat like perfectly aimed bullets, and the listener feels every single one. Describing the album as a shootout, an attack, or an action sequence is proof of the thoughtfulness behind the entire project. Both artists aimed to create a special experience – and they succeeded. It’s not just Starker who shines; Zoomo’s beats have an indescribable flavor, one better left uncategorized. It’s no surprise that the only feature on the project is YL. It’s RRR season.
Trellion – The Man Who Couldn’t Die
In the previous article, we were raving about the return of Trellion and Sniff. The pioneers of the distinctive “laid-back lazy” UK rap haven’t announced a joint album yet, but after several years, they’re back in the game. Trellion released this year’s projects, Ok, the fire. (w/ Danny Lover) and Big Sur, while Sniff dropped One Night on Earth, set to release in February. Trellion also announced the album Knight, which will arrive next year. The surprise release of another project, The Man Who Couldn’t Die, was truly unexpected. Trellion is back, more ferocious than ever. The Man Who Couldn’t Die pulls you into the deepest darkness. After listening, you’ll understand why Trellion is such a special artist. The album offers an unparalleled atmosphere: his chillingly cold bars, set against minimalist beats, feel like a gothic horror, a mythical tale, or a rapping demon resurrected from ancient times. At its core, the album is truly dark and anticlimactic, yet it leaves a powerful emotional impact on the listener.
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.
A$AP Ferg . FLIP PHONE SHORTY – STRICTLY FOR DA STREETZ VOL.1
Asun Eastwood, Lord Juco, Jesse Green Beats – Two Birds
Leoh My God & Retrospec – Cenere & Champagne, Vol. 1
JHAWK & Billy Hoyle – Player 1
Your Old Droog – anything’s possible
Vic Spencer – Show & Prove, Not Back & Forth
CRIMEAPPLE – HANZAI
Von Pea – Putcha Weight on It
Body Bag Ben & Daniel Son – Brown Body Bags
Willyynova – Soul of Solomon
BEST MUSIC VIDEOS
Ntwali & Saint Kay have released a stunning video for their track Die 4. Their album New Beginnings is out now.
Only Chester Watson can create an atmosphere like this — check out the video for tinnitus [prod. sen 09].
A chillingly intimate visual — it’s just feelings by hazbeen & Kong The Artisan is a track overflowing with emotion.
The release of You Can’t Kill God With Bullets by Conway the Machine is getting closer, and the atmosphere is growing heavier. Watch the video for Diamonds ft. Roc Marciano.
Another massive track — CENTRAL CEE has dropped the video for BOOGA.
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.
Sniff, Caneva & Hush One – The Remedy
GRANDIOSE GRIOT – ERROL HOLDEN
DJ LUCAS – “DJ THATS MY NAME” (PROD DANNY G)
Nacho Picasso & TELEVANGEL – Chick-a-bah-bah
Manast LL’ & Agusta – Old Dogs New Tricks
Lil Baby – Middle of the Summer
RIGS – EVEN EXCHANGE ( PROD BY THANKFITH )
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!
