Chrst! One of the fathers of Czech rap, an absolute legend of the genre, and an innovator who is always looking for untrodden paths leading to unexplored places. Hugo Toxxx aka Hekr aka King Laus Krab are pseudonyms that need no introduction on the domestic scene. For the first time, we have chosen a Czech album as Album of the Week, specifically the project Mumie (2021). Hugo is an artist of global proportions, and his distinctive style is unparalleled even on the American scene. We hope that the article will be interesting for our English-speaking readers as well. Hugo Toxxx and his uncompromising Mummy.

We could not call ourselves YOUR FAVORITE RAP PLUG without paying attention to the British scene. We are sure that the first things that come up when we mention rap from the UK are genres like grime, jungle, or UK garage, which are typical for the UK scene, but we will not talk about either of these. Let’s talk about minimalistic UK boom-bap, its artists, and the album Lighthouse Tape, which is like a lighthouse in the middle of the UK’s alternative sound.

Today we will prepare a solid foundation on which to build in the future. Madlib and J Dilla are the biggest of the hip hop legends. Two producers, each from the opposite side of the USA; both artists have already put together uncountable numbers of projects, which we will talk about in the future in our Album of the Week section. This whole little paragraph might have raised a question: “What would happen if these two geniuses worked together on one project?” Well, here is your answer: the duo Jaylib and their album Champion Sound.

Rap might feel like a genre that is mostly meant for men; a large percentage of rap lyrics are full of violence, sex, and masculinity, with no space for feminity. Of course, this is a misconception caused by the influence of the music industry, which marginalizes the work of women. Women, even with their tougher starting position full of prejudice, manage to produce rap from its complete beginnings, and there are a countless number of projects released by women every year. One of the pioneers is MC Lyte and her album Lyte As A Rock (1988), or Lauryn Hill, who is a member of the Fugees and back in 1998 released her only solo project called The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, an album that took over the rest of the nineties. As our first Album of the Week produced by a female rapper, we chose Rapsody’s Eva.

Strict street rap that respects the roots of the genre yet brings some new, fresh sounds. Alchemist, Westside Gunn, or Roc Marciano; those are the names associated with neo boom bap and underground Renaissance on a daily basis, but not far from them stands one name that is climbing its way to the top. Rapper, which builds upon the knowledge of the veterans and conquers every beat as pirates used to conquer the wild sea. Knowledge the Pirate and his debut Flintlock.