hello all :) ! i wanted to get on here, just ramble about the current state of rap and highlight some of the newest releases we have seen and projects that i am looking forward to that will cap off this year.
so right now, i would like to dub this current era of rap the A.D.K.B. (after drake and kendrick beef) period, where we are seeing a resurgence of real, lyrical rap. we, the listeners, have been graced with fantastic albums from artists such as freddie gibbs with alfredo 2, produced entirely by the alchemist — who has been on a phenomenal run all 2025, also working on projects with larry june and 2 chainz (life is good, my personal favorite this year) and an upcoming project with neo-soul queen erykah badu. and most recently jid’s god does like ugly.
however, we need to address possibly one of the biggest albums of this year: let god sort em out by clipse, which, if you do not know, is a duo consisting of the brothers pusha-t and malice. all over my twitter feed, i have seen nothing but praise for this album, along with comments saying that “real rap is back,” for which i have to completely agree.
in an interview with gq, malice states, “mainstream rap music has been something of a desert lately,” with the question “why is that?” being offered, to which no one has a proper answer. what malice does have to offer is insight. according to him and his brother: “at this particular moment the lane is wide open for one of the genre’s most beloved groups to deliver a reunion 16 years in the making — and raise the standard as they always have done.” i don’t know about y’all, but this sends chills down my spine, for all the right reasons. this is what, i would argue, the genre of hip-hop and rap has needed for a decade.
for the last 10 years, very few artists have released authentic art. rap is an art — it always has been since its introduction to the music scene 52 years ago. over time, many rap artists have lost the plot of what rap truly is supposed to be due to pressures in the industry to create hits for radio appeal. now, i don’t want you guys to think i don’t appreciate the fantastic era of rap music from 2015 to late 2018/early 2019. two of my all-time favorite rap albums came out around that time (birds in the trap sing mcknight by travis scott and the sun’s tirade by isaiah rashad), but let’s be real — that was the peak soundcloud era. the soundcloud era was great for playlist and radio appeal, but when it comes to substance, it lacked depth except for a handful of artists that consistently delivered — like kendrick with damn, kanye with tlop (before he lost his damn mind), tyler with flower boy, and the list goes on.
what we’ve missed for a long time are the hard-hitting bars, the genuine disses, the clever wordplay, the production that hits you in your chest. these are the things that make rap an art form. nowadays, almost anyone can be a rapper (almost lol) — if you can flow, someone out there will eat it up, no matter how shallow the lyrics.
but now, with this hopeful resurgence of true rap, we can start finding the real artists again. we can stop catering to radio listeners and start telling true stories — messy, human stories we can all relate to. not every artist will hit for everyone, but the human traits in music — struggle, joy, reflection — those are universal. even your favorite rapper struggles, and that helps you realize you’re not alone.
overall, i’m excited about where rap might be heading. i’m looking forward to the projects dropping toward the end of this year, and i’ll be reviewing them for you all. if you’ve got albums you want me to check out (not just rap — i listen to everything), drop them in the comments. catch y’all boys later.
song of the day:
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