I had never heard of namesbliss before, but I was pretty much sold thirty seconds into this video. Unlike most of my few remaining peers here at the heights of music journalism, I am acutely allergic to rap with British…

Larry June has been a reliable roadmap to quality product for a long time now, a co-sign worth exploring. That Good Job tag means something real at this point, especially after his trilogy of winners with Alchemist & Co. Foggieraw…

TRAPMAT SAVIOR is fortunate indeed to keep such good company. As advantages go in this rap game, having both Nicholas Craven and Mike Shabb in your corner is far better than having rich parents, although Monsieur Savior seems to have…

Casual blasphemy: DJ Premier has always been better with his scratch hooks than his actual beats. He’s never had to be flashy because his sense of timing is so perfect, transforming short snippets of classic accapellas into earworms that stick…

There are so many inferior knockoffs trying to replicate this formula in 2026, you could almost forget how electric it is when it actually works. Music journalists used to have nothing in their sorry toolkits but “abstract” to cover rap…

Lil Tjay has been unavoidable for a very long time now. I still managed to ignore him until 2022, when he linked up with 802 rapper/singer North Ave Jax for his “Eastside” remix. (That was thanks to Love, Kelly –…

Chicago spitter Mick Jenkins has been an elite talent since he showed up. That’s a serious achievement in one of the most spooky stacked talent pools in the world. The vision & work ethic of Andrew Barber is what propelled…

In an industry that runs on bullshit, there’s no greater sin than being boring. Lying, cheating, stealing; all par for the course, but nothing can save you if the product is undercooked. He had a wild ride, but in the…

Central Cee is hard to avoid right now. That’s because he’s the latest doomed attempt to make UK grime blow up here in God’s Favorite Country. This time, it’s the Sony Music borg burning USD trying to turn anthems about…

Few rappers are more deserving of a caps-lock moniker than ANKHLEJOHN, a pure spitter who brings a superhuman intensity to the booth every time. People who don’t like that are objectively incorrect. The man is straight dope; there ends the…