Humble Beast

After a run of stunning mixtapes, G Herbo’s debut studio album lives up to the hype his past work built, bringing to life the nuances of hood danger. The contrasts alone are part of the story: Opening track “Street” uses swelling church organs to complement Herbo’s gritty rhymes, and a Marvin Gaye sample backs Herbo’s gravelly delivery on the cautionary narrative “Malcolm.” Triumphant horns echo and orchestral stabs mark a siren’s cadence behind the dark and somber “Red Snow.”

The Chicago rapper has earned his role as a leader of rap. His latest album recalls the best records of the ’00s graced with a singular kind of songwriting that sounds inarguably like the present.