1 Up Top Ahk

Straight outta Sacramento, Mozzy adds to his street-hero status and critical acclaim. *1 Up Top Ahk* (slang for loading a rifle) unfolds with a self-awareness rarely seen in gangsta rap. As beats lurch in the background, Mozzy unfurls PTSD scenarios and hyper-detailed rhymes, like “My future was never for certain/We had to use dish liquid for detergent” on “Afraid.” Tracks like “Fall Off” and “Mandated” are at once mournful, lyrically rich, and simmering with stress, cementing a case that Mozzy’s among the realest rappers in the game.

The prolific Sacramento rapper’s latest has that bass and funk-heavy production but is deeply haunted by death. It unfolds like the diary of a man haunted by a past he’s trying to outrun.