WICK

Florida rapper Nardo Wick was still at the tail end of his teens when *Who Is Nardo Wick?* dropped in 2021. Its songs shared his stark vision of the streets in such a way that artists older than him could’ve learned a thing or two from his pen. A little over three years later, his sophomore full-length, *WICK*, goes deeper into the darkness, with booming beats that recall drill and trap at their most austere ends. The chilling monologue of “Gangsta” sets the mood early on, his bars veering between direct threats and tweaked references. In his signature snarl, even the Hamburger Helper punchline on “Ain’t No Lettin’ Up” feels intimidating. No small feat, he transforms menace into macabre turn-up tracks with “I Don’t Think” and “Get on My Nerves.” Though the production dwells largely on the dour side, he switches things up on occasion, revealing a sense of humor for “Beatbox” and flirting in the glow of ATL Jacob’s subtle throwback funk on “A Lil Different.” While the vast majority of *WICK*’s tracks solely center him, the handful with guests tend toward those who were there for his debut. A clear influence on his forbidding style, 21 Savage flexes amid sexual conquests on “HBK,” a lifestyle the younger artist has evidently grown accustomed to as well. Future and Southside raise the tempo and the stakes alike for the disorienting “Back to Back,” while Lil Baby helps Wick relive an era of Southern rap that neither was previously old enough to fully appreciate on “Hot Boy.”