C0FFEE!

After building a fanbase and a reputation among other artists as an MC of earnestness, emotional depth, and conceptual density, Saba took a different approach. He created 2025’s *From the Private Collection of Saba and No ID*—a collaboration with legendary hip-hop producer and fellow Chicagoan No ID (Common, JAY-Z)—as what he described as a “tasting menu”: a compelling collection of songs whose connective tissue is the artists who made them, not a specific theme or topic. His second project of the year, *COFFEE!*, is a mixture of both approaches. It’s named after his car, a black Bronco Wildtrak that he wrote and recorded the project’s nine songs in over the course of a week. (The vehicle itself is even personified as a character on “don’t be long.”) But while it may seem conceptual by title, the album plays more like a sketchbook than a fully realized artistic vision. That works to its benefit, though: Instead of the studious intentionality that distinguished his previous albums, *COFFEE!* plays like a carefree, jazzy vibe session that gives oxygen to his artistic instincts. Saba’s supple sense of melody and casual introspection means that even his doodles provide just as much comfort as other artists’ complete portraits. “don\'t be long” affectionately describes the intrapersonal relationships between his loved ones with conversational catchphrases. “itachi” starts as a slow, airy reflection of perseverance before shifting into a catchy, percussive set of whispered vocals, all within less than a minute and a half. The best contemporary comparison to *COFFEE!* is Kendrick Lamar\'s *untitled unmastered.*: a brief, satisfying detour for one of hip-hop’s best.