Hiphopheads

ATLiens EARTHGANG have always been rap futurists, but on their 2024 EP *ROBOPHOBIA*—a loose concept project centered around human relationships with one another and AI—they explore a current reality that not long ago would have seemed like science fiction. Over five tracks, the duo of Olu and WowGr8 cook up deep-fried funk grooves and R&B opuses that shoot directly for the stars. On “BLACKLIGHT,” they sing, “P-E-R-F-E-C-T, that don’t mean shit to me/I’m in love with the real thing/Let me know what it is, bae.” It’s clear that the duo look at this pending technological revolution with some skepticism. Elsewhere, on “PERFECT FANTASY,” they recruit the Doggfather himself, Snoop Dogg, for a soul-tinged hymnal. It’s a love song built around horn stabs and handclaps, buzzing basslines and weeping strings that give it a cinematic flair. “You really are the highlight of my day,” goes one line, before the duo team up for a harmony-filled chorus: “This feels like the perfect fantasy.”

As the leader of Korean superstar group BTS, rapper-producer RM (aka Kim Nam-joon) is not always free to follow his musical curiosities or to explore deeply personal experiences. When he writes, records, and performs within BTS, he is doing it as part of a larger group, and the sacrifices that come with that are made in favor of something more collective. But RM has much to say as an artist outside of his BTS persona, and in the first 11 years of the group’s career, he has found the space to say it, releasing his own solo material in the form of two mixtapes (2015’s *RM* and 2018’s *mono.*), a 2022 solo album debut (*Indigo*), and now *Right Place, Wrong Person*. While *Indigo* was a vulnerable reflection back on RM’s twenties, *Right Place, Wrong Person* is somehow even more raw in its sounds and sentiments. The 11-track album is a diary-like study of healing wounds (“I just hope you remember me/The best grave in your cemetery”) and hard-won liberations (“I like my broken self/Bitch, that\'s the shit”) delivered in eddies of spoken-word verse, husky vocals, and RM’s signature lyrical rap. Pre-release track “Come back to me” acted as a disclaimer of what was to come. A slow-burn exhale of a song, the six-minute track about RM’s desire to understand his suffering (“You are my pain, divine, divine”) is an antithesis to the two-and-a-half-minute, hook-focused tracks that dominate so much of modern music. RM is similarly experimental in the hypnotic mood-setter “Right People, Wrong Place” and “ㅠㅠ,” a 74-second musing seemingly about the fans who come to his shows: “Do you stay inside or go off to life?/I\'m so grateful for everyone\'s time/Hope you all had such wonderful night.” As with *Indigo*, RM finds room to collaborate on *Right Place, Wrong Person*. French American jazz duo DOMi & JD BECK produce the percussive-driven “?,” while American singer-songwriter Moses Sumney features heavily on the groovy “Around the world in a day.” British rapper Little Simz contributes two verses to the jazzy “Domodachi,” which bounces between English, Korean, and Japanese to ask listener-friends to let loose: “Just ignite this bonfire/Friends gather around me one by one.” The uptempo “Groin” sees the leader of BTS breaking out of some of the boxes fame has put him in, working to accept the moments he has “fucked it up”: “I only represent myself/Let’s say what we have to say before we get sick and die.” “LOST!” is similarly energetic and blithe in its celebration of life’s confusions, positioning RM’s disorientation not as something to be feared but embraced: “I\'m goddamn lost/I never been to club before/I hit the club/I never felt so free before.” Here and elsewhere on the album, the eponymous “wrong person” doesn’t seem to be another individual, but rather a description of self. But with this music-making, the hope of something “right” seems to be on the horizon—if not here yet, then coming: “Time flies, he’s 14 and he’s already 30/And I look up in the sky, I see silver cloud/Yo, hurry.”

Almost six years after releasing her breakout single, 2018’s “Mr Rebel,” Nigerian superstar Tems delivers her debut LP, *Born in the Wild*. Of course, that interim has been characterized by a trajectory that’s trended upward at almost every turn. From her acclaimed 2020 debut EP *For Broken Ears* to global megahit collaborations with Wizkid (and later Justin Bieber) on “Essence” and Drake on “Fountains” to 2021’s sophomore EP, *If Orange Was a Place*, to appearances on 2022’s *Black Panther: Wakanda Forever* soundtrack (including songwriting credits for Rihanna’s “Lift Me Up”) and Beyoncé’s *RENAISSANCE* and a Grammy win for Future and Drake’s “Wait for U” in 2023—the alté-R&B star has experienced an almost exponential rise. That kind of journey is part of what makes *Born in the Wild* all the more captivating. Over 18 tracks, Tems cracks open her journal through those career highs, and reveals how the person behind them grappled with it all. “I had to step back a bit, to check in with myself,” Tems (Temilade Openiyi) tells Apple Music, “and also just find healing from all the trauma and everything I experienced before ‘Tems.’ I think I had to unlearn a lot of things. This album is just a new way of me expressing myself, while still centering who I am in it.” Here, she works through moments of feeling like an impostor, of rebuilding her self-confidence, of learning the ins and outs of relationships, and of learning to trust herself. Don’t read that as insecure, however—this is the journal of someone who’s done the work, and who’s fully ready to embrace the next chapter. It’s all brought to life through Tems’ usual brand of honest, mature storytelling—and here, as ever, the centerpiece remains a distinctive voice that simultaneously balances multiple layers of raw, delicate emotion and a natural, unforced ease. That reflective songwriting shows a sonic maturity that’s unrestricted by genre: She traverses from R&B (“Burning”) to fusions of Afrobeats and amapiano (“Get It Right”), balanced with celebrations of culture and heritage, like her reimagined version of Seyi Sodimu’s 1997 hit, the breezy “Love Me JeJe.” Below, Tems talks through these and more key tracks from *Born in the Wild*. **“Born in the Wild”** “‘Born in the Wild’ is a story of transformation from a cocoon to a butterfly. It speaks on surviving a mental wilderness that comes with life, and coming to a place where one can thrive. It\'s about accepting oneself, and embodying the woman I was born to be. It shows the different dimensions of who Tems is, and her journey from a cub to a lioness.” **“Burning”** “‘Burning’ is about the feelings I felt when I first started getting popular as Tems. I didn\'t really understand what was happening, and everything was happening so fast. And it\'s about me looking back on that time and realizing that we are all going through something. We all have our internal battles. We all have the things that we struggle with, our triggers. And ‘Burning’ is really about understanding that I have my triggers too, and now I know that I\'m not alone. And there\'s many people that have felt the way I do about not wanting to be seen, not really being used to attention, and people trying to take advantage of you in many different ways.” **“Love Me JeJe”** “‘Love Me JeJe’ is a sweet, happy song about finding unconditional love. The joy of finding a love that doesn\'t run out and not settling for anything else. Just basking in the sun, basking in that unconditional type of love.” **“Get It Right” (feat. Asake)** “This is just about a conversation between two people and one is saying, ‘I know you\'re scared, but if you do me right, I always got your back, because that\'s who I am.’ And it\'s just about two people feeling each other and wanting to explore more.” **“Unfortunate”** “‘Unfortunate’ is about realizing that the person that you put your trust in isn\'t worth your time. And also being thankful that the person showed themselves early, and the person disappointed you. And it\'s basically finding the good in the bad. This was a disappointment, but it is actually great that it was, because it means that I\'m winning, and I\'m going to overcome this, and I don\'t need to be with you anymore. It is a blessing that I\'m not obligated by any means to stay with you, and it\'s a blessing that I\'m not with you.” **“Forever”** “Forever is about the aftermath of a breakup, when the guy comes circling back, and it\'s coming from a place of healing, it\'s coming from a place of ‘I’ve moved on already, but it\'s interesting to see you scramble because I\'m moving on. It\'s the desperation for me from you. I love that you are so desperate to get me back you\'re always checking for me, stalking me, checking for what I\'m doing, and it\'s really intriguing and fascinating to see.’” **“Free Fall” (feat. J. Cole)** “This is about, after you fell in love with someone, they fell in love too. It was great until you realize that you both were new to it, and they didn\'t really know what to do in the relationship. It\'s about knowing, ‘If I stay, I\'m going to be drained,’ and knowing your limits and setting your boundaries. It\'s basically reflecting on all of that. Reflecting on the fact that I had to go, because if I didn\'t go, it would have been detrimental.” **“Me & U”** “‘Me & U’ is about reconnecting with God. It\'s a new conversation. It\'s about reconnecting with your inner child and the truth. It\'s about now being honest with yourself about who you are, and about having faith that everything is going to be okay, as long as you believe.” **“You in My Face”** “‘You in My Face’ is a conversation with the inner me, the inner child, and it\'s about finding peace within, and also hoping that I don\'t get lost again.”

*Quantum Baby*, the seventh album from Tinashe and the second part of a trilogy following 2023’s *BB/ANG3L*, arrives with more eyes on the R&B star than ever before thanks to the viral success of “Nasty,” an intimate, intoxicating R&B-dance hybrid that quickly became one of 2024’s defining songs. “I crafted \[it\] to try to get that exact same energy when I was just driving in my car,” she tells Apple Music’s Zane Lowe. “The performance of it really affects just how people are interpreting the song and how people are receiving it.” Though there may not prove to be another song that finds as many ears as the single, *Quantum Baby* is still the portrait of an artist at the peak of their powers. There are plenty of other sterling moments to latch on to: “Thirsty” is light as air, with Tinashe’s falsetto floating above pillowy synths and percussion that bubbles like a cauldron. “When I Get You Alone” is a sexy R&B jam laced with deep desires and plenty of quotable lines. When Tinashe sings, “Flying, top gun/Feels like heaven/Wilding, we’re young/Fuck it, have fun,” she’s also recapping the philosophy of the *Quantum Baby* era. It’s why, in part, Tinashe never let the success of “Nasty” change her approach. “I\'m just trying to live in the moment as much as possible and not focus on that, because these moments don\'t happen every day,” she says. “And I hope that my continued hard work \[can help me\] maximize on it as much as we possibly can. We stay the course.”

A lot happened in the six years between Justin Timberlake’s last studio album, 2018’s *Man of the Woods*, and *Everything I Thought It Was*. After a world-changing pandemic, the pop star appeared in films, hopped on numerous collaborations (Jung Kook, Coco Jones, and Jack Harlow among them), and reunited at long last with his fellow \*NSYNC members for the *Trolls Band Together* soundtrack. With *Everything I Thought It Was*, Timberlake is back to creating for himself. “I think there are moments that are incredibly honest,” he tells Apple Music’s Zane Lowe. “But also, there’s a lot of fucking fun on this album.” As *Man of the Woods* was a tribute to Timberlake’s family and Tennessee roots, *Everything I Thought It Was* is a homecoming in its own way. Opening track “Memphis” is a pensive reflection on his hometown and the pressures of doing it proud: “You’re the one that’s chosen to make it out/Gotta seize the moment, don’t let us down.” He revisits his boy-band days with yet another new \*NSYNC team-up, “Paradise,” whose simple guitar melodies highlight the quintet’s harmonies in all their timeless splendor. With help from producers including Calvin Harris and longtime collaborators Timbaland and Danja, *Everything I Thought It Was* is Timberlake’s return to peak pop-R&B form and a credible sequel to his club-influenced 2006 LP *FutureSex/LoveSounds*. Beyond the breakup ballads (“Drown”) and syrupy seductions (“Play”), the album glides across the dance floor with hip-grinding electro-R&B (“What Lovers Do”), Afrobeats (“Liar” featuring Fireboy DML), and sweat-slicked disco grooves, occasionally throwing curveballs with beat switches (“My Favorite Drug”) and delivering a modern-day “Rock Your Body” in “F\*\*\*\*n’ Up the Disco.” “I think that\'s where I came up with the album title,” Timberlake says. “I was playing it for people around me. They\'re like, ‘Oh, this sounds like everything we know you for.’ And then another friend of mine was like, ‘Oh, this sounds like everything I thought I wanted from you.’ It was like that sort of phrase, in one way or another, was in the air.”

“Never put a artist in a box/They only thought I could do house,” Channel Tres sings on the title track of his debut album, *Head Rush*. Since debuting in 2018 with the gliding “Controller,” the LA-based artist has become the purveyor of what he calls “Compton house,” a distinctly West Coast blend of house music, hip-hop, and funk. But his skill set extends beyond the dance floor. Early cuts such as “Black Moses” and “2000 chevy malibu” showed his hard-hitting yet atmospheric approach to rap, and collaborations with artists including Terrace Martin, Jungle, Tove Lo, and Gus Dapperton proved his versatility across genres. On *Real Cultural Shit*, Channel’s 2023 EP, he leveled up his songwriting, boosting his euphoric production with catchy hooks as heard on the defiant “6am.” Channel’s ever-growing Rolodex comes through on *Head Rush*, with Thundercat, Teezo Touchdown, Ty Dolla $ign, and more appearing throughout the album. It’s familiar in that it still pulses with Channel’s slick dance grooves, but it’s also where he expands upon his songwriting focus and sonic experiments. “Joyful Noise” is a modern take on gospel house, while “Type” brings celestial, speaker-busting rap. Even his signature suave baritone becomes another instrument to play with, getting rugged and fervent on the industrial-coated “Black & Mild.” Much of *Head Rush* finds Channel enjoying the perks of fame. “Cactus Water,” on which freak flags fly atop swirling disco, is the album’s summer joint with its inviting chorus and funky bassline. He celebrates the luxury goods he previously couldn’t afford on the chugging “Candy Paint” and the beaming “Chain Hang Low,” and “I’m Him” is well-earned braggadocio. But embedded among the joy is a sobering vulnerability as Channel peels back layers of struggles past and present. It’s how on the beat-switching “Head Rush” he can juxtapose the triumph of buying a house with the survivor’s guilt of childhood trauma. Closing track “Here” is a bittersweet tribute to his late friend and fellow artist AUGUST 08, who helped Channel break into the industry: 08 “was a tutor/I was a student/Now we are the future.”

It’s been two years since A Boogie wit da Hoodie’s *Me vs. Myself*, and his 2024 effort *Better Off Alone* charts just how much his life has changed since. Due to both his love life and his success as a rapper, the MC from the Bronx spins tales of heartbreak and deceit. On the title track, which kicks off the album, he outlines how romantic flings continue to betray him and opps remain relentless in their pursuit. Over mournful piano bars and bouncy 808s, Boogie croons: “Guess I\'m better off alone right now, I\'m ducked off in the Bahamas/Got so much shit on my shoulders, think my back broke.” Later, he adds: “Only feelin\' safe around my bros, I gotta bulletproof the bus/They won\'t catch me lackin\' on the road.” Boogie uses features from Young Thug, Future, Cash Cobain, Lil Durk, and more to infuse the album with positive vibes, like on the Thugger-assisted “Let’s Go Away,” which is a dose of pure joy after A Boogie’s laundry list of friends turned enemies and lovers turned rivals.

Throughout hip-hop history, New York has produced several of the biggest and most iconic female stars. A genuine breakout talent in her city’s abundant pool of drill artists, Bronx rap phenom Ice Spice earned the blessing of no less than Nicki Minaj after “Munch (Feelin’ U)” went from delightfully viral to utterly ubiquitous. Collabs with the Queen from Queens like “Princess Diana” put the outer-borough upstart in a rarefied space as she amassed other hits including “Gangsta Boo” and the Taylor Swift team-up “Karma.” Roughly two years after making such a strong first impression, Ice Spice looks to cement her place in the game with *Y2K!*. Named in honor of her January 1, 2000, birthdate, her debut album may not be materially that much longer than the preceding *Like..?* EP. Nonetheless, it augments her sonic world in exciting ways while maintaining the brash authenticity that got her to this point. Though perennial studio partner RIOTUSA remains at the production helm, the beat choices here skew darker and harder than one might expect. The dissonant rhythmic thump of “BB Belt” and menacing synth stabs of “Plenty Sun” soundtrack pointed and pithy verses intended to cut down the competition. Even though a handful of the titles may verge on the scatological, punchlines like “Spent 150 on some carats/That shit cray like them n\*\*\*\*s in Paris” keep songs like “Think U the Shit (Fart)” feeling sharp rather than sophomoric. The exclusive guest list here reflects her elite status, wrangling Travis Scott for the victorious “Oh Shhh…” and then Gunna for the badass team-up “Bitch I’m Packin’.”

When Leon Bridges made his debut in 2015 with *Coming Home*, critics and peers alike were amazed by his velvety retro-soul stylings reminiscent of Sam Cooke and Otis Redding. Widening his horizons, his third album *Gold-Diggers Sound* showcased a different side of the Texas crooner, leaving behind the ’50s and ’60s vibe that helped propel him to stardom for a mix of ’80s and ’90s R&B mixed with lush, jazz-inspired live instrumentation. “I kind of always felt like a lone wolf in the industry, and yes, my music is under the umbrella of R&B, but I’ve always felt like I was never fully embraced in that community,” Bridges tells Apple Music’s Zane Lowe. “And so it was kind of a thought that ‘Leon’ is the genre, and as far as the whole album is kind of like a window into who I am.” Now, with his self-titled album, Leon Bridges is ready to reintroduce himself and invite his fans into his world. *Leon* is an intimate and revealing love letter to the singer-songwriter’s hometown, his upbringing, and the stories that helped shape him into the artist he is now. “Prior to this one, I’ve definitely scratched the surface of it,” he says. “This one digs into a lot of my experiences as a kid growing up in Fort Worth, and it really talks about the things that I’ve valued most in this life, which are family and home.” Bridges is vulnerable as he faces his fears on the smooth and serene album opener “When a Man Cries,” while on the breezy, guitar-laced track “Panther City,” he is nostalgic, reminiscing on hazy summer days growing up, with references to Nintendo 64 and going down to the local community center. Bridges pays homage on the downtempo and rocksteady track “Laredo,” which details a fleeting night in the border town that left a memorable and lasting impression on him. “That’s What I Love” highlights some of the things and moments that Bridges holds near and dear to his heart: “Bourbon, Cadillacs, blue denim, makin’ love on the beach in the mornin’/Springtime on the Trinity River, gold jewelry, all-black penny loafers,” he croons on the opening verse. His favorite things aren’t only material and sensual in nature, but he also mixes in romance while singing about his partner. “Peaceful Place” finds the singer confident in this version of himself and his music, while reassuring himself that he’s exactly where he needs to be: “I’m in a peaceful place/I’ve found something no one can take away.”

“I never learned to superstar from a textbook,” Doja Cat snarls towards the end of “Attention,” a song that’s all at once a boom-bap showcase, an R&B slow-burner, and a canny summary of her against-the-odds success. Those who remember Doja’s breakthrough (a viral 2018 joke song, “Mooo!”, whose DIY video had her shoving french fries in her nose in front of a homemade green screen) probably wouldn’t have predicted that a few years later, the girl in the cow suit would be a household name. But for Doja, being an internet goofball and a multiplatinum pop star aren’t just compatible, they’re complementary—a duality attuned to her audience’s craving for realness. With her fourth album, *Scarlet*, the maverick adds “formidable rapper” to her growing list of distinctions. In since-deleted tweets from April 2023, Doja made a pledge: “no more pop,” she wrote, following up with a vow to prove wrong the naysayers doubting her rap skills. *Scarlet* makes good on that promise, particularly its first half, a far cry from the sugary bops on 2021’s star-making *Planet Her*. Instead she hops between hard-edged beats that evoke NYC in ’94 or Chicago in 2012, crowing over the spoils of her mainstream success while playfully rejecting its terms. “I’m a puppet, I’m a sheep, I’m a cash cow/I’m the fastest-growing bitch on all your apps now,” she deadpans on “Demons,” thumbing her nose at anyone who conflates glowing up with selling out. And on “97,” the album’s best pure rap performance, she embraces the troll’s mantra that all clicks are good clicks, spitting, “That’s a comment, that’s a view, and that’s a rating/That’s some hating, and that’s engagement I could use.” Behind the provocations, though, is an artist with the idiosyncratic chops to back them up. That’s as true in *Scarlet*’s lusty midsection as it is on its gulliest rap tracks: No one else would interrupt a dreamy love song (“Agora Hills”) to giggle in Valley Girl vocal fry, “Sorry, just taking a sip of my root beer!” (No one, that is, but Nicki Minaj, Doja’s clearest influence, who paved the way for women who juggle art-pop with hip-hop bona fides.) As catchy as it is contrarian, *Scarlet* offers a suggestion: Maybe it’s Doja’s willingness to reject the premise of being a pop star that makes her such a compelling one. On the album’s sweetest track, “Love Life,” she takes in her view from the top—still the weirdo her fans met in a cow suit but more confident in her contradictions. “They love when I embrace my flaws/I love it when they doin’ the same,” she raps softly. “I love it when my fans love change/That’s how we change the game.”

Before *My Krazy Life* and its DJ Mustard-produced singles made YG a bona fide rap star, he was building his reputation while feeding the streets with mixtapes. Among those, 2011’s *Just Re\'d Up* and its sequel scarcely two years later all but announced the Bompton rapper as one to watch, boasting features by the likes of Big Sean, Nipsey Hussle, and Ty Dolla $ign. More than a decade later, after well over a dozen serious hits, he returns to the fan-favorite series as a highly respected veteran of the game. Divided into two stacked halves, the nearly hour-long (and newly capitalized) *JUST RE’D UP 3* flaunts everything listeners have come to expect from YG. He exudes toughness and menace on “VIOLENCE,” lowering his guard only slightly on the sexually charged “ONLY FANS.” Occasionally, he explores less expected styles via the Latin-infused flex “KNOCKA” or the Afrobeats-informed “STREET LOVE” with Tanzanian artist Diamond Platnumz, but for the most part he dips between emboldened street-level bars and unapologetically thuggin’ R&B. YG’s elevated status and the associated prestige gives him his pick of guests, a curated group that encompasses younger talents and old friends alike. He pops out with Midwest heavy hitters Tee Grizzley and G Herbo on the triumphant “MALIBU” and stays closer to home with West Coasters Larry June and Saweetie on “PUT IT IN MY HAND” and “SHE PRETTY,” respectively. Representing amid his own “Not Like Us” resurgence, Mustard adds his special seasoning to cuts like brazen opener “GO BRAZY,” flashy single “STUPID” with Lil Yachty and Babyface Ray, and the far more romantic “LOVE MAKE.” And of course, series regular Ty$ returns for a few noteworthy appearances, first on the extremely raunchy “IT’S GIVIN” and then later on the hardly subtler “RESCUE ME.”

Going three years without a new album isn’t exactly characteristic for Polo G. Beginning with 2019’s breakthrough *Die a Legend*, the Chicago rapper’s first trio of full-length efforts came at a reliably annual pace. Yet even as he racked up successes upon successes, run-ins with law enforcement disrupted his upward trajectory enough to slow his release flow. With *HOOD POET*, however, he returns to the fore with more life experience and rededicated to spitting about what he knows best. Befitting the title, he shares unflinching narratives of pain and pleasure on cuts like “Darkside” and the bombastic “God’s Favorite.” He reaffirms his drill-rap integrity with features from G Herbo and Lil Durk, who bring their long-standing street cachet to “No Recruits” and “We Uh Shoot,” respectively. Noticeably more versatile than he was five years prior, he mourns while soaring over the Southside-produced “Barely Holdin’ On.” Switching from hood parables to romantic woes, “Same Me” probes a changing relationship, with Fridayy’s echoey chorus emphasizing the depths of love lost. Later, GloRilla matches his energy on the explicit “Bad Kids” and Future relates to rising above the struggle on “Survival of the Fittest.”

One of 2020s hip-hop’s most remarkable talents, Flo Milli put the rap game on notice with “Beef FloMix” and “In the Party.” The Mobile, Alabama, artist’s savagely confident takedowns of haters and wannabes made her debut project *Ho, why is you here ?* an instantly adored standout in a crowded and expanding pool of new entrants. Her 2022 follow-up *You Still Here, Ho ?* kept up that momentum with songs like “Bed Time” and “Conceited,” signaling her pop chops to those who dared to count her out. Whether a continuation of or conclusion to the more-than-implied titular saga, *Fine Ho, Stay* serves to solidify her position as the worthy successor to a proud tradition of brash women in rap. If the explicit opener “Understand” and its bar-by-bar punchlines somehow don’t make it clear enough, Flo Milli operates on a different level than the competition. It certainly doesn’t hurt that she broke big on the charts with “Never Lose Me,” included here as a remix with SZA and Cardi B features as well as in its original solo take. The supreme energy of that big hit resonates with the similarly sleek “Can’t Stay Mad” and “Life Hack.” Working with seasoned producers like Da Honorable C.N.O.T.E. and Lex Luger, she drops post-trap anthems “New Me” and the Monaleo-backed “Neva” opposite winking Southern rap throwbacks like “Got the Juice.” The sole male guest she deigns to allow on the record, Gunna, rightfully treats her like a lady on his gentlemanly “Edible” verse.

Criminal charges and incarceration have thwarted many a rapper’s career. For 42 Dugg, ongoing issues with law enforcement over the years threatened his momentum on more than one occasion, but none worse than the 18 months he spent in a federal penitentiary at the height of his popularity. On his proper album debut, *4eva Us Neva Them*, the Detroit native finally capitalizes on the mixtapes, singles, and features that propelled him to rap stardom. The impact of imprisonment on his point of view is felt early on in this roughly hour-long effort, beginning with the defensively hardened “Win Wit Us.” On “Fresh From the Feds,” fans get a closer look at his ever-defiant attitude as he navigates relatively newfound freedom. Things get personal on the brooding and mournful “Need You,” while “My Mama” lays out life lessons and experiences that inform his enduring survivor’s principles. Even though the topics can well in dark corners, *4eva Us Neva Them* is hardly some dour affair. On “N.P.O.,” he turns up with Sexyy Red over a booming beat that reliably supports their respectively explicit lyrics. Though inherently menacing, “Catch 1” accomplishes the aims of his aggressive intentions over a rugged trap instrumental that works in the whip as well as the club. Along the way, he’s also joined by friends and frequent collaborators like EST Gee and Lil Baby, who continue to have his back on “Since When” and “No Love,” respectively. A couple of choice cosigns from more experienced street rappers feel like hip-hop coronations for Dugg as well, particularly when going back and forth with Young Jeezy on the slang-heavy “BMF.”

Where 2023’s *Love Sick* provided a means for Don Toliver to live out his funk-soul fantasies, the subsequent *HARDSTONE PSYCHO* finds him on an arena-rock-star wave. To be sure, this doesn’t at all mean the Houston rapper/singer is awash in gaudy guitar noodling or engaged in performative posturing here. Instead, he treats his chosen premise like a new state of mind, transmuting the weight and complexity of his catalog into this larger-than-life version of his artistry. So when some distinct riffs launch “BANDIT” and “TORE UP,” he effortlessly slips into the leather-jacketed cool in a manner that historically has eluded most rappers who’ve attempted such a move. Divided into four movements, *HARDSTONE PSYCHO* may mirror classic-rock indulgence in terms of overall structure, but more specifically it delivers on what fans from his *Heaven or Hell* or *Life of a DON* days desire. His voice, pliable and otherworldly, carries the muted fuzz of “KRYPTONITE,” the bleep-laden R&B of “DEEP IN THE WATER,” and the trippy trap of “4X4.” On “HARDSTONE NATIONAL ANTHEM,” he follows through on the titular promise with a showstopper that expertly reconfigures the pop-wise power ballad format. As before, Toliver’s brought a few guests along to amplify and augment himself on record. Naturally, his Cactus Jack benefactor Travis Scott makes a handful of appearances, first as a sleek spitter on “ICE AGE” and later as his crooning co-conspirator on “INSIDE.” *Love Sick* standout Charlie Wilson returns to briefly feature on the Cash Cobain collab “ATTITUDE,” its low-end rumble and inventive Pharrell callback giving considerable chills, while Future and Metro Boomin reignite their “Too Many Nights” torch for “PURPLE RAIN.”