Wiki – Papiseed Street Vol. 1

Wiki is a constant force in NYC’s underground rap scene, and now, less than a year after releasing his excellent Subjxct 5-produced album Cold Cuts, he returns with a surprise six-song EP (and its “Vol. 1” title suggests maybe more is coming). Four of its songs were produced by Juju Merk (including “Casa Del Sucio,” which finds Wiki rapping over a loop of Future’s “The Percocet & Stripper Joint”), and the other two were co-produced by Laron (fresh off helming the new Jadasea album) and Luca Beats. One of the Laron/Luca Beats tracks is with NYC rapper Niontay (fresh off releasing his debut project Dontay’s Inferno on MIKE’s 10k label) and one of the Juju Merk tracks is with Big Ouee and Papo2oo4 from NJ’s 2oo4 crew, both of whom appeared on Cold Cuts. It’s a brief release, and it doesn’t sound like Wiki overthought anything, but even something quick and dirty like this shows how reliable and unstoppable Wiki is. As soon as he opens his mouth to rap, he’s got command over whatever room he’s in.

J Hus – Beautiful and Brutal Yard

J Hus has become one of the biggest and best rappers in the UK, and he really seems like the type of artist who just puts his head down and gets to work. Since releasing his great sophomore album Big Conspiracy in January of 2020, he took a hiatus from touring (even after lockdown ended), and he only surfaced in the public eye to make one guest appearance: on Burna Boy’s 2022 album Love, Damini. Then, in May of this year, he announced his return with the explosive new single “It’s Crazy,” followed it with the Drake collab “Who Told You” in June, and then revealed that both songs would appear on his third album Beautiful and Brutal Yard, announced just two weeks before its release. From just one listen to this album, you can tell that J Hus spent his time away from the spotlight putting detail and care into this entire LP. It’s 19 songs and over an hour in length, and it covers so much ground. J Hus has been credited with helping to pioneer Afroswing–a fusion of rap, Afrobeats, dancehalll, and R&B–and that wide range of music is all over Beautiful and Brutal Yard.

Nas – Magic 2

After 2018’s Kanye-produced misstep Nasir, Nas linked up with producer Hit-Boy and recalibrated for 2020’s King’s Disease, a fresh update on the straightup boom bap that made Nas such an influential rapper three decades earlier. Nas and Hit-Boy’s collaboration turned into a very prolific run that’s now resulted in five albums in just three years, Kings Disease I, II & III and Magic 1 & 2. The latest, Magic 2, is out now, and it finds this pair sticking to their guns. Nas proves that he’s still full of hard-hitting rhymes after all these years, and Hit-Boy gives him the type of production that he’s always sounded best over. Magic 2 also gives New York rap fans a treat with “Office Hours,” the first collaboration between Nas and 50 Cent in over 20 years.

Haviah Mighty – Crying Crystals

Calling Toronto artist Haviah Mighty’s new LP Crying Crystals a “rap album” only scratches the surface of what she’s doing here. Over a backdrop that ranges from club beats to amapiano to lush art pop atmospheres to metallic trap beats, Haviah toys with a variety of rapping and singing styles as she turns a breakup into a vast concept album. “I’ve created a lot of politically-charged music, tackling concepts larger than, and outside of myself,” she said of her past work. “With this project, I went inward-leading to a huge amount of personal and internal growth over the past year. This project documents the emotional journey experienced through a long-winded and tumultuous relationship-the toxic thoughts, the moments and realities of a failing relationship-from the beginning of the end, to the end.”