The Lookback: 6 Dope Albums You Might've Missed in Q1

Look: keeping up with all the latest music is really hard. Even if it's literally your entire job. In between luminaries like A$AP Rocky and J. Cole, you there's a whole world of rap and R&B acts bubbling beneath the mainstream, and the folks that say music sucks now usually just aren't putting the effort in. But that's cool — we got you. 

Today, we take a look back at six dope albums you might have missed out on in Q1. Tap in below. 

Mozzy & EST Gee, Not a Chance in Hell'

To be exceptionally clear: Not a Chance in Hell went triple platinum on my iPhone, and I know a lot of real street rap fans rocked with this one. But discussion surrounding it still dissipated from my timeline a little too fast for my liking, so bumping this here. "Wouldn't Hold You Up" should be enough to convince you to stay for the whole thing, which doesn't stretch out too long anyway. 

Foggieraw, ‘No Due Respect’

You know? Foggieraw is probably one of the most appropriate rap names out there. Listening to his No Due Respect, I find myself sifting through a haze of subdued soul beats, with the Prince George County rapper’s lethargic delivery only thickening the mist. He’s basically always in first gear — he kinda sounds like Curren$y in slow motion — but the engine here is potent, with his ability to condescend matching the casual ease of delivery. “N—s still in highschool making jokes, it's like yo' momma/N—s still respectfully tell on you like yo' honor/Got hella hoes but still got thе same ho', I'm like Obama/I'm like Stitch, all thеse hoes wanna be my family like O'hana,” he spits on "Respectfully Decline," a track sounds exactly like its title suggests. Stylishly understated, Foggieraw is indeed … raw, and No Due Respect deserves all the respect. 

Sideshow, ‘Tigray Funk’ 

It didn’t take too many listens to Tigray Funk for me to realize Sideshow is and will continue to be a critical darling, with nimble street flows, intriguing soundscapes, and inescapable self-awareness all at the center.  He's got all the stylistic quirks and understated technical precision that  are usually the DNA of great underground stuff. While it stretches a bit long, his flow structures and introspection make it all a tight listen. But you know, don't take my word for it. Peep it for yourself below. 

Naika, ‘Eclesia’

I saw Naïka live before an interview a few months ago and I walked away a fan. Her voice is sultry and seductive, and she threads it with sonics from across Africa, France, and the Caribbean for tracks that can fit on any dance floor across the globe. And she sounds just as good live. Tracks like the festive “Bloom” and the dreamy “Message In a Bottle” are highlights, but I rock with the whole Eclesia as a whole.  

Bruiser Wolf, ‘Push & Paint’

Bruiser Wolf is one of the slipperiest wordsmiths out there, with his associative wordplay granting him the ability to make neighbors of D-Boy fly and cosmic profundity. He swirls it all together with liquid rhyme schemes and an admittedly hilarious cadence that makes him sound like a courteous, but stern customer service rep. You can find all that on Push & Paint and any of his other releases. But this one slipped a little bit past me in a hectic March. 

E L U C I D & Sebb Bash, ‘I Guess U Had to Be There’ 

Between E L U C I D’s hieroglyphic poems and Sebb Bash’s meditative production, I Guess U Had to Be There is is a soundtrack for soul searching. I got into E L U C I D through Armand Hammer some years back, but he’s dope as the solo MC, too, with his breath control and tonal inflections framing his lyrics in all the intentionality of a stage actor. Still, if you wanted to jump back to Armand Hammer land, tap in with the billy woods-assisted “The Lorax,” a track that blends their esoteric bars to maximum effect. Paired with a Sebb Bash beat that could soundtrack a dystopian Twilight Zone, it’s surrealistic underground rap at its best. Ditto for I Guess U had to Be There, an LP I … guess you just have to listen to.