Thought It Was A Drought

Kodak Black – Institution

South Florida’s Kodak Black is a rapper in high demand. Still just 19, he already has two excellent tapes to his name, while his latest, Institution, is another bold statement. It has 24 songs, not a single feature and, in what is quickly becoming tradition, he released it at the turn of the calendar year. Christmas Day, in fact.

Kodak is right to be bold. As a regional anomaly whose biggest strength is his authenticity, cameos would only dilute his offering. His nearest kin is Boosie, despite being more than a decade and hundreds of miles removed, and you feel he’s destined to reach a similarly dedicated niche. The success of sleeper hits No Flockin’ and SKRT were largely organic (save from a co-sign from Toronto’s most famous vampire) and Institution could have several more in waiting. Gospel and Back On My Feet are the frontrunners, but new favourites emerge with each listen.

Fat Tony – MacGregor Park

Fresh fades, bottles of Mad Dog and a plate full of Frenchy’s chicken, Fat Tony is just looking for a Sunday fun day on MacGregor Park. The Houston rapper paints a sweet picture of teenage years spent at his favourite grassy hangout, complete with dice games, girls and inevitable run-ins with Third Ward thugs and the five-0. Still, it’s all lovingly remembered with misty-eyed nostalgia, mapped out over three nimble verses and a breezy, singalong hook to carry the thing home. This is a simple song, but it really works – tinged with just the slightest dose of melancholy for summers gone by. Watch out for Bun B and Maxo Kream cameos in the video too.

Boosie Badazz - In My Feelings. (Goin’ Thru It)

Boosie has famously stared death in the eyes before. Now, less than two years after his release from Louisiana State Penitentiary, he’s facing a battle with kidney cancer. The Baton Rouge icon underwent successful surgery late last year, and on the 10-song In My Feelings he puts his scars to music.

While freedom mixtape Life After Deathrow wore its pain on both sleeves, it also had moments of triumph and hope. This time around the songs reach bleaker conclusions and Boosie has never sounded quite so bruised. He looks to the heavens when describing his recent experience on Cancer, while on Warning Signs he’s left feeling hopeless, imparting his mother’s advice: “Don’t put your faith in man, they will fail you every time.” Then there’s the final song I Know They Gone Miss Me, on which he leads his own funeral march dedicated to fans and family (“I’m gone now, that’s seven kids with three and a half hearts”). These are intensely sad and beautiful songs, I just wish we didn’t have to hear them.

Dreezy – From Now On

In 2014, Dreezy reclaimed Chiraq, outrapping a fired-up Nicki Minaj with a remix that stood tallest from the many versions out of Chicago. On her latest EP From Now On she’s making friends elsewhere, connecting with Detroit’s Dej Loaf and Atlanta producers Southside and Metro Boomin.

While the two capitals of American street rap are self-sustainable, the lines between Chicago drill and Atlanta trap do sometimes meet. Dreezy effortlessly navigates the divide, attacking the beats on Nonstop and Money Printer with the same intensity as she did Chiraq. Lead single ‘Serena’ drops the tempo but is no less seductive, as Dreezy and Dej produce an effective rally over snake charmer synths. Unless somebody drops the ball, this should be a big year for both women.

Pusha T – King Push – Darkest Before Dawn: The Prelude

As newly elected President of G.O.O.D. Music, Pusha T will release his long awaited King Push album later this year. You might call Darkest Before Dawn his inauguration.

Five years into his solo career, post-Clipse Pusha sounds like an artist finally in control. He knows his strengths and how his music should sound, meaning there are fewer concessions and more of the minimal and menacing beats he thrives on. The problem is his delivery, though still the cleverest guy in nine out of ten rooms, he raps more deliberately now, emphasizing certain syllables and wordplay as if to show his working. This can distract from the songs themselves, although his best lyrics still frequently hit.

The second act of Pusha’s career mightn’t be as loveable as the first, but it’s not for lack of skill. Darkest Before Dawn is impressive throughout, just don’t stick it on at a party.

Katie Got Bandz – Drillary Clinton 3 / Angels (freestyle)

From president to presidential candidate, Drillary Clinton returns for a third instalment via Chicago’s Katie Got Bandz.

Drill has been through several mutations since it blew up in 2011, but it’s rarely sounded this joyful. Although still connected to the bleak, sometimes nihilistic songs that typified the movement’s early hits, Katie’s excitement levels never fall below a nine. Even when the songs are angry, as most of them are, she launches into verses like she’s arrived late to the studio and is paying by the minute.

Alongside curveballs like the reggae-infused Lick Off Dem Head and Jeremih-featuring ‘Make Me Rich’, the best song isn’t actually on the tape. A loose freestyle over Chance the Rapper’s Angels is anything but throwaway, demanding answers over the police killing of Chicago teen Laquan McDonald (“Fuck you mean they shot him 16 times?”), before reflecting on missed youths, violence and feelings of futility in her city. Vote for Katie.