BILLY WOODS – Golliwog
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BILLY WOODS – Golliwog

Indie rap isn’t dead. By bringing in his longtime producers (El-P, Ant, Preservation, Kenny Segal, The Alchemist) and rappers in his vein (Bruiser Wolf, Elucid, Cavalier), by invoking Company Flow, MF DOOM, and Antipop Consortium, and by delivering a Black, committed, and experimental form of rap, Billy Woods carries on the underground tradition of the 1990s.
GORILLA GLUE & LIL NAKUR – Russian Trap House
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GORILLA GLUE & LIL NAKUR – Russian Trap House

Long live globalization. It makes this kind of glorious absurdity possible. Trap-A-Holics-style trap music, complete with all the sounds and imagery that come with it, but cooked up by real muzhiks, by backwoods hicks from deep rural Russia rapping about saunas, and eating pancakes. And what's more, their music actually works, as if this style of rap had truly been born over there.
IDK – e.t.d.s. A Mixtape by .idk
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IDK – e.t.d.s. A Mixtape by .idk

Duality is embedded in the very meaning of IDK's stage name: his rap is both "ignorant" and "conscious." On "E.T.D.S.", however, it is the "I" that takes center stage. Its content is devilish and gangsta. Yet in reality, this faux mixtape- which takes us back to the days of DJ Whoo Kid and G-Unit - is a carefully crafted album, one that does not abandon its urge to preach a moral message.
MCKINLEY DIXON – Magic, Alive!
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MCKINLEY DIXON – Magic, Alive!

McKinley Dixon, this is artistry through and through. A jazz-infused musical framework, with real instruments weaving unpredictable flourishes. Lyrics that tell a story, play with layers of meaning, and explore major themes. Guest appearances from artists rooted in other genres, or from the same school of rap. And in the end, an album filled with standout moments and, yes, a touch of magic.
15 of the best rap albums of 2025
Posted inSelections

15 of the best rap albums of 2025

Welcome to 2025. Welcome to the postmodern era of rap. The era in which it no longer truly calls the shots or sets the cultural agenda. The era in which it has ceased to be the game changer it was for four decades. But also the era in which it remains everywhere - alive, protean, endlessly mutating, and, for those willing to venture off the beaten path, still immensely rich in satisfactions.
CEO TRAYLE – Happy Halloween 3
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CEO TRAYLE – Happy Halloween 3

Every year, CEO Trayle releases a new edition of his "Happy Halloween" series. The most important is probably that one, in 2020. The one featuring his signature track “OK Cool.” And also the one that runs counter to that breakup song, with a nihilistic, drill-inspired atmosphere, fueled by the rapper’s traumas and by this composite sound that sounds like no one but him.
MEXIKODRO – Still Goin The EP
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MEXIKODRO – Still Goin The EP

MexikoDro, the producer who, together with his Beat Plugz colleagues, created plugg, returns to his roots. Stepping up to the mic, he successfully revisits the motivational trap music of its early days. Except that after all these years, that same motivation has changed in nature: the veteran’s aspiration now is to live a sober, ordinary life, harboring no illusions about anything.
JOHN GLACIER – Like A Ribbon
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JOHN GLACIER – Like A Ribbon

This occasional model that is John Glacier has all the hallmarks of a Londoner. Her wide-ranging circle, her music infused with post-punk and electronic influences, her monotone, low-key poetry, and her doubts and uncertainties ultimately have very little to do with rap. Nevertheless, on this compilation album, her formula often proves as haunting as it is seemingly disembodied.
SWAVAY – BILLY2
Posted inRap EPs

SWAVAY – BILLY2

In 2024, the EP "Billy" was R&B for the girls. So in 2025, its successor "Billy2" brings us trap music for the boys. Nothing particularly sensational in the end from this release by Metro Boomin’s protégé and James Blake’s rapper friend. But it is an improvement nonetheless. There's some “real trap shit” there, as SwaVay himself puts it, with a few well-aimed lines that hit just right.