Released on May 2, 2025,
via Paper Route Empire and Republic Records.

Distributed by Republic Records, a division of Universal, Key Glock’s latest album is his first for a major label. So this is serious business. And as sometimes happens when a rapper aims for the top, he places himself under the tutelage of 2Pac. Glockaveli is indeed the title of this release, with The Don as its expanded reissue, and All Eyez On Key as a double version. The cover borrows the Christ-like imagery from The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory. And its release, which was repeatedly delayed, had initially been scheduled for September 13, 2024 – the anniversary of the legend’s death.

Aside from these ambitious references to 2Pac, however, no real milestone has been reached. Glockaveli sticks to the usual formula. The only notable change is the absence of BandPlay, Paper Route Empire’s in-house producer, replaced by King Wonka, with occasional contributions from Tay Keith and DJ Paul. There are also a few played-out samples: Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” on the track of the same name, Bobby Hebb’s “Sunny” on “Sunny Dayz,” and Willy Hutch’s “Tell Me Why Our Love Has Turned Cold” on “Blue Devil.” The latter immediately recalls Three 6 Mafia’s major hit “Stay Fly.” Along with a few others drawn from the catalogs of Curtis Mayfield and Erykah Badu, these samples help root the artist’s trap music in his hometown of Memphis, giving it a distinctly soulful flavor.

These are the only notable elements. Otherwise, nothing has changed for Glizock. You shouldn’t expect much variation or compromise from him. There are no guest features on Glockaveli, either. Over heavy basslines and laid-back but high-quality beats (“Glockaveli,” “No Sweat,” “The Grinch,” “Sunny Dayz,” “Papercutz,” and the smooth “World Is Ourz,” with its faint Californian vibe, are all outstanding), the rapper continues to lay out his work-hard hustler ethic – putting money above pleasure and never straying from the path once set by the boss:

I’ma go and get the money,
Just like Dolph told me to.

So be it. Following the success of Glockoma 2, his previous album, Key Glock shows with Glockaveli that he has managed to fill Young Dolph’s big shoes – and keep Paper Route Empire at the forefront of the rap game for another decade.