Brand new EP & the 1st of an ongoing 12-part series from Flint, Michigan emcee/producer Jon Connor. Someone who’s steadily been holding it down for the last 2 decades including The Calling, Vinnie Chase & S.O.S. trilogies along with the Best in the World saga paying homage to some of Jon’s influences, Salvation, While You Were Sleeping & Unconscious State. He was even signed to Aftermath Entertainment for 6 years before departing after Vehicle City wound up being shelved, coming off Food for the Soul & 24 produced by KLC of the No Limit Records in-house production team Beats by the Pound to have Smitti Boi produce I.
“Pray” opens up with a gospel sample talking about everyone around him wanting smoke because they don’t have any money & advising them to speak with God whereas “Holy Holy” goes for a trap vibe instrumentally asking the Lord to bless the child who can hold his own. “The System” takes the boom bap route admitting he didn’t think he needed to find support to keep the real alive while “Drowning in Chaos” featuring Jarren Benton finds the 2 talking about mental stress.
Emilio Rojas & MRK SX join Jon on “Hello from Miami” starting the 2nd half soulfully asking the bartender to not treat them like beginners when both of them have been catching Ws of their own for over a decade just before “Live Your Truth” passionately thanks the Man above for all the lessons He gave him during his younger days. “The People’s Anthem” winds down I’s final minutes talking about doing this music shit for the youth & the closer wishes everyone a “Happy New Year”, wishing prosperity & growth to his loved ones.
At the release party for Foul Mouth’s solo debut Everybody Goes Crazy Once a couple months ago, Jon Connor had told me roughly a half hour prior to his set he would be releasing a new project every month over over the course of 2026 & I marks an exciting beginning to the rest of this series we’re gonna watch play out until next winter. Smitti Boi’s production needless to say distances itself from the dirty south sounds of 24’s & the subject matter’s more spiritual than that previous LP’s was the previous summer.
Atlanta, Georgia recording artist Hardrock resolving his ongoing label issues with his 8th extended play. Getting his start over in 2021 off his debut EP Y.N.S. (Young N***a Shit), he would continue to build up anticipation by delivering 5 more EPs ahead of the commercial debut LP Next! & the breakout sophomore effort 808 Speaker Knockerz. The latter of which contains some of his best tracks to date like “H.Y.L.M.N.? (How You Like Me Now)”, “Madonna”, “New WRLD” & “Luigi Mansion”. 1of1 matched the caliber of it’s predecessor, his Victor Victor Worldwide/Republic Records debut My Gift to You was a solid prelude to Slimyfella despite the latter dividing fans last summer & he’s ready to go Off the Planet.
“UFO” begins with a playful plugg intro talking about shooting down clowns like they’re doors & giving 0 fucks whereas “Mayday” produced by Cade atmospherically discusses him bossing up & getting a raise financially. “Money Dance” gives off a range-inducing vibe figuring out how much he can stack up inside his bag while “Hndrxx” goes back to a pluggier vibe staying dripped no matter what. “Lurkin’” cloudily speaks of his lifestyle once again & the hypertrap-tinged “Diditagain” concludes Off the Planet talking about fucking up the spot.
It’s hard to tell whether or not Hardrock’s planning to drop a new album later on in 2026, but what I can say is that I enjoyed Off the Planet a bit more than Slimyfella almost 8 months ago. I can’t make any complaints regarding the production or his performances, although I give him all the props in the world for not overloading the backend of it with filler like he did the previous summer & it makes me confident his next LP won’t make that same mistake whenever he’s ready to put it out.
J Reno is a 39 year old MC/producer from Windsor, Ontario, Canada introducing himself over 2 decades ago off his debut mixtape Ground 0 as well as the full-length debut Unleashed & the sophomore effort The Lunatic’s Back. He would follow it up with 6 more albums preceding Crossworm signing him to Dirtcore Music: Lost in the Dark, Politikilla, Into the Fire, Welcome Home, Blood, Guts & Boom Bap and Me & My Demons. Coming off Misery Coast’s eponymous debut EP this previous Hallowicked weekend, he’s making his official debut under Dirtcore with the inaugural entry of The Dirttape trilogy.
After the “Meet the Maker” intro, the self-produced “Exhumed” begins with an eerie boom bap opener talking about this whole saga of tapes coming with a curse whereas “Kill Flow 2” works in some strings & pianos for a sequel to one of the finishing moments off Lost in the Dark. “In the Ring” featuring Sleep Lyrical embraces the darker vibes even further talking about being undefeated for a reason while “The Juice” shrugs off him receiving hate because he’s got motion when they don’t.
“City of Fiends” talks about a once promising town shaping into it’s current form inhabited by zombies while “Should’ve Been” hints at him committing crimes instead of having a music career because we’re pitiful slaves to the rich. “NBT4LYFE” featuring Krimmy Van Skull decently combines boom bap & horrorcore lyricism despite Krimmy’s verse being alright to me personally while “Kill at Will” talks about acquiring a set of skills throughout the course of time that allow him to murder anyone at anytime.
After the “Voicemail” skit, “FU” contains what could most likely be my favorite beat here sounding like some 90s east coast shit explaining that rappers & their opinions are the only 2 things in the underground that haven’t changed at all while “Stand on Biz” featuring Bukshot finds the pair warning those who don’t take responsibility for themselves they’ll take everything plus interest. “What You Fighting For” goes full-blown rap rock talking about oligarchy prior to him discussing the kind of people who don’t know what it’s like to be “The Man”.
Shaping up to be the most ambitious body of work in J Reno’s solo discography with almost 26 more tracks spread across The Dirttape & assuming the next couple installments are gonna divide those songs, the beginning of this new era in his career makes some major improvements over Me & My Demons almost a couple years ago and it’s a great way for Dirtcore Music to kick off 2026 wiping a clean slate after a difficult 12 months. The production’s mostly boom bap centered other than a couple hints of rap rock & trap, there are fewer guests & the lyrics conceptually introduces us to a character named the Tape Keeper.
Here we have the 3rd EP from up-&-coming Philadelphia, Pennsylvania rapper & producer of Nigerian descent iyrus. Emerging in the summer of 2024 after doing an On the Radar freestyle, he would later introduce himself more properly last spring off his debut EP Resurgence & followed it up 8 months afterwards with his previous EP I. A couple months later, he’s looking to continue where he left off less than a couple weeks from Thanksgiving, the east coast trap rapper looks to pick up right where he left off preluding a debut album with II.
“2hollis” is a rage-inducing intro talking about tucking a switch inside his jeans similarly to the Chicago underground sensation of the same name whereas “Everyday” thunderously flexes that he runs up bags on a daily basis. The self-produced “I Luv Botched Bodies” talks about stealing women so he can get his rocks off & after the hypertrap-tinged “Butt Naked Nasty” continues to address themes of lust, “Lead da Way” reaches the halfway point cashing checks at Dolce & Gabbana.
Continuing the 2nd leg of II, the song “S.I.S.” (See I’m Saying)” energetically talks about making waves as well as changing the game while “Habibi” shits all over DDG & Blueface’s latest single they dropped the weekend earlier. “Das Strange” has a pluggier atmosphere to it trying to figure out how many bitches he could fit inside his Range Rover just before the closer “Erd Tee” talks about dressing a woman he’s known since childhood who sees the vision now that both of them have grown up.
So far throughout this whole trilogy of extended plays, II expands beyond the predecessor 8 week ago & it wouldn’t surprise me if iyrus was eventually signed to Lil Uzi Vert’s newly founded Cor(e) imprint soon as he gains enough traction within the next year or so. The trap, rage, plugg & cloud rap production’s starting to become increasingly more detailed & he makes his best case so far in terms of why he should be mentioned amongst the greatest to come from the City of Brotherly Love.
Harlem, New York rapper, songwriter, actor, producer, model & fashion designer A$AP Rocky returning to music after 8 long years. A prominent member of the A$AP Mob, his only mixtape LIVE.LOVE.A$AP is one of the greatest tapes of the previous decade & his debut album LONG.LIVE.A$AP under RCA Records came during my sophomore year of high school to further acclaim.The sophomore effort AT.LONG.LAST.A$AP came the week of my high school graduation was highly praised too, going for an experimental direction with Testing & has finally dropped Don’t Be Dumb after starting a family with Rihanna.
“Order of Protection” begins Flacko Season with a self-produced drumless loop with some hi-hats incorporated at the halfway point talking about being back in his bag whereas the 2nd & final single “Helicopter$” goes for a Memphis vibe instrumentally homaging the Petey Pablo single “Raise Up”. After the “Interrogation” skit, “Stole Ya Flow” blends industrial hip hop & trap speculated to be a jab at Drake when he said in a recent interview that isn’t the case leading into the pop rap/R&B fusion “Stay Here 4 Life” featuring & produced by Brent Faiyaz with co-production from Hit-Boy.
Cardo & Thundercat jump behind the boards for the cloudy trap highlight “Playa” advising not to stare when the diamonds be goin’ on & teaching others how to ball just before the hypnotic “No Trespassing” that Take a Daytrip cooked up suggests he might move out to Texas & shut down anyone who enters his property without permission. “Stop Snitching” featuring Sauce Walka samples “Give This Love a Try” by Leroy Hutson talking about going through it all from the start while “STFU” featuring the Slay Squad gives off an electro vibe to the beat sending a message to those who don’t know when to shut up.
“Punk Rocky” combines post-punk revival, neo-psychedelia, psychedelic pop, indie surf, dream pop & rap rock alongside Ging pleading for him not to be left heartbroken while “Air Force (Black DeMarco)” talks about driving a Ferrari like it’s stolen. Can’t deny Digital Nas or Digital Nazi made one of the album’s craziest instrumentals alongside T-Minus during the jazzy “Whiskey (Release Me)” putting Digital Nazi’s ragebaiting & Twitter trolling aside trying to get high as possible while “Robbery” featuring Doechii references WWE Hall of Famer Mr. T continuing to carry over the jazz elements.
The title track embraces a happier atmosphere singing that he’d do anything to stay in Rihanna’s good graces prior to “Trip Baby” shaking it up with a chipmunk soul sample courtesy of Harry Fraud warning that anyone who fucks around near him will get clicked. “The End” featuring Jessica Pratt & will.i.am flips both “The Rip” by Portishead & “Ebony Glass” by Nancy Priddy drumlessly envisioning the apocalypse while “SWAT Team” talks about the Mob being rich thieves over a horror-inspired trap beat.
“Fish n Steak (What it Is)” by WANG$AP hooks up a prominent flute from Beat Butcha so they can speak of slowing the world down from the 713 to the 718 while “Sundress” starts the deluxe run after “Flackito Jodye” combines his most 2 prominent aliases having Danger Mouse sampling “Why Won’t You Make Up Your Mind?” by Tame Impala telling his ex she flat out fell in the wrong hands. “Babushka Boi” meshes Memphis rap & drift phonk for a song written about an experience where he had his face cut while “D.M.B. (Dat’$ Mah B!*$H)” talks about his love for drugs & women having both Skepta & Shlohmo helping him achieve a cloudy sound.
Outside the context of it opening the Need for Speed: Unbound soundtrack, “Shittin’ Me” directly asks why some would throw him under the bus when then they have no dirt on him whatsoever while the neo-psychedelically conscious “Same Problems?” remembers a number of artists who’ve passed away. Pharrell & Tyler, The Creator provide “Riot (Rowdy Pipe’n)” a lot of cloudy trap energy referencing the late WWE Hall of Famer, former WWE Intercontinental Champion, 3-time WWE United States Champion, WWE Tag Team Champion & 2-time WCW World Television Champion “Rowdy” Roddy Piper.
“Highjack” featuring Jessica Pratt collides cloud rap, trap, Memphis rap, neo-psychedelia, alternative R&B & neo-soul for a jab at Drake while “Tailor Swif” contains secondary influences of plugg talking about his agility. “Ruby Rosary” featuring J. Cole meshes jazz rap, cloud rap, drumless & illbient thanks to The Alchemist discussing their current artistic positions while DJ Dahi & James Blake sample “Time” by Hans Zimmer on the final bonus track “pray4dagang”tackling introspective subjects.
Testing nearly a decade later still contains some of my favorite A$AP Rocky tracks “Praise the Lord (Da Shine)” & “Gunz n Butter”, but Don’t Be Dumb marks a celebratory comeback I’d have to put above it’s 2018 predecessor. The predominantly experimental trap production occasionally sprinkles hints of cloud rap, Memphis rap, neo-psychedelia, drumless, industrial hip hop, pop rap, R&B, post-punk revival, psychedelic pop, indie surf, dream pop, rap rock & chipmunk soul throughout the hour portraying the man he’s become whilst dissecting 6 different alter egos of his.
Here we have the 19th proper solo album from Ghanan emcee Recognize Ali. This guy has been a dominant force in the underground from his vast discography of LPs, mixtapes & EPs within the last decade or so to the stellar feature performances that he’s provided for numerous artists. Some standouts in his ever-growing catalog to me personally include the Giallo Point-produced Back 2 Mecca, the Stu Bangas-produced Guerrilla Dynasty trilogy & the Bronze Nazareth-produced Season of the 7 to only name a few. Coming off Back to M3cca this fall, DJ D-Styles has been brought in to fully produce All Shall Perish.
“Realest” comes out the gate with this gritty boom bap opener advising that it wouldn’t be clever to go to war with him whereas “Killing Birds” featuring Bub Styles eerily talks about shattering dreams emptying full clip magazines at their opps. “Perpetual Stew” maintains a hardcore boom bap vibe reminding the world he’s been that dude with the repertoire that says it all while “Give ‘Em Hell” blends some pianos & saxophones with kicks & snares warning one could get murked for crossing him.
Boob Bronx & Chubs join Ali on the title track boasting that everything they touch becomes monumental leading into “Bad Mon” talking about not fucking around because of the size of his stick & the possibility of lives being lost. “Soft Ones” featuring Sage Infinite finds the 2 speaking of loading up when it’s war time & after taking a moment to talk about how “Sometimes the Predator is the Prey”, the final song “Real Recognize” wraps up All Shall Perish issuing a statement demanding his authenticity gets acknowledged.
Guerilla Dynasty III was a great conclusion to an outstanding trilogy & I thought Back to M3cca was cool although I didn’t enjoy it as much. All Shall Perish on the other hand improves from it’s predecessor a few months earlier & it’s easily Recognize Ali’s best solo effort in a while. The guest list can be 50/50, but DJ D-Styles’ production representing the signature Beat Junkie Sound & the Greenfield Music founder’s penmanship combined outweighs what very few criticisms I have towards it.
Brand new LP & the 7th altogether from Charlotte, North Carolina recording artist BigBabyGucci. Starting almost a decade ago off his debut EP ART HOE Collection, he would continue to build a name for himself by putting out 19 more EPs as well as 6 full-lengths & his last couple tapes along the way. When U Wake Up, When You Go to Sleep, Baby 5 & the heavily alternative ANTI have all become his strongest material of the 2020s although I can’t the same for Isolation 2.5 a month after the latter. Internet Explorer was a fun redemption for himself & 5 months later, following up And When I’m Alone a couple months ago supplying a dose of Serotonin.
“The Biggest Opp” starts off with a synth-trap instrumental talking about making it to the top of an enemies list for being what they aspire of becoming whereas “Crew Love” goes for a funkier vibe asking his lover what she wants to do. “Waymo” continues to embrace a futuristic trap vibe talking about righting all of his wrongs leading into “Hate Me So Bad” taking inspiration from synth-funk a bit trying to figure why some hold resentment towards him.
Internet Money Records in-house producer Nico Baran co-produces “Molasses” getting back in his mode addressing a sweet talker who he deems to be slow just before “Pay 4 Love” atmospherically tells his lover he’s hoping they can take off together. “Upside Down” has a more playful tone to it talking about knowing what this bad bitch who came across his path needs while “Broke as Fuck” tropically boasts his chains come in all different colors similarly to a box of crayons.
“Heartbreak Hotel” kicks off the final act of Serotonin asking if it’s a problem that he likes to get high daily & whipping up a pot soon as he gets out of bed at the crack of dawn while “Fall Out” stylistically feels like a cross between Graduation and 808s & Heartbreak flexing that he’ll pull up with all the swag. “Soul Cry” finishes by continuing to take inspiration from those previously mentioned albums seeing his future in the distance whenever he goes to sleep at night.
Continuing to hold off a little longer until House of Mirrors or Soda & Syrup 2 and now Dopamine arrive, BigBabyGucci further capitalizes on the success of And When I’m Alone hitting the studio again for nearly a dozen new songs of audio Serotonin clocking at almost a half hour marking the beginning of what’s looking like a stronger year for him. The production’s a lot more synth-based than some of his recent output & maintains the hunger he had a couple months ago, complimenting the sound with fun pop rap performances.
Hollywood, California rapper & entrepreneur Wakko the Kidd making his full-length studio debut. Introducing himself in the summer of 2018 off his debut single “Multiple Racks”, he would go on to launch his own strain of cannabis called Airheadz a year later. However in the summer of 2024, the Insane Clown Posse signed him to Psychopathic Records & has performed at many of their events like the Gathering of the Juggalos or Hallowicked. To get the hatchet’s 2026 going, he’s ready to finally drop In Airheadz We Trust days away from JCW Lunacy head writer Vince Russo crowning Facade of The Neon Blondes & Ken Anderson as the new JCW American Champion & JCW World Juggalo Heavyweight Champion respectively.
“Back n Forth” featuring Rio da Yung O.G. begins with a Detroit trap instrumental talking about wasting no time with broke bitches whereas “Bury a Body” featuring Ouija Macc finds the 2 teaming up for a more standard trap vibe offering to show listeners how to dispose corpses. “What’s That!?” featuring Baby Kia blends some synths hi-has boasting their freshness just before “Bloodbath” featuring Violent J talks about getting cash soon as they wake up.
Derez De’Shon joins Wakko on “How Many Times?” cloudily advising people that this is their chance to do their dance leading into “Fake Love” featuring Doobie combining trap & rock so they can talk about people pretending to support them when that isn’t the case in reality. “Cherry Cola” featuring RMC Mike returns to the Detroit sound speaking of doing better things in life like focusing towards their music careers while “Goin’ Crazy” featuring Peewee Longway sees the pair talking about their successes.
The song “Back It Up” featuring Icewear Vezzo & Soulja Boy kicks off the last leg of In Airheadz We Trust incorporating some 808s & bells for a single appealing to the strip clubs while “Death Wish” featuring Shaggy 2 Dope & produced by Mythic Mindz tells everyone who’ve been praying for their demise that they could end up on the 11:00 news. “Outta My Mind” featuring Layzie Bone wraps up Wakko’s debut with a cloudy trap crossover talking about smoking weed & the only song without a guest “Swing the Hatchet” shows his loyalty to Psychopathic.
I got to meet this guy a couple months ago at Hallowicked & some of the singles we got building towards In Airheadz We Trust gave me a better understanding as to why ICP signed him to Psychopathic, but Wakko the Kidd much like Ouija is stylistically different compared to a lot of the artist the label that runs beneath the streets has signed previously. A lot of the production is catered to the Detroit sound & although I don’t mind most of the guests, I feel like there are more of them then there needed to be.
Manhattan, New York singer/songwriter & multi-instrumentalist Will Epstein is back for his 3rd solo LP to get 2026 rolling. Known for being 1/2 of the indie pop duo High Water, he would go on to sign with Fat Possum Records & make his own full-length debut with Whims in the fall of 2022 to moderate reception with the sophomore effort Wendy following a few months later to mild feedback as well. Yeah, mostly however had me hoping Will would outdo himself musically based off a couple teasers within the last few months.
“Saturday Night” begins with this Americana intro singing about fireflies shining bright during the dark evenings of the weekend whereas “Brideshead Revisited Revisited” goes for an indie rock direction stylistically homaging the Evelyn Waugh novel Brideshead Revisited: The Sacred & Profane Memories of Captain Charles Ryder. “Dishwasher” gives off a slower vibe singing about feeling at peace when he’s washing dishes leading into the piano-driven “Riverside” confesses this person in his life feels a lot closer than previously.
Moving on from there, “Socks in LA” gets back to an indie rock sound singing about only sleeping in his socks whenever he’s in the west coast due to the constantly warm weather just before “That’ll Be Me” has a sadder mood altogether recalling his grandmother Sherrie passing away & a friend named Max losing his home in the wildfires around this time 52 weeks ago. “Little Tony Soprano” references the main character from one of my top 3 favorite shows of all-time The Sopranosmaintaining the indie rock elements while “Window Window Window” blissfully advises to stop looking for kisses & fixes.
“Dimmer Switch” starts the last leg of Yeah, mostly embracing a smoother approach singing about him being unable to control how much this person means to Will while “Standing at My Standing Desk” asking himself whether he’ll be a father or bail out as well as getting caught between the past & the future. “Lauren Bacall” wraps up the album giving his flowers to the actress who was amongst of the last surviving stars from Hollywood’s golden age era hooking up some meditative piano chords behind him.
Yeah, mostly comes across being a lot more personal & self-assured Will Epstein has ever sounded compared to both of it’s moderately received predecessors looking at different facets of the singer/songwriter that emerge throughout the course of a single day. Tough to say whether or not it’ll be amongst my favorite albums of 2026 next winter, but it’s a worthy indie rock offering with secondary influences of Americana & singer/songwriter to get the year going containing stronger songwriting than Whims & Wendy’s combined.
Waterloo, New South Wales, Australia rapper & singer/songwriter The Kid Laroi beginning 2026 with his sophomore effort. Emerging as a protege of the late Juice WRLD, he subsequently signed to Grade A Productions & Interscope Records up until his debut mixtape Fuck Love received mixed-to-negative reviews including 3 separate reissues. His debut album The 1st Time under Columbia Records was only a slightly better product, returning 26 months later to drop Before I Forgetin the midst of him coming out of a relationship.
“Me + You” decently samples “Tell Your Friends” by The Weeknd singing about Findlay McConnell wanting to fight him when he always thought they were friends whereas “July” goes for an alternative R&B vibe recalling him & Tate McRae breaking up 6 months earlier. “Private” asks himself whether he & Tate had moved too fast or if they let everyone in on what they had leading into the trap soul-flavored “Come Down” produced by FNZ singing about wanting to be with his ex.
Lithe joins Laroi on “Rather Be” continuing to delve deeper regarding his breakup with Tate McRae while the 2nd single “A Perfect World” combines sophisti-pop, contemporary R&B, soft rock & vaporwave whining about him & Tate being together in an alternate universe where they had resolved their issues. “5:21AM” acoustically yearns to be the man she wishes he would be while the lead single “A Cold Play” responds “Tit for Tat” blending alternative R&B, alt-pop, trap soul, Memphis rap & cloud rap.
“The Moment” continues the 2nd half of Before I Forget singing about waiting for the day he & Tate’s spirits are safe from the public eye while “Never Came Back” hooks up some acoustics confessing there was a point where he couldn’t sleep because of her leaving him, taking weeks for him to be at peace with the breakup. “Thank God” leans towards an alt-pop sound dismissing the possibility of loving his next girlfriend the way he loved Tate while “I’m So in Love with You” sings about him still having feelings towards her, being the only thing that he sees since last summer.
We have have The Kid Laroi taking a moment on the piano-driven “Maybe I’m Wrong” responding to “Trying on Shoes” by confessing that he lost the series of singles he & Tate had put out attacking one another while “Her” doesn’t feel like an interlude at all, pleasing for Tate to take him back because the shape of her’s still carved in his heart. The 3rd & final single “Back When You Were Mine” wraps up the LP in the form of this moderate contemporary R&B, pop & soft rock outro hoping she doesn’t take it the wrong way since it was conceived when they were still dating.
Does anybody remember when Robin Thicke dedicated his 6th album Paula & his last under Star Trak Entertainment to saving his initial marriage with Paula Patton only for her to divorce him a year later? That’s kinda what The Kid Laroi does with Before I Forget except he was never married to Tate McRae & it actually has some occasionally enjoyable moments than Paula. The production’s more focused around contemporary R&B than The 1st Time with lesser influences of alternative R&B as well as trap soul & alt-pop which is merely passable, I just think the themes get tiring after a certain point.
Legends Will Never Die 