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 a few days after Jetset Rodeo became the new AEW World Trios Champions.
“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.
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 weeks 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.
Hartford, Connecticut emcee Fuego Base kicking off 2026 with his 3rd extended play. Getting his start a few years ago off his debut EP Tell My Momma Imma Rapper, he would continue to build up his catalog by going on to drop another EP called Tell My Momma Imma Rapper Still & the Say Dat mixtape trilogy prior to Buffalo’s very own Benny the Butcher signed Fuego to Black Soprano Family Records. However, the Biggest Since Camby wants to Tell My Momma I’m Still a Rapper hours away from ジュリア becoming a 2-time WWE Women’s United States Champion.
“I’m Still a Rapper” begins with a symphonically hardcore instrumental asking why he isn’t considered to be amongst people’s favorites whereas the trap-inflicted “Wish ‘Em Well” sends a message to anyone who hates him. “Another One” goes for a boom bap vibe talking about grinding all winter while the rap rock flavored “Doctorate” speaking of dealing with itchy fiends. “Black Sopranos” featuring Brillo & produced by Swizz Beatz finds the 2 decently repping B$F while “She Wanna” ends in the form of this soulful boom bap crossover themed around love.
It’ll already be 3 whole years since Fuego Base became the Biggest Since Camby in April & coming off Say Dat 4: Proof of What God Do a couple months ago, he continues another series of projects that he started prior to him getting his label deal & Tell My Momma I’m Still a Rapper gets ready for a sophomore effort. There are much lesser guest appearances compared to that previously mentioned tape, but the production & Fuego handling almost all the vocal performances are enough to make for some exciting moments to hold fans off until the next album.
Celebrate New Year’s Eve with the 11th EP from Belleville, New Jersey emcee/producer Action Figure 973. For a while at this point, his first couple mixtapes followed by his last 10 EPs & the full-length debut DOOM Was Right almost 8 months ago giving flowers to one of my all-time personal favorite albums Madvillainy have each established himself as a promisingly skilled luchador who so happens to rap. The Most Interesting Man in the World got with Machacha for his sophomore effort in October, coming off last week’s Lucha Libre for the Soul sequel Lucha Libra for Christmas to air out some Luchador Body Odor.
The title track after the “Vaginal Monologue” intro begins with a drumlessly jazzy opener referencing 3-time WWE women’s world champions & WWE Hall of Famers The Bella Twins alongside the late former WWE United States Champion & 2-time WWE tag team champion Chris Kanyon whereas “Gorgeous Gino” featuring Apito Goiez works in a bare chipmunk soul sample honoring the late WCCW performer Gino Hernandez & includes a bar referring to WWE Hall of Famer Jimmy Hart during Act-Lo’s verse.
“Cashmere Coat” soulfully homages the late 3-time NWA World’s Heavyweight Champion, NWA National Heavyweight Champion, WWE Hall of Famer, WWE United States Champion, 2-time WCW World Tag Team Champion & 3-time WCW World Television Champion Dusty Rhodes and the oldest AEW World Tag Team Champion, former 2-time NWA World’s Heavyweight Champion, TNA Hall of Famer, 4-time TNA World Champion, TNA World Tag Team Champion, 8-time WCW world champion, WCW World Television Champion, 3-time WCW World Tag Team Champion, WWE Hall of Famer & 2-time WWE United States Champion Sting.
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA)’s flagship program iMPACT! set to make it’s amc debut in a couple weeks gets shouted out near the end of “Veteran’s Locker Room” talking about only a select few having the capability of making waves while “Le Lutteur Et La Rose” featuring Ali De Leon references the late WWE Hall of Famer, former WWE Women’s Champion & 2-time WWE Intercontinental Champion Chyna as well as WWE Hall of Famer, former 3-time WWE Women’s Champion & WWE Cruiserweight Champion Alundra Blayze and the late WWE Hall of Famer, former WWE Champion, 2-time WWE United States Champion, 2-time WWE Intercontinental Champion, 4-time WWE Tag Team Champion, 2-time WWE Cruiserweight Champion, 2-time ECW World Television Champion & AAA Mundial Parejas Campeon Eddie Guerrero.
“Lorenzo Castro” carries over the drumless chipmunk soul vibes speaking of him feeling like 2-time WWE Hall of Famer, former 6-time WWE Champion, 2-time WWE Intercontinental Champion, 2-time WWE United States Champion, 5-time WWE Tag Team Champion & NWA World Tag Team Champion Stone Cold Steve Austin on top of wanting to sell out MSG like the late 3-time NWA National Heavyweight Champion, WCW World Television Champion, 3-time WCW World Tag Team Champion & WWE Hall of Famer Paul Orndorff did while “Sinner’s Prayer” featuring Tree Mason acknowledges the disgraced former IWGPジュニアヘビー級チャンピオン, 2-time WWE world champion, 4-time WWE Intercontinental Champion, 5-time WWE United States Champion, 7-time WWE tag team champion & 3-time WCW World Television Champion Chris Benoit.
Former 10-time WWE world champion & UFC Heavyweight Champion in both TKO Group Holdings divisions & former IWGPヘビー級チャンピオン Brock Lesnar gets referenced right at the beginning of the chipmunk soul outro “All Gas No Breaks” as does his wife in former WWE Women’s Champion Sable followed by the oldest WWE Speed Champion & former 4-time WWE tag team champion Chad Gable and former DEFY Tag Team Champion, HoG Heavyweight Champion, the longest reigning MLW World Heavyweight Champion, MLW National Openweight Champion, WWE United States Champion & WWE Tag Team Champion Jacob Fatu. Can’t forget the nod to 2-time WWE Hall of Famer, former 16-time WWE world champion, WWE Intercontinental Champion, 6-time WWE United States Champion, 6-time WWE tag team champion & 9-time NWA World’s Heavyweight Champion Ric Flair either.
The current 新日本プロレス President, former 8-time IWGPヘビー級チャンピオン, 2-time IWGPインターコンチネンタルチャンピオン, 3-time IWGP USヘビー級チャンピオン, 新日本プロレス世界TVチャンピオン, 3-time IWGPタッグチャンピオン, NEVER無差別級チャンピオン, NEVER無差別級6人タッグチャンピオン, GHCタッグチャンピオン, CMLL Mundial Parejas Campeon, CMLL Mundial Trios Campeon & RPW British Heavyweight Champion 棚橋弘至 being retired by the current AEW International Champion オカダ・カズチカ at Wrestle Kingdom 20 is one of my most anticipated bouts this weekend along with the current IWGPヘビー級チャンピオン 竹下 幸之介 facing the current IWGPグローバルなヘビー級チャンピオン 辻 陽太. In preparation, Action Figure 973 surprises us with an EP’s worth of tracks filled with decent guests & witty lyricism accompanied by slickly soulful production.
Here is the 16th EP from Athens, Georgia up-&-comer Babystaydown. Someone who’s had over a dozen extended plays under his belt already including PL Top Recruits, 1,350, Drugz Sex & Money and it’s sequel, 17, Genesis, his Cegular Records/Sony Music debut Hate da Way Um Livin, Saint, Pain Before Pleasure, Chief 13, Aimai, I.L.M.F. (I Love My Friends), ##Kool ##Kat & the Lost Files duology. However, his full-length debut Born Anew this spring maintained the same level as all 8 of his EPs on Cegular in terms of propelling his status in the underground & the same can be said regarding the sophomore effort Art of War a couple months ago, telling us I.B.S.D.W.M.P. (I Been Still Dealing With My Pain) after him & labelmate Pradabagshawty fell out with each other last month.
“Bigger” kicks it all off with a cloudy trap instrumental produced by Whyceg talking about his payroll becoming a lot larger whereas “Sedated” atmospherically speaks of a woman doing him crazy placing him on the blocklist. “Pill Type” goes for a pluggier vibe confessing to never feeling right whenever he took opioids prior to Traiqo shifting “Like I Know” towards an exuberant trap direction talking about him promising he’d give a bitch the entire world.
Starting the 2nd act, “Pain” tells us of him having some shit going on with his heart which he likes to call suffering just before “Idk You” talks about those trying to copy him not having any longevity approaching the final half of this decade. “Slime Examination” has another standout beat courtesy of Ayelavish! promising the world he won’t ever let the game change him & “Drug Addiction” sends off the EP reuniting with his mentor Whyceg for 1 last time explaining he can’t give a hoe all his love because she’ll most likely hit the clubs immediately.
Cegular Records has put a lot of great effort into proving why both Babystaydown & Pradabagshawty have become amongst the most exciting new plugg artists in 2025 from Red Flags & Roses to Art of War so it sucks a collab project probably won’t come to fruition, but it is what it is & I.B.S.D.W.M.P. (I Been Still Dealing With My Pain) finishes the Sony Music imprint’s biggest year strongly. We get more of an introspective approach to Babystaydown’s songwriting & there’s a similar consistency between the production here & its predecessor couple months earlier.
Compton, California emcee, songwriter & producer Jason Martin celebrating Christmas Eve with his 6th EP. Originally known under the moniker Problem, he would go on to release over a dozen mixtapes as well as 4 full-length studio albums & his last 5 EPs. I can’t forget to mention both collaborative efforts DJ Quik, the first being Rosecrans back in 2017 & the follow-up Chupacabra days before Kendrick Lamar’s now historic 1-off Pop Out concert at the Kia Forum. Mike & Keys would be enlisted to produce Repack alongside A Hit Dog Gon Holla & Mafia Cafe, further celebrating the 10-year anniversary of O.T. (Outta Town) to detail A Lonely Winter.
The self-produced intro “Stop Playin’ with Me” featuring co-production from Mike & Keys instrumentally reminds me of something Scott Storch would’ve made in the 2000s sending a clear message to a toxic bitch whereas “Queen Latifah” after the “Home Alone with Precious” skit blends nervous & Mobb music together talking about how living single got this woman living bad. To conclude the 1st half however, we have Jason letting Candice Boyd shine on the mic for the a capella R&B tune “Think About Me”.
“Santa or Nah” kicks off the 3rd quarter going for a drumless chipmunk soul vibe working in a crooning sample finding himself caught between facts & feelings leading into the gospel-influenced “OK (R.I.P.)” promising on his mother’s grave that everything’s gonna be alright, remembering loved ones who left sooner than expected. “Suspect” soulfully talks about looking in the mirror daily ready for showtime while “If You Need That” finishes A Lonely Winter not wanting beef with a dumbass or anything negative that comes with ‘em.
I have to agree with the homie Westside Bear a.k.a. BelowTheHipHop for recently saying that Jason Martin’s last couple of extended plays A Hit Dog Gon Holla & Mafia Cafe are being slept-on by a majority of heads because they both prove he doesn’t need to rely on a heavy list of guests to make an enjoyable listening experience. That said: A Lonely Winter differs from it’s predecessors by enlisting a feature or 2 to join him in taking listeners on a journey to explore the stresses some go through during the holiday season regardless if it’s past or present.
Belleville, New Jersey emcee/producer Action Figure 973 celebrating the holiday season a couple days early with his 10th EP. For a while at this point, Act-Lo’s first 2 mixtapes followed by his last 9 EPs & the full-length debut DOOM Was Right merely 7 months ago giving flowers to one of my all-time personal favorite albums Madvillainy have each established himself as a promisingly skilled luchador who so happens to rap. It’s almost been a few months since The Most Interesting Man in the World got with Machacha for his sophomore effort & is ready to spit game on Lucha Libra for Christmas over a week after former PWG World Champion, record-tying 2-time World Heavyweight Champion & the longest reigning WWE Intercontinental Champion Gunther retired former 17-time WWE world champion, WWE Intercontinental Champion, 5-time WWE United States Champion & 4-time WWE tag team champion John Cena at Saturday Night’s Main Event XLII.
After the intro, “Noche Buena” begins with this drumless chipmunk soul opener referencing WWE Hall of Famer & 4-time WWE tag team champion Chief Jay Strongbow whereas “DOOM’s Xmas Special on [adult swim]” works in a piano so he can take a second to address Westside Gunn & the WWE’s ongoing beef. “Christmas Coal” soulfully refers to the anaconda vice submission hold that was popularized by 8-time WWE world champion CM Punk while “Turbo Man” talks about being chased like he’s the fictional Jingle All the Way superhero starring WWE Hall of Famer Arnold Schwarzenegger.
“Wrestling on Christmas” continues the sampling shouting out the late WWE Hall of Famer, former WWE United States Champion, WWE Intercontinental Champion & WCW World Tag Team Champion Rick Rude near the end just before “Bad Santas” featuring Lord Juco compares themselves to the main characters of the titular holiday comedy crime film. “Batman Smells” featuring Malcolm Sef references WWE Hall of Famer & 2-time WWE women’s world champion Nikki Bella at the backend of it but prior to the “Yule Log” outro, the final song “Chinese Turkey” featuring Hound caps it all off with a drumless outro talking about not grinding this hard to stay the same.
Coming off the Thank God for Fania beat tape on Black Friday last month, Action Figure 973 gets back on the mic & links back up with Circa ‘97 for a holiday-themed sequel to Lucha Libre for the Soul roughly 48 hours away from solstice itself. Certainly a treat for those looking forward to those watching Carmelo Hayes ending Илья́ Драгунов‘s reign as WWE United States Champion this weekend or the longest reigning AEW World Champion MJF getting payback on Samoa Joe by defeating the current 2-time titleholder at World’s End III.
Ukrainian-American lyricist Your Old Droog’s dropping off his 11th EP albeit the 2nd & final one in 2025. Breaking out through his self-titled debut, many actually first thought he was an alter ego of Nas given that their voices are somewhat similar. He eventually became a legend in his own right off later projects such as Packs as well as It Wasn’t Even Close, TIME & the Nicholas Craven-produced YOD Wave. I didn’t think YOD Stewart, Yodney Dangerfield, The Yodfather & The Shining were as great in my opinion although they most certainly had their highlights & Movie the summer prior became a depiction of his life on wax. 4 whole weeks since anything‘s possible & YOD Serling has arrived only less than a week away from Christmas.
“Suspects” produced by Edan begins by chopping up a chipmunk soul sample so YOD can vividly tell the story of a robbery taking place & after “Pitstop” takes the boom bap route instrumentally talking about still enjoying the simpler things whenever he question why he came back in town, “Ghostwriter” goes drumless thanks to Edan once again recalling an artist who reached his apex & went on to use ghostwriters.
The song “Victims of the Streets” runs it back with Edan for the last time continuing to show off the latter’s ear for sampling & Droog remembers those who lost their lives in the hood because of poverty while “Freekazoid” sends off the EP going for a rugged boom bap vibe thanks to K-Nite 13 referencing the underrated mid-90s animated series Freakazoid! owned by Warner Bros. & Amblin Entertainment.
Originally announced in May of 2017, it could be considered a Christmas miracle by people like me who’ve been closely paying attention to Your Old Droog since my senior year of high school when his eponymous debut was made that YOD Serling has finally arrived & come to prefer it more than anything’s possible. 60% of the production preludes YOD’s next full-length set to be entirely produced by Edan & the lyricism focuses more around his abilities to tell stories.
Here we have the 5th EP from York, Pennsylvania rapper Mikahl Lawless. Introducing himself in the summer of 2019 off his debut EP Pen to Paper, he would go on to follow it up with Overture for the Ill & Broken Hearted as well as 13 & Kisses to Nowhere until Cody Manson made him a member of his Trife Life collective. Cody eventually introduced Mikahl to Scum, impressing The Gorefather enough to give him his own deal with Lyrikal Snuff Productionz & introduce himself as part of the roster on Gangri-La. Commemorating the 1-year anniversary of The Snuff Gremlin later this weekend, he’s ending LSP’s year by releasing Cult.
“Ash” starts with a trap metal intro talking about what‘s left of him being blackened whereas “Cold Snow” blends this cloudy backdrop & live drumming telling how he’s feeling on the inside. “Ghost” reaches the halfway point by throwing it back to LINKIN PARK’s earlier output while the title track embraces a synth-pop vibe singing to bleed out beside him. “Prey” shifts back in nu metal turf comparing himself amongst the hunted & the same can be said regarding the outro “In Absence”, singing about him wishing he found nothing.
Many of the previews sounded nothing like Gangri-La & The Snuff Gremlin whatsoever, which gave me the impression of Mikahl Lawless venturing out artistically throughout the duration of Cult & he does it well enough to the point where I can confidently say that it could be the boldest musical statement he’s ever made. The production’s more versatile exploring trap metal, nu metal & synthpop in addition to the horrorcore lyrics being primarily sung as opposed to rapped.
Legends Will Never Die 