Angels' Bids

Not all compilation albums are created equal, certainly not when they have an overabundance of moving parts and personalities. This has certainly been true in the case of Benny The Butcher and his constantly evolving Black Soprano Family crew. Past releases, like their Trust Gang collaboration Trust The Sopranos and even the Gangsta Grillz tape, Da Respected Sopranos, were good but not great.

After years of dominance, Atlanta’s rap scene is beginning to lose a stranglehold on the genre. Young Thug and other YSL members are behind bars, Offset left the Migos and Akon is using an eponymous cryptocurrency to scam Africa (allegedly). While Playboi Carti still stands strong, Young Nudy may be seeing the second best reception out of the region. His new project, EA Monster, is dark, scary, funny, sad and exhilarating, but every part of his formula has been improved.

Pink Siifu is a musical nomad. The rapper, born in Birmingham, Alabama with roots in Los Angeles, has enveloped listeners in ambient jazz tapestries, communicating in hushed whispers on albums like ensley that beckon his audience to lean in closer. But he’s also howled with distorted screeches, pulling from abrasive punk rock and noise music on Negro to communicate the ire of Black people living in America. All the while, he’s nestled comfortably into other rapper’s abodes along the way.