#sweatshirt brigade

[caesium-55]

—seven days. [ vi.ii ]

pairing: max verstappen x manager! reader.

summary: as the third time world champion, max verstappen's manager, you function on the belief that whatever max verstappen wanted, max verstappen shall get. but this time, after four years of working as his manager, you can't give him what he wants anymore and that was to stay.

author's note: guess who's not listening in her calculus lecture rn. also, wifi is acting funny rn.

tags: @whatamidoingwithmylife-ramdom @eugene-emt-roe @bellezaycafe @barnestatic @theseerbetweenus @wcnorris @notyouraveragemochii @lpab @vildetry06 @a-beaverhausen @formula1mount @loloekie @alucardsdaddyissues @juky-ps @cassianswh0reeee @devotedlycrookeddonut @amberpanda99 @supermaxv1 @evie-119 @spideylovin @harianaswhore @formulaal

masterlist.

2020

There have been a lot of new protocols to follow. Social distancing. Wearing face masks. Races being rescheduled. Australia, China, Netherlands, Monaco, Azerbaijan, Canada, and France are canceled. Vietnam is postponed. The first race of the season takes place in the Red Bull Ring in Austria and Max gets a fucking DNF.

After exchanging Instagram accounts in December, Max has spent a normal amount of time stalking your feed. That's what you do when you’re trapped inside your apartment alone because of a global health crisis, you explore the online world.

It seems like you’ve been operating the account since your university days and a lot of your posts show a side of you that’s different from the manager he knows. He learns that you play billiards competitively. You've even reached an Australian tournament. He learns that you watch NASCAR and motocross and drift racing. He learns that you know how to drive a firetruck. He learns that you like partying in LA and you took up volunteer work in the LA fire brigade around your sophomore year. He learns that you’re particularly fond of taking pictures of the skies at different times of the day and the things you’re studying. He notices that you only post group selfies or low angle blurry selfies of you. You don't take pretty pictures of just you.

The oldest post is a photo of you offering a middle finger while smiling and filling up the gas tank of a truck. You're also wearing a red sweatshirt with the letters USC written at the front and skinny ripped jeans. If you swipe right, the next photo shows a picture of you and your group of friends writing on papers on the hood of the truck. Max sees numbers and scratches and crossed out sketches. Max notices a canned beer on your other hand while you press down on your scientific calculator buttons and shakes his head. You do not change.

The latest post is a photo dump of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in 2019. A picture of the aerial show, grainy zoomed in pictures of the garage, selfies with the mechanics, a bathroom mirror selfie, and a blurry picture of a beer in your hand from the after party. He presses like in every post, latest to the oldest.

you: fucking stalker

max: fuck you

max: *sent a photo*

max: nice teeth by the way

you: i hate you

you: *sent a photo*

you: ya think im the only one who looks ugly with braces?

Since then, Max’s relationship with you has considerably improved. The two of you spend a lot of nights dm-ing each other on Instagram and sending each other reels.

max: SOS

you: ??

max: I THINK THE STOVE IS ON FIRE

you: the stove is supposed to have fire

max: ITS ON FIRE

You and Max sit on the floor, back against the kitchen counter, chest heaving in quick breaths, shoulders bumping against each other. You hold the fire extinguisher close to your chest and your eyes are closed and your lips are parted a little. Max observes your side profile.

You're not a categorically attractive woman. But with the way the sun rays enter Max’s kitchen window and hit your face at all the right angles, you look like someone worth missing a sunset over. Max allows himself to stare and mentally tries to convince himself that this is a very normal amount of staring at one’s manager slash friend.

He’s crossing the line that divides friendship and something unnamed.

“Do you need me to call maintenance so we can get your stove replaced?”

Max nods.

“Yes please.”

You post a new picture on Instagram after a long period of dryness. Max gets a notification. He checks it out.

The caption reads: meet my full time dog and part time boyfriend

The picture is blurry and grainy but Max can make out your face perfectly. There’s a billiard table. Max sees a person in the background. A man. He's wearing a Williams shirt.

Is that a racer? Max immediately thinks of Nicholas Latifi. You and him are around the same age. But the blurry man in the picture doesn't look like Nicholas. The hair color and the build is different. George, maybe? He’s a year younger than Max. Do you prefer your men younger? Scratch that. That’s impossible. Max knows he has a girlfriend named Carmel or Carmen or something.

max: you have a boyfriend

you: youre fast

max: when did this happen?

you: uh

you: earlier?

Max resists the urge to hurl his phone across the room.

max: details [name]

max: i need details

you: nuh uh kid you havent unlocked that level of friendship yet

you: that's friendship level 8 ur still on level 6

max: i will hunt you down and force you to tell me

max: and don't call me kid i'm one year younger than you

you: id like to see you try

max: i think u forgot im the one who gave you the apartment where u live rn

You introduce Leo to Max a month later.

Leo is a British brunette guy with a face that one would consider mid in Europe but a ten in the US. He is one of the Williams mechanics. You mention that he used to do karting as a kid and even went up to F3 but he’s decided to discontinue his racing career because he thinks engineering and the technical aspects of a formula car is far more interesting than racing.

He’s basically the complete opposite of Max.

He’s a good guy, Max can tell. He’s well-mannered, he’s calm, he knows how to treat you right. Above all else, he makes you the happiest. You have the most genuine and beautiful smile on your face when he comes into your view.

He also handles your relationship very maturely. He doesn't demand. He understands that you work for different racing teams with different jobs and that means different priorities.

The weekly IG posts are also too cute. It looks like it came out of a Pinterest board.

Max will never tell you that he spends a good hour every time you post something with Leo in it like an obsessive freak. He tries to make sense of the feeling in his chest. Something green. Something ugly. Something he can't name.

Max should be happy that you found a guy as great as Leo. But he cannot, for the life of him, be fully happy for you. He doesn't know why.

“PR told me that you received a dinner invite from Kelly Piquet,” you state, sitting down on the empty chair across from him and putting your packed lunch on the table. You carefully lay the folded clothes on the other chair. Max deduces they will be the ones he’ll be wearing for the interview scheduled in about two hours. You already sent him the list of questions in his email but he hasn't opened them yet.

“Yeah,” Max says after swallowing. “She’s been sending invites since two months ago.”

“And you left her on seen?”

Max scoffs, “I didn't leave her on seen. I just…well, I saw them late and declined them politely.”

He knows Kelly Piquet. He’s aware of the history she shared with former Red Bull Racing now Toro Rosso driver, Daniil Kvyat. Max also knows she’s the daughter of Nelson Piquet, retired Formula One champion. He thinks it's rude to take the guy’s ex-girlfriend after he’s taken his seat in Red Bull.

“She’s interested in you,” you claim, opening the tupperware and quickly saying grace before digging in.

Max is not good with dealing with women. Twenty-three years old and he’s still girlfriend-less. But he knows how to recognize people who are interested in him. A significant number of women have tried their chances with him since he began racing professionally and he may have used you as some sort of getaway driver to get him out of all the awkward situations where he has to deal with women who are interested in him.

You have a very scary resting bitch face if you try hard enough. Its efficiency in scaring off people is proven to be, well, efficient.

“Yeah, I suppose.”

“Are you interested in her?” you question.

Max thinks about it. Really thinks about it.

“Do you think it’ll be good if I get a girlfriend?” he throws you a question instead of an answer.

“You're twenty-three, man. It's about time you start doin’ somethin’ about your empty dating history.”

Max nose scrunches but doesn't say anything because it's the truth. His dating history is hilariously empty.

“What’s your opinion of Kelly?”

“Uh, cool pussy, I guess. Don't really care.”

Max rolls his eyes, “You’re so crude.”

You shrug uncaringly.

“But I don't mind who you wanna date, man. I mean, it's your life. Date who you wanna date. Live the life you wanna live. All the jazz and shedazzle.”

Max accepts the dinner invite.

The 2020 season ends with Hamilton standing at the top, officially becoming a seven-time world champion. Bottas is behind him. Verstappen, like 2019, still stands in third place. Max vows 2020 will be the last year Hamilton becomes a world champion. The team doesn't hold a big afterparty like it usually does and Max flies home to Monaco immediately.

It's been months since he's started seeing Kelly and the woman is pleasant company. Her daughter, Penelope, is the most adorable human being that ever stepped on Earth. Max loves the little bean with all his heart and he himself is surprised that he’s capable of loving a little human this much. He’s practically convinced that he’ll be a shitty father one day. He does not have a good model figure to look up to when it comes to fatherhood.

Little P, Max learns, is obsessed with crocheted things. Max sees her little bags and little hats—all crocheted. Kelly says she pays their housekeeper to make things for little Penelope because she likes them so much.

Max decides he wants to learn how to crochet. He buys the material and learns through hundreds of Youtube videos. His first masterpiece is a bag. It's white and light orange. He shows it to his mum, who questions how on Earth did her son take an interest in a hobby other than racing or anything car-related. Despite that, she compliments it and Max feels confident that you’ll like it, too, now that he’s gotten his mother’s approval.

He finishes making it by the eighteenth day of December and he calls you, hoping he has the chance to give it before you fly down to Texas for the off-season. But you already left Monaco, just the day before and are now spending the first few weeks of the break in New Zealand with Leo.

“So it's serious?” Max asks you over the phone. He stares at the dark sky in Belgium. There's no stars tonight. Only the moon and it’s looking down at him like it's mocking him. Max wonders what the sky looks like in New Zealand right now.

“Of course,” you say.

“Well then, enjoy the holidays.”

“You, too, man.”

The call ends.

2021

Max sees you enter the Red Bull hospitality. The first thing he notices is that your shoes are brand new. Same model—the black and gold YSL Opyum heels, yes he knows the name because he searched it on Google—but brand new. Your bag is also brand new and it’s not the old cream-colored tote bag with peach prints. It's a cream-colored tote bag with Van Gogh’s painting—the Starry Night—printed at the front. You show it to Max excitedly and tell him that it's from Leo, the bag and the shoes, and Max fakes a smile the whole time. When he returns to his room in the evening, he throws the crochet bag he made over December in the trash bin. Kelly sees it but she doesn't question it.

“PR suggests that you film a Tiktok.”

Max groans, throwing his head back and rolling his eyes to the back of his head.

“Tell them no.”

“Come on, it’ll be fun,” you encourage him, shaking his shoulders. “There's a lot of dance trends right now.”

“I said no, [Name].”

“Max.”

You throw your hands on your waist, looking at him pointedly with your lips pursed. Max returns the stare.

He gives up after five seconds.

“Fine.”

You huff in triumph.

“But you’re doing it with me,” Max bargains.

“Oh come on,” you throw your hands in the air.

“Now you know how it feels. Tell PR that I’m not going to film a Tiktok unless you film it with me,” Max smiles cheekily.

You're not going to film a Tiktok video with him. He knows you hate filming yourself and posting it for the public. There's a reason why you avoided cameras as if it’s the sun and you're a vampire and had all your social media accounts in private.

You pull an unexpected move and you nod your head.

“Fine.”

Max’s smile drops.

You film a Tiktok using Red Bull Racing’s official Tiktok account. A simple dance. Max does not know the title. The steps are simple and it's easy to memorize. He believes he can do this fairly easily. You don't look like you’re having fun while memorizing the dance steps but you're not overly struggling.

You film the video in three takes. When Max sees the final outcome, he cringes. His long limbs look awkward as he performs the steps despite thinking that he’s doing fine while filming it. You, on the other hand, look fine.

You look good while dancing actually. There’s a certain grace that accompanied your movements.

“You dance good,” Max comments.

“It’s the Latina in me,” you claim, raising your chin a little.

Max snorts.

You show the draft video to the PR team. Without hesitation, they scratched it.

“Why?” Max asks, brows furrowing.

“Apparently, they're too tired releasing statements that we’re not dating. They're afraid that the Tiktok video would bring back our dating rumors,” you roll your eyes. “They’ve decided to just make you do a Tiktok filter game.”

Max does the one filter where he has to solve the simple math equations projected on the screen. He has to tilt his head to the side where the right answer is placed and he needs to do it quickly.

Max is not bad at Mathematics. He’s not good at it either. He’ll say that he’s just average at it like every human being on Earth.

You sit beside him, barking him the answers before his brain can even process and perform the required operations.

“60 points. That's not good enough,” he says.

You nod, “Damn right. You're not tilting your head to the right answer fast enough.”

“Maybe you're not giving the answers quick enough.”

The video gets more than ten takes. The two of you don't stop until you get the perfect score.

Monza is a disaster. To summarize: the 53-lap race is won by Daniel Ricciardo, who has now moved to McLaren. He capitalizes on a good front-row start and the crash between Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton to take the race lead. Lando, Daniel’s teammate comes in second with Mercedes' Valtteri Bottas in third. Max and Lewis—DNF.

Max doesn't remember the last time he’s been that angry and the anger doubles when he sees the seven-time world champion celebrate on the tracks. Max then decides that he’s going to be more risky, especially now that he knows how safe the car is. Max is willing to risk his life for number one.

Max lies in the medical bay and he hears voices outside. Too many voices. He’ll appreciate it greatly if the voices disappear. He's too angry right now that the noise of the outside world is too much.

“Max?”

The voices disappear and it's only you he can see, he can hear, he can feel. You're everything.

You said it. His name. It sounds even better than he imagined.

“[Name].”

After making sure he’s okay, you tell Max that you wish to go to Danny and congratulate him for winning. Max grabs your hand, unwilling to let go.

“You're not his manager anymore,” Max reminds you. “You're mine.”

He’s very much aware that he sounds like a child who refuses to let his older brother borrow his favorite toy but he cannot find himself to care. Screw Daniel.

You give him a long look but follows his demands anyway, “We’re gonna congratulate him later whether you like it or not. He’s our friend and he just got P1. We’re gonna be happy for him 'cuz that's what friends do. I’ll drag your ass to his hotel room if I have to.”

Jos Verstappen is not happy. When has he ever been happy with Max anyway? He calls Max after the Monza race and proceeds to yell because that’s all he ever does with Max. He yells. Max is embarrassed that he’s twenty-three and he’s still getting yelled at by his own father.

“Your Dad’s an asshole,” you stated after he ends the call. Max knows you heard his father’s voice even though he has not put the call on loudspeaker.

“Don't talk to my Dad like that,” he reprimands, though not unkindly. “But yeah, he is.”

You snort, “You okay?”

Max lets out a shaky breath, nodding weakly.

"Yeah, I'm fine. You would think that after all this time I would get used to it but I don't know. It still makes me feel so uncomfortable and like I'm doing everything wrong even though I've been doing that for such a long time now and I've achieved so many things he asked for."

Your gaze softens and Max mentally begs that you stop looking at him like that. He does not want your pity. Pity is for the weak. Max is not weak.

You open your arms, “Rein it in, big guy.”

“What are you doing?”

“You need a hug.”

Max hesitates but he invites himself to your arms anyway. He allows himself to melt. In your arms, he feels like he's home and that he's good enough.

The breakup happens two race weekends later. Max is not dumb nor is he so emotionally indifferent that he cannot sense if a person is going through a breakup especially if that person is someone so close to him. He already knows there’s something wrong and he knows exactly what’s wrong and yet he still asks, “What's wrong?”

“Nothin’,” you say a little too quickly as if you already know that Max is going to ask the question.

“[Name],” his fingers circle around your wrist. “It's not nothing. Your eyes are red. Have you been crying?”

He wants you to open up. He wants you to say something. He wants you to share the heartache you carry so it won't feel heavy on your shoulders. He wants to be someone who’ll carry your problems with you when the world feels too big and you too small.

You sigh shakily, forcing a polite smile. Your hand comes up to squish Max’s cheek in between your palms and Max’s brows rise slightly at the action. Your hands feel cold and they’re trembling slightly and Max wants to point it out, but he sees how your lips wobble and his mind just blanks, “It's not important. You only have one thing to think about and that is to win. You hear me?”

Max considers marching to the Williams Racing livery and demanding for Leo Stark but he chooses not to. You won't want him to, anyway.

Max never realizes how horrifying blood is until he sees it dripping down the side of your head. He watches as your face changes from shock to realization to absolute anger. It’s like watching you transform from human to a rabid animal who wants to shed blood. At first, he tries to pull you away and calm you down. When he sees the girl’s boyfriend appear, Max joins the fight. No man is allowed to hit you. Not on his watch.

The higher-ups are not the happiest when they learn of what happened. The PR team is having a field day as well. Someone captured the event in video and posted it online. Max has been given a script for the video he’ll have to do to save his image but it’s written differently. Different in a way that the way the words are arranged feels odd to him unlike the way you write your scripts for Max. You write the scripts as if Max is the one who writes them. You write the script in a way Max will write them. Because you know him enough to know what kind of words he wants to use and how he’ll phrase things. You choose words that are easy on his tongue and you structure the sentences so that he can memorize them easily.

Helmut is the one who says, “She should leave the team.”

“If you fire her, I’m leaving,” Max decides.

Christian narrows his eyes at him, “You won't dare.”

“Try me,” he challenges. “I am willing to pay millions to leave if she leaves.”

The other teams want him, Max knows. They know he’s rising to stardom, a racer who can stand equal to Lewis Hamilton in the right time. Red Bull is too afraid of spitting out their star now. Not when Max is already giving Lewis Hamilton a big run for his money this year. Not when Max just showed the world that he’s capable of more than just being third place.

The wretched Hamilton fan decides to sue and Max calls upon his mother’s help to find the best lawyers to fight for you. Sophie willingly helps him.

Max is going to protect you, like you always do to him.

[shrekgogurt]

First things first! I’ve been brainstorming for my Secret Snowflake Exchange submission. An idea has been cooking since I received my assignment but I’m a bit nervous about it. However, it’s been good fun mulling over something new and very different than my current WIP. Hopefully, I can get cracking on it pretty soon.

As always, I also have I Knew A Boy, I Knew A Man news. I’m nothing if not peddling that fic at every turn to anyone who will listen (offline too, my poor friends though they are very supportive). I’ve been really looking forward to writing this next chapter for months and already have some snippets in my notes app from back in September. I won’t post them yet in case I need something to feed y’all for Sunday or next Wednesday. But I can give you a….

CHAPTER TITLE SONG REVEAL: “Super Rich Kids” by Frank Ocean, Earl Sweatshirt

As the tune may suggest, it’s a very Baz-centric chapter with…maybe…I don’t know…a little birdie told me…the introduction of Dev & Niall…I’m hoping to not take another four weeks to get this one out. However, no promises! I’m a deliberator more than a writer and it is finals season.

I will be brave and tag a few of the folks I admire but no pressure: @artsyunderstudy @captain-aralias @cutestkilla @facewithoutheart @fatalfangirl @ionlydrinkhotwater @ivelovedhimthroughworse @larkral @martsonmars @palimpsessed @raenestee @sailorblossoms @tea-brigade @whogaveyoupermission @yellobb @you-remind-me-of-the-babe

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[postjunk-vintage]

NEW ARRIVAL / 2024.04.24

こんばんは。

本日も8点の新着アイテムをアップしました。

ご紹介致します。

90’s BLUR Sweatshirt Made In U.S.A. [XXL]

スウェットでXXL。

とりあえず店出しはするものの、持っときたいなという気持ち半分。

スペシャルです。

00’s DYSTOPIA “HUMAN = GARBAGE” T-Shirt [About L]

いつ見ても魅力的なDYSTOPIAのロゴ。

普通は交差しない文化が交わる所にグッとくる。

ロゴだけ見たらドカドカうるさいクラストバンドとはまず思いません。

稀有な存在でございます。

00’s EVERYTHING IS DEAD. T-Shirt [S]

大好きです！

00’s～ KENDRICK LAMAR “DAMN.” T-Shirt [2XL]

偉大な人の偉大なアルバムのアートワーク。

色んな意味で、音楽家というより最早芸術家だと思いますよ。

去年サマソニでケンドリックラマーを観た友人は、ガチでちょっとおしっこ漏らしたらしいです。

観戦前にビール飲み過ぎたと。

嬉ションじゃないんか。

90’s YOUTH BRIGADE Jacket Made In U.S.A. [XL-R]

名盤のアートワークが背中にドン。

サイコー。

ボディもサイズも言う事無し。

しかしジャケットってのはアツい。

00’s MORRISSEY “WORLD TOUR 2002” T-Shirt [L]

おっさんがチョコをかじってヤミー♡とか言ってるTシャツ。

傍から見たら何だそれとなること必須。

スーパースターのTシャツじゃあ。

00’s～ BILLIE EILISH T-Shirt [L]

歌姫のデビュー作アートワーク。

チャームポイントの三白眼を通り越して全白眼に。

イイね。

グッドなコンディションとサイズ。

00’s～ TALKING HEADS: 77 T-Shirt [About M]

6段プリント。

古着屋風に言ってみた。

以上、今回の新着アイテムでした。

その他の詳細はONLINE STOREに記載しておりますので是非ご覧ください。

よろしくお願い致します。

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山梨県甲府市相生2-4-24 モナークアイオイ1F

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I came from a Thanksgiving Teacher Shirt, Cute Teacher Thanksgiving Shirt, Thankful Teacher Tshirt, Thanks Giving Shirt, Fall Shirt, Turkey Teacher, Thanksgiving Gift family in Malacca, Malaysia & had the privilege of being invited by my neighbour, a respected Christian family a few weeks before Xmas to attend a community event at the British Commonwealth 28th Brigade Forces HQ in Terendak Camp, Malacca, Malaysia as an Xmas CSR (corporate social responsibility) community event. I was about 12 years young then in the late 60s. CSR was unheard then. There was so many activities that we had a mesmerising and amazing time with prizes & good food with souvenirs. The soldiers gave us an authentic interesting tour of the military stations, barracks & general depots, including the armoury vehicles & what appeared to be “little museums.” All the kids in attendance were so happy & thrilled to be accorded such VIP treatment. I bragged about it to my neighbours & school friends. Till this day, I remember the event & look upon Xmas as a time of love, giving, fun & adventure. My impressions of Christianity (I am a Sikh) stood high, ever since.

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I came from a Thanksgiving Teacher Shirt, Cute Teacher Thanksgiving Shirt, Thankful Teacher Tshirt, Thanks Giving Shirt, Fall Shirt, Turkey Teacher, Thanksgiving Gift family in Malacca, Malaysia & had the privilege of being invited by my neighbour, a respected Christian family a few weeks before Xmas to attend a community event at the British Commonwealth 28th Brigade Forces HQ in Terendak Camp, Malacca, Malaysia as an Xmas CSR (corporate social responsibility) community event. I was about 12 years young then in the late 60s. CSR was unheard then. There was so many activities that we had a mesmerising and amazing time with prizes & good food with souvenirs. The soldiers gave us an authentic interesting tour of the military stations, barracks & general depots, including the armoury vehicles & what appeared to be “little museums.” All the kids in attendance were so happy & thrilled to be accorded such VIP treatment. I bragged about it to my neighbours & school friends. Till this day, I remember the event & look upon Xmas as a time of love, giving, fun & adventure. My impressions of Christianity (I am a Sikh) stood high, ever since.

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[biglisbonnews]

Zelooperz Offers a Glimpse Into His Vibrant World on 'Whitney Hueston' Detroit-raised and Los Angeles-based Zelooperz has always scribbled in the margins of rap, less interested in playing by the rules. Instead, he has painted his own yellow brick road, although it may look a bit less monochrome than that. The coast-to-coast hip-hop transgressor comes off of his biggest year with a taste of what's to come.At the top of the year, Zelooperz shared Might Not Make It, a self-produced five-track EP that transfers his frenetic energy into his sample-heavy production as he coasts over each beat. As the wildcard of Danny Brown-led Bruiser Brigade Records, the young rising star shape shifts effortlessly from his confrontational high-octane delivery to his sensual deep-voiced delivery, earning him praise from the likes of Foushee, Earl Sweatshirt, Pink Siifu and more as well as supporting the likes of Jpegmafia and Zack Fox on nationwide tours.Related | PAPER's Favorite Music Videos of 2022"Whitney Hueston," one of the EP's standout tracks, showcases the rapper's strengths as producer, lyricist and hip-hop visionary. Chest-rattling bass evokes the Dirty South trunk-knockers of the early '00s with ominous bell rings and siren-like synths. Zelooperz walks the tightrope of imminent chaos, measuring his calm and collected flow laced with his signature non sequiturs.The accompanying Devin Williams-directed video is expertly edited by Keefjojo, known for his larger-than-life comical style that can be found in videos for Pink Siifu, YN Jay and LOVV66. Zelooperz dances in an homage to the iconic Apple iPod commercials with the colorful backdrops, eats from his special brand of cereal and even gets uncomfortably close a la Ying Yang Twins in the "Wait" video. The Detroit avant-garde rap rising star opens up his colorful and twisted world for all to see, blending recognizable iconography with his playful and transgressive flair.Below, watch the PAPER premiere of "Whitney Hueston" by Zelooperz.Photo courtesy of Sushiboymexicoo https://www.papermag.com/zelooperz-whitney-hueston-2659314119.html

[therappundit]

***Top 225 Rap Albums of 2021***

The Rap Pundit’s picks for the ”BEST” (a.k.a. My Favorite) Rap Albums of 2021

What more can I say about the year that’s been 2021 that hasn’t already been said?  I have plenty of good things to say about the past 12 months, and I have plenty of bad things to say about 2021...but when it comes to the soundtrack, I have nothing but joy and appreciation for rap music in 2021.  The talent pool continues to expand at a global scale, and it’s harder than ever to stay on top of all the quality rap releases each week, but at the end of the day, what a lovely problem to have to manage.

I wanted to drop my own list of the best rap albums of 2021 last week- let’s call that Version 1 - but simply too much great music dropped this year, it would be a crime to miss out on acknowledging all of my favorite releases in some capacity.  SO BEHOLD, VERSION 2:  225 OF THE YEAR’S BEST DAMN RAP ALBUMS/EPs/MIXTAPES/WHATEVER (I don’t even know how most folks differentiate “a collection of songs” nowadays, my only criteria for inclusion on this list is that the project had to consist of at least 6 songs).

R.I.P. Drakeo the Ruler, Young Dolph, and so many other talented people that we lost this year.  You, your families, your fans, your communities and society in general all deserved better...but so many will be forever grateful for the art that you shared during your all-too-brief time with us. 🙏

Now let’s get to it, because we have A LOT to cover..starting with the Top 10:

10. Disco! by MIKE

Very few artists could claim to be as impactful to the modern music landscape as MIKE.  The gifted New York MC and producer has been every bit as influential to the suddenly packed lane of experimental underground rap artists as Earl Sweatshirt, and what was once called “lo-fi” or a “sub-genre” by many is now a driving creative force in rap music today, with peers such as Navy Blue, AKAI SOLO, Maassai, Mavi, Maxo and others now seated at the forefront of avant garde rap music.

Every MIKE release sounds like a dreamy, flowing exploration of whatever thoughts were going through his head at the moment his head hit the pillow.  Dating back to his last album (2020′s Weight of the World), he has been very open about processing the loss of his mother, and while he continues down that path with Disco!, here we find him on the emotional rebound, heading down an increasingly bright tunnel where the dawn is almost within reach.  Disco! is arguably the best sounding album of MIKE’s career, as he seems to be hitting new strides both as a song writer and a producer (a big s/o to MIKE’s equally gifted alter-ego behind the boards, DJ BlackPower).

9. Razor’s Edge by Rome Streetz & Futurewave

Picking the best Rome Streetz moment of 2021 feels a little like picking your favorite day of 2021, since he was feasting on the rap game since the ball dropped back in January.  Releasing multiple strong-to-great projects and who-the-hell-knows how many fantastic feature verses (dude is an absolutely workhorse),  I’m sure fans all have varying opinions on what his best release was this year, likely listing out project titles in a 1a, 1b, 1c etc. fashion.  For me, Razor’s Edge has it all, and as 2021 draws to a close it remains one of my top ten favorite albums of the year. 

A lot of fans mention Headcrack as the moment they became a Rome Streetz fan, a 2019 release also fully produced by Toronto’s Futurewave (a force in his own right, well on the way to elite status).  That now feels like a stepping stone to Razor’s Edge.   Both artists have continued to steadily sharpen their tools since then, which has made Razor a tightly woven, dark collection of cautionary tales and assessments of the booby-trap laced city of New York that Rome Streetz calls home.  This album manages to recapture the throwback sentiments of old boom-bap NYC, while also sounding fresh and forward-thinking in every way possible.

8. Call Me If You Get Lost by Tyler, the Creator

Surely a popular choice for rap AOTY, and with good reason.  On Call Me If You Get Lost, Tyler, the Creator spotlights his skills as a MC and rap artist, but it’s mostly Tyler’s charisma and swagger that makes this album so special.  It’s so clear that Tyler has his fanboy hat on as snug as possible over the course of the whole project, because from the DJ Drama inclusion to the sample choices to the loose, free spirit he has throughout Call Me, it seems that the primary creative force behind this album was a renewed love for rapping.  It put an extra bounce in his step, and it’s contagious.  It’s what makes him such a great figurehead for the mainstream-underground tug of war that’s happening in rap music at the moment.  Tyler is a fantastic ambassador of quality music, either as a staunch representative of the underworld sewers where rappers “just spit bars”, or catchier, more radio ready fodder that sounds sunny enough to earn Pharrell’s blessing.

The time when I would not have been surprised to hear Tyler sample a Gravediggaz song has long since passed, so a single like “LUMBERJACK” was a curve ball that manages to dodge feeling like a reach for the underground rap accolades that former Odd Future teammate Earl Sweatshirt has lamped under for some time, but a culmination of Tyler’s journey from The Odd Future Tape up through Flower Boy and Igor, up to the present day.  Tyler has always been a studio rat so it shouldn’t be a surprise that he is able to see where rap is trending, or that he is one of the most important voices within it.  What does still need some time to get used to is Tyler consistently crushing rap verses the way he has been these past two years.  Sure he’s important to the whole music biz, but when it comes to the future of mainstream rap music, right now he may just be the most important piece of the puzzle.

7. Hitler Wears Hermes 8: Sides A & B by Westside Gunn

To honor the man himself, I will be viewing Hitler Wears Hermes 8 as a double-album (exactly as the artist intended, in spite of the separation of release dates between Side A and Side B).  Viewed separately, HWH8 Side A and HWH8 Side B are strong contributions in their own right, but together they serve as yet another blunt instrument wielded by the Griselda army to pound their competition into submission.  

As both the front man and loudest member of the growing Griselda empire,  Westside Gunn hyped the release of the eighth (and final??) installment of his controversially titled mixtape series for over a year, and during that time the star power behind Westside Gunn, Conway the Machine and Benny the Butcher has risen sharply...almost as sharply as the industry around them has taken notice.  With rap music trending towards more traditionally underground rap aesthetics, and with peers taking notice and wanting to rub elbows with the Buffalo collective more and more often (imagine how absurd a 2 Chainz or Lil Wayne feature on a Griselda project would have seemed back in 2016), it would have been fairly straightforward to allow HWH8 to pass through on cruise control.  Fortunately for fans, Westside Gunn has the spirit of a Finn Balor living inside of him: one part earnest worker, one part raging demon.  

It’s fair to give a great deal of credit to Gunn for not only crafting and curating the final product, but for being the spark that keeps Griselda sounding as hungry as ever in spite of their underground-turned-sort-of-above-ground celebrity status.  It’s fun to discuss preference between Side A and Side B, especially amongst longer standing Griselda stans, but here is how I would break down the differences: Side A feels more like Wu-Tang Forever if it was edited down into a single album, while Side B feels like Wu-Tanger Forever in it’s final two-disc form.  To put it another way, I feel that Side A does a stronger job of showcasing the strengths and hunger of the Griselda family, while Side B shows that the hunger still exists within increasing exposure to mainstream shine.  

HWH8: Side A & Side B feature Westside Gunn, Conway, and Benny delivering the hard-knuckled bars and hustler tales that they and their old co-signs do best, only now joined by fellow rising stars like Stove God Cook$, Larry June, Jay Worthy, Sauce Walka and recent Griselda signee Rome Streetz.  Toss in previously outside-of-reach fully established artists like Lil Wayne, 2 Chainz, Jay Electronica and Tyler, the Creator, and you have a full project that placates any core listeners that are still uncomfortable with the idea of Griselda revamping their sound, with a healthy overdose of replay value.  HWH8 proves that one key trait of all Griselda albums remains intact: featured guests from outside the crew need to meet Griselda on their own turf, it’s not the other way round.  So JAY-Z, Kendrick Lamar or Drake rapping alongside Westside Gunn over a Daringer beat?  It hasn’t happened yet, but if it did, we wouldn’t be that surprised anymore.

6. Trapdoor by Defcee & Messiah Musik

A fourth quarter dark horse that seemed to come out of nowhere (except for those that have a history of working with both artists and already knew what they’re capable of), Chicago veteran MC Defcee and Baltimore’s Messiah Musik already shared many of the same peers, so it was probably only a matter of time before they dropped a project together....but I wonder if either party expected this?

The result of their union was Trapdoor, an album exploding with talent from top to bottom.  From the writing to the rapping to the production (and I cannot express this enough - the writing and the production are both absolutely gripping throughout), Trapdoor has been steadily climbing my list of favorite music for weeks.  A thoughtful album filled with life lessons without sounding the least bit preachy (please believe- this is a rare feat!), what Defcee & Messiah have achieved here is a powerful work of audio art that addresses so many of the hopes, fears, struggles, and successes of entering middle age at a time when the world feels like it is up in flames.  Trapdoor walks right up to the line of bleak without losing hope, and looking back at these past two years, what can be easier to identify with than the struggles of trying to work, laugh and love our way through an increasingly claustrophobic way of life?

5. Half God by Wiki & Navy Blue

No artist on this list releases work as casually as Wiki, but the former Ratking standout will be hard pressed to keep a low profile after the reception to Half God.  Joining forces with fellow underground workhorse Navy Blue (whose name will appear multiple times across many year-end lists, and rightfully so), Half God feels like the pinnacle of Wik’s (shockingly young!?) career thus far.  Wiki has always leaned more towards the more experimental side, with a seemingly intentional desire to avoid doing what everyone else is doing, which serves both to strengthen his discography and distance his clout within social media circles; however, here on Half God we find a slightly more mature Wiki, better at drawing together his creative rhyme schemes into more straight forward songs than ever before.  

Surely aided by some of the smoothest production he has ever had access to for a full length project, Half God feels like the moment when Wiki officially staked his claim as an official ambassador of New York City hip-hop...which he always has been, but with friends and sparring partners like MIKE, Earl Sweatshirt, and Navy Blue, maybe now his artistic achievements will be headlining galleries rather than simply being mentioned amongst them.

4. A Martyr’s Reward by Ka

Like clockwork, any time Ka releases new work it is bound to skyrocket into the conversation of the year’s best.  A Martyr’s Reward offers nothing new to longstanding Ka fans except for a more stripped down version of Ka than we have heard in some time.  While much of his recent albums have successfully worked around a pinned metaphor (not as a crutch, simply as a touchstone to help keep the momentum going), A Martyr’s Reward feels like Ka speaking as Ka, rather than a vessel used to filter and distribute the memories and life lessons preached by the mighty Brownsville MC.  

Here we find Ka speaking some of the most candid thoughts of his career.  Alongside ‘Ka: the survivor of Brooklyn streets’, we have ‘Ka: the under-appreciated fire fighter’, or ‘Ka: the abused black man in America’, all angles of he man’s perspective feel painstakingly thought out - with an emphasis on the pain, and the subsequent ability to rise above it.  As always, Ka’s pen remains unparalleled, every rhyme wound tight as a ticking clock and every instrumental seemingly crafted to only brace themselves for his chosen words from song to song.  So while A Martyr’s Reward certainly doesn’t reinvent the wheel for Ka, with selections like the one below from “We Living/Martyr” (featuring the rising legend that is fellow MC/Producer Navy Blue), it is clear that Ka’s poetry on black history does so much more to inform the future, rather than dwell on it’s past.

“This proof I'm not duping, only solutions I ignite in my lab / Dumb nights, some nights won fights for my rights with a jab. If you ain’t got the brass to lock ass, go light smack / Appears somebody polluting my salute, nice to the flag. Till then they just dreaded heathens, can't pledge allegiance / Slave wealth built they grave wealth, there's no better grievance. Now the order's to abort us, instead of feed us / But if they bomb shit watch, in conflict, how quick they need us...”

3. Haram by Armand Hammer & The Alchemist

Not even a full year removed from the release of Haram, the incredible album that resulted from the union of billy woods, E L U C I D, and The Alchemist, it’s hard to imagine that there was a world that existed before all of their orbits became intertwined.  While The Alchemist was no stranger to the work of Armand Hammer (he had even been a part of Moor Mother and billy’s impressive BRASS project that dropped in late 2020), many thought that the combination would prove to be solid, but not necessarily yield a final product that elevated the talent involved to new levels.  Welp, they were wrong.

Hardcore Armand Hammer fans are devout when it comes to discussing their catalogue, so while I am not qualified to rank the collective or solo works of bill woods and E L U C I D, I can say with confidence that the musical chemistry showcased on Haram made it hard to believe that these three talents had never released a full length project together.  The two fierce poets that comprise Armand Hammer sounded well at home sinking their teeth into Alchemist’s woozy loops and sample collages, leading to standout moments that revel in the juxtaposition of styles rather than the seamlessness.  Lush backdrops draping cuts like “Falling out the Sky”, “Black Sunlight”, or “Stonefruit” prove not only that Armand Hammer’s machine-gunning streams of dark thoughts and social commentary sound well at home over Alchemist’s wavier production, but also that Al has so much more in his bag than he has shown us. 

2. TV62 by Bruiser Brigade

A straight up FLEX tape.  No, not the obnoxious out-of-touch DJ, I’m talkin’ a straight up show of power, a flex of talent.  Not since Odd Future has there been a collective of under-the-radar, raw talent to put on a showcase like what Bruiser Brigade did in 2021.  The truth is if you put any one of their releases from the past 12 months into this slot, I would not argue.  But for my money’s worth, if you had only one hour to be convinced that the Brigade is not to be f’d with, I would tell you to listen to TV62.

At opening bell of 2021 you may have considered Bruiser Brigade to be only a vaguely established force consisting of Danny Brown and a line-up of lesser known, local co-signs....but heading into 2022, you better know the names of MCs J.U.S., Fat Ray, Bruiser Wolf, ZelooperZ, and Quentin Ahmad DaGod.  Although it doesn’t stop there, because the crew has a huge arsenal of gloriously dusty (sometimes even bouncy - I mean the Detroit influence is pulsing within every Bruiser Brigade project thus far) production, courtesy of sharp talent like Black Noi$e, Skywlkr, Raphy, Playa Haze, HOLLY, Gulley and more.  There simply isn’t a better “no skips” project that dropped this year, you really need to let this one play out, and then argue over which tracks are the best (spoiler alert: there is no wrong answer).  The raw demo feel seems intentional, especially when you consider the Wu-Tang Clan homages that are present on a good portion of TV62.  Danny and the rest of the Brigade would likely call this a collection of loosies rather than an official group album, but nevertheless, TV62 is the official arrival of a fully realized group of must-watch artists.  Is it possible that Detroit has become the 37th Chamber?

1. Pray For Haiti by Mach-Hommy

Imagine you never heard of Mach-Hommy before hearing this album.  Imagine being completely caught off guard by the flow, the confidence, the unpredictable paths taken mid-verse, the sudden bursting into song or Haitian Creole, while listening to Pray For Haiti for the first time.  I imagine you would be blown away.   Even being familiar with his catalogue, many were blown away by what was probably the most “accessible” project in Mach’s discography.

The album that officially elevated Mach from mysterious underground shadow figure to slightly more mainstream mysterious underground shadow figure, here on Pray For Haiti we find Mach-Hommy at his most controlled and confident, at times sliding over tracks with a swagger that could only be described as Hov-esque.  While comparing Mach to Shawn Carter may sound absurd (or maybe worse yet, double-stanning for both artists!), they each have a knack for saying so much with brevity.  Mach doesn’t need to weave a complicated verse about the advice that JAY-Z gave him...his station in life right now is best summed up by simply referencing that he spoke to Hov, but he’s not going to tell us any more about the conversation.  Pray For Haiti works so well thanks to Mach-Hommy’s expertise at deciding what cards he shows us, and what additional cards he may have handy...but is probably going to hold onto until we meet again.

The album also works thanks to a number of other factors, such as the star making turns of next generation Griselda allies like Nicholas Craven and Conductor Williams, and of course the reliable guiding hand of Westside Gunn.  Mach and Westside reconnecting at the start of 2021 was almost as big of a story as the success of Pray For Haiti, so much so that the threat of future work between Mach-Hommy and the Griselda camp feels as potent as the strongest moments on Haiti.  Many fans of the artists involved didn’t actually believe that the album was dropping, right up until the moment that it actually dropped.  Once it did, many were surprised at how seamless the pieces fit together...but not Westside and Mach.  Both men value art and their contributions to the genre, they take the responsibility of putting music into the world very seriously, and when the type of musical chemistry they have exists, it shouldn’t be such a surprise that they can crank out a great rap album after relatively brief time spent in the studio once again.  

To them, not much has changed.  But to us?  Mach-Hommy was just interviewed in GQ magazine....so yeah, a helluva lot has changed.  Lucky us.

Yeah, you made it - 10 down, only 115 more to go! 🙌

***Here Are The Rest of My Top 225***....

11. Don and Von by Tanya Morgan

12. Balens Cho (Hot Candles) by Mach-Hommy

13. WEIGHT OF THE WORLD by MAXO KREAM

14. Affable with Pointed Teeth by YUNGMORPHEUS & Eyedress

15. With The Shifts by Maassai

16. Death and the Magician by DJ Muggs & Rome Streetz

17. Van Goghs Left Ear by ZeLooperZ

18. Free Dem Boyz by 42 Dugg

19. True Sky by AKAI SOLO & Navy Blue

20. Double Down by Nappy Nina & J Words

21. Bo Jackson by Boldy James & The Alchemist

22. All The Brilliant Things by Skyzoo

23. TIME by Your Old Droog

24. Street Dream Team by Good Gas x Fki 1st x BandGang Lonnie Bands

25. Joyland by STIK FIGA & Conductor Williams

26. Splash Bandicoot by Rahiem Supreme x Al.divino

27. Navy’s Reprise by Navy Blue

28. Bigger Than Life Or Death by EST Gee

29. Spacebar by Your Old Droog

30. End of the Earth by Mavi

31. King’s Disease 2 by Nas & Hit-Boy

32. SZNZ by Mother Nature & BoatHouse

33. Unlearning Vol. 1 by Evidence

34. Wicked Man's Reprise by Sideshow 

35. HAMMERABI by al.divino x Mr. Rose

36. Voice of the Heroes by Lil Durk & Lil Baby

37. I GOT BANDZ FOR THE MOONLANDIN' by Semiratruth

38. The House Is Burning by Isaiah Rashad

39. Dope Game Stupid by Bruiser Wolf

40. Hindsgiht by Breeze Brewin & Juggaknots

41. UNKind. by Jay NiCE, DooF & Sadhu Gold

42. Imaginary Everything by L’Orange & Namir Blade

43. DONDA by Kanye West

44. GUMBO’! by Pink Siifu

45. DIVINENATION by Sleeper Sinatra

46. Super Tecmo Bo by Boldy James & The Alchemist

47. Real Late by Peter Rosenberg (and Various Artists)

48. Stray From The Pack by J Scienide & Kev Brown

49. Smoke Sessions 3 by Lord Apex

50. the phantom of paradise. by Remy Banks

51. SERENITY by Tokyo Cigar (and Various Artists)

52. Charlie Pope by Dark Lo & V Don

53. GOD GOKU JAY-Z by J.U.S.

54. Little Robert Hutton by Curly Castro

55. telephone booth by NAH & Wiki

56. EGO by Guilty Simpson & Gensu Dean

57. The Part & Parcel by Teller Bank$ & Ed Glorious

58. Michigan Boy Boat by Lil Yachty

59. C O T I (The Course of the Inevitable) by Lloyd Banks

60. KiltValee by Valee & KiltKarter

61. Sometimes I Might Be Introvert by Little Simz

62. ENOUGH TO PLAGUE A SAINT by Body Bag Ben & J Scienide

63. WINNERTIME by Papo2oo4

64. Fiend Lives Matter by Rio Da Yung Og

65. The Fraud Department by Jim Jones & Harry Fraud

66. The Off-Season by J. Cole

67. Bigger Than Life Or Death Part 2 by EST Gee

68. A Stream of Consciousness by Jay NiCE & Machacha

69. Why Look Up, God’s In The Mirror by Lukah

70. Call Me When You're Outside by Steel Tipped Dove

71. The Truth Hurts by Drakeo the Ruler [R.I.P.!]

72. 1997 by Chester Watson

73. Unfuckwitable (Deluxe) by Babyface Ray

74. P.S. by Nolan The Ninja

75. The Prophecy Is My Present by Asun Eastwood & THETWINNING

76. Magneto Was Right: Issue #8 by Raz Fresco

77. For My Mama And Anyone Who Looks Like Her by McKinley Dixon

78. Blood Stained Pages by Pro Zay

79. The Lightwork EP by AKAI SOLO, YL & Roper Williams

80. En Route (Deluxe) by Mfn Melo & squeakPIVOT & Pivot Gang

81. The Pen for Whom The Words Moves by Teller Bank$

82. Motion by G.T.

83. BL2 by Aakeem Eshú

84. Phresh Waves by Rim

85. Like It Or Love It by Papo2oo4

86. Latrinalia by Rob Sonic

87. Genesis 1:27 by Rome Streetz & ANKHLEJOHN

88. East of MacVicar Ave by STIK FIGA & DJ Sean P

89. Can U Get Your Supervisor? by Lil Kydd

90. WINTER 2 by DJ Muggs & Various Artists

91. Do the Math by Medhane

92. Vince Staples by Vince Staples

93. Faygo Baby by Kipp Stone

94. Rule of Thirds by Planet Asia & Evidence

95. A CONSTANT CONDENSATION by amani

96. Fat N*ggas Need Love Too by Bfb Da Packman

97. The Crashing Sound of How It Goes by Cities Aviv

98. Grace Park Legend (Deluxe) by Huey Briss & Nikobeats

99. Infinite Lawn by Mimz the Magnificent & Dunn

100. Stop Calling Art Content by Grafh

101. Built For Whatever by Tee Grizzley

102. Doe or Die 2 by AZ

103. Gooch is God & God is Everything by DrxQuinnx

104. Giovanni’s Way by Payroll Giovanni

105. Black Encyclopedia of the Air by Moor Mother

106. Fell Asleep Praying by Archibald Slim

107. BYAKUGAN! by Estee Nack

108. VIP by Pros Ap & V.I.

109. Vegas Vic by ZILLA ROCCA

110. If It Bleeds It Can Be Killed by Big Ghost Ltd. & Conway

111. $mokebreak EP by Pink Siifu & Fly Anakin

112. Don’t Go Tellin’ Your Momma by Topaz Jones

113. Forever 21 by EBK Young Joc

114. The Hour of Khrysis by Khrysis

116. No Cosign Just Cocaine 4 by Ty Farris

117. Super What? by CZARFACE & MF DOOM

118. The Color Blu(e) by Blu

119. N.O.A.H. by Quentin Ahmad DaGod

120. PortisHus by Hus Kingpin

121. 100 Miles & Walk-in by Rx Papi

122. Rx by Rasheed Chappell & Xp the Marxman

123. Panagnl4e, Vol. 3 by Los & Nutty

124. Angelic Hoodrat: Supercut by Kenny Mason

125. Elephant In The Room by Mick Jenkins

126. Free Rio by Peezy

127. Slaps & Hugs by Ayun Bassa & Jacob Rochester

128. Fire In Little Africa by Fire In Little Africa

129. Santa Barbara by Fat Ray

130. Hall Of Fame 2.0 by Polo G

131. Blacklight by Apollo Brown & Stalley

132. The Novelty of Standards by Jamal Gasol & Bass Reevez

133. Viktor by Jameel Na'imx & Mephux

134. GoFundMe Corvette by J.U.S

135. Borrowed Time by Dark Lo & Harry Fraud

136. 8WRLD by Sure Shot, of Dunbar

137. Load Bearing Crow’s Feet by Premrock

138. Narcotics Anonymous by WB Nutty

139. Punk by Young Thug

140. Keep Watching the Fly by Willie The Kid

141. The TrAppiEst Disco Music Ever! by Valee & AYOCHILLMANNN

142. Gangster Doodles: Gangster Music Vol. 2 by Various Artists

143. Lake Effect by Sango & Waldo

144. Beautifully Black by Lord Jah-Monte & Navy Blue

145. the Light Emitting Diamond Cutter Scriptures by R.A.P. Ferreira

146. The Tape Nobody Made by Ambassador Rick of The Opioid Era

147. Christina Shauntay’ by Backwood Sweetie

148. Ree Louis by Henny L.O.

149. Trapped Out, Vol. 1 by Guttafats

150. Book of Changes by Noveliss & Dixon Hill

151. A Train Grows In Brooklyn by Big Ghost Ltd. & Eddie Kaine

152. Krazy Man by Drego

153. DR. EV4L by Young Nudy

154. La Maquina by Conway the Machine

155. Richer Than I Ever Been by Rick Ross

156. Amongst Wolves by Smoovth & Giallo Point

157. Culture over Corporate,Volume 3 by Uptown XO

158. Certified Lover Boy by Drake

159. IT’S REMBLE by Remble

160. Same Energy by Bizzy Banks

161. War Zone by Fmb Dz

162. Untreated Trauma by Mozzy

163. B=MC2 by David Bars & Mono En Stereo

164. WORLD TOUR MAFIA OR DIE by World Tour Mafia

165. All Hail the King by Fashawn & Sir Veterano

166. Tha YOD Fahim by Your Old Droog & Tha God Fahim

167. WORD? by Atmosphere

168. War On Drugs by Los

169. Thumbing Thru Foliage by YUNGMORPHEUS & ewonee

170. Purple Dawn 2 by Deziner Drugz

171. Budget Cuts 3: Still Broke by SeKwence & KillerKane

172. I Died For This!? by Grip

173. Ice Daddy by Gucci Mane

174. Slime Language 2 by Young Stoner Life [Various Artists]

175. Hidden Treasure by Knowledge The Pirate

176. Still Gangin by DaBoii & Slimmy B [SOB]

177. Wake Ups by Rigz

178. Legend Laws of Power by Vic Spencer & Supa Sounds

179. Coup De Grace by Rome Streetz & Ransom

180. American Cheese by DJ Muggs & Hologram

181. SODA CLUB by YL

182. No Days Off by Lando Bando & The Hip Hop Lab

183. When The Black Hand Touches You by Lukah

184. In The Beginning The Was Kaos by Kaos the Baker & Lord Jah-Monte Ogbon

185. Call Me G.T. by G.T.

186. Starshooter by Shooter Gang KONY

187. Bad For Press by Van Buren Records

188. Why So Slick 4 by Four50

189. Rockstar Lifestyle by WTM DaeMoney

190. Wikipedia (Deluxe) by Shawny Binladen

191. Bin Reaper 2 by Babytron

192. Still Stoned On Ocean by Curren$y

193. ROGUE RAPS by O Dawg & Wavy Da Ghawd

194. Bushido by Mello Music Group [Various Artists]

195. New Man by Saga Asad & August Fanon

196. The Cook Up by Kmoneybeats

197. Se7en by Ransom

198. 4NEM by Chief Keef

199. Hey Tony by Tony Seltzer

200. Standing On Business by Skilla Baby

201. I Can’t Make This Shit Up by Shaudy Kash

202. Rookie Of The Year by Lil Eazzyy

203. Secret Wars by Raz Fresco & Dibia$e

204. Famili 2 by RU$H & JayNiCE

205. The Quiet Life 2 by Fresh Daily

206. Dum and Dummer 2 by Young Dolph [R.I.P.!] & Key Glock

207. Gold Mouf by Lute

208. Soul Trap by Tree

209. Not Dead yet! by Lou From Paradise

210. Play 2 Win by G Perico

211. Just Because 2 by Damjonboi

212. Good Product by Koncept Jack$on & Bane Capital

214. Wreckage Manner by Styles P & Havoc

215. Welcome To Beecher by YSR Gramz

216. Dirty Designer by dj lucas, subjxct & Papo2oo4

217. Heavy Is The Head by Ransom & Big Ghost Ltd

218. Xenophon by Theravada

219. HOFFA by Dave East & Harry Fraud

220. Heatin’ Up by Li Heat

221. Gzus Haze by Gzus Piece & Jae Haze

222. Pressure by Big Jade

222. My Name is 2 by 2

223. Clan Virus 2 by BlueBucksClan

224. Block Work by Milano Constantine & Dj Swet

225. Like Yay by Big Yavo

***Honorable Mentions (all of these artists released great work in 2021 that deserves more recognition...but I felt that a list of 225 albums was already a bit much) - in no particular order***:

Best rap albums: harvey_dug, Key Glock, Starker & Al.Divino, CRIMEAPPLE, Dt Blanco, Sauce Walka, FLEE, Skunkz, Kareem Idris & Ohbliv, Ralfy The Plug, Baby Keem, UFO Fev, Cise Greeny, YOUNG SLO-BE, DijahSB, Dave, Quadry, tony tone, Elcamino, Papoose, RU$H, Lucki, LPB Poody, Jae Skeese, Cee Gee, Rxk Nephew, Bobby Fishscale, Pharoahe Monch & Th1rt3en, VRN Hayes, Tony Shhnow, LordMobb, Pooh Sheisty, Recognize Ali, Flee Lord, Curren$y (he’s already on the above list but the 40 other dope tapes that he dropped this year also warrant another shout-out), Plex Diamonds, Monday Night & Russo Beats, Big Scarr, Cash Kidd, All-star Jr., Agallah, Larry June, Young Dolph, Sidestreet Capo & Shooterz Musik, Wrecking Crew, EkillaOffDaBlock, Surf Gang, Wavy Da Gawd, Blaq Kush / URBVN ARCHITECTS, Kai Fortyfive, Flee Lord, Planet Asia (he had several dope releases), Big Twins, Styles P, Ponae, Duke Deuce, Solemn Brigham, NA$TY, CRUZIN, Lewis Parker, Marv Won, CEO Trayle, aasir, Zaytoven, Tedy Andreas, Roadrunner Glockboyz, T.F, Xanman, Udababy, Trapland Pat, god’s kitchen 1984, Saga, Don Perrion, Nuk, Marcellus, Young Crazy, Neek The Exotic & Large Professor, NAPPYNAPPA, G Herbo, CHASETHEMONEY, Dat Boi Vic, Teejayx6 & Lex Luger, Lil CJ KASINO, Rollin Ajay, Tafia, Beneficience, K.J., Toney Boi, Baby Money, Bronze Nazareth, 22gz, Migos, Bobby Sessions, D Smoke, BVNGS, YN Jay, Mickey Factz, KrispyLife Kidd, Bub Rock, Daboii, Mirtaw, Moneybagg Yo, doof & NCL-TM, MoneyMonk, D Flowers & Deebaby, Fatboi Sharif, Fatboyshaun & Trox, and many, many more...

If you made it this far you’re a hero and a hip-hop head of fine taste.  Thanks & peace to all.  🙏

See also:

https://therappundit.tumblr.com/post/669580372652310528/the-top-5-rap-verses-of-2021-the-pundits

https://therappundit.tumblr.com/post/656020494530854912/best-of-the-1st-half-of-2021-song-edition

https://therappundit.tumblr.com/post/649527317251670016/best-of-the-1st-quarter

https://therappundit.tumblr.com/post/638904640503726080/the-best-rap-songs-of-2020-great-songs-that

[powellperaltaskateboards]

http://bit.ly/PPSweatshirts

Plenty of Powell-Peralta Sweatshirts in stock right now. Hit up your local skate shop to see if they have any on their racks.

[sweatshirtbrigade]

The Steam Wars

There are few events that have left an impact on the world than the Fourth Steam War. Taking place on the advent of widespread use of electric power in the planet, this conflict had brought to the fold a magnificent menagerie of machinery never before seen by the planet’s people and the devastating effects this had on the people and the political landscape they were dependent on.

Devastating as it was, the Fourth Steam War was just the last in a long line of conflict called the “Steam Wars.” Throughout the Steam Era, the nations had been undergoing an industrial revolution, rediscovering the power of the steam engine as well as improving vastly upon waterwheel technology. The first of these wars has emerged as part of the petty squabble between the most powerful northern nations, Meridian and Concord, as their growing industrial economies begins to tax the resources of their own already-vast continents, spurring the need to control even more territories.

The First Steam War was a territorial spat between Concord and the southerly nation Pascal, which led to the Pascalese’s defeat and the seizing of their most northern territories to Concord. Meridian was allied to Pascal, but has only joined to grab territory from their enemy in the form of the ward of Booker, which eventually became the founding territory of Meridian’s Concord Colony. An uprising on the Jima settlements in the area known as “The Shires” was quashed. The Second Steam War involved the Concord and Meridian Empires separately waging petty skirmishes against the southern nations, with Meridian ostensibly “defending” its southern ally Pascal while trying to grab territory in the south. Concord was more successful in this endeavor as it had made moves for colonialism first, while Meridian was warded off by an alliance composed of the Insular League, the Empire of Poldevia, and the interior republics of Soren, Stephensonia, Theslochapekia, and Rockford. This alliance, which would become the United Federation, was to become a formidable enemy of Meridian in the decades to come.

In the south, the nations of the United Federation, having hosted the Pascalese Emir since the civil war that had divided his alarmingly bipartisan nation into three states, decide to declare an intervention. This threatened to bring them into war with the Royal Concord, who still controlled the Northwest of the country.

The Third Steam War took place between Meridian and Concord not long after, with Concord unsuccessfully invading Concord Colony in an attempt to reclaim Booker Ward. It was forced to retreat and abandon the colony as internal unrest began to engulf its wide but grossly mismanaged Empire. While its navy was to quell rebellion in the dissatisfied maritime colonies (known as the province of New Concord), five of the seven mainland provinces seceded from the Kingdom, creating a violent civil war now known as the Bufferian Revolution. The Fourth Steam War involved both the native Concord states (the Kingdom and Bufferia) acting against the Meridian Empire’s occupation of the secessionist territory of Campbell, which has seceded during the third war but has voted against joining Bufferia. Republican unionist sentiment had encouraged the Bufferians to betray their Royalist allies, resulting in a deadlock that had essentially left Meridian the undisputed ruler of Campbell, which was integrated with Booker into the much larger present Concord colony. Unrest in the colony, however, had made a high turnover rate for Imperial Viceroys, which made the otherwise valuable territory more expensive than the Merids had previously thought. By the end of the war, the United Federation had gone from a mere trade and defense alliance (albeit with a unified diplomatic policy) into a full-pledged Sovereign State. The era of the detente had begun.

[p-redux]

Are Sam and Karina letting us know subtly that they are a couple, she allowing post showing her on the way to Scotland, he wearing Ryderwear

No, Anon. Sam and Karina are not thinking about US at all. Sam and Karina are living their lives, none of us is even a bleep on their radar.

Let me list all of the things Sam and Karina are thinking about before they would even come up for air to even remember they have fans: great sex, mornings working out together, rides in the Scottish countryside on Sam's motorcycle, great sex, hiking munros together, cozy nights in front of the fireplace, whisky, great sex, TMGD, Karina's incredible body, Sam’s incredible body, great sex, whisky, great sex, great sex, great sex. Lather, rinse, repeat.

I can assure you that at NO point have either of them turned to the other and said “Hey, instead of 'great sex, workouts, whisky, hikes, great sex,' let’s spend some time sending fans secret clues that we're together." When fans start to think like that, they become conspiracy theorists, and we know some of the worst conspiracy theorists out there are Extreme Shippers, Babygaters, Sam Haters, and the Gay Brigade. That's not a part of the fandom you want to be associated with, Anon.

So, Sam wore this Ryderwear sweatshirt/hoodie the other day 👇

I would assume because Karina, who works with Ryderwear, gave it to him, and he knew she was coming to visit him. He wore it for HER, not us.

And Karina DID NOT post she was going to Scotland. Tennis player, Taylor Townsend happened to be on the same flight. They were sitting together, obviously started talking, and Taylor tagged Karina. People tag people they meet all the time. 👇

Taylor just met Karina on the plane to Scotland. Do you really think Karina turned to her and said, "Hey, so I've been seeing this actor from Outlander, Sam Heughan. And his crazy fans don't think we're dating, they watch mine and his every move, so can you please tag me on your IG stories so that they'll know we are dating and I'm on my way to Scotland?" Read how insane that sounds.

Let me put it this way...anyone who thinks that conversation happened, or Karina asked Taylor to tag her, or Taylor is somehow part of a bigger conspiracy, or Sam and Karina orchestrated clues to let fans know they're together...is well, to put it delicately, not right in the head. Sorry to be so blunt...but it's really as simple as that. 🤷‍♀️

Anon, forgive me if I sound harsh, I'm actually not directing this at you, you seem nice enough, I'm directing this at the haters who continue to vilify Sam and any woman he dates, and spread LIES.

Anyhoo, here's hoping for some #samrina sightings!

[wvsbrgde-blog]

WVS BRGDE Core Collection Fall 2017

[gallawitchxx]

i was tagged by so many honey bunnies to do so many tag games, so get ready to learn a ton of shit about me--bee! 🐝🖤

honey bunny brigade includes: @celestialmickey @shameless-notashamed @creepkinginc @heymrspatel @energievie @look-i-love-u @mishervellous @ardent-fox @sleepyfacetoughguy @grumble-fish @rereadanon @milkoviched @benkenvbi & probably more but my notes are wild. i love you all. friends!

- - - - -

name, age, and pronouns: bee | 30 | she/her

if you could live anywhere, where would you live? paris! 🇫🇷 🥐

something on your to-do list today: post chapter 5 of M8TE!

describe your current outfit: black cargo pants in a soft fabric & a shirt that says CASH with johnny cash flipping off the camera 🖤

what’s the last song you added to your playlist(s)? probably something from nosho's M8TE playlist, so i'm just going to plug that bb again for you all here.

favorite holiday: my wedding anniversary 💍

something you’d find in your bag/purse/backpack: a lighter 🔥

something you’d find in your bedroom: a tv we inherited from a friend that likes to pause in the middle of shows & just generally be a total dick 😠

you’re giving a Ted Talk, what’s it about? the slow demise of the reality dating show host. shit, they've been through it & they're now being replaced by robots (to some success tbh!)...

what’s something you’d still like to do this year? write a first draft of an og novel during nanowrimo 😈

- - - - -

last song: deep waters by noji 🎵

last show: are you the one? season 1

currently watching: everything & nothing. come on fall programming! 📺

currently reading:

these foolish games by @suzy-queued

faffy by @goodkwuestion

these undomesticated wilds by @arrowflier

sweetpea by @whatthebodygraspsnot

current obsession: each & every last one of you babes 🖤

- - - - -

comfort movie: 10 things i hate about you (hi juju) 😎

comfort food: ice cream by the pint

comfort clothing: bike shorts & a big sweatshirt ✨

comfort song: it never entered my mind by miles davis

comfort book: "tiny beautiful things" by cheryl strayed 🥰

comfort game: mario kart 🏁

- - - - -

tag yourself! then tag me! xx

[themandilorian]

WIP Tuesday??

Thank you for the tag @ivelovedhimthroughworse! I can't wait to inhale Fallen From the Sky with Grace when you finish. What a feat so far though! You should be so proud of yourself! Thank you too @tea-brigade for thinking of me! Your stories and the Soft Star Magazine sound amazing and I'm so excited for you!

I haven't been writing much because life's been way too hectic but I went camping this weekend and got started on the lady ruth's recipe zine. That said, it's a lot colder where I am now, which brings out the basic bitch in me (it's me, I'm very basic), which means I am happily wearing a Watford sweatshirt baking pumpkin chocolate peanut butter cheesecake in honor of Baz. So here's my wip this week! (The cheesecake needs to chill for five hours.) Hope everyone is having a lovely start of the week and please tag yourself and show me what you've been working on <3

ps let me know if you want to see a video of me trying to befriend some very cute cows

pps or pictures of my dogs

[laulaunyc]

🔥🔥🔥Vintage Powell Peralta🔥🔥🔥

[wax]

this album fantastic dynamite!  

[dahliawolfe]

Ok, guys, a little something different for ya. A new spin on the classic characters in the Sherlock Holmes universe. A She-lock, if you will. This will be multi-part.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Deduction

“Holmes! Holmes, if you walk out that door, you’re done!” echoed off the walls of the hallway. Glancing back once, smirk in place, Sherlock Holmes pushed the elevator call button and stepped in, leaving a red faced Capt. Marksell in her wake.

6 months later

The London skyline was dark and dreary, and a cold rain drizzled down. Lestrade looked up at the building in front of him, double checking the number posted beside the door. 221 B Baker. This was it. Not much to look at, if he was being honest. Certainly not a place he would picture the brilliant Sherlock Holmes living. He’d heard tales of her glory days. Solving the unsolvable. Taking down the country’s worst criminals. Truly awe inspiring. How Marksell had ever let her get away was beyond him. Now, he needed her back. Thing was, Sherlock Holmes did exactly nothing that she didn’t want to, so Lestrade knew it would be a tough sell. Still, he knocked.

…

Sherlock was perched in her favorite armchair reading Bronte when a knock sounded at the door. She sighed, heaving herself off of the couch. When would the neighborhood watch learn that she was not interested in leading the brigade and that those really were just mannequins in her bin?

��

The door was flung open to reveal a mass of red curls perched above a irritatedly quirked brow. Sherlock Holmes folded her arms over her chest and looked down on Lastrade standing on her stoop. Good lord, she couldn’t be more that 25; 28 at the absolute most. Lestrade knew she was young, but he hadn’t realized.

“Yes?” she demanded, New York accent smooth, yet tinged with just a bit of London dialect.

“Sherlock Holmes?”

“Yes. What of it?”

“Ms. Holmes…”

“Sherlock. Mrs. Holmes is my bitch of a mother.”

Lestrade was caught off guard. “Yes, of course. Sherlock, I’m Grey Lestrade with Scotland Yard. May I have a moment of your time?” Sherlock sighed.

“Come on in then. No tea, but there’s fresh coffee.” She led the way inside, slamming the door behind Lestrade. She all but flounced over to an armchair and flopped down before vaguely gesturing to a suede futon across from her. She was quite an ungraceful girl. And not at all what Lestrade pictured. She was clad in a holey, ill-fitting sweatshirt that brushed the tops of her thighs and what appeared to be men’s boxers. She was petite, standing at no more than 5’2”. But she was an attractive lass, with blazing Green eyes that were sharp enough to cut you, and milky skin. What Lestrade could see of it was littered in tattoos. “I presume you came here for a reason, Captain?”

“Capt…I never…”

“It’s quite easy to deduce, really.” When he didn’t reply, she rolled her eyes before explaining. “No uniform, so you’re a detective. But I’ve never met you, so you transferred in. They only transfer in Captains and chiefs, and you, despite being clearly middle aged, have not worked this job long enough to be a chief. Unless, of course, you are from a prominent family, which given the quality of your clothing, you are not. Therefore, you must be a captain.”

“How do you know how long I’ve been on the job?” he challenged.

She sighed heavily, thunking her head back on the chair. “Your gun is in a new holster. One that you bought specifically so your badge would be prominent. So, you’re a new captain. But you also aren’t comfortable approaching me, and yet you analyzed me, as well as my home, when you arrived. You rose quickly because you’re a good detective, but that means that you didn’t have time to hone your skills with the public before being assigned as a captain.”

Lestrade was speechless. She’d summed him up in less that 5 minutes.

“So…” she prompted, reaching for her coffee cup.

“Right, yes. Well, I came to ask you to come work on my team at Scotland Yard. I’ve heard how brilliant you are, and I want you on my team.”

Sherlock smiled. “They took my badge. Marksell made sure of that.”

“Marksell is no longer with Scotland Yard.”

“Oh, I can’t imagine why.” She snorted.

“You wouldn’t be a detective. You would be a consultant.”

“A consultant, hmm? In what capacity? Homicide? Robbery? I don’t do sex cases.”

“Homicide. You’d be paid, of course. And it wouldn’t have to be full time.” Sherlock narrowed her eyes at him.

“I choose the cases I work on,” she stated bluntly. Challenging him. “Only the cases that interest me.”

“Fair enough. Listen, why don’t you consider my offer and come by sometime this week? I can introduce you to the team. Show you some of our cases and let you get a feel of it.” Sherlock hummed.

“I’ll consider it.” Knowing that was all he was going to get, Lestrade nodded and stood.

“Good day, Sherlock.” Sherlock gave him and nod, but she didn’t stand to open the door for him, so he saw himself out.

…

“Captain Lestrade, someone is at reception for…” the tinny voice of the receptionist chirped before Lestrade’s door was flung open and Sherlock Holmes, herself, strolled in.

“Hello, Sherlock. Welcome back.”

“I’m not back…yet. But I will say, your offer intrigues me.” Lestrade gave her a smile.

“Good. Let me show you your office.”

“I’d have my own office?”

“Of course.” Lestrade ushered her out the door and down the hall to a doorway near the end. He opened it to reveal a large office with floor to ceiling windows. A large desk was tucked into the corner, and a couch stood in the middle of the room. “It’s not much, but it’s yours. If you want it.” Sherlock hummed and stepped into the room to look out the window.

“As I said, I’m intrigued,” she commented, turning to face him.

“Let me introduce you to the team. Those who are in the office currently.” Sherlock was lead into the cubicled room, where 3 men stood around a large white board at the back of the room. “Wilson, Brown, Dollan, this is Sherlock Holmes,” Lestrade announced. “Where’s Watson?”

“He’s on that stakeout on 3rd. This is Sherlock? Bit young in’ she?” the oldest of the men asked, looking Sherlock up and down.

“Dollan, Wilson, lovely seeing you again,” Sherlock said cordially before giving Brown a sour look. “You must be Brown. Transfer from white collar, I presume. They always have the worst taste in suits.” Brown frowned deeply, huffing before walking away.

Lestrade fought his laugh. “Well, don’t be shy. Show Sherlock what you’re working on.”

…

“I’ll see you Monday morning?” the captain asked. Sherlock nodded.

“Yes. Fine. But you know my conditions.”

“Of course. Only the cases you choose.”

Sherlock pulled her phone out of her pocket as the elevator descended. She was deep in scrolling through news stories when the door dinged, signaling that she had reached the ground floor. Without looking up, she pushed herself off of the wall and stepped out of the elevator, running into someone, who wrapped large hands over her hips and sent her phone flying. “Fucks sake!” she hissed. She looked up into the grey eyes of a big guy.

“Sorry, Lass,” he husked.

“Remove your hands,” she warned lowly. He removed his hands slowly.

“No need for all that,” he tsked. Sherlock looked at him, cocking her brow.

“Perhaps you should be more careful where you heave your abnormally large body.”

“You’re a right treat,” he intoned, Scottish accent thick. Sherlock snarled before stooping to retrieve her phone and walking briskly away, hearing him chuckle deeply behind her.

…

“Watson, a word, in my office,” Lestrade instructed. A pit opened in John Watson’s stomach. He knew he was good at his job, but John would be lying if he said he’d never made questionable decisions on the job.

Still, Watson stood, following his boss down the hall. He entered the office and lowered his large frame into one of the chairs in front of Lestrade’s desk. At 6’5” and just under 300 pounds, John knew he looked intimidating, but damn if he wasn’t the one intimidated right now.

“John, I have an assignment for you.” John let out a silent breath. Assignments he could do.

“Alright.”

“You’re familiar with the name, Sherlock Holmes?”

“The genius that used to work here?”

“The very same. She’s coming back as a consultant, and…”

“She? Sherlock is a bloke’s name.”

“Nonetheless, SHE is coming back, and I need someone I trust to keep an eye on her.”

“You want me to babysit her?” John asked incredulously.

“No. No. John, Sherlock is the most brilliant detective that I’ve ever known of. This is your chance to work on the big cases.” John folded his arms over his chest, not buying the spiel. “You get an office.”

“I’ll do it.”

…

Sherlock pulled her coat tighter around herself to brace against the chill. Lestrade was standing by the front door of Scotland Yard waiting for her. He beamed at her approach, passing her an ID badge. “Welcome. We have a briefing in 5 in the bullpen. Meet you there.” Without another word, Sherlock was left alone in the lobby, so she made her way to the elevator, intent on dropping her coat and bag off before heading to the briefing. She opened her office door, only to be met with the steely grey eyes of the brute from the lobby last week.

“Mornin’,” he greeted, obviously surprised. That’s when Sherlock spotted the extra desk that had been brought into the room. That bastard.

“Well, Hamish, don’t block the doorway,” she sneered, sliding past him to get to her desk.

“Name’s Watson. You’re Sherlock, I suppose.” He’d propped himself up against her desk as he spoke.

“Yes. That would be me. Astute observation.”

“Ah good, you two’ve met. Now, off ya pop. Meeting in the bullpen,” Lestrade chirped, not even stopping; probably knowing Sherlock had a few choice words for him.

“After you,” Watson spoke motioning her forward. Rolling her eyes, Sherlock headed out to the bullpen, intent to steadfastly ignore her new companion.