The Master Builder Pt. 1

Following up his recent projects The Master Builder Pt. 1 and Blac Sabbath, Blacastan returns with another collection of roughneck East Coast hip-hop that perfectly blends grimy street scenarios with higher-level lyricism. Hailing from East Hartford, Conn., he sounds like a mix between Twin Gambino and Kool G Rap, rocking gruff verses that center mostly around hood credibility, rhyme superiority, clowning new-school sucker rappers, and coming up in the game. From the eerie storytelling vibe of "Kingpin" to the dark anthem "Blac Terrorist (B.T.M)" and the throwback party jam "Betta Myself," Blacastan stays on-point throughout, taking heads on a much-needed ride back to the glory days of the '90s and evoking memories of classic-era Wu, Nas, and Cormega. With one of the year's most impressive releases so far, he pretty much sums it all up in this choice line: "Diggin' in the crates/state to state/scrape plates/nineties n*ggas/we never rhymin' like Drake." It's a welcome throwback to the lost era of Tim boots and Carhartt gear.