Garfield High alum Key Nyata follows a string of successful albums/mixtapes (check Two Phonkey, and The Shadowed Diamond for a taste) with his new 12-track internet tape, Cosmic Dad. On this, the first official release on his Children of the Stars imprint, Key acts as an engineer of style, giving much of the stage to the like-minded emcees and producers he's now chosen to run with ("Graduated from the Klan now I'm takin' off," he says on "B.O.S."). Rising Moor Gang reps Mackned and SneakGuapo (who's quickly become one of my favorite local spitters) give standout performances, as do producers S.A.T. Beats and PartyTrash...

Key's monotone, emotion-drained vocals blend in with the subterranean scenery a bit more than they have in the past, but but his choice in beats and lyrical co-conspirators capitalize enough on his creative goals to make it worth a listen.


It baffles me how an artist can continuously elevate his game and avoid widespread notoriety in the way Avatar Darko has. I know it shouldn't—I mean talent is usually valued in the mainstream at a fraction of the price of monotony—but his brand of trap seems as marketable, and frankly better than that of the similarly styled name brand operators on the national stage. Regardless, Av's newest, Soviet Goonion 3, is without question, some next level Darko product. Over time, he's mastered the kind of cadences his ultra-slamming beat require—from murderous drawl to anxiety-fueled double time—which are reliably sourced from the top tier of the spice cabinet. His lyrics are twisted allusions to his Seattle/California life, and stinging commentary fresh off the pavement. One of my favorite passages: "I'm a healthy fiend, she a selfie queen/L.A. just a sunny place full of shady people who sell dreams." Get that.