Chief Keef - Almighty So 2 (2024)

Chief Keef's long-promised fifth studio album is the sequel to his 2013 mixtape Almighty So, which arrived relatively early in the Chicago drill king's long and influential career, and has since reached cult classic status. Mainly produced or co-produced by Keef himself, and issued via his newly formed 43B label, the much-delayed album (originally announced back in 2018) proves to be well worth the wait. Filled with choral vocals ("Carmina Burana" is sampled for the intro), trippy effects, and hyper-charged beats, the record's production is dense and busy, yet woozy and atmospheric. Keef's aggressive boasts are packed with cunning taunts and weird flexes that border on non sequiturs. "Believe" starts out with an insult-heavy rant that knowingly riffs on the album's long gestation period, yet Keef's delivery is surprisingly vulnerable, even when he's rapping about flying on private jets or hunting animals in a forest. His cadence mutates into something outlandish and knotty on previously issued single "Tony Montana Flow," while "Too Trim" recalls the stark repetition of breakout hit "I Don't Like" before escalating and going off the rails. G Herbo, Sexyy Red, Quavo, and Lil Gnar (43B's first signee) are featured, but Tierra Whack makes the biggest impression of all the guests, thanks to her rapid-fire verse on "Banded Up." Instantly showered with acclaim upon its release, Almighty So 2 is unmistakably some of Chief Keef's most accomplished work.© Paul Simpson /TiVo