The unconventional underground Hip-Hop star, RXKNephew, known for his stream-of-consciousness raps, hurried flows and charismatic sense of humor, has just shared his debut album, Till I’m Dead, along with a new music video for “All I Had Was A Bean”. RXKNephew went viral in 2020 after releasing his nearly 10-minute-long odyssey, “American tterrorist”, gathering over a million streams on Spotify. The freestyle embodies his scattered genius and charismatic persona, dipping and diving between moments laced with unchecked conspiracy theories and brief bits of unhinged clarity through bars like, “Who the fuck is Christopher Columbus? / If he would’ve came to my block talkin’ ‘bout he discovered my trap / His ass would’ve probably got shot.” The Washington Post has described his music as “rap’s answer to this paranoid American moment.” RXKNephew has released countless freestyles featuring his chaotic thought process and sense of humor, resulting in a shout out from The New York Times for his 2021 album, Crack Dreams, in their year-end list. Fresh off of an appearance in an ad for Kerwin Frost’s Summer 2022 Adidas collection and a successful North American tour, the independent RXKNephew is gearing up to show the world a brand new side of his artistry with Till I’m Dead, his most cohesive body of work to date.
With the album cover being a play on Notorious B.I.G.‘s classic album, Ready to Die, and dropping it on the anniversary of the icon’s death, RXKNephew is paying homage to Hip-Hop legends of the past. For the first time in his career, Till I’m Dead finds RXKNephew linking up with a single producer, Brainstorm, for the entirety of a project. The result is a unique crossover of RXKNephew’s improvisational take on Hip-Hop and Dance-inspired production. Considering this is the first project that he’s made while sober, there are moments of deep introspection, like in “Neph Vs Universe” and “On My Mind”. The jokes are still present though, as he claims to have better moves than Chris Brown and be higher than Orlando Brown over the sped-up drum patterns on “Frames”. As he spontaneously takes aim at popular producers like Mike WiLL Made-It and Young Chop on “Long Song”, he proudly declares that Brainstorm makes better beats than them, showcasing the duo’s love for one another. Their chemistry is undeniable, as the production allows Nephew to bring a renewed sense of focus to a full-length project for the first time. Up until now, no release from RXKNephew has been overly calculated, or even calculated at all, immediately making Till I’m Dead a true testament to his artistic abilities and musical diversity.