AKAI SOLO – “Upper Room” (Feat. Armand Hammer)

In recent years, the Brooklyn rapper AKAI SOLO has been a prolific force on the avant-garde underground, releasing full collaborative albums with people like Pink Siifu and Navy Blue. Today, AKAI SOLO has a new album of his own. (There’s no non-cute way to call it a solo album.) The new Spirit Roaming is AKAI SOLO’s first for Backwoodz Studioz, the label run by Armand Hammer member billy woods. The only track on the LP with any guests is the closer “Upper Room,” which features both members of Armand Hammer.

You already know Armand Hammer. Together and separately, Elucid and billy woods have made some of the best rap music of the past decade or so. This year, woods and Elucid have both released great solo albums; woods has two of them. A month ago, woods came out with Church, a full-length team-up with producer Messiah Musik. Messiah Musik also produced “Upper Room,” the new AKAI SOLO/billy woods collab, and it’s just as jagged and thought-provoking as you’d hope. Check it out below.

AKAI SOLO’s new Spirit Roaming album demands to be heard in its entirety. It’s got production from Preservation, Animoss, Roper Williams, Wifigawd, ibliss, argov, and others, and it definitely fits into the whole Backwoodz Studioz landscape. You can stream the whole LP below.

Spirit Roaming is out now on Backwoodz Studioz, and you can get it at Bandcamp.