38 Spesh is on a roll this year. Firstly, the Rochester, New York rapper delivered a killer feature on Benny the Butcher's Tana Talk 4 track "Uncle Ben." Secondly, he dropped 7 Shots in September, which topped the iTunes Rap Chart. Now, he's back again, this time collaborating with Harry Fraud.
The new album is called Beyond Belief, and boasts features from Wiz Khalifa, Benny the Butcher, Jim Jones, Curren$y, Conway the Machine, Stove God Cooks, Ransom, and Elcamino. But 38 Spesh doesn't take a back seat to the big names: this is his project through and through.
On "Speshal," which was released as a single, 38 Spesh announces his intentions, confident and unforgiving. It's Spesh at his most playful, with lines like, "Til I implemented financial advice in my life practices / Tell your man he ain’t have to snitch / You protectin’ rats like you an animal rights activist."
Conversely, "Back to Shore," which features Elcamino and Wiz Khalifa, is a somber affair. It features a vintage Wiz chorus, melodic and evocative. Elcamino is in fine form, and 38 Spesh navigates the stellar beat with ease.
"Band of Brothers" is another highlight. It's all lyrical heavyweights, featuring Ransom and of course Benny the Butcher. The rappers trade bars over shimmering strings. "I ain’t waitin’ ’til the label signs me/ I had illegal empires that probably generate the same as Ghazi’s,” Spesh states.
Additionally, on "Sal's Pizza," 38 Spesh looks back on the life he's lived. The beat certainly is Harry Fraud at his best, a collage of soul samples that create a bed of nostalgia. But Spesh isn't feeling too nostalgic, describing the hardships that he had to overcome.
Of course, it's clear the project is a labor of love. "Harry and I have been putting this project together piece by piece since the beginning of the year, and had been planning to do an album together since Spring 2021," 38 Spesh said. "We didn’t want to rush the creative process, so we waited to record until we could get in the studio together. "I went out to Harry’s studio in the Hamptons for about a week, so this isn’t just some ‘over the internet’ s**t; we got in the studio and created a masterpiece together. With Harry as the conductor, I elevated my game to a new level. The fans are going to go crazy for this one."
Evidently, 38 Spesh isn't wrong. Check out the project below.
Tracklist
- Warm Winter
- Speshal Feat Stove God Cooks
- Two 23’s Feat Conway The Machine
- Loverboy Interlude
- Back To Shore Feat Wiz Khalifa & Elcamino
- Target Practice Feat Jim Jones
- Band Of Brothers Feat Benny The Butcher & Ransom
- Sal’s Pizza
- Mint Green Feat Curren$y
- Sharlene
