Christina Lee

Whether we're ready to hear it or not, the elusive rapper isn't holding back.

The hip-hop duo made its new record in the shadow of the pandemic and racial justice protests in Atlanta. Yet as ever, its music is focused on the resilience of its home city and its larger community.

The member of K-pop girl group 2NE1 was poised to be a breakout star, until plans for her solo debut fell apart. Now, on the long-awaited album, her confidence and ambition feel more earned than ever.

"I always try to honor my family in my music," Maxo Kream says. On his third album, the rapper balances contemplations of newfound family responsibilities with a sense of charisma and triumph.

The ambitious rapper's debut album starts with an acid trip and ends with a paean to a rap pantheon. In between, says writer Christina Lee, it offers crucial lessons about playing by your own rules.

In a year when Hollywood's splashy sequels are continually delayed, 21 Savage and Metro Boomin delivered a big-budget revenge thriller that toes the line between authoritativeness and absurdity.