Trill Nik, veteran battle rapper from Petersburg, VA, has released his second solo album, Sincerely Yours, Fly Buddha. The album is 13 head banging tracks with equal focus on aggression & technical skill, especially unique in a time when many rappers would prefer the former to the latter. Something about seeing the quick-thinking prowess of a street-tested battle emcee taking on a cohesive project is always exciting and fun to see unfold. The energy and fire that Trill Nik raps with on Sincerely Yours, Fly Buddha reminds me of 2012-2016 Meek Mill, you know, Dreamchasers 1-3 Meek. From the intensity of the beats, WWE references and breathless delivery of such personal and sobering bars, there's so many angles you could approach this album from and appreciate it.
There's some one-liners & couplets that tell their own story, for example, from Thicker Than Water, "It's nothing more satisfying to a shooter than a casket closed/My OG put crack up in his Girbauds/He'll sniff a b*&@$ out with his long snub nose" was enough to give me goosebumps when the lines hit me.
There's diversity in the sound as well, Who Keeping Score could just as easily have been a beat for Detroit stars like Teejayx6 or Tee Grizzley, Thicker Than Water has the cold-blooded urgency of a Lil Durk beat, PLV (1 of 1) has synths that Pi'erre Bourne would welcome, I could even hear Young Nudy jumping on a beat like Free Swank for a 16.
The project is another notch in the belt, another trophy in Trill Nik's case, an achievement, staying true to his roots and his reality rather than trying to be over-commercialized. Memorable tracks were hard to choose, but to narrow it down I'd have to say, Fendi Mask, Thicker Than Water, PLV (1 of 1), Scary Hours, and Free Swank.
Stream Sincerely Yours, Fly Buddha on all platforms today.
Follow Trill Nik on IG here to stay up to date on his next projects and events.
Written by Max Olarinde, @mobeige1 on all social media.