Acezi

Last year's mixtape from Acezi was all about defecting samurai and the need to create a new system of style and art. In what is designed to be an album update of sorts, Ronin 1.1 Enter the Villain uses very dense subject matter to paint a picture of preserving individuality at the cost of a more popular persona. Using metaphorical stories of war strategies backed by ancient Asian principles first used in rap by the RZA and others, the first single, "Dillinger" — and the entire album, really — is ripe with kung-fu references, knowledge and grime. For what it's worth, Acezi is more than proficient in the art of the rhyme, and this thematic effort, chock-full of tales of bravery and exile, puts him light-years ahead.