South Florida just blessed us with another gem. Producer Lord Lu C N recently dropped The U Album, a highly anticipated collaborative LP featuring members of Denzel Curry’s group, ULT (unity, love, and trust).

The album was hyped up for weeks leading to its release by none other than ULT’s Denzel Curry and JK the Reaper. The cover depicts the mysterious Lord Lu C N, who aside from his own Instagram account, has little information about himself on the web. Denzel Curry apparently goes way back with the producer, stating they were once neighbors on the song Zeltron Takeover. As a producer, Lord Lu C N just established his mastery of the genre.

The album’s production is its biggest strength, and everybody involved knows it. This is likely why it was released as Lord Lu C N’s album, instead of being ULT’s specifically. The album’s sound is reminiscent of Denzel’s first two albums, Nostalgic64, and the double EP 32 Zel/Planet Shrooms. It’s heavy hitting even on the calmer songs, and I personally have not heard an album that combines deep bass and melodic singing so well; not one song lets one overpower the other. Bang it on a speaker and the vocals are still crisp over the slapping bass. The album also finesses the deep distorted sound that Florida’s underground coined by artists like Raider Klan and Smokepurpp, branding it as the Sunshine State’s very own. Wavy at times and hard-hitting at others, this album is a true hip-hop head’s dream project.

But this is not a trap album. The vocalists on this project matched its sonic perfection with pure lyrical ability. While it isn’t the most socially conscious, every bar spit is meaningful. Most of the songs sound nostalgic, almost like ULT just had their first big reunion in support of Lord Lu C N’s official debut. That being said one surprising track stands out among the rest; Fuck Talib Kweli featuring JK the Reaper.

JK the Reaper is an MC from my hometown of Greensboro, North Carolina. Denzel Curry found JK sometime around 2013 to have him feature on Nostalgic64, and since then the two have released a decent number of tracks together.


 

The Kweli diss came about from a Twitter beef between the two when the Black Star rapper called out JK for nicknaming his crew, “Nazi Vampires.” The socially aware Kweli is known for stating his opinions on social media. He gained attention most recently for canceling a show due to the venue booking an alleged Nazi sympathizer black metal band as well. So it’s no surprise that he would be alarmed seeing another rapper name his group something so provocative.

JK wasted no time letting Kweli know how he felt about his sensible criticism on the hellish sounding diss. But the track, through literally titled Fuck Talib Kweli, does include parenthesis calling it a “diss track to old ass rappers.” So maybe Kweli is being dissed more symbolically than personally…at least that’s what I’ll tell myself.

All around the album features a wide variety of vocalists and production, making it a great listen. From melodic singing to raw ass bars, it delivers on all fronts. Lord Lu C N made this so you won’t forget his name, and I certainly hope he continues reappearing with Florida rappers and others alike.

Here’s a full list of every vocal artist featured on the project: Denzel Curry, Anna Wise, Nyyjerya, JK The Reaper, Savannah Cristina, Leaf, Deniro Farrar, Yoshi Thompkins, Chris Star, Stealmybeats.