Still King

BIG30 has become a Memphis mainstay thanks to raw street raps and an ear for gritty, Southern-leaning beats that are heavy on trap drums and woozy synths. Since emerging in 2021 with King of Killbranch, BIG30 has cemented himself as an industry favourite. That first mixtape established his bona fides thanks to features from Lil Durk, Future, Quavo, fellow Bluff City spitter Moneybagg Yo, Offset and more. On Still King, 30 opts to move on from the guest-heavy approach, mostly relying on his own voice to carry the weight of the album. He has no problem controlling the narrative by himself, like on “Been a Threat”, where he outlines how he turned a skill for hustling and rapping into generational wealth, all the while paying homage to his mother’s influence. He raps: “Lost my cousin, been fucked up mentally, can't say shit but ‘man’/My mama put me on that Betty Wright, no pain, no gain.” The method is tried and true, and it works damn well.