D-Block Europe extend their extravagant rap journey with third studio album Rolling Stone. It’s the London duo’s ninth full-length since their rise began in 2017 as an offshoot of US label/crew D-Block—backed by legendary trio The LOX. Many at the time understood this title to be a simple but still important honour in a rap game where co-signs of such size can shift most obstacles. From the jump, all seemed clear that this wasn’t about to tie South London (Lewisham) to New York’s Yonkers in any meaningful way. And that’s how it’s played out since. Young Adz and Dirtbike LB’s stateside counterparts have reportedly never held stakes in the pair, and any collaboration has all but halted—legal troubles preventing US travel for Adz (and DBE affiliate Lil Pino) have only helped to increase this distance. Rolling Stone finds D-Block Europe hitting exciting new heights—while basking in the glow of 2023’s surprise dance hit “Prada” (a remixed version of 2021’s “Ferrari Horses” by UK producer cassö). But album three doesn’t deliver a turn towards trance in light of that track’s platinum-certified success. Instead, they press on with hazily animated tales of street dealing (“Eagle”), paper chasing (“Girls Love Lies”) and sexual encounters (“Skims”). It’s a frenzied, somewhat familiar cocktail from the duo, who practically perfect this serving on the opener (“I Need It Now”), leading with immersive synths and bouncy refrains to set a solid pace. There’s less need for assistance here across the album’s 15 tracks (the shortest offering of DBE’s hefty collection), but star power arrives nonetheless with a slick, bilingual verse for Albania’s Noizy (“Eagle”) and from Florida wild child Kodak Black to close (“Still Play Valorant”)—proving DBE, by definition, make rap a smaller, more interconnected arena.