Nate57’s mixtapes first got him noticed amid the thriving Deutschrap scene of the late ’00s. A barrage of rapid-fire rap, siren-like synths and hammering drums, his music also helped grow the reputation of his older brother’s record label Rattos Locos. But underneath the classic battle-rap exterior, the German-Angolan MC’s tracks build a bridge between cultures. Indeed, his tales of power, money and women are inspired as much by local street rap as they are by ’90s American hip-hop. And he’s quick with a collab, too—with labelmates Boz and Telly Tellz as well as the West Coast-inspired Kalim.