In 2017, Medikal’s Disturbation crash-landed into a world that was not quite prepared for the MC’s potent blend of gritty old-school bars and supercharged melodic hooks. In fact, the Ghanaian hip-hop landscape has spent the last few years coming to terms with the stylistic leaps that the Accra-born MC made. Eight years, countless hits and several groundbreaking moments later, Medikal returns to the title that he built his reputation on, delivering a worthy sequel to his lauded debut. At different points on Disturbation 2, Medikal revels in his longevity and the legacy he has built. “When you say my name, better show some respect,” he implores on “Veteran”. He rides a serpentine trap beat to detail his imperviousness to criticism on “Thoughts”, before blowing up the pan-Africanist outlook that birthed Disturbation’s “Beautiful Africa” for a self-confident celebration of his home country that places him in the pantheon of Ghanaian greats with Kofi Annan and Kwame Nkrumah. These self-assured bangers sit side by side with scathing cuts like “Kwasia bi (Diss)” and “Broke N***a”. Snuck between those moments of consternation are glimpses of Medikal at his melancholic best: He reflects on his shortcomings, using his personal failings as a bridge to critique political ineptitude on “Why”, and contemplates his personal standing over a backdrop of twinkling keys on “Rainy Days”. Eight years after he emerged with a scene-stealing effort, Medikal is as surgical with his execution as ever, building on the foundation he laid on the original Disturbation to reaffirm his place at the summit of Ghanaian hip-hop.