King Mendo

MC Ceja is a revered elder statesman in Puerto Rico’s hip-hop scene—so King Mendo could have been another chance to revel in his Brooklyn-honed old-school style. But perhaps knowing that the game had changed considerably since his last album dropped in 2013, Ceja instead chose to fuse that classic boom-bap feel with Latin trap’s bass. His rhymes are battle-ready on the posse cut “Poca Mecha,” and “7 Cadenas” proves his lyrics land just as hard over the Dirty South’s digital slap. Ceja has always come armed with over-the-top boasts about his mic-wrecking abilities and his prowess as a player. But now on a quest to confirm his O.G. status, his rhymes are colder and slicker than ever, flaunting his skill in both the booth and the bedroom. He also spits with that same revitalized ferociousness when repping his Caribbean roots, stunting on his haters with the outlandish dancehall-style jam “¿Dime Quien?” and setting the floor ablaze on the vintage dembow bop “Adicta al Perreo.”