The Alabama MC gets vulnerable about the ways success has changed his life. The acronym behind Rylo Rodriguez’s 2026 album S.K.A.T.E. is rather deceptive. Silence Keeps All Targets Exposed implies something hushed, secretive, and sneaky. But on the Alabama rapper’s first project since 2023’s Been One, Rodriguez is open and vulnerable, reflecting on the years that passed between LPs, and the ways in which life has changed since he’s ascended to stardom. Opener “Stir” features a bluesy guitar line and a powerful, cascading delivery from Rylo, who unloads with the urgency of someone who’s been away from the mic for too long. He describes a brutal encounter with Homeland Security, rapping, “Took the Patek off my wrist/Shackled up my hand.” These sorts of revelations are treated with a defiance, as if they’ve powered the perspective Rodriguez brings to the project. On the Lil Baby-assisted and emotionally cathartic “Promises,” Rodriguez provides an ear for an unspecified love interest: “Wonder how your thoughts been, how your mental health?,” he raps, offering patience and understanding to everyone he encounters.