He Has Risen

Smoke DZA is a product of New York’s early '00s rap renaissance, a savvy observer of street dynamics. The Harlem MC evokes his city at its most tempestuous, whether boasting about his come-up over throwback jazz horns on "Heard Dat" or calling out fake gangsters with Uncle Snoop Dogg across the icy mobster synths of “Morals.” As producer Harry Fraud splices boom-bap, backpack, and trap, DZA hits bombers on “Stage Five Steamer,” snaps on haters over the dance beat of “It’s Real,” and brings bubblegoose-tough hustle back to rap.