Kweku Smoke knows how to stay in the picture. The Ghanaian MC’s WALK WITH ME is the sound of a rapper who didn’t just participate in Ghana’s trap wave, but one who helped shape it, held his line, and kept building even when the scene shifted around him. The production remains unapologetically trap: cold drums, brooding bass, and a pace that gives his Twi cadences room to flex. But there’s growth here, too: Smoke’s raps are raw and chest-punching, yet he moves easily into melodic phrasing without losing bite. There are but two features—AratheJay on “Hold On” and Vic Mensa on “Believer”—and the choice to keep the guest list short reinforces an ethos of owning your lane and standing firm in it. Towards the end of “Tales,” we hear Smoke bellow, “I been through fire/See me out here, now I’m shining brighter,” and it comes off less an empty brag than someone whose journey—mistakes, loyalties, and scars—has granted him the clarity of his standing. Smoke’s “Emere,” which appears towards the end of the album, showcases vocal control and emotional texture, layering tone and breath into something sharp and unmistakably intentional. It’s a feat developed through experience. Whether or not you exalt him as the genre’s leader, the conviction is undeniable.