KALIM raps about his hometown of Hamburg in ominous tones. The MC built his reputation with street rap releases on the independent Alles oder Nix Records and high-profile collabs—namely, on label boss XATAR’s number one LP Baba aller Babas (2015). Drawing on old-school boom-bap and G-funk, the rapper veered towards trap on Top 10 album Thronfolger (2017), which featured fellow straight-talkers like Luciano and Gzuz & Gringo44. KALIM’s trials in an unforgiving metropolis feed his fierce creative offerings, but his nostalgic, melodic loops are a gripping contrast to his sombre urban snapshots.