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Though its commercial acts have remained largely dormant this year, 2021's hip-hop landscape continues to be supported by its numerous up-and-coming acts. Among the most promising of these is Houston's Marcellus Juvann, who returns to fans this week with HARDHEADED, his first project since 2019's Keep Alive. Though the Texas rapper has only offered fans a small handful of singles over the past two years, this new 7-track EP sees Juvann pulling no punches, making a strong case for 2021 being his year.  

No matter which end of the hip-hop spectrum your affinity lies in, there exist countless intricate aspects of Juvann's HARDHEADED that leave the listener wanting more. From the early bass signals, ominous and thundering on "RUN" to the project closer "DOWN", Juvann consistently exercises a thoughtfulness and precision that is almost unparalleled from his peers. His writing is careful yet unafraid, his delivery is effortless yet intentional, and somehow in under 20 minutes, the young artist displays an enviable versatility across half a dozen hip-hop styles.  

Tracks like "LATE," which features one of the best instrumentals I've heard this year, showcase a rhythmic confidence that draw parallels to figures like IDK, while "GMFU" carries a subtly abrasive yet bouncy Bay Area flavor that sounds like it could have been pulled from a P-LO studio session. Whether absolutely annihilating anxiety-inducing mixes like "HARDHEADED" or delivering an astonishingly heartfelt and introspective performance on "DOWN," the only thing consistent about Juvann's style is how he's constantly one step ahead of the game.

With major hip-hop releases from Isaiah Rashad, J. Cole, Kendrick Lamar, and Valee lurking on the horizon, projects like HARDHEADED are an important reminder that up-and-coming artists like Juvann are the true backbone of the hip-hop sphere.  

Listen to HARDHEADED below: