Floco Torres is an artist from Akron who has been releasing music at a steady pace since the beginning of the 2010s. Back in 2015, as Torres was working on various projects, he felt the need to get back to basics and just rap, so he dropped a mixtape called Why Aren’t You Famous Yet? He followed that up with two more volumes in a short amount of time, even calling the last one Part 3: The End. So over the last seven years or so, we didn’t have any real expectation that Torres was going to go back to this series. Then, in the early parts of January 2023, without any warning, Floco Torres drops Why Aren’t You Famous Yet? Part 4.

The main difference between Part 4 and the original three volume run is that on this volume, we’re getting original production from FLoco Torres and A.P.C.Q., making this more of an EP than a straight up mixtape, but we’re splitting hairs a little. As to be expected, though, these tracks absolutely bump, with nice pockets where Torres can jump on the mic and just rap and scratch that itch. On top of this just being a lot of fun to listen to and a chance to catch up on some unfiltered personal rhymes from Torres, there are some creative and unexpected sample flips across this mix that really kick things up a notch. This should be a simple and straightforward project, and for the most part, it is, but Torres is just so talented and creative and soulful and experienced at this point, even when he’s just throwing down some beats so he can let the words flow, you’re getting some damn good hip hop in the process.

Why Aren’t You Famous Yet? Part 4 is a most welcome surprise to Floco Torres’ catalogue. We have known that he can rap for years now, and even when you’re getting that mixtape/cypher style of raw energy from him, you’re still getting a lot of passion and creativity that elevates the whole listening experience.