The Mighty Rhino is an emcee from Toronto who got started back in 2011, with the release of his debut solo album, He Whom the Beat Sets Free is Free Indeed. However, for various reasons, it wasn’t until 2018, when Rhino finally released his sophomore album, We Will No Longer Retreat Into Darkness, that his career really gained it’s footing, and since that time he’s released another solo album, and EP, and made several guest appearances. Now, two years after his EP, The Royal Falcon, The Mighty Rhino is back with his fourth full-length album, To Relieve the Sorrow-Laden Heart.

To make this album, The Mighty Rhino worked closely with friends and collaborators Fresh Kils and Notion, who wore multiple hats on the project as they both made beats, engineered, mixed, and mastered the album as well. To round out the project, Rhino also got two more assists on production, with Digs and Meyer Clarity providing the beats on a track apiece. When the creative circle is tight like this and everyone understands where The Mighty Rhino is coming from both musically and as a person, you get put in a great position to succeed with an album like this one. And that’s exactly what happens with To Relieve the Sorrow-Laden Heart. This is the obvious continuation of his last two albums, with plenty of soul-sampling boom bap bangers to go around, where Rhino’s booming voice and joyous presence on the mic can really shine. For all of the glorious braggadocio and fun pop culture references that occur on this album, however, there is still plenty of room for tenderness, personal confession, and deep discussion of issues like religion, mental health, and family. The great thing is that when the album goes in these directions, Notion and Kils are right there to shift the musical tone to match it without ever feeling disconnected from the harder material. This is all to say it’s an incredibly well-rounded album that hits on all the right notes from start to finish. If that wasn’t enough, we get a hell of a roster of guest artists that includes everyone from Shad and Ultra Magnus and Jenna Nation to A.G., Slaughter Rico, Tragedy Khadafi, Guilty Simpson, and Thirstin Howl III, just to name a few. On a lesser album, it would be easy to be overshadowed by all of these guests, but Rhino knows just when he needs these guests to serve the greater purpose of the album, and when he needs to take the mic by himself and get really personal with it. To drive that point home, much like other Rhino projects, he closes out this album with a Baháʼí prayer. He does this because one, his faith means a lot to him, and two, because he wants everyone to depart with a message of love and strength. It’s moments like this that take the album from fun to special.

The Mighty Rhino continues to hone his craft and get better with each album. To Relieve the Sorrow-Laden Heart is another excellent well-rounded project that hits on all the right notes. It absolutely bangs and well get you hyped up like nobody’s business, but then it will also reach deep down and hit you on an emotional level that will make you feel like you’re having a meaningful conversation with an old friend.