Negro Justice is an emcee from Nashville who has been putting out music since 2018. He’s been working at a steady pace since then, always expanding and growing. His most recent release came just about a year ago when he dropped the EP Resplendent. Now he’s back with an ambitious new full-length album, Chosen Family.

Opening an album is always important, and few nail it the way that Negro Justice does on Chosen Family. After a short inspirational introduction from Amaze88, Negro Justice kicks down the door with “No Throwaways.” Featuring some brilliant horn work from Amber Woodhouse that sets the tone with some bright energy, this then allows Negro Justice to step to the mic with layered lyricism, mad shit talking, and charisma for days. For the album, Negro Justice works with producers Calcutta Beats, Aaron Dethrage, and Just VIBEZ, who come together to give him just the right balance between Southern trap, soulful boom bap, and a touch of that gospel/808 style of Southern hip hop as well. It’s a combination that gives Negro Justice a great foundation to build upon, one that is rich and varied and undeniably Southern in flavor. As you make your way through the album, we do get plenty of trash talk from Negro Justice, but he’s methodically weaving in more personal and substantive rhymes along the way. At first, they might seem subtle, with a punchline that packs more than expected when he references a political issue or a personal experience, but by the time you get to the last couple of tracks, “Pops was a Chef 2,” and “Father Figure,” you feel like you know Negro Justice on a personal level because he’s opened up so much and let you into his world. Of course, if you’re going to have an album called Chosen Family, you’re going to need some of those family members on the album to share the love and build the musical world, and there is no shortage of talented guests on the album. We get spots from the aforementioned Amaze88 and Amber Woodhouse, along with Face of the Major Playerz, Rio Tokyo, BLVCKWIZZLE, Corduroy Clemens, HB Mandella, Chan Tate, C.I. Aki, Gee Slab, FU Stan, and Auntie Jo. You might not know some of these names, but you’ll want to learn more after listening to the album. This musical chosen family gives the album a really rich and fun feel to the process, but it’s Negro Justice with his skill, charisma, and mix of braggadocio and personal rhymes that guides you through the listening experience and form that personal bond with the music.

Chosen Family is a great step forward for Negro Justice. It’s a deeply Southern album that is fun to listen to with production that will sound great blasting out of your speakers during the hot summer months that are approaching. It’s also an album that you can keep listening to over and over, catching a new musical or lyrical moments and just deepening your connection to the album.