As FLAWLESS as he may be, LUCKI seems to know that his vices control him, for better and for worse.
Embracing them on his latest album, S*X M*NEY DR*GS, the new record touts 15 tracks and highlights work from a slew of star-studded producers (Cash Cobain, Bhristo, Cxdy, Rio Levya, Brent Rambo, Tay Keith and more). LUCKI recruits a lone feature from Veeze on “Wholeworldslatt” — who returns the favor after LUCKI appeared on the Detroit rapper’s debut album GANGER.
Additionally, SMD’s artwork pays homage to Lil Kim’s 1996 album Hard Core, much like his interpolations of album art from Nirvana among other iconic artists. The album is on pace to earn 38,000 first-week units, per Hits Daily Double, breaking LUCKI’s previous first-week record with Flawless Like Me (25,000). This total should be enough for LUCKI to earn his first Top 10 album debut on the Billboard 200.
The Chicago icon’s woozy, half-awake delivery is not only a cornerstone of his sound, but a prominent detail of SMD’s allure. First-spin favorites like “Mubu,” “Super Ski,” “2021 Vibes,” “Wholeworldslatt” and the previously released “No Bap” all uplift LUCKI to a new creative space — operating at a level higher than he ever has. However, this isn’t achieved by deviating far from the narrative that’s gotten him here — fitting for the album’s title.
“I gave you everything, on everything, but I can’t give up on drugs / it’s killing me, but it betters me / I’m geeked up as I should,” he raps on “Pop Star,” personifying the compulsion drugs has on his life. As for money and sex, they act as infinity stones that LUCKI collects throughout the LP. While it may sound like he isn’t trying, that’s the beauty of LUCKI’s vibe — escaping reality by way of hypnotizing, out-of-body beats and sneakily focused bars that go over listeners heads without warning.
Prior to SMD’s arrival, LUCKI turned up Seat Geek Stadium in his hometown of Chicago for Lyrical Lemonade’s Summer Smash (June 23-25). Going from “underground king” to rap icon off the strength of FLAWLESS LIKE ME and WAKE UP LUCKI, visual collaborations with Cole Bennett (“COINCIDENCE”) and longtime colleague LONEWOLF (“GOODFELLAS”) in 2022 also. aided the rapper in his stratospheric ascension.
Listen to LUCKI’s new album below!
