Since his 2020 debut, Ultra_eko has released three albums and a string of singles. Most artists would ride that success for a while. But that is not how Eko works. As soon as the wax dried on his last record, he was in the studio making its follow-up.
On June 25 the prolific rapper will drop the 19-track album “Revelation.” Once again the skilled emcee wows with his signature rapid-fire flow. Eko delivers one brilliant sixteenth-note bar after another over a groove that spans the universe of popular music. With a backstory filled with mystery and an unclassifiable sound, Ultra_eko and his producer Subsequel are creating something completely fresh in the world of Hip-hop.
“Revelation” introduces new ideas and reinforces others from the Ulta_eko songbook. Both musically and lyrically the record takes chances and blurs the lines between genre, philosophy, truth and fantasy. Throughout the album the rapper explores themes of sin and salvation, death and rebirth. The concepts are viewed through the lenses of religion, addiction, family and mental illness.
The album opens on a biblical trilogy of songs; “Dust to Dust,” “Rapture” and “Phoenix Rising.” Together the tracks draw parallels between scripture and life in our world. Ultra_eko tells his own story of sin and salvation while keeping one eye on the sorry state of existence in 2021. He slides biblical verses amidst his own rhymes with effective dramatic license. As the record progresses Ultra_eko migrates into some deeply personal territory, from the autobiographical crime drama “Intruder” to the brutally honest exploration of mental illness on tracks like “Fade to Black” and the dark family drama “Medicine.”
Eko drops plenty of wild, stream of consciousness freestyle about everything from viral memes to alien conspiracies on songs like “Nikes” and “Brain Ain’t Your Own.” The apocalyptic “Red Alert” ultimately brings us back thematically to the Good Book by introducing the End Times theme of closing tracks “The Ark” and “Book of Revelations.” The über creative “Thirty-Three Sisters” is a Hip-hop lesson in the history of London set to a bluesy Rock groove.
Musically the album continues the artist’s genre-fluid experimentation. However, where in the past he dipped into Alternative Rock and Electro-Pop, on “Revelations” he digs deeper into modern Hip-hop and Trap grooves. He introduces some Reggaeton into the hard rap “Be Like Me” and a bit of G Love style organic Funk on the poetry-slam jam “Medicine.”
Ultra_eko is a unique and deeply talented voice in the world of Hip-hop. In less than a year he has produced an impressive body of work. “Revelations” is a worthy addition to that catalog. The record is the natural evolution of an artist whose sound is by definition, transformative. Check out the “Be Like Me” video below. Follow the links below the video to connect with Eko. And CLICK HERE to pre-save the new album “Revelations,” scheduled for release to all major streaming services on June 25, 2021.