The Louisville rapper EST Gee is on a very serious run right now. Gee is signed to the Memphis rap giant CMG, and he fits into the whole Southern rap ecosystem, but his sound is darker and bleaker than most of the stuff his peers are making. He sounds like someone who’s been through some thing, or maybe someone who’s still going through some things. EST Gee has been making mixtapes since 2019, but he had his big breakout with the 2021 album Bigger Than Life Or Death. Last year, Gee teamed up with 42 Dugg for the collaborative album Last Ones Left, and he followed that one with the solo LP I Never Felt Nun. Now, six months after his last album, EST Gee has a new one.

EST Gee only announced his new album MAD about a week ago, though the singles “If I Stop Now,” “Blow Up,” and “Undefeated” have been out for a little longer than that. MAD sounds like a statement-piece; you’re definitely signaling something when you open a record with a song called “Pray You Die In Surgery.”

On first listen, MAD is a moody, heavy-hearted album, and it is working for me. There are some big samples on the album, and the stark production style works beautifully for Gee. Only a few guests appear on the album: Boosie Badazz, Young Scooter, and the new-to-me Kada, who gets a big showcase on the album-closing “Kadas Song.” Stream MAD below.

MAD is out now on CMG/Warlike/Interscope.