The rapper and producer Fly Anakin is the leader of Mutant Academy, the awesomely named underground collective from Richmond, Virginia. Last year, Mutant Academy released Keep Holly Alive, their first album as a group. Shortly thereafter, Anakin teamed up with another great underground rapper and producer, frequent collaborator Quelle Chris, on the single "YOUGOTME!!" This spring, Fly Anakin will release his new solo album (The) Forever Dream, and he's got Quelle Chris on board as executive producer.
The combination of Fly Anakin and Quelle Chris makes perfect sense. Both of them are comfortable working in the more traditionalist sectors of the underground rap world, but both of them have casually playful and experimental styles that push at the edges of the genre. They've made a lot of collaborations over the years, and they always sound good together. (The) Forever Dream also has contributions from a bunch of Anakin's other peers, including Pink Siifu, BbyMutha, Nickelus F, the Alchemist, Denmark Vessey, and Turich Benjy.
Along with the album announcement, Fly Anakin has dropped the DEV-directed video for the new posse-cut single "My N***a." The Shungu-produced track features Quelle Chris, fellow Mutant Academy staple OG Big Kahuna, and Virginia-born eccentric $ilkmoney. The beat is prettily hazy, and all four rappers attack the track with conversationally wordy intensity. Check out the video and the LP tracklist below.
TRACKLIST:
01 "Good Clothes" (feat. Demae)
02 "Teen Summit"
03 "My N***a" (feat. Quelle Chris, $ilkmoney, & Big Kahuna OG)
04 "Lil One (Intro)"
05 "Lil One"
06 "CheckOnMe" (feat. lojii)
07 "NOTTOOSHABBY" (feat. Quelle Chris, Nickelus F, & $ilkmoney)
08 "Lord Forgives, I Hold Grudges" (feat. Denmark Vessey & Pink Siifu)
09 "The Times"
10 "Forever Dream (Interlude)"
11 "Forever Dream"
12 "Corner Pocket" (feat. Quelle Chris & BbyMutha)
13 "Dr Phil [skit]" (feat. Psycho Sid)
14 "YOUGOTME!!"
15 "Foreverever Dream (Interlude)"
16 "Say Thank You" (feat. Pink Siifu & Turich Benjy)
(The) Forever Dream is out 4/25 on Lex. Check out our 2022 feature on Fly Anakin here.
