Chief Keef released his first Almighty So mixtape back in 2013, when he was 18 years old. At the time, Keef was already considered a washed-up major-label rapper, and Almighty So helped solidify his cult status. In the years since then, the Chicago drill style that Keef popularized has become a global phenomenon, and Keef has become an unpredictable, elusive figure. He first announced plans to release his Almighty So 2 follow-up six years ago, and it got delayed so many times that people thought it might never come out. Today, the album is out, and it’s really, really good.

Almighty So 2 arrives during a busy moment for Chief Keef. In March, Keef and super-producer Mike Will Made-It released their Dirty Nachos mixtape, which is supposed to be the lead up for Keef and Mike Will’s collaborative album, another record that’s supposedly been on the way forever. This summer, Sosa will return to play his Chicago hometown for the first time in a decade, headlining the Summer Smash festival. The obstacles that have been in this guy’s way forever are finally melting away.

Almighty So 2 is mostly self-produced, and the beats are extremely hard. Keef builds on the drill blueprint that he and his collaborators established more than a decade ago, and he adds in some artfully flipped samples. He also raps ferociously throughout. The tape includes appearances from rappers like Sexyy Red, Quavo, Lil Gnar, G Herbo, and Ballout. Most surprisingly, Tierra Whack shows up on “Banded Up,” and she just goes crazy. The whole album is extremely solid, and you can stream it below and check out Chief Keef’s just-announced US tour dates.

TOUR DATES:
7/16 Boston, MA @ MGM Music Hall at Fenway
7/18 Grand Rapids, MI @ GLC Live at 20 Monroe
7/19 Minneapolis, MN @ Armory
7/22 Detroit, MI @ Fillmore Detroit
7/24 Brooklyn, NY @ Brooklyn Paramount
7/25 Washington, DC @ Echostage
7/26 Philadelphia, PA @ The Fillmore Philadelphia
7/27 Charlotte, NC @ The Fillmore Charlotte
7/29 Atlanta, GA @ Coca-Cola Roxy
7/31 Jacksonville, FL @ Daily’s Place
8/2 Miami Beach, FL @ The Fillmore Miami Beach at Jackie Gleason Theatre
8/5 Houston, TX @ 713 Music Hall
8/6 Dallas, TX @ South Side Ballroom
8/9 Denver, CO @ Fillmore Auditorium
8/10 Los Angeles, CA @ Hollywood Palladium
8/11 Phoenix, AZ @ Arizona Financial Theatre
8/13 San Francisco, CA @ The Midway

Almighty So 2 is out now on RBC Records.