Big Ballin' With YL & Papo2oo4
As the Knicks enter the Finals, the rap duo matches the city's magnetic energy. +reviews of Fetty P Franklin, Young Chris x MadeinTYO
Here in New York City, it's quite the time to be a sports fan.
Coming off two dominating playoff sweeps of the Philadelphia 76ers and the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Knicks enter the first game of the 2026 NBA Finals tonight against the San Antonio Spurs. Currently ranked second in the MLB's American League, the Yankees have a lot of games left on either side of Jay-Z's upcoming concerts at their stadium.
Beyond that, it's pretty grim. On the NHL front, the New York Rangers finished dead last in the Eastern Conference, leaving dejected area hockey fans to choose between improbably expansion team Vegas Golden Knights and the Carolina Hurricanes (fka the Hartford Whalers) in the Stanley Cup Finals. As for the Mets, your humble newsletter writer's beloved millstone, the season already feels over after a historically horrific skid that left even the team's most devoted fans in an emotional downward spiral.
Also the Brooklyn Nets were pretty damn awful this year too. But hey, the Knicks!
Perfectly timed to match the city's magnetic energy as its favorite basketball team heads into a 1999-style rematch, Triple Double finds NYC native YL back in action with no less than Elizabeth, New Jersey's Papo2oo4 on his team. Both rappers have respectively proven to be among the tri-state's most consistent, and together here they uphold and even uplift their reputations. Produced largely by their repeat collaborator Subjxct 5, with other placements by the likes of Foisey and Lord Unknown, these 22 tracks capture some stunning interplay between the two, their vocal contrast as much an asset as the lyricism itself.
Papo's evidently G-Unit informed flow adds gravity to the seemingly breezy "Check Out" and "Coordinate," his effortlessly chill rasp piercing the sonic veil on "Ambitionz" and "Gave Me Love." Meanwhile, YL's breathy tenor elevates the triumphant tones of "Barry Bonds" and the ominous funk of "Kick It," his boastful bars coming from an earned, sincere space. Their combined energy doesn't diminish in the slightest on the project's back half, with highlights "Barcelona '92" and "Poppin" nestled among the deep cuts.
Fetty P Franklin, BET THE BANK ON FRANK
Fetty P Franklin has been grinding on record for a minute, yet his 2025 projects FRANK and the DaBaby-aided Kirk Franklin made this independent Charlotte, NC rapper truly hard to ignore. With BET THE BANK ON FRANK, he applies his perilous drawl to a series of streetwise tracks specifically designed for drug dealer rap aficionados. Following an exquisite intro courtesy of Bruiser Wolf, he brings the intricate language of the hustle to the forefront for the cinematic opener "CHROMOSOMES." Whether correcting would-be dope cooks on "HOW MANY" or getting as nasty as he wanna be on "WIDE OPEN," he's applying a certain lifestyle to booming, bassbin-rattling beats that draw upon trap, crunk, and other distinctly Southern hip-hop forms. On the anthemic "WRISTOPHER," he comes off as fearless as Young Jeezy in his snowy prime, that self-assured attitude carrying through cuts like "B.S.P." and "ZELLE MONEY." Memphis heavy hitter Big Moochie Grape shares his own come-up narrative on "CRAWL B4 U WALK," while the aforementioned DaBaby joins in for the lascivious "BRINKS."
Young Chris & MadeinTYO, Made In Philly
Veteran Roc-A-Fella fans retain a certain respect for the label's once-vaunted roster. A member of Young Gunz and the Philadelphia-centered State Property, Young Chris returned to the rap conversation last year with the solid Dave East team-up Fine Dining, some two decades after Brothers from Another. His latest collaboration, the succinctly named Made In Philly, sees him working with rapper-turned-producer MadeinTYO. His voice now readily grizzled with age and experience, the emcee benefits from his beatmaker's instrumentals on the Roc-reminiscent "Fine Wine & Steak" and the far spacier "Ready For The Summer." That maturity exudes from "Alexis Skyy" and "Worldwide Hustlas," culminating in the homecoming-as-closer "Cuban Cigar." The guest list on this concise effort mostly calls back to Chris' 2000s-era contemporaries, with G-Unit soldier Lloyd Banks sharing on the therapeutic "From Nothing" and erstwhile labelmate Freeway glowering over the gospel-tinged "Too Strong."
Three new tracks to snack on...
Johnny Ciggs & D.R.U.G.S. Beats, "Tuxedos & Tears"
Brian Ennals & Blockhead, "Aldente"
Another Planet & steel tipped dove, "Charred Sardines"
