BLACK FRIDAYZ

Thirteendegrees attempts an important course correction for any buzzing artist in 2025: He no longer wants to be seen by detractors as a “gimmick,” saying as much on the second track “ROOFTOPZ.” He’s at the center of a pervasive wave of nostalgia wherein rappers mostly born after the Bush administration are co-opting the swag of the late 2000s and early 2010s. Just watch the music video for “Da Problem Solva,” which replicates those black-and-white rap videos like Kanye’s “Good Life” with such alarming accuracy that I’m convinced the director has a flux capacitor.

Anyway, the gimmick stuff is all noise. “Da Problem Solva” was an internet hit this year, a refreshing retooling of 2015 Young Thug flows and The-Dream’s detailed production palette. And all throughout BLACK FRIDAYZ, his first project released on Island, Thirteen continues to recontextualize the stylistic language of Thug, as well as Chicago touchpoints that seep into his DNA, to articulate a catchy, melodic sound that has actual room for substance.

In interviews, he frames his music as an alternative to Chicago’s drill scene, but it can also be read as a much-needed reprieve from the chaos machine of Playboi Carti and his kin. Harvesting a bygone era for not just the low-hanging fruit of nostalgia, but to develop entirely new styles, seems to be a path that others in his class are also taking: Rising London rappers fakemink and feng build off the slower, moodier production templates of early Drake and 40 to pack more storytelling and feeling into their songs. In an underground landscape where Carti’s shadow looms large, this immediately sets their music apart from the endless assembly line of rage rap variants.

And so we get songs like the last two on BLACK FRIDAYZ, “Ghetto Hipster” and “Drive Save,” which paint in amber hues, skewing closer to the warm hum of Acid Rap than anything from the underbelly of SoundCloud. These more “mature” beats gesture at potential collaboration down the road with Chicago’s alternative scene, the Sabas and Nonames of the world, even if Thirteen doesn’t offer as much lyrical content, instead orbiting bland details about label offers and being “the hood Tumblr.”

But maybe he doesn’t have to. After all, Thirteendegrees also owes part of his swag to Sicko Mobb, the storied Chicago duo who once told this very site that they would categorize themselves as “party music.” BLACK FRIDAYZ thrives where Thirteen leans into what he described as the record’s “luxurious, above and beyond” sound, on soaring, world-beating songs like “Fake Killa,” “Champain,” and “Chiraq Child” with the young firebrand lil2posh. The synth portamentos and victory lap chords will immediately transport some millennial listeners to scrolling Datpiff for Roscoe Dash and Rich Kidz tapes, but the pastiche isn’t as overt as it was on previous projects. Like Carti’s retro-Futuristic turns all over MUSIC, Thirteen’s homage is generative, not conservative.

Another point of reference might’ve been last year’s Saaheem, where Sahbabii, fellow Young Thug acolyte, sharpened his rough mixes and refined his eccentricities into a glossy, airtight package ripe for Solange and Tyler, the Creator cosigns. BLACK FRIDAYZ similarly functions as a smooth, easy on the ears and richly produced sampler. BNYX, the star producer with an ear to the pavement, meets Thirteen where he’s at on “Palace,” melding Tron-esque synth constellations with a vintage Lex Luger riser and chintzy drum fill. I kinda miss his grainy vocal takes on Clique City, Vol. 2, which fleshed out his PhD-level study of the mixtape era, but this record’s studio-quality polish pushes him in interesting directions. On “Blacc Friday,” the most moshpit-ready song here, Thirteen flips between smooth, Travis Scott-type Auto-crooning and blistering chants. It’s not as convincing as Yeat’s best work in the same mode, but it’s a fun song for the Rolling Loud set and a necessary detour from the record’s cruising altitude.

Instead of the thrilling shopping spree of styles that its title suggests, BLACK FRIDAYZ settles into a groove and grooves hard, aiming for wide appeal but threatening to drift out of attention. It’s refreshing that Thirteen’s approach does not hinge on the contemporary playbook of sticky snippets and viral moments. He’s much more holistic and album-oriented—and definitely not a gimmick—which may prove to benefit his longevity. If he comes with some stronger writing and bigger swings on the follow-up, BLACK FRIDAYZ will be remembered as a solid transition record that pushed him out of his comfort zone.