May 2026 Digest
May has been an interesting month; I can say that for the whole of 2026, I didn't watch a lot of things or read a lot but I did listen to a lot of music and that you shall see for yourself.
Albums
I can honestly say I have been sleeping on Sideshow. I heard his name somewhere before but didn't actually listen to his songs or what he had to say, and I regret that. But now I know why he is popular among the experimental underground rap groups and starting off with this album was the best decision I made.
Sideshow's latest album where he actually embraces the full on experimental soundscape and takes us through this lucid dream of emotions and experiances, I am so glad I caught up to this while this was out, would have regretted missing its relase it i heard it later on in 2027 or 2028.
I am a casual enjoyer of Mike, some songs here and there when spotify decides to mix it up and when a close friend of mine shares his music in the group chat, so I decided, why not give him a listen? And from couple minutes of browsing the web and surfing reddit this album seems recommended, and oh boy, it was good. I do not know what more i can say but I did love and enjoy this and want to listen to more Mike now.
Similar to Mike, I do not know much of Navy Blue, just a few things here and there, and I decided to start here, and honestly, in that post-pandemic era in the 2020s, we had a lot of amazing artists coming up, like TF. Also, another homie of mine, who in fact does rap, recommended another album titled Memoirs In Armour, and I have to say I am excited for that.
We are eating good this year, honestly. JPEG DROPPED, and all I have to say about this album is that I FUCKING LOVED IT. Some songs require me to sit with them, but STILL this is amazing, even though I might put TIGRAY FUNK at the top of my experimental albums of this year.
When people tell you that the rap/hip hop is dead and it's not in good hands anymore, tell them fuck you, because one thing that I always see time and time again is every era has its own artist, which are a product of the events that aspired in that time (idk where I was leading to with that; I went to eat breakfast and now I've lost my train of thought). Anyways, it's the first time hearing Kaicrewsade and this is one hell of a masterfully done album. I mean, idk what more to say except listen to it and you will enjoy this.
Films
Picked it up on a whim while eating so as to watch something and relax and enjoyed it; loved the portrayal of the boys and how the society acts toward this one motherfucking hot widow, mind you, which is Monica Bellucci - I would react the same too, like fr. And later on I realized it was in my Letterboxd watchlist all along. The universe, huh? If you're looking for something fun to watch on some cozy Sunday, I would highly recommend
Anime
Got recommended to watch it by a friend of mine while I was looking for something fast-paced and attention-capturing to watch while working or doing some other tasks, and the dub was also so good it almost felt natural, like I was watching something non-Japanese. I enjoyed the premise of the show and how they went around the topics and what the ending was like. If you're looking for some white room kids going haywire and about to level the playing field, this is the one, and also the pacing is well done, honestly. If they dragged on longer, it would have been a pain.
Manga
I can't believe it took 8 years to write this and took me 2 weeks to finish it. Man, it was one hell of a ride. I am a sucker for delinquent manga through and through, and this just quenched my thirst. From the goofy scenes to the more serious stuff, Misaki Hayato is my spirit animal till the next manga swoons me over... beautiful stuff I tell you
Author’s Note
Hope I will get to more movies and books next month but can’t promise myself anything. Work’s been working, and life has been doing its thing, but I’m enjoying it as much as possible, and you should too. If you did in fact listen to, read, or watch any of these and find them enjoyable, shoot me a DM. I’m always open to the conversations. Have so many new albums to listen to. June is going to be lit, y’all.