Victory Lap is technically Nipsey Hussle's debut album, but the Los Angeles rapper has been consistently dropping music for over a decade now. Since releasing his first mixtape Slauson Boy in 2005, he's put out a series of self-released mixtapes that included hits like the Drake-assisted "Killer." You can catch up on his journey in a recently released documentary here.
Now, after signing a multi-album deal with Atlantic Records that includes a partnership for his All Money In imprint, he's ready to drop his major label debut.
"I always felt like when I get the album out, [a label deal] would be the next move, so I spent a while making this album," he explained to UPROXX. "It always feels like the stars line up when you put music out. Sometime’s it’s bigger than others but when I say, 'I’m done,' I think my track record has been quality, so people like, ‘If he ready to present it, it’s gone be some fire on there, because he ain’t gone present it if it ain’t fire.'"
Featuring Kendrick Lamar, YG, Puff Daddy, CeeLo Green, and more, Nipssey believes his patience yielded classic material—a term he doesn't throw around lightly.
"I got three of the rappers I respect the most on the album," he told XXL. "It's other songwriters and R&B singers that I collabed with, but I shared verses with three artists. Each one gave me something classic. I know people throw that word around real frivolous, but I feel like everybody stepped up to the occasion and gave me an A-level verse. I'm excited about it. I feel like if you love hip-hop, this is a tribute to the legacy of rap music. Dope beats, dope lyrics, real stories—underdog came from nothing. Did it his way. This album is the brand of what we represent."
At long last, you can listen to Victory Lap on iTunes/Apple Music or below via Spotify.
