It is often a problem with Japanese trap acts that they start out with hard-hitting tracks, then, as they are getting more popular, they start to tone down their sound and go more and more mellow. Well, with Over Kill it is definitely not the case: the duo of Fuji Trill and KNUX exploded onto the scene back in 2018 with the insane Psycho featuring Jin Dogg and they have been reliably delivering some of the craziest trap tunes ever since… and their first full album, The Purge was no different.

It is a wild ride through some of the best and most aggressive trap tunes to come out of Japan in recent years. The album opens with one of the best tracks, featuring Jinmenusagi, one of the best rappers around and hits us hard with some heavily distorted drum’n’bass basslines… and then they keep up this extreme high level of intensity almost throughout the whole release. And while this sort of totally overblown aggression could be just too much after a while, it is not to the case here as the album never gets boring. The style and tempo changes with each and every track, sometimes it slow down a bit (Hit Em), sometimes it goes the opposite direction and turns up the tempo (Run It Up and Blade… the latter sampling the notorious soundtrack of the movie of the same name), when Crossfaith joins for Genocide we get a blast of metalcore infused trap, then we go a tiny bit more mellow with Fly and more old-school with Playas Anthem. And then, of course, we also get some pure trap aggression as well with tunes like Scramble or the guest-heavy U Must Die.… so really, each and every track offers somethig new, something that makes it stand out.

The only sort-of-letdowns are the last two tracks, Parasite, a reworking of Coolio‘s Gangsta’s Paradise (people sure gonna disagree, but pesonally I always disliked that one) and Suicide, featuring YDIZZY, who, as a part of the kiLLa crew, was a pioneer of the Japanese trap scene, responsible for a lot of classics, but nowadays he tends to be more weird than good and it shows here. But even with these, The Purge is by far the best Japanese trap album of 2024 and it is one that’s worth a listen for its all-star cast alone that includes a wide selection of some of the best rappers around, both up-and-coming ones and better known names, such as the aformentioned Jin Dogg (popping up in three different tracks) and Jinmenusagi, or ones like Blaise, Leon Fanourakis and Cyber Rui. Highly recommended!

The Purge
2024.07.22 / Over Kill
digital
01.The Purge feat. Jinmenusagi
02.On The Floor feat. Duke Deuce & Jin Dogg (Remix)
03.Scramble feat. Kamiyada+, Jin Dogg, rirugiliyangugili & 042ghxst
04.Genocide feat. Crossfaith & Jubee
05.Blade feat. Jubee & Cyber Rui
06.Rap In My Mind feat. DSXTX & Leon Fanourakis
07.Run It Up feat. Yvng Patra & Maddy Soma
08.Hit Em feat. eyden & Amon
09.Fly feat. Blaise & S Till I Die
10.U Must Die feat. Leon Fanourakis, Hideyoshi, Blaise, S Till I Die, Necessary Evil, rirugiliyangugili, Lil Ash 懺悔, Mikado & Jin Dogg
11.Playas Anthem feat. MonyHorse & Red Eye
12.Parasite feat. Ashley
13.Suicide feat. YDizzy