Motivated by living up to his family legacy and honoring the memory of his late friend and rap partner, Rucci‘s drive to succeed is deeper than rap. Writing the next chapter of his underdog story, the Inglewood native shares Midget, his sophomore album. The sequel to last year’s acclaimed Tako’s Son which told the story of growing up in Inglewood and being his father’s son, while Midget finds Rucci exploring himself, fame, and shines a light on his relationship with his mom.
Though he’s still one of the best at the game at delivering disrespectful neo-West Coast slappers including “Bad Boys“ featuring his frequent collaborator AzChike. Midget shines when Rucci gets in touch with his feelings, saluting a ride-or-die bae with the Zapp & Roger-sampling “Killa,” lamenting a lost friendship in the touching and melodic “Understand,” and silencing his doubters with help from Mozzy in “Believe In Me. Midget is Rucci exploring the benefits and drawbacks of reaching a certain level of fame and success, but knowing he has so much more he’d like to accomplish.
Rucci is always greatly loyal to his roots, with the album title Midget coming from a nickname his mom used to call him because he’s “just a small guy in a big world.”
“Ever since I was little, people would call me ‘midget,” the 26-year-old says of his nickname. “My mom would say I was a small person in a big world, always wanting to be bigger. Since I got my mom and my dad out the way on previous projects, I’m going straight rapper mode. I’m becoming who I always wanted to become. I always wanted to be able to take care of everybody around me and at the same time keep myself satisfied on a higher level. In the past, I’ve been super nice and super humble. Now? No more. This album is about me maturing while still being the biggest dickhead in the world.”
With instrumentals that range from hard-hitting street slappers to chill electro-funk samplers, Midget is packed with breakneck flows and relentless bars, and even gives Rucci the chance to show off his silky singing voice. The album boasts recent singles like the alpha dog anthem “Check Me Out” featuring Haiti Babii, and the hard-hitting cross-Cali collab “Okay Doeee” with ALLBLACK. The rapper also follows up Tako’s Son highlight “Me & My Drugs” with a sequel, enlisting a Soul II Soul sample and a verse from Shordie Shordie for “Me & My Drugz II.” Featuring additional appearances from White John and Blxst, and with production by Ron-Ron, Rucci’s frequent collaborator Romo, and more.
Inspired by Rucci’s street-level observations and influenced by his late rap partner Sean Mackk, the album is ultimately a celebration of family, teeming with lessons Rucci learned from his father, mother, aunts, and uncles, and also from his adopted family in the Inglewood streets. The project took its name from Rucci’s father, Tako, an established Inglewood figure, who was deported to his native El Salvador, and Rucci told the full story of his background and his relationship with his dad in an ABOVE ALL-produced documentary.
Safe to say, Rucci gets better with every project he drops. 10/10. And if you haven’t yet, check out Midget below and let us know what you think in the comments below. – Lupe LLerenas (@LupeLLerenas)