6lack: East Atlanta Love Letter Vinyl LP

It's pronounced "black." Ricardo Valdez Valentine aka 6LACK started out as a rapper, and he's battled Young Thug in his youth. East Atlanta Love Letter is 6LACK's second studio album, and he is 100% correct when he sings: "I'm a R&B n***a with a hip-hop core" (on "Scripture"). The writing on the 14-tracker is heavily influenced by personal experiences, and his bone-chillingly smooth vocals are delivered over stripped down, atmospheric trap beats. The outpouring emotions are accompanied by a gritty energy that looms over the entire project, perhaps attesting to 6LACK's East Atlanta upbringing. On the title track, fellow ATL superstar Future chimes in as the duo croons together: "Who gon' love better? / Nobody because I say so / And my words hit like a Draco." This kind of soft-hard, "I'm gonna let you in on my thoughts & feelings, but don't ever forget that I'm from Zone 6" vibe, delivered with much finesse, is central to East Atlanta Love Letter—think somewhere between mixtapes