As the dog days of summer start to set in here in mid-July, the rap game is anything but lazy when it comes to new music releases. This week, a rap-crooner from the Bronx drops his first album since nearly losing his life, a beloved Chicago rapper’s estate releases another posthumous project in his memory, a Michigan-bred spitter drops an album on the heels of a viral single and more.

Lil Tjay Drops 222, First Album in Two Years

After being shot seven times last summer and living to rap about it, Lil Tjay drops his first album in two years, 222. Looking to capitalize on the platinum-certified success of his last album, 2021’s Destined 2 Win, the Bronx rap-crooner’s latest project brings forth a list of guest features made up of some of hip-hop’s most renowned artists including Jadakiss, Fivio Foreign and Polo G, among a few others.

Previewed by two previously released singles, “June 22nd” and “Project Walls” featuring YoungBoy Never Broke Again, 222 finds Lil Tjay covering all bases when it comes to the various styles he portrays through his music. In fact, in promoting the album’s release earlier this week in the Instagram post below, Tjay broke down the 15-song track listing into five self-described categories: “Bars, Pain Tjay, Love Songs, Inspirational Tjay and Story Telling.”

As his 2022 song suggests, Lil Tjay truly knows how to “Beat the Odds.” The New York native releases 222 just over a year after he survived an armed robbery gone astray that left Lil Tjay with a total of seven gunshot wounds. In unveiling the album’s cover art via Instagram last week, Tjay was sure to thank his fans for their love and support amid a “world full of chaos.”

Read More: Lil Tjay Drops ‘Faceshot’ Freestyle Over 50 Cent’s ‘Many Men (Wish Death’ After Surviving Shooting

King Von’s Estate Releases Rapper’s Second Posthumous Album Grandson

Following 2022’s What It Means To Be King, King Von‘s estate puts out another posthumous round of the slain Chicago spitter’s music in the form of Grandson. Serving as a nod to King Von’s very first mixtape, 2019’s Grandson, Vol. 1, the new project is Von’s second release since he was tragically shot and killed in Atlanta in November of 2020.

Led by singles “Robbies” and “Heartless” featuring Tee Grizzley, Grandson offers 17 songs that were hand-picked by King Von’s mother, Tasha, as well others who were closest to him before his untimely passing. To drive their sentiments toward King Von’s legacy home even further, the late rapper’s estate chose to feature his son, Dayvon Bennet Jr., on the project’s cover art.

Read More: King Von Speaks On His Come Up Two Weeks Before His Death in One of His Final Interviews. 

DDG Unleashes New Album Maybe It’s Me…

On the heels of his viral track, “I’m Geekin” featuring Luh Tyler, which, since its April release, has raked in 20 million Spotify streams, landed in the top 10 on TikTok Music’s US Top Tracks chart and has spawned various remixes, DDG unleashes his new album, Maybe It’s Me…

DDG‘s latest singles, the 10Fifty-produced “Trynna Link” and “This Summer” are also included among the album’s 12-song track listing, which sees guest features from NLE Choppa and BIA on “I’m Geekin (Remix).”

Prior to the LP’s release, DDG hit up Twitter on Wednesday (July 12) to offer fans a glimpse into what they can expect from Maybe It’s Me… in the form of a cinematic trailer that finds the Michigan-bred rhymer in a therapy session with a “doctor” being played by a child actor.

Read More: DDG Goes Viral Trolling People With His ‘Real’ Voice

Check out other new projects this week from Dave East, Tech N9ne, EST Gee and more below.