Ghanan emcee Recognize Ali dropping his 20th solo LP & the 2nd of 2026. This guy has been a dominant force in the underground from his vast discography of LPs, mixtapes & EPs within the last decade or so to the stellar feature performances that he’s provided for numerous artists. Some standouts in his ever-growing catalog to me personally include the Giallo Point-produced Back 2 Mecca, the Stu Bangas-produced Guerrilla Dynasty trilogy & the Bronze Nazareth-produced Season of the Se7en to only name a few. Coming off Back to M3cca & the DJ D-Styles-produced All Shall Perish, he’s having Giallo fully produce Mantequilla.
“Risky Business” begins with this aggressive boom bap instrumental explaining his deadly tendencies that come out whenever the pin’s pulled out whereas “Russian Roulette with a Loaded Tech” talks about doing his thing & leaving it at that. “Criminal Kind (Violent by Design)” discusses him being the type of person who’d break the law over this cinematically raw beat while “Defy Death” talks about leaving anyone who tries him in a hearse.
Tru Trilla’s appearance on “Danger Zone” was ok despite the eerie boom bap sound & cautionary tone to the lyrics while the drumless title track after a skit hypnotizes audiences with his maddening flow. “Mic’s I Smoke” turns up the grittiness so he can boast his proficiency while “A King’s Ladder” talks about bringing out a bazooka when the beats matter of a piano flip. “These Streets” featuring Tru Trilla finds the 2 decently looking to split the wigs of those enter their home turf while “Meet Your Maker” was an enjoyably jazzy outro.
Both albums we’ve gotten from Recognize Ali so far almost halfway through the year have been enjoyable, but I could potentially see myself leaning towards Mantequilla a bit more since he & Giallo Point always kill it whenever they together for a project. Despite neither of Tru Trilla’s guest appearances doing much for me personally, I’ll always appreciate the completely raw flavor that the Greenfield Music founder & one of my favorite UK producers always deliver.
Score: 8/10