RXK Nephew – “Critical (Remix)” (Feat. Sada Baby, Tony Shhnow, RX Papi, & Quadie Diesel)

The great Rochester rap weirdo RXK Nephew was a Stereogum Artist To Watch back in 2022, and he’s become an undeniable cult hero in certain quarters of the rap internet. Depending on who you ask, he might’ve even made the second-best song of the decade thus far. Nephew releases a lot of music, sometimes multiple songs per day. But those songs don’t often break containment, and I’m rarely compelled to listen to them more than once. Last year, however, Nephew scored an underground hit with “Critical,” a freaked-out dance track built on a bubbling disco-house beat. It’s become one of Nephew’s biggest songs, and it went off when I saw him in Austin last year. Now, Nephew has drawn on rap tradition and dropped an all-star “Critical” remix.

The all-star remix is such a lost art. They still happen sometimes, but it feels all too rare. When it does happen, the end result often feels haphazardly stapled-together, with verses from all the usual suspects. So it’s cool to see Nephew rounding up a bunch of fellow underground rap eccentrics on the “Critical” remix. Nephew’s regular collaborator RX Papi in on there, of course. Detroit bugout king Sada Baby has a verse. Atlanta plugg monster Tony Shhnow and erratic Delaware kook Quadie Diesel make appearances. All of them sound like they’re having a great time, and I’d love to see all of them assemble for a video. Below, check out the “Critical” remix and the OG “Critical” video.