Rome Fortune is one of those rappers who’s quietly skirting the boundaries of the re-emerging Atlanta scene and the broader cutting edge of internet rap while maintaining his own distinct style. Never before has that been more obvious than in his new EP Small VVorld.

One of the most appealing things about Rome Fortune is that he fucks with emerging talent like OG Maco and ILOVEMAKONNEN while running with beats produced by Four Tet, Suicide Year and Bassnectar. Yet despite these influences of those deep in the emergent scene and the established, he maintains a sound across the album which feels distinct to the Rome Fortune name.

Basically, it’s a solid listen and you can stream the whole thing off of Soundcloud. The album cover is pretty gnarly, too. I only realised on the third look that it’s from the perspective of someone holding a gun at Fortune. I guess I was focusing elsewhere.

According to Rome, there’s way more to the album that meets the eye. In an accompanying blurb, he explains the meaning behind the release’s title:

Small VVorld is an ideology I have that’s obviously a common saying, but at the same time is the truest way to test if you’re on the right path of life, in my opinion. If you’re doing it right, ‘it’ being whatever you prefer to occupy your time, you will always run into powerful presences entities that can push you further with that passion or take it all from you. That’s what the album cover signifies in one image.

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