Various

Producer 26hrz crafts a unique, hardcore and quirky album that defines the new direction of Sacramento hip-hop. Highlights include Cawzlos’ collaboration with 2Ugli over a RZA-like soundscape on “Do or Die” and, well, the 25 other songs. Yeah, it’s that good. Bravado-fueled Cawzlos dominates the disc with clean verses that are simultaneously edgy and brilliant. But each track holds its own, and really, there’s too much noteworthy production and lyricism here to praise; you’ve just got to hear it for yourself. As a bonus, check the collab from the now-defunct the Cawz and Luckyiam. Every beat is made by 26hrz, a man whose brush paints a clear picture of our region—every crack in the south Sac streets, every tree in Midtown—and offers up 26 reasons to be proud of Sac’s unique swagger.