DMV artists Oddisee and Heno. link up to produce the smoothest, most stimulating and fulfilling rap album I’ve heard this year yet.
Release date: April 30, 2026 | Outer Note Label | Oddisee Instagram | Twitter | Bandcamp | Heno. Instagram | Twitter
Hip-hop is back! Don’t worry, this isn’t some damn out-of-touch statement that hip-hop was/is dead and one singular artist brought it back somehow – I’m not a Drake fan. What I mean is, I was waiting for hip-hop to really grab me this year. Metal has been putting up a hell of a fight and while there’s definitely been rap projects that I’ve loved and paid attention to (shout out IDK, LORD JAH-MONTE OGBON, Isaiah Rashad, Juicy J, A$AP Rocky for their contributions), it’s been a slower go. Oddisee and Heno. teamed up for a slick project together that began the real opening of the floodgates for great rap projects to the point that it’s mostly what I’ve been listening to this last month.
These two DMV artists are as representative of the term ‘dynamic duo’ as you can get. Being unfamiliar with Heno. myself, but pretty familiar with Oddisee since his breakthrough of sorts The Iceberg in 2017, it was just a treat to behold. Oddisee produces the whole project and raps on a few tracks, his beats unfurling and blossoming like spring flowers. The live instrumentation style he favors is something cherished by a lot of hip-hop heads, me included, and they fit Heno.‘s introspective and tribute-paying lyrical slant so well. From Takoma With Love, as a result, is a warm hug of an album.
One big shout out to Heno.‘s hometown of Takoma Park, MD, this project is girded with community. Lyrics think back to his younger years all the way to current times for him and his pals, celebrating victories, lamenting the tougher times, and putting light on the immense problems we have yet to properly contend with (‘I got Christians, I got Muslims and Jews in my fam/But it’s still ‘Free Palestine‘‘). “Dear Younger Me” is exactly what it sounds like, Heno. reflecting on growth and retrospectively taking stock of the dreams that have come true and the passion that drove it all with a letter to himself when he was younger. He addresses himself with a delightful confidence and calls out the cowardice of other dudes in his view by saying they’re ‘yellowbellied like they just finished up saffron rice‘ which I loved.
Oddisee‘s production pops on all tracks. Like, not a single slouching song on here, the breadth of instrumentation and how smooth it’s all implemented are chills inducing. Gentle jazz horns are flanked by humming and bold bass, keys and flutes intermingle, drums are always so snappy and drive each track so well. Lead single “MIMS” is a prime example of just how good it’s capable of sounding – now multiply that times twelve to represent all the songs here and that’s From Takoma With Love.
Even still, I have my favorites. “Right Steps” is more traditionally produced with samples without compromising Oddisee‘s approach, and has a mean beat switch in the middle to challenge Heno.‘s mastery of flows (he passes with flying colors, extra credit for the Ocarina of Time reference). Things slow down for more pensive moments on “Good Habits” and “Woe is Me” which are, in part, about forging your own success and finding purpose, and overcoming harsh lifestyles. The latter has one of my favorite bunches of bars on the whole album.
‘A drug dealer pushing pills, I was only six, dog
How you cuffing up a child, don’t that seem a bit off?
I was young, but stuck to smiles knowing they was pissed off
Undercovers coming ’round mad that I would get off
I be lying if I said I wasn’t jaded ’bout it
N*****s dying, I’m still out here getting faded ’bout it
Light a fire, watching Zionists debate about it
They complicate it, try to justify a way around it
Hearing cries from a child should’ve changed the climate
My environment don’t play about it‘
Heno. kind of reminds me of the blog era, how rappers stringed together far-reaching (and sometimes far-fetched) similes and exuded a profound confidence that perhaps overextended into arrogance. Heno. remains humble and grateful though, so when he’s spitting shit like ‘I’m really buzzing like I’m inside a beehive nest/Running it up indeed until I go beat my quest‘ on “MIMS”, it’s with awareness that growth is long-term and his isn’t over. “Guiding Me” is the proof of that where he and Oddisee rap about how others – family, angels, etc. – guide and ground them as principled men of faith and community. It’s bolstered by a very sweet and cute feature from Zaïna, a young girl singing at the beginning and end of the track about the importance of love.
This album’s description on Bandcamp written by Heno. is rife with appreciation to his peers, fellow artists and collaborators, and the experiences he’s cultivated over time that he brings with him and back home to Takoma Park. Even between the braggadocio and interpersonal concerns, this is all apparent in the foundation of his music. With Oddisee providing the dulcetest tones possible, it makes From Takoma With Love the best hip-hop album I’ve heard this year so far. The matchup is ridiculous and I’m so thankful to have heard it.
I can’t imagine a hip-hop head in my life that wouldn’t vibe with From Takoma With Love. If you have an affinity for grown rap and still find yourself going back to your favorite albums by A Tribe Called Quest, loved the new De La Soul album from last year, or you look forward to anything that Phonté drops, you need to hit play on this one ASAP. It’s a masterful melding of flowing, jazzy production by one of the best in that lane and raps that contend with the strife of existence just as much as the beauty of it. It’s a celebration of life, broadly and specifically, and a friend in dark times.
