Veteran producer Blockhead teams up with ascending Baltimore rapper Brian Ennals for some top tier indie rap on Boatshoes.
Release date: July 17, 2026 | Phantom Limb | Brian Ennals Instagram | Blockhead Instagram | Bandcamp
I have been feeling a little lost this year. You see, for the last couple of years, there has been a steady stream of great hip hop albums, but for some reason 2026 has been lacking for me. The first couple of months felt bone dry, but eventually some banger started trickling in, including two albums currently in my top 5 for the year, so far. There are other great albums from other genres, to be sure, but overall, I feel like a part of my world exists in a subdued form, gray and timid, hiding behind internet rumors, uncertain trends, or maybe just in the studio taking its time before unleashing a flurry of greatness. I’m hoping for the latter for the latter half of the year, and starting that hopefulness off is a brand new collaboration between veteran NYC producer, Blockhead, and rising Baltimore MC, Brian Ennals.
Brian Ennals hit my radar with last year’s collab with experimental producer Infinity Knives on A City Drowned In God’s Black Tears. This was the duo’s third album together, but it feels like their underground breakout moment, merging Ennals’ sardonic, abrasive, and often humorous lyrics with production and songs that ran the gamut from more traditional hip hop to doom metal to lo-fi indie folk. The variety of sounds and outlandish lyrics made A City Drowned In God’s Black Tears a bit of an in-house favorite amongst my fellow writers and editors and gained high-profile coverage. Now, Ennals is branching out with a new collab partner in Blockhead, a producer who has been working with cutting edge hip hop artists for two decades, including Armand Hammer, Aesop Rock, Cage, and a bevvy of others. His 2023 album, The Aux (which also featured Brian Ennals on a track), ranks among my favorite producer lead projects of all time. So, I have been anticipating Boatshoes since its announcement.
The surreal G-funk of “Aldente” kicks things off as Ennals dives right into his trademark blend of humor sprinkled between lines about addiction, depression, health issues, and political commentary. His flow is clear and declarative, letting each punchline and bar hit with the same weight. Maybe it is the Dr. Dre vibe that I get from this track, but I can only think of two other rappers who have managed to walk the lines of being laugh out loud funny while deeply confessional about their vulnerabilities: Danny Brown and Eminem. Ennals is in a special league with his subject matter and delivery. He also has a knack for choruses, switching up cadence while pivoting to refrains that could make heads from any era nod. ‘Suicidal, narcissistic, pot head, ancient mystic. get your DNA retwisted (make a better you)/take me to the outer limits, all this fishscale I’m sniffin’ check it for the fentanyl (because this is what I do),’ he spits for the refrain of “Pass the Yayo” like some twisted version of “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious”.
Ennals proves he is just as eclectic and versatile as Blockhead. On “Bareback” he moves into double and triple time over a drumless beat that sounds like it could be on a John Carpenter soundtrack before he pivots to a Kid Cudi-esque sing rap on the shuffling, trip hop vibes on “Let It Burn (like Usher)”. The style change-ups aren’t as dramatic as they are on the Infinity Knives albums, but they make for a more focused experience while still keeping the sequencing compelling, even if it is just Brian on the track. There are a few, excellent features. “Yellow School Buses” is a hilarious cartoon-themed ode to drugs featuring Philadelphia weirdo punk Mikie Mayo and Chicago underground great Defcee who delivers a stellar verse. The aptly named “Now That’s What I Call A Posse Cut Vol. 87” drops Fatboi Sharif, ShrapKnel (Curly Castro & Premrock), and DeathIRL into the mix over a slow and steady beat that lets each artist revel in their diverse styles. I yearn for more indie rap posse cuts, please! This shit rules.
From rapping about erectile dysfunction (“Wet Noodle”) to leftist politics (“Soy Boy”) Ennals seems to have an unending reservoir of raw bars that smirk behind their blunt realities, but behind the audacity lies great intelligence and empathy. His appreciation for sex workers, for example, is probably the least problematic I’ve ever heard in hip hop. Despite his usual crassness, he can also deliver tracks like “Shyne” that detail the beauty of life even if death and dystopia surround us. The jazzy beat is adorned with a soulful, yet prominent ‘hey hey‘ elevating the beat into something instantly memorable while Ennals mirrors De La Soul‘s uplifting spirit. The first time I heard it, it almost felt insincere from an artist who previously rapped about murdering a priest in a confessional booth, but the track oozes authentic sap through its earnest, endearing execution. While the track’s themes flow into the bluesy chorus of the final track, “Wonderwall”, they are betrayed by a more irreverent verse making me wish that “Shyne” was the closer instead, sort of a peaceful coda to an often outlandish album.
Boatshoes serves as a new proving ground for Brian Ennals. Tighter and more focused than his projects with Infinity Knives, Ennals has sharpened his songcraft for a less experimental hip hop audience. The sacrifice of Infinity Knives genre-bending production gives Boatshoes a more consistent vibe and tone while Blockhead continues to make some of the most textured and impressive beats around. The beats are whimsical without being schlocky, complex without being pretentious, and prove to be a great pairing with Brian Ennals style and approach. Both Blockhead and Brian Ennals deserve a boost in recognition for Boatshoes. This album is kicking the second half of the year off right.
