If there is one constant in the past 15 years of hip-hop, it’s the enduring relevance of Chief Keef, whose grassroots rise and intuitive style have been as wildly influential as the Chicago drill movement he helped pioneer as a teen. At 30, the artist born Keith Cozart has been rapping professionally for half as long as he’s been alive, and though his output has slowed in recent years, he’s still finding new ways to reinvent himself. Continuing the trajectory of his previous record (2024’s Almighty So 2), Skeletor is a showcase for the Chicago legend’s most writerly and confident songs yet. On “Mark of Buddha”, he contends with his legacy, and drops a string of winning Sosa-isms on “Breaking Down”: “I don’t care if I’m feeling down, I’m gonna grin/You could put me against a dinosaur, I’m gonna win.” The high-water mark is the triumphant “Harry Potter”, a five-plus-minute marathon featuring some of the sharpest rapping of Keef’s consistently surprising career. Guests include old friends (G Herbo on “Slide”) and new (Ian on “Video Shoot”).