Richmond gets it. More than any other city in Virginia. So here’s Weekend Frequency, a reader-curated playlist built for the city, by the city.
This week’s mix comes from the publisher of RVA Mag.
“Rap, at its best, is a dispatch. A story from the front lines whether that’s East End corners, Northside blocks, or a cracked sidewalk in Jackson Ward. Richmond may be a small city, but every rapper here brings a different lens, a different hustle, and if you really listen, you’ll hear it.
Start with Divine Council, whose wild, experimental energy feels like it’s bubbling straight out of the East End. Then jump to Noah-O, whose downtown grind is steady, driven by faith and hustle. Michael Millions slides in smooth reflective, deliberate, never in a rush but always with purpose.
Nickelus F remains Richmond’s most trusted street narrator. Over fuzzed-out, lo-fi beats, he weaves raw, layered stories like our own MF DOOM in Timberlands. And then there’s Lil Ugly Mane, who’s basically folklore at this point. Mista Thug Isolation was the soundtrack to a darker Richmond, one that never cared to clean up for guests.
Troy and the Northside rap scene on growing up broke, raw block stories. Fly Anakin, coming out of Oregon Hill, touches on similar themes, but with a loner’s philosophy — more internal, more surgical. Same pain, different filter.
Then there’s the aspirational side of the city’s sound. Artists like Alexander Mack and Chance Fischer float above the chaos as middle-class dreamers with clean fits, wine bars in their lyrics, and bigger things on their mind. It’s not about where they are, it’s about where they’re going.
Young Flexico brings chaos with charm, a loose-cannon energy that’s all bounce and no brakes. He shows up solo and with Troy, and every time it’s like the speaker’s about to catch fire. Meanwhile, Tennishu (of Butcher Brown) delivers jazz-laced bars that feel more meditative, built for late nights and slow drives. Speaking of Butcher Brown, #KingButch is a perfect example of how far Richmond’s rap scene stretches, blending live instrumentation with boom bap and never missing a step.
What really stands out is how collaborative the scene is. On tracks like “fanran003,” “Uncle Phil,” “Way 2,” and “Famous,” you’ve got voices like Big No, King Kaiju, Mylo, and Ty Sorrell weaving in and out—proof that the bench is deep and the energy is communal. Behind the boards, producers like Namebrand, Fan Ran, and Ant The Symbol hold it down with beats that keep everything grounded and moving.
Richmond has always had a complicated relationship with hip hop. Limited stages, limited coverage, and more than a little institutional pushback. But the scene kept moving. It doesn’t need permission. It just needs ears.
Anyway, I’m probably rambling. I’ve been covering local music and following these artists for nearly two decades. This playlist is just a slice of what makes Richmond’s rap scene so damn special. Give it a listen.“ — Tony
Weekend Frequency is part revival, part continuation of our long-running RVA Mag Weekend Playlists which started before the world flipped upside down. Dig into the full archive here.
Want to curate your own playlist? Email us at hello@rvamag.com with Weekend Frequency in the subject line.
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