Charlotte rapper MESSIAH! has just shared his new album the villain wins — out now along with an accompanying music video for “god’s fav” with Vayda. the villain wins boasts features from MAVI, Niontay, Vayda, and Malaya and follows the announcement that MESSIAH! will be opening for MAVI for the entirety of his forthcoming shadowbox tour, which will also feature supporting stints from PinkSiifu, Ovrkast., Chenayder, Vayda, Sideshow, Niontay, Igwe Aka, and Ahmir. “I’ve been surrounded by music for so long, and I’ve been a writer all of my life,” MESSIAH! says of the villain wins, which marks his first project since 2022. “This project really came about by accident, but the storyline is so intentional.” Bolstered by glittering synths, a wavy trap beat, an an appearance from Vayda, who recently opened for Veeze on his Ganger tour, MESSIAH! is all smiles on the celebratory “god’s fav”, which sees him take a well-deserved victory lap while reminiscing on the obstacles he had to overcome to get to this point.
The LP arrives on the heels of the Surf Gang-produced single “our daily bread” with MAVI, released earlier this month alongside a Moshpxt-directed (Yeat, Cash Cobain, Xaviersobased) visual, as well as “burden of truth” with Malaya, “can’t stand it!!”, and standalone single “silent heel” with MAVI and Ovrkast.
the villain wins was borne out of what proved to be a prolific creative period for the Charlotte native, as recent months have seen the ever forward-thinking artist expand on the soulful sound that earned him his cult following with releases like PERFECT 7 and Thru the Winter. After two years spent meticulously fine-tuning his craft in the studio, as well as recent stints supporting MAVI on his 2023 Laughing so Hard, it Hurts World Tour and Wiki on his April 2024 Midwest tour run, MESSIAH! is turning the page on a new chapter with the villain wins — and showcasing why he’s one of Charlotte’s must-watch young artists in the process.
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