FEDERAL-SINN6R

XV Records feels like one of those labels you blink and suddenly everyone you trust is talking about them. They came out of London’s 10V Elysium arts collective and, in less than a year, have racked up absurd streaming numbers, lined up shows across Europe, and quietly assembled one of the deepest young rosters in UK rap. Fimiguerrero’s been holding it down since the 10V days, Pierre is an underrated crooner, Rico Ace brings volatile energy, and EsDeeKid looks like he could be Britain’s next true rap star. It really does feel like a stacked freshman class—one of those groups you look back on later and realize how obvious it all was.

Still, the person who keeps pulling focus is SINN6R. For reasons known only to him, he’s been rocking the American flag like a frat kid on spring break, but once #FEDERAL starts playing, that gimmick fades fast. This album hits hard—hard enough that the aesthetics barely matter. It’s his second full-length this year, and it makes July’s 2Often feel like a rough draft. Where that record leaned too heavily on Opium-adjacent chaos and awkward hooks, #FEDERAL is sharp, mean, and locked in.

Songs like “5 Geez” and “K on a Box” show how dangerous SINN6R can be at his best. He has this gift for stuffing entire lives into single bars—hedonism, grief, paranoia, pride—all flashing by at once. He’ll talk about clothes, women, and money, then pivot into lines about death or family that land like a punch to the chest. It’s vulgar, funny, bleak, and strangely tender all at once. He sounds larger than life, but never hollow.

Zoja and Cppo’s production is a huge part of why the album works. The beats swing between crushing 808s and mournful, string-soaked loops, mirroring SINN6R’s constant tug-of-war between indulgence and responsibility. One moment he’s basking in new money and attention; the next he’s rapping about withdrawal, sick parents, and the pressure to provide. Even when the album flexes, it never feels carefree. There’s always something weighing it down.

The features mostly stay out of the way. TeeboFG brings real energy, Rico Ace less so, and Ledbyher’s detached, icy presence on “Label Dinner” feels strange but oddly effective. At just 19 minutes, #FEDERAL doesn’t overstay its welcome—it burns fast and leaves a mark.

What really sets the article, and the album, apart is restraint. There’s no forced coronation, no empty hype. SINN6R isn’t treated like a savior, just a rapper having a moment and making the most of it. His flaws are visible, his contradictions unresolved, and that’s what gives the music its urgency.

Zooming out, #FEDERAL feels like a snapshot of where the UK underground is right now: globally fluent, heavily influenced by Atlanta and Opium-era trap, but still rooted in local realities—class pressure, family ties, and the anxiety that comes with upward motion. It’s not just XV Records’ strongest release yet; it feels like a line in the sand. A sign that something new is solidifying, and that SINN6R might be one of the voices defining it.