By Samuel Wenck
Last month, I traveled with friends to Philadelphia to see rapper OsamaSon live for his album tour at The Fillmore. Crowds of people swarmed around us in a small venue. We all squeezed together. Sweat was starting to build up from the people around us, as was the anticipation.
The lights soon went out as the crowd in the pit roared his name. It was at this point that I had already been separated from my group in the crowd, nearly crushed from all sides. I was running on adrenaline when I heard the first notes from his opening song, “Habits.” Then came the synths, then the bass, then the energy of the music infected the crowd. Losing myself in the swarm of people all around chanting the lyrics with hands in the air, I tried my hardest not to fall down as I didn’t know if I would be able to get back up. OsamaSon matched the crowd’s energy with his screams blaring over the music.
This concert came during the middle of OsamaSon’s tour for his newest album, “Psykotic,” which, at its core, is pure, unadulterated adrenaline and intensity in rap form. In a year when it seems like the underground “rage-rap” scene has come into its own with releases from Lucy Bedroque’s “Unmusique” and Che’s “Rest in Bass,” OsamaSon has hit us with a record that doesn’t try to push boundaries creatively. Rather, he attempts to perfect the genre’s defining sound by delivering a consistent product that feels inspired. If there’s any rapper in the rage scene that can take the genre to greater heights, it’s him.
Rage rap is a recent wave of music in hip-hop characterized by its distorted synths, heavy bass and mosh-pit-centered energy. The genre takes heavy inspiration from the attitude of old punk rock songs and the digital sound of EDM music. Rappers bringing emotionally charged songs into the game has been around for a while. Many people, myself included, credit the origins of rage rap culturally to SoundCloud rap. People like Lil Uzi Vert dropping his record “Luv is Rage” in 2015 was a breakthrough for SoundCloud rap and underground rap at the time. But there’s one artist whose influence on the rage-rap scene is undeniable, and the one person you can credit for characterizing the sound of the genre: Playboi Carti.
When you listen to a rage rap album the first question you’ll have is typically along the lines of, “How is this going to be different than any album from the Atlanta rapper who practically paved the way for rage music with his 2020 hit record, ‘Whole Lotta Red.’” It’s a record that features a lot of the common sounds and trends you’ll find in rage rap from the past two years. Which in turn results in many new-age rappers trying to capture the sound of that record. It’s hard to break that “Carti Clone” barrier in this genre. Those thoughts are what stopped me from truly loving Che’s “Rest in Bass.” I caught myself at times listening to the vocals and thinking of Carti.
OsamaSon, however, has put his unique spin on the genre, creating a harder-hitting sound within the genre. His rapping is your typical flexing style of rapping with aggressive ad-libs and delivery. However, “Psykotic” has shown how much he has matured as a rapper and a songwriter. His delivery remains aggressive, but the flows he raps in have become crisper, and he’s able to ride the melody of a song smoothly. “Get Away” is a great example of his improved rapping. It’s a standout track in the record with clear influence from his earlier work on projects like “Osama Season.” The track delivers a chaotic instrumental with a smooth melodic flow from OsamaSon that gives the lyrics more weight. Tracks like “Get Away” and others on the record are what separate OsamaSon from other rage-rap artists.
OsamaSon finished 2025 with two records; his previous album, “Jump Out,” came out in January. It’s been his most successful year in his career, as he’s generated over 20,000 streams. Both albums made it into the billboard top 200, with “Psykotic” debuting at #81 on the charts.
Born in 2003, Amari Deshawn Adham Middleton originally started making music on SoundCloud under the alias PradaUMari in 2020. He released a few projects on SoundCloud in the early 2020s until 2023, when he released his breakthrough single “CTS-V.” By then, he had a new alias under OsamaSon, the name inspired by his dad’s name, Osama. Then that same year he released his debut album “Osama Season,” which featured multiple hit tracks. That same year he signed with Atlantic Records, the label of Bruno Mars, Ed Sheeran and Cardi B.
In “Psykotic,” OsamaSon doesn’t hold back, bringing the distorted dark trap beats that he is known for and committing entirely to that identity. The aforementioned opening track, “Habits,” builds the atmosphere of the album by welcoming you into this sonic hellscape that producer Warren Hunter crafts perfectly. The song has blaring synths and 808s over a jerk beat that almost makes it impossible to decipher what OsamaSon is saying upon first listen. The track builds the emotion for the album wonderfully with aggressive lyrics like, “Some of these hoes say I’m cool than a bitch…Some of these hoes say I’m cruel than a bitch.” Again, OsamaSon doesn’t bring anything groundbreaking to the table lyrically, but the presence of his voice is undeniable in building the atmosphere.
His previous albums had a handful of duds in a row that made the album feel so close but so far in terms of consistency. However, “Psykotic” has no such problem. Even the tracks that have more light, psychedelic and ethereal instrumentals akin to cloud-rap beats feel like a nice break from all the noise rather than a screeching halt in the track list. “She Woke Up” is the best example of it almost sounding like a lost Pi’erre Bourne beat from the late 2010s.
Not every track is a gem. In “Gintama,” OsamaSon’s choice of delivery felt like a throwback to previous albums where he fell into bad habits. Yet that’s the exception. It’s hard to ignore the quality of production that went into this album. Producers Warren Hunter, Gyro, Ron, Legion, OK and even OsamaSon himself deserve praise for the mix of sounds.
Immediately following “Habits” is another lighter track, “Worldwide,” which features a nice flow from OsamaSon over a fun glitchy synth, showcasing his steady improvement of finding the beat and making catchy flows and hooks. He lulls you into a false sense of security, and then the hard-hitting hypnotic synths of “Addicted” catch you off guard.
“FMJ,” which features Che, “Maag dump,” “T193” and “What’s Happening,” all are hard-hitting tracks on the album. “Maag dump” is a standout among them; the song quite literally sounds like you’re in the middle of two people unloading rounds into each other with machine gun sound effects booming while he changes the pitch of his voice. It’s an assault on the ears in the most vibes way possible.
At the end of the day, the goal for an OsamaSon album is to be vibey. You’re not listening to an album from him for jaw-dropping one-liners and complex verse construction. It’s to put your headphones on, bop your head and have a raw reaction to the music. It’s never supposed to be for everyone because that would be a betrayal to the fanbase Osamason has built for himself these past couple years.
The ending track, “Victory Lap,” feels like a spin on the otherworldly sounds that have been prevalent for the rest of the record. It’s a track that you can’t help but catch yourself grinning to as you reflect on how far OsamaSon has come in his career. The lyrics about wealth and status take a more sincere approach rather than the boastful nature found on previous tracks as he quite literally takes his victory lap continuing his tour for the album around the U.S.
OsamaSon is wrapping up his second U.S. tour this year. With records as quality as “Psykotic,” it’s no surprise to see that he continues to be a frontrunner in paving the way for underground rap.