Written by: Wyatt Westlake

Coming right off the heels of a new LA Leakers freestyle that ranks among the best, CyHi Maintains the buzz for his upcoming album with EGOT the EP, a new 4-track offering that gives fans a glimpse of what to expect from the full-length album when it comes out.

After five quiet years, since the release of his last album, CyHi (formerly CyHi Tha Prynce) is back in album mode, readying the follow-up to his 2017 debut album No Dope On Sundays. In an interview with Sway, CyHi announced that his new album, titled The Story of EGOT, will be released this year on his own independent label EGOT Records.

The song “Help Me God” is an instant standout as CyHi floats over the soulful instrumental, highlighting his ability to make good wordplay seem effortless.

While “Help Me God” shows CyHi playing to his strengths, he also showcases his versatility as he switches to new flows and cadences on “Slide.” His clever schemes are still present as he raps lyrics like, “I met lil’ momma in a Shake Shack talking ‘bout she’d only been with five guys.” He also gets personal on the motivational “Tears,” featuring Jacquees.

Though it may only consist of 4 tracks, there is an album’s worth of quality bars on the 20-minute EGOT the EP. The anthemic “Extra” starts things off with energy, featuring a hard-hitting instrumental with a pulsing synth melody reminiscent of Madvillain’s “All Caps.” The hook is catchy and CyHi drops some quotable bars like “Wanna know what my funds worth (Fonzworth), the Bentley comes with Umbrellas.”

If EGOT the EP is any indication of what the quality level of his highly anticipated second album will be, it is safe to say that CyHi’s best material could be on the way. Though this EP is brief and is a part of a larger rollout for a full-length album, the fact that these songs did not make the album speaks volumes. It seems like CyHi is only getting warmed up.