Four years after the release of his sophomore studio album System Killer, veteran emcee Frisco delivers his new LP The Familiar Stranger, which sees 15 new tracks and features from Skengdo, Ghetts, MEZ, D Double E, Novelist, Devlin, his Boy Better Know crew, and more.

The project was led by the singles “Cool Nuh,” “Red Card,” “Colours,” and “Black Man,” the last of which sees him rapping about the power and struggles within our own communities:

“Black man fighting for survival, tryna stay alive for my kids, I’m their idol, raised in the system designed for me to take the L, so when you see us going hard that’s vital, please don’t call me urban, I don’t think it, I’m certain/

Black king but they’re tryna make me feel like that’s a burden, still chasing the money, an’ even when you get it they respec’ it on the sly, still look at man funny, the most oppressed understand the stress, that’s not a angry black girl, that’s a empress, yes/”

Following his Murda Music mixtape series, Frisco began really making waves with Back 2 Da Lab Vol. 1 in 2006, which has since spawned an additional four releases. His official debut album, Fully Grown, made landfall in 2010 and saw 15 tracks with a wealth of assists from the likes of Sway, Young Spray, Wiley, McLean, and Nasty Jack.

2015 also saw Frisco launch a monthly music performance series called “The Den,” which – up until the Coronavirus pandemic brought the outside to an abrupt close – took place monthly at the Old Blue Last pub in East London. Given his penchant for iconic and memorable freestyles, he’s also shut down microphones for Tim Westwood, SB.TV, Link Up TV, Risky Roadz, and many others.

Press play on Frisco’s The Familiar Stranger below.