Yugen Blakrok doesn’t release albums often, but when she does, the world shifts slightly. The Illusion of Being is her third full-length project, and it’s another masterclass in intellectual Hip Hop built from shadowy textures, dense wordplay, and unpredictable turns. At 13 tracks deep, it’s a dark, challenging listen—structured more like a philosophical cipher than a collection of songs built for mass appeal. Still, its pulse is pure Hip Hop: head-nod drums, heavy loops, and razor-sharp bars delivered with presence and poise.
For those unfamiliar: Yugen is a rapper originally from Queenstown, South Africa. She’s been active since the mid-2000s, coming up in the Yeoville scene before releasing her debut Return of the Astro-Goth in 2013 through Iapetus Records. That album introduced her occult sci-fi style: equal parts inner journey and outer space odyssey. Her follow-up, 2019’s Anima Mysterium, deepened the mysticism while expanding the sound palette. She gained wider attention for her verse on “Opps” from the Black Panther soundtrack, but her albums have always spoken louder than any guest spot.
The Illusion of Being continues this evolution. It’s more politically engaged, more emotionally exposed, and more experimental in its production choices—without ever stepping outside the Hip Hop core. The beats are crafted by longtime collaborator Kanif the Jhatmaster, with additional production from Lee Scott, Werd Pace, and others. The palette includes tripped-out flutes, gritty loops, eerie samples, dusty drum patterns, and the occasional wailing guitar line that sounds like it’s tearing through the mix from a parallel dimension.
“Mesmerize” opens the album with layered cuts by Loudmic and a slow-burn groove that sinks in like smoke. Yugen is fully locked in, weaving metaphysics and street knowledge with ease. Her voice is steady, commanding—there’s no rush, no stumble, no wasted bar. She raps like someone who doesn’t care about catching your ear but ends up catching it anyway through sheer gravity.
Tracks like “Osiris Awakens” and “Earthlinguist” dig deep into Afro-mysticism and cosmic language. There’s flute by Cristina Espinos dancing behind the bars, adding a serpentine texture that slithers through the mix. These are heavy tracks—not in terms of volume, but in density. You don’t just listen once. You circle back, catch something you missed, wonder how you missed it, and go again.
“Fighter Mantra,” produced by Mark Andrew Sunners, is quick and intense—under two and a half minutes, packed with sharp lines and militant focus. There’s no hook, no filler, just tight loops and declarations spit like incantations. Yugen uses her voice like a blade, cutting through the beat with precision.
“The Shining,” produced by Lee Scott, lives up to its title with eerie atmosphere and dusty samples. DJ KCL contributes cuts that scratch across the surface like broken memories. It’s a track that builds tension instead of release, with lines that unravel the idea of self in a world built on illusions. “Being Here” follows with a calmer energy but doesn’t ease the pressure—just redirects it inward. The beat is hypnotic, the verses meditative, like staring at your own reflection too long and seeing something unfamiliar blink back.
“Tessellator” features Cambatta, another wordsmith who thrives in the deep end. Together, they build a labyrinth of language, twisting ideas around science, ritual, and time. Loudmic returns on the cuts, stitching phrases into patterns that disappear as quickly as they form.
“Hidden Pillar” feels stripped-down, more skeletal, with room for Yugen’s voice to echo. Her verses here are rawer, leaning into anger and clarity. “The Grand Geode” brings in Sa-Roc—an inspired pairing. Their flows contrast but align thematically, with both rappers pushing back against the forces that seek to reduce or silence them. The beat hums with low-end energy, like something buried underground and humming to be found.
“Milario” introduces cello by Francesca Terberg, giving the track a haunting melodic thread. The rhythm is slow and deliberate, leaving space for reflection. “Loner,” produced by Werd Pace, is dense and foggy, with static and muted drums, letting Yugen drift through isolation and rebellion without romanticizing either. “Regrettably” with Hannah Allen leans into melodic territory—the chorus provides a moment of tenderness, but the verses don’t lose edge. There’s regret, but no surrender.
Closer “Grand Rising” ends the record on a note of strength. It’s short, sharp, and affirming. Produced by Kanif and 7th Galaxy, the track loops with purpose, as if tightening its grip with every rotation. Yugen doesn’t give you answers—she gives direction, nudging listeners to think for themselves and move with purpose.
Throughout The Illusion of Being, Yugen holds to her strengths: layered lyricism, spiritual questioning, and a refusal to flatten her voice to fit trends. Her flow is precise but flexible, always serving the content of her words. You can hear the care in her structure—lines build upon each other like coded blueprints, packed with references to esoteric knowledge, ancestral memory, and personal truth.
Kanif’s production deserves equal credit. The beats don’t chase trends; they carve their own lane. There are moments of rock abrasion, trip-hop haze, and eerie ambience, but everything loops back to the crate-digging essence of Hip Hop. These beats knock, hum, creep, and crackle. The experimentation is thoughtful, never indulgent.
What makes The Illusion of Being hit hardest is that it doesn’t try to explain itself. The album exists in its own space—introspective, immersive, resistant. It’s easy to throw around words like “underrated,” but the real story here is depth. There’s weight in the silence between the verses. There’s wisdom in the structure. And through it all, Yugen never loses grip of the rhythm. Her voice stays centered no matter how strange or sprawling the instrumentation gets.
This is another excellent record from an artist who’s been building a singular discography for over a decade. The Illusion of Being holds its ground next to Return of the Astro-Goth and Anima Mysterium. All three albums belong in the same breath—each different, demanding, and rewarding.
If you’ve slept on Yugen Blakrok until now, it’s time to catch up. This is Hip Hop at its most thoughtful and uncompromising. And the path she’s carving is only getting deeper. Start here—but make sure you go back to the beginning.
8.5/10
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