London’s underground rap visionary Lord Apex has officially closed the circle. With the release of Smoke Sessions Volume 4 on September 26, 2025, the west London MC delivers the long-awaited final installment of the series that helped define his artistry and cemented him as one of the UK’s most singular voices.

Since its inception, Smoke Sessions has carried Apex from underground promise to international force, his blend of razor-sharp lyricism, expansive flows, and inventive production taste shaping a catalog that feels as rooted in UK grime as it is indebted to the jazz-sampling philosophies of J Dilla and MF DOOM. On Volume 4, Apex sounds both reinvigorated and reflective, moving seamlessly between meditative storytelling and firebrand wordplay—an artist looking back while also sharpening the blade for what’s next.

Opening with the splashy textures of “Out The Water” (produced by Tony Seltzer), Apex lays down a mantra for his next era: back and better, grounded yet hungry. Across the record, he flexes his versatility: the contemplative “What’s the World Mean To You Part II” delivers some of his most personal bars to date; “Warmest Winter” channels Bronx grit courtesy of Q Theory; “No Worries” pushes into neon synth and 80s-inspired keys with The Kount; while “Taoism Flow” drops Apex into liquid D&B textures without losing any of his signature finesse. By the time “The Art of Letting Go” closes the project, Apex has proven once again that reinvention is as much his trademark as technical mastery.

The album arrives after a banner year that saw Apex light up stages at Glastonbury, Boomtown, and across Japan, Australia, and New Zealand. Offstage, he’s expanded his cultural footprint with collaborations in fashion—from Nike Air Max 95 x Corteiz to campaigns with Salomon, Supreme, Carhartt, New Balance, Champion, and The North Face (where he shared the stage with Sampha). His presence is no longer limited to underground acclaim—he’s sitting at the intersection of rap, style, and global culture.

Critically, Apex has long been acknowledged as a trailblazer (Pitchfork praised his singularity, Dazed noted his rising trajectory, BBC Radio 6 dubbed him “a rap trailblazer”), and his streaming numbers back it up: millions of plays worldwide, with “Spliff in the Morning” and “Sunny Daze” clocking over 16M and 7.9M streams respectively. Collaborations with Freddie Gibbs, Madlib, Brazilian producer El Lif, and Spanish producer Cookin Soul have only expanded his global reach, with sold-out vinyl runs and Primavera festival debuts to match.

With Smoke Sessions Volume 4, Lord Apex isn’t just closing a chapter—he’s sealing a legacy. The project reads like a victory lap, but with the hunger and sharpness of an artist still climbing. For an MC who once rhymed his way into London’s underground, this final Smoke Sessions feels like a coronation: Apex at his most expansive, most focused, and most undeniable.

Smoke Sessions Volume 4 is out now.