As Nicki Minaj noted on Monster, it’s not that important to finish an album. If you’re good enough to get paid anyway, that is: “50k for a verse, no album out!” she cackled. Gigs, features and mixtapes are essentially mini albums, so why bother? Still, as one of the best British rappers yet to drop a debut, north Londoner Avelino has been talking up an instant classic for years, teasing us with decent mixtapes such as Ego Kills and No Bullshit. Atmospheric tracks such as Smoke Interlude, Vicious Cycle and the title track are superb, casting Avelino as a character in an urban western, weighed down with war stories, armed with nothing but bars. With wildly talented Fraser T Smith at the desk wrangling scraps of melody over snaking basslines and punchy beats, it’s a powerful and accessible set. Features are always well chosen, with a searing Wretch 32 a cappella the standout. And the sign-off track, Acceptance, might be the best thing Avelino’s ever made, an inspiring collection of olive branches and apologies to everyone he’s done wrong, arrayed over gorgeous piano and sympathetic strings. Absolutely worth the wait.