MALLORY is bringing back moody pluggnb
Remember the SoundCloud pluggnb/cloud rap era? Veterans like K Suave and 6 Dogs built it on atmospheric, hazy backdrops and melodic, laid-back flows that pulled you into a trance. MALLORY brings that feeling back, shifting between darker grit and more upbeat moods while keeping the same core appeal. It’s nostalgic, but still reinvented for today’s ear: catchy, blunt, and lowkey.
The Lucki influence is clear in the vocal and beat chemistry, especially that Watch My Back era. You hear it strongest on UNCANNY: B SIDES. The drawled-out flows are familiar, and there’s vulnerability underneath, but it never takes over. He’ll say what he’s going through, then push past it like the grind matters more than the explanation. That’s why lines like “I can’t make these n***** understand me, moving real strategic, man I’ll always have a plan B” (from “find your love”) land so well. It’s personality without forcing it: relaxed, but confident enough that you end up thinking along while you float.
The production is what really elevates it. On the more energetic tracks, the synths give his delivery a fresh hypnotic effect: “7am” is a standout, with bouncy looped progressions that feel like they’re lifting you up. Most of his music is produced by SxVereign, and that partnership nails the old SoundCloud feel with pretty, cinematic sounds.
All of it comes together into a dreamy listen you can absorb on a long walk, partly because the writing feels authentic.
It’s always been that way, because MALLORY treats music like an outlet. Having gone through depression, his earlier material leaned darker, built on echoed layers that made everything feel heavier. The project equivalent exchange captures that, opening with a Fullmetal Alchemist intro about the law of giving something of equal value to receive something in return. Throughout the album, the trade becomes visible: giving up addiction and an old lifestyle, trying to turn that magnetic fall into a shine of equal desire.
Across his expansive discography, that dedication stays visible. You can hear the journey from bass-heavy, distorted numbness to effortless gliding on brighter beats, and the shift feels like a climb. Each track catches him in motion, liquid verses matched to production that’s built to hold the mood.
MALLORY’s also said he wants to step outside his comfort zone this year, and the range is already there: slower, R&B-leaning reflective tracks like UNCANNY’s “summer’s over”, and rawer vocal experiments like “i love / sandbox” with minimal autotune tweaking. And with his Garden’s Collective pushing into more rage beats, it only gets more interesting.
Pluggnb is the root of melodic new-wave rap. MALLORY keeps that blueprint while finishing it with ethereal production in an age where listeners crave hooks and mood at the same time.
Go listen to “UNCANNY ” and “UNCANNY: B SIDES” out now!
If you’re a fan, check out MALLORY’s links below. Love y’all.
Myra | Jan 23, 2026