Paper Route Empire’s leading delegate celebrates Southern rap. A Paper Route Empire institution for close to a decade now, Key Glock went from being one of Memphis’ most promising to one of the city’s most visible. Though his late mentor Young Dolph remains the linchpin of the label, the rapper now serves as its leading delegate thanks in no small part to charting singles like “Let’s Go” and Glockaveli highlight “She Ready.” With PROJECT X, he explores a broader range of Southern hip-hop sounds without abandoning his trap roots. He executes on crowd-pleasing, club-ready cuts like “FACE DOWN” and “WORK IT” with the same practiced readiness evident on the album’s slower-paced, groove-heavy moments “BIG 5” and “FADED.” As has been the case throughout his career, he jibes well here with the ever-inventive Tay Keith, who handles the heavy instrumentals for several tracks, including “DUMMY” and “MANNISH.” His capacity for bleary-eyed hedonism knows no bounds on “6AM” and “DRUG LUV,” his narcotic and sexual indulgences feverishly fueling the momentum. That stamina stays elevated on PROJECT X’s eventful back half, with the previously released singles “GO” and “LOCO” standing out alongside newer songs like the cruise-controlled “BENZO” and the King Wonka-produced Cash Money homage “MANNIE FRESH.” Glock’s evident affinity for the South’s broad rap legacy resurfaces on “CHERRY ON TOP” and “HOUSTON FLOW,” each imbued with throwback charm and syrupy swagger. He sounds unapologetically lost in the sauce on the double-cup-derived “SICK,” his luxury flexes and jewelry reveals among the spoils of success.