MESSIAH! Releases ‘the villain wins’ LP and “god’s fav” Music Video

Charlotte rapper MESSIAH! has shared his new album, the villain wins — along with an accompanying music video for “god’s fav” (feat. Vayda). the villain wins boasts features from MAVI, Niontay, Vayda, and Malaya and follows the announcement that MESSIAH! will be opening for MAVI for the entirety of his forthcoming shadowbox tour, which will also feature supporting stints from PinkSiifu, Ovrkast., Chenayder, Vayda, Sideshow, Niontay, Igwe Aka, and Ahmir.

MESSIAH! says of the villain wins, which marks his first project since 2022:

“I’ve been surrounded by music for so long, and I’ve been a writer all of my life. This project really came about by accident, but the storyline is so intentional.”

Bolstered by glittering synths, a wavy trap beat, and an appearance from Vayda, who recently opened for Veeze on his Ganger tour, MESSIAH! is all smiles on the celebratory “god’s fav,” which sees him take a well-deserved victory lap while reminiscing on the obstacles he had to overcome to get to this point (“Only thing came in this playbook is ‘win’/I had to take that lil’ hate to the chin/But really, I’m God’s favorite/What it is?”).

the villain wins Track Listing:

1. my eyes!!
2. wipe down music (feat. Niontay)
3. our daily bread (feat. MAVI)
4. in the mourning
5. burden of truth (feat. Malaya)
6. dancing in the dark
7. dirt don’t hurt
8. song cry
9. god’s fav (feat. Vayda)
10. can’t stand it!!

“The Shadowbox Tour” (w/ Mavi) Tour Dates:

09/07 – Raleigh, NC – Hopscotch Music Festival
09/12 – New York City, NY– Webster Hall
09/13 – Washington, D.C. – Howard Theatre
09/14 – Philadelphia, PA – Union Transfer
09/17 – Boston, MA – Paradise Rock Club
09/18 – Montreal, QC – Theatre Fairmont
09/19 – Toronto, CA – Axis Live/The Opera House
09/20 – Detroit, MI – El Club
09/22 – Madison, WI – Majestic Theatre
09/25 – Minneapolis, MN – Fine Line
09/26 – Omaha, NE – Reverb
09/28 – Lawrence, KS – The Bottleneck
09/30 – Denver, CO – Summit
10/02 – Salt Lake City, UT – Kilby Court
10/04 – Seattle, WA – Neumos
10/05 – Vancouver, CA – Pearl Theatre
10/07 – Portland, OR – The Aladdin
10/09 – Sacramento, CA – Harlows
10/10 – Oakland, CA – The New Parish
10/11 – Los Angeles, CA – El Rey/Goldenvoice
10/19 – Phoenix, AZ – Viva PHX Festival
11/08 – Orlando, FL – The Abbey
11/09 – Charlotte, NC – The Underground
11/10 – Charleston, SC – Music Farm
11/13 – London, GB – Scala
11/15 – Dublin, IE – The Workman’s Club
11/17 – Amsterdam, NL – Bitterzoet
11/18 – Paris, FR – La Bellivouise
11/19 – Lisbon, PT – B.Leza
11/22 – Atlanta, GA – The Masquerade
11/23 – Chicago, IL – Thalia Hall
12/03 – Houston, TX – White Oak Music Hall
12/04 – San Antonio, TX – Paper Tiger
12/05 – Austin, TX – Parish
12/06 – Dallas, TX – Tulips
12/08 – Nashville, TN – The Cannery