Sanctuary is the brilliant new hip-hop album written and produced by Chicago’s own King Melik, the latest musical wunderkind from the city’s South Side. Masterfully mixed at his home studio, Sanctuary can best be described musically as a spiritual groove that you never want to hear the end of.

Perhaps the influence stems from Melik’s deep musical roots in the black church, his pedigree as a classically trained violinist, and even the artist’s flair for the dramatic skills he honed as a sacred fan of Marvel’s Avengers franchise.

Never more apparent than with the album’s opening track, Broken Promises Are Lies, a hauntingly orchestra-laden, almost rock gospel prelude accompanied by Melik’s angelic vocal tones, comes with a warning that leaves no doubt who the hero is, and he’s coming soon.

On this album, King Melik is lyrical without peer, skillfully expressing an incredible range of emotions, some excruciatingly painful, clearly coming from a place of recovery. Or maybe not. The track, I Hope You Had Fun Last Night, borders on solemn but is beautifully and imaginatively done, with raw sensitivity and genuineness that makes you care.

The song Zoo is a hypnotic and seductive groove that features Supa Bwe. Check your pulse if you are not doing one of the latest TikTok dances to this one. And what’s a hip-hop album without a Romeo and Juliet track?

Sing for Me, the ballad featuring Lovely Rose, is lovely. Melik’s rap skills are on full display throughout and are so melodically in tune and efficient that you wonder why he doesn’t flow more. Case in point: the song No Kizzy features Sonny and Bianca.

By definition, a sanctuary is a place of refuge. King Melik’s version is a haven for sound, all thirty-one minutes and nine seconds.

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