Review: e.t.d.s. A Mixtape by .idk.

Maryland-based, London-born, 33-year-old rapper IDK is back with his first release since Bravado + Intimo, released in November 2024 and updated in February 2025.

Now, after releasing a string of singles in 2025 including CLOVER, START TO FINISH – S.T.F., and LiFE 4 A LiFE with Pusha T, all of which would make the rapper’s newest track list, IDK is kicking 2026 with a bang, releasing e.t.d.s. A Mixtape by .idk. on Friday, January 23.

Even The Devil Smiles – A mixtape By .idk. OUT NOW – THANK YOU ALL THE FANS & CONTRIBUTORS THAT MADE THIS INDEPENDENT RELEASE POSSIBLE. ☆ pic.twitter.com/Sk5HnTQUBc
— IDK (@IDK) January 23, 2026

Per his social media “e.t.d.s.” stands for “even the devil smiles,” and the mixtape’s inspiration comes from the rapper’s time behind bars. While there are some direct callbacks to this time, the greater narrative is how being an incarcerated person affected IDK’s mind and psyche in the long run: the drive it created to always make the most out of the least, and the paranoia created by the idea of ever going back.

Over 15 tracks, IDK enlists some of rap’s greatest producers and voices, some from beyond the grave. DMX makes a posthumous appearance on “START TO FINISH – S.T.F.”, delivering a braggadocious hook. MF DOOM, likewise, appears on the hook of “FLAKKA,” rapping side-by-side with IDK and delivering the hook’s punchline.

No ID, Madlib, Conductor Williams, RZA and Black Thought all make contributions on the mixtape as well.

Conductor Williams lent some incredible instrumentals for “FLAKKA”, “SCARY MERRI”, and “SCRAMBLED EGGS”. IDK floats on the old-school, eerie, vinyl-esque beats, with lyrics that deserve praise for both their wordplay and storytelling.

The mixtape’s transitions are also immaculate: for instance, I couldn’t tell “FLAKKA” and “MISOGYNISTICAL” were different songs, the beat switch was that clean. There’s also clear beat switches, the last two songs flow right in to “LiFE 4 A LiFE” with Pusha T, on a more clear and marked transition.

The mixtape’s strength is clearly IDK: and as mentioned, his lyrical abilities. Wordplay, imagery, punchlines, finding unique ways to make words rhyme, and making situations you haven’t experienced feel relatable are just a few tools in the rapper’s kit.

“If I was a killer I would be like Luigi -” instantly grabs the attention on track two, “HALO”, and IDK takes it from there as the mixtape unfolds. Features like Black Thought, Joey Valence, and Brae add value without lingering or overshadowing IDK. As mentioned, IDK uses the voices of DMX, MF Doom, and RZA even more organically, with these rappers collaborating on the hooks.

IDK showcases his own range, delivering an afrobeat hook on “P.O.”, which is hardly new territory for anyone that has listened to the rapper’s previous work. But “P.O.” is markedly different than previous works like “December” and “Elimina.”

Other songs like “STIGMA” show IDK’s willingness to drop the lyrics and make a song about sounds and vibes, reminding me slightly of his previous work “Radioactive.”

I also like IDK’s use of forcing the listener to fill in the blank, for example:

” Uh, I still feel regret from the people I robbed
My heart still hurt from the people I’ve harmed
I still can’t sleep from the pain that I’ve dealt
And especially can’t sleep from the person I—”

This type of rapping keeps the listener engaged, and guessing: does IDK really mean what he’s implying here?

“CELL BLOCK FREESTYLE / CD ON” plays somewhere between a scat and acapella, with little to no instrumentation, leaving IDK’s voice to set the tone, pace, and mood, which he does with ease.

Throughout the project, IDK bends his voice to match the occasion of the song: rapping fast and delivering bar after bar, slowing it down to let ideas and lyrics breathe, raising his voice to bring energy but doing so only when appropriate, singing his own hooks in different styles, and bending words phonetically to match his needs. IDK sings a great chorus on “MISOGYNISTICAL.”

Overall, there’s very few tracks on this mixtape that aren’t pleasurable to listen to in some way. I can see some being hit-or-miss with listeners: I don’t think I’ve ever heard a song quite like “CLOVER”. I didn’t have anything to write down about “COP” while taking notes on the mixtape, with the song having a couple of things going on before it’s two-minute runtime is cut short.

Most of the songs on this mixtape aren’t much longer, but with slick transitions, sometimes it doesn’t matter: this is a mixtape in a classic sense, the product of listening to it from front-to-back is a better experience than the sum of any individual parts.

But if you want vintage IDK bars with little fluff, be sure to check out “HALO”, “START TO FINISH,” or “SCARI MERRI”.

This review is a little bit of a stream of consciousness, as I attempt to get it published before it falls to the backburner like so many projects before it. So at risk of sounding redundant, I just wanted to reiterate that IDK and Conductor Williams link up for the mixtape’s best tracks: their styles are perfect complements and result in ultra-listenable songs. Like, if these songs were eight-to-ten minutes long I would keep listening, IDK wouldn’t run out of things to say, and Conductor Williams would keep finding unique sounds to throw in his moody instrumental.

In classic IDK-fashion, “SCRAMBLED EGGS – TBC :(” does two things: wraps up the album while introducing deep concepts and making the listener think – and also promising more from IDK, as is custom by now: to be continued.

One line stuck with me, both for what it means in the literal and the imagery the last line created: even deaf people feel screams.

“It’s clear to me that karma is a real thing
I just hope it ain’t ugly when it come for me
I still see visions of mama suffering
Just know that even deaf people still feel screams”

As mentioned, the mixtape is great to listen to from front-to-back, and I would be remised if some of these songs weren’t always paired. But still, songs like “HALO”, “DEVIL, “START TO FINISH”, “FLAKKA”, “and “LiFE 4 A LiFE” will enter my rotation quickly.

That could be one of the only bad things to say about this mixtape: some of the songs wouldn’t stand as strongly on their own, and in terms of widespread appeal, that may lack compared to some of IDK’s previous work. I definitely don’t think I would start a new IDK fan here, but at the same time, I don’t doubt they would enjoy this album.

Follow B-Sak Rap Blog on X.com for more!