Today, Vermont rap collective 99 Neighbors return with their vibrant major-label debut Wherever You’re Going I Hope It’s Great on Nice Work / Warner Records. The record, which demonstrates the dynamic energy the group has developed over the past few years, arrives alongside a striking, intimate video for the standout track “Eastside.” Listen to the album HERE and watch the music video for “Eastside” HERE. The group is also announcing their headlining WYGIHIG Tour kicking off November 16th in San Francisco, CA. (full dates below).

The early singles from Wherever You’re Going I Hope It’s Great underscored the group’s dedication to versatility, experimenting with delirious rap, emotional jazz-inflected tracks, and otherworldly songs you can’t pin to any one genre. The full record bounces ecstatically between these sounds and styles while showing off new sides of the group altogether. “Eastside,” for example, is a romantic R&B jam that calls for loyalty and devotion from a partner who’s been out of reach. “Why don’t you come over to the Eastside, my side,” vocalist Sam Paulino sings. “On your downtime/If I’m on the way, I’ma be on time/Only if you ride or die on me for the night.”

Directed by Joey Broadnax, the visual for “Eastside” is intimate, featuring close-ups of the song’s major players, but a 99 Neighbors clip is never so straightforward. The group deconstructs the very notion of a music video in their distinctive art-house style, populating the visual with behind-the-scenes peeks and fourth-wall-breaking moments, all while emphasizing their easy, effortless cool. Watch it HERE.

Wherever You’re Going I Hope It’s Great continues the momentum from the group’s recent singles “N. Michigan Gospel,” “49er,” and “Live a Little.” Those cuts showcased the group’s dynamism, each taking a unique approach to the optimistic, vulnerable songwriting that has become their trademark. Ones To Watch hailed “49er” as “one of their most infectious singles to date” and praised the “production reminiscent of rapidly switching the dials on a radio.”

Continuing their theme of vulnerability with “N. Michigan Gospel,” Ones To Watch also mentioned, “99 Neighbors quietly dropped one of the most breathtaking tracks of the year & you should be listening. The jazz-inspired art-rap piece moves in stark contrast to much of today’s hip-hop, opting to explore the emotional depth of the group’s skill sets as opposed to aiming for predictive viral success.”

This new album follows the group’s beloved 2019 body of work, Television. For Wherever You’re Going I Hope It’s Great, the group took their time to figure out the bold new directions in which they wanted to expand their sound. Recorded between Vermont, Chicago, and Nashville, the results are thrilling and uncompromising. With standout singles like “Eastside” and a whole host of other animated, anthemic tracks, Wherever You’re Going I Hope It’s Great feels like a bold declaration that the next great American rap group has finally arrived.