Six years can feel like a lifetime in hip-hop, but for Brooklyn native Dom Cruz, stepping back wasn’t a retreat, but rather, research. After stepping away from the mic to navigate life outside the booth, the emcee and producer returns in 2026 with PAST LIVES II, a tightly wound EP created alongside producer Blkgod9. It’s a project that doesn’t just continues a comeback; it documents the quiet, often turbulent process of evolving when nobody is watching.
Cruz’s DNA is distinctly New York, but his sound carries the dust of the road. His journey has taken him through Atlanta, Florida, Portland, and Southern California, and that coast-to-coast mileage seeps into the seams of his music. The result is a style that balances raw aggression with wide-lens introspection. “I’d describe my sound as authenticity, vulnerability, and darkness all wrapped up into poetry,” Cruz has said—a description that reads less like a tagline and more like a warning.
That philosophy is clear from the jump. The project starts abruptly with “FUCC ICE FREE FRANKIE JAX,” a track that hits with immediate grit before making room for self-reflection. It’s an unpolished, visceral entry point that sets up the contrast of what follows. On “HIGHWAY 1,” the temperature cools down. The production shifts into warm, soulful territory, giving Cruz space to lay down unhurried flows that sound like driving down the coast at midnight with too much on your mind. Then comes the title track, “PAST LIVES II,” which serves as the project’s emotional core. Built on haunting soul samples and organic, knocking percussion, it finds Cruz at his most vulnerable, stitching old scars into sharp verses.
Everything on the EP builds toward the finale, “VOID // FREEDOM.” Co-produced by Blkgod9, Teedoteinsof, and Nopal, the closing track acts as a purge. It pairs hypnotic, atmospheric elements with a razor-sharp vocal performance, capturing the strange relief that comes after making peace with your own history.
The track’s visual, shot and edited by Nopal, relies on heavy nighttime cinematography and understated lighting to keep the focus strictly on Cruz. There are no gimmicks or unnecessary flash—just an artist letting the performance carry the room. It feels less like a traditional music video and more like a moody character study.
PAST LIVES II doesn’t sound like a nostalgia play or an attempt to catch up with current trends. Instead, it feels intentional. Cruz uses his sabbatical to his advantage, delivering verses that carry the weight of real-world experience rather than studio-fabricated drama for a potent project.
Purchase PAST LIVES II HERE on Bandcamp and support the artist directly.
Watch the music video for “VOID // FREEDOM” here:
