Ben Hedibi and uMaNg’s announced album Stray Dogs builds on a partnership already documented on The Next Level. On Hedibi’s 2025 release, uMaNg appeared on “I Excel” and joined D Strong and Wildelux on “Better Than You.” Hedibi produced, mixed and mastered the record, with DJ Master Ben adding cuts to both songs. Introduced through the single and video “Help Less,” Stray Dogs brings the Toronto producer and the MC based in Salt Lake City together for a shared album. Sustained partnerships with producers have shaped several chapters of uMaNg’s catalogue. The First Impression LP paired him with Kick Back in 2011, while B.B.Z Darney worked with him on Lasting Impressions and its eventual sequel, Lasting Impressions II: The Impressionable. The pair reunited for the latter in 2023. For Stray Dogs, the announcement describes a shared identification with vulnerability, failure and survival. Its comparison between strays and the intimidating personas adopted elsewhere in rap presents the title as a statement about how the collaborators see themselves, rather than another claim to invincibility.
Transparency Note: AI tools assisted with research, drafting and language refinement.
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