Not entirely unlike how Action Bronson has grown to become associated with savory food-themed rhymes or how Westside Gunn & Conway The Machine's rhymes are littered with references to pro wrestling, Baltimore emcee UllNevaNo has become synonymous with basketball-themed rhyme schemes; in recent years, UllNevaNo has let loose a string of "slam dunks," including Confidence Is Everything (CIE) 1-2 produced by illien rosewell, The Ghost of Len Bias EP helmed by Jumbled, and his #SHAMMGODWEDS singles series AKA SHAMMGOD EP produced by MANHE. Now, UllNevaNo & illien rosewell are back with the third installment in their critically-acclaimed CIE series, Confidence Is Everything 3. Neva & illien, actually, recorded CIE3 at Kuzoe Crib in Maryland live "in the flesh" together in the same studio, which has become a rarity in The Internet Age.


" Confidence Is Everything 3 is 8 records of well-structured Hip-Hop [that's] all we need from this duo and the chemistry shows throughout the album," UllNevaNo & illien rosewell's label/collective, MGNTK. writes on their Bandcamp page. CIE3 is chock-full of references to both basketball and "streetwear," as can be seen on track titles such as "63 In Boston"—an allusion to Michael Jordan's infamous 63-point scoring game against The Celtics— Nike Dunk SB-referencing "Paris Low Dunks," "Chain Nets," an ode to Hakeem "The Dream" Olajuwon by way of "Olajuwon Dreams," and "99 Rawkus Logo." Unlike previous volumes of CIE, producer illien rosewell, actually, appears alongside UllNevaNo on 2 select cuts from CIE3: the aforementioned "63 In Boston" and mid-album heater "Humble Bad Guy." UllNevaNo & illien rosewell's Confidence is Everything 3 AKA CIE3 is currently available to stream or purchase from MGNTK.'s Bandcamp page, along with CIE1-2 and the rest of the label's release roster.