Sweet Justice, the long-anticipated second album by Tkay Maidza, arrives with a message etched into its face: Im never choosing compliance. Uttered at the outset of “Ring-a-Ling,” the albums fiery, bass-heavy lead single, that line is a mantra and warning from the Zimbabwean-born, Australian-raised, Los Angeles-based rapper, singer and producer.

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An artist whos been releasing iconoclastic music since her teen years, on Sweet Justice Tkay comes fully into her power, leaving behind toxic people and situations and the crippling self-doubt she contended with as a result in her dust. Bright, soulful and seductive, Sweet Justice shows off every facet of the irrepressible Tkay: her lacerating wit and infectiousness, her staunch self-belief and refusal to compromise. It feels like, at some point, I became too serious. This album feels like a homecoming a return to the energy Ive always wanted to embody, she says. Its warm, its fast, and if its sad, it still has a feeling of hope I dont feel defeated.