Magic, Alive!
2025 studio album by McKinley Dixon
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Magic, Alive! is the fifth studio album by American rapper and singer McKinley Dixon. It was released on June 6, 2025, through the City Slang label.
| Magic, Alive! | ||||
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | June 6, 2025 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 35:08 | |||
| Label | City Slang | |||
| Producer |
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| McKinley Dixon chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Magic, Alive! | ||||
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Release
On February 19, 2025, Dixon announced he would be releasing a new album and released the single "Sugar Water", featuring Quelle Chris and Anjimile.[1] The title track, "Magic, Alive!", was released alongside its music video on June 4, 2025.[2] Magic, Alive! was officially released on June 6, 2025, through City Slang.[3]
Critical reception
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 83/100[4] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| DIY |   [5] |
| Paste | 9.4/10[6] |
| Rolling Stone |  [7] |
| Sputnikmusic | [8] |
According to the review aggregator Metacritic, Magic, Alive! received "universal acclaim" based on a weighted average score of 83 out of 100 from 5 critic scores.[4] Matt Mitchell, writing for Paste, hailed the album a "conceptual, allegorical achievement", praising Dixon's ability to create "nearly a dozen short stories touched by a block-wide echo".[6] Tom Morgan of DIY described it as "rife with layers of instrumentation, guest features, and cover art painted in striking bright hues", praising the conceptual storytelling of the album.[5]
Year-end lists
| Publication | Accolade | Rank | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Consequence | The 50 Best Albums of 2025 | 24 | [9] |
| The 25 Best Rap Albums of 2025 | 4 | [10] | |
| HotNewHipHop | The 40 Best Rap Albums of 2025 | 6 | [11] |
| The Independent | The 20 best albums of 2025 | 2 | [12] |
| Paste | 50 Best Albums of 2025 | 10 | [13] |
| The 25 best rap albums of 2025 | 3 | [14] | |
| PopMatters | The 80 Best Albums of 2025 | 74 | [15] |
Track listing
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Watch My Hands" | McKinley Dixon |
| Yamaha | 1:46 |
| 2. | "Sugar Water" (featuring Quelle Chris and Anjimile) |
|
| Yamaha | 2:01 |
| 3. | "Crooked Stick" (featuring Ghais Guevara and Alfred) |
|
| Yamaha | 2:31 |
| 4. | "Recitatif" (featuring Teller Banks) |
|
| Yamaha | 4:03 |
| 5. | "Run, Run, Run Pt. II" | Dixon | Dixon | Sam Koff | 3:08 |
| 6. | "We're Outside, Rejoice!" | Dixon | Dixon | Koff | 4:13 |
| 7. | "All the Loved Ones (What Would We Do???)" (featuring IceColdBishop and Pink Siifu) |
|
|
| 4:46 |
| 8. | "F.F.O.L." (featuring Teller Banks) |
|
|
| 2:51 |
| 9. | "Listen Gentle" | Dixon | Dixon | Koff | 4:16 |
| 10. | "Magic, Alive!" | Dixon |
| Yamaha | 2:42 |
| 11. | "Could've Been Different" (featuring Blu and Shamir) |
|
| Yamaha | 2:51 |
Personnel
Credits adapted from Tidal.[16]
- McKinley Dixon – lead vocals
- Dave Kutch – mastering
- Jason Agel – mixing
- Alex Dejong – engineering
- Kyle Williams – engineering
- Eli Owens – harp (tracks 1, 9)
- DeSean Gault – drums (tracks 2–8, 10, 11)
- Anthony Cavanaugh – bass guitar (tracks 2, 4–11)
- Sam Koff – trumpet (tracks 2, 5, 9), keyboards (6)
- Stephen Roach – piano (tracks 2, 9–11), keyboards (5)
- Joseph Clarke – background vocals (tracks 2, 9, 10)
- Teeny – saxophone (tracks 2, 11)
- Sarah Tudzin – guitar (track 2)
- Anjimile – vocals (track 2)
- Quelle Chris – vocals (track 2)
- Etienne Stoufflet – saxophone (tracks 3, 6, 10)
- Alfred – vocals (track 3)
- Ghais Guevara – vocals (track 3)
- Teller Banks – vocals (tracks 4, 8)
- Reggie Pace – trombone (track 5)
- Elizabeth Moen – background vocals (track 7)
- Sinkane – background vocals (track 7)
- The Lil Homies – background vocals (track 7)
- IceColdBishop – vocals (track 7)
- Pink Siifu – vocals (7)
- Palehound – guitar (track 8)
- Brandi Wellman – background vocals (tracks 9, 10)
- Tasheera Wellman – background vocals (tracks 9, 10)
- Gina Sobel – flute (track 9)
- Sam E. Yamaha – piano (tracks 10, 11)