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.
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. The title track, "Magic, Alive!", was released alongside its music video on June 4, 2025. Magic, Alive! was officially released on June 6, 2025, through City Slang.
Critical reception
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". 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.
Year-end lists PublicationAccoladeRankConsequenceThe 50 Best Albums of 202524The 25 Best Rap Albums of 20254HotNewHipHopThe 40 Best Rap Albums of 20256The IndependentThe 20 best albums of 20252Paste50 Best Albums of 202510The 25 best rap albums of 20253PopMattersThe 80 Best Albums of 202574
Track listing
Personnel Credits adapted from Tidal.
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)
References