North Las Vegas rapper and producer Wave MMLZ rolls out his new album Northtown Rick with limited local promos and a fast, raw creative push that keeps him close to the city’s underground scene.
Wave MMLZ isn’t following the usual Las Vegas album rollout. The North Las Vegas rapper and producer has turned his new project, Northtown Rick, into a local event. He kicked things off with a partnership that puts his music straight into the city’s cannabis scene.
On September 24, 2026, Las Vegas Weekly reported that Matrix NV, a local cannabis company, dropped a very limited run of live resin vapes branded with the Northtown Rick name and a QR code that streams the album. Local media have covered the partnership, but there’s no independent confirmation of the album launch or the collab on bigger outlets. The Matrix NV promo is just the start. Another team-up with Lowfi Coffee is already in the works. These moves are all about keeping the album tied to the neighborhoods that shaped Wave’s sound and story.
Quick turnaround, deep local ties
Wave MMLZ made Northtown Rick in just 90 days, a big change from his usual months-long process. He called it "throwing paint at the wall and seeing what sticks." The result is a short, collage-style record that captures a moment. Las Vegas Weekly says the album runs about 15 minutes, but this hasn’t been confirmed in outside music databases or industry reports.
His approach comes from his roots in North Las Vegas and the city’s underground rap world. He’s built his name on self-produced solo tapes, a long partnership with fellow Vegas artist ChiefDVB, and even drumming for the metalcore band Imperial Tide. Tracks like “8 Legged Freaks,” with Speak, and an interlude sampling My Chemical Romance and Steely Dan, show he’s not afraid to mix genres or break the mold.
Collabs and a growing reach
Northtown Rick isn’t just a solo project. Wave MMLZ is still working with ChiefDVB, and they’re planning the next chapter in their joint album series, You Deserve Better 3. But as Las Vegas Weekly points out, there’s no independent biographical or discography confirmation for Wave MMLZ, ChiefDVB, or the You Deserve Better 3 project in major music industry sources.
Wave’s network now stretches overseas. He’s linked up with Hungarian American rapper Syntax Vernac and Budapest’s Farseers Collective. This partnership has already led to touring and a compilation album, with more collaborations planned through 2027 and beyond.
North Las Vegas pride in every track
Even as his circle grows, Wave MMLZ’s music stays rooted in North Las Vegas. He credits local artists like T.Rabb, Thelonious Gawd, and Trade Voorhees for helping him find his place in the city’s underground. On Northtown Rick, songs like “The Internet Is Not Real” put his hometown pride front and center, with lines that push back against online posing and focus on real life: “I’m from the town where your hand get dealt/I’m from the town if you not we can tell.”
Wave MMLZ’s new release shows that Las Vegas creativity isn’t just about the Strip or big venues. By building his own world and keeping his projects close to the neighborhoods that raised him, he’s changing what it means to be a Las Vegas artist. The city’s underground scene is still full of new ideas, and Northtown Rick proves that the best stories often start far from the spotlight.
