For Austin Royale, There is No Plan B

The beauty of independent music is that a debut doesn’t have to play it safe. Austin Royale’s debut project Plan A pushes genre norms and shows him creating a soundscape that’s unmistakably his, with plenty of replay value. Over a decade into his involvement with Durham’s music scene, releasing singles and freestyles on SoundCloud, Austin delivers an album shaped by experimenting, scrapping ideas, and reinventing himself.

Austin is usually billed as a “punk rapper,” but Plan A stretches that description across twelve tracks. Traditional rap, cloud rap, trap metal, punk, and hardcore all have a place without turning the album into a manic mishmash of competing influences. When Austin fully committed to a punk aesthetic, I figured I had an idea where the project was headed, but was pleased to hear how much of his musical history he brought along.

Instead of being a Black artist simply doing punk, Austin embedded his roots in his sound and attitude. You feel the connection throughout Plan A, even as the music changes shape. Austin is able to pull off this cohesion due to his production chops, partnering with Charlotte’s Kirk Collins Jr. as co-executive producer. As a result, what we get are songs that sound constructed by someone who understands how to build a world from his influences.

“D.O.A.” kicks things off. I’ve been waiting to hear its final form since I heard its early prototype in 2021. Opening with a dedication to Joshua “Rowdy” Rowsey, the track moves through blues piano, guitars, crunchy distortion, and heavy reverb. Austin sings with the weariness of a weathered bluesman: “Do you think the pain’s for show, can’t you see that I’m bleeding?” It’s a haunting threnody and a hypnotic introduction, pulling you into the album’s emotional space.

“God’s the Plug” carries that weight forward as Austin gets into his rapping bag. It’s inspired by a real-life encounter with what Austin believes to be a divine being during a moment of extreme anguish. The song shows him wrestling with the strain of touring while responsibilities wait at home, confronting substance abuse and suicidal thoughts with painful candor. There’s optimism in there too: a faith that everything he’s putting himself through will ultimately amount to something worth the sacrifice.

On “All Along” featuring J.K. the Reaper, Austin shifts into cloudier territory with a sample of “Aquatic Ambience” from Donkey Kong Country. As a beatmaker, I love this choice. It’s a familiar sample, often paired with predictable cloud rap or Memphis-style drums, but Austin gives it a relaxed yet pushy rhythm.

That leaves room for both rappers to unpack the frustrations of independent careers. The backdrop might be L.A. or New York, but a cool location doesn’t quiet the fear that none of this will work out, nor does it stop life back home getting in the way. There’s something unsettling about living a life that looks enviable from the outside, while staring down the gun of failure, or even worse audience apathy. “All Along” really drives that home. 

The guests add to that range, from Twelve’Len’s crooning on the title track to Makeda Iroqouis’s stunning vocals on “REAL Hollywood.” Deniro Farrar and DEADSENATE deliver standout verses, while Jooselord closes “MILEAGE” with a poem about the urgency of Austin’s mission.

Across the sonic shifts of the album, Plan A keeps returning to one idea: the life Austin is building as an artist, community leader, and father is the plan. There’s no backup waiting in the wings. Community is central to that commitment, sustaining both his music and a touring schedule that takes him up and down the East Coast.

That gives the dedication to Rowdy its weight. Before his death in 2024, Rowdy championed authenticity and community in North Carolina hip-hop. Austin carries those values into the way he makes music and shows up for it.

In a music atmosphere preoccupied with streams and nepotism, such commitment means something. You hear it in an album that makes room for all of Austin's influences, and see it in the work of getting on the road and building connections city by city. Plan A makes the case that finding your own sound and building your own community are part of the same work. Austin has paid his dues in both.

Charles Morse is a Raleigh and NYC-based writer and DJ with a background in music journalism and radio. He writes about Hip-Hop culture, gaming, and regional music scenes. He can be reached at charlesmorsepr@gmail.com and @hazrdpay on Instagram.