Ankhlejohn – “Everything Beautiful Died Early” review

Here we have the 8th mixtape from Washington, D.C. emcee/producer Ankhlejohn. Breaking out off his Big Ghost Ltd.-produced sophomore effort Van Ghost, he’s given the underground his last 7 tapes as well as 8 EPs & 7 full-lengths in almost a decade. Other favorites of mine in his discography include the Navy Blue-produced As Above, So Below, the Rome Streetz collaborative effort Genesis 1:27, the Cookin’ Soul-produced The Michelin Man & the August Fanon-produced Live! at the Disco last summer. A whole year later & V Don’s producing Everything Beautiful Died Early.

“Origins” gets things going with a 125 second intro talking about being paid to prove cases over a drumless orchestra backing him whereas “No Specifics” goes for a boom bap vibe instrumentally referencing The Sopranos, which is one of my top 3 shows. $ha Hef joins Lordy so they can talk about some “Monyun” over a sample & some drums while “Trauma or Tragedy” incorporates a more laidback beat to talk about being there when the powder was still stone.

Babymaine joins Ankhlejohn on “Inglorious” for a gangsta rap/boom bap crossover detailing their experiences living in The Bronx & the DMV just before “Stoneisland” wraps up the 1st half of Everything Beautiful Died Early looking back at when Juelz Santana was a big inspiration to him. “Vegan Goose Down Silence” kicks off the 2nd leg talking about making this tape because he felt like the game needed him leading into “King, Pawn & Rook” featuring Crimeapple breaking down the mafioso lifestyle.

“Solar Faxx!” aggressively talks about his desire of making educating ourselves more mainstream while “Laugh & Cry” once again touches base regarding the subject of the gangsta life, explaining that it’s pretty much a cycle. “Day 1” talks about his refusal of disrespecting the plates he came from & his knowledge of the game dating back since the beginning while “Packback” ends by observing the amount of love since his youth that’s faded.

Next fall will be a whole decade since Ankhlejohn introduced himself by taking the underground on a trip through The Red Room & for the past 14 months, he’s been dropping the greatest output of his entire career from The Michelin Man to Live! at the Disco & now Everything Beautiful Died Early. There are only a small handful of guests on this one rather than Lordy holding down the mic all by himself throughout the predecessor last spring, but they’re all carefully selected since everyone flows well over V Don’s distinct production style.

Score: 4.5/5

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Stray – “Blink of an Eye” review

Stray is a 33 year old rapper & songwriter from New Haven, Connecticut who formed the Rogue Hollow collective during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic. His solo debut extended play Witherman would come out the next fall as did his full-length debut Cloudy Alibi in the summer of 2023 & more recently his previous EP Enjoy the View this past July, enlisting his crew’s newest in-house producer Charlie Beans to handle all of the beats for Stray’s 3rd EP coming off producing most of James Joyce the Squatch’s 4th album Discomfort Inn last month.

“Cicada” after the “Change of Plans” intro starts off with an aggressive boom bap instrumental pleading to dig up this world that’s been underground for too long while “Foul Ground” featuring James Joyce the Squatch talks about the difference between them & the rest. “Out Alive” depressively speaks of sleeping under a cypress tree forever & after “Frost Bite” assures it’s ok if one can’t keep up, the final song “Perfect Timing” preceding the “Epilogue” outro ends by explaining the very thing life has never had.

Gearing up for his upcoming sophomore effort Flinch also entirely produced by Charlie Beans later this fall, I’m getting a huge impression that it’ll top Cloudy Alibi to become Stray’s greatest LP yet since Blink of an Eye surpasses both Witherman & Enjoy the View as far as his EPs go. Between the Sky Swamp Orange frontman’s lyrics & Charlie’s dark production, it could also be looked at as Rogue Hollow’s continuation of making shockwaves across the underground.

Score: 4/5

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Isaac Castor – “Lost in Transit” review

New surprise LP & the 4th altogether from Detroit, Michigan emcee Isaac Castor. Coming up in 2010 under the original moniker Gameboi, he would go on drop 4 mixtapes & 3 EPs prior to signing to the local underground hip hop powerhouse Middle Finger Music following its formation 8 years later. He then enlisted the label’s co-founder Foul Mouth behind the boards for his full-length debut The Rabbit Hole as well as the sequel & the final chapter Smoking Caterpillar, switching it up by having Machacha produce Lost in Transit.

“Bullet Train” begins with this 92 second drumless intro talking about needing a credit card replacement the way this game be scamming whereas “All Love” works him some bare guitars calling out the jokers faking to be tough when they ain’t. “Poet Dog” brings in some drums to talk about being made to reach the top just before “Canadian Wildfire” ditches them once again so he can explain the reason why the clouds have gotten so gloomy.

Things take a turn towards a boom bap vibe on “Get Serious” talking about staying mysterious in part of the sheep trying to follow the herd but after “Hopeless” featuring Miz Korona soulfully addresses an individual who’s so vain that they’ll consider this to be a diss directed at them, “What’s in the Box?” featuring Jalen Frazier continues the sample-driven boom bap instrumentation making people line up for this designer drug they’ve concocted.

“Candy Flip” featuring Aztek the Barfly, Fatboi Sharif & Foul Mouth brings the quartet together for a gritty hardcore hip hop anthem where each artist drops a cutthroat verse without the need of a hook while “Americano” jazzily talks about needing sativa & coffee soon as he gets up every single morning. “1 Way Ticket” takes up the last few minutes of Lost in Transit with a boom bap outro talking about people treating him like he’s normal until they realize he writes songs.

A great deal of the projects Machacha’s produced for other artists for at least 6 months following Eye of the Beholder have either been hit or miss, but Lost in Transit in my opinion ranks amongst Isaac Castor’s greatest material outside of The Rabbit Hole trilogy. You’re always gonna get quality production from Machacha & that’s no different here, the biggest difference however is the improved performances from both the main artist AND the guests.

Score: 4/5

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Jimmie D – “Birds Fly Yonder” review

Here we have the 5th extended play from Montréal, Québec, Canada rapper Jimmie D. Coming up off the Trout & Brussels Sprouts EP a decade ago already, he would later go on to put out a full-length debut alongside a mixtape & 3 more EPs since. The sophomore effort Good Music Hypnotizes entirely produced by Nicholas Craven around this time last year has quickly become the best thing he’s made yet & he’s coming back 12 months later for Birds Fly Yonder.

“Humble Beginnings” begins with this 97 second drumless intro discussing there being nothing nice regarding the struggle whereas “All Nighter”goes for a chipmunk soul vibe to describe learning from his failures & leaving them behind. “No Love” produced by Nicholas Craven was a favorite of mine from the drumless sampling to the lyrics about falling back to progress at times “Koi” featuring Pay$o boasts that no one’s on their level.

Mike Shabb gets behind the boards for another standout track “Peter Thiel” hooking up a psychedelic beat so Jimmie can get in his bag for a minute & a half but after “Rudimentary” reunites with Pay$o & brings Raz Fresco along for a boom bap heater Nicholas Craven cooked up to kick off the 2nd leg looking back at how far each of them have come, “Corporate Prophet” strips the drums again for a lesson of mastering the slow flow & the loop having a summertime aura to it.

“Chipping Away” winds down the last act of Birds Fly Wonder incorporating a drumless gospel sample from Nicholas Craven to dismantle the type of people who like to burn bridges until he talks about hitting “Downtown B.C.” with a homie from the Philippines & a bad bitch with him. The outro “Wasted Time” runs it back with Nicholas Craven for the EP’s remaining 2 & a half minutes chopping up soul samples 1 last time demanding not to fuck around when it comes to his pay.

I fully support the idea of Craven enlisting 3 other producers to help Jimmie D make Birds Fly Yonder& despite half of it containing some of my favorite songs he’s done yet, it wouldn’t necessarily be put in the same tier as Good Music Hypnotizes when ranking Jimmie’s discography although I think the upcoming project Shabbo’s producing for him will be superior whenever the time comes. The instrumentals are more drumless except we’re still getting hints of chipmunk soul & boom bap, although Jimmie’s wordplay & guests all come correctly.

Score: 3/5

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Trap Dickey – “The Ville” review

Hartsville, South Carolina rapper Trap Dickey making his Top Dawg Entertainment debut by dropping a brand new mixtape a month after signing. Carving a path for himself artistically after getting shot in the face as a result of a crossfire, his full-length debut Trap or Die would eventually arrive in the spring of 2021 & he has since spent the last several years building up anticipation for The Ville through numerous teasers. However in light his new deal, he’s ready to make a broader introduction under a major label.

“Sonny” produced by Sonny Digital was actually an impressive southern trap intro talking about him always looking up to the dealers whenever he watched gangsta movies whereas “Slidin’” mixes a guitar & some hi-hats to spit that g shit. “Jacker” brings a more energetic vibe to the table asking this woman if she’s ever fucked with a gang member until the 5th single “Don’t Trip” explains the reason a lot of rappers leave their hood is because they really don’t run the city.

As for the 7th & final single “Tell Me Why”, we have Trap Dickey confronting someone regarding the purpose of them fucking with him & the 6th single “Down South” featuring Key Glock was quite possibly my favorite of the bunch from FNZ sampling “Darkest Light” by the Lafayette Afro Rock Band to both artists calling to stop hatin’ on the wrong hitters. “Keep Going” featuring K Camp was a mediocre way to conclude the 1st half despite the messaging just before the 2nd single “No Love” featuring BigXthaPlug flips “Nothing But Love” from The 5 Heartbeats for a moderate gangsta rap cut.

“Blue Devils” featuring DaBaby on the remix trades verses with each other representing both Carolinas for the lead single while “LA Nights” samples “Island in the Sun” by Weezer to talk about spending evenings out in the west coast. The 3rd single “Gettin’ Money” featuring OJ da Juiceman has some cool strings & bells even if the “this shit gon’ stay on me like babies, please don’t pamper me” line was a bit trite while “Morning” samples “Easy” by the Commodores to provide some introspection.

YTB Fatt makes an appearance on the gospel trap crossover “Glory” referring themselves to be the big dog rookies of the year despite the fact that neither one of them are beginners while the 4th single “Day Shift” fuses a bluesy guitar & hi-hats talking about putting on for everything that’s in the streets along with no longer being a hitter due to the money that’s on his head. “New Philly” ties up the last few minutes of The Ville with a passionately drumless outro.

There are only a select few artists on the TDE roster that I would have to put in the C tier like Lance Skiiiwalker & Zacari, but you could add Trap Dickey to that same category considering that a great deal of The Ville was mediocre to me personally. Even if the guest list & production both falter at times, I can totally understand why Anthony “Top Dawg” Tiffith signed him because his whole style’s like a preacher’s grandson speaking directly to the audience.

Score: 2.5/5

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BigBabyGucci – “Asleep at the Wheel” review

Charlotte, North Carolina recording artist BigBabyGucci preluding his next LP with his 5th mixtape. Starting almost a decade ago off his debut EP ART HOE Collection, he would continue to build a name for himself by putting out 19 more EPs as well as 7 full-lengths & his last 4 tapes along the way. When U Wake Up, When You Go to Sleep, Baby 5 & the heavily alternative ANTI have all become his strongest material of the 2020s although I can’t the same for Isolation 2.5 a month after the latter. Internet Explorer was a fun redemption for himself & 5 months later, following up And When I’m Alone & Serotonin to fall Asleep at the Wheel.

“Bound” begins with him talking about smoking blunts & poppin’ bottles right when he gets up in the morning whereas “Glass Table Girls” samples “Don’t Play” by Travis Scott featuring Big Sean & The 1975 to describe the kind of women who get high every night. “Kiss & Tell” works in some synthesizers to talk about a type of love that’s on fire leading into “Still Around” confronts somebody for hanging around lames.

To finish the 1st half, “Is It a Dream?” talks about him still kicking it with thugs & still having aim even when he’s under the influence of drugs while “Alpina” gets the 2nd leg going confessing whilst drunk off tequila that the reason he has trust issues is because of all the real ones wanting to fuck with his girl. “Sonny Liston 2” comes through with a sequel to one of my favorite Universe 2 songs, refusing to give the ball back to anyone who crosses him.

“Fake Friends” wraps up Asleep at the Wheel’s final moments talking about the kind of people only come around in your life when it makes sense to them while “Chardonnay” likens himself to the Sunday paper hence why he doesn’t entertain old news & preferring lean over wine when I don’t drink either. “Prevail” spends the last couple minutes of the tape blaming him for being different as the cause of why he doesn’t fit in, admitting he isn’t doing so well.

Tha Leak was an intriguing collection of previously unreleased tracks between 2019-2022 & not only has he confirmed that there’ll eventually be a sequel, but we’ll get 2 more albums called Side Effects & 1 Long Trip by the end of the year with Asleep at the Wheel confirmed to be a prelude to either one of those. House of Mirrors & Mint Colored Stones are supposedly still coming too, conceptually taking us on a 26 minute car ride soundtracked by a producer he’s been bending genres with since 2019 already.

Score: 3.5/5

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Chris Brown – “Brown” review

Chris Brown is a 37 year old singer/songwriter, dancer & actor from Tappahannock, Virginia who I became a fan of as a kid through viral singles like “Kiss Kiss” & “Look At Me Now”. His full-lengths however including his eponymous debut, Exclusive, Graffiti, his final Jive Records offering F.A.M.E. (Forgiving All My Enemies), his RCA Records debut Fortune, X, Royalty, Heartbreak on a Full Moon, Indigo, Breezy & 11:11 have all been received mixed-to-negatively & I didn’t expect anything more out of his 12th studio LP.

“Leave Me Alone” co-produced by Metro Boomin’ begins with this whiny response to people being judgmental of him when he’s continuously inflicted that upon himself whereas “Obvious” attempts at making a summertime anthem only for him to miss the landing. “Honey Pack” continues with an underwhelming lust ode prior to “It Depends”featuring Bryson Tiller sampling “Nice & Slow” by Usher thanks to Nico Baran of Internet Money Records singing about fucking their lovers right.

Leon Thomas III appears for “Fallin’” so he & Breezy can give off that old school R&B vibe professing the feelings they still have for their exes until “Hate Me” sings about always being there for a woman who resents him regardless of her spite. “Call Your Name” featuring Glorilla & Sexyy Red joins forces over a Tay Keith instrumental for a fun R&B/hip hop crossover just before “For the Moment” yearns to solely be with a private dancer after a party.

“Fuck & Party” featuring Vybz Kartel of course embraces a dancehall vibe so they can sing about doing those 2 things while “Red Rum” featuring YoungBoy Never Broke Again describes the downsides of fame although I’ve heard that issue being handled better previously. “It’s Not You It’s Me” sings over a Hitmaka beat to a female that he’s cutting her off because of some shit he’s dealing with personally until “Cry for Me” decently samples “Love Don’t Live Here Anymore” by Rose Royce.

Lex Luger getting behind the boards for “Say Nothin’” was a bit of a shock, ending the 1st leg of Brown promising his romantic interest that he’ll keep all of her secrets while “Slow Jamz” featuring Lucky Daye makes me wanna listen to the iconic Twista/Ye single of the same name instead. “Perfect Timing” featuring Fridayy mediocrely depicts a relationship where nothing feels the same anymore while “In My Head” obsesses over a chick he’s constantly thinking of.

“What’s Love?” openly admits to him not understanding the concept of affection & CashMoneyAP instrumentally treading psychedelic waters while “Something in the Water” sings about being deeply drawn to somebody whose presence feels addictively powerful to him. “Won’t Let Me Leave” details an encounter ending in this person’s love refusing to set him free while “#BodyGoals” featuring Tank links up for a moderate strip club anthem.

Meanwhile on “Colours”, we have Chris giving this individual an ultimatum between accepting him for who he is or walking out the door while “Skin to Skin” sings about intercourse without making it feel sexy. “Theme Song” reunites with Hitmaka for a carefree, celebratory dedication for all the ladies looking to go stupid while “Your Time” sings about the way he enjoys having the love of his life to himself in addition to being blessed whenever he’s around her & urging to let go of any worries she has.

“It’s Personal” winds down the last few moments of the album throwing a tantrum over the people who’ve “turned their backs” on him when he has a history of misogyny & a repetitive discography, but then the lead single “Holy Blindfold” takes a more spiritual approach altogether courtesy of Jon Bellion. The closing track “Present” finishes Brown singing over a Metro beat 1 last time about him not having anymore checks on his checklist at this point in his life.

A great deal of Chris Brown’s albums can seem repetitively formulaic at times & for some reason since the weakest entry of his discography Heartbreak on a Full Moon, he’s been overloading every single full-length & you’re not gonna get anything different outside of that with Brown. There are moments where I occasionally enjoy a song because of the production or maybe it has a guest appearance, but it’s some of the most tepid contemporary/alternative R&B of 2026 past that point.

Score: 1.5/5

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O.T. the Real – “Villain” review

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania emcee O.T. the Real staying busy beyond Show No Mercy to hit us with this 10th solo LP. Getting his start in the underground nearly a decade ago after coming home from prison & releasing his debut single “Papercuts”, his profile began to grow from there after showcasing his skills on radio stations or dropping his last 9 albums as well as a mixtape & his 9 EPs. My favorites being the Heatmakerz-produced 3rd EP The Irishman & the DJ Green Lantern-produced 3rd album Broken Glass that dropped on my 25th birthday & the Statik Selektah produced Maxed Out. No Matter What, Desperation of December, It’s Almost Over & Red Summer were all hit or miss for me until O.T. finally signed to Black Soprano Family Records & enlisted araabMUZIK for Zombie to critical acclaim. Prepare for War & Pale Horse were ok, following up Moving Base O.T.’s eponymous debut showed improvement as did the Nickel Plated produced Cost of Living & The Devil You Know. Coming off 38 Spesh fully producing Possession with Intent & Chop-La-Rok flexing The Wars I’ve Won with Rare Scrilla, the Villain has come back.

“750” works in a synth-driven boom bap beat so he can talk about him being back whereas “Evil Eye” instrumentally turns up the suspense looking to deepen the odds although leaving an open verse during the backend of it makes it feel somewhat incomplete. “Sent Out” warns for everyone to get down when he trips out spitting nothing but killa shit leading into “Bad Guy” talks about his willingness of becoming the villain one wants him to.

Regarding the song “Silent”, we have O.T. over some prominent piano chords suggests to bring a fun if one so happens to walk inside the same room as him while “Gary V” featuring Flames Dot Malik angrily puts themselves inside the shoes of narcotic merchants to reach the halfway point. “Mint Leaves” gets the 2nd half going hopping over more keys to talk about shit getting shifty around his parts just before “Mr. Ozempic” boasts his nickname earned by getting the weight off.

“B.O.T.R.A. (Back On The Run Again)” featuring SKNJ finds the pair rounding out 3rd looking to even the score although O.T. had the better verse with all respect while “F.T.S. (Feed The Streets)” hungrily talks about his constant artistic hunger despite constantly putting out music at his prolific rate. “Strike” featuring Murkemz takes a couple minutes to spit gritty verses without the need of a hook while outro finishes the album talking about “The Last Time” we ever saw a Villain like him.

Admittedly: I wasn’t the biggest fan of Show No Mercy earlier this year, but Villain will certainly appeal to anyone who enjoyed You Are Who You Eat With or Cost of Living & The Devil You Knowsince O.T. the Real generally nails it whenever he locks in with Nickel Plated. It significantly darker than all of that previously mentioned output from the production to the antagonistic lyricism even if the guest list can be somewhat inconsistent.

Score: 3.5/5

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iyrus – “Hottest in Philly” review

New surprise EP & the 5th overall from up-&-coming Philadelphia, Pennsylvania rapper & producer of Nigerian descent iyrus. Emerging in the summer of 2024 after doing an On the Radar freestyle, he would later introduce himself more properly a year ago off his debut EP Resurgenceuntil continuing to make waves with I as well as II & of course III. Not even a couple months since the trilogy’s conclusion & the Hottest in Philly does look to slow down anytime soon.

“$$$Talk” starts us off boasting of him putting diamonds in his mouth hence letting the money do all of the speaking for him over a sinister trap instrumental whereas “Shamu” has a more vibrant approach to the beat talking about walking in masked up with a chopper. “Eagle” gets the 2nd half of the EP going flexing how fly he is coming from the northern side of his city while “Rolling Stone” spends the last minute & a half proving all doubters wrong.

I’ve already made it pretty clear since the beginning of 2026 that iyrus was somebody to keep an eye out for & would certainly say he’s one of the Hottest in Philly alongside slayr, but I still think he hasn’t fully reached his potential yet & I came away from it enjoying it a bit less than the other 2 extended plays we’ve gotten from him this year. Mainly because I don’t find the trap/plugg production to be anything all that groundbreaking although I firmly believe he’ll very much get there.

Score: 3/5

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Vstylez – “The Final Boss Pai Mei” review

Here is the 4th studio LP from Detroit, Michigan underground veteran Vstylez. Being introduced to him through his feature on “Clash of the Titans” off of eLZhi’s 3rd mixtape The Leftovers, he eventually put out a debut album of his own At Oddz ‘Til I’m Even in late 2014 & the sophomore effort Thornton Melon about 4 years later. The acclaim of the latter resulted in V temporarily signing to Middle Finger Music & returning in 2024 with Buddy Revell, coming back almost 2 years later for The Final Boss Pai Mei.

“Capricorn” after the intro begins with this angelic boom bap intro talking about his zodiac sign whereas “Fenkell Ave.” recalls his experiences growing up near that road leaning towards a much dustier & hardcore vibe. “Iron Sharps Iron” featuring The Bad Seed unites both of them over more boom bap instrumentation talking about both of them being forged for the fight while “My Prime” dabbles with rap rock feeling like he’s in his best possible quality.

The self-produced “YNz” sends a message to all the younger artists out there incorporating some prominent synthesizers leading into “The Raid 2” featuring eLZhi reuniting both MCs to talk about having the ability of putting holes through chests via rhyming. “Introvert” instrumentally brings a triumphant aura to the picture advising everyone to let him be while “Golden Arms” featuring Isaac Castor & Ruste Juxx brings all 3 of them together for a cutthroat hardcore hip hop anthem.

Black Milk gets behind the boards for a profound ode where V looks to stand for “The Fallen” ones in his life & having scars within his soul that no one can visibly see but once “Denmark Vesey” tells the audio story of the late Charleston abolitionist whom the Detroit emcee/producer was named after, Sadat X accompanies V on the mic during “Dumb” for all of these idiotic muhfuckas out here getting high off percocets to acknowledge what they’ve done for the culture.

“Changing My Ways” wraps up the last leg of The Final Boss Pai Mei talking about having liquor on his breath & leaving rumble all over the mess of regrets he’s made while “No One” puts a soulful twist on the traditional boom bap sound thanks to Bronze Nazareth detailing him becoming his own provider & every move being self condition. “Patricia” produced by Marv Won finishes up the full-length sampling gospel for a crushing boom bap tribute to his late mother.m of the same name.

The Final Boss Pai Mei carries over the ethos of both Thornton Melon & Buddy Revell in the sense of Vstylez naming his albums after characters from classic movies, with this one being Gordon Liu’s portrayal in Kill Bill 2 & dropping some of the greatest material of his career for nearly a decade. Even if I personally prefer the latter half, it’s already been confirmed that Walter Sobchak will finally arrive next & this will hold off fine until then.

Score: 3.5/5

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