che – “Fully Loaded” review

New surprise EP & the 5th overall from Atlanta, Georgia recording artist che. Starting as a member of the 4ersona collective under the original moniker murkio before settling on cheRomani+ & later abbreviating it, it wasn’t until more recently where he decided to build a solo catalog for himself by putting out the debut EP 3 over a year ago & followed it up in the form of X or the original version of his 3rd EP Closed Captions a few summers ago. Crueger that same Halloween showed more of a Chief Keef influence & sayso says was an acclaimed rage debut of its own, coming off the beloved Rest in Bass to drop Fully Loaded.

The self-produced “1M Mansion” begins with some synthesizers & 808s boasting the new crib he copped around his parts whereas “Promoting Violence” talks about people getting robbed for pennies. “White Folk” energetically describes his lifestyle becoming more expensive these past 2 & a half years but once “Tattoos” comes through with an ode to all of the ink he has on his skin, “Kittens” sends off Fully Loaded talking about being a big pup.

It’d be a huge stretch to put Fully Loaded in the same category as both of his LPs, but it feels like the beginning of a new era for che & eagerly await where his next album takes it beyond this point. The production experiments beyond the rage sound to explore trap metal & retain the Chicago drill influences of his previous material, spitting hardcore lyrics & using a deep voice reminiscent of Mr. Krabs from the Paramount Skydance Corporation subsidiary Nickelodeon hit series SpongeBob SquarePants.

Score: 3.5/5

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Slayyyter – “WOR$T GIRL IN AMERICA” review

Slayyyter is a 29 year old rapper & singer/songwriter from Kirkwood, Missouri who began to turn heads in 2019 off her eponymous debut mixtape. She would go on to follow it up with the full-length debut Troubled Paradise which was pretty average in comparison & the sophomore effort Starfucker, the latter of which was highly praised enough for Columbia Records to sign her. Coming off a handful of revered teasers, she’s ready to make her major label debut with her 3rd album.

“Dance…” opens up with this electropop, dance-pop, French electro, acid house, electroclash, synthwave, midtempo bass & electro-disco single singing about coming to party whereas “Beat Up Chanel$” blends electropop, electroclash, witch house, futurepop, slap house, pop rap & electro house to express her desire for new personnel. “Cannibalism!” fuses alternative dance, post-punk, post-punk revival, dance-punk revival, new rave, surf rock & psychobilly asking God for a sign leading into “Old Technology” explores electroclash, electropop, electro-industrial, new rave, future house & pop rap to talk about doing drugs tonight.

Industrial hip hop, Jersey club rap, deconstructed club, hardcore hip hop, ballroom & electroclash all collide on “Crank” taking a more sexual approach to her songwriting leading into her recalling a time where a lover left her stranded at a “Gas Station” to end the 1st leg of the LP & being devastated by it because she loved this guy more than anything. “Yes Goddd” begins the 2nd half pleading to be let off with some spaces over a thunderous beat just before “Unknown Loverz” sings about a man running faster the more she chases him.

“Old Fling$” addresses an individual she saw creepin’ from the sideline trying to get to the bottom of the reason why they’re hiding from her while “I’m Actually Kinda Famous” could be my least favorite track here because I felt like there could’ve easily been another verse added to it. “$t. Loser” asks this person she’s constantly thinking of if he has her on his mind as much as she does him while “What’s it Like, To Be Liked?” makes the greatest possible use of a Starfuckerouttake turning up the sadness levels. After the “*Prayer*” interlude, the outro “Brittany Murphy.” ends with a tribute to the late King of the Hill/8 Mile star of the same name.

Self-titled & Starfucker have already become amongst the greatest electropop within the last decade, but WOR$T GIRL IN AMERICA fully realizes Slayyyter’s artistic potential & simultaneously provides a more authentic version of herself. The production masterfully brings elements of electroclash, French electro, electro-industrial, new rave, dance-pop, electro house, pop rap, acid house, synthwave, midtempo bass, electro-disco, witch house, futurepop, slap house, pop rap, alternative dance, post-punk, post-punk revival, dance-punk revival, new rave, surf rock, psychobilly, new rave, future house, industrial hip hop, Jersey club rap, deconstructed club, hardcore hip hop & ballroom to her electropop sound so she can tell the world a bit more regarding her upbringings.

Score: 4.5/5

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Mike Shabb – “The Lost Tapes” review

New surprise EP & the 8th overall from Montréal, Québec, Canada emcee, producer & engineer Mike Shabb. Emerging in the spring of 2018 off his full-length debut Northwave, he would continue to make his presence known by putting out his last 7 EPs & a few mixtapes before gaining notoriety for engineering Boldy James’ 5th album Fair Exchange No Robbery along with producing “Switches on Everything” off Hitler Wears Hermes X & enlisting his mentor Nicholas Craven to fully produce his 5th EP Shadow Moses from top to bottom. Hood Olympics & Sewaside III were both solid in their own rights, following up Shabb Van Gogh as well as Fight the Power! & Vrai Rap Keb! to have Drega33 produce The Lost Tapes.

The jazzy “Don Gargon” officially kicks us off talking about how he can’t be seconded out by anyone while “Nike Tech” goes for a boom bap vibe instrumentally wondering why people acting like he isn’t pushing hip hop culture forward. “Kiss & Tell” embraces a more psychedelic sound talking about keeping shit to himself just before “Evidence Flicks” hops over a bare saxophone loop whacking up anyone who fucks around with him.

“Dudududu” continues the final half of The Lost Tapeson some soulfully funky shit talking about dying for this shit since he’s way too deep into it & once “Jet2” continues the crooning sampling techniques calling out someone who’s acting all tough when everyone knows that isn’t the case with him, the closing track “World Go Round” wraps things up combining chipmunk soul & jazz so he can talk about money making the globe spin.

It was already announced earlier this week that he’s working on Sewaside IV & I have no clue whether that’s coming before or after Hood Olympics 2, but I wasn’t anticipating Mike Shabb to drop another extended play so soon after Vrai Rap Keb! became some of the greatest French hip hop I’ve heard recently. He takes a backseat from the production so Drega33 can pull inspiration from drumless, boom bap, chipmunk soul, jazz rap, psychedelia & funk all for Montréal’s finest to body himself.

Score: 4.5/5

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Wildcard – “The Secret Tape” review

Here is a brand new mixtape from San Gabriel Valley, California emcee Wildcard. Coming up almost 2 decades earlier off the debut Dark Night of the Soul, he’d go on to build up an impressive discography for himself from there whether it be The Odyssey & The War or Shadow Work & Change in Cabin Pressure. His last couple albums Western Promises & The Zodiac Project produced by C-Lance have both become his greatest yet, returning to drop off The Secret Tape in time for spring.

“The Natural” comes out the gate with this sample-based trap instrumental explaining that he makes music for those specific kind of people whereas “Take Flight November” aggressively talks about growing up to become a screwup. “Janice Rossi” featuring Celph Titled maintains the trap vibes so they can get on their hardcore shit together lyrically while “Carmona Cocaine Phase” compares being talented & broke to a torture device.

Matty Boy’s appearance on “Ghost Light” was average to me although I appreciate the shift towards a boom bap sound & the reference to WWE Hall of Famer Mike Tyson leading into “The January Flame” produced by Johnny Slash carrying over the rawness for a dedication to all the kids who’ve been through Hell & back. “Wine” on the other hand talks about all the things he tried to tell the person he’s addressing prior to “Half Moon Bay” finishing the 1st leg of the tape with a cloudier beat refusing to give up.

“Fire Ants” gets the 2nd half going issuing a warning of possibly winding up in prison after getting revenge on one’s enemies while “Abby” occasionally sprinkles some rock undertones in so he can make something that the woman who can be heard at the beginning can dance to. “Hitchcock” talks about another night cruising around his street feeling like an O.G. while “Smallpox” passionately assures that it’s never too late to make a fresh start.

C-Lance hops behind the boards during “Sunny Day in October” talking about not wanting to lose himself to the fray while “Endless August” treads the trap waters once again making something that any abused stepchild can relate to. “Adulthood” winds down The Secret Tape’s last few minutes passionately talking about the hardest travelled road being the changes made to what he knows while “The December Shelter” finishes with him detailing his & his wife’s experiences of having PTSD.

Gearing up for a 4-month national tour set to begin next weekend & lasting until the end of the summer, I wouldn’t consider The Secret Tape to be on the same pedestal as Wildcard’s last couple full-lengths were although that’s not to say I disliked it. It’s less conceptual than The Zodiac Project was & I like that he toned down the amount of guest appearances, but the primarily trap-oriented production feels less interesting compared to that or Western Promises.

Score: 3.5/5

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dälek – “Brilliance of a Falling Moon” review

dälek is an industrially abstract hip hop outfit from Newark, New Jersey now comprised of producer Mike Mare & none other than MC dälek himself. Their 1998 debut Negro Necro Nekros was a great introduction except the sophomore effort From Filthy Tongue of Gods & Griots and Absence are both widely considered to be their best. Abandoned Language, Gutter Tactics, Untitled, Asphalt for Eden, Endangered Philosophies & Precipice were all solid with some being better than others. My personal favorites around that time gap being Abandoned Language & Gutter Tactics. Anyways, they’re reuniting after 4 years for their 10th LP.

“Better Than” sets the tone for this new era of the pairing’s career with an industrial boom bap instrumental venting they’re frustration with everything going on nationwide since last January whereas “Knowledge | Understanding | Wisdom”goes for a noiser vibe defying the oligarchs who want to keep us stupid. “Normalized Tragedy” fuses industrial hip hop & boom bap talking about never going numb to brutality while “Expressions of Love” talks about suffering after the voices have been given to the dumb.

Kicking off the 2nd leg, “Substance” takes a jab at all these rappers whose music lacks any significance while the dustily haunting “I’m a Man” reiterates the message that African American men used to protest segregation 6 decades earlier in a modern context. “For the People” combines industrial hip hop & boom bap again talking about refusing to stop the fight until all US citizens are equal while “By The Time We Arrive in El Salvador” criticizes the maximum-security Terrorism Confinement Center where 300 Venezuelan migrants accused of being gang members were sent despite only 12 of whom being charged with crimes.

These guys have been amongst the most underappreciated industrial hip hop acts alongside The Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy, but dälek’s comeback nearly a decade in the making will undoubtedly be heralded as their strongest opus since Untitled. Mike Mare’s production embraces an experimental boom bap sound rather than sticking to their industrial roots & MC dälek’s lyrics are heavily inspired by what’s been happening throughout the world, more specifically the rise of fascism in America & resisting it.

Score: 4.5/5

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Yeat – “A Dangerous Lyfë & A Dangerous Love” review

Brand new double album & the 6th overall from Portland, Oregon rapper Yeat. Emerging in 2018 off his debut EP Deep Blue $trips, he’s been dominating the mainstream since 2021 whether it be him dropping a plethora of projects or receiving cosigns from the likes of Drake & Earl Sweatshirt. He eventually signed to Geffen Records, who backed his sophomore effort albeit major label debut 2 Alivë few years ago & it’s companionable deluxe EP Gëek Pack shortly after. Coming off his 5th mixtape Lyfë a few summers ago alongside Aftërlyfe & the experimental Capitol Records debut 2093, he went back to his roots to rep the Lyfestylë & came off a Dangerous Summer to describe A Dangerous Lyfë & A Dangerous Love.

“Purpose General” produced by BNYX of Working on Dying atmospherically begins the 2-disc adventure talking about paving checks after paving the way for others whereas “Face the Flame” featuring YoungBoy Never Broke Again finds the 2 teaming up so they can describe getting geeked off ecstasy, going for a more trap vibe. “Lose Control” samples “Someone Saved My Life Tonight” by Elton John talking about passing the wheel to God leading into “Griddlë” admits to falling in love with a freak.

We have BNYX bringing the bells back for “What I Want” boasting that his sales double every time he puts out new music just before “Liv Likë Dis” asks his girl why his wealth got her acting funny over an Honorable C.N.O.T.E. & Sonny Digital instrumental. “Tallër” has a more lively vibe to it courtesy of Cade talking about him trying to make his money larger than the rest while “My Way” tritely tells his partner that she has to make up her mind & take as much time as she needs.

“Let King Tonka Talk” was a disappointing single largely because of the unnecessary Kylie Jenner feature, which is a shame because I like the way Dylan Brady fuses jerk & industrial hip hop with pop rap. “Dangerous House” however picks up with a 2-parter that Shlohmo cooked up talking about keeping things hazardous around his parts while “No More Ghosts” featuring KiD CuDi ends Disc 1 with both of them fed up with everything that isn’t real.

To begin Disc 2, the song “2Nite” embraces a more standard trap sound once again talking about waiting at the fire & his detractors not wanting to see him catching Ws while the self-produced “Geek Luv” describes a kind of love where the sex feels like a drug. The beat on “Naked” is ok except it could be my least favorite track here because it feels like a repetitive 92 second interlude, but then “Went Wrong” decently talks about him & an ex waitin’ for their relationship to fail.

“Real Life Shit” incorporate some heavy synthesizers admitting that he’s been looking for a reason to tweak & after “My Time” instrumentally gives props to The Neptunes talking about going bigger than he can imagine since he was destined for this music shit, “2Planës” reunites with Internet Money Records in-house producer Synthetic sampling the 2023 leak “Wanna be më” flexing that he has a couple airplanes respectively carrying money & his own people.

The song “Silk Facë” brings the synths back in full effect to push closer near A Dangerous Lyfë & A Dangerous Love’s conclusion talking about feeling the same & looking to run shit up again while “Back Home” featuring Joji returning to their respective cribs because something at the function feels off to both of them. “Up From Here” ends the LP talking about going rock bottom & elevating past that point.

Originally announced nearly 2 years ago already, A Dangerous Lyfë & A Dangerous Love has since evolved into a double full-length that I’d sincerely have to put behind Lyfestylë as the 2nd weakest project Yeat has ever put out. I can appreciate him telling 2 completely different stories across the hourlong runtime, although the predominant trap production feels like he’s playing it safe & a few of the guest appearances were pointless.

Score: 3/5

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Chief Keef – “Skeletor” review

Right in front of us is the 6th studio LP from Chicago, Illinois rapper, singer/songwriter & producer Chief Keef. Rising to stardom over a decade ago off his 6th mixtape Back from the Dead & the full-length debut Finally Rich, he would go on to become a progenitor for drill music popularizing it in the Windy City inspiring the likes of Lil Uzi Vert & 21 Savage or even Billie Eilish. Other standouts in Keef’s discography include Bang 2, Almighty So, Back from the Dead 2, GloToven, 4NEM, the Mike WiLL Made-It produced Dirty Nachos & Almighty So 2. It’s already been a couple years since the latter, returning to end the first quarter of 2026 with Skeletor.

The self-produced “Break Down” aptly sets the tone of what’s to come even if it’s said to be an outtake from the Almighty So 2 sessions whereas “The Real Chief Keef” boisterously calls for all these puny fuckboys to get their paper up. “24Hrs” works in some 808s & bells talking about being up every hour of the day just before “Video Shoot” featuring Ian proved to be an underwhelming trap single being fed up with hoes telling sob stories.

“Mark of Buddha” continues from there talking about bleaching his eyes after everything he’s seen over the course of his career leading into “Harry Potter” making vast improvements above the previous single blending hardcore hip hop, trap, the Flint sound, Chicago drill & cloud rap confessing he would’ve gone to the NFL had his music career failed. “Only for the Night” ends the 1st half going full pop rap additionally showing off his ear for sampling while “#2” hops over some synths keeping that green & blue shit on him.

G Herbo joins Keef on “Slide” to get on some Chicago drill gangsta rap shit together for 6 minutes while “Shrek & Donkey” produced by Murda Beatz energetically talks about how zooted he is. “PS5” featuring Rich the Kid finds both of them speaking of looking at Satan in his eyes while “Good” checks in on those near him making sure they’re fine. “Talking Ish” featuring Ballout was a decently cloudy trap single discussing of the gangsta lifestyle & “Doja” ends with him flying straight to the bag.

In no way would I consider Skeletor to be in the same field as Almighty So 2 & 4NEM or even Dirty Nachos, but I did enjoy a majority of what this album had to offer. His production puts a bigger emphasis on trap similarly to 4NEM, except it’s not as adventurous other than the secondary influences of Chicago drill & pop rap as opposed to the latter experimenting with subgenres like crunk. I also felt that only a couple guests stood out, which was justified by most of them getting outperformed.

Score: 3.5/5

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Central C – “All Roads Lead Home” review

Here we have the 6th extended play from Ladbroke Grove, London, England, United Kingdom rapper & singer/songwriter Central C. After putting out a total of 4 EPs & a couple mixtapes in addition to his Split Decision collab EP he & Dave did, the 2023 XXL Freshman Class member signed to Columbia Records & his full-length debut Can’t Rush Greatness was received mixed-to-negatively even if his popularity keeps growing. 14 months later, All Roads Lead Home has arrived following it’s delay last weekend.

The introductory freestyle was an mediocre choice of an intro considering he’s just going off the top promoting Drake’s upcoming 9th album Iceman whereas “Slaughter” featuring J Hus blends UK drill & 3-step, countering each other by spitting forgettable verses of their own. “Wagwan” kinda has this lo-fi drill vibe to it talking about a shorty he hasn’t seen in a minute prior to the self-produced “Feelings” acknowledges what it’s like when nobody believes in you.

“DC10” winds down the last few minutes of All Roads Lead Home talking about being inside of a McDonnell Douglas DC-10 with Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos until Einer Bankz produces what could be my favorite instrumental on the EP during “Maka” featuring A2Anti, even if the latter’s guest appearance was worse than the other one. “Y Fi Dat” finally ends All Roads Lead Home talking about having his eye for sexy women & saving a hoe like he’s Spider-Man.

You’re better off listening to the new Fliptrix album Elevation produced by Telemachus if you’re looking for some new UK hip hop this weekend because not only has Can’t Rush Greatness aged like milk, but Central C’s newest EP preparing for his sophomore effort is somehow worse. A lot of that would attribute to a great deal of the beats feeling pretty cheap for this style of drill as well as his singular flow & basic lyrics.

Score: 1.5/5

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Juvenile – “Boiling Point” review

Juvenile is a 51 year old rapper, songwriter & actor from New Orleans, Louisiana introducing himself 3 decades ago his full-length debut Being Myself. Forming the Hot Boy$ with The B.G.’z & Turk after signing to Cash Money Records, his sophomore effort Solja Rags showed greatly improvements over it’s predecessor & 400 Degreez would become the greatest album in the label’s history even now. Tha G-Code, Project English & Juve the Great would all be received positively in their own rights, leaving Cash Money & releasing Reality Check under his own imprint UTP Records in tandem with Atlantic Records to divided feedback. Juvie’s first LP in over a decade & his 12th overall however gave me hope since Cocky & Confident, Beast Mode, Rejuvenation and The Fundamentals were all forgettable.

After the intro, the first song “Lenny Kravitz” produced by Mannie Fresh blends trap & rock to talk about being too clean to fuck with dirty hoes whereas “Drop the Location” works in some hi-hats & a chipmunk soul sample to address those who don’t want to see him at the top. “Pay Me” makes it clear to this woman throwing it back for him that he wants to be paid back in sex while “You Mad” hops over some strings from Swizz Beatz clapping back at the people who envy him.

“Juvie Beverly” combines elements of gospel & trap talking about making some changes in his life just before “Hot Boy Summer” featuring B.G., Jacquees & Trombone Shorty finds the quartet embracing a dirty south vibe dropping an anthem for their city ahead of the weather getting nicer. After the “Doze Off” interlude, “The Reunion” featuring Birdman & B.G. reunites so they can talk about the Cash Money Millionaires’ return while “The Hottest” featuring B Streezy, Roi Anthony & Young Juve opens up regarding seeing a whole lot of bodies.

Megan Thee Stallion’s appearance on the remix of “B.B.B. (Big Booty Bitch)” was far more entertaining to me than the original version of it with Genesis da Gawd kicking off the 2nd half of Boiling Point with an ode to the strip clubs while “Meph Town” issues a stern warning about methamphetamines. “Pull Up” featuring Birdman, Goodfella & Lil Bryan brings all 3 of them together for a decently cloudy pop rap cut while “Fuego” dedicates itself to the ladies, having DJ Khaled bringing back the rap rock influences.

“WYM (Whoa)” featuring Akeem Ali talks about both of them being picky with their bitches due to their own biases while “Neva Go Broke” gives off a bit of a tropical atmosphere courtesy of London on da Track declaring that he ain’t ever losing all of his money. “1 More Round” fuses trap & rock again for a carefree dedication to all the drinkers & once “He Gone” featuring Dee-1 talks about the kind of people who are gonna blow up because of their credibilities, “Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah” boisterously ends by assuring that he only cares for results over a Timbaland instrumental.

There are some Hot Boy$ fans that’ll tell you that Juvenile is the greatest member & I can’t even argue that considering 400 Degreez’ impact, although I have a feeling most of them will feel vindicated once they find out Boiling Point surpasses both B.G. & Lil Wayne’s latest full-lengths Freedom of Speech & Tha Carter VI. Putting its flaws in terms a few of the guests performances missing the landing & some of the production aside, it’s refreshing to hear Juvie sounding this confident after continuously putting out duds.

Score: 3.5/5

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Elcamino – “Bruv” review

2nd extended play of 2026 & the 22nd overall from Buffalo, New York emcee & singer Elcamino. Blowing up almost a decade ago off his self-titled EP with Griselda Records, his profile increasingly grew after being followed up by Walking on Water mixtape in the summer of 2018 along with dropped 2 studio albums & a few EPs the year after that. They Spit on Jesus proved to be a well received Black Soprano Family Records debut becoming the first Camino project that I had covered since On the 3rd Day & that much like No Weapon Formed Against Me was an improvement over some of the material we’ve gotten from him in recent memory. Real Bad Man would produce The Game is the Game followed by Ill Tone producing Built for Cuban Links named after Raekwon’s iconic solo debut Only Built 4 Cuban Linx… produced by RZA in addition to flexing his Millionaire status & Full Moon showing a heavy Future influence. Martyr’s Prayer III produced by 38 Spesh made for a gratifying conclusion to the beloved trilogy as did Mino, but now he’s coming off the Ill Tone-produced God is Love to drop Bruv.

“London Bruv” hops over a soulful boom bap instrumental to give his flowers to the United Kingdom’s capital whereas “Green Beret” produced by Ill Tone continues the chop up the soul samples talking about those kind of people not getting a whole lot of love. “Adele” keeps the crooning chipmunk soul vibes going using the same rhyme scheme for a couple minutes while “You’re Here” talks about doing it all for the glory & taking pride in the joys of him being African American.

The song “Getting Old” continues Bruv’s last leg going completely drumless to speak of knowing he’d lock himself in since there was always more in store for him than what he’s already achieved while “Eating Steaks” brings back the sampling techniques so he can talk about being in Paris for Fashion Week last year, embracing some jazzier undertones additionally. The closer concludes the EP with a chipmunk soul outro calling out a backstabber who doesn’t wanna see the “Other Side”.

Although I lean a little more towards God is Love, I can appreciate Elcamino getting in passport mode for Bruv since France & the UK have always been my 3rd & #1 biggest audiences outside of the States respectively. The production’s more soulful than it’s primarily drumless predecessor & Meech details a hustler philosophy with runway lighting including overseas backdrops, designer details & war-ready bars balanced by flashes of family, memory, the weight of who didn’t make it, grief, pressure & discipline through flexes that he earned himself.

Score: 4/5

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