diamond* – “Bling Slime” review

Atlanta, Georgia rapper diamond* making his official YSL Records solo debut with a brand new mixtape. A member of the ØWay collective, his full-length debut Nø Idøls last summer caught the attention of Young Thug around the same time he signed Tezzus & their eponymous debut as the Uy Scuti Bøyz a few months earlier was met with disappointingly mixed reception. The Resurrectiøn recently became Tezzus’ most celebrated material & Bling Slime looks to join the conversation.

“Man øn the Møøn” gets things going talking about being the flyest artist his age in the room over some synthesizers & hi-hats whereas “Almighty Dølla” has a more hypertrap vibe instrumentally boasting his thick pockets & his refusal of backing down. “WYD2” produced by both thr6x & Zaan gives us a sequel to a 2024 single the latter also produced just before “4s” featuring Young Thug talks about pouring up Sprite with the guy over more rage beats.

Pz’ appears on “Hedis n Pelles” to energetically put dope in the pot & let it marinate leading into “GG” embracing a bit of a pluggier sound talking about rocking out shows. “Hørsebit” featuring Lil Righteous references the WME Group-owned TKO Group Holdings division WWE’s Big 5 pay-per-view events the Royal Rumble while the cloudy “3 Wishes” lets Sk8star handle a bulk of the rapping, likening himself to Derrick Rose in the 4th quarter.

“STFU” winds down the last few moments of Bling Slime talking about not beefing with anyone because his squad likes to spin over a hypertrap instrumental with a pitched vocal sample while “Burgers n Fries” featuring southsidesilhouette finds the pair promising to kill anyone who touches their chain, which is ironic because of the recent incident between che & 9 Vicious. The outro “Matter øf Time” ends the tape talking about sticking to the script since it’s what got him here.

Bling Slime to me seemed like it had the possibility of dethroning Nø Idøls but even if that album still does a better job at displaying diamond*’s artistic range, it’s a still worthy prelude to his sophomore effort Jubilee next month. The production’s a lot less experimental & cloudy, maintaining the elements of trap along with rage & plugg. I also felt like a great deal of the guests other than an underwhelming selection or 2 delivered.

Score: 3.5/5

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La Reezy – “Skiddle Bandana” review

This is the full-length studio debut from New Orleans, Louisiana based emcee/producer La Reezy. Introducing himself in 2023 off the Reebornmixtape, he would go on to follow it up with the debut EP We All Need Help as well as both Welcome to La Reezyana & Pardon Me, I’m Different preceding the self-produced Lareezyana Shakedown last September. The latter I would personally tell you is the greatest thing he’s made so far. Coming off Free99$ & the Leader of da Uthhowever, Skiddle Bandana’s finally arrived.

“Curly Headed Boy” begins with a 96 second self-produced intro talking about him going crazy whereas “Hot” takes a groovier vibe instrumentally flexing his increasing popularity within the past year. “Family Bizzy” was a profoundly touching choice of a single talking about his relatives leading into “Normal Struggles” embracing a summery atmosphere to the beat shrugging off problems that many of us are facing.

As for “Pretty Girl Bullshit”, we have La Reezy over a cloudier instrumental talking about all the issues that arise when it comes to gorgeous women just before “How Did You Love Me?” begins to question the sincerity of a female trying to hit on him. After the “Hold Yo Crown” interlude, “Melanate Me” continues the 2nd half taking pride in being African American while “God Forgive Me” recalls protecting a loved one who died from cancer during a robbery.

The title track winds down Skiddle Bandana’s last few moments admitting that he could go for a hug right about now while “Aight” soulfully yet moodily talks about doing simply fine these days. “Gold Chains” serves as a boisterous continuation of the black excellence themes that were explored a little bit ago & the outro “We Live” concludes the album pondering of every limitation reveals itself to be a blessing in disguise, encouraging all to open their eyes.

Out of everyone included in the 2026 XXL Freshman Class list a couple weeks ago, La Reezy undeniably stood out to me as the most talented artist of the bunch although Chris Patrick & slayr are both deserving of their spots too. Skiddle Bandana’s more conscious rather than trying to expand the pop rap sounds of Leader of da Uth, swapping out the chipmunk soul & bounce undertones in favor for elements of dirty south & neo-soul.

Score: 4/5

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Tonio Armani – “Outside for the Summer” review

Columbus, Georgia singer/songwriter Tonio Armani enlisting Atlanta producer, DJ, rapper, record executive, entrepreneur & crunk progenitor Lil Jon to produce his brand new extended play. Dropping his full-length studio debut Love & Relationships along with the sophomore effort The Soul Train in 2019, he would go on to release Believe the following year & WWE Hall of Famer Snoop Dogg would sign him to Death Row Records distributed by gamma. following Intimacy. Making his debut for the label, it’s only right he steps Outside for the Summer.

The Ying Yang Twins appear on the intro “B.O.B. (Big Ole Butt)” joining forces over a vibrant beat so all 3 of them can talk about their love of women who have cake whereas “Walk That Line” instrumentally goes for more of a crunk&B vibe to describe a woman that he can’t seem to get enough of. “Donkey” soulfully sings about wanting all the ladies to get on down to the dance floor leading into “Line Dancer” ending the 1st leg of EP with a carefree R&B jam recalling this woman giving him a show.

“Temptation” gets the 2nd half going singing about a temptress trying to seduce Tonio when he’s already in a relationship & after “That’s My “Lady” soulfully dedicates itself to his soulmate he was referring to earlier, “Jam with Us” sings to those who’re unable to party with him that they can’t do so at all if that’s the case. “Bad Mamma” featuring Snoop Dogg finds the pair talking about women who’re well put together & the closing track “Superman Lover” featuring Nila Milan sends it all off with a laidback R&B duet with a summertime feeling to it.

Looking to celebrate his Georgian roots for our country’s semiquincentennial, Tonio Armani enlists a founding father of the crunk subgenre of hip hop to produce Outside for the Summer since he helped make some crunk&b hits back in the 2000s & would consider it to be gratifying debut for Tha Row as well as Tonio’s finest statement yet. He’s passionately honoring the people who made him the man he become today & Lil Jon’s production is more R&B-oriented compared to LaRussell’s 32nd EP Something’s in the Water.

Score: 4/5

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WTM Solid – “Touropean 2” review

This is the latest mixtape from Detroit, Michigan rapper WTM Solid. A member of the WRLD Tour Mafia, he also embarked on a solo career of his own a few years back with the debut EP Originatour followed by both Matter of Time & What’s the Difference?. Bigg as well as the full-length debut Imagine That at the beginning of last year elevated himself as an individual amongst the rest of WRLD Tour, coming off Street Gospel & $uper Amazing $uper Rich to drop a Touropean sequel.

“7 Words for You” opens up with a cloudy trap intro basically giving middle fingers to anyone who hating on his squad when they’re not doing shit themselves whereas “Foreign Dude” combines some synthesizers & 808s talking about unloading clips after making a bag. “Back on Bull$hit” instrumentally brings a darker vibe to the table treating hoes like the road while “Hard Tour Choose 1” atmospherically talks about getting it out the mud.

Meanwhile on “$olid Shakespeare”, we have Solid letting a woman who ain’t seen much spend an entire day with him leading into “Not Mine (My Turn)” having somewhat of an atmospheric flare to the beat talking about his haters wanting to see him fail. “Top of the Morning” reaches the halfway point of the tape talking about his preference for boring bitches just before “Livin’ 2 Fast” speaks of going from last place to working towards the top spot.

“N.L.M.B. (Never Leave My Babies)” talks about always being there for his children no matter how bigger he becomes musically while “$paceship” boasts of him having more power than the government itself. “Drama Call <3” advises someone who speaks too much around bosses to play it cool while “Lean on Me” talks about dropping projects for the love of the game. “Tyson Fury Fight” produced by WTM Niketech advises to turn your feelings off in order to achieve success & “Don’t Think Too Hard” giving a fuck less about who’s mad at him.

The original Touropean last summer was inspired by WTM Solid’s trip to France & for the follow-up, I don’t see myself coming back to it as much as the other 2 projects he’s dropped this year even if he carries over everything that made the predecessor so distinct 11 months earlier from the lyrics representing his squad overseas except he’s visiting the UK this time around to the Detroit trap production. BUT if he plans on continuing the series in the midst of visiting other countries, of course I’d be welcoming of it.

Score: 3.5/5

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Ken Carson – “Xperiment” review

Kicking off the 2nd half of 2026 with the 5th studio LP from Atlanta, Georgia recording artist Ken Carson. Breaking out in the SoundCloud scene & becoming a protege of local trailblazer Playboi Carti as one of the first artists to sign to the latter’s Opium Records, he would go on to drop a total of 5 EPs prior to his full-length debut Project X & coming off the mature sophomore effort X which Anthony Fantano infamously gave a 0. Coming off A Great Chaos & More Chaos however, he’s looking to Xperiment a lot more ahead of Cartunez.

Former 17-time WWE world champion, WWE Intercontinental Champion, 5-time WWE United States Champion & 4-time WWE tag team champion John Cena gets referenced on the intro “wheredoistart?” produced by Four3va whereas “deaf note” featuring Playboi Carti finds the 2 detailing their lifestyles. “shadeson” was disappointing since it’s pretty much a remix of “girl” off 2hollis’ major label debut star prior to “gynecologist” making up for it whether it be the instrumental from F1THY of Working on Dying to the lyrics detailing what he’d do if he wasn’t making music.

“wrist” continues from there talking about being in kitchen serving up weight & deceiving a woman into thinking they’re locking in when Ken wants to fuck her friend leading into “edm” addressing the rumors of Xperiment & Cartunez fulfilling his ongoing contractual obligations. “truth” hops over an Art Dealer & Outtatown beat so he can drop a lengthy verse sandwiched between a chorus expressing his sincerest feelings while “outofmybody” talks about being a wireless plug.

As for “the ritual”, we have Ken setting the record straight regarding a woman acting like he’s her man when it’s false & finding a way to always prevail while the “interlude” feels more of a brief freestyle talking about others not being able to reach his high. “ghost” featuring Lil Uzi Vert speeds up the pace instrumentally so both of them can switch shit up for those moving too slowly while “drug kit” featuring Young Thug details being under the influence of drugs over a celebratory beat from DY & Tre Pounds.

“possession” continues the 2nd half of Xperimenton some more rage-inducing vibes talking about raking money in like a bunch of leaves that’ve fallen off branches while the distorted “fw00” discusses having money on his mind & the fact that he’s been setting trends for some time already. “somanybags” hops over another hypertrap instrumental to talk about being so geeked up where he can’t relax while “shopping” featuring Destroy Lonely prepares us for their collab tape trading the mic back-&-forth.

The song “amandabynes” brings some buzzing synthesizers into the picture talking about falling in love with a woman for who she is as a person & her being attracted to his timing but after “amnesia” runs it back with Art Dealer & Outtatown to confess that he forgot the times he’s seen this chick being addressed, “flamethrower” airs out his grievances towards a an ex-girlfriend whom he did so much for yet she still ended up leaving.

“knocking” brings a hypnotically futuristic sound to the table talking about someone he knew since Day 1 who’s changed so much that he doesn’t even have friends anymore while “addiction” references former WWE United States Champion & WWE tag team champion Logan Paul. The closer “wedidit” featuring Playboi Carti concludes our Xperiment referencing current AEW performer/commentator, former 7-time WWE world champion, 11-time WWE Tag Team Champion, WWE Intercontinental Champion, WWE United States Champion & 3-time WWE Hardcore Champion Paul Wight.

Even if it’s not quite experimental as I hoped it would be, Xperiment could still debatably surpass A Great Chaos to become Ken Carson’s greatest full-length & it has me wondering whether or not Cartunez next Friday will join either of those albums in that same conversation. Excluding a small handful of songs that I felt were pointless, rage/trap production’s less watered down than More Chaos last spring & there’s a tight guest list.

Score: 3.5/5

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Madonna – “Confessions on a Dance Floor II” review

Madonna is a 67 year old singer/songwriter, producer & actress from Bay City, Michigan who signed to Warner Records back in the early 80s. She would drop an eponymous debut, Like a Virgin, True Blue, Like a Prayer, Erotica, Bedtime Stories, Ray of Light, Music, American Life, Confessions on a Dance Floor & the underrated Hard Candy primarily produced by The Neptunes for the label prior to her initial departure. MDNA as well as Rebel Heart & Madame X all dropped under Interscope Records to mixed reception, but has returned to Warner for her 15th studio LP & a sequel to Confessions on a Dance Floor.

“I Feel So Free” opens with a progressive house, dance-pop, space disco, spoken word, Baltimore club, hi-nrg, progressive trance & acid house single detailing the way she feels whenever she’s on the dance floor prior to “Good for the Soul” reminding the world to take a breath or let your hair down every now & then. “1 Step Away” continues from there singing about EDM not being as superficial as most people would like to think while “Bring Your Love” featuring Sabrina Carpenter blends dance-pop, diva house, garage house & Chicago house dismisses any commentary from their detractors.

We have Madonna during “Danceteria” dedicating an entire track to the New York nightclub where her career began 4 decades ago while the only song I could’ve done without “Read My Lips” featuring Feid moderately combines dance-pop, nu disco & Latin house to sing about people being broken on the inside. “Everything” makes up for it with a Ray of Light throwback confronting someone for always bringing her down just before “Love Sensation” sings about there being nothing she can’t do with her partner over a dance-pop/French house fusion.

“Love Without Words” gets the 2nd half going embracing a diva house sound taking us through a temple of sweat & surrender while “Bizarre” sings about the unique strangeness that comes with love, recalling Sean Penn’s marriage to her in the latter portion of the 80s. “School” conceptually takes the role of a teacher & a student hoping the latter tells her he loves her despite not knowing it while “Fragile” comes through with a powerful catharsis regarding her late brother Christopher Ciccone, whom she reconciled with prior to his death.

Winding down Confessions on a Dance Floor II’s last act, “My Sins Are My Savior” featuring Stromae leans towards a more tranquil side of things in terms of sound singing in French about looking for love in unfiltered places while “Betrayal” feels like a mix of Ray of Light & Erotica, telling a story that ends in Madonna being backstabbed. “The Test” featuring Lola Leon finds the mother/daughter pairing over an alt-pop/2-step beat repairing their relationship & “L.E.S. (Lower East Side) Girl” spends the album’s final minutes remembering where she came from.

Her tenure on Interscope wasn’t all that even if MDNA along with Rebel Heart & Madame X had select moments that I still go back to now, but Confessions on a Dance Floor II marks Madonna’s return to Warner by dropping her strongest LP in 2 decades. The housier production incorporates additional elements from dance-pop, progressive house, diva house, deep house, space disco, spoken word, Baltimore club, hi-nrg, progressive trance, acid house, garage house, Chicago house, French house, nu disco, Latin house, alt-pop, 2-step & progressive breaks similarly to it’s predecessor curated like a DJ mix so the Queen of Pop can escape from all the turmoil in her life.

Score: 4.5/5

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Wakko the Kidd – “The Kidd That Did” review

New extended play from Hollywood, California rapper & entrepreneur Wakko the Kidd. Introducing himself in the summer of 2018 off his debut single “Multiple Racks”, he would go on to launch his own strain of cannabis called Airheadz a year later. However in the summer of 2024, the Insane Clown Posse signed him to Psychopathic Records & has performed at many of their events like the Gathering of the Juggalos or Hallowicked. Coming off his full-length debut In Airheadz We Trust at the beginning of the year, The Kidd That Did’s back once more.

“Food 4 Less” starts us off with a coldblooded trap beat talking about paid crazy amounts of money for his live performances whereas “Go Crazy” boisterously dedicates itself to anyone who has a payroll. “I Had To” maintains a standard trap vibe instrumentally talking about going from breaking into houses to signing with the label beneath the streets leading into “Put in Work” fusing elements of trap, cloud rap & rock discussing his constant hustle.

Kicking off the 2nd half, “Motel 6” looks back at the times when he used to live at the titular motel chain because he was so down bad during that point in his life while “Spring Break” talks about linking up with a bitch he met on the middle of her vacation that she took for the Easter holiday. “F.W.M. (Fuck Wit Me)” nears the end of The Kidd That Did talking about coming from the gutter & “Coast to Coast” ends the EP discussing that he stays growin’ weed for his customers across the country.

Some began to question Wakko the Kidd’s ability of carrying an entire body of work on his own considering literally every track on In Airheadz We Trust had a guest appearance & I think he listened to those criticisms since The Kidd That Did makes some improvements above it’s predecessor although I’d consider it to be on the same level of quality. The trap production is passable, but I applaud him for not having any features to shut down the detractors dismissing him doubting his pen.

Score: 3.5/5

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ilykimchi – “I Love You Kimchi” review

This is the 3rd extended play of solo material from Los Angeles, California producer, singer/songwriter & model ilykimchi. A member of The Scythe collective & the pioneering tread production team Working on Dying, her moderately received debut EP agony would come out in the fall of 2023 establishing herself in the future garage & alternative R&B scenes respectively. She followed it up this past April with prenup & the reception for that was generally mild too, but I remained optimistic going into her eponymous offering.

“Hello Baby” sets the tone with an electro/dance-pop intro singing about an individual who’s constantly on her mind whereas “Party in My Head” confesses that she won’t be understood until the person addressed dances with her. The lead single “Poser” combines electropop, electro house & electroclash confronting some loser about him pretending like he doesn’t know who she is while “Fendi Prada” expresses her desire of throwing it back to 2010.

binx joins Kimchi on another electropop, electro house & electroclash single “Crashout” that I found underwhelming until “What the Fuck Were We On?” spends 74 seconds wanting an ex to know that she’ll always be with him if he’s feeling lonely. “Green Room” hits us with a decent track catered to EDM festivals while the final single “Every Day a Movie” fuses electropop, dance-pop & bubblegum bass to sing about everything being different. The closer “Thank You” lastly sends off the EP with an open letter to someone she’ll never forget.

prenup this past spring found ilykimchi bringing other producers on board to handle all of the beats in comparison to her only self-producing 2 songs on agony & although I appreciate that risk being taken once again, this self-titled EP still leaves me on the fence & I say that respectfully because I truly think she has the potential to make something better. I also applaud her for departing from the alternative R&B sounds of her earlier output for a confident collection of electropop, dance-pop, bubblegum bass & electroclash jams for all the ladies looking to party this summer even if I wouldn’t consider it superior to Slayyyter’s major label debut WOR$T GIRL IN AMERICA.

Score: 3/5

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民謡クルセイダーズ – 『日本民謡より愛をこめて』レビュー

The Minyo Crusaders are a min’yō band from Fussa City, Tokyo, Japan consisting of guitarist 田中克海, saxophonist 大沢広一郎, percussionist 小林ムツミ, timbalero イデ ソノオ, trumpeter 山内ステファン, conguero Irochi, keyboardist Moe & vocalist フレディ塚本. Dropping their full-length studio debut Echoes of Japan in 2017 followed by the 2023 sophomore effort Tour of Japan, they have since signed to Blue Note Records & are making their debut for the greatest jazz label of all-time with the Crusaders’ 3rd studio LP.

“北海盆唄” begins with a rendition of a vulgar coalminer’s song originating in Hokkaido that was eventually rewritten in the 1940s containing a bit of a Latin twist to it whereas “こきりこ節” by Minyo Cumbiero comes through with a cumbia colombiana/tropicanibalismo spin on the oldest Japanese folk song. “花笠音頭” also by Minyo Cumbiero blends both ensemble’s styles again for an ode to the community dance originating in the Yamagata Prefecture while “下津井節” covers track dating back to the Edo period.

Kicking off the 2nd half, we have [朝倉さや] joining the Crusaders for the single “朝倉さや” reintroducing another cut from the Edo period except it was conceived in the Shimane Prefecture leading into another work song “木山音頭” during the construction of Imabari Castle being modernized for newer generations. “ワイド節” featuring 元ちとせ unites for a cover of the Amami Islands’ famous min’yō track synonymous with bullfighting & “伊予万才” ends From Japan with Love renditioning a humorous song written back in the 17th century.

Forming back in 2011 with the goal of making min’yō more international by incorporating rhythms from Latin as well as African & Caribbean music, the Minyo Crusaders’ debut for Blue Note Records surpasses both of it’s predecessors to become the most vibrant statement of their existence by rooting From Japan with Love in the passionate respect they’ve always had for Japanese folk & it’s ability of resonating across multiple cultures.

Score: 4/5

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Red Bag – “Could This Be?” review

Red Bag is an independent hip hop artist from Long Beach, California whose music puts a he world in the shoes of his lived experiences built for the ones still in it from the lens of a cinematically raw point-of-view. For his full-length studio debut however, fellow Rich Mind$ collective brethren Cynematic has been enlisted behind the boards for the inaugural half of a 2-part series that he calls The Message recalling the roads he once walked that many are walking to this very day.

“Winter Stone” begins with a 90 second drumless intro talking about letting his mind drift when he smokes weed whereas “Blanc de Blancs” goes for a jazzier vibe instrumentally asking if anyone can rip microphones better than him. “Gourmet Chops” finds himself getting boastful over a soulful beat leading into “Fresh Water” talking about him doing this for the ones he’s lost.

Terry joins Red Bag on “Fools Rush” continuing to drop braggadocio over a lo-fi boom bap instrumental reminding me of Domo Genesis during the Odd Future era just before “Parallax” talks about his refusal to fake shit because of the way he came up. “Broken” moves on from there admitting to be more gentle with himself going forward while “XTC” reaches the halfway point of Could This Be? with a compositional approach not even an entire minute long.

“In Due Time” kicks off the 2nd half of the album with a 63 second freestyle talking about his capability of making an entire crowd listen whenever he takes the microphone while “Deja Vu” speaking of his purpose of being destined for this shit & overcoming any obstacles. “Came to Age” spends a minute & half honoring the legacy of my 2nd favorite producer of all-time J Dilla behind the Quincy Jones of hip hop Dr. Dre himself prior to Terry returning for the title track.

To wrap up Could This Be?’s final act, “Stripes” talks about staying a student of the game when you’re constantly holding yourself back while “Burning” treads the lo-fi boom bap waters discussing how the legacy you leave behind going forward is the one that rally counts. “Twist” talks about recruiting new members for his crew to replace the older ones & the outro “Full Circle” sends it all off reaching the point of being past all the bullshit in his life.

Catering his music to the people across the world who’re experiencing his past presently, Red Bag looks to make a wider introduction to the west coast underground by presenting the world this inaugural half of this saga split into 2 completely different sections & Could This Be? marks a personal debut for the west coast artist in general. The production Cynematic brings to the table is a mix of drumless, boom bap, jazz rap & lo-fi hip hop reminding us all he overcame his obstacles by pushing forward.

Score: 3.5/5

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