Kid Rock – “Halfway 2 Jesus” review

This is the 13th studio LP from Romeo, Michigan rapper, singer/songwriter, producer, DJ & WWE Hall of Famer Kid Rock. Coming up as a b-boy for The Beast Crew in the late 80’s, he wound up signing to Jive Records & RCA Records for his full-length debut Grit Sandwiches for Breakfast before they cut ties with him due to comparisons to Vanilla Ice. Bobby then dropped The Polyfuze Method & Early Mornin’ Stoned Pimp on his independently owned Top Dog Records, but got Atlantic Records to help back Devil Without a Cause & the success of that rap rock classic lead to him shifting away from hip hop to teeter between classic rock & country for the last 2 decades even to this day. This foray has been either hit or miss with me personally, but I can’t deny the success of “Picture” & “All Summer Long” (the latter of which has been revealed in recent years even by the producer Mike E. Clark to have been originally made for the Insane Clown Posse) or how much I enjoyed the Rick Rubin-produced Born Free since it originally came out back when I was in middle school. Coming off the universally panned Bad Reputation in 2022, he’s claiming to have found God & went full gospel for Halfway to Jesus.

“James 1:7 (Jesus is King)” after the “Freedom” intro comes through with a below average Christian/southern rock single explaining the titular bible verse was the whole inspiration for this whereas “7 Sins” featuring Lil Wayne finds the pair combining those 2 sounds with hip hop admitting their guilty of committing the titular 7 deadly sins. “Why Don’t You Look Into Jesus?” poses the titular question since He has the answers leading into Eminem reuniting with Bob for the first time since “Fuck Off” almost 3 decades ago during “Heal My Faith” talking about remaining friends despite their political differences.

We have Kid Rock asking why Jesus would turn his “Water Into Wine” embracing a southern rock vibe altogether just before the title track featuring Gary LeVox & Jimmie Allen unites the trio singing about seeing the light. “I Don’t Drink the Whiskey Anymore” reaches the halfway point of the album making a public declaration of him quitting the distilled alcoholic beverage that I myself admittedly enjoy, but then “Me & Jesus” commences the 2nd leg singing about needing nobody else other than the son of God.

“God is Good” portrays himself as someone who was always doubted which I personally consider ironic because of his wealthy upbringings although I suppose it’s better he combined them into 1 track instead of splitting them while “Into the Setting Sun” pleads for Jesus Christ to guide him as he rides off in the sunset. “Broken Hearted People” sings about turning the page with a little bit of love when his authoritarian bootlicking speaks for itself while “‘Til You Can’t” pointlessly covers the Cody Johnson track of the same name.

The song “High Road” winds down Halfway 2 Jesus’ final act singing about life being too short to be bothered & heading down a dignified path “Procession” embraces a more classical tone although him AI-generating it when he’s a self-taught musician’s certainly a choice. “God Bless the USA” concludes with this “patriotic” anthem when the rise of fascism in the land of the free & the home of the brave he kisses up to doesn’t make it great on top of his failed attempt at going up against this year’s Super Bowl halftime show performed by Bad Bunny, which was pre-taped.

Being someone who believes in God & in the afterlife, a huge reason Halfway 2 Jesus seemed humorous on paper is due to a line Kid Rock had when he made “Cool, Daddy Cool” for the Osmosis Jones soundtrack with his late hype man Joe C. saying “Young ladies, young ladies, I like ’em underage. See some say that’s statutory, but I say it’s mandatory”. Other than Wayne’s verse & the reunion with Em, this would be the LAST example of gospel music & he also confirmed usage of Suno for vocal choir/orchestral arrangements.

Score: 0.5/5

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Mr. Green – “F.U. S.M.D. 3 (For U, Some Musical Distraction 3)” review

Here we have the 3rd solo extended play from Highland Park, New Jersey born producer Mr. Green now based out of New York City. For nearly 2 decades already, this guy has produced for some of the most prolific artists across the entire underground hip hop spectrum from the Army of the Pharaohs to R.A. the Rugged Man & Westside Gunn. He also has multiple beat tapes under his belt, coming off his previous EP F.U. S.M.D. (For U, Some Musical Distraction) & the sequel to deliver a trilogy chapter.

“planets evolve” kicks things off rapping about getting shit confused if one think he came to take Ls even though the AI usage ruins it, but “ovomaltine” soulfully makes up for it talking about mixing shit up. “All My Life” featuring Macy Gray bridges the EP singing about war not being the answer & how love’s the key, but “Good Food” and “blessed” featuring Ab-Soul & KG both left me disappointed because of AI making it’s way back in the mix.

F.U. S.M.D. 2 (For U, Some Musical Distraction) 2 has been completely wiped from all streaming platforms & the original can still be found on Bandcamp, but I’m sad to say this could be my least favorite of the 3 entries in this 4 month saga. I can appreciate him being more serious as a performer & actually rapping instead of the original F.U. S.M.D. (For U, Some Musical Distraction) feeling like some karaoke shit, but it’s unnecessary he incorporated AI into 60% of the production when he doesn’t need to.

Score: 2/5

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Jerry – “ACCAPELLA” review

Trenton, New Jersey emcee, singer/songwriter, producer & music video director Jerry is back for his 5th extended play. You may know him for coming up as 1/2 of the duo MellowHype alongside Left Brain in the mid/late 2000s under the original moniker Hodgy Beats prior to helping I Smell Panties, Casey Veggies & The Jet Age of Tomorrow form the impactful albeit now defunct alternative hip hop collective Odd Future. He was also the first person in the Wolf Gang to put out a solo effort, dropping his debut mixtape The Dena Tape only 9 months after the crew put out their 1st tape as a unit The Odd Future Tape. Higashi Miyagi would go on to expand his solo discography with 2 more mixtapes & 3 EPs prior to his full-length debut Fireplace: TheNotTheOtherSide a day before my 20th birthday which to this day, I still think it’s possibly the most criminally overlooked offering that we’ve gotten since OF’s disbandment due to how much growth was shown on that album. Entitled was a solid comeback EP experimenting with contemporary R&B on top of a predominant west coast trap sound, coming off the singer/songwriter explorations of lovemesooner & No Receipt to go ACCAPELLA after his final rap offering Gayngsta.

After spending a bulk of the the 30 second “Hymns” intro vocally harmonizing, the opening track “Luck” sings about who one will trust when all of their fortune’s gone whereas “Firefly” pleads for his light to not be put out. “Racecar” continues from there clocking at almost a minute to sing about wanting to participate in auto racing & after the “Ayelive” interlude brings a gospel flare to the table for only a brief period of time, “Jose Meows” once again continues the harmonization we heard at the beginning.

“JoshuaTr##” kicks off the 2nd act singing for one of the iconic Mojave desert plants to be brought to him while “Missgrass” passionately find himself comfortable sitting in the bleachers & observing this person who desires of becoming a perfect leader. “Happyness” sings about keeping your worries right at the door & there being no fire to endure but after “Darling” asks if this person he loves knows he cares for them, the closer “TooEarly” ends the ACCAPELLA experience bridging a short verse in between the hook.

Gayngsta was still a bittersweet moment in Jerry’s career regardless of it not living up to my expectations & ACCAPELLA fully embraces this new chapter as a singer with an EP that I didn’t enjoy any more or less than the album he gave us only a month ago. Not that I don’t appreciate him trying to break his own artistic rules because his I find his a capella vocals more interesting than lovemesooner & No Receipt, but he needs to get with the right producer or producers that’ll elevate this new direction he’s going.

Score: 2.5/5

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Krispylife Kidd – “Where’s Krispylife?” review

This is the 6th extended play Flint, Michigan rapper Krispylife Kidd. Since 2019, his popularity in the local trap scene has been gradually increasing since 2019 going on to release a total of his previous 16 tapes & his last 5 EPs all in that span of time. Icewear Vezzo even signed him to Iced Up Records during the pandemic & Lil Yachty had him featured on Michigan Boy Boat. Now I’d start with Krispylife 2 & The Art of Spice Talk trilogy if you wanna dive into Krispylife’s music, although Juice & B.A.G. (Born A Goat) each had their own individual standouts a couple years ago. Coming off the Stunt Life EP as well as Why Me Worry? & Krisp Flair however, he’s responding to those asking Where’s Krispylife?.

“Drill Music” kicks off the EP with a sinister 2 minute intro talking about the gangsta lifestyle & being ready for whatever soon as he’s in the hood whether it’s firing guns in the club or asking how you wanna play it with him since he’s a real one prior to “Kaleidoscope” bridging it with a bouncier instrumental jokingly suggesting tying up & holding God for ransom if the price right along with being born into this shit. “I’m in Love” ends the 7 minute 3-pack asking this woman if she loves him the way he does.

Krispylife Kidd recently confirmed through his socials that his IUR deal’s almost up & he won’t be releasing a full-length studio LP until then, preluding this next era of his career with a 3-pack that I admittedly didn’t really care for unlike Juice or Krisp Flair. I’ve always considered him one of my favorite artists to break out of the Flint scene & wish him all the best going forward independently, but I didn’t get a whole lot out of the production.

Score: 2.5/5

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Gucci Mane – “Against All Odds” review

New surprise 18th studio LP from Atlanta, Georgia rapper, record executive & entrepreneur Gucci Mane. Notable for being one of the Big 3 pioneers in trap music alongside T.I. & Jeezy, of course you can’t forget to mention him having one of if not the largest discography throughout the entire subgenre that continues to grow today. Breath of Fresh Air exactly 2 years ago was a decent 2-disc offering & to coincide with his new memoir, the 1017 Global founder’s coming off Episodes to drop Against All Odds.

“Back Against the Wall” samples “Torn” by LeToya Luckett shouting out the late Young Dolph right out the gate whereas “Y’all Make Me Sick” talks about the same ones hatin’ will be the first ones to get pics with him over horns & hi-hats. “Fucc Errybody” produced by Zaytoven to me ranks amongst my personal favorite cuts here stacking millions of dollars & his response to those wondering how he’s feeling while “Last Night in ATL” featuring Summer Walker links up for a weak trap soul/pop rap crossover.

We have Wop telling those who’ve turned against him to simply “STFU” although I could care less for the instrumental, but Zaytoven runs it back with his longtime collaborator for “She’s So Fine” talking about a woman who might work at Magic City since she’s that beautiful. “Still Dat N***a” makes it clear he still doesn’t have a fuck to give & others not being able to keep up just before “She on Go” makes for an underwhelming midway point talking about a freak hoe.

“Rich Ass N***a” kicks off the 2nd half making it up with a Zaytoven beat containing this prominent organ making way for Gucci to boast his wealth while “Get the Fuck Out My Face” talks about celebrating daily since he doesn’t hang around any snakes. “Crazy Bih” describes a psychotic woman who goes through his phone every night when he’s sleeping & buggin’ out all night while “Priorities” hops over another Zaytoven instrumental to talk about fatherhood.

OJ da Juiceman appears for the “Vette Pass By” sequel “Lambo Pass By” that I could’ve honestly done without, but “Drunk” was more unimpressive talking about getting fucked up whenever the weekend rolls around. “All I Have” discusses his balls & his word being the only 2 things he has left in this world & after “Crash Dummy” disses Pooh Shiesty, the closer “1017” ends Against All Odds talking about him taking people out of the streets signing them & turning against him.

All Eyes on Shiest a couple months earlier proved Gucci Mane wasn’t kidding when he said Pooh Shiesty was still signed to 1017/Atlantic after throwing his life away when “Crash Dummy” came out, but I really don’t consider Against All Odds much of an improvement. In fact: I’d rank it amongst the weakest installments of his historic catalog & that’s largely because of the mostly uninteresting production other than all 5 cuts Zaytoven did.

Score: 2/5

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Lucki – “Last Laugh” review

Here we have the 8th mixtape from Chicago, Illinois rapper & occasional producer Lucki. Beginning to turn heads in the summer of 2013 when he released his debut mixtape Alternative Trap to critical acclaim, he would later go on to give his fans 6 more tapes & a dozen EPs with the last one being the F1LTHY-produced Wake Up Lucki a week before my 25th birthday in December 2021. The full-length debut Flawless Like Me saw Lucki finding his style & the sophomore effort s*x mon*y dr*gs was the most I enjoyed Tune’s music in a while, coming off Gemini as well as Daysb4bad* & dr*gs r bad having the Last Laugh.

“what it is” incorporates some 808s to open up the tape talking about no longer putting sad songs over thots leading into “all wock” going for a syrupy trap vibe instrumentally discussing his love for lean. My favorite track here easily goes to the Flawless Like Me outtake “60 mgs” talking about touring, his drug use & unpleasant relationship experiences just before the runner up “overseas” cloudily admits the fame hasn’t resolved his internal conflicts.

Moving on from there, “replica’s n capper’s” talks about how these muhfuckas be actors & that nobody can touch him as long as he feels like they don’t love him while the cloudy “high together” ends the 1st half detailing a relationship that’s being kept low-key. “psycho truck” kicks off the 2nd leg talking about spending money right when he gets up & raising his prices if his heart gets broken while “nun like y’all” flexes that he’s wealthier now than he’s ever been in his life.

“total” boasts that he has a bitch so bad, she’ll do a number on ya & the inability of sleeping because of a group of individuals waiting for him while “okay, copy!” energetically talks about putting his heart in this only to receive payback in return. “super brazy” includes a really great line in the middle of Tune’s verse where he says “Money ain’t rеaler than God but money’ll make n****s treat you like Him” until “knew what it was” finishes the Last Laugh talks about getting love & doing drugs everywhere he goes.

Now that he’s no longer signed to EMPIRE Distribution, the next phase of LUCKI’s career under Interscope Records gets preluded by digging up 12 grails that’ll simultaneously impress those who’ve never heard Tune’s music until now & the Day 1s who’ve stuck around from the beginning who’ll remember hearing these previously unreleased tracks being previewed regardless of some idiot in Interscope labelmate Playboi Carti’s entourage stabbing him at ComplexCon at the beginning of the month.

Score: 3.5/5

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Rocket Rese – “The Hardstyle Massacre” review

Brooklyn, New York rapper & producer Rocket Rese making his full-length studio debut. Known for being a Sematary affiliate, his debut extended play Doubted Me earlier this year was welcomed to lukewarm reception although the 2nd EP Let Ya Speakers Bleed only a month later saw people welcoming it a lot more experimenting with hardstyle & gangsta rap. He was even featured on the recent SosMula mixtape Yung Plane Krash earlier this summer, preparing for The Hardstyle Massacre that would come in time for the Halloween season.

After the self-produced “Solo Produced” intro giving us a taste of what’s to come for only 83 seconds, “Carry-A-Drum” unfortunately begins with this mediocre intro combining the hardstyle subgenre of the hard dance side of electronic dance music & gangsta imagery whereas “Blackout” runs it up with Internet Money Records in-house producer Synthetic talking about fucking with savages. “Show Me” featuring 13° moves on from there with the strongest guest appearances wanting to prove if one really has bands.

“6 Hours” doesn’t really impress me all that much from the hardstyle beat to the subject matter regarding him being up at 4am smoking weed while “Freaky Girls” talks about his preference in women. “Hood Ravers” continues from there advising that everyone enjoys it through the storm as much as they can even if the instrumental was ok just before “Black on Black” featuring Sematary ends the 1st half with both of them making it up wearing all black.

Meanwhile on “Devil Dance”, we have Rese kicking off the 2nd leg of The Hardstyle Massacre talking about feeling dead inside at only 7 in the morning preceding “Pop Out” moving forward looking rock out any speakers surrounding him. “Molly Watah” featuring Black Kray finds the pair bringing more gangsta raps to the table while “Body” produced by Shadow Wizard Money Gang was admittedly another favorite, putting a horror twist to hardstyle.

“Nanana” talks about taking bitches to Mardi Gras & to leave anyone fraudulent behind while “Love It” discusses cutting chops by the dozens. “Futures” vocally reminds me of Chief Keef at moments talking about his diamond chain looking like coke & after the uptempo hardcore “4 My Homie” promises he’ll fight anyone who disrespects those he considers friends, The Hardstyle Massacre spends the remaining minutes of the album talking about being caught up “In the Hills”.

Being introduced to him when that SosMula collab dropped several months ago, I still think it’s corny Rocket Rese was caught faking a co-sign from one of my top 10 producers of all-time Ye formerly known as Kanye West last weekend & The Hardstyle Massacre makes for an average debut despite having a better understanding of what makes this guy appealing. The production doesn’t really interest me much outside of a small handful of exceptions including Whethan & Vieze Asbak’s contributions, but I’m curious to know whether or not he’ll make more beats of own going forward like the intro cut.

Score: 3/5

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6bill – “Pure Lust” review

This is the full-length studio debut from Queens by way of Jackson Heights, New York recording artist 6bill. Embracing a sound inspired by the electronic musician Burial, he would release his debut mixtape Live Laugh Count the summer prior to moderate reception although I did enjoy the features he did for the likes of Protect as well as southsidesilhouette & 730atMorning afterwards. He recently unveiled a tracklist for Pure Lust only 72 hours ago & now the final product is here at last.

We’re greeted to this rage-inducing intro talking about how the only thing he knows is to “Swerve” until things shift towards more of a spacier trap vibe instrumentally during “Reposado”, which is an ode to the tequila brand itself. “Venti” featuring ØWay co-founder diamond* finds the pair flexing that they have so much money to the point where they should open a bank & sipping lean while “Sevrage” talks about suffering withdrawals when he was out in Paris, France & riding foreign whips in London, England, United Kingdom.

“Bambie” continues from there touching base regarding his lifestyle once again leading into “Midnight Blue” talking about him being out in Miami, Florida riding a jet ski. “Beat It” reaches the midway point incorporating more rage beats cautioning to be mindful of not breaking his trust while “Masquerade” featuring Pz’ continues the 2nd half with another excellent guest appearance from the latter ØWay member, observing the pretense of everyone.

Meanwhile on “You Make My Desire Pure”, we have 6bill over another booming instrumental addressing a woman who he firmly believes brings authenticity out of his lustfulness just before “Back to Weho” talks about heading out to West Hollywood, California again following some time away from the sunshine state. “All for It” however winds down the last leg of Pure Lust explaining that money & hoes always get in the way of things for him.

Chuckyy’s guest appearance during “Wipe Ya Nose” was personally the weakest of the 3 & the only one I could’ve done without regardless of the rage beat & them talking about feeling like bitches are setting them up while “Clermont” admits he’s been fucking with Molly lately only because he wants to show everyone he can do it. “WYO / R.I.P. Tris” saves one of the most interesting moments for last, concluding the album with this satisfying 2-parter co-produced by LulRose clocking at almost 4 minutes.

Live Laugh Count still has some moments that I go back to regardless of it being an average tape, but thankfully Pure Lust makes up for it with 6bill’s finest collection of material to date & I say that since there’s a real possibility of him surpassing it going forward. Most of the guests deliver great performances other than the last one & it’d be interesting to hear him bringing in more notable producers who’d bring the best out of his take towards trap, rage & pop rap.

Score: 3.5/5

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KXNG CROOKED – “West Coast ‘96” review

Eastside, Long Beach, California emcee KXNG CROOKED releasing his 6th solo LP & the first in 7 years. Originally signing to Virgin Music & Death Row Records without making his debut, he would go on to become a member of Slaughterhouse until their disbandment dropping a total of 17 mixtapes as well as 10 extended plays & his last 5 full-lengths. My favorites include the relevant Good vs. Evil, it’s sequel & Gravitas produced by Bronze Nazareth. The latter being the last time Crook has given us a proper album of solo material since he focused on doing H.A.R.D. with his Slaughterhouse brethren Joell Ortiz, taking it all the way back to West Coast ‘96.

After the “Dayz of the Past” intro, the title track kicks things off reflecting what it was like around his parts 3 decades ago over a ghostly boom bap instrumental prior to “West Coast ‘26” carrying that same energy over on some g-funk shit pretty much bringing us to the present day. “7 Day Theory” smoothly celebrates 2 whole decades since he founded the Circle of Bosses a.k.a. C.O.B. just before “Safe” sends a prayer to God asking to be protected from those who want him smoked.

“Po No Mo” already hits the midway point of West Coast ‘96 talking about becoming wealthy after struggling with poverty for a period of time while the trunk-rattling “For the Love” explains the only reason he began making music when the game was dangerously grimy. “Retire You” gives off some heavy Zapp vibes so he can tackle more romantic subject matter leading into “Makin’ Playaz” instrumentally whipping up something The Neptunes would’ve made back in the early 2000s.

The track “Changez” winds down the last few moments of the album eerily talking about how he used to be a fool at a younger age & cherishing life nowadays, acknowledging some want to see him fall off in addition to the necessity of legitimate ones evolving if they wanna maintain & “Last Song” spends the remaining minutes appropriately taking up the closer giving it up to all the people in his life who’ve since passed away because he doesn’t know when his time’s coming.

Originally set to drop back in July, it would turn out KXNG CROOKED delayed West Coast ‘96 a little more & would consider it a worthy comeback for the Long Beach veteran although I wouldn’t put it above the Good vs. Evil saga or Gravitas. The production has more of a consistent west coast sound to it compared to the last 3 albums Crook put out by himself, refraining from any guest appearance to test whether or not his love for making music has faded.

Score: 3.5/5

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rexv2 – “Baby Houston” review

rexv2 is a 20 year old rapper & producer from Houston, Texas who broke out in the spring of 2025 when his debut mixtape Da Fleh & debut extended play Aberration respectively came out only a couple months apart. He would go on follow it up with Who Killed rexv1? exactly 4 weeks later & his full-length studio debut Winner’s Circle of would subsequently arrive 5 months after. His most recent EP liars go to hell dropped near the conclusion of summer apologizing for the delay of his 5th EP, which has arrived 6 weeks later.

“WellDeserved” kicks things off with this 68 second intro talking about making success look easy whereas the self-produced “DCLikeDom” brings in a rage beat flexing that he put his property in his portfolio. “TinyTina” instrumentally goes for a pluggier vibe so he can talk about being geeked up for a minute & a half leading into “ThePainNeverGetsErased” morbidly gets in his gangsta rap bag boasting the lifestyle coming with it.

As for “MaajinBuu”, we have rexv2 referencing the Dragon Ball character of the same name & talking about switching lanes over this chaotic beat just before “ChromeWristband” begins the 2nd half cooking up a more entrancing instrumental to drop some braggadocio. “ImFuckedUp” talks about being happy with a bag whenever he wakes up to one & for those around him to pass the drugs while “ImSoForsaken” admits to staying confined because the outside world’s cruelty.

“HellDesigned” winds down the last leg of Baby Houston on some wavier vibes talking about how what he thought he wanted turned out to be a burden to him in the end while “Luffa” speaking of baddies hitting up his phone now his music career’s been taking off. The hypertrap outro “HoustonBoy” concludes the EP shouting out the city that made him who he’s become now & thanking God he’s still here regardless of wearing a bulletproof vest underneath his shirt.

Discovering his music when his beef with bleood popped off earlier this spring, rexv2 returns 11 months since Winner’s Circle that showcasing a less experimental to his production although the similar elements of trap, rage & pop rap are all being retained. And I’d still that debut above everything else he’s made but in terms of his EPs, another thing Baby Houston has going for it would be the subject matter detailing his experiences in the 713.

Score: 3.5/5

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