Glokk40spaz & OsamaSon – “3vil Reflection” review

This is a brand new collaborative EP between Glokk40spaz & OsamaSon. Both of whom have collaborated with one another in the past on the track “Codeine Dreamz”, but have individually made a name for themselves as 2 of the biggest up-&-comers that trap music has to offer with projects like Took the Biggest Risk or Flex Musix. However, they are linking up to surprise-drop 3vil Reflection on SoundCloud.

To start the EP, “2X” finds the 2 vividly portraying the gangsta lifestyles they live backed by an atmospheric trap instrumental whereas “Movie” works in some rage beats talking about having sticks on them & throwing their Dracos up in the air. “Blame Dem Drugz” might be my favorite track on 3vil Reflection diving into pluggnb territory going dummy that is until “Bankroll” brings back the hypertrap influences turning the bass up to 11 & counting their pesos.

“No Rules” has a straight up plugg vibe to it instrumentally taking out everyone who tries to get in their way just before the synthesizer-heavy “ADHD” talks about going to hit that kid since they actually have ADHD itself. The rage-inducing “Jungle” boasts that they just spent about $10K & “Wicked” shoots for a dark plugg sound popping out with the potato barrels on their glizzys, but then “Vixen” finishes the EP with 1 last hypertrap cut not giving a fuck no more.

Both of these guys have been dominating the plugg/rage scenes in their own distinctive fashions, so hearing them coming together on 3vil Reflection is a momentous occasion considering each artists’ rightfully increasing popularity & they give us the tightest collaborative effort in their discographies. Its production mostly has a hypertrap tone throughout with additional elements of dark plugg & pluggnb as 2 of their hottest artists in that field match their intensities.

Score: 4.5/5

Keep up with @legendswill_never_die on Instagram & @LegendsllLiveOn on Twitter for the best music reviews weekly!

Rio da Yung O.G. – “Rio Circa 2020” review

Detroit, Michigan rapper Rio da Yung O.G. celebrating his 30th born day by releasing his 10th EP. Breaking through the local trap scene during the latter portion of the previous decade under the mentorship of Peezy, he has since put out his last 9 EPs as well as a full-length debut album & a handful of collaborative projects under his belt all over the duration of 6 years. Rio’s previous EP The F Tape celebrated its 1-year anniversary several days ago, I can totally see why his estate unearthed Rio Circa 2020.

“Warm Up” has a rubbery, atmospheric Detroit trap flare instrumentally to get us started thanking God for allowing this rap shit to change his life whereas “Grease” bouncily talks about having the grease as opposed to the fire. “Grizzly Flow” pays homage to fellow Detroit artist Tee Grizzley over pianos & fingersnaps detailing the gangsta lifestyle prior to “Me & Mike” featuring RMC Mike demonstrating a back & forth chemistry between the 2 that gave us the Dumb & Dumb3r trilogy.

Mike sticks around for “Mike Voice” bringing a Bay Area vibe to the beat asking exactly how you gonna rob them when they got 6 ARs on them that is until Louie Ray joins Rio & Mike on “Flint Boyz” representing Vehicle City over a bell-laced instrumental. “Brother Flow” featuring Louie Ray brings in more bells, keys, strings & 808s laying out braggadocio for a few minutes just before “Primo Beat” keeps the bells in tact throwing the hi-hats into the fold once again continues to flex dissing those who ain’t doing shit.

“Collective Nights” nears the EP’s final moments calling himself Dr. Seuss since he sold a green egg to a ham on top of having a money fight & doing a drive-by in the Hellcat coming out from up the roof of the demon over a grisly Detroit trap beat that is until the closer “DD4” finishes Rio Circa 2020 teaming up with RMC Mike for 1 more time so they can prelude an upcoming 4th installment of their standout Dumb & Dumb3r trilogy.

Rio been incarcerated for 3 years already & although only has 2 more until he finally comes home, he’s still been able to keep the streets hot in the form of both Fiend Lives Matter & The F Tape. And nevertheless of the material on this new EP being made during the COVID-19 pandemic, I happen to enjoy it more than the last one The F Tape from over a year ago. The guest are boiled down to a couple & his status in the 313 is firmly reminded.

Score: 3.5/5

Keep up with @legendswill_never_die on Instagram & @LegendsllLiveOn on Twitter for the best music reviews weekly!

WTM Solid – “Bigg” review

This is the 4th EP from Detroit rapper WTM Solid. A member of the WRLD Tour Mafia, he also embarked on a solo career of his own beginning a couple years ago with the debut EP Originatour followed by both Matter of Time & more recently What’s the Difference? from last fall. WRLD Tour themselves collectively are coming off their 3rd mixtape Tourmania II incorporating heavier wrestling themes than its processor, so I was interested in Bigg. Especially considering both DaeMoney & Rafa’s latest solo material Rockstar Lifestyle 2 & Good Girls Don’t Exist respectively.

“FTP (FuckThePolitics)” begins with a mind-altering trap beat wanting his girl to tell him that he’s the hardest whereas “Pledge Allegiance” produced by LulRose turns the psychedelia up a notch needing $1M & looking to cut off any & all bullshit they try to bring his way. “H-Town” brings a Detroit trap vibe instrumentally talking about being his own boss callin’ bluff on those actin’ like they’ve pulled off scams when they really haven’t while “Blessings > Luck” mixes these g-funk like synthesizers & hi-hats expressing his gratitude for his blessings.

The tenser atmosphere throughout “Kapital P” is a nice touch taking shots at everyone out here who stay petty as Hell & that he’s done thinking he’s just gonna do it ahead of the cloudy “Kiss & Tell” talking about refusing to stop until he’s rich. “$treet Gospel” airily admits that he’s infatuated with his lifestyle watering all his swag down leading into “Karrah Blue” sampling Street Fighter throwing orchestral synth melodies & hi-hats into the picture additionally to talk about being all around the world & warning that whoever checks him is a mismatch.

“S.A.S.G. (Slam A Slut Girl)” incorporates icier synthesizers & 808s bragging how fly as fuck he is getting higher than a billboard & representing his squad until the very end, but then the trillwave-laced “Challenges” shows an introspective side to Solid lyrically talking about improving every day & really learning to manage only worrying about the cash a bit rather than a hoe. And finally, “Who’s to Blame?” concludes Bigg calmly asking himself if it’s his fault for certain things in his life.

Regarding the 4 EPs in Solid’s discography so far, I always had Originatour as my personal favorite & he manages to give us a new one days before it’s 2-year anniversary displaying everything that makes him stand out amongst WRLD Tour both individually & collectively. You’re still very much getting the upbeat 808 percussion & dynamic flows synonymous within the Motor City’s trap scene dashed with cloud rap undertones whilst demonstrating his growth in the last 104 weeks.

Score: 4/5

Keep up with @legendswill_never_die on Instagram & @LegendsllLiveOn on Twitter for the best music reviews weekly!

Baby Money – “H.I.M. (Hustle In Me)” review

Detroit, Michigan rapper Baby Money returning 11 months after his 3rd mixtape Young N***a Old Soul 2 to release a 3rd full-length studio LP. Breaking out in the local trap scene during the COVID lockdowns off his first 2 EPs Blank Checc & Young N***a Old Soul, he would catch the attention of Quality Control Music & eventually signed with the Atlanta label introducing himself to a wider audience off his first couple albums Easy Money & New Money to mixed reception. Looking to bounce back from the less favorably received sequel to Y.N.O.S. however, I decided to give H.I.M. (Hustle In Me) a fair chance.

After the intro, the title track flexes that he drops work in your town & gives a reminder that what goes around comes around over a Detroit trap instrumental whereas “We Getting Money” talks about making the paper accompanied by bells & hi-hats. “Chances Make Champions” mixes a rubbery bass-line with strings living up to it’s name providing motivational wisdom on the lyrical front, but then “This That Typa” featuring Peezy thunderously brings the pair together discussing their preference of women.

“Turn Me Up” delves further for a tenser trap approach to the beat refusing to slow down just before “Countdown” laces some pianos & hi-hats talking about the fact that it took him a decade to be in the position he’s in currently. “Notha Level” featuring GT presents back-&-forth chemistry between both artists bringing a sinister Detroit trap flare instrumentally leading into the bouncy “Shinin’” showin’ y’all what real ice is.

Meanwhile on “Drip Check”, we have Baby Money over a sample-laced trap beat comparing & contrasting wealth & outfits prior to “Starter Kit” featuring Veeze reaching a spacey Detroit trap vibe goin’ ghost & poppin’ up to see if they miss ‘em. “I Need You” featuring Skilla Baby tells their romantic interests they’ll fly ‘em anywhere sampling soul music that is until “Wallah” clashes 808s & strings encouraging to come get the rope.

“Rapper Weed” nears the conclusion of [H.I.M. (Hustle In Me) on a celebratory note talking about getting the finest kush for cheap since he already knows the plug & lastly, “Rose Gold” enlists Tee Grizzley to finish the album with 1 last Detroit trap banger shrugging off any worries about any price on top of pulling up to an all-white party in black range rovers & knowin’ that both artists are runnin’ the local trap scene in their own rights.

The last few projects Baby Money has given us ever since the Quality Control deal a couple years ago have all been incredibly average & as the first Detroit artist they’ve ever signed, it seemed to me that being under Coach K & P’s wings was a good fit in consideration of “Moncler Bubble” going viral. Either way, this is his best major label offering thus far. He sharply lets listeners inside of his hustler mentality with a mostly solid guest-list & decent Motor City trap production.

Score: 3.5/5

Keep up with @legendswill_never_die on Instagram & @LegendsllLiveOn on Twitter for the best music reviews weekly!

Knocked Loose – “You Won’t Go Before You’re Supposed To” review

Knocked Loose is a metalcore band from Louisville, Kentucky consisting of frontman Bryan Garris, lead guitarist Isaac Hale, bassist Kevin Otten, drummer Kevin Kaine & rhythm guitarist Nicko Calderon. Breaking out a decade ago off their debut EP Pop Culture, their eponymous 2nd EP followed by their last couple full-lengths Laugh Tracks & A Different Shade of Blue all received similar acclaim. Their 4th EP in 2021 however A Tear in the Fabric of Life has become amongst the best metalcore of this decade, so it raised the stakes exponentially for the band’s 3rd album.

The head-bashing metallic hardcore opener “Thirst” screaming about being sickened by a desire for change & to remove the canvas resulting in Bryan wanting to start again whereas “Piece by Piece” works in more drop-tuned guitar riffs & constant double kick drumming to make it known that the truth is something that one can absolutely not hide from. “Suffocate” featuring Poppy mixes metalcore & mathcore as they dig until they find the root that is until “Don’t Reach for Me” swaps out the mathcore undertones with beatdown hardcore taking down someone who fucked around & found out.

“Moss Covers All” talks about a house swallowing them on top of wind & rain forcing decay pulling influences from the deathcore scene while the bloodcurdlingly haunting “Take Me Home” screaming that the dark eventually finds out in the end no matter what. “Slaughterhouse 2” featuring Motionless in White frontman Chris Motionless whom I’m familiar with after MiW opened for Twiztid is a sequel to a song off Scoring the End of the World that’s better than the original & “The Calm That Keeps You Awake” goes straight metalcore sacrificing peace to make all the voices stay out.

Nearing it’s conclusion, the lead single “Blinding Faith” dissonantly fuses metallic hardcore with tough guy hardcore & deathcore feeling haunted by a familiar spirit tackling the hypocrisy of the mean-spirited hivemind that sits at the center of numerous religious communities while “Sit & Mourn” couldn’t have been a better choice of a closer & one of the best songs in the band’s discography internally taking a look at what it is to lose & not know what to believe about where that loss leaves you.

I generally think of Between the Buried & Me, Code Orange, Converge or The Dillinger Escape Plan & when it comes to metalcore yet Knocked Loose has to be the fusion genre’s best band in recent memory. They hone in on a diverse, cohesive & savagely aggressive metallic hardcore record with additional beatdown hardcore & deathcore undertones summing up the massive strides they’ve taken during their decade-long tenure & asserts their boundless potential going forward, furthermore challenging themselves as songwriters & retaining the merciless intensity & unflinching honesty they’re known for.

Score: 4.5/5

Keep up with @legendswill_never_die on Instagram & @LegendsllLiveOn on Twitter for the best music reviews weekly!

Copywrite – “T.H.E. Last Supper” review

Copywrite is a 45 year old MC from Columbus, Ohio notable for being a member of MHz Legacy & formerly of The Weathermen. His 2001 solo debut The High Exhaulted became an underground classic, but returned at the turn of the new decade on The Life & Times of Peter Nelson. His 3rd album God Save the King has always been my 2nd favorite of his behind his debut, following that up with Murderland produced by Surock and Blood, Bath & Beyond. C just dropped his 2nd EP The High Exhaulted II couple years ago which is far superior to Ultrasound: The Rebirth & I maintained that going into his 6th full-length LP.

“2nd Coming” begins with some organs, kicks & snares so Copywrite getting in his battle shit lyrically whereas the bluesy boom bap hybrid “Bad Motherfucker” talks about being destined to be legendary. “Vibe Injection” flexes that he’s flowing through the reefer one minute & then the through the speakers the next over kicks, snares & strings that is until “Weight 4 It” produced by DJ Mighty Mi soulfully admits that he’s been low-key bored over this shit like space bar.

Swab kills it with the sampling & cuts throughout “Spanish Mambo” likening themselves to to the squad as warriors in their last days, but then “Sinatra” featuring Breeze Brewin’ brings the pair together stripping the drums on top of a Frank Sinatra sample appropriately enough paying homage to the Chairman of the Board himself. “Diamond Bukowski” featuring Bless Picasso, Nino Is & Ras Kass has this dirty jazz flip bringing it hardcore just before “Mixtapes in My Sleep” featuring Mickey Factz is a dusty tribute to the DJs.

“Green Screen” draws near the end of the album by delivering 3 minutes of pure venom with Evidence behind the boards while “Jeah 2” is the sequel to a highlight track off the Eastern Conference Records compilation Eastern Conference All-Stars III. “God Particle” talks about being airborne over an eerie sample while the jazzy “Iris” gets conscious. “Turning the Page” featuring Slug ends the LP grieving over lost ones & the pain that comes with it.

From what I understand, DJ Mighty Mi will be fully producing a new EP for C later on in the year & T.H.E. Last Supper continues the trajectory that The High Exhaulted II headed towards couple years ago. Definitely one of the best full-lengths that Copywrite has had to offer so far too. It’s denser, instrumentally on par with his last EP, heavier not too much in the feature department & Cwrite’s reignited passion continues to reveal itself.

Score: 4/5

Keep up with @legendswill_never_die on Instagram & @LegendsllLiveOn on Twitter for the best music reviews weekly!

Chief Keef – “Almighty So 2” review

Chicago rapper, singer/songwriter & producer Chief Keef finally releasing his highly anticipated 5th LP after numerous delays. Rising to stardom in 2012 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 & more recently the Mike WiLL Made-It produced Dirty Nachos from a couple months ago. But when it seemed like it was never coming off, Almighty So 2 has finally seen the light of day.

“Almighty” with co-production from The Legendary Traxster is this apocalyptic opener referring to himself as a rapper’s dream & that everyone knows what he’s been through whereas the self-produced “Neph Nem” featuring Ballout & G Herbo works in a grander atmosphere going Chicago drill to flex. “Treat Myself” is a dedication to self care lighting a blunt in the morning & being himself going for a bit of a calmer approach instrumentally & after the “Jesus” skit, the song “Jesus” featuring Lil Gnar turns the aggression up calling their blicks Optimus Prime the way it transforms people’s brains.

We go into a vibrant trap vibe for “Too Trim” of course boasting about how trim he is just before “Runner” samples “Streetrunner” by Nancy Wilson telling y’all to watch your damn back because his crew be running the streets out here. “Banded Up” featuring Tierra Whack brings some bells into the fold flexing their wealth, but then the grim drill banger “Grape Trees” featuring Sexyy Red up to the party as players.

“1,2,3” flips “And I Love Her” by Bobby Womack detailing his lifestyle while “Drifting Away”pretty much talks about being zooted mixing trap, pop rap, hyphy & Chicago drill all in 1. “Never Fly Here” featuring Quavo demands respect on their names like Lil Baby & the “Told the bitch I don’t want her pussy, the bitch proceeded to rape me” line during the first verse was an eyebrow-raising moment obviously because it’s a fucked up situation that Sosa & no other person deserve to go through.

Beginning the last leg of Almighty So 2, the majestic drill-infused “Prince Charming” addresses a woman who’s been thinking of him recently while the 7-minute “Believe” gives off a psychedelic mood altogether refusing to put on someone else if you ain’t puttin’ on your mans. “Tony Montana Flow” crosses gangsta rap & Chicago drill over one another advising not to come over to his turf cause it’s crowded unless it’s Master P or you’re ’bout it ’bout it. “I’m Tryna Sleep” ends the album passionately attempting to rest after making $1M the week previously.

Almighty So is one of my top 5 mixtapes in Chief Keef’s discography, so my expectations for it were a bit higher than Dirty Nachos earlier this year. Lo & behold, Almighty So 2 surpasses the high level of quality Chicago drill music that made his previous tape amongst his best & the most I had enjoyed from him in a while. The instrumentals are all articulately conceived, Sosa recaptures the energetic performances from the classic we got over a decade ago & we have a tight guest list similar to Dirty Nachos’.

Score: 4.5/5

Keep up with @legendswill_never_die on Instagram & @LegendsllLiveOn on Twitter for the best music reviews weekly!

A-F-R-O – “The Drawing Board” review

This is the 9th EP from Los Angeles emcee/producer A-F-R-O. A protege of R.A. the Rugged Man after winning the Definition of a Rap Flow contest, his Duck Down Music Inc.-backed 5th EP A-F-R-O Polo produced by Marco Polo introduced himself as a promising up-&-comer within the underground. He would eventually end up only doing features up until making his official return last summer putting out 3 more EPs, the latest being New Colonel in Town only 5 months ago. However, he’s going back to The Drawing Board.

The title track is a symphonic boom bap opener talking about feeling like he’s the greatest & the most underrated at the same time whereas “Next 2 Shine” works in more kicks & snares with synths breaking down that some of y’all really don’t know him & telling everyone who don’t rock with him to step to the side. “Wing Chun” boasts about things turning lethal every time he drops over a string-laced boom bap instrumental just before “Gone 4 a Second” takes a cloudier route instrumentally acknowledging that he’s been taking time off from music.

“Behead the Beat” speeds up his flow a bit maintaining his prosperity & seeing clarity these days over an orchestral sample while “Old Tyme’s Sake” returns to the boom bap talking about sticking to the script refusing to change it up. “Redemption” mixes synths & hi-hats explaining that he’s found the light in his soul painting his story on the canvas of his own production prior to “Battle Royale” featuring Blind Toxic, EKYM1536, Felcon, Pulse Reaction, SuperBrownBum & 60 East rounding out the EP with an average posse cut.

I admittedly wasn’t sure what was going on with All Flows Reach Out until he made his comeback last year, but The Drawing Board has to be the best EP that he’s put out since he started dropping music again almost a year ago by now & the most that I’ve enjoyed something from him since A-F-R-O Polo the year after I had graduated from high school. His lyricism gives listeners a more personal side to himself & his beats generally stick to the traditional boom bap sound.

Score: 4/5

Keep up with @legendswill_never_die on Instagram & @LegendsllLiveOn on Twitter for the best music reviews weekly!

Ghostface Killah – “Set the Tone (Guns & Roses)” review

This is the 16th full-length solo LP from New York veteran Ghostface Killah of the almighty Wu-Tang Clan. One of hip hop’s most prolific storytellers & easily the most consistent member of the Clan exemplified by Ironman, Supreme Clientele, FishScale, Apollo Kids, 12 Reasons to Die & Sour Soul just to name a few. Ghost’s last album Ghostface Killahs in the fall of 2019 stands as one of the only few duds in his discography along with More Fish & went into his Mass Appeal Records debut Set the Tone (Guns & Roses) here hoping he would make up for that.

Wu-Block links up for the opener “6 Minutes” featuring Jim Jones jumping over a lavish instrumental giving competitors that exact amount of time whereas “Pair of Hammers” featuring Method Man works in some horns cautioning that they throw people in comas & make vegetables in the process. The self-produced “Skate Odyssey” featuring Raekwon takes a smoother route overall talking about no one comparing to them, but then “Scar Tissue” featuring Nas ruggedly talks the about sun rising to break the day & lifts for a while to give us warmth.

“Kilo in the Safe” chaotically gets in his hustler bag & after the first skit, “No Face” featuring Ye formerly known as Kanye West returns to the boom bap so both of them can talk about having the ability to take down your whole entire squadron. “Champion Sound” featuring Beniton picks up from there with a decent reggae fusion being able to tell by one’s persona that their mommas used to keep them in the house a lot when they were growing up just before “Cape Fear” featuring Fat Joe brings back the keys, kicks & snares calling themselves the finest in New York.

After the 2nd skit, “Plan B” comes with more of an atmospheric vibe instrumentally to pretty much say on wax that Ghost is done having kids at this point in his life while “Bad Bitch” featuring Ja Rule might be my least favorite song on the album coming off as a tacky pop rap ballad. “Locked In” featuring AZ gets the ball rolling once again smoothly talking about being connected for life & after the final skit, “Touch You” featuring Shaun Wiah fusees pop rap with R&B showing a romantic side to Starks once more.

“Shots” featuring Busta Rhymes & Serani mixes hip hop with dancehall resulting in an average club banger while another weak song on the album “Trap Phone” featuring Chucky Hollywood goes for a cloudier trap atmosphere asking their significant others who else loves them the way they do. After the outro skit, the bonus track “Yupp!” featuring Remy Ma was a lead single that I had mixed feelings over from the mediocre beat to the hardcore lyricism.

Wu-Tang is my favorite group of all-time & anyone who’s been following my platform long enough can back me up on it. That said. Set the Tone is only a couple steps above the previous LP we got from him 5 years ago. There are moments where the production can be commercial, but there are others where it’s sticking to the signature hardcore vibes the Wu is known for. Ghost noticeably sounds more focused than he did last time & the guests perform on his level although a couple of them are lackluster.

Score: 3/5

Keep up with @legendswill_never_die on Instagram & @LegendsllLiveOn on Twitter for the best music reviews weekly!

Napoleon da Legend – “Legmatic” review

French-American emcee Napoleon da Legend releasing his 28th studio LP. Heads in the underground should already be familiar with him due to the lengthy discography that he’s built up for himself for nearly the past decade including Coup D’État, it’s sequel, Street Universe, Dragon Ball G, the Sicknature-produced Colossus of GOATS, Buckets or the DJ D-Styles-produced Invincibl Rap Mislz. Much like the latter, this time we have another Beat Junkies member DJ Rhettmatic being enlisted to produce Legmatic.

After the titular intro, the title track sets us off with a horn-heavy boom bap instrumental talking about this year being better than the last one whereas “Legendary Legacy” works in more kicks & snares on top of some subsistier horn melodies & the title rightfully not needing any further explanation. “Midnight Madness” is this misty piano-boom bap hybrid talking about making your own destiny prior to “Pressure” featuring Innocent? ruggedly putting their feet on their necks.

“2 Step 2 the Bank” has a lavishly dusty flare to the beat providing an anthem for those built for this leading into “The King Walk” telling everyone running their mouth album to make it make sense over heavier kicks & snares. After the DJ D-Styles interlude, “Not Without a Heart” featuring Nejma Nefertiti finds the 2 backed by horns once again talking about gasoline running through their veins on the warpath & “We Don’t Know You” ends Legmatic going for a futuristic albeit grimy approach instrumentally rebelling until his last day on Earth.

Invincibl Rap Mislz became amongst Napoleon’s best material around this time last year & sure enough, Legmatic standa out as one of his strongest LPs in a while & most definitely a go-to for anyone who isn’t up on him by now already. Everything from Invincibl Rap Mislz whether it be the boom bap production or Napoleon’s hardcore lyricism is recaptured, but the founding Beat Junkies member himself DJ Rhettmatic takes it a whole new level completely.

Score: 4.5/5

Keep up with @legendswill_never_die on Instagram & @LegendsllLiveOn on Twitter for the best music reviews weekly!