Tash is a 54 year old MC from Columbus, Ohio who would relocate to Los Angeles, California to form Tha Alkaholiks. He would eventually drop his underappreciated solo debut Rap Life in the fall of 1999 under Loud Records & Columbia Records, which was followed up with the poorly received sophomore effort Control Freak a decade later. This new extended play on the contrary has already been teased for some time already & the Catashtraphe has signed with Fat Beats Records to finally put it out.
“Day 2 Day Basis” featuring Styliztik Jones produced by E-Swift finds the pair smashing on suckas daily whereas the funky title track featuring the Likwit Crew, Q-Tip] & will.i.am on the remix talks about the effects social media. “Shoe Fits” kicks off the 2nd half of the EP sharply reminding the world of the fact that the truth always comes around in the end. & “Smokin’ Session” sends it all off talking about smoking weed on top of a will.i.am instrumental.
Widely considered to be the most lyrically proficient member of Tha Alkaholiks, I’m fairly confident that anyone who was disappointed with Control Freak will come away enjoying Addiction is a Drug more than Tash’s previous LP over a decade ago & hopefully it won’t be as long for him to go solo again. The production’s consistently better than it was back in ‘09 & I’m really happy he’s found the inspiration to continue making music.
Point 5ve formerly known as Lil’ ½ Dead is a 51 year old singer/songwriter & former rapper from Los Angeles, California who dropped his full-length debut The Dead Has Arisen & the sophomore effort Steel on a Mission under Priority Records back in the mid-90s. He returned in 2012 for his 3rd album Dead Serious to generally more mixed reception compared to his major label output & over a decade later, WWE Hall of Famer Snoop Dogg has signed him to Death Row Records distributed by gamma. to reinvent himself for a new extended play stylistically departing from the g-funk sound in favor of an R&B direction.
“Grown Man Business” featuring October London on the remix finds the pair singing about maturity while the funky “Unseen Life” produced by Uncle Snoop explains half of his life is nothing more than a film to him. The title track ends the 1st half singing about not being the same as he was while “Now or Never” encourages to wing it & not look back. “Finish Line” describes a relationship falling apart & “Keep It Warm” featuring Kanobby finishes with a duet about companionship.
Dead Serious came out back when I was in high school & regardless of that still not holding up compared to Point 5ve’s earlier material back in the day, Take a Look at Me Now marks a welcoming celebration of this new era in his career. The production’s obviously much smoother than his earlier material & I’m sure some will find themselves disappointed with the lack of rapping on here, but I was pleasantly surprised to hear how well he could sing.
South Gate, California veterans Cypress Hill going full Spanish for their 11th studio LP. Consisting of B-Real & Sen Dog on the mic as well as DJ Muggs on the boards & Eric Bobo on percussion, the quartet would take the west coast by storm a little over 3 decades back off their eponymous debut under Ruffhouse Records in tandem with Columbia Records because of Muggs’ unique production style & their pro-marijuana legalization themes. Other standouts in the group’s discography include Black Sunday, my personal favorite Cypress Hill III: Temples of Boom, the criminally underappreciated Cypress Hill IV, Elephants on Acid & the Black Milk-produced Back in Black through MNRK Music Group. Considering they’ve made Spanish songs in the past, Dios Bendiga seemed like a long time coming & the HYBE Corporation getting involved was even more of a shock.
“Wacha Trucha” featuring Alemán begins talking about staying alert & preparing for what’s to come whereas my favorite single “Campeones” reunites with O.G. member Mellow Man Ace so the discussing the new style that the team’s employing. “Rosas Verdes” continues from there talking about having only the greenest roses in their garden while “Run” featuring Poe Leos cautions against getting away from them if they pull up on you.
Coyote teams up with B-Real & Sen Dog on “Sueños” to deliver one of the strongest guest appearances explaining that the days of their dreams are anything but small while “Estamos Listos” ends the 1st half talking about how they always stay ready. “Voló” featuring Sick Jacken kicks off the 2nd leg discussing the war & everyone smoking what they grew up with in the streets leading into “Saca La Bolsita” featuring Trueno talking about there being trouble if someone crosses the line with them.
“No Tengo Miedo” featuring Sick Jacken admits to them not being afraid of death & leaving slowly whenever their time comes while “Barrios Prendidos” featuring La Santa Grifa talks about Mexican bandits turning against neighborhoods. “El Perro Y El Coyote” featuring Guapo pleads for their guardian angels to let them rest & a long live burdening them while the reggae-influenced closing track “Otra” sends off Dios Bendiga talking about their love of smoking weed.
It’s a bit surprising to me that Cypress Hill waited a quarter of a century after the Los Grandes Exitos En Español compilation came out to make their full Spanish debut but as much as I wanna like it, there are some flaws unfortunately. The rapping’s on point from both B-Real & Sen Dog including a majority of the guest appearances, my biggest issue with Dios Bendiga lies more with the production lacking the same consistency Back in Black had earlier this decade.
Here we have the 4th extended play from Maryland recording artist Rico Nasty. Turning heads in 2018 off her 6th mixtape Nasty, I was impressed by her unique personality & her eclecticism although it was just ok. However the next spring, she got Kenny Beats to produce her debut EP Anger Management in its entirety & that ended up being my favorite body of work of hers even to this day. Nightmare Vacation was a bit of a step down from Anger Management even though it has a good share of bangers like “iPhone” & “10Fo”, but Las Ruinas showed a more experimental side to her & A Nasty Summer was kinda mediocre truthfully. The sophomore effort Lethal last spring expanded her musical palette & she’s reuniting with Kenny to finally drop RX independently after Atlantic tried to shelve it.
“CDG Foams” hops over an industrial trap instrumental to talk about never forgetting where she came from whereas “Frenzy” turns up the rage beats flexing that she makes all the hoes panic. “Rotation” aggressively talks about hitting the road with all this motion she has but once “Cupcake” blends hypertrap with pop rap & digicore to discuss looking cunt, “Blow Your Nose” kicks off the 2nd half advising to either send a drone or bring out the drums.
Continuing from there with “Runway”, we have Rico addressing a bitch she doesn’t even know hating from afar is over a digicore beat while “Butthead” co-produced by Dylan Brady hit us with some of the fiercest wordplay throughout the entire EP. “Kiss N Make Up” cautions not to push her since she’s always on edge while “Rituals” spends the concluding minutes of RX talking about having legitimate artistry compared to the talentless petty hoes detracting her.
Rather than further exploring her versatility like a Lethal did last spring, RX takes it back to basics by showing the world that Rico Nasty’s chemistry with Kenny Beats almost a decade since Nasty hasn’t changed a bit & that winding up being the best thing she’s made this decade. Kenny’s evolving as a producer should be noted even if he retains the rage elements of his previous output with Rico & mixing them with trap, jerk, pop rap, digicore, free car music & industrial hip hop.
New collaborative extended play from New York recording artists NEMS & Ron Browz. One of whom is an underground veteran hailing from Coney Island, Brooklyn emerging in the battle rap circuit back in the early 2000s & the other’s a Harlem native gaining widespread recognition for producing Nas’ iconic JAY-Z diss “Ether”. They’ve crossed paths a couple times on tracks like “The Bar Exam” & “Count It Out” prior to I Should Boom You this past spring, linking back up for a sequel 3 months later.
“Glocktalk” opens up with both MCs over a boom bap instrumental from none other than Ron Browz himself spitting that gangsta shit together whereas “Yams” switches it up in the form of a 109 second tune catered strictly for the clubs. “Unbelievable” brings back the dustiness talking about the money they’re making coming in surreal amounts just before “Work It Out” featuring Will Traxx finds the trio telling those looking to party to merely follow the bassline.
Kicking off the 2nd half, the uptempo “Losing Control” admits to the chat that they wanna fuck leading into “The Greatest” takes the trap route instrumentally talking about their legacies. High Regards” featuring A$AP Ferg joins forces so everyone can get in their Fuck Ya Lyfe bag while “D.E.D.M. (Don’t Ever Disrespect Me)” spends the final moments of I Should Boom You Too advising the world that dissing them would be their biggest downfall.
I still maintain that the original I Should Boom You back in April contains some of the best rapping of Ron Browz’ career & despite not enjoying I Should Boom You Too as much, it’s still worth listening if you’re a fan of either him or NEMS. Its production is still prominently rooted in the traditional boom bap sound except there are more trap undertones this time around & the original material excluding both remixes feel more like outtakes left off the original album.
The Strokes are an indie rock band from New York City consisting of guitarists/keyboardists Nick Valensi & Albert Hammond Jr., bassist Nikolai Fraiture, drummer Fabrizio Moretti & frontman Julian Casablancas. Their 2001 debut Is This It under RCA Records has been widely considered by many to be amongst the greatest garage rock-revival ever recorded & followed it up with the equally acclaimed sophomore effort Room on Fire, although 1st Impressions of Earth as well as Angles & Comedown Machine generally left audiences torn. The New Abnormal produced by Rick Rubin has already become the quintet’s 2nd greatest statement since their debut & are getting back together 6 years later for their 7th studio LP.
“Psycho Shit” gets things going singing about the Gaza genocide & looking at the teacher’s pet label as another form of death within itself while “Dine N’Dash” embraces a new wave vibe instrumentally detailing the consumption of something without paying it’s exact cost. “Lonely in the Future” interestingly suggests Anthony Fantano to focus on the technical side of music more often until the hideous soft rock, indie rock, countrypolitan & neo-psychedelia crossover “Falling Out of Love”.
We have The Strokes endorsing Maya Wiley on “Starting Again” to kick off the 2nd half just before the self-explanatory “Going Shopping” mediocrely blends new wave, indie rock, jangle pop & indie surf for the lead single. “Liar’s Remorse” addresses an individual who doesn’t want love because they can’t take the pain & after “The Fruits of Conquest” takes a moment for a rebellious middle finger towards authoritarianism, “Tyrants of the Mellow Moon” concludes Reality Awaits with a Radiohead-inspired closer waiting for another chance to take everything he can.
The New Abnormal had me thinking maybe Rick Rubin wasn’t entirely washed since that’s the first time in years where I can recall an album he produced receiving that much praise but unfortunately, Reality Awaits found a way to beat 1st Impressions of Earth or Angles & Comedown Machine in becoming The Strokes’ weakest entry in their discography. Rick’s production is fine recapturing indie rock, neo-psychedelia, new wave & post-punk revival sounds although I can’t say the same for Julian’s effect-heavy vocals.
This is the 8th studio LP from Cambridge, England, United Kingdom singer/songwriter Charli XCX. who one might be remembered for her feature on Iggy Azalea’s biggest hit “Fancy” a decade ago. Her solo material would go on to step leaps & bounds beyond hers with highlights including her 3rd & 4th mixtapes #1 Angel & Pop 2 respectively alongside her 4th & 5th albums Charli & How I’m Feeling Now. Her final Asylum Records offering Crash was ok & brat under Atlantic Records quickly became an indie sleaze revival landmark, coming off the soundtrack of Wuthering Heights to drop Music, Fashion, Film.
“Rock Music” produced by A.G. Cook made for a polarizing lead single blending new rave, indietronica & power pop singing about departing from the EDM style in favor of rock whereas “SS26” fuses indie rock, alt-pop, pop rock, indietronica, slacker rock & post-punk revival critiquing art being commercialized beyond recognition. “Card Declined” splits itself into 2 distinct halves singing about the topic of materialism prior to the indietronica, alternative dance, alt-pop & pop rock single “Camera” finds herself considering pursuing an acting career.
Moving on from there, “2007” looks back at how far she’s come since beginning to make music 19 years previously combining elements of alternative dance & pop rock just before “I’m Afraid” discusses Charli’s engagement to George Daniel & front confessional regarding everything she fears. “Yeah” might be one of the weaker moments partly due to it’s repetitive structuring although I very much understand the concept revolving around yes men while “Wink Wink” mixes pop rock, post-punk revival, power pop, new wave & dance-punk revival sings about people always changing.
“Persona” winds down Music, Fashion, Film’s final act advising for people to not let their egos choke them whenever she’s around them over a fuzzy guitar playing behind her while “Magic Metal Montana” shows some appreciation towards A.G. Cook, considering him to be her best friend & that he makes things easier for her whenever they’re in the studio. The closing track “No One Lasts Forever” featuring a spoken word interlude & outro from David Cronenberg sends off the album singing about enjoying life now since every living being eventually dies.
I fully support the idea of Charli XCX making a complete stylistic departure for Music, Fashion, Film even if I wouldn’t put it in the same category as brat or How I’m Feeling Now or Charli amongst her most celebrated material. However, I’ll still put it above the Wuthering Heights soundtrack & even Crash compared to her other 2020s output. A.G. Cook’s production experiments with indietronica, indie rock, pop rock, slacker rock, alternative dance, alt-pop, new rave, power pop, post-punk revival, new wave & dance-punk revival so Charli can get more introspective lyrically.
MC Serch is a 59 year old MC, songwriter & record executive from Queens, New York who rose to prominence as 1/3 of 3rd Bass. He would also drop a solo LP following their disbandment under Def Jam Recordings called Return of the Product, where Nas made one of his very 1st guest appearances. It’s been over 3 decades since then & to my surprise, he had enlisted Apathy from the Army of the Pharaohs & Demigodz collectives to fully produce a new extended play of material.
“Thanks Serch” begins with a groovy instrumental expressing gratitude towards those he’s come across over the course of his illustrious career whereas “The Builder” boasts his wealth over a funky beat. “Air It Out” featuring NEMS finds the duo linking up for a playful club anthem & after “Questions in My Mind” responds to those wondering about his longevity, “The Playbook” preceding the outro comes through with some soulful grown man shit.
Return of the Product isn’t necessarily amongst my favorite things to come out Def Jam in the early 90s despite some of MC Serch’s greatest songs being on it like “Back to the Grill” & “Scenes from the Mind” to name a couple, but Millions of 0s for an EP surpasses that album by returning with a newfound creative urgency over a consistent batch of Apathy production approaching these tracks from a place of reflective honesty.
This is the 9th compilation album from Boston, Massachusetts underground record label Leedz Edutainment. Since the early 2010s, they’ve already dropped a handful of comps under their belt already with the Mass Movementz duology as well as the Write Off tetralogy & Eastern Standard. It’s already been a few years since A Worker Among Workers came out & Hard to Learn arrives 49 months later to get significantly vulnerable in comparison to it’s predecessors.
The title track by the Barrel Brothers & REKS produced by The Arcitype after the “Acceptance” intro begins with an uplifting boom bap opener talking about waiting for your turn whereas “The Friends of Eddie Leedz” by Big Shug, Ed O.G. & Mann Terror finds the trio repping their city. “The Darkside” by Lex the Hex Master, Ruste Juxx & XL the Beast explores a horrorcore vibe talking about darkness following them while “Walk Among What Remains” by Ill Bill, Q-Unique, Rite Hook & Wildcard tastefully blends hardcore hip hop & rap rock.
“No Surprise” by Blueprint, MURS & Sareem Poems after the “Diversion” skit & Lenny Lashley’s Gang of 1’s cover of “Downbound Train” by Bruce Springsteen returns to the boom bap talking about jumping through hoops to stay alive while “Bear the Burden” by Akrobatik, M-Dot & Reef the Lost Cauze precedes the “Lyrical Shit” skit hopping over a D.C. the Midi Alien beat discusses the good feeling of overcoming obstacles to come back stronger than ever.
Bonnie Stone, Freddie Black, Lateb, Napoleon da Legend, Raw Deff & Weapon E.S.P. all join forces for the 5 minute posse cut “Battle Tested” where Napoleon & Weapon E.S.P. each drop the strongest verses just before “Animal” by Rite Hook, STL GLD & XL the Beast prior to the “Show’s Over” skit reaches the 1st leg of Hard to Learn talking about the quartet feeling like a pack of angry wolves coming across a herd of sheep.
After Godforbid hits us with a cover of “Those Damned Blue-Collar Tweekers” by Primus that isn’t much better or worse than the Bruce Springsteen one, we have The Dunnas making an appearance for “The Working Man (Turn & Burn)” celebrating those types of people specifically while “Fictional Fantasies” by Awon, Emskee & Sadat X after the “Be a Man” skit talks about not being able to progressive if you’ve never experienced any hardships in your life.
“History iz Watching” by Blak Madeen & Daddy-O calls the world to choose between right or wrong while “Living With a Ghost” by Ea$y Money, STL GLD & XL the Beast after the “Father’s Day” skit talks about fathers who weren’t around much. “Learn to Suffer” by Block McCloud & Problemattik speaks of staying true to yourself & after the “Gratitude” skit, “Penniless Kings” by XL the Beast ahead of the “See You on the Next One” outro realizing that’s exactly what everyone is.
Wasn’t really sure if Leedz Edutainment would be able to top A Worker Among Workers, but Hard to Learn already dethrones it by putting the listener inside the shoes of a person who’s carried more than they thought they could. The Arcitype returns behind the boards with the exception of 2 tracks retaining a hardcore hip hop/boom bap sound other than a couple rock covers I could’ve done without confronting issues ranging from divorce to addiction, grief, anxiety, working-class struggles, faith, redemption & the long road toward acceptance.
Yes, a brand new studio LP & the 5th overall from California emcee/production duo Gangrene has arrived. Consisting of The Alchemist & Oh No representing Los Angeles & Oxnard respectively, the latter of whom’s the younger brother of one of my top 10 producers of all-time Madlib & the other so happens to be yet another top 10 producer of mine. They’ve put out a total of 4 full-length albums along with a couple EPs together over the past 16 years & are coming off Heads I Win, Tails You Lose back in 2024 marking their return after almost a decade to explain that the position each of them are in is Better Than McDonald’s.
“Note Ascension” hops over a raw Alchemist instrumental to get things going taking shots at rappers who’re out of their element whereas “Forever” turns up the grittiest so the pair can discuss being around eternally. “The Xtract” featuring Estee Nack finds the trio linking up over a gully Oh No beat to drop off hardcore verses without the need of a hook just before “King Taco” featuring Ab-Soul soulfully suggests a lil bit of hate will take you a long way.
Meanwhile on “Muscle Head”, we have Gangrene advising to keep playing your role for the scriptwriters leading into the drumless “Gas Factory” featuring Rome Streetz going full battle rap mode. “Errybody” featuring Armand Hammer continues the 2nd half with the most abstract moment here while “Microscopic Manner” featuring Meyhem Lauren references the late WWE Hall of Famer, the shortest reigning WWE Champion & former WWE Tag Team Champion André the Giant.
“Run Downs” winds down the last leg of Better Than McDonald’s asking for God to have mercy on them since neither could give a fuck less running up their money while the boom bap-tinged “Sasquatch” featuring Boldy James talks about pushing the pedal to the max without crashing. “Proper Etiquette” featuring Wildchild sends it all off observing the issue of everyone wanting to be loud instead of adequate, which they clarify isn’t a weakness.
You know? I’m grateful we didn’t have to wait another decade for Gangrene to drop another album, but Better Than McDonald’s still might be my least favorite in their discography. In no way shape or form am I trying to insinuate that the music itself has nothing interesting going on because both members deliver & so do the increased number of guest appearances, I just wish Uncle Al would stop trolling people using AI generated artworks regardless of him confirming that it’s a painting.
Legends Will Never Die 