Akon – “Beautiful Day” review

Akon is a 53 year old singer/songwriter, producer, businessman & philanthropist from Newark, New Jersey who blew up in 2004 off his Universal Music Group-backed full-length debut Trouble. His sophomore effort Konvicted under his own label Konvict Muzik in tandem with SRC Records would easily become his best & Freedom left people divided. El Negreeto & Akonda on the contrary were more negatively received even if the latter was the beginning of Konvict’s distribution deal with gamma. that’s still ongoing presently. The Ain’t No Peace extended play was a mediocre response to the Big Floyd protests & wasn’t so sure what I could’ve possibly expected out of his 6th studio LP.

The title track produced by J.R. Rotem wasn’t that bad of a contemporary R&B/pop reggae intro in the context of the rest of the material here graciously thanking God for the sunshine & hoping to bring people together during these troubling times whereas “Never Really Mattered” featuring SIMIEN makes me wanna listen to “Don’t Matter” instead, butchering a sample of “Love You Down” by Ready for the World.

“Ringtone” goes for a heavy dancehall vibe singing for his lover to hit his line whenever she pleases while “Way Up Der” makes a turn into Afrobeats territory promising that everything will be alright in spite of the world falling apart. “Huawei” featuring Nektunez finds the 2 coming together for a horridly outdated attempt at afro house & the same applies to “Long Road” stylistically, which wasn’t any better.

The self-produced “Sorry” for being the halfway point of Beautiful Day that gives me déjà vu of “Sorry, Blame It on Me” while “Que Calor” featuring Ochok begins with this boring attempt at going Latin & would be better off listening to Bad Bunny instead. “Mean the Same” takes a more stripped-back approach promising to always stay true while “Let You Go” featuring Tears of Joy sings about nobody wanting to leave or drown.

“Konflicted” featuring RMR advises listeners over more house production to stay strong & face the pain while “Keys” sings about having this woman’s heart on lock. “So Ruff” featuring Jahvor mediocrely breaks down having it hard growing up & after “Your Body” featuring Ozuna yearns to be the person his lover can trust, “Just a Man” featuring Stephen Marley finally puts things to an end with a reggae outro that I’d say would be one of the better tracks here.

It’s no secret that Akon went from dominating the mid-late 2000s to putting out projects that were mid at best & unlistenable at worst, but watching his music become continuously worse ever since coming back in 2019 feels reminiscent of Katy Perry going from Teenage Dream to 143. Out of everything he’s made musically, Beautiful Day is the worst album he’s done. It has nothing to do with the Afrobeats, dancehall, pop & house influences nor does it pertain to him wanting to spread positivity in the midst of chaos. The problem is that he isn’t doing either of those ideas any justice & there being artists who’re doing it better.

Score: 1/5

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Kehlani – Self-Titled review

Kehlani is a 31 year old singer/songwriter & dancer from Oakland, California who introduced themself in 2014 off their debut extended play Cloud 19 followed by the debut mixtape You Should Be Here during my senior year of high school. They would later make their full-length debut SweetSexySavage under Atlantic Records & later appeared on RVIVAL, which is universally accepted as the shittiest thing Eminem’s ever made. It Was Good Until It Wasn’t, Blue Water Road, the While We Wait series & Crash were all moderately received too & it seemed like their eponymous 5th LP might change that.

After the intro, the opener “Anotha Luva” featuring Lil Wayne begins with both of them talking about not wanting to love anyone else than those they’re currently with whereas “No Such Thing” featuring Clipse samples “Runnin’” by The Pharcyde to let their soulmates know how special they are to each of them. “Folded” made for a great contemporary R&B/smooth neo-soul single singing about the end of a relationship while “I Need You” featuring Brandy produced by Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis surprisingly details the aftermath of a breakup.

“Oooh” moves on from there singing about nothing mattering when they & their romantic interest start fucking with the windows open while “Back & Forth”fuses contemporary R&B & pop rap although the interpolation of a song R. Kelly did of the same name with the late Aaliyah was ok. “Shoulda Never” featuring Usher links up over a Babyface instrumental Tom Levesque of Vanguard Music Group co-produced for a duet about wasting each other’s time until “You Got It” describes their partner as heaven sent.

Hip hop soul & contemporary R&B collide on the 2nd single “Out the Window” revisiting the themes of “Folded” pleading for their ex-girlfriend not to throw everything they had away while “Still” gets over a DJ Camper beat to sing about this person they’re addressing eventually apologizing for losing them. “Call Me Back” featuring T-Pain joins forces depicting a couple trying to contact each other cellularly while “Pocket” featuring Cardi B talks about needing someone to lift up them up.

“Lights On” featuring Big Sean goes for a smoother R&B/pop rap vibe thanks to both Jermaine Dupri & Allen Ritter getting sexual topically while “Sweet Nuthins” featuring Leon Thomas III continues the themes of lust together, wanting nothing but to make sweet love. “Cruise Control” sends a message to a partner who’s trying to go a bit too fast in a new relationship & “Unlearn” ends with them singing about the difficulty of loving an individual who’s still healing.

A lot of Kehlani’s previous output to come out in the past decade are average at best but looking at the list of guests appearing on their eponymous album, it’s an improvement above everything she’s done previously although there have been other full-lengths in the R&B genre in 2026 that’re significantly better. The production furthermore takes secondary influences from the hip hop soul, neo-soul & pop rap styles to provide a sweet glimpse of their artistic evolution.

Score: 3.5/5

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Sonnyjim – “Rob Ford” review

2nd extended play of 2026 & the 19th overall from Birmingham, West Midlands, England, United Kingdom emcee/producer Sonnyjim. Making his debut in the summer of 2011 with The Psychonaut, he would go on to drop 8 more albums as well as his last 18 EPs & a mixtape. Most notably the No Vi$ible Means of Income trilogy produced by Giallo Point, the Buckwild-produced Coke Le Roc, the Illinformed-produced The Chemistry Must Be Respected, the Leaf Dog-produced How to Tame Lions, the Camoflauge Monk-produced Money Green Leather Sofa, White Girl Wasted and finally the Lee Scott-produced Ortolan & Armagnac. Coming off the Sumgii-produced Chinatown Chicken Tour a couple months ago, he’s reuniting with Lee for Rob Ford.

“Tuscan Pleather” starts by talking about his phenom status whereas the only single “Krayzie, Layzie, Flesh, Wish-N-Bizzy” featuring Shyheim gives Bone Thugs-n-Harmony their flowers. “Lump Sum” featuring Jehst & King Grubb references 2-time WWE Hall of Famer, former 6-time WWE Champion, 2-time WWE Intercontinental Champion, 2-time WWE United States Champion, 5-time WWE Tag Team Champion & NWA World Tag Team Champion Stone Cold Steve Austin while “BOGOF” talks about being literature practitioner.

As Serious as Your Life 2 last month ago felt a lot more like a single with a b-side than an actual EP, so I was grateful to see that Rob Ford was somewhat longer. And despite not putting it in the same conversations like I would Chinatown Chicken or Ortolan & Armagnac, I’m sure a great deal of the fans who enjoyed the latter will still come away from this satisfied considering how well it recaptures the chemistry between Lee Scott’s production & Sonnyjim’s distinctive lyrical style.

Score: 3.5/5

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Rafa – “Good Girls Don’t Exist 2” review

New surprise mixtape & the 3rd overall from Detroit, Michigan rapper Rafa. A member of the WRLD Tour Mafia, he would also begin a solo career of his own starting on Thanksgiving 2020 with his debut EP Not for Household Use & followed it up earlier this year in the form his debut tape Dog$hit & Ammunition. His eponymous mixtape was a pivotal point in his career & Good Girls Don’t Exist was a superior EP, coming off R.A.F.A. (Rockstars Are Fucking Awesome) as well as Madman & Lil Dogshit to drop Good Girls Don’t Exist 2.

“Toxic Lovers 4L” opens up with a pluggy intro talking about being a poisonous coupling until the end whereas “Love the Way” atmospherically boasts that this female’s ex is mad because of him stealing her. “The Game” continues the cloudy vibes talking about treating this shit like it’s a monopoly & people biting him while “All In” asks why some waited for him to reach the top to fuck with him.

Moving on from there, “Get Rich or Die Trying” has this peaceful trap instrumental with a guitar talking about his primary mission while “No Rules” produced by WTM Niketech admits that he’s been feeling someone out of place recently. “RAFA vs. RAFA” hops over a distorted beat to talk about scooping up a chick from Texas just before “Tell Me Lies” discusses him putting his whole life on the line for his music career to take off.

“Broke Bitch K / Seasick” comes through with a 2-parter that has a cloudy beginning & a pluggier 2nd half talking about not being the same ever since he lost a homie of a his until taking another shot at those who’re trying to ride off his coattails but after “Overlyyy” flows over a LulRose instrumental talking about never going back to his old life again, “Everyday is Valentine” incorporates some 808s promising to show his partner the world.

The song “Stuck in the Past” cloudily talks about taking his own path & not going anywhere since he’s constantly in the studio while “Ball Player” psychedelically observes the way some of these artists switch up on each other a lot similarly to NBA players who wind up being apart of several teams in the league. “Not Mad” however spends Good Girls Don’t Exist 2’s final 2 & a half minutes melodically talking about his love no longer being angry at him for always traveling.

Originally teased 7 months ago literally days preceding Lil Dogshit’s release, Good Girls Don’t Exist 2 revisits everything that made it’s predecessor so special a couple years ago from the plugg/cloud rap production to Rafa’s lyrics continuing to further explain the belief he initially expressed regarding there being no such thing as faithful women & pulls it off in a manner that I would consider to be superior to it’s predecessor along with the most I’ve enjoyed something from him since R.A.F.A. (Rockstars Are Fucking Awesome).

Score: 4.5/5

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Nasaan – “Method Acting” review

This is the debut mixtape from Detroit, Michigan rapper, singer/songwriter & producer Nasaan. The son of the late D12 de facto leader & in my opinion the greatest Detroit emcee of all-time Proof, some of you may remember him for releasing the Def Jam-backed debut EP Kiss of Karma in July of 2019, which was followed up with the Error 404 extended play under Atlantic Records. Now that he’s no longer signed to a major label, he’s beginning a new chapter of his career with Method Acting.

“To My Name” made for a slick opener talking about having no reason to complain since he has $100K in his bank account whereas “All for Me” featuring Bruiser Wolf comes through with an ode for their homies who had bitches trying to play them before they were the real deal. “Calling Me” goes for a smoother vibe in general for a charming pop rap ballad leading into him admitting to not knowing how to solve his “Family Issues”.

We have Nasaan throwing it back to 80s with “Need That” playfully asking for his lover to save him to begin the 2nd half while “Man Again” soulfully talks about willing to go to war with stars. “This Close” might be my least favorite track here because of it’s distractingly heavy Drake influence but after the spacious “Sexy” admires the beauty of his significant other, “Stay Blessed” luxuriously ends the EP carrying his grandmother’s advice forward.

Celebrating what would’ve been his late girlfriend Mycah Lewis’ birthday, Nasaan spends a great deal of Method Acting getting more melodically sensual than a lot of his earlier output & finishes what she helped him start from selecting the beats to being his biggest judge critiquing the final product. It was a surprise to hear it was supposed to come out earlier within the month but nevertheless, I know Mycah’s looking down on him with his dad proud of the artist & person he’s become.

Score: 3.5/5

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Bake Lo – “Spirals” review

Bake Lo is a 32 year old rapper from Detroit, Michigan who made his solo debut Only the Beginning in the fall of 2011 when I was a freshman in high school. He would go on to follow it up with the sophomore effort Misunderstood Mindstate, but it wasn’t until Anybody Killa signed him to Native World Inc. & dropped A Step in the Wrong Direction under the label where I personally started catching onto him. Monster would be released independently as was the Chuck extended play, which was the last time we’ve heard him. Coming off the 9th annual Astronomicon however, he’s returning for his 5th studio LP in preparation for him touring with ABK.

After the “Into the Spiral” intro, the opener “Spiral Down” expresses confidence that we’ll all begin life again someday leading into Str8jaket joining him in letting the “Words of Violence” fade & going for a boom bap vibe instrumentally. “Jewel Thief” angrily fires back at the people who take him for a fool leading into “Golden Eye” featuring MVNDI & Skwynts finds the trio hopping over an apocalyptic trap beat cautioning not to wake the beast inside of them.

“Criminal” featuring Donnie Menace joins forces so both of them can talk about living like mobsters robbing people for cleats while “Dirt on My Face” featuring Insane E fiercely emerges out of the flames of Hell in an attempt to escape the cells both of them have been locked in. “Spek” featuring Lyte reaches the halfway point talking about carrying Glocks around their respective parts of Michigan while “Just Incase” dismisses any & all precautions.

Things take more introspective approach on “Note to Self” asking himself who he is if he isn’t becoming the person he wants to be while “Confrmula” featuring Ant G, Histio & the King of HorribleCore talks about no longer waiting since now’s the time to claim what’s theirs. “Benjamin” experiments with country rap a bit admitting the devil wants his soul & after “Bite Outta You” industrially depicts himself as a bloodthirsty creature, “Uzumaki” featuring Zitro finishes things up addressing those who don’t like them.

Spirals showcases Bake Lo’s signature lyrical depths as well as his raw storytelling & authentic voice delivering a fresh yet grounded perspective inspired by the 8 years of growth since the Monster for longtime fans & new listeners alike. Committed to quality & genuine expression, Bake Lo invites the underground & the world at large to experience the evolution of his artistry redefining his sound with a list of underground wicked shit titans joining him on the mic.

Score: 4/5

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Gloom Unit – “House of Gloom” review

West coast horrorcore duo the Gloom Unit consisting of Acetone Boogie & Frankie Goldie finally making their full-length debut. One of whom comes straight out of Tucson, Arizona & the other representing Sin City Las Vegas, Nevada respectively as part of the Swamp Society collective. They would properly introduce themselves as a pairing on New Year’s Day 2024 with the debut extended play Come Heavy produced by Chapter 17/Psychopathic Records in-house producer Devereaux, who would also produce the sequel Mo Heavy. A little over a year later, they’re taking us inside the House of Gloom almost a week after J-Rod ended Alice Crowley’s record-breaking 2nd reign as JCW Women’s Champion.

After the intro, the title track produced by none other than Devereaux brings an organ-laced trap beat into the picture advising to say your prayers because of the demonic shit they’re about to do whereas “Murda Gloves” goes for a morbidly slower vibe to the beat discussing the topic of murder itself. “Gloomhauer” works in some strings to talk about giving 0 fucks regarding the repercussions of them constantly killing it while “DaEyes” acknowledges their imperfections although they’re very much trying.

“RedDedRedemption” continues from there talking about watching bodies burning in The Wraith’s exhibition of Hell’s Pit leading into “No Shoulders” incorporates some sampling techniques flexing that they’ll still be carrying firearms on them when winding up in Shangri-La in the end. “Stomp ‘Em Out” featuring Darby O’Trill joins forces for an angrily cutthroat hardcore hip hop banger while “All Dead” talks about not being the type who enjoy cheap thrills.

Ending the 1st half, “Bouncing Off da Concrete” hooks up some predominant horns during the hook boasting the credentials they’ve already had out in the streets & this being normal to them while “Daishin Folklore” gives a backstory behind the Unit’s mascot who can be seen on the artwork of all their projects. “Less Than Gold” talks about earning everything they have & none of it being handed out for free while “Headbussas” featuring Donnie Menace succeeding at going full trap metal.

“Zim Dem” featuring PERCYBONES finds the trio asking everyone who doubted them how they like them now & fighting for survival since Day 1 while “Taking Out the Trash at Night” talks about coming alive right when the sun goes down. “Disclaimer” featuring 8corpses links up to provide advice that you shouldn’t ever take & something they feel like everyone should know while “Selena” featuring Sagan Ummo brings out a fully loaded chopper over a trap instrumental with bells.

The sample right from the start of “Don’t Close Ya Eyes” immediately drew me in talking about not falling asleep for the purpose of demons who tend to watch us in the late night hours & view our souls as food prior to the outro, “Isolation” spends the last 3 & a half minutes sitting in the House of Gloom all alone admitting that they’ve been following darkness their whole entire lives as well as coming to terms that neither of them feel like anyone’s out there.

If you’ve ever wondered what would happen if our minds turned against us & the walls of what was initially designed to protect us isolates each other from the outside world, the House of Gloom will give the answer one seeks right when the doors lock shut to commence an evil dream hosted by demons constructed by our fears & whatever emotion it is we try to hide over some of Devereaux’s darkest production accompanied by a few of the underground wicked shit scene’s finest presently.

Score: 4.5/5

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Rosco P. Coldchain – “Play with Something Safe” review

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania emcee Rosco P. Coldchain enlisting Montréal, Québec, Canada producer Nicholas Craven for his sophomore effort. Blowing up in the 2000s when he signed to Star Trak Entertainment, he would leave the label without releasing anything & dropped a couple mixtapes preceding his full-length debut Almost Famous produced by Fatin Horton formerly of The Soul Council during my freshman year of high school. For the Mature on the contrary divided audiences last February & he’s looking to make up for the mixed reception of that extended play advising to Play with Something Safe.

“Benz Sprinter” comes out the gate with a drumless sample talking about moving coke & being a gangsta whereas “Hold My Hand” soulfully comes to the realizations that he brought these problems onto himself due to his heinous ways of living. “Frankenstein” works in some creepy organ melodies talking about being the lord of the underground leading into “The Future” speeding up his flow to boast his authenticity.

Malcolm Kamal’s appearance on “Magnesium Chloride” was alright even if I enjoyed the boom bap instrumental & Roscoe’s verse talking about having bad habits despite both of them looking after “Prayer Group” begins the 2nd half bringing back the chipmunk soul vibes so he can confess that his family is all he has left, “Die Slow” featuring Bruiser Wolf hooks up some tense sampling techniques talking about being the newest members on the rise to be respected by bosses.

The title track featuring Ab-Liva & Jimmie D finds the trio uniting over a drumless loop to explain that nether one of them have time for any bullshit while the funky “Boogie Nights” talks about how right it’s gonna feel when he puts the crown on after being away for over a decade. “Refined” featuring Malcolm Kamal wraps things up finding peace from these mean streets whenever they’re with their lovers.

Nicholas Craven himself has said that Play with Something Safe is the closest thing he’s ever done to making a horrorcore album & not only would I have to agree with that, but it wipes For the Mature & dethroned Almost Famous to further validate why Rosco P. Coldchain has been one of the most underrated MCs in the game. The sample-heavy production style Craven has become known for is a lot better than the previously mentioned EP, bringing an improved guest list compared to his debut on board for some entertainingly dark street lyricism.

Score: 4/5

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NEMS & Ron Browz – “I Should Boom You” review

New York recording artists NEMS & Ron Browz joining forces for a new collaborative studio LP. One of whom is an underground veteran hauling 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 already on tracks like “The Bar Exam” & “Count It Out”, so I had no problem with Ron fully producing I Should Boom You. That said: Him rapping on every track did make me somewhat concerned since I’ve never considered myself a fan of Etherlibrium.

We get this gully boom bap instrumental for the intro so they can trade bars about being the “Hottest in America” & reminding the weirdos what the hammers can do whereas “Earl Manigault” featuring Lil’ Fame finds the trio calling for everyone to go home since they’re going harder. “First48” blends some pianos with kicks & snares talking about having guns tucked in their waists while “Kruger” compares themselves to the iconic Nightmare on Elm Street antagonist.

“Here I Go” featuring Papoose reaches the halfway point sticking to the traditional boom bap sound & having all 3 of them issuing a warning that anyone who targets them will become a statistic but after “P Anthem” shifts it’s focus towards the clubs exemplified by the raunchy approach both artists take with their songwriting, “Nothing Gon’ Stop Me” instrumentally pulls some inspiration from reggae music talking about being unstoppable forces.

Wrapping up I Should Boom You’s final minutes, the 2nd & final single “The Mush” goes for an old school vibe responding to all the doubters who’re mad at both performers for catching Ws & making new money while “Bendicion” talks about catching them on top of a cop car smoking or butt-naked on your girl’s fire escape. “The Bar Exam” sends off the album with a horn-inflicted boom bap outro flexing their lyrical proficiencies & the best verse being saved for last.

Some people like to say that both of NEMS’ full-lengths under Goliath Records are the worst in his discography, but I’d say that’s blasphemy since Rise of the Silverback would go behind Gorilla Monsoon for some of his best material & America’s Sweetheart had it’s moments even if the Fuck Ya Lyfe General himself wasn’t very happy with my criticisms of it. That said: I Should Boom You was more enjoyable than I had anticipated it being although the Gorilla Twins’ eponymous debut is more superior. The production’s more rawer than America’s Sweetheart & some of Ron Browz’ best rapping makes its way on here even if NEMS has the sharper pen.

Score: 4/5

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Reason – “Moving Love Towards_Pink” review

Yes, this is the 6th mixtape from Carson, California rapper Reason. After releasing his first 4 tapes, Top Dawg Entertainment signed him in the middle of 2018 by reissuing the one that landed him the contract in the first place: There You Have It. However, his official full-length debut album New Beginnings received more mixed reception when it came out the fall where COVID had the whole world shut down & Anthony “Top Dawg” Tiffith’s son Moosa subsequently got into a heated exchange of words with Reason the week Porches dropped saying former employee & pgLang co-founder Dave Free regrets even signing him in the first place. I Love You Again under his own label Do More Records reignited his passion & Everything in My Soul_Blue was alright, looking to top that with Moving Love Towards_Pink.

“La La Intro_PINK” rides over a drumless loop 2 about trying to swim for once after drowning in guilt for so long over a drumless loop whereas “Give It All 4 My Bitch_PINK” goes for a chipmunk soul vibe detailing that he’d give everything for his soulmate. “If This Ain’t Love_PINK” kinda feels unfinished since the let the instrumental ride out during the 2nd half of it despite it’s playful atmosphere & melodic delivery while “Humble ‘Em_PINK” looks to put someone in the dirt for cheating on his girl for a woman who doesn’t measure up.

We have Reason refusing to let any hoe throw him off his steeze on “Something ‘Bout Us_PINK” admitting that he feels like his life’s way too open leading into “Doin Too Much_PINK” featuring Isaiah Jaay blends R&B & pop rap telling their partners not to break a sweat. “I’ll Be There Idea_PINK” starts the 2nd half with another track that seems half baked leaving another open verse towards the backend of it just before the cloudy “Money Cash Hoes_PINK” talks about trying to fuck bitches & get money.

“Tired of Fuckin’ Deez Hoes_PINK” featuring Guapdad 4000 & Kembe X brings all 3 of them together making it clear that they’re fed up with all the bitches in their circle while “Tell Me_PINK” expresses hope for this person to come back & get him. “F.U.T.V_PINK” featuring Kalan.FrFr incorporates some cool sampling chops encouraging those they’re addressing to do their thing & after “Where Do We Start_PINK” talks about wanting to protect this woman, “Who TF You Blaming Outro_PINK” airs out a chick who tore his heart to pieces.

Now that we’re official halfway through this whole color series that Reason kicked off 5 months earlier, I already made it pretty clear that I enjoyed Everything in My Soul_Blue less then I Love You Again & unfortunately came away from Moving Love Towards_Pink enjoying it no less or better than it’s predecessor last fall. There is improvement within the production department & I appreciate the cohesiveness breaking down the 4 different stages of love, but the amount of guests is a bit excessive.

Score: 3/5

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