Crimeapple – “War Cash” review

Pretty sure this is the 19th extended play from Hackensack, New Jersey lyricist Crimeapple. Becoming a fan of his nearly a decade ago with his 4th EP Sweet Dreams along with the Big Ghost Ltd. produced full-length debut Aguardiente that next spring, his profile in the underground grew exponentially from there. Discography standouts include the DJ Skizz-produced Wet Dirt, the DJ Muggs-produced Medallo, Cartagena, Breakfast in Hradec, Sin Cortar, the Preservation-produced El León, the official Aguardiente sequel Bazuko, the Mello Music Group-backed This, Is Not That produced by Apollo Brown, Rose Gold & more recently the V Don produced Bulletproof Chicken. Last we heard from him was Hanzai this past Black Friday & he’s back with the Evidence-produced War Cash.

“Last Day” hooks up a drumless piano loop to get us started talking about no diamond district having the capability of cooling him off now that the fire’s been lit leading into “Dr. Scholl’s” taking a slicker approach to the beat spraying the foot care product as if he’s graffiti writing. “Ventilation” goes for a wavier vibe assuring he retained his soul after updating his mind leading into “Karachi” embracing a boom bap direction to capture the aura of those who wound up falling flat.

Blu makes my favorite guest appearance of the 2 on “Pinto” likening their pens to pistols over a funky beat while “Roy” strips the drums again talking about God & the agencies being the only things he fears. “2 Left Feet” returns to the boom bap speaking of poppin’ in the jungle on a weekly basis while “Rio” featuring Monday Night talks about the possibility of showin’ up to the capital of Brazil at some point before 2026 ends. “Green Room” ends the War Cash exchange bodying 1 last instrumental recalling a time where he was chillin’ backstage killin’ time until his set.

Hanzai wasn’t my favorite album Crimeapple dropped last year per se & I definitely wouldn’t place it in the hierarchy of his lengthy discography by any means, but War Cash comes merely less than 24 hours since it was announced with the most I’ve enjoyed a new project from him since Bulletproof Chicken last fall. Evidence’s production is a huge step-up from Hanzai’s varying between boom bap or drumless, suiting Crime’s mafiosi tales a lot more consistently.

Score: 4.5/5

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Sam R I – “Stained Glass” review

This is the 6th EP from San Diego, California emcee/producer Sam R I. Someone who emerged within the west coast underground off his first 4 EPs Purple Cashmere, Rush Hour, Nickz & Stax Payne. He would later have William Bostick fully produce his debut album 12 Monkeys towards backend of 2024 after Bostick heard Sam’s verse on “Rise in Winter Crime (Brrrrr)” & a couple months succeeding an eponymous EP, he’s enlisting Truelove to handle all of Stained Glass’ beats.

We get 93 seconds of drumless rap rock vibes talking about him walking down a “Cold Path” just before things lean towards a boom bap vibe instrumentally explaining that he can’t deal with “Tha Pressure” of setting for less. “Dice Kream Man” shifts into more soulful territory showing a sensual side to Sam topically leading into “Paint the Picture” ominously pointing out the observation of kids these days inhibiting our feet with clips in a piece instead of sitting on beaches.

“Turf War Kids” after the “Stained Side” interlude chops up a vocal sample to represent his turf now while “Words from an O.G.” ruggedly suggests to take off before he breaks off. Willie Marshall appears on “Fly Away” soulfully talking about seeing death at a young age in the slums & after “Cloud City” featuring Apoc Krysis finds the 2 teaming up for another hardcore boom bap joint, “What If?” soulfully ends the EP telling the love of his life that all he wants is her.

12 Monkeys was an excellent gateway for anyone who hadn’t heard of Sam R I since it still embodies who he is today & those who were impressed by that LP as much as I was will certainly have to give Stained Glass a spin whenever the chance comes this weekend. It’s more conceptual than Sam’s inaugural full-length, cohesively describing 3 journeys coming out of 3 different cities & the production is still boom bap-oriented although there are secondary influences of drumless, rap rock & chipmunk soul.

Score: 4/5

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Ricky Hil – “10,000 Grams” review

Ricky Hil is a 35 year old rapper & singer/songwriter from Manhattan, New York who happens to be the son of fashion designer Tommy Hilfiger. He also has 27 mixtapes & 2 collaborative efforts with Psychopathic Records subsidiary Chapter 17 Records CEO Ouija Macc in addition to forming his own label Limosa Nostra Records, recently signing to Atlantic Records for a distribution deal & had SosMula formerly of the City Morgue make his debut for the imprint Kamp Krystl Lake last Halloween. 808 Mafia co-founder Lex Luger has been said to be returning to fully produce a sequel to 500 Grams for about a year or so & it’s finally dropping ahead of Valentine’s Day weekend.

“Hell Valley” begins by hopping over a minimal trap beat talking about giving a fuck less if he dies because he’s dead already & nobody caring when his day comes whereas “Slut” works in some strings & hi-hats so he can continue detailing the gangsta lifestyle. Things go for a cloudier trap vibe talking about people selling “Pipe Dreams” near him & involving themselves with the drug scene than the club scene just before “U Like Me Dead” pulls from trap metal instrumentally talking about riding a foreign stoned

SosMula makes the first of 3 appearances on the 2nd & final single “Blow” aggressively depicting imagery of gangsta lifestyle together including drug use while “Amerie” blends cloud rap, trap & pop rap to tell the titular character he’s more interested in her friends than her herself. “Sephora” boisterously talks about living life his way giving a fuck he offends anyone just before “1,000 Poundz” featuring Omertà continues the 2nd half of the tape moderately makes it known they ain’t here to play with hoes.

“In God We Trust” featuring SosMula kicks off the 4th quarter demanding to have the the racks through the money machine handed over to them while “Turkey Bagz” featuring Niko G4 finds the 2 talking about having their own set of problems that won’t be resolved. “Oxycontin” featuring SosMula reunited the pair 1 last time making bodies drop with his posse beside him & after “13” featuring Clowny talks about trying to catch a buzz in the middle of the woods out of boredom, the title track atmospherically ends representing all the stoners & the next generation of shooters.

Next month will mark an entire decade since 500 Grams became my favorite Ricky Hil solo tape & I’d still consider 10,000 Grams to be the most I’ve enjoyed his individual output in quite some time even if my expectations weren’t fully met necessarily. The evolved chemistry between Lex Luger’s production & the Limosa Nostra founder’s distinct approach to songwriting can’t be ignored, but it does start to lose steam towards the backend of it partly due to the increase of guests than the predecessor.

Score: 3/5

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Jill Scott – “To Whom It May Concern” review

Jill Scott is a 53 year old singer/songwriter, actress, model & poet from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania known for her classic 2000 full-length studio debut Words & Sounds: Who’s Jill Scott? under Epic Records. Her sophomore effort Words & Sounds 2: Beautiful Human and Words & Sounds 3: The Real Thing would both go on to become well received too, starting up her own Blue Babes Records to drop the Warner Records-distributed The Light of Sun & the Atlantic Records-backed Woman after I had graduated high school. Over a decade later, she’s returning for her 6th album.

After the “Dope Shit” intro, “Be Great” kicks it all off with a vibrantly soulful opener singing over some horns about the only thing she wanted to do was make history whereas “Beautiful People” produced by Om’Mas Keith expresses her love for African Americans fusing neo-soul, smooth soul, boogie & funk. “Offdaback” blends jazz, neo-soul & spoken word dedicating itself to all the pioneers who took the backdoor while “Norf Side” featuring Tierra Whack finds the 2 telling their city over a boom bap instrumental from none other than DJ Premier.

“Pay U on Tuesday” after the “Disclaimer” skit fuses soul & jazz telling a man she doesn’t want anymore when he’s trying to be something he isn’t leading into “Pressha” combines elements of neo-soul, psychedelic soul contemporary R&B & neo-psychedelia to sing about her finding it pathetic this guy stays chasing her. “B.P.O.T.Y. (Biggest Pimp of the Year)” featuring Too $hort teams up over a funky beat throwing it back to the days of 70s blaxploitation movies while “Me 4” spends 95 seconds singing about learning from her mistakes.

DJ Camper jumps behind the boards during “The Math” advising to subtract the disingenuous from the authentic ones for the sole purpose of seeing how it makes you feel while the soulfully jazzy “A Universe” sings about the very thing she comes across when looking in her man’s eyes. “Liftin’ Me Up” reincorporates more influences of jazz & soul music expressing a kind of love that uplifts her while the hip hop-driven “Ode to Nikki” featuring Ab-Soul honors the legacy of the late Nikki Giovanni over a Young RJ instrumental.

“Don’t Play” rounds out 3rd smoothly yearning for full mental & mattress satisfaction instead of a mere fraction of it while “To B Honest” featuring J.I.D portrays themselves as 2 lovers singing & rapping about their needs of getting to know one another other. “Right Here Right Now” experiments with house a little providing all the answers to questions like if affection still exists or if we’ll ever be loved & after “Àṣẹ” passionately alludes to the Yoruba religion concept for a few minutes, “Sincerely Do” ends the LP seeking clarity over an S1 beat.

The Light of the Sun & Woman both have their share of great songs although I wouldn’t necessarily put them in the same ranks as the Words & Sounds trilogy, but To Whom It May Concern marks Jill Scott’s comeback reinforcing why she’s been such a prominent figure in neo-soul for over a quarter of a century. The production additionally explores the styles of smooth soul, boogie, funk, hip hop, boom bap, psychedelic soul, contemporary R&B & neo-psychedelia with Jill reflecting the personal growth she’s experienced since leaving a major label to go independent.

Score: 4/5

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Brent Faiyaz – “Icon” review

Brent Faiyaz is a 29 year old singer/songwriter, rapper & producer from Columbia, Maryland starting off in the DMV hip hop until shifting towards R&B & more specifically alternative R&B. He’s put out a couple full-lengths along with 6 EPs until forming his own label ISO Supremacy, releasing his debut mixtape Larger Than Life under his imprint & signing Tommy Richman. It’s been almost a couple years since the latter’s debut Coyote & Icon looks to recapture the magic of his debut for his 3rd album.

After the compositional “white noise.” intro, the first song “wrong faces.” begins with an acoustic instrumental telling this woman he’ll become the reason she’s not alone whereas “have to.” produced by Tommy Richman takes a much smoother approach singing about being in a race with time to get where he belongs. “butterflies.” splits itself in 2 halves thanks to benny blanco asking his partner if she feels the way he does leading into “other side.” explores a dance pop vibe singing about a woman he saw in his dreams.

“strangers.” starts the other half of the album taking the alternative R&B route describing a relationship that has completely fallen apart just before “world is yours.” throws it back to the 90s with a synth-woven beat from Chad Hugo & singing about wanting his woman to have him her way. “4 seasons.” exuberantly describes a female who’s either hotter than a day in July or cold as the winter while “pure fantasy.” atmospherically sings about his lover being all he needs. “vanilla sky.” wraps up Icon posing the question of whether one’s happiness lasts forever or if it’s short term.

Initially set to come out on his birthday last fall until pushing it back, the extra 5 months Brent Faiyaz would spent ensuring Icon would outdo both it’s predecessors really paid off despite initially letting down many who were looking forward to it including myself & I’m thankful we got the most expansive entry in his discography out of it. The intimately cinematic production merges the foundations of classic soul music with elements of modern R&B depicting themes of growth, loss, renewal & his evolution from both an artistic & a personal standpoint.

Score: 4/5

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Boldy James & Ransom – “Salvation for the Wicked” review

Montréal, Québec, Canada producer Nicholas Craven masterminding a new collaborative EP between one of Detroit, Michigan’s all-time greats at this point Boldy James & Jersey City’s finest Ransom. Both of whom have crossed paths with each other on that “Live from the Roxy” single, but have worked with Craven on several instances from Fair Exchange No Robbery to Penalty of Leadership or the Director’s Cut series & Deleted Scenes duology. However as a fan of both MCs since high school, Salvation for the Wicked had me thinking we’d be in for the greatest extended play of 2026 so far.

“Sinners” begins with a crossover between gangsta rap & drumless talking about how some people don’t have integrity these days whereas “Forgiveness” embraces a heavier rap rock vibe instrumentally asking for their shawties to forgive them before the liquor attacks their kidneys. “Collection Plates” featuring Young Chris finds the trio soulfully talking about their preference of catching plays than cases while “Offerings” shifts towards a jazzy boom bap direction to speak of making money.

O.T. the Real joins Boldy & Ran on “Field of Nightmares” stripping the drums again to talk about letting people run their mouths so they can run the streets of their respective hometowns & making elusive moves just before the celebratory “Leather Sandals” suggesting those who have wreaks stomachs should stay the fuck away from their kitchens. The final song “16 Tithes” ends Salvation for the Wicked with a blend of crooning chipmunk soul & jazz rap spitting intricate 16s each continuing to detail the life of a gangsta.

Only a month & a half into this new year & Nicholas Craven has brought 2 of his most notable collaborators together for what could possibly be the greatest collab EP of 2026 depending if anything comes close within the next 10 months. Boldy James & Ransom have already proven for over 2 decades that they’re master lyricists of their own, but combining both of their respective styles over Craven’s production comprised of a melting pot of sounds he’s become known for from boom bap & drumless to chipmunk soul & jazz rap.

Score: 4.5/5

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Pradabagshawty – “B45P” review

Here is the 6th EP from Columbia, South Carolina born albeit Atlanta, Georgia up-&-comer Pradabagshawty. Introducing himself in the spring of 2023 off Bloxk Addiktion, his popularity within the plugg subgenre of trap continued to grow last year by putting out 3 more EPs in 1 Love as well as his Cegular Records/Sony Music debut 10 Freak Ho’s & of course and Forever & After. His most recent extended play B What You B & the  Home Invasions tape have both become his most popular musical statements so far, coming off Red Flags & Roses to drop B45P.

“Bih Get Nasty” begins with a rage instrumental talking about getting nasty when he pulls up to the spot whereas “Ain’t Matter” works in a cloudy backdrop & some 808s so he can get on his gangsta rap shit lyrically. “Quick Trip” talks about doin’ them bad being the only thing he & his squad knows leading into a favorite of mine “MF” produced by Whyceg taking a couple minutes to discuss being a slimy muhfucka hence the name of this halfway point.

Ealuhri appears on “Whaddhaname” to get the 2nd leg of the EP going with a decent gangsta rap song although I do like the overall vibe of the beat while “Winter Soldier” references WWE Hall of Famer Mike Tyson over a plugg beat from Whyceg. The track “That Road” boisterously talks about the way he loves when the fully loaded Drac’ hits & “He Flexin’” featuring z6tony sends off the prelude to 5 Problems with both of them dropping verses without the need of a hook over 1 last Whyceg instrumental.

It was widely reported that he & Babystaydown had fallen out with each other a few months ago, but I have to assume that it’s been squashed considering the latter confessed that I.B.S.D.W.M.P. (I Been Still Dealing With My Pain) past Christmas & now Pradabagshawty’s gearing up to drop another project after dropping an average warm up extended play to it all under the same label they’ve been since to for 2 & a half years. Both guest i were alright & the production doesn’t stick out to me like Red Flags & Roses this past October.

Score: 3/5

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Sk8star – “Designer Junkie” review

Brand new debut album from Atlanta, Georgia recording artist Sk8star. Getting his footing in the spring of 2021 off Superstar Status, he would go on to follow it up last year with both the B4NWØ EP & his debut mixtape New World Ørder respectively. The latter being my introduction to Sk8’s music after my lil brody UnreleasedSnip put me on, with songs like “Standin’ on Business” & “YSL Flow” being the standouts for me personally. Following his 3rd EP Mogul along with rebel at the beginning of 2023 & whole new meaning that same spring, Sk8 addressed the Rebel in the Room & has since come off the Rebelution & Pale Fever signing with Island Records for the long-awaited Designer Junkie

“Incognito” strips the drums to get the us started thanks to Richie Souf talking about him taking Ls & playing his part whereas “Brazy Brazy Hoe” goes for an energetic trap vibe instrumentally speaking of him getting it out the mud. The 2nd & final single “ForMyFolks” produced by Nosaint of Vanguard Music Group gives off a futuristic trap atmosphere talking about being all the way over representing all of loved ones leading into “Muse” dabbling with regalia yearning to make a bad bitch his inspiration.

The title track hooks up some synthesizers & hi-hats talking about finally making it to the racks although not many people know what it took for him to get the cash steadily flowing while “No Compadre” hops over a rage beat so he can flex that everything he does is the greatest. “Yeannn” feels more like a Tezzus song since he’s handling the sole verse & Sk8’s doing the hook despite him admitting to loving bank deposits more than sex itself like any other person just before the lively single “Beret turns the hypertrap influences back up talking about staying on people’s heads.

“BleedLike Me” heads for a luxurious cloud rap direction talking about his competition not shedding blood the way he does while “PlayYaPart” reaches the halfway point with a psychedelic trap instrumental from Cade reflecting on going from droppin’ out of school to counting blue $100 bills regularly. The lead single “2 Sexy” interpolates Right Said Fred’s biggest hit “I’m Too Sexy” talking about the shooter sitting in the backseat of his whip being ready to get down to business while the synth-driven “Slatt Slatt” boasts of him being fresher than a peppermint.

Tezzus returns on the cloudy trap fusion “N.S.D. (N****s Start Dyin’)” telling all the losers to worry about themselves rather than spending all day constantly thinking of both artists’ hoes & finances while “Macon” treads the exuberant trap waters once again asking how this person he’s addressing ended up making out of the titular city. “Upper Echelon” bodies an exuberant trap beat from Taurus talking about reaching higher levels of quality within the past 3 & half years while “Roxy Paparazzi” goes full pluggnb admiring his girl’s beauty.

“All In” kicks off the final quarter of Sk8’s full-length debut blending cloud rap, trap & pop rap telling a stripper to work that pole while “Black Sheep” continues to pull inspiration from the regalia subgenre talking about his own personal experiences of feeling like an outcast. “R.I.P. Scooter” dedicates itself to the late Young Scooter who was killed in broad daylight on his birthday late last March & the closer “Nameless” cloudily talks about not changing shit if he had the chance to rewind time.

It’s been over a couple years since Sk8star initially announced Designer Junkie the end of 2023 & his major label debut culminates the long road he took to stardom surpassing every single extended play he’s made within the past 5 years. He’s evolved from the boy we met looking to reach Superstar Status in the midst of his own struggles to the man he’s become today, honing in on his chemistry with Richie Souf handling a great deal of the production & refining Sk8’s sound.

Score: 4/5

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J. Cole – “The Fall-Off” review

Fayetteville, North Carolina rapper, singer/songwriter & producer J. Cole finishing his career with his 7th & final album. At this point, I’m pretty sure everyone & their mom knows who dude is. Especially given the universal acclaim of projects like The Warm Up, Friday Night Lights, Born Sinner & my personal favorite: 2014 Forest Hills Drive. 4 Your Eyez Only & K.O.D. however were both released to mixed reception. Matter of fact: my review for K.O.D. is amongst my most controversial. I don’t get shit for it anymore but at the time when I gave it a 6/10, Cole stans were on my ass for the next 2-3 weeks. Almost a decade later: my opinions on that & 4YEO haven’t changed at all but that’s not the point. The Off-Season was the most I’ve enjoyed a Cole project since FHD & Might Delete Later was the worst tape he ever made, dropping The Fall-Off after a decade in the making.

After the “29” intro, the first song “2 6” gets the victory lap going with a boisterous trap beat produced by Omen & T-Minus talking about Cumberland County residents usually wylin’ out whereas “Safety” takes the boom bap route instrumentally thanks to Powers Pleasant & Wu10 telling all of his homies what’s changed with him since he left. “Run a Train” keeps the kicks & snares in the fold asking what anyone knows about him although the Future hook sounds like a bad  impression of himself leading into the self-produced “Poor Thang” working in a sample & some hi-hats to speak of young pups playing war games.

“Legacy” has to be one of the weaker tracks here because the topic of commitment issues doesn’t do a whole lot for me personally, but “Bunce Road Blues” featuring Future & Tems makes up for it whether it be the nocturnally dusty beat from The Alchemist to Cole’s verse written in the form of a suicide note being countered by both guests’ melodic performances. “Who TF Iz U?” finds Vinylz sampling “Drop a Gem on ‘Em” by Mobb Deep talking about a real one coming through while “Drum n Bass” advises to stay inside because it ain’t safe out around his parts over a piano-inflicted trap instrumental.

We get some cheap guitars in the midst of Cole asking himself whether he’ll survive “The Let Out” or not prior to Boi-1da playing a role in the 2-parter “Bombs in the Ville / Hit the Gas” talking about life being a film that can’t be rewinded & staying violent at all times. “Lonely at the Top” returns to the boom bap admitting that he didn’t understand the meaning of that phrase in his late 20s until FNZ divides “39” in 2 halves providing some insight to his mindset making a similar trip back home except he’s a little closer to finding the peace he’s been seeking.

“The Fall-Off is Inevitable” continues Disc 2 telling the story of his life in reverse over this funky beat while “The Villest” flips “The Realest” by Mobb Deep & Kool G Rap wanting you to know dreams do come true. “Old Dog” talks about learning new tricks over an energetic trap instrumental while the summery “Life Sentence” declares itself to be the realest shit Cole has ever written in his whole entire career dedicating itself to anyone who knows what it’s like to do life with someone in a time where it could be easy to give up. 

Pop rap & pop reggae get fused on “Only You” featuring Burna Boy for an ode to Cole’s wife Melissa Heholt while “Man Up Above” samples “Never Would’ve Made It” by Marvin Sapp giving all his praises to God. One of my all-time favorite Common tracks “The Light” gets flipped on “I Love Her Again” courtesy of Jake One talking about the renewed passion he had for hip hop after apologizing for “7 Minute Drill” a lot like “I Used to Love H.E.R.” & addressing Kendrick Lamar’s beef with Drake.

2 of the most iconic hip hop artists of all-time 2Pac & The Notorious B.I.G. fictitiously apologize to each other for the 90s east coast/west coast beef over the course of Beat Butcha & Tae Beast dustily producing “What If” preceding the drumless “Quik Stop” talking about changing our ways based on the differences we make. “& the Whole World is the Ville” samples “Love Put Me in the Corner” by The Isley Brothers with the help of BoogzDaBeast representing Dreamville & the closer “Ocean Way” uses the same Sekou sample Kevin Abstract did for “Text Me” comparing love to a candle wick in the rain.

The Fall-Off has been said for the past decade to be the greatest achievement in J. Cole’s discography & I wouldn’t be mad if anyone puts it above 2014 Forest Hills Drive even if I’d put this behind the latter for right now. The concept of Cole World: The Sideline Story gets bridged full circle regardless of myself leaning more towards Disc 2 than Disc 1 in terms of consistency, depicting himself traveling back to his hometown when he had accomplished the impossible in New York & when he had backed out of the Kendrick/Drake feud once it started escalating.

Score: 4/5

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Joji – “Piss in the Wind” review

Joji is a 32 year old rapper, producer, singer/songwriter & internet personality from Osaka, Japan making his full-length debut in 2017 with Pink Season. He would go on to follow it up with the sophomore effort Ballads & then Nectar, signing to Warner Records for his previous full-length Smithereens. Forming his own label distributed by Virgin Music called Palace Creek following his departure from the 88rising collective, he’s ready to begin this new era of his career declaring his independence in the form of his 5th studio album.

The self-produced “Pixelated Kisses” featuring Yeat on the remix blends alternative R&B, rage, witch house, trap soul & wave music talking about online relationships just before “Cigarettes” moodily uses the tobacco product as a metaphor for being burnt out. “Last of Dying Breed” combines alt-pop, alternative R&B, outsider house, neo-psychedelia & chillwave to grieve the rarity of an ex-girlfriend leading into “Love You Less” experimenting with dream pop, indie rock, shoegaze & jangle pop to sing about a toxic relationship.

“If It Only Gets Better” explores alt-pop, alternative R&B, indie folk, folktronica, wonky, trip hop & bedroom pop tackling the forever relevant subject of change just before “Love Me Better” sings about how he could’ve stayed with this woman he’s no longer seeing if she cherished him a lot more than she did. “Piece of You” feels more like a GIVĒON track since he handles a great deal of the performances despite the Kenny Beats instrumental while “Hotel California” heads for a lo-fi direction singing about a woman who makes his heart beat fast.

As for “Tarmac”, we have Joji finding himself emotionally stuck & looking for a way to something that felt authentic over some unsettling guitar passages while “Forehead Touch the Ground” spaciously sings about the inability of him trying to get this person out of his head. “Past Won’t Leave My Bed” ends the 1st half combining piano rock, adult contemporary, singer/songwriter & space rock revival for a personification of sleep while “Fade to Black” feels like a 75 second interlude performed by 4Batz.

“Can’t See Shit in the Club” brings some trap soul undertones in the mix for a spiritual successor to the 2020 loosie “F.T.C. (Fuck the Club)” until Dylan Brady joins Kenny Beats behind the boards during “Sojourn”, singing about a kind of love that’s in the middle of being eternal & unremembered. “D.Y.K.I.L.Y. (Don’t You Know I Love You?)” digs up an outtake from the Balladssessions to make a finished version of it while “Rose Colored” produced by BNYX of Working on Dying makes room for Yeat to spit 1 last verse so Filthy Frank can handle the hook.

Nearing the LP’s final moments, “Silhouette Man” slows down Joji’s vocals over this cloudy beat portraying himself as a shadow while “Fragments” mostly performed by Don Toliver sings about desiring pieces of his partner Kali Uchis since he can’t promise her eternity. “Horses to Water” hooks up a bassline & some pianos responding to people claiming the water’s different that it all tastes the same but after the repetitively written “Strange Home” sings about losing a part of him, the industrial outro “Dior” concludes with a chorus asking the woman he’s in love with if he’ll ever get the chance of seeing her again.

The teasers building up to Piss in the Wind gave me the impression that Joji would make the most enjoyable body of work in his career since a great deal of his output until this point has been average at best & it very much succeeds at capturing his artistic evolution since his YouTube days. Parts of wave music, lo-fi hip hop, trap soul, art pop, rage, witch house, trap soul, indie folk, folktronica, wonky, trip hop, bedroom pop, outsider house, neo-psychedelia, chillwave, dream pop, indie rock, shoegaze, jangle pop, piano rock, adult contemporary, singer/songwriter & space rock revival all get incorporated into his alt-pop/alternative R&B sound in a versatile manner to compliment his melancholic songwriting & it feels like more of a complete product than Smithereens did.

Score: 3.5/5

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