New surprise extended play from Detroit trap outfit the WRLD Tour Mafia consisting of Rafa, DaeMoney, WTM Solid, WTM Miles, WTM Re, WTM Amex & WTM Bankroll. Originally forming in 2019, they dropped their debut mixtape World Tour Mafia or Die a couple summers later followed by Tourmania the fall after that & the Mob Ties EP. Tourmania II marked DaeMoney’s final appearance as a member until his initial departure until returning after Sweat, Tours & C.$.B. (Cross $tate Boys) strictly For the Fans.
“Common Name” by Rafa & WTM Solid starts us off with both of them trading bars with each other whereas “Tour Signs” by DaeMoney, Rafa & WTM Miles produced by the latter alongside LulRose to get back to basics. “Never Seen B4” by WTM Re & WTM Solid talks about pulling off shit they haven’t done previously but once “Quarter Zip” by Rafa & WTM Amex gets on their gangsta shit together, “Goated” ends the EP with a proper posse cut.
These guys’ last couple of full-lengths each have their fair share of tracks I still revisit even if I wouldn’t rank either of them in the same category as the Tourmania series & For the Fans dethrones the original Mob Ties to become the WRLD Tour Mafia’s greatest EP, putting all the bullshit Rafa had with Slae aside for a celebratory reunion over this tight collection of beats catered to none other than the Detroit sound giving the world only a taste of what we can expect from them hereon out.
Yes, we have a new extended play & the 76th overall from Atlanta, Georgia emcee/producer Tha God Fahim. Starting as an affiliate of Griselda Records & being 1/3 of the Dump Gawds alongside Mach-Hommy & Your Old Droog, we also can’t ignore the massive discography that he’s managed to build for himself, some of the standouts include Breaking Through tha Van Allen Belts & Dump Assassins. He’s been putting out amongst his best material in the past few years like the Camoflauge Monk-produced Dark Shogunn Assassin, the Nature Sounds-backed Iron Bull, the Nicholas Craven-produced Dump Gawd: Shot Clock King tetralogy, the Oh No-produced Berserko, the Mike Shabb-produced Dump Gawd: Rhyme Pays, Tha Supreme Hoarder of All Pristine Wealth, Supreme Dump Legend: Soul Cook Saga produced by Cookin’ Soul, Machine Gun Vocabulary produced by Cartune Beatz, Slam Dump alongside it’s sequel, the self-produced Ultimate Rapper 5000 Guillotine & of course the historic Dump Gawd: Hyperbolic Time Chamber Rap anthology. However, he’s running it back with Drega33 for a 5th installment of the Lethal Weapon series.
“Lethal Weapon” hooks up a sample-driven boom bap instrumental talking about haters trying to decline the mastermind now that he’s been reactivated whereas “Vega” strips the drums to explain his whole function being leaving deathtrap in both the rap game & the trap. “All I Know” expresses his desire of trying to make millions & the wrong move resulting in facing time while “Times of War” soulfully talks about harmony coming before conflict sometimes.
Kicking off the 2nd half, “Verses N Curses” continues the sampling so Fahim can sling lightning while “New Life” featuring Jay NiCE jazzily talks about doing this shit for the next generation. “Stimulate the Mind” treads the drumlessly jazzy, soulful waters speaking of keeping his head high because he’s the chosen one until “Wear Fear n Love” concludes Lethal Weapon 5 talking about defining greatness as opposed to it defining him.
It’ll be almost 7 months since I last covered Tha God Fahim when Slam Dump 2 came out, which I’m not gonna beat around the bush admitting the reasons for being because neither The Blacker the Berry or Tha Nighthawk Chapter impressed me like his past material AND I felt like a break having reviewed him literally dozens of times in only a few years. Lethal Weapon 5 on the contrary has me more optimistic of his output ahead of Fanonmenal later this month from the improved production to the focused performances.
Here we have the 2nd mixtape from Atlanta, Georgia rapper & producer 9 Vicious. Breaking out in 2024 off the single “U Fancy” despite releasing his debut tape Naz in 2020, he would go on to further introduce himself on B4SA & the full-length debut Studio Addict helped him gain more exposure to the point where Young Thug signed him to YSL Records after B4TM dropped & Tumblr Music wasn’t that bad of a debut for the label other than “Clout Demons”. B4FN & For Nothing have both become the best things he’s made since the YSL deal, leaving when the Uy Scuti Bøyz consisting of diamond* & Tezzus signed. B4EM & Emotions were both welcomed to mixed reception, coming off his beef with che & Ken Carson recently dissing him to drop Sedition ahead of Sex Money Power & Peace n Love.
“Anytime” begins with a rage beat from Patrick Garza for some mediocre gangsta rap bars whereas “Cracker” obnoxiously talks about him having sex with a white person. “Mind Racing” rambles on regarding a woman who he’s constantly thinking of & claiming to be the biggest in the game leading into “Sing to Your Heart” includes a hilarious bar about him having a good heart considering all of the controversies he’s constantly getting himself in.
As much as I love Patrick’s instrumental on “Roq & Kobe”, I can’t say the same for 9’s lyrics claiming to be freakier than Kevin Gates or having a girl who “eat the dick like a big back” while “Classy Girls” preludes Sex Money Power in the midst of talking about his women having class. “Stranger Things” denies OsamaSon’s claims that he pulled up to his house to end the 1st half of the tape while “Ace & Nicky / Casino” opens up the 2nd leg with a 2-parter.
“Chateau Moment” talks about pulling up to the wedding venue out in Clayton County with a bunch of hoes by his side while “Zone 3” splits itself into 2 separate portions touching base regarding his wealth. “Fuck Flags” responds to the backlash he got for waiving an Israeli flag onstage at a show in Prague a couple months ago while “U.O.E.N.O.” featuring NDO D homages the Rocko single of the same name that came out back when I was in high school.
The song “Sardinia” winds down Sedition’s final moments talking about being out in Italy with his toes out & a couple baddies accompanying him while “Go Bestie” produced by R8 discusses having sex in the back of a car & spending 20 in exchange for a neck piece. “To Be Continued” sends off the tape with 1 last 2-parter talking about all of his struggles fading away whenever he looks in the eyes of his partner & encouraging her not to let anyone else convince her she isn’t the biggest.
It is somewhat refreshing for 9 Vicious to let Patrick Garza handle most of the cloudy trap/rage production aside from R8 doing the last couple joints & a few other exceptions but unfortunately, Sedition doesn’t stick out any more than Emotions did although in no way shape or form does that imply that I’m looking forward to Sex Money Power whether it drops within the newest or in 2027 mostly because of the below average songwriting & of course his antics.
Jhené Aiko is a 28 year old singer/songwriter, musician & producer from Los Angeles, California who was supposed to debut in the early 2000s until Epic Records shelved her. She would eventually return in 2011 when I was in 8th grade for her debut mixtape Sailing Soul(s), which resulted in No I.D. signing her to his Def Jam Recordings imprint ARTium Recordings. She has since become the label’s most prominent artist following her debut extended play Sail Out, her full-length debut Souled Out, the sophomore effort Trip & lastly Chilombo only a week prior to the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic taking full effect.
After the “Wild Cat(s)” intro, “Ghost” opens up with this moody instrumental singing about being in a loop whereas “Break” made for a decent alternative R&B single telling Big Sean to take his time upon their split after being together for a decade. I was disappointed Ab-Soul only did ad-libs instead of having a verse on “Love Bomb” although Jhené does holds it down well by herself singing about getting active until “Ceiling” freestyles over a summery boom bap beat cautioning she’s the bitch you shouldn’t do wrong.
“Nothing Nice to Say” explains the very reason she hasn’t been quiet in the midst of someone lying straight to her face just before “He Belongs” instrumentally brings a woodwind in the picture singing about a man who fits in with every woman he meets & everyone else except her. “Like, Whatever” featuring Tyga pretty much encapsulates my feelings towards the latter’s verse & the worst guest appearance here while “You” sings about having a million reasons why this dude isn’t the guy.
To bridge Westside Whimsy, we have Jhené advising “Don’t Be That Guy” taking it back to the boom bap vibes explored earlier leading into “Lullaby” going full alternative R&B again singing about how she’d rather close her eyes than leave his side. “Neighbors” featuring her new partner Larry June blends PBR&B with hip hop expressing the love at first sight they had for one another while “Mine” produced by Boi-1da & PARTYNEXTDOOR sings about feeling happy being with Larry.
“So Good” featuring Kendrick Lamar trades verses over one of the absolute smoothest beats Sounwave has ever made playing off each other perfectly while “Beach Boy” sings about needing a person who knows how to ride when the tide’s too high in the evening. “Unicorn” asks if it would be lovely if she & Larry had their own paradise likening their love to an island only they can go to while “I Don’t Mind” sings about feeling the envy of others whenever she steps inside the room.
The song “Nami’s Haiku” dedicates a brief collection of short form poetry to her daughter & eldest child Namiko Browner over a spacious alternative R&B beat while “A Living Light” takes some more stripped-back approach in terms of sound singing about dying at night only to be reborn in the morning right when the sun comes up. The closing track “Golden Coast” featuring nu jazz duo OHMA spends Westside Whimsy’s remaining minutes telling this individual shining through their darkest nights that they still have plenty of light left.
Confessing the reason it took so long for Jhené Aiko to come back was because life knocked her on her ass, Westside Whimsy still remains a solid comeback regardless of it not reaching the same pedestal Souled Out had when she has the capability of surpassing it. The neo-soul, alternative/contemporary R&B, pop rap & smooth soul production feels grounded in her west coast origins recapping everything that’s happened to her since COVID with a guest list who mostly deliver other than only 1 blatant exception.
This is the 3rd studio LP from Trenton, New Jersey emcee, singer/songwriter, producer & music video director Jerry. You may know him for coming up as 1/2 of the duo MellowHype alongside Left Brain in the mid/late 2000s under the original moniker Hodgy Beats prior to helping I Smell Panties, Casey Veggies & The Jet Age of Tomorrow form the impactful albeit now defunct alternative hip hop collective Odd Future. He was also the first person in the Wolf Gang to put out a solo effort, dropping his debut mixtape The Dena Tape only 9 months after the crew put out their 1st tape as a unit The Odd Future Tape. Higashi Miyagi would go on to expand his solo discography with 2 more mixtapes & 3 EPs prior to his full-length debut Fireplace: TheNotTheOtherSide a day before my 20th birthday which to this day, I still think it’s possibly the most criminally overlooked offering that we’ve gotten since OF’s disbandment due to how much growth was shown on that album. Entitled was a solid comeback experimenting with contemporary R&B on top of a predominant west coast trap sound, coming off the singer/songwriter explorations of lovemesooner & No Receipt to get in his Gayngsta shit.
After the intro, the title track hops over a bell-woven trap beat so he can talk about being a G whereas “lose your mind” goes for a melodic approach in terms of delivery acknowledging his awareness of this woman doing her best. “slickrick” comes through with more energetic rap verses over a synth-driven instrumental talking about a swindler trying to get shit outta him just before “options” confronts a woman for calling him selfish when he helped her move out the country.
“halloween” chaotically talks about needing the pressure since he’s on the verge of exploding whole “vvs” atmospherically shows off his singing chops once again recalling a woman going away after saying the wrong thing. “pay mee” reaches the midway point of Gayngsta talking about taking whatever he wants in a robbery watching out for schemin’ bitches & double teamers while “W.W.J.D. (What Would Jesus Do?)” includes a line homaging the late, great MF DOOM & talks about running the block so long he’s reached O.G. status.
Continuing the 2nd half, “UK” experiments with a UK drill sound warning that he’ll run up in the flats of anyone disrespecting his family while “wrong” psychedelically confronts a woman who he believes is worth his time although that might not be the case. “skid row” talks about experiencing this world until he died, reaching his prime in his mid-30s & muhfuckas being straight up bums while “east orange” brings some rage vibes to the table reminding everyone of his New Jersey origins.
“heart open” winds down the last few moments of Gayngsta singing about love once more on top of this glitchy beat while “lil bop” cloudily describes a woman who gets dicked down constantly & being content with her running around the streets as long as she isn’t a thot. “n.g.c.o. (not getting cheated on)” talks about going out with a smile on his face & denying the implications of his partner being unfaithful to him while “fairy” ends the album assuring that he doesn’t have anything to worry over.
Jerry himself confirmed at the beginning of the week that he would no longer be rapping because he hasn’t felt inspired to continue making music in that vein for some time, which already seemed apparent when lovemesooner & No Receipt both came out. But unfortunately, Gayngsta doesn’t leave much of a lasting impression on me compared to Fireplace: TheNotTheOtherSide or even the untitled EPs & both installments of The Dena Tape series. Sure it’s bittersweet to hear him making 1 last hip hop offering until fully embracing the singer/songwriter in him, I was admittedly expecting more out of the production.
M.I.N.E. Entertainment founder Rio da Yung O.G. straight outta Flint, Michigan back for a sophomore effort. Breaking through the local trap scene during the latter portion of the previous decade under the mentorship of Peezy signing to #Boyz Entertainment in tandem with EMPIRE Distribution, 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 7 years. Rio Circa 2020 was a solid EP celebrating his 30th birthday but coming off Rio Free & F.L.I.NT. (Feel Like I’m Not Through), he wants everyone to know The World is Yours.
“Be Like Me” sets the tone of what’s to come with this Flint trap intro talking about everyone else wanting to be inside of his shoes whereas “Superstar” featuring Veeze finds the pair over a Detroit tap instrumental depicting gangsta rap imagery in their own distinctive fashions. “Lemme Guess” makes a number of assumptions ranging from a woman getting sexually involved with another guy to helping a couple get rich while “Laced Blunts” featuring Trippie Redd poses the question of whether one’s slime or not.
F1LTHY of Working on Dying gets behind the boards for one of my favorite tracks here “Lost My Voice” flexing that he’s talked so much shit to there point where his voice gave out while “Canal St.” discusses having nothing but blue strips on him. “Easter Pink” featuring Rylo Rodriguez links up so they can decently talk about the lean in their cups while “100% Alcohol” vents over a woman getting drunk off some Mexican shit asking all sorts of stupid questions.
“Button Up” featuring RMC Mike reminds the world of what makes them amongst Flint’s most beloved duos spitting straight bars without the need of a hook while “Milwaukee Bucks” produced by Danny G was another highlight talking about chasing the cheese despite not being a snitch. “Finna Drop (Tour)” hits the midway point of the album remaining hood despite him leaving Flint years ago while “Rocks Off” featuring Judah Weston teams up so they can decent get sexual.
YN Jay appears on “New York Minute” running it back with F1LTHY boasting of being the wealthiest to ever come out of their city while “Work Different” warns that getting on his bad side would be stupid as fuck. “Crooked Elbow” featuring the current 2-time WWE United States Champion Trick Williams’ manager Lil Yachty & Tierra Whack finds all 3 of them getting hardcore while “Peach Nehi” over some pianos & bells talking about dudes being sweeter than licorice.
“Kinda Anxious” talks about how he smells like a scald weighing a brick while “Not the Best Liar” admits that he isn’t the greatest at lying. “Get It Back (Zoom Meeting)” chops up a vocal sample continuing to depict the gangsta lifestyle while “Who Did the Body?” featuring Monaleo talks about applying pressure. “Douchebag” makes a clear distinction of being a boss instead of someone contemptible while “Okay wit Dat” talks about never being broke as long as his phone’s functioning.
This guy’s steadily been on the most prolific run of his whole career ever since coming home a few years back & The World is Yours keeps Rio da Yung O.G.’s consistency streak alive recording a majority of it in the middle of an ongoing tour in promotion for the very album capturing his grind & artistic evolution in the middle of keeping the unfiltered style of lyricism he’s become known for as nasty as he’d prefer it to alongside a respectable cast of big names joining him.
Bonobo is a 50 year old downtempo producer from Brighton, East Sussex, England, United Kingdom who made his full-length studio debut at the turn of the millennium with the widely praised Animal Magic preceding him signing to the London indie label Ninja Tune. Dial ‘M’ for Monkey as well as Days to Come & Black Sands all received similar reception despite The North Borders, Migration & Fragments respectively leaving people divided. The teasers building up towards his 8th & most likely final studio LP right here made for some of his most promising material in a long time & I had to find out whether or not those expectations were met.
After the “Dawn” intro, the opening composition “Cycles” lays out the stall quite well for what’s to come cooking up a house instrumental with some live strings in the fold whereas the 2nd single “Fire on the Water” by Arooj Aftab takes a more downtempo approach singing about a fire being set in the water. The 3rd single “Drift” was conceived after he was messing with a 70’s synthesizer feeling like a cross between Trentmøller & Moby while “Talk to Me” by Nicole Miglis blends UK garage, progressive breaks & 2-step to sing about loneliness.
“Uncasually” comes through with a powerful cross between house & techno remembering a friend of Bonobo’s who had passed away a few years ago just before “Always on Your Side” by Joy Crookes reaches the halfway point singing about feeling overwhelmed by the negativity in this world. “Youth’s Fountain” by Nilüfer Yanya hooks up a prominent acoustic guitar looking to do anything because this person’s too far to save her while “Shokoufeh” interestingly builds itself around sampling an Iranian caltax performer of the same name.
Aanya Martin takes the microphone for “Can’t You See” admitting that she hasn’t been herself while “ID700” pulls out the titular Buchla modular synth for one of my favorite tracks here largely in part of the psychedelic vibes. “Me & You” samples “Mother, I Will Reveal” by Amai Ndinlule for a passable deep tech & stutter house lead single but once “Equinoctial” layers some textual Japanese vocals performed by Ichiko Aoba over an ambient instrumental, “Mercury” enlists guitarist Kanako Yamamoto for a guzheng outro ending the album the way it began.
Closing the book on the traditional sense of what a Bonobo full-length is, this new era of mini-projects including extended plays going forward kicks off with a varied collection of material that’s mostly average compared to his other stuff. I can commend the house, deep tech, melodic house, deep house, downtempo, trip hop, UK garage, progressive breaks, 2-step, stutter house & ambient production searching for pieces of intimacy in something transcendentally vast even if Distance in Static feels equally safe as it’s predecessors for over a decade.
This is the 8th extended play from West Palm Beach, Florida rapper/producer vax. Someone who would eventually go on to drop his last 7 EPs since 2023 after beginning to make music at the age of 12 including New Jazz as well as Forgive My Sins & Pyramid Scheme, with Is This You? following my personal favorite of the bunch Throne. Coming off #B4BlueDawn along with the full-length debut Blue Dawn & more recently Steeze, a sophomore effort called Vaxination has begun being teased with B4VXN.
“Molly” incorporates this digicore instrumental to kick things off talking about stealing bitches & doing ecstasy with them prior to “Tony Montana” named after Scarface’s main character shouting out DC Studios CEO & Coyote vs. Acme producer/writer James Gunn. Hitting the midway point, “Sorry” hops over a rage beat so he can talk about knowing how to apologize while “AWOL”combines digicore & free car music admitting to being under the influence. “Dirty Ride” expresses his desires of becoming a wealthy corporate titan preceding “Trinity” featuring Westwood talks about wasting their time & ability on women who don’t love ‘em
Vaxination isn’t coming out until 2027 from what I understand so if this is the last time we’ll hear vax for the rest of the year, I’d say B4VXN gives us another brief dosage of decent rage/digicore similarly to the previous EP he put out earlier this summer. A large portion of the production other than the single was more uninteresting than Steeze a couple months ago but either way, I’ll give this the benefit of the doubt since I know he can make something that will turn more heads than Blue Dawn did this spring.
Here we have the 2nd extended play from Sacramento, California emcee/producer Mi$tuh G. Emerging within the underground at the beginning of this current ongoing decade off the strength of his full-length debut G Files, I myself was subsequently introduced to his music in the summer of 2020 back when the whole world shut down as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic through his debut EP G.W.O. (G-World Order) conceptually revolving around all the events that had transpired at that point. He & Mak7teen brought Your Worst Nightmare to life a year later & coming off Keep It G back in 2024, he’s looking at things from a Bird’s Eye View.
“Thought It Was Over” after the titular intro hops on top of this nervous instrumental talking about shutting down any & all opposition whereas “Hatin’ on My Name” continues from there firing back at everyone who’s been disrespecting him. “Go” featuring Rayven Justice links up to talk about their desires of parting with naughty women while “B.T.A. (Bounce That Ass)” properly concludes the 1st half of Bird’s Eye View cooking up a decent strip club ballad.
The self-produced “Krown Me King” could most likely be my personal favorite track on the entire EP talking about never slowing down & taking the throne that’s rightfully his while “The 7th Letter” continues the 2nd leg proclaiming himself to be the big boss & never fallin’ off. “Kold as Me” winds down the last several minutes talking about nobody in his city being able to touch him lyrically just before “Family 1st” featuring Illa Jay & Mak7teen finds the trio rising above the dirt together.
A great bulk of this was conceived following Mi$tuh G’s recent experiences of backstabbing as well as broken loyalties & people smiling in his face despite praying on his downfall when he isn’t looking, which is why I’d consider Bird’s Eye View to be some of the most personal music he’s ever made. He’s painting a dark depicting of the price of elevation after realizing some of the closest people in our lives are the very reason some distance themselves out of necessity instead of making it personal.
Detroit, Michigan emcee Valid surprise-dropping his 2nd mixtape. Introducing himself properly over a decade ago with Reach High, he would follow it up in 2019 getting more personal on the sophomore effort Mihajlo which I personally would recommend to anyone as the best place to start for anyone who wants to get up on Valid’s music & eventually the Plum Brandy EP only 9 months later. Coming off The Bronko Tape & Peach Brandy, he’s preluding this next chapter of his career with a Bronko Tape sequel.
“See It Twice” hops over a synth-driven boom bap beat Pig Pen cooked up talking about the rap game making him fatter than he’s ever been whereas “Gitchya Money” produced by Big Tone continues from there with a funky 2 & a half minute ode to making bread. “Riverwalk” embraces a smoother yet spacier vibe instrumentally talking about chillin’ close to the river staying fresh while “Debt Free” asks the world if anyone has the luxury of having no debts to pay off.
Huey 11 appears on “Champaign Knights” taking a more seductive approach from the subject matter to the Simple Cuts beat just before “Once in a Blue” featuring Kool Keith hits midway point admitting to smoking weed occasionally. “Live My Life” featuring eLZhi & Mikri Maus acknowledges those envious of the trio’s lifestyles while “Matter of Respect” featuring Jon Connor feels like the Michigan version of former NWA World Tag Team Champions, 2-time IWGPタッグチャンピオン, inaugural 2-time TNA World Tag Team Champions, WWE Hall of Famers & former 18-time WWE tag team champions The Dudley Boyz.
“The Town” begins off the 4th quarter of The Bronko Tape 2 combining kicks, snares & vibraphone taking through the Motor City where nothing’s unheard of while “Burying You” shows off Peace of Mind’s ear for sampling talking about a someone smacking up a hoe at 4 in the morning after learning she was fucking someone else until she slits his throat in self-defense. “Pašteta” featuring Noti Limun once again takes a few moments to show more love towards Valid’s Balkan heritage while “Passing Down” advises against being like him losing the ones you love the most.
Valid takes it back to what made The Bronko Tape such an exciting listen coming up almost 3 years ago in preparation for his upcoming European tour set to kick off at the end of the month making further comparisons to to Bronko Lubich who competed in the Billy Corgan owned National Wrestling Alliance (NWA), the Hart family-owned Stampede Wrestling, the WWE Hall of Famers Von Erich family-owned WCCW, the Crockett family-owned JCP & WWE Hall of Famer Verne Gagne-owned AWA from the early 50s to the early 70s considering their Serbian background & building their reputation behind the scenes.
Legends Will Never Die 