Joell Ortiz – “Monday” review

img_9980-1

Joell Ortiz is a 39 year old rapper who first gained recognition after being included in the Unsigned Hype column of The Source in 2004. He then signed to Aftermath Entertainment in 2006, who allowed him to release his debut album The Brick: Bodega Chronicles with E1 Music in the next year. Yaowa would eventually leave Aftermath in 2008 & form Slaughterhouse with Royce da 5’9”, KXNG CROOKED & Joe Budden shortly after. The supergroup rose to prominence with their self-titled debut that just celebrated it’s 10 year anniversary this year & would go on to sign with Eminem’s Interscope Records imprint Shady Records in 2011. But sadly, their major label debut welcome to: OUR HOUSE in the summer of 2012 would unfortunately end up being their last. Joell has been focusing on his solo career ever since then & not even a year after his Apollo Brown produced Mona Lisa, he’s hitting fans with his 7th full-length album.

After the titular intro, we go into the first song “Captain”. Where Joell talks about his place in hip hop over a stylistic Heatmakerz beat. The track “Sip Slow” is filled with clever battle bars over a joyous boom bap beat from Apollo Brown while the song “Champion” declares himself as just that over a tribal instrumental from Nottz. The track “Anxiety” vents about his insecurities over a soulful acoustic instrumental while the song “Same Time” talks about hearing a lot all at once over a boom bap beat with some strings.

The song “Learn You” talks about the sacrifices he made to chase his dreams over a grand Big K.R.I.T. instrumental then the track “Screens” talks about his kids & reflecting on his own childhood over a colorful J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League instrumental including a WWE reference. The song “Jamaican Food” is a lust anthem with a sweet minimalist beat while the track “Before Hip Hop” talks about his life before making music over some bongos & soulful background vocals. The penultimate track “Momma” of course pays tribute to Yaowa’s mother over an piano that suits the vibe & then the album ends with “Grammy”, where Joell talks about doing him over a boom bap beat with some more beautiful keyboard passages.

This is easily one of Yaowa’s best releases to date. The production is sweet to the ear & the lyrics are some of his most personal yet.

Score: 4/5

DJ Clay – “Over the Fear Of…” review

DJ Clay is a 35 year old producer, DJ & rapper from Detroit, Michigan whom the Insane Clown Posse signed to Psychopathic Records back in 2007. The man has released a handful of mixtapes since the mid-2000s but since recently starting up his very own label Armed Robbery Entertainment, he’s finally stepping out with his full-length debut album.

The album kicks off with “Over Fear”, where Clay talks about rising above his frights over a nocturnal trap beat. The next song “Fax” gets into battle mode over a boom bap beat with some plinky keyboards while the track “Don’t Quote Me” finds Clay totally snapping over a grimy trap beat. The song “Everybody” talks about his haters over a trap beat with a Godly atmosphere while the track “Apologies” finds Clay saying sorry for a number of things over a somber trap beat.

The song “Eyes Clozd” finds Clay talking to a therapist over a trap beat some alluring keyboards while the track “Just Like You” talks about being him over a very dynamic instrumental that switches up countless times. The song “Tear Up” is an aggressive club banger with a haunting synth-like & some skittering snares while the track “Running” tells the vivid story of a criminal over a horror-esque trap beat.

The song “Yeah Bro” is talks about wildin out over a grimy trap beat & a Three 6 Mafia inspired hook for a minute & a half while the track “Got It Wrong” talks about those who thought he was quiet over an atmospheric beat with some rubbery bass. The song “Fade Away” is an interesting trap rock ballad & then the album ends with “Numb”, where Clay talks about his success over a trap beat with some luscious piano chords.

If anyone wants to hear a talented DJ showing off his rapping abilities, then PLEASE give this a listen. Could’ve used a couple features to breakup the monotony, but his pen game is solid & the production goes absolutely HARD!

Score: 3.5/5

Common – “Let Love” review

Common is a revered Chicago, Illinois emcee who came up with the No I.D. produced albums Can I Borrow a Dollar?, Resurrection & 1 Day It’ll All Make Sense throughout the 90s. He then made his major label debut in 2000 with Like Water for Chocolate, which was followed up with the experimental Electric Circus in 2002. During the mid 2000s, he released a trilogy of albums with Kanye West’s GOOD Music beginning with Be, bridged by Finding Forever & then ending with Universal Mind Control. As for this decade, we saw Com reuniting with No I.D. on The Dreamer/The Believer & Nobody’s Smiling. Then came his last album Black America Again, which was released during the 2016 presidential elections. But with a new memoir out now, the man has seen fit to deliver his 12th album.

The album kicks off with “Good Morning Love”, where Common gets motivational over a smooth beat from Karriem Riggins (who produced almost every track on the album much like Black America Again). The next song “HER Love” pays tribute to hip hop over J Dilla’s “Dillatronic 41” & then after the Dwele interlude, the track “Hercules” talks to the haters over a funky beat. The song “5th Story” with Leikeli47 sees the 2 telling the tragic story of a married couple over an austere instrumental while the track “Forever Your Love” pays tribute to his parents over a meditative boom bap beat.

The song “Leaders (Crib Love)” talks about prevailing over some prominent live drumming while the track “Memories of Home” speaks for itself over a settle instrumental. The song “Show Me That You Love Me” with Jill Scott pays tribute to his daughter over a soothing instrumental while the penultimate track “My Fancy Free Future Love” pays tribute to his soulmate over a jazzy instrumental. The album then ends with “God is Love”, where Common gets spiritual over a piano-inflicted boom bap beat.

While it’s not perfect, it’s still an admirable effort from the man. The production is mostly gorgeous & it suits Common’s heartfelt lyrics pretty well.

Score: 3.5/5

Kuniva – “The Bando Theory” review

1280x1280

Kuniva is a 42 year old MC from Detroit, Michigan who started as 1/2 of Da Brigade with dEnAuN. Both of whom would go on to join D12 with Proof, Bizarre, Swifty McVay & of course Eminem. They released 2 platinum studio albums together in the early 2000s but when the group’s leader Proof was murdered in 2006, everyone began focusing on their solo careers. Kuniva released a slew of mixtapes throughout this decade, but made his full-length debut in 2014 with A History of Violence. This was followed up with a sequel tape in 2016 & 3 years later, he’s back on the scene with his sophomore album.

After the intro, we go into the title track. Where Kuniva talks about how real he is over a vicious instrumental. The next song “The Real” pays tribute to those who’ve remained in his circle over a mellow instrumental while the track “Boss Down” is filled with angry battle bars over a nocturnal trap beat from Nick Speed. The song “Shine” talks about maintaining successful over an instrumental with some subdued background vocals & a guitar popping in occasionally while the track “G.T.F.B. (Get The Fuck Back)” with 7 the General sees the 2 vividly describe someone trying to carjack them over an ominous beat.

The song “Weaponized” of course is laced with that gun talk over a killer rock sample while the track “Blue Note Lounge” with Fatt Father sees the 2 reclaiming their prowesses over a luscious instrumental. The song “Waldorf” talks about how fly he is & his competition being talentless over an eerie boom bap beat while the track “Victim” is an awkward auto-tune ballad with a buttery instrumental.

The song “Livin’ My Life” with Rod Dae needs no further explanation over a slick instrumental while the track “I Love Ya” pays tribute to hip hop over a punchy instrumental with some beautiful keys. The penultimate track “Red Hots & Faygo” talks about people who always have a problem with him over the same sample that RZA used for “Let My N****s Live” off of the Wu-Tang Clan’s 3rd album The W back in 2000 & then the album ends with “D.O.N.S. (Day One N****S)”, which of course pays tribute to his close homies over an atmospheric beat.

If y’all are looking into a Detroit OG getting back on his grind, then please give this a listen. Some of the hooks could’ve been better to me but for the most part: this thing has well incorporated features, great production & Kuniva’s pen game remains deadly.

Score: 3.5/5

RJ Payne – “Square Root of a Kilo” review

RJ Payne is an MC from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania that started off battling under the name Reignman. He recently signed with Black Soprano Family/Griselda Records back in May & promoted it with a decent mixtape entitled Leatherface. 3 months have passed since & he’s continuing his grind with his full-length debut.

After the 7 minute “Cocaine Radio Intro”, we go into the first song “The Payne”. Where RJ gets triumphant over a soulful beat. The track “A New Day” cements his prowess over a vocal sample with some horns while the song “The Smoke” with 38 Spesh sees the 2 flexing their lyrical abilities over a boom bap beat with a sample that gets annoying after a while. The track “Drumline” with Dark Lo sees the 2 spitting battle bars over a boom bap beat with a subdued soul sample while the song “Purge Night” speaks for itself over an eerie Daringer beat.

The track “Cocaine Symphony” truly lives up to its name fantastically from the pen game to DJ Shay’s production while the song “Hitman” sees RJ comparing himself to an assassin over a boom bap beat with some synths in the background. The track “Philly Soul” with O.T the Real describes the ghettos of their hometown over a settle instrumental while the song “My Dreams” explains RJ’s ambitions over a sweet soul sample.

“The GOAT” gets back on the battle bar tip over the exact same Cortex sample that Madvillain used for “1 Beer” while “The Love” preaches for positivity over a pretty piano instrumental. The penultimate track “Never Give In” with eLZhi sees the 2 spitting game over a funky bass-line & then the album ends with “Rebirth of the ROC”, where RJ teams with Da Fever & Sunnie Blac getting vicious over a symphonic beat.

As a debut album from someone with RJ’s longevity, this is pretty promising. Most of the instrumentals & some of the features could’ve been a little bit better personally, but there’s no denying that the dude sounds hungry on here & I really think BSF/Griselda is doing a great job bringing that hunger out.

Score: 3/5

BROCKHAMPTON – “GINGER” review

This is the 5th full-length album from San Marcos, Texas hip hop boyband BROCKHAMPTON. They first came together with an average debut mixtape in 2016 called ALL-AMERICAN TRASH, but it wouldn’t be until the following year that we saw them completely reinventing themselves by dropping the near-perfectly creative SATURATION trilogy. Then there’s the infamous sexual misconduct scandal revolving around the boyband’s most popular lyricist Ameer Vann last May, which resulted in him being kicked out of BROCKHAMPTON. A decision that to this very day is still polarizing by many. However, I think they managed to pull through shortly after with their last full-length album iridescence. Fast forward 11 months later, here we are with GINGER.

The album kicks off with “NO HALO”, where the boys sans de facto leader Kevin Abstract venting about personal issues over an acoustic instrumental from Jabari Manwa. The next song “SUGAR” gets romantic over another acoustic instrumental while the track “BOY BYE” talks about each member’s highs & lows over a quirky beat from Romil Hemnani & Q3. The short “HEAVEN BELONGS TO YOU” is a completely random slowthai song while the track “ST. PERCY” finds the boys charismatically bragging over a bassy instrumental & I absolutely love the Missy Elliott/Timbaland vibes during the hook. The track “IF YOU PRAY RIGHT” gets spiritual over a prominent tuba with Dom McLennon starting it off in a charming fashion while the song “DEARLY DEPARTED” addresses Ameer Vann’s dismissal over a cavernously melodic beat.

The track “I BEEN BORN AGAIN” talk about their newfound fame over a minimalist beat while the titular song finds Kevin teaming with Matt Champion & bearface to get a bit darker on the topical end over an inebriating beat. The track “BIG BOY” sees Kevin, bearface & JOBA recalling their childhood experiences over a dream-like instrumental while the penultimate song “LOVE ME FOR LIFE” finds everyone from then previous joint getting with Merlyn Wood over a lively yet subdued instrumental referencing SpaceX founded by Tesla CEO & Neuralink founder Elon Musk. The album then finishes with “VICTOR ROBERTS”, which is an introduction to a rapper with the same name over a bare piano instrumental.

This is the boys’ weakest album so far, but it’s still solid. Of course each song stands out in it’s own way, but it kinda lacks in catchiness both rapping-wise & instrumentally. Hopefully, they’ll step it up on the next effort.

Score: 3.5/5

Jeezy – “Thug Motivation 104: The Legend of the Snowman” review

Jeezy is a legendary 41 year old rapper from Atlanta, Georgia known for being one of the Big 3 pioneers of trap music alongside T.I. & Gucci Mane. He dropped 2 mediocre albums at the beginning of the 2000s, but it wouldn’t be until 2005 that he made his 1st big break with Thug Motivation 101: Let’s Get It. An album that completely revolutionized trap, spawned 2 sequels that’re both solid in their own rights & just celebrated it’s 14 year anniversary last month. In light of the latter, Jeezy has saw fit to deliver his 11th & allegedly final full-length album.

It all begins with “the enTRAPreneur”, where Jeezy proclaims himself as just that over an orchestral trap beat from MP808. The next song “Big Shit” charismatically brags over a nocturnal trap beat while the track “Look Like” gets confrontational over a rowdy beat. The song “Better Tell ‘Em” flaunts over a generic beat while the track “Mr. Pyrex” speaks for itself over a nondescript beat.

The song “Already Rich” speaks for itself over an infectious J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League instrumental while the track “1 Time” gets celebratory over an unexpected JAY-Z sample. The song “Oh Yea” with Ball Greezy is completely redundant despite the rhythmic beat while the track “White Keys” talks about the drug game over a piano-inflicted trap beat.

The song “MLK BVLD” with Meek Mill sees the 2 boasting over a haunting Lex Luger beat while the track “‘06” with Rick Ross sees the 2 over a luxurious instrumental. The song “Don’t Make Me” talks about designer material over a somewhat jazzy beat while the track “Fake Love” talks about just that over a smooth beat.

The song “All Night” with Gunna sees the 2 flexing over a wavy beat while the track “4Play” is of course a trite sex anthem. The song “Play It Safe” is a sensual follow-up to the previous cut that actually works a lot better while the penultimate track “Don’t Forget” gets reflective over a somber beat. The album then finishes with “The Real MVP”, where Jeezy pays homage to his mother over a beautiful instrumental.

If this truly is the last time we’ll ever hear Jeezy in a full-length capacity, he went out decently. He sounds focused, but the production is hit or miss with me.

Score: 3/5

Missy Elliott – “Iconology” review

This is the debut EP from Portsmouth, Virginia trailblazer Missy Elliott. In case you‘ve been living under a rock: Missy came into the game alongside Timbaland in 1997 with her groundbreaking debut Supa Dupa Fly. They maintained an impeccably close relationship since with Da Real World, Miss E…So Addictive, Under Construction & This Is Not a Test! all dropping throughout the late 90s & early 2000s. Timbo would go on to produce only the first 2 tracks on Missy’s LAST full-length album The Cookbook & that was back in 2005. We’ve only gotten a few appetizers for a comeback ever since from a couple loose singles to a halftime performance during Super Bowl XLIX, but it wasn’t until Missy would surprise the world with Iconology literally the day before it even came out.

The EP kicks off with “Throw It Back”, where Missy talks about shows her competition how it’s done over a bouncy trap beat. The next song “Cool Off” is a Miami Bass throwback while the penultimate track “DripDemeanor” gets sensual over a synth-funk beat. The EP then finishes with “Why I Still Love You”, where Missy provides the listener with a mellow R&B tune.

A lot of people including myself were expecting this to be her 7th full-length album, but I’ll take it as a decent EP. Not sure who did the production, but the beats are fine by their standards & Missy still has a captivating prowess. Also, the “This is a Missy Elliott exclusive” tag at the start of pretty much every song is annoying.

Score: 2.5/5

Powers Pleasant – “Life’s Beautiful” review

Powers Pleasant is a producer/DJ from Brooklyn, New York that came up as a member of the Pro Era & Beast Coast collectives. He’s had a hand in the instrumentals on some of the latter’s output from The Underachievers’ 3rd mixtape It Happened in Flatbush in 2016 to Joey Bada$$’ politically charged sophomore album ALL-AMERIKKKAN BADA$$ in 2017. However if the Beast Coast’s disappointingly average debut album Escape from New York earlier this year wasn’t enough, Powers has seen fit to drop an EP of his own.

After the “Sway’s Intro”, we go into the first song “Vintage Chanel”. Where Joey teams up with Kirk Knight as well as the 2 Dead Boyz to boast over an alluring trap beat. The next track “Please Forgive” by Denzel Curry, IDK, ZillaKami & Zombie Juice is a lyrical onslaught with an ominous beat while the song “Can’t Fucc Wit It” by Buddy & G Perico showcases the gritty life on the West Coast over an apocalyptic beat.

The track “Pull Up” by A$AP Ferg & Joey sees the 2 flexing over a cloudy trap beat while the song “Hit My Line” by AKTHESAVIOR, Jay Critch & Joey finds the 3 getting sexual over an intoxicating beat with a hook sounding totally ripped off from the Travis Scott playbook. The penultimate track “Purified” by Aaron Rose, CJ Fly & Joey talks about being blessed over a classy instrumental & then it closes out with a decent “Pull Up” sequel by the Beast Coast.

There’s not much else for me to say beyond that, this is a decent EP. Powers is definitely a talented producer, but 5 of the 8 tracks sound like leftovers from the Escape from New York sessions.

Score: 3/5

Rapsody – “Eve” review

Rapsody is a 36 year old MC from Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina that rose to prominence this decade with a handful of mixtapes & EPs. Her 2012 debut album The Idea of Beautiful continued to show her potential, but it wouldn’t be until the Roc Nation Records backed Laila’s Wisdom in 2017 that she would truly refine her style & sound almost perfectly. 2 years have passed & she has teamed up with Def Jam Recordings to deliver her highly anticipated 3rd full-length album.

The album kicks off with “Nina”, where Rapsody gets ambitious over a soulful beat. The next song “Cleo” sends a message to the naysayers over a boom bap beat from 9th Wonder sampling Phil Collins’ “In the Air Tonight” while the track “Aaliyah” ponders about that somebody over an Eric G beat with some beautiful background vocals. The song “Oprah” with Leikeli47 sees the 2 talking about being masters over an instrumental with some rubbery bass while the track “Whoopi” gets cocky over a quirky Khrysis beat.

The song “Serena” talks about not stopping over a restful instrumental while the track “Tyra” talking about how fine she is over a woozy beat. The song “Maya” talks about elevation over a soulful yet flute-heavy instrumental from 9th Wonder while the track “Ibtihaj” with GZA is pretty much a modern version of “Liquid Swords” down to the exact same Willie Mitchell sample.

The song “Myrlie” gets conscious over a glitchy vocal sample & after the “Reyna’s Interlude”, the next joint “Michelle” talks about a lady’s party over a funky beat. The track “Inman” with J.I.D sees the 2 paying tribute to black men over a minimalist yet luscious beat while the song “Hatshepsut” with Queen Latifah sees the 2 talking about being the right women for their fellas over a piano-inflicted boom bap beat. The penultimate track “Sojourner” with J. Cole sounds just as witty as it did on Jamla’s the Squad II last winter & then the album finishes with “Afeni”, where Rapsody is talking to abusive men over a grand instrumental.

All that being said, Rapsody gives us another example as to why she’s the best female lyricist in hip hop right now. The production is sweet to the ear & her intelligent bars never fail to amuse me.

Score: 4/5