Obie Trice – “The 5th” review

Obie Trice is a 41 year old MC from Detroit, Michigan that came up battling at the Hip Hop Shop during the late 90’s. It was there where he was introduced to Eminem, who would make Obie the 2nd act to ever sign to his Interscope Records imprint Shady Records in 2000 right after D12. He eventually made his debut in 2003 with Cheers, which is considered an underrated Detroit classic. This was followed up in 2006 with the solid 2nd Round’s on Me, but then Obie decided to leave Shady/Interscope in 2008 due to promotion issues. His first post-Shady release was a long lost album with MoSS the year after he left called Special Reserve, but Obie would go on to form his own label Black Market Entertainment in 2010 & his 2012 independent debut Bottoms Up was almost like he never left. Then came The Hangover in 2015 which was the last release of his to have an alcohol-themed title, but was weighed down with lackluster production. Fast forward to today, Obie is back in effect with his 5th full-length album.

The intro sees Obie pouring his heart out over a decent boom bap beat while the next song “This & That” talks about the things he has to do to get where he is now over beautiful piano instrumental. The track “Heartless” passionately vents over a soulful beat while the song “No” is a generic club banger. The track “Truth to Power” talks about the current state of hip hop over a beat with some ominous keyboards while the song “Ass” is a strip club anthem with a synth-heavy trap beat.

The track “Rollin’” flexes over a hellish beat while the song “Take It There” brags over a luscious beat. The track “Letter” talks about Obie’s younger self over an uplifting beat while the song “Space” with Xzibit sees the 2 talking about life in the hood over a spacious boom bap instrumental.

The track “92” reflects on that titular year over an instrumental inspired by Dr. Dre’s production work in the early 2000s while the song “185+Deuce” with Spice 1 & Swift McVay sees the 3 spitting gritty street bars over a keyboard heavy trap beat. The penultimate track “Hate” talk about those knockin’ on him over a lavish instrumental & then the album ends with “Smr”, where Obie talks about rappers who’re on the internet a lot & where he comes from over some Neptunes inspired keys.

This is a pretty decent comeback from one of Detroit’s most underrated MCs. The production has slightly stepped up in comparison to the last album & Obie’s pen game remains sharp.

Score: 3/5

Bill Shakes – “Eh?” review

This is the full-length studio debut from Blackburn, Lancashire, England, United Kingdom emcee Bill Shakes. Formerly a member of the Children of the Damned collective & currently apart of it’s successor the Cult of the Damned, he would eventually sign to the London imprint Blah Records & have Reklews produce his 2011 solo debut EP For Goodness Shakes. However when I learned that Lee Scott would be handling all of Eh?’s beats by himself, I knew this return for Bill would be special.

The entrancing boom bap instrumental on “Chips ‘n’ Gravy” was a great way to grab listeners’ attention for an intro talking about taking everything he wants for free whereas “Smartprice” featuring King Grubb finds the 2 ruggedly speaking of being the kings of the most high regardless of the altitude. “Tugay Kerimoğlu” shouts out the retired Turkish soccer player of the same name alongside Black Sabbath frontman & WWE Hall of Famer Ozzy Osbourne leading into “Once Upon a Time in Blackburn” telling a story taking place in his hometown.

“Yeah Yeah” ends the 1st half of the LP showing a more aggressive side to Bill from the raw beat to the aggressively confrontational lyricism while “Uvavu Kart 64” featuring King Grubb reunites the 2 so they can assure everything will be ok, but it wouldn’t be alright. “The Legend of B-Town” recalls a hot summer day in 2002 where he was hanging out with friends blending elements of funk & boom bap while “11:30” dustily talks about an assailant running from law enforcement after failing to apprehend him.

Jam Baxter appears on “Lost S07E01” making their own continuation of The Walt Disney Company-owned ABC hit sci-fi adventure drama series that ended back when I was in 7th grade while “Funkpellybrick” featuring Sly Moon hooks up a downtrodden piano sample keeping their mind on others’ money. “U What M8” wraps up Eh?experimenting with hip house & probably has the most repetitive songwriting out of another other track I mentioned previously.

Catching onto Bill Shakes through guest appearances on projects like Leaf Dog’s sophomore effort Dyslexic Disciple or Eric the Red’s debut Caught Red Handed, he makes his comeback nearly a decade later with the most personal material he’s ever conceived. The production’s significantly darker than For Goodness Shakes’ was during my final year of middle school & lyrically, Bill uses this opportunity to thematically gives flowers to the Lancashire town that made him the man we hear in front of us today.

Score: 4/5

Little Brother – “May the Lord Watch” review

Little Brother is a reasonably beloved Durham, North Carolina group consisting of MCs Phonte & Rapper Big Pooh. They originally started out as a trio with producer 9th Wonder, their first 2 albums together The Listening & The Minstrel Show being hailed as some of the best albums of the previous decade. 9th then decided to focus on a solo career in 2007 & Little Brother dropped their 1st album as a duo Getback later that year. Then in 2010, they released their previous full-length album Leftback & officially disbanded shortly after. Almost a decade later, Phonte & Pooh have reformed LB to deliver a comeback album.

The album begins with “The Feel”, where Phonte & Pooh look back at their careers up until this point over a synth-funk instrumental from Khrysis with some luxurious piano chords. After the “A Word from the President” skit, the next song “Everything” finds the duo thinking about just that over a boom bap beat with some twinkling keys. The track “Right on Time” reflects on their rough past over a J Dilla influenced instrumental from Nottz while the song “Black Magic (Make It Better)” talks about hustling over a Focus… instrumental with some harmonious vocals.

After the “Life After Blackface” skit, the song “Goodmorning Sunshine” pays tribute to their significant others over a mellow boom bap instrumental. After the “Dyana Change My Life” skit, the song “What I Came For” talks about getting some over a cloudy boom bap beat. Then after the “Inside the Producer’s Studio” skit, the song “Sittin’ Alone” talks about being chilling at home by yourself over a blissful boom bap beat.

The song “Picture This” talks about gratefulness over a dulcet instrumental from Black Milk. After the “N****s Hollering” skit, the penultimate track “All in a Day” talks about their grind in hip hop referencing WWE Hall of Famer Mike Tyson over a grand instrumental. The album then finishes with “Work Through Me”, where Phonte & Pooh going back & forth with each other over a funky boom bap beat.

Never thought this day would come, but I’m glad it did. Sure it’s only 37 & a half minutes long, but it’s like they never left. On top of Phonte & Rapper Big Pooh sounding very refreshed, Khrysis really comes through with the instrumental palate on here. My only complaint about the album is some of the skits but other than that, this is a fantastic comeback from one of the greatest groups hip hop has ever seen.

Score: 4/5

Curren$y – “Hot August Nights” review

Curren$y is a renown 38 year old rapper from New Orleans, Lousiana that first got his start with No Limit Records in 2002. He would then hop over to Young Money Entertainment & Cash Money Records in 2006, but eventually branched out in 2008 with his own label Jet Life Recordings. Since then, the man made a name for himself by dropping a handful of projects every single year. The most recent being a collab album with California rapper Berner last July, but a little over month has passed and he‘s teaming up with Nard & B to entirely produce his 16th EP.

Things start off with “Must Admit”, where Spitta talks about being that dude over a cavernous beat. The next song “Eyes Closed” brags over a chilled out beat while the track “Caught Her Lookin’” gets charismatic over a somewhat tropical beat. The song “Know It” talks about being paid over a mellow beat while the track “Another Score” flaunts over an atmospheric beat. The song “Never Had” talks about people who act like he’s always been broke over a cloudy beat & then the EP finishes with “Right Now”, where Spitta tells the differences between himself & his competition about over a spacious beat.

It’s not as good as Gran Turismo, but this is still solid. Nard & B go to show that they’re one of the most underrated producers in the mainstream right now as Spitta sounds charming as ever.

Score: 3.5/5

Blu – “Ground & Water” review

Blu is a underground titan from Los Angeles, California that rose to prominence with the seminal 20017 album Below the Heavens: In Hell Happy with Your New Imaginary Friend. The man would go on to release a slew of projects with different producers since from a duology EP series with Nottz to his latest album with Oh No & now he’s adding onto that as Redefinition Records founder Damu the Fudgemunk is producing his 5th EP right here.

The opener “Both of Them” starts off with some old fashioned turntablism, but then Blu comes in to reclaim his prowess out comes in during the last minute or so. The next song “Feet on the Ground” is a party cut with a funky boom bap beat while the track “Beast Mode” is an average posse cut with an orchestral boom bap beat.

The song “Share the Love” with Raw Poetic finds the 2 talking about the industry over a somber boom bap beat & after the jazzy “Get on Down” interlude, the title track pays tribute to his hometown over a sample of Leon Haywood’s “I Want’a Do Something Freaky to You”. The song “Rhymes & Gemstones” gets insightful over an Indian sample & then the EP finishes with “Grey Heaven”, where Blu gets spiritual over some a beat with some shaking bells.

This was a pleasant surprise to me. Blu continues to show how much of a sharp lyricist he is & Damu maintains to be one of the best producers that the underground has seen all decade.

Score: 4/5

A$AP Ferg – “Floor Seats” review

A$AP Ferg is a 30 year old rapper from New York City that came up as a member of the A$AP Mob. He made his debut in 2013 with Trap Lord, which was a a fantastic display of himself to the mainstream. This was followed up the next year with the Ferg Forever mixtape & that was succeeded by the excessively commercial A.$.A.P. (Always Strive And Prosper) in 2016. Then came Still Striving in 2017 which returned to his Trap Lord roots, but was overloaded with features. 2 years later, we’re finally getting new music from Ferg with his debut EP over here.

It all starts with the title track, where Ferg charismatically brags over a trap beat with some prominent party horns. The next song “Jet Lag” talks about how fly he is over a grimy trap beat while the track “Wam” talks about killing his competition over an alluring beat. The song “Wigs” with Asian da Brat sees the 2 getting raunchy over a hyphy beat while the track “Butt Naked” with Rico Nasty is a tongue-in-cheek sex anthem with a synth-heavy instrumental.

The song “Pups” with A$AP Rocky sees the 2 talking about their friendship over a fantastic B.T. Express sample while the track “Hummer Limo” flaunts over an intoxicating Timbaland beat. The penultimate track “Ride” is a mediocre R&B crooner & the closer “Dreams, Fairytales, Fantasies” with Brent Faiyaz continues to get raunchy over a spacey Salaam Remi beat.

For the 2 year wait, this was just ok. I get that he‘s fusing elements from both of his albums, but obviously the cuts that’re in vein of A.$.A.P. (Always Strive And Prosper) don’t do anything for me at all.

Score: 3/5

Kill ‘Em All – Self-titled review

cover-22-768x768 Kill ‘Em All is a newly formed duo consisting of New York spitter Mach-Hommy & legendary California producer DJ Muggs. The duo first came together last summer with the songs “Blue Horseshoes” & “Contagion Theory” off of the latest Soul Assassins album Dia del Asesinato, but they made their debut this past March with Tuez-Les Tous & if that wasn’t enough, Mach & Muggs are already hitting us with a sophomore album.

After the “Jolly Roger Introduction”, we go into the first song “Lady Justice”. Where Mach literally sounds like he’s rambling drunk over a soulful beat. The track “Apollon’s Wheels” gets mafioso with Your Old Droog sees the 2 over some strings while the song “Cessna 210” with Tha God Fahim sees the 2 flaunting over a boom bap beat with some sirens. The track “Force Majeure” talks about how far he’s come over a boom bap beat with some piano keys & while the next 3 songs all feature verses from Tha God Fahim.

The first of these 3 being “The Omni” which has a great atmosphere in the production, but Mach’s delivery is atonal & Fahim’s feature is boring. The track right after “Daniel Fast” sees then sees the 2 spitting game over a dreary beat while the song “Mount Tambora” gets bloodthirsty over a forbidding beat. The penultimate track “Anacoma” with Sick Jacken sees the 2 rapping in Spanish over an enticing beat & then the album finishes with “Titanium White”, where Mach & Fahim get back together to spit some gritty street bars over over a dismal boom bap beat that awkwardly changes up during the last 30 seconds.

Compared to Tuez-Les Tous, this was jus ok. Mach & Muggs still show a solid chemistry, but the overabundance of features kinda overtakes it.

Score: 2.5/5

Snoop Dogg – “I Wanna Thank Me” review

Snoop Dogg is a Long Beach, California icon that really doesn’t need a proper introduction at this point. We all should know by now that he solidified himself as such with his heavy contributions to his mentor Dr. Dre’s seminal 1992 solo debut The Chronic along with his own equally groundbreaking debut album Doggystyle the following year. Then came the infamous murder charges Snoop faced in the mid-90s, of which he was later acquitted of. He would then come back with his sophomore album Tha Doggfather, but would leave Death Row Records not too long after it came out & would go on to release a trilogy of albums with No Limit Records. My personal favorite of them being Tha Last Meal. When his time with the tank came to an end, Snoop would form his own label Doggystyle Records & would go hopping to one major distributor after another to release 11 more albums. This includes an album under a joint venture with Priority Records/Capitol Records, a trilogy with Geffen Records (the first of which being in association with Star Trak Entertainment), 2 albums with just Priority themselves, a reggae album with his wife’s imprint Boss Lady Entertainment in conjunction with Mad Decent/VICE Music/RCA Records in 2013 & a synth-funk album with i am OTHER Entertainment/Columbia Records in 2015 produced by longtime collaborators The Neptunes. However since 2017, he’s mostly been rebuilding his Doggystyle label with the independent powerhouse EMPIRE Distribution backing him up with the exception of a gospel album being released by RCA Records last March. And with the recent addition to the Hollywood Walk of Fame, the WWE Hall of Famer is celebrating with his 17th full-length album.

“What U Talkin’ Bout?” speaks on doing things his way over an electro-influenced instrumental whereas “So Misinformed” ponders the legacy of slavery & it’s corresponding diaspora over a laidback beat from DJ Battlecat. “Let Bygones Be Bygones” recalls his Death Row days with bittersweet pride over a g-funk beat leading into “1 Blood, 1 Cuzz” pays tribute to the late Nipsey Hu$$le over yet another Battlecat instrumental that recaptures Snoop’s g-funk roots.

As for “Countdown”, we have Uncle Snoop getting on his Crip shit over a prominent Ohio Players sample that Swizz Beatz laces just before “I C Your Bullshit” looks to rattle the trunks of every car blasting it talking about looking past all the cap coming his way. “Turn Me On” featuring Chris Brown is sappy lust tune with a bouncy Jazze Pha beat while “Blue Face Hunnids” talks about gangbanging over a nocturnal DJ Mustard instrumental

“New Booty” smoothly spits some game to all the new Crips while “Take Me Away” featuring Wiz Khalifa is of course a weed anthem as Russ provides a generic beat & an annoying hook. “Do It When I’m In It” with Ozuna & Slim Jxmmi sees the 3 getting raunchy over a Latin-influenced beat while“1st Place” gets victorious over a spacious DJ Green Lantern beat.

Moving on from there, “Focused” samples “Focus” by H.E.R. talking about feeling concentrated while “Rise to the Top” with Swizz Beatz & Trey Songz sees the 3 talking about maintaining successful over a mellow instrumental. “Wintertime in June” featuring the late Nate Dogg sees the 2 talking about past relationships over a colorful Fredwreck instrumental & after the “Doo Wop Thank Me” interlude, the song “Main Phone” with Rick Rock sees the 2 talking about money over a hyphy beat.

“Do You Like I Do” featuring Lil Duval is a weird attempt at reviving new jack swing while the song “I’ve Been Looking For You” is a soothing synth-funk cut. “Little Square UBitchU” with Anitta disses an unnamed punk over a Middle Eastern influenced beat while “Ventilation” with Azjah & $tupid Young is essentially the musical equivalent of Steve Buscemi dressing up as a teenager on 30 Rock. The title track at finishes the project reflects on his his accomplishments over yet another g-funk beat from Battlecat.

As a whole, this was a decent body of work focusing on Snoop’s legacy in the midst of him entering his 4th decade in show business & it lived up to my expectations of at least surpassing Bible of Love in terms of quality. I appreciate how he tried to be eclectic trying to make something for everybody with a retrospective theme on 1 hand & on the other, it didn’t need to be 75 minutes long & there are only slightly more hits than there are misses in an hour & 15 minutes.

Score: 3/5

Young Thug – “So Much Fun” review

Young Thug is a rapper & singer/songwriter from Atlanta, Georgia that exploded into the mainstream in 2014 due to the collaborative single “Lifestyle” with Rich Homie Quan. The man would eventually go on to reveal himself as a trailblazer in the trap subgenre with a handful of mixtapes. The most notable of which being the Slime Season trilogy, Barter 6, JEFFERY & BEAUTIFUL THUGGER GIRLS. He spent last year showcasing the artists on his 300 Entertainment imprint YSL Records with a mediocre compilation titled Slime Language as well as dropping 2 solid EPs: Hear No Evil & On the Rvn. But to celebrate his 28th birthday this year, he’s giving fans his long-awaited full-length debut & has brought on J. Cole to executive produce the whole thing.

The album kicks off with “Just How It Is”, where Thugger lets the listener in about his fame over an acoustic trap beat from Wheezy. The new song “Sup Mate” with Future sees the 2 flexing over a murky DY beat referencing 2-time WWE Hall of Famer, former 16-time WWE world champion, WWE Intercontinental Champion, 6-time WWE United States Champion, 6-time WWE tag team champion & 9-time NWA World’s Heavyweight Champion Ric Flair while the track “Ecstasy” talks about partying over an eerie trap beat. The song “Hot” with Gunna sees the 2 bragging over some victorious horns while the track “Light It Up” flaunts over a bass-heavy Pi’erre Bourne beat.

The song “Surf” with Gunna sees the 2 talking about their places in hip hop over a spacious trap beat & while the track “Bad Bad Bad” with Lil Baby sees the 2 talking about their rich lifestyles, the beat is just ok. The song “Lil Baby” pays tribute to 10 different artists that he’s worked with over a moody Pi’erre beat while the song “What’s the Move?” with Lil Uzi Vert sees the 2 pondering the next steps in their romantic relationships over an atmospheric beat.

The song “I Bought Her” with Lil Duke sees the 2 talking about taking their ladies on a shopping spree over a synth-heavy trap beat from DJ Durel while the track “Jumped Out the Window” talks about trapping over a vicious trap beat from Supah Mario. The song “I’m Scared” with Doe Boy & 21 Savage sees the 3 talking about cops over a cloudy Pi’erre beat while the track “Cartier Gucci Scarf” with Lil Duke sees the the 2 showing off their designer possessions over a bland beat.

The song “Big Tipper” with Lil Keed sees the 2 getting promiscuous over a trap beat from Southside with some cool organs every here & there while the track “Pussy” gets rowdy over an baleful beat from Southside & Pyrex Whippa. The song “Circle of Bosses” with Quavo sees the 2 talking about being top dogs over a country trap beat while the track “Mannequin Challenge” with Juice WRLD sees the 2 boasting over a J. Cole & T-Minus instrumental with some rubbery bass.

“Boy Back” with ΠΔV is of course a boring wealth anthem despite DJ Mustard’s production having some great guitar passages throughout & then the album ends with “The London”, where Cole & Thugger both talk about the things they would do at the titular hotel in Beverly Hills over a vibrant T-Minus beat. I’ve been waiting for Young Thug to drop a full-length album & at the end, it could very well be the best trap project of 2019. It truly lives up to it’s name as most of the material on here is catchy in terms of both vocal melodies & instrumentation.

Score: 4/5

Joey Paro – “Victory Gin” review

Here is the solo debut extended play from Bristol, England, United Kingdom emcee Joey Paro. A member of the Split Prophets collective, he & Bil Next would team up on New Year’s Day 2014 for the collaborative EP Weedmasons, but hasn’t dropped a full project by himself up until this point. I did however enjoy his guest appearances on Eric the Red’s debut album Caught Red Handed & Res 1’s sophomore effort A Dog’s Dreams both entirely produced by Illinformed, the latter of whom has now been brought in to fully produce Victory Gin.

The title track jumps over a cinematic boom bap instrumental talking about catching him inside of the kitchen sipping on a type of distilled alcoholic beverage he’s been saving from a celebratory occasion whereas “The Fall” featuring Eric the Red & Smellington Piff finds the trio dropping hardcore verses without a hook over this orchestrally raw beat. “Mobin’” featuring Datkid & Res 1 sees all 3 of them talking about living fast until their vitals crash while “No Fill” featuring Upfront MC work in some keys to discuss growing up with white trash.

Bil Next & Flying Monk are the only 2 Split Prophets who have yet to go solo, but I’m happy one of the Weedmasons was able to share some Victory Gin with the fans who’ve been waiting for this day to come & bringing one of the UK hip hop scene’s greatest producers on board to provide a brief look at Joey Paro individually. Illinformed’s production is on par with Res 1’s sophomore effort A Dog’s Dreams & despite there being a guest appearance on almost every single, they’re all on his level of penmanship.

Score: 4/5