¡MAYDAY! – “Minute to Midnight” review

This is the 8th full-length album from Miami-based trio ¡MAYDAY!. Formed in 2003 by keyboardist/guitarist Plex Luthor & emcee Bernz, the duo released their self-titled debut in the fall of ‘06 before adding 4 more members into the fold: emcee/producer Wrekonize, bassist Gianni Ca$h, percussionist NonMS & drummer L.T. Hopkins in 2009. Together, they would begin to rock the underground off 2 EPs & their sophomore album Stuck on an Island. This would catch the attention of Kansas City veteran Tech N9ne, who signed the group to his independent powerhouse Strange Music in 2011. They would go on to cement themselves as a flagship act on the label’s roster off critically acclaimed projects like Take Me to Your Leader, Thrift Store Halos, Believers & Future Vintage. However since 2016, ¡MAYDAY! has been a 3-piece consisting of Wrek, Bernz & NonMS. Their first album as a trio Search Party was a decent sequel to Stuck on an Island & the heavily reggae-influenced South of 5th was slightly better, but it’s been a little over 2 years after the release of their previous EP The Thinnest Line II, the 3 are getting back together for Minute to Midnight.

After the “In Due Time” intro, the title track that truly kicks the album off talks their patience being tested as well as divine new moralities over some wavy synth-lines & live drumming from ¡MAYDAY! themselves whereas the next song “Make Noise” talks about how “them boys won’t let you live in peace” over a Carribean-flavored trap beat from MIKE SUMMERS a.k.a. 7. The track “See You Smile” motivates the listener to stay strong in the midst of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic over some bass & acoustic guitars while the song “Hard to Leave” details relationship issues over a moody beat from Bernz with co-production from The Pushers.

The track “Words Get in the Way” picks up where the previous cut left off as Bernz & Wrekonize talk to their partners about trying to change over an instrumental kin to a 70’s blaxploitation film while the song “Golden Hour” talks about meeting their lovers in “that place where the night moves slow” over a funky beat. The track “Lost Cause” talks about the reason why women do them wrong over a cavernous trap instrumental & then UBI provides the album’s only guest verse on the song “All In” as he & ¡MAYDAY! talk about being fully committed over a cloudy beat from NonMS.

The track “Let You Tell It” talks about letting their loved ones speak their minds over a reggae-tinged instrumental while the song “Flatline” is a rap rock anthem about chasing death. The track “1 Eye Open” is a piano-boom bap ballad calling out the fact that everyone says they’re woke nowadays & then the song “Flowers” expresses their hope of being appreciated while they’re still here over an instrumental with some heavy jazz undertones.

The track “Empty” is a stripped-back, catchy look into depression while the song “Can’t Do That Anymore” talks about wandering down a windy road over a disco-flavored beat. The track “Get There” talks about how they’re not sure where they’re going over a pillowy instrumental while the closer “Foul Out” goes back & forth dismissing all the bullshit being said about them over some punk-like guitar riffs & drums. But then there’s the bonus cut “Hit’s Different”, where Bernz & Wrekonize talk about trying to break out of a cycle over a plaintive instrumental from Wyshmaster.

Even though their last couple projects have been just ok to me, I was very excited for this given how much I enjoyed Wrekonize & Bernz’ latest solo albums Pressure Point & Sorry for the Mess. At the end of the day, this is the best ¡MAYDAY! album I’ve heard since Future Vintage. The songwriting is some of their most captivating ever & the way the trio fuses together all the sounds they’ve ever dabbled with into 1 continues to show how unique they are.

Score: 4.5/5

DDG – “Die 4 Respect” review

DDG is a 23 year old from Pontiac, Michigan who originally broke out in 2015 as a YouTuber. However after being interested in music at a very young age, he put out his debut EP Take Me Serious in 2018 & ended up signing to Epic Records. His profile continued to grow from there in 2019 off the Sorry 4 the Hold Up EP & the full-length debut Valedictorian but after spending last year forming his own label Zooted Entertainment & dropping a boatload of singles (the most notable one being “Moonwalking in Calabasas” of course), the kid is dropping his debut mixtape with Quality Control Music in-house producer OG Parker behind the boards from start to finish.

The opener “Hood Melody” with YoungBoy Never Broke Again finds the 2 talking about their homie’s dying because they don’t know life outside the trap over a piano loop & some snares whereas the next song “Treat Me Right” talks about wanting a bitch who respects him over a spicy beat. The track “Rule #1” with Lil Yachty sees the 2 talking about moving out of the hood after getting rich over a plinky trap instrumental while the song “Impatient” motivates his girlfriend to stay focused & Coi LeRay responds from her perspective over a pillowy beat.

The track “Get What You Want” with PnB Rock finds the 2 getting raunchy over an ample instrumental while the song “Way You Talk” talks about the way his girl drives him crazy over a summery beat. The track “Hakuna Matata” with Tyla Yaweh sees the 2 talking about going from broke to having Gucci over a guitar-tinged trap instrumental while the song “Let ‘Em Go” with 2KBaby finds the 2 talking about bitches who get out of line with them over a sluggish beat.

The penultimate track “Money Long” with 42 Dugg sees the 2 talking about their bread stacking up over an instrumental that sounds like it was made for Sada Baby & then the closer “I Need Security” talks about needing more protection over an acoustic/trap beat. However the bonus cut is a remix to “Moonwalking in Calabasas” with Blueface, which is mediocre in comparison to the original.

Not what I was expecting from DDG, but it’s a pretty good listen. He somewhat overdid it on the features, but his songwriting has gotten better in the last couple year as did his performances & OG Parker hones in on a more improved sound than DDG’s previous efforts.

Score: 3/5

Daniel Jordan – “Dark Night of the Soul” review

Daniel Jordan is a 36 year old MC/producer from Hayward, California who’s been around since his 2005 debut album The Twilight of Daniel Jordan. However, it wouldn’t be until 2011 when he dropped his sophomore album The Stranger under Reel Life Productions to very positive reception. This was followed up 5 years later with the Mad Insanity Records-backed Killed by Love & then ‘Till Death Do Us Part under Daniel’s own label Kill All Idols Records at the beginning of last year. But with the first quarter of 2021 drawing to a close in a couple weeks, Daniel is treating fans to his 5th full-length album.

After a 1-minute intro flipping Syl Johnson’s “Could I Be Falling in Love?”, the first song “I’m So Tired” talks about being the worst person he knows over a sample of the Fugazi joint of the same name whereas the next track “Don’t Worry” talks about how time flies by quickly over a caliginous beat. The song “Everywhere (Let Me Be the One)” tells this woman to stop playing around over a seductive instrumental while “The Death of Michael Corleone” details a spiritual fall from grace over an atmospheric trap beat.

The song “I Don’t Wanna Be Me Anymore” talks about crying inside over a cacophonous instrumental while the track “What Am I Going Through?” talks about his troubles always following him around over a dejecting beat. The song “Keep Thinking of Suicide” of course opens up about his suicidal thoughts over a harrowing instrumental while “The Downhearted” talks about feeling like he’s in a manic state over a beat sampling the late B.B. King’s rendition of “How Blue Can You Get?”.

After the “3 A.M.” instrumental interlude, the song “Jodi Aries” talks about needing this woman over a sample of the iconic Sade joint “Cherish the Day” & then the title track that finishes off the album talks about being fed up with himself over an instrumental flipping “Mary Jane’s Last Dance” by the late Tom Petty.

The Stranger has always been my personal favorite of Daniel’s, but I think this is a close second. He does a fantastic job of channeling all of his demons through the lyrics & the way he samples all those classic songs from Fugazi to Sade is very impressive.

Score: 4/5

O.T. the Real – “The Irishman” review

O.T. the Real is a 35 year old MC from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania who started out in 2016 after coming home from prison & dropping his debut single “Papercuts”. From there, his profile began to grow after showcasing his skills on radio stations as well as dropping an eponymous full-length debut & 2 EPs. His sophomore album Evil Empire just came out a couple months ago & to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, the East Coast up-&-comer is dropping his 3rd EP produced entirely by The Heatmakerz.

“Non Fiction” is a heartfelt opener as O.T. spits about drilling it out with bars on top of an exultant instrumental & then the next song “Restitution” talks about waiting when he wanted what was his over a morose beat. The track “Carry On” talks about the hustle forever continuing on over an affluent instrumental while the song “Connected” with Jim Jones finds the 2 saying that it’s all about connections over some bongos & faint yet beautiful harmonizing.

The track “Losses” gets on the romantic tip over a stripped back instrumental while the song “Hold On” with Joell Ortiz sees the 2 asking who’s gonna be there when the laws & drugs are gone over a wraithlike beat. The penultimate track “Streets Again” talks about looking for a way to get back on his feet over some hypnotic vocal melodies & then “Relationships” finishes the EP off with some exuberant horn sections as O.T. spits about having 33 on him like Patrick Ewing.

Despite enjoying everything I’ve heard from dude up to this point, he really outdid himself on The Irishman. Not just because The Heatmakerz gave O.T. a more refined sound in comparison to his previous efforts, but the songwriting on here is the best it’s ever been before.

Score: 4/5

Bang Belushi – “Rudy” review

This is the sophomore album from Detroit emcee Bang Belushi. Coming up as 1/4 of the world famous Fat Killahz, it wouldn’t be until 2011 when the veteran branched out solo by releasing his debut EP The Bridgecard as well as the help yourself. EP in 2017. But it wouldn’t be until the following year when Bango signed to Middle Finger Music & dropped his full-length debut The Adventures of Bang Belushi, which in my opinion was a near-flawless showcasing of his lyrical abilities over some of the grimiest production Foul Mouth has ever cooked up. However, the pair is reuniting for Belushi’s long-awaited sophomore album.

“The Opening” that starts the album off gives listeners the blueprint to being great over an entrancing loop whereas the title track talks about how amazing he is over an unhinged boom bap beat. The song right after “It’s Going Down” talks about how they get it poppin’ over an instrumental kin to the late J Dilla while the track “Bar 4 Bar” with 2 Door Coupé finds the 3 talking about Middle Finger Music taking over the game over some horns & a bass-line.

The song “Dumb” talks about how disrespectful he is over a noisy instrumental while the track “N****z Like You” with Bub Rock sees the duo talking about those who’ll do anything for respect over some drums & piano arpeggios. The song “Red Bottlez” talks about being drunk as fuck over some keys & snares while the track “Murder” with J-Classic & Xtra Overdoze finds the 3 getting on the horrorcore side of things over a trap beat.

The song “Smoking Section” with Boom2G, Bub Rock, Pahlavi & Roc Danielz sees the quintet talking about getting money & staying low over a dingy loop while the track “Mark, Set, Go” with Isaac Castor finds the 2 talking about their skills over a wistful boom bap beat. The song “B is for Bang” breaks down the meaning of the moniker Bang over a flute sample while the track “Feeling Like Biggie” is a rugged sequel to “Feeling Like ODB” off The Adventures of Bang Belushi on all fronts.

The song “Such & Such” talks about a bitch he used to know over an amiable instrumental while the track “Nobody” talks about how there isn’t anyone else like him over a boom bap beat with a glossy piano loop. The song “Watermelon Red Bull” talks about how he refers to his AK as “Big Daddy Kane” over some prominent organs while the outro talks about feeling like they won’t recognize his skills until he’s gone over a beat kin to College Dropout-era Kanye West.

The Adventures of Bang Belushi is one of my favorite albums that Middle Finger Music has ever put out & this is almost as great of a follow-up. The lyrics on here are much more personal than they were last time & the sounds that Foul Mouth bring to the table are bit more diverse.

Score: 4/5

DJ Muggs – “Dies Occidendum” review

This is a brand new collection of beats from Queens-born albeit California based producer, deejay & audio engineer DJ Muggs. Coming up as 1/3 of The 7A3 alongside the Bouldin brothers in the late 80s, it would later go to become a household name in the west coast as the producer for Cypress Hill & the leader of the Soul Assassins collective. The Black Goat also has 3 solo albums under his belt, the latest being Winter just 3 months ago. However after lacing Rome Streetz’ latest album Death & the Magician to universal acclaim just a couple weeks ago, Muggs is continuing to stay busy by dropping Dies Occidendum.

The opener “Incantation” pretty much sets the tone for the album as it has an eerie, cavernous tone to it while the next track “The Chosen One” goes into a more trap/witch house direction & I really just can’t get enough of how evil the atmosphere of it is. “Nigrum Mortem” has a more distorted tone as it incorporates the sound of organs & guitars while the “Liber Null” instrumental feels like a wild rollercoaster with it’s multiple switch-ups throughout it’s 4 minute run. “Alphabet of Desire” has a more melancholic vibe in comparison to the previous cuts while the “Subconscious” instrumental goes into an industrial direction with hi-hats firing off like a minigun.

“Veni Vidi Amavi” is easily the most chilled out track of the bunch with it’s smokey atmosphere while the “Anointed” instrumental goes back into that trap sound except it contains these ghostly shrills throughout. The penultimate track “Anicca” starts with some dramatic string melodies, but then things get quiet for about 30 seconds until the bass & hi-hats hit & then the closer “Transmogrification” is dominated by cricket noises for a good bulk of it’s 5-minute runtime with the exception of some mystical-like harmonies during the first minute as well as the sounds of something burning during the last minute & a half.

I know we’re not even finished with the first quarter of 2021, but goddamn is Muggs on a roll right now. Death & the Magician is still very much my album of the year so far, but these are some of the darkest collection of sounds he’s put together in a while & is highly recommended to any Cypress Hill fan.

Score: 4/5

FlexxBabyy – “Water” review

FlexxBabyy is a 26 year old rapper from Atlanta, Georgia who came onto my radar just last year after becoming the latest to sign to Benny the Butcher’s E1 Music imprint Black Soprano Family Records. This was followed up by a plethora of stand alone singles & is going into 2021 by dropping his debut EP.

The opener “ETHER” talks about watching his back now that he’s secured a record deal over some violins & hi-hats whereas the next song “Slob” talks about sex over an industrial/trap fusion. The track “So Wet” is Flexx pretty much bragging over a cacophonous instrumental while the song “Dead” is a distorted riot inducer that slows down in tempo during the 2nd half. The penultimate track “JOOP” talks about drug use over an atmospheric instrumental with some loud, rubbery bass-lines dominating the mix & then the closer “Bussin’” gets materialistic over a bombastic beat.

This is completely unlike anything one would expect from BSF, but it’s a good short listen nonetheless. In comparison to the traditional boom bap style that a lot of the other artists on the label stick to, FlexxBabyy takes things into a more Playboi Carti-influenced direction from his flows & sticky refrains to the experimental production as heard on Whole Lotta Red & even the babyvoice that Carti is known for at times. Nonetheless, I feel like this is only the beginning for him.

Score: 3.5/5

YBN Almighty Jay – “Battling My Spirit” review

YBN Almighty Jay is a 21 year old rapper from Houston, Texas who came up as a founding member of the now defunct YBN collective. Dude has dropped a handful of singles in the span of 6 years & has now whipped up a 20 minute EP as his first official project.

The opener “Get Rich in the Hood” talks about going out like Suge before going out like Pac over an acoustic guitar & a dizzying backdrop whereas the next track “Big Check” shows off his wealth over a drab beat. The song “Murder in My Eyes” talks about how all his homies balling over an instrumental trying to rip off the aesthetics of Travis Scott’s previous album ASTROWORLD while the title track is easily the best off the entire EP, as Jay confesses that he looks at his family different & the dejecting tone of the beat is perfect.

The song “Drank Sealed” talks about going from a futon to a mansion over a guitar & some hi-hats while the track “Bring Out the Hoochies” is a mediocre attempt at making a strip club anthem. The song “Shoutout to My Dentist” talks about being flashy over a buoyant instrumental & then the closer “Red Light Special” talks about not having time for affairs over a syrupy beat.

Other than the title track, I hardly got anything out of this EP at the end of the day & I really don’t see what makes YBN Almighty Jay an appealing artist. His songwriting is insipid, the flows are pretty basic & the production is incredibly generic.

Score: 1/5

Styliztik Jones – “Everybody Eat” review

Styliztik Jones is a 42 year old MC from Los Angeles, California who came up as a member of the Likwit Crew collective led by King T. The west coast veteran has since built up quite a catalogue for himself with 4 mixtapes, 3 albums & an EP. His last 2 efforts have been entirely laced by local production duo DirtyDiggs & to celebrate Steezy’s born day, it’s only right for him.

Things kick off with “King Size”, where Styliztik talks about being treated like loyalty in the streets over a trumpet sample. The next song “Seafood Scampi” with TriState sees the 2 talking about how this time is theirs over a jubilant beat while the track “Limitless” talks about being back on his grizzly over some jazzy horns. The song “Do Something” with Planet Asia finds the 2 talking productivity over a joyful instrumental while the track “Family Over Everything” talks about staying humble over a austere instrumental.

The song “Ramen with the Tofu” talks about going Super Saiyan over some glistening keyboard melodies while the track “Alkaline” talks about his woman over a druggy trap beat. The titular song with Defari sees the 2 talking about getting a piece of the bread over a high pitched melodic instrumental while the track “Here” talks about how he’s still standing over a high-pitched soul sample. Then after “The Spread” skit, the closer “Momma’s Recipe” pays tribute to his mother over an organ-laced instrumental.

If Styliztik is gonna keep on working exclusively with DirtyDiggs in the future, then I’m all for it because they’ve really been putting out some of their best material together. Both of them continue to do a good job at bouncing off each other from the continuously elevating pen-game to the raw production.

Score: 3.5/5

Emeril Picssso – “Demons & Love”

Emeril Picasso is an MC/producer from Austin, Texas who originally came up under the moniker Teek a few years back. However, he has decided to completely reinvent himself & properly introduce himself to the masses in the form of a debut EP.

“Trippin’” is a psychedelic trap opener about working hard to live in peace whereas “Don’t Matter” eerily goes at those who doubt him. “Make It Work” takes a more sensual route on all fronts just before “Naples” is the complete opposite, somberly telling the story of someone in a past life.

After the “Chaplin” interlude, “Bliss” serves as a moody romance tune while the song “Wake Me Up” works in a ghostly instrumental talking about his internal conflicts. The penultimate song “Mean That” has a more playful tone saying he has no fear in him & the title track finishes it off with a mellow beat talking about Hell freezing over.

For this being the first project of Emeril’s, I can definitely see potential in him granted that this is only the beginning. I like the hazy production & how he puts his struggles with mental health on display to introduce himself to listeners.

Score: 3.5/5