Unfoonk – “My Struggle” review

Unfoonk is a 31 year old rapper from Atlanta, Georgia notable for being the brother HiDoraah, Dolly White & trap trailblazer Young Thug. He was sentenced to life in prison in 2008, but was released 11 years later with Thugger’s help & was given a deal with YSL Records pretty much immediately. However that doesn’t mean Unfoonk is new to making music, as the dude already has 4 mixtapes under his belt since 2019. But after his fiery performances on Slime Language II a couple months back, it’s only right for Thugger to put him at bat for a full-length debut.

“Temperature” is a short yet emotional opener about how Unfoonk has a lot to lose whereas the piano-tinged “Trial” addresses the charges that he was facing 13 years back. Lil Keed tags along for the celebratory, trap rock infused “Bait ‘Em In” just before Gunna tags in on the wavy, braggadocious “I Had”.

Meanwhile on “Private”, we get some keys & guitar with Unfoonk telling this woman he don’t do second chances leading into him saying how everything ain’t what it seems on the jangly “Smoke n Mirrors”. As for “Hit Different”, I like the sample but FN da Dealer easily has the weakest feature on the entire album. Fortunately for us, Future makes up for it on the exuberant yet self-explanatory “Running Out of Patience”.

“911” featuring Young Thug continues to build off the chemistry of “Real” while the wavy “Ape Shit” with G Herbo opens about some people they happen to know. The penultimate track “Streets Don’t Love Nobody” with Lil Duke finds the 2 talking about how cold it is in the hood over a spacious instrumental & then the album ends with “My Pain”, which is Unfoonk at his most vulnerable.

And that pretty much sums up my thoughts on this album, I liked this more than I thought I would. The dude gets a lot off his chest through the pen & I like how detailed the production is rather than being a clone of his brother. If he keeps it up, he could probably reach the same level of popularity as Gunna & Keed.

Score: 3.5/5

The HRSMN – “The Last Ride” review

The HRSMN is a hip hop supergroup consisting of Canibus, Killah Priest, Kurupt & Ras Kass. These 4 have made a name for themselves as some of the most underrated lyricists the culture has ever seen & first formed a little over 20 years ago with a couple of collabs. A mixtape called The Horsemen Project even emerged in late 2003, which was followed up with the Historic EP just 11 years later. Fast forward to present day, they’re coming back together for their official full-length album.together for what they say is their first & only official full-length album.

After the “Sintro”, the Bronze Nazareth-produced “Centaurs” is an organ-inflicted boom bap kickstarter to the album where the 4 lyricists compare themselves to that of the Greek mythology creature whereas “This Shit Right Here” is a rugged hip hop quotable fest. As for “Champion” with Planet Asia & Chino XL, I appreciate the content about being victors but the instrumental is just so minimal. However, “Morticians” is a theatrical banger comparing themselves to that of the grim reaper.

Meanwhile on “1 Second”, we have The HRSMN & Hus Kingpin hopping aboard a trap beat saying they spit sicker than COVID-19 before “Love n War” takes a turn into awkward romance ballad territory. “Believer” is a symphonic anthem about celebrating Passover by meeting death & after the “False Profits” skit, we go into a more luxurious sound whilst speaking on their longevity on “Apocalips Now”.

“Impossible” gets on their battle rap shit over a sly instrumental leading up Phil Da Agony, El Gant, Al Tejada & Fokis accompanying the quartet on the keyboard heavy “Burger King” telling anyone to bring the beef to them. Finally there’s the title track, which has occultist vibes in the beat & the supergroup is bidding everyone farewell given the fact that they said this was gonna be their only album.

It took these guys 2 decades to finally put out an LP together & I’m not mad at it being their only one as a unit because I enjoyed quite a bit of it. All 4 emcees sound great with each other & most importantly, the mixing/mastering on here is a lot more cleaner than it was on The Horsemen Project.

Score: 4/5

Sonnyjim – “Coke Le Roc” review

Here we have the 4th studio LP from Birmingham, West Midlands, England, United Kingdom emcee/producer Sonnyjim. Making his debut in the summer of 2011 with The Psychonaut, he would go on to drop a couple more albums as well as his over a dozen EPs & a mixtape, most notably No Vi$ible Means of Income produced by Giallo Point or the Illinformed produced The Chemistry Must Be Respected & the Leaf Dog-produced How to Tame Lions to a name a few. D.I.T.C. member Buckwild however has been brought in to produce a full-length named after hip hop’s very 1st MC albeit misspelled: Coke La Rock.

“Cherry Red Beamer” sets the tone of what’s to come by hopping over a jazzy boom bap instrumental suggesting to watch out with him around your girl whereas “Double Green” featuring Crimeapple finds the 2 teaming up so they can talk about the gangsta lifestyle. “Free Freedom No Fear” blends a piano sample with some kicks & snares referencing former 7-time WWE world champion, 3-time WWE tag team champion, 5-time WWE United States Champion, 2-time WWE Intercontinental Champion & 2-time WWE Hall of Famer Bret Hart.

The title track hooks up a violin flip to talk about being inspired to write the rhyme of the year if anyone fucks around with him, feeling like this music shit is the only thing he has going for him just before he expresses the love he & Lord Apex have for “The Process” making a reference to WWE Hall of Famer, former 6-time WWE Champion, 2-time WWE Intercontinental Champion, 2-time WWE United States Champion, 5-time WWE Tag Team Champion & NWA World Tag Team Champion Stone Cold Steve Austin.

“$3,500 for Some Fuckin’ Sushi” goes for a jazzier vibe once again talkin’ about going from hustling on the side of the road to globetrotting while “Sugar Ray” references former 2-time UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones. “Yola” takes an eerier boom bap approach instrumentally talking about having more Uncut Gems than the greatest Adam Sandler movie ever made by a landslide leading into “Maserati Rick” combines more kicks & snares with a trumpet sample assuring he’s gonna inevitably blow.

Rounding out 3rd, the song “Big Face Fly Lizard” returns to a grittier sound talking about everyone else performing during the undercard since he’s a main-eventer & the closing track “Frankie Lymon” succeeding the “1520” skit gives a nod to hip hop’s birthplace located at 1520 Sedgwick Avenue in The Bronx, New York sends off Coke Le Rocfusing a soul sample & some keys talking about going from many people doubting him to hopping out of Benz’s after mastering the craft of his art.

Only a couple months since Sonnyjim fully produced the Sauvage EP for Vandal Savage, he & one of the greatest east coast hip hop producers team up to help him make his strongest collection of solo material since probably The Chemistry Must Be Respected & another must-listen for those looking for a gateway to his output. Buckwild’s production combined with Sonny’s luxurious style of songwriting honor the man who paved the way for many others other than DJ Kool Herc himself.

Score: 4.5/5

Datkid – “Wakmo” review

This is the 6th studio LP from Bristol, England, United Kingdom emcee Datkid. Beginning as a part of the Split Prophets, he began embarking on a solo career in the summer of 2011 off Dkay n Gramma as well as a subsequent sophomore effort called Home by 8 a little over 8 months later & Teeth Ledger. Confessions of a Crud Lordproduced by Real Life Drama Records co-founder Leaf Dog of The 4 Owls under High Focus Recordshas already become one of the label’s greatest releases, coming off Sleepless in Pinhoe to have Illinformed fully produce Wakmo.

“Take the Wheel” opens up shop incorporating this bloodcurdling boom bap instrumental talking about his mind state being all or nothing whereas “Thick Lip” hooks up a ghostly backdrop layered with kicks & snares speaking of him trying to upgrade his life. “1 Way or Another” talks about being so bucked to the point where he forgot what he got high off of & pressing for numbers when stressed leading into Bil Next & Wish Master helping him explain they get busy where it’s “Crooked”.

Sean Peng joins Datkid on “Look Up” telling all the lazy muhfuckas who stay hungry to get up off their asses & chase a bag just before “Nothing But” featuring Leaf Dog talks about driving cars like they stole ‘em when that’s most likely the case & refusing to let anyone sit near them if they have nothing to offer. “Where You At” keeps that crud packaged & delivered advising everyone who’s looking for him to come find him while “Aktive” talks about having too much game for pussy rappers to handle, later suggesting those nearby to keep it friendly & not tempt him because hems been keeping his composure.

“Thorn in Your Side” featuring Babylon Dead blends these strings with more kicks & snares seeing the jealousy in the eyes of people who hold envy towards Datkid & Jman for being the successful underground artists they’ve become while “Chitchat” featuring D£DW8 reaches the halfway point with the 2 talking about haters fearing their greatness. “Don’t Lie” featuring Crossbow T & Mistafire contemplates the idea of leaving the trio’s competition missing like Jimmy Hoffa while “Steve Harper” featuring Smellington Piff trades the mic back-&-forth for a few minutes.

Instrumentally, “Line It Up” somewhat reminds me of the Outsidaz joint “Get the Dick” off Bizarre’s solo debut EP Attack of the Weirdos! making wine out of everything he’s being hearing through the grapevine while “This Place” talks about making money to spending it frivolously. “Scrub Your Hands” featuring ManLikeMally speaks of being corrupted from the very beginning while “Fentanyl” featuring Babylon Dead, Bil Next, Eric the Red, Jack Jetson, Res 1, Tona Montona & Wyatt Earp made for a decent UK hip hop posse cut.

The title track ruggedly talks about catching cases on top of shutting down every spot he pulls up to while “Dole Benefit Claimers” featuring Res 1 links back up so they can get discuss always being up to shit giving a fuck less regarding who likes it or not. “Dunno” featuring BVA & Verb T samples “40 Oz.” by D12 during the hook talking about all 3 of them smoking weed & drinking alcohol while “Slime” finishes with him trying to stick to the game plan making money although it doesn’t go that way sometimes.

Sleepless in Pinhoe a couple months ago left me torn in comparison to Confessions of a Crud Lord & despite liking Wakmo more than it’s predecessor merely 7 weeks earlier, there’s a part of me that believes I could’ve enjoyed it way more because the singles that teased for it had me under the impression it would be my 2nd favorite Datkid solo project. Illinformed’s production takes it back to the traditional boom bap sound instead of continuing to experiment with trap music, but there is some occasional filler & he didn’t have to bring a guest performer besides throughout half of it.

Score: 3.5/5

Summrs – “What We Have” review

Summrs is a 20 year old rapper from Lafayette, Louisiana coming up as a member of the Slayworld collective founded by Goonie amongst others. He’s dropped a plethora of projects since 2016 including All Summr & Devotion. But just 3 months after his most recent album Intoxicated, the kid is following it up with a brand new EP.

The title track at the start speaks on his drug addiction over a peaceful yet bass-heavy beat from Goyxrd whereas the next song “put out fye” is a cloudy love ballad. Meanwhile on “out da window”, we get these luscious synth chords as Summrs shows off his bankroll while the Autumn!-produced “just can’t” is a smoky cut about how no one can touch his rank. The penultimate track “bfo2” serves as a mystical sequel to “Me vs. the World / Bros Fall Out” & then “cut so deep” is a glossy finisher about how “you feelin’ me & I’m feelin’ you”.

In my personal opinion, this is one of the best projects that Summrs has put out yet. I like how he went back to the pluggnb sound that he came up on & it’s pretty cool for any Day 1 fans of his.

Score: 3.5/5

Autumn! – “Golden Child” review

Autumn! is a 22 year old rapper/producer from Lafayette, Louisiana who’s dropped over a dozen EPs & a full-length album on SoundCloud since 2018. But for his 14th EP over here that just dropped, he’s kicking off a new hexalogy that should be completed about a year from now.

I love how “The Definition of Grateful!” kicks off the whole thing being a heavenly tribute to Autumn!’s whole family whereas “What My OG Told Me!” serves as a heart-wrenching tribute to his now deceased brother. Meanwhile on “The Other Side!”, we get a bassy depiction of his mental stresses while “The True Cost of Fame!” states that he give a fuck what people say about him & wakes up to make money daily in a pillowy fashion.

“Not 3 But 2!” has a wavy instrumental & lyrics about how he’s not at the same speed as this chick leading into him ballin’ like Tracy McGrady on the atmospheric “D1!”, in which the drums just hit you in the chest. The penultimate track “Keep Ya Head Up!” almost has a hyphy quality to it in the beat as Autumn! expresses the fact that some people wanna see him down & then “Now!” finishes the EP off by charmingly flexing his continuously rising profile.

I’d recommend checking this EP out if anyone reading this isn’t familiar with Autumn! because he’s easily one of the most interesting characters in the plugg scene along with SoFaygo, D. Savage, Bktherula & Summrs. The production is super chilled out & he gets at his most personal throughout the lyrics.

Score: 3.5/5

KanKan – “##B4RR” review

This is the 19th EP from Dallas, Texas artist/producer KanKan. Coming up in 2019 as a member of Slayworld, he also got his name out there by producing for a wide range of artists from Summrs to even Little Pimp. Dude just dropped a sequel to B4 AMGs & SRTs last month not even & has decided to not slow down anytime soon putting out ##B4RR in just a short matter of time.

“We Get High” is an electro-tinged opener about using drugs before going at those who’re inferior to him on the Pi’erre Bourne-influenced “Under Us”. Meanwhile on “RedEye”, we get these incredible synth passages & KanKan going on about his newfound famous lifestyle.

The song “Mad at Me” is a dystopian shot at his haters while the penultimate track “Broad Day” takes shots at his biters over a nocturnal instrumental. The EP then rounds out with “Wicked”, where KanKan & ssgkobe hop on some monstrous bass for a whole lotta fuckery in their words.

For those who’re looking to get into this kid’s discography, ##B4RR isn’t a bad place to start at all. The ideas he brings to the table in terms of sound are really interesting & he still sounds hungry as Hell despite his popularity continuously growing.

Score: 3.5/5

Your Old Droog – “TIME” review

This is the 7th full-length album from Ukrainian-American emcee/producer Your Old Droog. Emerging in the underground off his self-titled debut, many first thought he was an alter ego of Nas given that their voices are somewhat similar. Nonetheless, the cat has reached legend status at this point by proving that he was in his own lane off later projects such as Packs & It Wasn’t Even Close. But just a little over 4 months after letting his homie Tha God Fahim produce his 4th EP Tha Wolf on Wall St. from front to back, Droog is dropping TIME ahead of 2 singles in the last week

After the titular intro, the first song “The Magic Watch” speaks on finding a watch that will take you back to any moment in time over some strings & dusty drums whereas “Please Listen to My Jew Tape” is a mellowed out reflection of Droog’s career up to this point. The late MF DOOM comes along to advocate self-education on “Dropout Boogie” as Edan incorporates a pots & pans loop into boom bap production while “So High” is a summery weed smoking anthem.

Meanwhile on “Lost Time”, we have Droog hopping on a drumless instrumental explaining that he has the chips to prove that he’s a winner prior to flexing his lyrical prowess on the slyly-produced “You’re So Sick”. We go into a more guitar-driven direction for the depressive “Quiet Time” leading into Aesop Rock & eLZhi stopping through for the exuberant, pleasant “Field of Dreams”. Blu & Mick Jenkins later fill in on “One Move”, which is about the choices you make accompanied by a jazzy beat from Quelle Chris.

“The Other Way” is a dreary depiction of him avoiding negativity while “A Hip Hop Lullaby” is a smoky look back on riding the train with his mom. “Madson Ave” is a homage to the titular road in New York with slick guitar passages provided by 88-Keys & just before the “4:49” outro, the final song “No Time” taps in with Wiki for a meditative ballad about loving your family & friends when they’re still here.

Didn’t think Your Old Droog would drop another project on us this fast, but I’m glad he did because this has a very high chance of becoming the most celebrated album of his entire career. The production is a purist’s wet dream & lyrically, you get to hear YOD at his most personal conceptually stumbling upon a magic watch that allows him to go back in time & visit past versions of him.

Score: 4.5/5

Skyzoo – “All the Brilliant Things” review

Skyzoo is a 38 year old MC from Brooklyn, New York rising in the underground off l the 9th Wonder produced Cloud 9: The 3 Day High. He continued to make a name for himself with a lengthy yet very consistent discography that includes the full-length debut The Salvation, the !llmind produced Live from the Tape Deck, A Dream Deferred, Music for My Friends, the Apollo Brown produced The Easy Truth, In Celebration of Us & my personal favorite: the Pete Rock-produced Retropolitan. Last time we heard from Sky was a year ago with the Father’s Day-themed EP Milestones & knowing his grind, he’s back at it with his 7th album.

“Free Jewelry” starts the album off by sampling Gap Mangione’s “Diana in the Autumn Wind” & lyrics looking back on Sky’s career whereas “St. James Liquor” is a celebratory boom bap banger. Al Skratch of all people appears on the jazzy “A Tour of the Neighborhood”, is which literally a look into the area they grew up in. “Rich Rhetoric” is a intricate breakdown of the wealthy backed by a dusty beat while “Bodega Flowers” incorporates some kick-drums & a somewhat funky bass-line accompanying lyrics about appreciation.

Meanwhile on “Something to Believe In”, we get a sample of the iconic Roy Ayers joint “Everybody Loves the Sunshine” along with the concept of being blessed even when Satan is testing him & even though “Humble Brag” speaks for itself conceptually, the vocals in the background are pleasant to the ear. “I Was Supposed to Be a Trap Rapper” takes a look at Skyzoo’s past with JR Swiftz’ production constantly switching from gritty to jazzy while “Plugs & Connections” has rich instrumental & the theme of this is: “ain’t nobody tell nobody what’s to be expected”.

“The Scrimmage” has a hypnotic vocal sample as well as lyrics about minding your limits while we go back to into jazz territory for “Culture-Ish”, which is about passing it down until the baton’s gone. The song “Bed-Stuy’s Burning” speaks on the gentrification of the titular neighborhood accompanied by a live band while the self-produced penultimate track “What Money Taught Us” tells us just that over some keyboards. The album then ends with “Soft Eyes”, which is a glossy romance tune.

It’s always a rejoicing thing whenever this dude drops a project & this is no different from that. Not just because the production has some jazzy undertones to it & some great sample choices, but the whole concept of new era of cultural appropriation is well executed.

Score: 4/5

Migos – “C U L T U R E III” review

The Migos are a trio from Atlanta, Georgia consisting of blood relatives Quavo, Offset & Takeoff. They’ve proved themselves as one of the biggest trap acts in recent memory ever since their 2013 smash hit “Versace” & this was exemplified with their 2017 sophomore album C U L T U R E, which is undoubtedly one of the best trap projects of the previous decade whether you like them or not. However, the sequel C U L T U R E II was a bloated rushjob & their solo debuts weren’t all that well received either other than Offset’s Father of 4. But after this 3 year gap, the Migos are reuniting to finish out the C U L T U R E trilogy.

“Avalanche” starts things out with DJ Durel & Quavo sampling “Papa Was a Rollin’ Stone” by The Temptations as the Migos look back on their early days but then there’s “Havin’ Our Way” with Drake, which has an symphonic instrumental from Kane Beatz as the quartet talk about getting theirs. The official WWE Day 1 theme song “Straightenin’” has an eerie instrumental with the lyrics detailing how “you don’t get shit straight if you don’t straighten it” while the Murda Beatz-produced “Type Shit” with Cardi B is a vigorous anthem about how this song might make you feel.

Meanwhile on “Malibu”, we have Polo G accompanying the Migos on top of a synth-horn loop detailing their adventures in the titular California city & I almost wanna say that the beat OG Parker whips up for “Birthday” has a west coast trap feel to it, backing the trio calling out a bitch lying to them about it being her birthday. “Modern Day” is a mystical banger that tells listeners to put respect on the trio’s name whereas the victorious “Vaccine” details them making money during the pandemic referencing WWE Hall of Famer Mike Tyson.

Future tags along for the guitar-driven “Picasso” comparing themselves to the iconic painter of the same name leading up to them getting on some drug dealer shit for “Roadrunner”, in which the Zaytoven instrumental is tension-building as Hell. Following this, we have Danny Wolf taking the Migos into acoustic territory on the sensual “What You See”, but then “Jane” details the titular character working it for a Birkin bag with stellar Latin trap production from both Tay Keith & Gordo.

I thought the late Juice WRLD’s hook on the cavernous “Antisocial” is perfect given the lyrical concept of the track while “Why Not” finds the trio talking about getting money for fuck’s sake & the beat kinda has that cloud rap quality to it. The instrumental on “Mahomes” is incredibly dramatic as the Migos express their gratitude while OZ works in some synths & keys for them to “Handle My Business”.

The song “Time for Me” is an atmospheric cut about their bando days while the penultimate track “Light It Up” with the late Pop Smoke feels like a leftover from Shoot for the Stars, Aim for the Moon given that it’s in Pop’s signature drill sound down to 808 Melo’s production. To finish it off, “Need It” with YoungBoy Never Broke Again touches down on self-defense & the way Buddah Bless absolutely killed it flipping “Get In My Car” by 50 Cent.

Although I had my doubts going into this album, I’ll argue that it’s what C U L T U R E II should’ve been because the Migos are back in full form on here. It’s only a half hour shorter than their last album was, you can tell the thing actually feels complete rather than spending 15 minutes to make each song & a good portion of them were fun to listen to.

Score: 3.5/5