Fliptrix – “Mantra #9” review

This is the 9th solo LP from Brighton, East Sussex, England, United Kingdom emcee & High Focus Records founder Fliptrix. Also known for his membership of The 4 Owls, he made his debut in 2007 off Force Fed Imagery followed by Theory of Rhyme as well as 3rd Eye of the Storm & The Road to the Interdimensional Piff Highway. Out the Box & Polyhymnia both came out a couple years later as did Patterns of Escapism & Inexhale, coming off Light Work to drop Mantra #9 hoping to shake up the moderate feedback of both it’s predecessors.

“From the Source” begins with a lo-fi beat from Telemachus talking about the water drying up & hoping that it’s only for the summer whereas “Eden” produced by Illinformed takes the jazz boom bap route instrumentally so he can speak of the impression he has of the world going crazy. “So Clear” goes for a conscious vibe lyrically hooking up a sped-up vocal sample behind him prior to Leaf Dog giving “Deeper in the Forest” a soulful flare starting on a roll in the jungles.

King Kashmere joins Fliptrix during “Primordial Soup” talking about doing for this who wanna make something of themselves over this funky Pitch 92 beat just before the optimistic boom bap jam “Nothing Really Changed” breaking down the memories that’ll live in his name. “Wanna Tell You” featuring Leaf Dog finds the 2 talking about still being the illest while “OCD with the L O V E” featuring Coops & Verb T asks their partners to let the melody speak.

The title track reaches the halfway point of Mantra #9 on the most appropriate note one could possibly imagine talking about only serious games getting played when he steps inside the ring while “Get Free” jazzily begins the 3rd quarter speaking of keeping the prize in his sights. “R2D2” references the astromech droid from The Walt Disney Company subsidiary Lucafilm-owned Star Wars franchise maintaining a boom bap sound while “Gratitude” takes a smooth approach courtesy of Mr. Slipz putting his gracious side in the spotlight.

“Reckless” by The 4 Owls reunites my favorite UK boom bap group of the last decade dropping hardcore lyricism over a sample-heavy boom bap instrumental but once “SM58” featuring Onoe Caponoe & Ramson Badbonez sees the trio teaming up over a symphonic Wundrop beat for an ode to the Shure SM58 brand of microphones, “Rhyme & Reason” talks about smoking spliffs when turning corners in his car.

Wrapping up Mantra #9’s final leg, the song “Son Light” gives off a warm summer atmosphere expressing the desire he has to live for both his son & his wife while “Future Ain’t Promised” turns the jazz rap influenced all the way back talking about wanting to make his best solo work this late in his career when this has been making me more hopeful of that happening. “Veil of Reality” finishes the full-length with a mind-altering outro Bay29 made ready to make an example for the youth to follow.

Inexhale & Light Work were merely average compared to Patterns of Escapism & Polyhymnia, but Mantra #9 has gotta be the most I’ve enjoyed a Fliptrix album in roughly 7 years right when Patterns of Escapism had dropped. The subject matter’s more mature compared to anything the CEO of High Focus has done previously enhanced by the guest list comprised of the label’s biggest names past & present and the boom bap production’s a lot stronger than the last couple of offerings were.

Score: 4/5

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Premiere Maxx – “ItsMarsYaDig” review

This is the full-length debut from Detroit recording artist & producer Premiere Maxx. Turning heads over the last few years after producing hits like “Tweakin’ Together” by Bktherula or “Lost & Found” by Amaru Sun, he would also build a solo career for himself along way by dropping loosies like his debut single “Flyaway” or “AllDay”. But after taking some time off, Maxx is returning to properly reintroduce himself to a wider audience in the form of a self-titled album.

“Sillyho!+” opens things up with an electronic/trap hybrid to tell a thotty to get the fuck up off his phone whereas “Simp!” keeps things in dancier turf with some hi-hats telling his girl that he’s the opposite of a sucka. My lil bro Jacob! joins him on “Colder” for a revised version of a previously released single called “Since Kroger” that I find to be superior to the original, but then “Kendall Jackson Chardonnay” with Rowlaine to split the titular brand of liquor with their ladies over a moody beat.

Meanwhile on “Planet Talk”, we have Maxx over a synth-trap hybrid remembering the days when he was broke just before Rodney Wolf & the homie MEGiDDO tag along for “NASA” to drip out of their way if they say it’s cool accompanied by an instrumental that almost gives me a bit of hyphy vibes with the exception of the hi-hats. Rmani Blaak comes into the picture for the atmospheric trap joint “Do You Wrong” telling this bitch he’ll hoe her if she touches his brother just before “TakeU2theSea” tells his girl that she needs a vacation with the production giving me a summery mood.

“MILAN” is an acoustic trap ballad about putting his girl on a friend to the titular city in Italy with Yung Rani delivering my 2nd favorite feature performance of the album while “King” declares himself to be royalty even without chess & the instrumental here could very well be the quirkiest of the bunch we’ve heard thus far. “Rosegold” has a more atmospheric approach talking about how fly he is & his girl being on fire while “bACktH3n!” orchestrally reflects on the days he used to run bands with his brothers.

The song “brandnew!” with Redstarr had a more aquatic trap flare to it as the pair show off all the new shit they’ve copped while the penultimate track “Wish” brings back the acoustics & hi-hats 1 last time to talk about his dreams coming true when his significant other is there with him by his side. “Shop with M3” sends it all off with a delicate closer as Mars expressing the desire to get one so gone at all the stores to the point where you can hardly speak.

Premiere Maxx has always had artistic potential & this album expands on that for the Detroit up-&-comer quite a bit. I like how he brought in some outside producers to handle the beats so he can focus more on his lyrical abilities on top of the fun batch of production that’s brought to the table & the features all sound as hungry as he does. I truly am excited to hear him grow from here.

Score: 3.5/5

Chetta – “Falling Off” review

This is the 19th EP from New Orleans rapper/producer Chetta. Emerging in the spring of 2014 off his debut mixtape Nino White, he would go on top follow it up in the form of his previous 18 EPs as well as 11 more tapes & a full-length debut. He signed G*59 Record$nearly 2 years ago & put out his $crim-produced sophomore effort Been Here Forever last summer that I really enjoyed, so didn’t see a reason not to be excited for Falling Off.

“Heaven for a Thot” is a synth-trap opener addressing those who be trying to eat him up whereas “Boohoo” works in some rubbery bass & hi-hats so he can clap back at everyone who says they miss the old him. “Lovers & Øpps” gives me more eerier vibes to the instrumental getting more boastful lyrically only until “#GotMeFuckedUp” admits that he’s too fucked up over a trap instrumental with some pinky keys.

The 2nd half of the EP starts off with “Pantone 10c” fuses some electronic qualities with trap to spit that gangsta shit while the song “Before/We/Forget” embraces more of a cloudier sound talking about focusing on himself. The penultimate track “Nightmares Shaped Like You” has a more desponding groove to the beat hoping his girl don’t end up leaving him & “…Disintegrate” is an auto-tune heavy closer with a atmospheric trap beat telling his lady to come kill him & acknowledging that she sees him alone.

Now I’m not sure whether or not this is something to warm us up for the next album but either way, I still think Falling Off is one of Chetta’s most interesting EPs that he’s whipped up yet. I respect how he decided to take the risk of producing the whole thing by himself & am excited to hear where his style behind the boards evolve from here as he pokes fun at those who believe he fell off.

Score: 3.5/5

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Ty Farris – “No Cosign, Just Cocaine 5: The Final Sniff” review

This is the 11th mixtape from Detroit emcee Ty Farris. Coming up under the name T-Flame, he was featured on a lot of projects throughout the mid-2000’s until the very end of the decade where he started to put out solo stuff at a prolific rate from Tyrant to Room 39. But coming fresh off his 3rd EP Moments of Mayhem alongside his last 2 albums Fluorescent Mud & Pain for Ya Vein respectively, Ty’s returning for the 5th & final installment of the No Cosign Just Cocaine series.

After the “80’s Cocaine” intro, the first song “The Coca Leaf” works in a drumless loop from Graymatter as T-Flame spits about that cocaína prior to Jae Skeese tagging along for the gritty “We Never Backing Down” talking about refusing to fold. “Alejandro Sosa” has a slicker yet cinematic groove to the production courtesy of Trox speaking on the man only concerned about the quota, but then “Dean Smith” takes a more soulful with it’s bare sample & the lyrics concerning the rap game’s dean’s list.

As for “Dope Speak 4 Itself”, we have J. Arrr & Vega7 the Ronin joining Ty over a cavernous boom bap instrumental provided by Stu Bangas to show off their lyrical prowesses just before “The Thoughts of Ghost” comes through with a standout from the horror flick-inspired beat that Big Ghost Ltd. cooks up to the bars about being a hot boy before Lil Wayne could start to curse in his music. Flames Dot Malik drops a husky verse on “The Twilight Zone” as they continue to son motherfuckers on the mic over what is possibly the darkest Wino Willy beat I’ve ever heard leading into “Underestimate Me” weaving some synths, kicks & snares speaking to those who underrate him.

“The Most Feared Threat” with Mickey Diamond & The Steiner Brothers finds the quartet over a shimmering boom bap beat from Finn referring to themselves as problems in the game while “Critically Acclaimed” has a richer quality to it taking a dive into his dark mind. The song “Brown Bags Over Revolvers” with Daniel Son sees the pair on top of some pianos, kicks & snares to live lawless while the penultimate track “Never Lose Respect” returns to soulful turf declaring himself as the Jesus of this rap shit. “The Most High” concludes the tape & the NCJC series with a downtrodden Bozack Morris instrumental living for today.

I’ve been anticipating this project for quite some time now & even had the honor of seeing the artwork only a few months before the final product was even announced earlier this week. From that moment on, I knew I wasn’t gonna be disappointed it & it couldn’t have been a better conclusion to the saga now that we got it in full. Ty lyrically continues to cement himself as one of the best in underground today, the guest list is nearly as on point as the last installment’s was & the production is consistently raw.

Score: 4.5/5

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Bktherula – “LVL5” review

This is the 2nd EP from Atlanta, Georgia up-&-comer Bktherula. Coming up 6 years back as a pop/R&B singer, she eventually broke out a few summers back in the plugg scene after dropping the single “Tweakin’ Together” produced by my lil homie Premiere Maxx off her debut mixtape Love Santana. This resulted in her signing to Warner Records, following it up with her her sophomore tape Nirvana & the full-length debut Love Black. But after some delays, Bk’s back in effect for LVL5 here.

“TAN” is an explosive trap opener with Bk bragging about running the rap game whereas “DO IT AGAIN” works in some synths & hi-hats calling out someone she doesn’t even know for speaking on her character. “BACK” has to be my favorite joint on the album as things take a cloudier approach thanks to Evilgiane & Rafmade so she can fuck your hoe & rub it in your face just before “BELIEVE” comes through with an impressive R&B/trap ballad reminding listeners of her roots & her range.

Moving onto “CRAZY GIRL”, we have Bk over some more synthesizers & hi-hats to describe a bitch that don’t even know she’s the insane one prior to “NO ADLIB” is a shrilling yet rubbery trap cut about keeping a bad bitch & a stack on her along with having 1 in the head similar to Russian roulette. “Forever, Pt. 2 (Jezebel)” is another favorite from the light & melodic instrumental to the Destroy Lonely feature while the bombastic “PSSYONFT” talks about being the hardest bitch past 2022.

The penultimate track “?????” comes through with a more futuristic vibe whilst keeping some heavy bass in the fold as Bk boasts on the lyrical end until “We Made It” sends things off with Rico Nasty joining her for a celebratory yet pillowy closer to the album as they go back & forth with one another excellently proving why we need a collaborative project from them at some point down the line airing out those who hate on them yet wish they were in their shoes.

Been waiting on some new Bk for a while now & although LVL5 feels like an EP considering how short as Hell it is, it’s still an impressive body of work from her. The couplet of features both knock it out of the park as opposed the sole guest performance on the last album being mediocre & I really commend her for the album relatable theme of tapping in with your spiritual side & the small group under the angels that fight against your demons.

Score: 3.5/5

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Violent J – “Bloody Sunday” review

Violent J is a 50 year old MC, producer, professional wrestler/manager, Juggalo Championship Wrestling (JCW) Commissioner & the longest reigning 2-time JCW World Juggalo Tag Team Champion from Detroit, Michigan notable for forming the Insane Clown Posse & co-founding the label that runs beneath the streets Psychopathic Records with Shaggy 2 Dope. He’s also released a few EPs & a full-length on his own within the last 3 decades, with my personal favorite of the handful being Wizard of the Hood. The last we heard from the Duke of the Wicked solo-wise was the Brother! EP on New Year’s Eve 2018, but J is making up for the 3-month delay of his sophomore solo album by giving it to the fans as a Juggalo Day treat.

The intro is an occult trap opener produced by Devereaux with J confessing he doesn’t want to be alive anymore whereas the title track gives me a more slower albeit still morbid approach to the beat thanks to Brian Kuma talking about a never ending cycle. “Clown Blood” returns to trap territory with J showing off some crazy flows as he describes the clown blood flowing through him leading into “In the Hole” blending some hi-hats & synths talking about where your soul will suffer.

Meanwhile on “Pitch Dark”, we have J over a more rugged instrumental describing total blackness just before “No Friends” is a decent guitar ballad about being friendless. “Scatterbrain 2” is a trap-flavored sequel to “Scatterbrain” which has always been one of the best songs off Eye of the Storm in my opinion & picks up where the predecessor left off wonderfully referencing both former 2-time SMW Heavyweight Champion & ECW World Tag Team Champion Tracy Smothers and WWE Hall of Famer, former WWE Intercontinental Champion, WWE United States Champion, 3-time WCW World Heavyweight Champion & WCW World Tag Team Champion Rick Rude until Mike E. Clark returns to lace “The Stiff” with his uniquely quirky sound asking if he made a friend until the end or fucked up again.

“Horrendous Ways” jacks for beats as the Duke of the Wicked asks why great lives end in the titular fashion while “Something’s in My Room” takes a turn into boom bap describing the titular being in his room staring at him. The song “The Hurter” has a more carnivalesque flare to the instrumental courtesy of Shaggytheairhead describing the titular character while the penultimate track “A Harrowing Time” is a bassy trap cut about Satan calling him. “Some Good Pussy” though ends the album with a shitty country rock ballad about a man being unhealthily obsessed with a bitch.

Wizard of the Hood is such a classic EP & I know The Shining gets a bit of mixed reception with a lot of juggalos that I know personally, but it’s most certainly no question that Bloody Sunday stands as Violent J’s finest solo album to date. It’s a lot more darker than the previous efforts that he’s put out on his own, he sounds focused & the production is a healthy mix of both the old & new sounds throughout the 3 decades that he’s been in the game.

Score: 3.5/5

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DaeMoney – “Slae Season 3” review

This is the full-length debut from Detroit up-&-comer DaeMoney. Coming up as the nephew of one of the 2 biggest artists in the city right now Babyface Ray as well as a member of the WRLD Tour Mafia collective, he broke out on his own by dropping his debut mixtape Young Sexual Misconduct & his debut EP Slae Season accompanied by his 2nd EP Rockstar Lifestyle & then his previous tape Slae Season 2. But after signing to EMPIRE Distribution this past summer & celebrating in the form of his last EP Slayer’s Coming fully produced by Trees shortly after, Dae’s back in action for the final installment of the Slae Season trilogy.

“Overtime & Overgrind” is a cavernous, west coast flavored trap opener talking about how hip hop has saved him & that he’s the freshest motherfucker that you know whereas “Make ‘Em Say Ugh!” takes a more futuristic route courtesy of Trees giving his flowers to the Colonel of the Motherfuckin’ Tank himself Master P. “No Suits” blends some strings & pianos with hi-hats touching on a groupie asking him what happened to WTM Scoob & if she can get a WRLD Tour tattoo on her breasts, but then “Charles Barkley” turns into cloudier territory talking about showing people time & time again that he’s the one.

Rafa comes into the picture for the highlight track “Letter to Self” with it’s luxurious trap production & them dropping some truly motivational gems on the lyrical end that I think would resonate with the average listener leading into the psychedelic “Keep Hustlin’” obviously talking about the never-ending grind. Babyface Ray joins his nephew for “Basket” to get on their Detroit trap gangsta shit thanks to LulRose just before “Again?” confesses that he’s relapsed on lean tossing a muhfucka off the top rope like WWE Hall of Famer, former 3-time WWE Champion, 11-time WWE tag team champion, the inaugural WWE Hardcore Champion, CWA World Tag Team Champion & TNA World Champion Mick Foley the Hardcore Legend with some hi-hats, claps, occasional bells & a woozy loop.

“So Toxic” is a symphonic trap cut produced by Carlo Anthony clapping back at a groupie hoe prior to LUCKI & Veeze joining Dae for the cloudy “Who is That?” with Face on the hook as the trio talk about murdering everything & the titular question being exactly the ones they want everyone asking. The song “Slaeski Montana” is another highlight for me from the slick trap beat to the lyrics comparing himself to Tony Montana from the iconic film Scarface while the penultimate track “I Love It Here” has a more ethereal approach describing his current position in life. “Pop Star” closes the album out with a rock-trap crossover that Carlo hooked up declaring himself to be a rockstar.

Although I had previously stated last summer that Slayer’s Coming had to be my favorite body of work of Dae’s thus far, he really took it to a whole new level on the concluding chapter of the Slae Season trilogy. The production is more versatile, he assembles his biggest feature-list to date with all of them gelling well & the songwriting is a heartfelt reflection of his past along with his spot today as one of the biggest artists in the city.

Score: 4/5

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joMi – “Too Close” review

This is the debut EP from Oakland emcee joMi. Someone who’s been making his presence in the northern California known by working with the likes of Dizzy Wright, Demrick, 80 Empire & ¡MAYDAY! for over 5 years at this point. He even has a full-length debut under his belt called Samo from 2018 on top of a collaborative album with G. Cardona & Gran Elyan from a year & a half ago. However in light of signing to Soulspazm Records, it’s only right for joMi to properly introduce himself on Too Close.

“Cardona” is an emotional trap opener talking about pulling himself out of this familiar place frequently & after the “My Brother’s Keeper”, skit, Sunny” gives off a chilled out, psychedelic vibe talking about doing right & even apologizing for not being that excited previously. The song “Debo’s Watch, Pt. 2” delves into this whimsically produced trap sequel to the Samo closer & after the “Fallin’ Through the Sky” interlude, “Eye Sell” ends the EP on a groovy note asking who you got time for likening it to fiends on a tightrope trying to get free despite the fact that the time’s slow.

Too Close would be a good place to start in joMi’s discography considering how much it tells new listeners is that this is a guy who’s been dealing with internal growth & internal turmoil all this time. The production is a level up from Samo as he teaches that if you ever get too close to something; you may damage that relationship/object or you may damage yourself instead.

Score: 4/5

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Shaggytheairhead – “Coffee” review

This is the sophomore full-length album from Las Vegas, Nevada producer, rapper & fashion designer Shaggytheairhead. Catching my attention after producing one of my all-time favorite Ouija Macc songs “Nardwuar Glocc” back in 2018, he would back that up with 4 EPs before becoming an in-house producer for Chapter 17 Records & Psychopathic Records alongside his Mythic Mindz cohort Devereaux. Shaggy would drop his last album Wakin’ Up during the 21st annual Gathering of the Juggalos, which was the only Gathering I’ve ever been to & a weekend that I’ll never forget. As far as the actual music on Wakin’ Up, it’s my favorite of his thus far because of how much he improved his lyricism & that he dabbled with a wide range of sounds to show his influences. Following the Gathering of Dreams last summer however, he dropped a producer album called Grin to the Grave featuring a wide range of artists rapping over his production from Ouija to King Iso, Project Pat, Sir Michael Rocks & even Matt Ox. But to honor the 49th birthday of J Dilla & ヌジャベス, Shaggy’s returning in the form of Coffee.

After the “Shaggythelegend 3” skit, “Abyss” comes through with a trap opener calling for all the savages in this bitch prior to Trade Voorhees tags along for “Ima Make It” to talk about getting off your ass & doing something productive today working in some synths & hi-hats alongside a chopped & screwed inspired hook. “Need a Friend” hooks together a syrupy sample à la Three 6 Mafia to seek true friendship just before “Force Fed” dives into boom bap turf speaking to those who be feeling like they’re being imposed upon.

Trade returns on “Grind Everyday” keeping it in the basement encouraging to hustle until “Gotta Ask” continues with some kicks & snares put together with these spacious synth chords curious to know why he got done dirty. Darby O’Trill comes into the picture for the shrilling “Raygun” to bust shots at the zombies & encouraging those who have a problem with him to say something to them about it, but then the YungFiend verse on “Furnace” is probably the weakest feature on the album with all respect even though the atmospheric approach is nice & the themes of proving others how hot they be artistically.

The song “When Will They Learn?” eerily claps back at shit-talkers while “Witch” serves as the official closer to the album as he describes paranormally seeing a woman in the corner of every room that he enters with a dusty boom bap beat yet the “bonus cut” title track is the true finale to the album with it’s minimal yet bluesy instrumental accompanied by the heartfelt lyrics that look back on being down in his luck to eventually hanging with his idols & pursuing his dream in a music career.

Wakin’ Up was a great debut for Shaggy & a year & a half later with Coffee as the official follow-up, it was well worth it in my opinion. His production is continuing to evolve & the feature-list is much smaller than it was on the last album although they manage to do a fine job at bringing their own unique styles to the table. Now that he’s woken up & had his coffee, where do we go from here a year & a half from now? I’m curious to know.

Score: 4/5

Jehst – “Mork Calling Orson” review

Jehst is a 43 year old graffiti writer, MC & producer from Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England, United Kingdom introducing himself by dropping an EP called Premonitions through his own label YNR Productions based out of London. He would go on to drop High Plains Drifter along with his debut album The Return of the Drifter & the sophomore effort Falling Down under the Leeds imprint Low Life Records, following the latter up with the Mengi Bus mixtape & the Nuke Proof Suitextended play. The Dragon of an Ordinary Familyas well as Billy Green’s Dead & Heathens would all come out independently as a result of Low Life’s collapse, returning for his 5th studio LP.

“Cornerstone” starts with this symphonic boom bap beat produced by Sonnyjim talking about being a foundation of the UK hip hop movement when there are no lies being spoken whereas “You” works in some pianos admitting he doesn’t give a fuck regarding this person who isn’t anything like him whatsoever. The self-produced “Footsteps” takes a jazzier boom bap approach instrumentally becoming unsure in the midst of finding his way back home while “Lonely World” featuring SINDYSMAN finds the 2 talking about finding hope over a Sam Zircon beat.

Meanwhile on “Wild Herb”, we have Jehst exploring a bit of a g-funk sound for a look inside of his kaleidoscope leading into “Doctor” talking about life getting lonely without having anyone to hold down & him getting older. “Daily Planet” featuring Confucius MC finds the 2 linking up so they can observe the insanity occurring every single day just before “Flight to L.A.” embraces a more soulful sound thanks to Beat Butcha talking about wanting to hit up the west coast.

“Autumn Nights” featuring Confucius MC drumlessly reunites the pair to discuss making something out of nothing being a part of their daily lives while “1 Horse Town” featuring both Confucius MC & Eva Lazarus brings the trio together hoping a spot is saved in the areas they each call home. “Front Door” takes a slower approach in generally talking about looking out to find the antidote blowing ganja smoke & “Skylines” stripping the drums 1 last time asking who’s to blame for the thoughts polluting his brain.

Heavily sampling the Paramount Skydance Corporation owned sitcom Mork & Mindy, the YNR Productions founder continues to unlock Jehst’s superpower of making the melancholic incisively slice through all before him revisiting topics he’s explored in the past broken down from a brand new perspective. The production’s more jazzier & boom bap instead of continuing the experimentations of Billy Green’s Dead, employing a slower flow & reaching a typically supreme standard of syllables & similes over 2 decades later.

Score: 4/5

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