Hariroc – “The Squidfather 2” review

Atlanta, Georgia producer & rapper Hariroc dropping his 3rd studio LP merely days after announcing it. Known for being an extensive collaborator of Lil Tony, he would go on to fully produce the Troc & Swaggbaggs extended plays for Tony in their entireties preceding a full-length debut of his own Indalment in 2024 even if the reception was generally lukewarm. The Squidfather last summer despite being overloaded had some incredible songs on it & the sequel retains that same length although I should note there being guests who weren’t on the predecessor appearing for The Squidfather 2.

“Red” by Hardrock was actually an impressive opener & amongst the latter’s better songs I’ve heard in a bit regardless of it only being less than a minute & a half until “Sold Not Told” by Lil Tony talks about the way the game goes over a plugg instrumental. “Donald Trump” by Double XL & Ealuhri finds the pair wasting another plugg beat likening their black truck to a pedophilic fascist just before “Greed” by B6 vents about everyone yapping their needs to him & turning to Jesus for help finding peace.

RRoxket gets a joint of his own with “Johnny Depp” & I like more than the last couple, talking about snorting as much coke as the iconic actor himself just before another favorite of mine “Long Live Virgil” by Pradabagshawty pays tribute to the late Off-White founder of the same name. “Røck Øut” by Tezzus fresh off the disappointing controversy between him, ilykimchi & Oogie Mane talks about standing on business leading into “Murder He Wrote” by Doowopgz & Rx Yp discussing seeing hate from a mile away.

“3 Man Drill” by Stikkhead takes over the mic to air out the kind of people who ain’t on shit like they claim to be despite the instrumental sticking out more while “Radioactive Rage” by Teflon Zay embraces a hypertrap sound talking about carrying guns whenever they’re riding through the ATL & laying their opps out. “Free Twin” by Babystaydown was another moment I enjoyed calling for his incarcerated homie to come home while “Chess Game” by BabyDrill airily speaks of living a double life with the blick.

Chuckyy makes a 98 second statement telling everyone to “Stop Pouring Lean” & I agree with because I’ve never done that shit nor am I a fan of it personally, preceding “Illegal Money” by Zone1eriic assuring that he can get in a scuffle at this very moment since he got sticks in his ride. “Switch My Move” by Yksteexy ends the 1st leg of The Squidfather 2 with a monotonous performance like he barely has a pulse while “Mufasa” by RW 5 kicks off the 2nd act talking about his mom wanting him to be better than his father.

“Suck Yuh Mada” by 1900Rugrat annoyingly rambles on regarding people who hate him now that he’s been making money while the standout “Dirty Bird” by ApolloRed1 talks about having a favorite trapper instead of having a favorite rapper growing up. “Split the Tab” by tana continues with another highlight addressing a see-through bitch who he hasn’t seen in some time while “Dreams I Can’t Reach Yet” by PCF ManMan talks about his brother being locked up for some dumb shit.

I’d say Pradabagshawty outrapped Ealuhri during “Typo” texting freak hoes wanting to fuck them high off percocets while “Geeked Up” by Bby Kellwoozily elaborates more about being under the influence of drugs. “Beaver” by Zukenee entertainingly references the Comcast Corporation subsidiary NBCUniversal owned sitcom Leave It to Beaver while “Free RRed” by IsoBkae & 4E_Redd averagely trades verses over some pianos & 808s

“Purple Heart” by Babytron was a delightful surprise to me talking about receiving the titular military decoration after the tragic death of his Dog $hit Militia brethren $camaurion back in October of 2022 & after “Free Roc (Rox)” by Luhtrentt flexes that he plays the game of truth instead of pleading the 5th amendment, “Puppet” by GetRichZay confronts someone flexing who claims to be about that life wanting him to take the test to see whether he’s telling the truth or cappin’.

Famous Dex unexpectedly makes “Don’t Touch My Cup” one of the most interesting tracks he’s done this decade along with “Lex Meet Dex”, cautioning not to test him because of the real possibility of him spazzing out while “Emo Ho” by B6 provides a lukewarm anthem dedicated to anyone who’s been stacking up bread. “Fake Thuggin’” by Lil Tony wraps up The Squidfather 2 in the form of this plugg outro becoming a soldier if his opposition’s brought around him.

I would’ve enjoyed The Squidfather a lot more than I did when it came out last August if Hariroc shaved off the half of it that I could’ve done without & unfortunately, The Squidfather 2 suffers from the very same problems it’s predecessor except I might like it a little less than the original. There’s no issue with his production varying between trap & cloud rap to plugg & rage since I do respect his artistry, but the guest list leaves me more torn than the previous one.

Score: 2.5/5

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