k-os – “BLackneck” review

k-os is a 54 year old rapper, singer/songwriter & producer from Toronto, Ontario, Canada whose full-length studio debut Exit alongside the sophomore effort Joyful Rebellion & Atlantis: Hymns for Disco cemented himself as a dominant force in the Canadian hip hop scene despite releasing his debut single in 1996. Yes! we well as BLack on BLonde & Can’t Fly Without Gravity would all be welcomed to mixed reception, returning over a decade after the latter to have Drake oversee the creation of his 2nd extended play.

The self-produced “Still #1” opens up with k-os over a boom bap instrumental making the observation of there being no blacks in power around his parts leading into “OK Corral” letting this woman know she’s not the only one who wants to shoot his firearm. “Eureka!” comes through with a cross between “Beat It” by the late Michael Jackson & “Hey Ya!” by André 3000 talking about being loved despite his ugliness just before flexing that he has the “Golden Touch”, leaning towards a Velvet Underground vibe.

“i would never.” winds down the last few moments of BLackneck amplifying the rock influences we heard moments ago, this time drawing inspiration from The Hives so he can make a promise to not even attempt at steal someone else’s girl because he believes there’s already too much beauty in the world as there is while the 2nd & final single “Guns&Roses” talks about cutting rappers up like it’s chop suey, throwing it back to the Joyful Rebellion days. The closing track “Hootenanny” sends off the EP with a 3 & a half outro reminiscent to De La Soul.

It really isn’t much of a surprise Drake financially backed BLackneck considering k-os has always been one of his biggest musical influences & the fact they did a song together back in 2011 called “Faith”. Even if Drizzy’s detractors choose to put his involvement as executive producer to the side, Kheaven made up for the lukewarm reception that’s defined his work since Atlantis: Hymns for Disco by reminding us all of his talents whether it’s his varied production style or him becoming the change he wants to see.

Score: 3.5/5

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Bktherula – “N5ON” review

Atlanta, Georgia rapper & singer/songwriter Bktherula back for her 4th studio LP. Beginning a decade ago as a pop/R&B singer, she eventually broke out in the plugg scene after dropping the single “Tweakin’ Together” produced by my lil homie Mars off her debut mixtape Love Santana. This resulted in her signing to Warner Records, following it up with her sophomore tape Nirvana along with the full-length debut Love Black & LVL5. Coming off LVL5 2 & Lucy however, she’s returning 16 months later for N5ON.

“I Go Punk” kicks things off with Whethan fusing grime, dubstep, pop rap & hybrid trap talking about killing the ego right then & there leading into “Activated” produced by iloveit! chaotically admitting she’ll be on her worst behavior once she’s finished with this cup in her hand. “Oh Yay” goes for an atmospheric direction instrumentally yearning to see her lover’s body moving in different ways while “Addicted2U” featuring underscores blends electropop, electro house, dance-pop, hyperpop & progressive house achieving their goal of making something generational.

Cade gets behind the boards during “2002” talking about the club playing her music in a room full of sexy women just before “2wice” confronts someone who walked passed her a couple times like they never shared a name. “Lost in a Rave” talks about her desire of hearing a bass drop until it cuts through the evening & once “Afterz” flexes her money being longer than a pterodactyl, “Drunk” finds herself wanting to get wasted with her partner.

“Wav” hops over a Keyon Christ beat admitting this feels more like a dream to her instead of sincere love while “Push Pull Method” talks about a lost friend of hers who she can’t stop thinking of saying she would marry her when the party ends only to marry some other guy. “Jevitas” lets ¥en Diezel handle the sole verse going full-blown Spanish for an anthem dedicated to all the youthfully attractive women in the function while “Alisha” ends N5ON advising the person addressed not to call her without humble intentions.

Both singles that’ve come out within the past several months were a clear indication of Bktherula making a stylistic departure with N5ON & unsurprisingly, it’s the most experimental thing she’s made thus far. The songwriting’s noticeably more repetitive than anything she’s done previously, but the largely EDM-oriented production contrasting the trap/rage sounds she became known for at the turn of the decade validates it.

Score: 3.5/5

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Kirk Franklin – “I Am What I Am” review

Kirk Franklin is a 56 year old gospel singer, rapper, songwriter, composer, producer, choir director & author from Fort Worth, Texas who would put out over a dozen full-lengths in the past 3 decades. My favorites of which being his 5th album The Nu Nation Project under Interscope Records & the RCA Records-backed Long Live Love, but seeing that the Fo Yo Soul Recordings founder had left RCA to join a relaunched Uptown Records now distributed by Republic Records for a brand new extended play had me intrigued.

“Free Me Tonight” featuring Jelly Roll samples “In the Air Tonight” by Phil Collins so they can ask God to set them free this evening whereas “This Time” featuring Glorilla flips “Dey Know” by the late Shawty Lo to discuss everything being ok in the end. “Hope in You” featuring Davido brings a bit of an Afrobeats vibe to the table expressing optimism of their partners seeing them for what’s in their heart while “It Gets Better” featuring Tobe Nwigwe finds the pair talking about dark times never lasting.

The 2nd single “Able” winds down the last leg of I Am What I Am passionately describing everything God’s capable of doing whether it’s making our day better or changing the way we live while the lead single “Do It Again” sings about the Lord restoring what we’ve destroyed & turning sorrow into happiness. “Stay” sends off the of the EP with a gospel outro advising that today could be the day God answers your prayers if one sticks around long enough for the sun to shine on them.

I Am What I Am would be an unquestionable recommendation if people are looking for a gospel project in 2026 to cleanse theirs ears from WWE Hall of Famer Kid Rock’s latest album Halfway 2 Jesus dropping a couple weeks earlier. Not simply because the message Kirk Franklin’s been delivering since his debut doesn’t get comprised by the inclusion of secular guests or needless to say: The sincerity behind it, but it’s also I’d honestly rank it amongst the most enjoyable music that I’ve heard from him in some time.

Score: 3.5/5

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Ramson Badbonez – “Crystal Skull” review

Brand new studio LP & the 15th overall from Highbury, North London, England, United Kingdom emcee Ramson Badbonez. An underwing of the Task Force, he would eventually sign to Boot Records until making his High Focus Records debut in 2013 with A Year in the Life of Oscar the Slouch. Hypnodic, Jason Bonez, Mic Day the 13th, Death Mask, Fusion & the Leaf Dog-produced White Rabbit would all come out under the Hove, East Sussex imprint & has linked up with Illinformed for Crystal Skull.

After the “Psychic Channel” intro, the 2nd single “1 to 10” kicks things off with this soulful boom bap intro flexing the strength of his pen whereas the lead single “Animos City” talks about most having the inability of prevailing in this circular maze. “Lost Relic” takes the symphonic boom bap route instrumentally speaking of being heavenly suspenseful in mood until the 3rd single “Afterglow” talks about our light trying to be controlled whether it’s bright or not.

Farma G appears for the smooth yet dusty “True Colours” so they can discuss women revealing their real personalities to them after hiding it for some time just before the 4th & final single “Crime or Rhyme” hooks up a flute to talk about being intertwined by those 2 things since 1999 when he used to roll with the Task Force back in the day. “Code” gets the 2nd half narcissists displaying where their alliance truly lies while “Blue” passionately talks about his family life.

“Terrors” featuring Kakarot finds the pair discussing the fight or flight agenda while “Shots Fired” eerily gets in his battle rap bag lyrically. Blessing” featuring Leaf Dog hops over a soulful boom bap beat looking to hand out gratitude when one needs it & after “Guitar Case” cinematically shows off his storytelling abilities, “Spirit Science” featuring Mr. Rozzi wraps up Crystal Skull talking about the walls of time being quieter than inner silence.

It wasn’t too surprising to hear Ramson Badbonez reached out to Illinformed weeks after White Rabbit came out last spring to bring this sequel to life & sure enough, Crystal Skull will satisfy fans who resonated with it’s predecessor 19 months earlier ranking amongst the Silver Surfa’s finest material. He’s defiantly standing tall in spite of the world around him falling apart & Illinformed’s production feels unparalleled to Leaf’s, opening the door for the possibility of both Leigh Brothers getting behind the boards for the saga’s next chapter.

Score: 4/5

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Asun Eastwood & Daniel Son – “Nom de Guerre” review

This is the 3rd collaborative LP from Toronto, Ontario, Canada emcees Asun Eastwood & Daniel Son produced by Futurewave. Notable for being members of the Brown Bag Money collective, they would originally unite in 2018 when teaching the Physics of Filth & ran it back during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic when the previous album they did together Bite the Bullet dropped. So hearing they were doing Nom de Guerre nearly a month after former DPW Worlds Tag Team Champions, 新日本プロレスリングストロングオープン級タッグチームチャンピオン, RPW British Tag Team Champions & NXT Tag Team Champions the Grizzled Young Veterans ended 1st Faction’s reign as MLP Canadian Tag Team Champions.

After the intro, “MACV-SOG” breaks down the door with this hardcore boom bap opener likening themselves to the unconventional task force around the time of the Vietnam War whereas “Headcrack City” infuriatingly claps back at their detractors who thought they wouldn’t make it this far. “Plant the Flag” talks about claiming their turf since they’re standing on the hill prior to “Catch a Limit” dustily tuning out everyone who can’t play shit compared to them.

“Trump Towers” moves on from there depicting the gangsta lifestyle together over another boom bap instrumental while “Fassy Bwai” featuring Kardinal Offishall reaches the midway point of Nom de Guerre demolishing any coward who gets in their way. “Blood of the Irish” kicks off the 2nd half on some jazzier vibes talking about their desires of attempting to lay low for a bit just before “Clean Up Nice” details real life sob stories being fed up of being broke.

The song “Repugnant” blends a piano and the some kicks & snares talking about having an abundance of money & cocaine leading into “Riding Convey” featuring Wizdome Buntail & 36 Cypher finds the quartet sinisterly painting the walls using the blood of their opposition. “Dusty Particles” featuring Lord Juco brings an organ in the picture so all 3 of them can get in their hustler bags lyrically while the closer “Dirty Weaponry” chops up a drumless sample talking about showing the world beyond sight.

Sidelining my personal belief of Asun Eastwood’s output post-The S.O.U.L. (Science Of Understanding Life) being average at best, seeing him reuniting with Daniel Son for Nom de Guerre thankfully lived up to my expectations of becoming the strongest collab effort since he released 98 Miles with M.A.V. roughly 5 & a half years ago. Physics of Filth & Bite the Bullet are both superior with the latter having a superior guest list, but it’s refreshing to hear their chemistry hasn’t waned.

Score: 4/5

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Young Nudy – “Just Doin’ Me” review

Atlanta, Georgia rapper Young Nudy returning for his 5th studio LP albeit Atlantic Records debut only days away until the Halloween weekend commences. Despite being cousins with 21 Savage, he eventually carved a lane of his own in the last decade with 10 mixtapes (the most notable ones being the Pi’erre Bourne-produced Sli’merre & it’s sequel) followed by his previous 4 full-lengths. However, he’s returning after taking a trip to Paradise explaining how he’s Just Doin’ Me.

“Hits” produced by FNZ was actually a pretty good note to start on talking about moving like the mafia whereas “Chicken Tender” expresses his frustration towards people acting like enemies instead of folks over a plugg instrumental from Coupe. “Let Me Show You” turns up the aggression so Nudy can talk about being on some Rick Owens shit daily just before the boastful 2nd single “Who Dat Is” running it back with Coupe to combine trap & Chicago drill.

Coupe sticks around for “Nonstop” pretty much reminding everyone that Nudy stays in the streets & flexing his wealth while “Stars in My Car” featuring Fatt Smaxk finds the pair decently talking about how far each of them have come. “Spinnin’” featuring 21 Savage moves on from there referencing one of my top 3 shows of all-time Better Call Saul leading into “War” talking about preparing to engage in combat against the type who act like they want beef.

“Spaghetti” kicks off the 2nd half of Just Doin’ Me hitting us with more gangsta imagery cautioning there’ll be issues if no one wants to ride for him while “F.B.G.M. (Fuck Bitches Get Money)” lets the world in regarding what motivates him. The 3rd & final single “Broke Bitch” airs out his grievances towards a woman who’s struggling financially while the lead single “Ya Dig” talks about riding with the type of people who kick doors down.

The song “Why Would I?” incorporates these haunting synth melodies making it clear that he’ll be in the cut if anyone wants to see him while “Judy” featuring J.I.D samples “My Life’s Alright” by Shira Small to talk about not fucking with lames. “Vibe Out” looks to show these muhfuckas the proper way of ballin’ & the prices not lowering for shit despite doing it all while the closing track “Cream Pie” spends the album’s remaining minutes talking about his girl eating up the dick.

A lot of people including myself would consider Young Nudy amongst the most consistent artists in trap, but I honestly wouldn’t rank Just Doin’ Me amongst his best material although I I certainly believe the positives outweigh the negatives. It’s always entertaining to hear him telling stories of what growing up in Zone 6 was like for him even if I was expecting more out of the production regardless of the appreciation I have for him trying to work with different producers.

Score: 3/5

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Ras Kass – “Fallout” review

Ras Kass is a 53 year old MC from Carson, California whose his full-length debut Soul on Ice under Priority Records celebrated its 30th anniversary at the beginning of the month. The father of both Ras & Taj Austin from Coast Contra would go on to drop 13 more studio LPs as well as 7 EPs & 8 mixtapes since, with the Mello Music Group-backed Blasphemy produced by Apollo Brown during my senior year of high school landing at my 2nd favorite in his discography. Coming off Leopard Eats Face distributed by Soulspazm Records only 8 months ago, The Waterproof MC’s not looking to slow down with his 8th extended play.

The title track kicks things off with a soulful boom bap intro produced by P.A. Dre talking about the authentic ones being ostracized whereas “Summer Jam” takes a more seductive route topically, wanting people to understand how beautiful this woman is. “Only You” goes for a crooning trap vibe instrumentally talking about more people needing to become themselves leading into “Bottle Service” featuring All Lyrical & Punchline brings it hardcore with the latter having the strongest guest verse of the 2.

“Autumn Colors” incorporates live drumming from none other than Daru Jones talking about the fact that seasons always change every 3 months & a fool remaining the same no matter what just before “Won’t Do” featuring G-Dep, Grafh & X-Raided finds all 4 lyricists uniting to deliver an onslaught of east coast/west coast penmanship over a sample of “Whoa!” by the late Black Rob & some hi-hats. “God Watching” finishes up the EP soulfully reiterating his take on the meaning of a bar during the 1st verse of “Not Like Us” by Kendrick Lamar where he said he’d beat Drake’s ass with the bible.

I had the honor of meeting Ras Kass in the spring of 2022 when we attended the Outlawz’ final show in Los Angeles preceding the untimely death of Young Noble last summer & although I’m adamant of him having the capability to make something on the caliber of Soul on Ice or Blasphemy in terms of enjoyability, a majority of Fallout’s production leaves me torn although I commend him for his technical proficiency & toning down the number of features compared to the amount Leopard Eats Face had.

Score: 3/5

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Autumn! – “Midnight Club 2” review

Here we have the 7th studio LP from Lafayette, Louisiana rapper, singer/songwriter & producer Autumn!. Gaining traction off a total of 22 EPs & a full-length debut on SoundCloud since 2018 prior to signing to Victor Victor Worldwide & Republic Records succeeding the Not Much Left EP, he made his major label debut 4 & a half years ago with his sophomore effort Antagonist! as well as following it up with the last 2 installments of the Golden Child trilogy & Midnight Club. However, he’s returning for a sequel to the latter after taking it Back 2 My Roots & breaking down the life of a Rolling Stone.

“12AM” begins with a mediocre pop rap intro talking about this woman trying to bring him too deep whereas the self-produced “Hallucinating” goes for a cloudier trap direction instrumentally telling his partner everything will be fine since he’s right by her. “Reflexion” brings a more hyper vibe to the table calling out people for acting tough online only to be shocked when being confronted in real life leading into “Beck” talking about money, power & respect.

The rock undertones throughout “Luster” were interesting to hear suggesting that everyone better post up whenever they see him in the paint just before “ILYIHY” ends the 1st leg sampling “ILoveUIHateU” by Playboi Carti talking about a lover who keeps fucking with his head. “Take 1 Song” kicks off the 2nd half callin’ bluff at an individual who be runnin’ their mouths without having anything to back it up while “Widebody Cullinan” talks about his closet costing people’s entire lives.

“Lefty” admits that there was point prior to “1 Way!” coming out where he forgot who he was although he knew he’d eventually make it while “Kennel of Life” talks about being outside with his dogs. “Know How Sojas Be” details him living life the way he feels like he should & after “Cash Shit” spends a couple minutes boasting his wealth, “Sometimes” produced by Goyxrd concludes Midnight Club 2 admitting there are days where he feels like he’s soaring & others where he’s in tears.

Autumn!’s output for the past couple years has been hit or miss & although I did enjoy the original Midnight Club back in 2023 shifting away from the pluggnb sound, I wound up liking Midnight Club 2 less than both it’s predecessor & the Kickoff EP he gave us 9 months ago warming people up for this. Primarily because I don’t really find the production to be all that interesting other than Wick handling it 46% of it himself & Goyxrd doing the outro.

Score: 2.5/5

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Bizarre – “Don’t Cross the Street” review

New studio LP & the 10th overall from Detroit, Michigan emcee Bizarre. Emerging as an original member of D12 led by the late Proof, he was also among the first in the crew to put out solo efforts with his 1998 debut EP Attack of the Weirdos being a hometown classic in my eyes. Fast forward 7 years later, Biz followed it up with a worthy full-length debut Hannicap Circus & has continued to put out music on his own since. The Foul Mouth-produced He Got a Gun has since become an entire series of it’s own spanning 5 entries, coming off Basement Jazz to switch things up for Don’t Cross the Street.

After the intro, “Amityville” takes it all the way back to the Dirty Dozen’s stomping grounds accompanied by a boom bap instrumental whereas “Rise Up” continues from there with a 2-parter produced by Blizzard containing a dusty start unloading the shock value hardcore raps he’s known for & a trap switch up accompanied by an uncredited guest verse from a female rapper. “Garlic Sauce” featuring 1 Be Lo however makes up for it having both of them aggressively boasting their penmanship.

“Mercy” brings a more somber beat to the table advising everyone to stay their asses on the other side of the street just before “Get That Doe” featuring Trizz finds the pair joining forces for money making anthem instrumentally treading funkier territory. “Brightmoor” featuring Bareda & Dave Hill has the trio representing the neighborhood of the same near the northwestern border of the city while the title track featuring Chyna Baejing & Northside Lord grimly gets in their hardcore bags again.

The song “Beans” spends 120 seconds talking about always been a spot worker instead of a drug dealer & consuming a bunch of narcotics while “Sunday School” featuring Cory Gunz dismantles any opponents in a battle over a symphonic boom bap beat. “Blinking Light” featuring Dango Forlaine, D-Noe, Lokye, J-Classic, Nolaj & Tru Klassick concludes Don’t Cross the Street with a 6 & a half minute Motor City posse cut where Dango, Lokye & J-Classic deliver the hardest verses of the 7.

Some people have claimed that my appreciation for the He Got a Gun saga was ragebait when I really think it’s some of the best material Bizarre has done by himself, but Don’t Cross the Street doesn’t hit as hard mainly due to only a few guests punching under their weight midway through & Blizzard’s half of the production outshining Big Shaady’s despite appreciating both of them demonstrating their ability to create an entire sound together.

Score: 3.5/5

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406ahmad – “Life of Ahmad 3” review

This is the 3rd studio LP from Kuwait producer 406ahmad. Releasing his full-length debut Life of Ahmad & the sequel in 2024, he would go on to follow it up with the Life of Ahmad 2.5 & 40.6FM® ‎#Tuned Back In extended plays respectively prior to becoming one of trap music’s most in-demand producers after working with the likes of Diorvsyou& most notably 9 Vicious. Coming off B4LOA3 a couple weeks ago, the final chapter of the Life of Ahmad trilogy has been uploaded onto his SoundCloud page.

“Love in the Air” by 9 Vicious kicks things off wanting to get to know this female over a regalia instrumental asking for her name & number whereas “Church Chicken” by Nosaint continues to blend these lush orchestral arrangements with trap percussion talking about feeling like O.J. Simpson despite feeling like the latter’s guilty of his crimes. “So in Love” by 9 Vicious samples “look, dont touch” by revivle throwing shots at YSL Recordstowards the end claiming he’s richer than the whole roster while “Pray for Me” by NDO D talks about too many people nowadays fakin’ shit.

Dragnutz handles the performances for the 2-parter “& 1 / 100 Sum” talking about everybody tryna get something outta him now that he’s gaining popularity & moving fast while “Whore” by 9 Vicious wasting a flip of “Pissy Pamper” by Young Nudy featuring Playboi Carti on Lil Trey’s horny lyrics. “Production Deal” by 9 Vicious oddly disses Nosaint when they’ve collated a few times already while “Don’t Got the Answers” by 1oneam cloudily talks about hopping inside a phantom.

“My Dog Ate My Homework” by Protect begins the Life of Ahmad 3’s other half flowing over this calming trap beat explaining that he can’t bitch because everything’s perfect timing to him while “Only Time” by 9 Vicious luxuriously talks about a hoe who solely hits up his line whenever she gets faded. “Lawyer” by Nosaint hooks up these hi-hats & gorgeous piano chords bragging his legal practitioner’s Jewish ethnicity while “Ms. Zombie” by BabyBartier talks about no one doing what he can over a plugg instrumental.

9 Vicious makes his final appearances during “Flaat” & “Everything Written”, where he spends 84 seconds ruining a sample of “Long Ride” by Young Nudy rambling about labels munchin’ on his dick until the latter embraces a smoother pop rap direction admitting he’s been cheating on the woman he’s addressing. “Real” by Lil Tyh & Yungzayy talks about being more authentic than everyone who stays cappin’ & the “Different Fashion” outro by Lil Tyh concludes the album spitting decent romance bars.

If you didn’t know already: 406ahmad played a HUGE role in helping 9 Vicious blow up considering his ear for sampling often carries the latter’s performances & the fact Ahmad’s produced a great deal of 9’s discography. However, I did enjoy Life of Ahmad 3 more than the 3 EPs or other 2 albums he’s done in the past couple years even if I’m somewhat torn by the final results because I’d love to hear him expand his resume including more artists he hasn’t worked with who’d compliment his sounds going forward.

Score: 3/5

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