Daniel Son – “Hare Brained Schemes” review

Here we have the 8th proper full-length solo LP from Toronto, Ontario, Canada emcee Daniel Son. A member of the Brown Bag Money collective, his profile began to rapidly increase in the underground off projects like the Giallo Point-produced debut mixtape The Gunners or the Futurewave-produced sophomore album Yenaldooshi. He just teamed up with Raz Fresco this spring for the spectacular collab album Northside paying homage to the roots of the Toronto hip hop scene & a few months after reuniting with Futurewave for the first time since Son Tzu & the Wav.God on Bushman Bodega over the summer, he & Finn are linking up for Hare Brained Schemes.

“Femoral” is this grungy boom bap opener talking about turning flesh into ice since he’s so cold & people wasting time like they have extra lives whereas “Missing Teeth” gives off a jazzier approach instrumentally applying pressure on everyone’s necks with their feet for deep pockets. “Capital Gains” featuring Pro Dillinger maintains a jazzy boom bap flare cautioning to recognize before they reck their lives, but then “Dance of the Drunken Mantis” briefly expresses his desire to be a Bush Doctor Millionaire.

As for “Clicqout Fountains”, we have Daniel hopping over a soulful beat boasting at the main pot to piss in was shitting on the competition leading into “Courtleigh Chemist” regularly talking about not changing shit if he were to do it all over again. “Chalk Brothers” featuring Lord Juco mixes the exuberant with the raw bodying shit together while “Iron Leash” featuring Family Gang Black finds the 2 grittily translating their pain into passion now that their music rocking overseas.

“Talon Claw” starts the final leg of the LP talking about cooking as if he was a French chef in the ‘60s while “Call Me” drumlessly reaffirms that he’ll go down as a legend when it’s all said & done saying it’s the dope everyone needs. “Sharing Needles” featuring Mooch returns to the boom bap catching the big sharks since neither one of them want to meet their demise struggling & “Fall Breeze” closes Hare Brained Schemes in the form of a dedication of those who have to stay home on the weekends because they can’t afford a sitter.

Dirty Dishes has always stood out to me as one of my favorite Daniel Son projects much like everything he & Futurewave have done with one another in the past, so that was more than enough to have me anticipating the follow up here & they sure as Hell delivered. Finn’s production here is some of the best that I’ve heard from him in a while, the features all match Daniel’s energy & the BBM standout himself lyrically keeps the same energy from the other 2 acclaimed projects I’ve covered from him this year.

Score: 4.5/5

Keep up with @legendswill_never_die on Instagram & @LegendsllLiveOn on Twitter for the best music reviews weekly!

Dirty White – “Melodies of Redemption” review

Mount Clemens, Michigan emcee/DJ Dirty White teaming up with Majik Ninja Entertainment in-house producer Stir Crazy for his 3rd full-length studio LP. Returning after an 11-year absence in the summer of 2020 off the strength of his debut album Authenticated, he would later prelude the sophomore effort The Rebuilding of a Broken Soul a year & ago by putting out a debut EP Dirty White’s the Name! ahead of The Rebuilding of a Broken Soul itself seeing the light of day this past spring. Over 6 months later, Dirty White’s continuing to put in work starting the final quarter of 2024 by at least unleashing the Melodies of Redemption.

The “Evolution” intro tells his story from writing his first rhymes & performing a local talent show in 1992 to him walking away from it all for over a decade & his eventual return inspired by a conversation with the King of Rock himself forming his backing band the High Life Social Club consisting of drummer Jamie Brady alongside turntablists DJ Nano2hype & DJ Bet whereas the rock/boom bap hybrid “I Feel Alive (MFKA)” talking about doing whatever it takes to survive. “Ay Yo” stays on the rap rock tip clarifying he does this to make life better just before the bluesy “True Colors” seeing those for who they really are.

After the spoken word “Memories of the Mitten” interlude, “Summertime in Michigan” profoundly reminisce is on spending hottest & brightest of the 4 temperate seasons in his home state leading into “Night Terrors” giving off somewhat of a metal vibe instrumentally to talk about every memory of his coming alive whenever he closes his eyes trying to sleep. “Elevated” comes through with a passionate ballad calling to take him higher easing his pain with every day that passes by & after the “Albuquerque Clean” skit, “All Day” goes rap rock again feeling like he’s been resurrected.

“Dirty Laundry” starts the last leg of the LP throwing it back with an old school beat venting that he’s sick of people throwing stones if they live in glasses houses, having their music criticized when they’re listening to artists who’re less more talented than he is & the constant complaining while the final song “Weathered” has this country rap flare talking about living free & never tethered. The “Dear Anita” properly sends things off with an outro remembering his sister, who’s passing in 2020 made him a better artist.

Dirty White’s been referring to Melodies of Redemption as the Mona Lisa of his discography & if you really digest it, it’s abundantly clear he spent the last 10 months giving it everything he has. His real, authentically emotional, soulful, uplifting, educational, inspiring, sobering & relatable performances matched with Stir Crazy’s electric production fusing hip hop & boom bap with other genres such as blues, rock, reggae, country & metal music makes for the wildest ride with the moral of the story being to not give up & keep pushing towards their dreams.

Score: 4/5

Keep up with @legendswill_never_die on Instagram & @LegendsllLiveOn on Twitter for the best music reviews weekly!

Tee Grizzley – “Post Traumatic” review

This is the 5th full length studio LP from Detroit rapper & singer/songwriter Tee Grizzley. Originally a member of the quartet ASBH, it wouldn’t be until 2016 where he would blow up off his first solo single “First Day Out” & earned a contract with 300 Entertainment. His profile would continue to grow by dropping projects like his debut mixtape My Moment, the debut album Activated, his 2nd tape, Still My Moment, the Timbaland exec-produced sophomore effort Scriptures or my personal favorite: his 3rd mixtape The SmartestBuilt for Whatever & Chapters of the Trenches would both later be received moderately and responses towards Half Tee, Half Beast & Tee’s Coney Island were generally mixed, but some of the singles ahead of Post Traumatic made it seem promising.

The intro fuses Mobb music with Detroit trap talking about having post traumatic stress due to his father dying recently & barely knowing his own mother whereas “We Dem” produced by Wheezy works in a symphonic trap instrumental flexing that he’s still him. “Blow for Blow” featuring J. Cole finds the 2 over a signature Pi’erre Bourne beat which is fine except for the “I’m really him, Bruce Jenner, boy just ain’t” line feeling reminiscent to the 1 bar he had on “Pi” off Might Delete Later, but then “All I Wanna Do” goes for a soulful Detroit trap vibe thanks to FNZ looking to get money.

“More Than Half” hooks up some horns & bells from Helluva to talk about half these muhfuckas out here folding eventually leading into “Ride or Die” featuring Tink heading towards more of a synth-based direction for a duet about having only each other on their minds. “Diana” switches gears in favor of a futuristic trap flare courtesy of BNYX from Working on Dying comparing her bitch to the late Princess Diana herself just before the bassy “I Ain’t Sorry” featuring Hunxho that Chopsquad DJ laced sees both of them at their most remorseless.

Meanwhile on “10pm in Detroit”, we have Tee Grizzley on top of these pianos & 808s boasting that he got money flowin’ all night like “Drunk in Love” by The Carters prior to “Swerv” featuring G Herbo putting a minimal emphasis on the drums so they can trade verses with one another without a hook for 3 minutes detailing their gang ties. “WTF I Want” mixes these synth-horns with 808s talking about doing whatever he feels like while the pop rap/trap hybrid “I Know” discusses knowing how to turn dreams into reality.

“Dream Youngin’” starts the 2nd leg of Post Traumatic on some atmospherically chill trap shit thanking everyone who’s ever supported him throughout his career while “Situationship” featuring Mariah the Scientist gives a shot at fusing trap soul & pop rap finding both of them wishing each other the best in the end. “Trench Baby” gets back on the Detroit trap tip talking about being born in the trenches of the Murder Mitten while “You Hear Me” featuring YTB Fatt comes through with this underwhelming team up looking to get their bags up.

Future makes up for some of the mediocrity joining Tee on “Swear to God” boasting that your album doesn’t even slap like Mixtape Pluto does which is valid since he took it back to his roots on there while “Pop Shit” featuring Baby Grizzley finds both Grizzlies shooting for a piano-driven direction instrumentally going from playing GameCubes to VS Cubes. “Deposits Crazy” gives thanks to God for somehow helping him through the pain in his life & “Detroit” featuring 42 Dugg serves as this bangin’ tribute to their hometown.

“Blueprint” pushes towards the final moments of the LP challenging everybody to step up & give back to the city in some type of way while “Suffer in Silence” talks about going off by loyalty & the way you treat him without anyone telling him that shit’s gonna change. As for an official closer, we get treated to the 7th AND the 8th installments of Tee Grizzley’s famous “Robbery” series with Helluva hopping behind the boards for both tracks that Segway into one another perfectly.

The Smartest still stands as my favorite tape in the Detroit trap star’s discography but when it comes to his full-lengths, I came away impressed with Post Traumatic as much as I was with the mixtape that I previously mentioned coming out during the COVID lockdowns. It’s more sonically diverse than what someone might expect being used to the Detroit trap style, showing comfortably yet resolute with these homegrown Michigan beats backing him while thriving across styles from rugged trap to even poppier territory.

Score: 4/5

Keep up with @legendswill_never_die on Instagram & @LegendsllLiveOn on Twitter for the best music reviews weekly!

Powers Pleasant – “Life Sucks” review

This is the official full length debut studio album from Brooklyn, New York producer & DJ Powers Pleasant. A member of the Pro Era & Beast Coast collectives, he’s had a hand in the instrumentals on some of the latter’s output from The Underachievers’ 3rd mixtape It Happened in Flatbush in 2016 to Joey Bada$$’ politically charged sophomore album ALL-AMERIKKKAN BADA$$ in 2017. Powers even came out with his own EP Life is Beautiful & has signed to Mass Appeal Records for the sequel Life Sucks.

“Entro” by Denzel Curry is this cutthroat boom bap opener flexing that he’s the King of the Hill & this Mike Judge his rap skill whereas “Rumble” by Joey Bada$$ works in some horns & hi-hats so he can get violent. “Galore” by DC the Don has some of the weaker performances on the album despite it’s cloudy trap instrumental talking about being allergic to catching feelings, but then “Shmoke” by A$AP Ferg & Armani Caesar finds the pair over a soul sample & hi-hats warning y’all don’t want beef with them.

Denzel Curry, Meechy Darko & Soulja Livin Tru get together for the atmospheric trap joint “Bandoe” flexing that all 3 of them are still boomin’ out the back door just before Joey Bada$$ & SABA team up on the laidback “Ball Alone” talking about not needing any help. “Know Me Now” by DC the Don acoustically sings that he wants to love with no control leading into “That’s Tough” by $not mixing trap & rock discussing doing shit himself tryna find his way.

“Pamper Pamper” by Mike Dimes brings a soulful trap flare to the table pulling out with his homies while “Baby Boy’s Drunk” by AG Club & Audrey Nuna comes through with this annoying attempt at a club banger. “I’m the Shit” by Guapdad 4000 & P-Lo hops over pianos & hi-hats to get boastful while “Wassup” by Jasiah & Tkay Maidza sees the 2 asking what the deal is. “SMH” by Aaron Rose, CJ Fly, Joey Bada$$ & Nyck Caution ends the album repping Pro Era.

The predecessor from 5 years ago Life’s Beautiful was a decent look at what Powers Pleasant’s solo discography could look like going forward & regardless if I didn’t enjoy Life Sucks more than the last EP, I can’t say it’s any worse either if that makes any sense. Powers’ production start to finish is absolutely fine primarily basing itself around a trap sound, the performances during the 36 minute runtime on the contrary tend to be hit or miss.

Score: 3/5

Keep up with @legendswill_never_die on Instagram & @LegendsllLiveOn on Twitter for the best music reviews weekly!

DJ Chunk – “Soul Spill” review

DJ Chunk is 31 year old DJ & producer from Utah notable for being the tour DJ for Ouija Macc & an in-house producer for the Psychopathic Records subsidiary Chapter 17 Records. He even has a couple solo EPs under his belt in the form of the Vinyl Days duology & most notably did a collab EP with C17/PSY in-house producer Devereaux at the Gathering of Dreams called Another Day in Hell, which I was very favorable towards. But when his 3rd EP was announced last weekend, I wanted to give it a listen.

“Official Redrum” starts us off with the C17 DJ showing us his skills on the turntables over a trap instrumental from Deadboy Grim who did the entire EP whereas “City on Fire” provides a slower, more morbid atmosphere to the beat looking to burn the entire town to the ground. The instrumental on “Don’t Make Threats” has this cloudy trap vibe that I like to it a lot allowing DJ Chunk himself to continually kill it with the scratches while “Imma Break It” looking to break it down for the slow muhfuckas with solemn trap production & Chunk’s wheelz of steel. “Don’t Need Nobody Else” ends the EP on some mystical trap shit & impressively scratching vocal samples 1 more time.

I’ve already reviewed a handful of beat tapes in the past, but I’ve never actually covered a turntablism project before up until this point although I absolutely loved The X-Ecutioners. Now in regards to Soul Spill here, DJ Chunk is basically continuing what we’ve seen from him in the past on both Vinyl Days EPs showing off his dope techniques on the 1s & 2s in time for Hallowicked season with Deadboy Grim’s production here resulting in being on par with what Mythic Mindz consisting of Chapter 17/Psychopathic Records in-house producers Devereaux & Shaggytheairhead have laid out for him the past.

Score: 3.5/5

Keep up with @legendswill_never_die on Instagram & @LegendsllLiveOn on Twitter for the best music reviews weekly!

ClockworC – “Have a Vice Life” review

ClockworC is a 34 year old MC & producer from Gilroy, California who caught my attention is 1/2 of Gorilla Voltage formerly The Damn Dirty Apes with Mr. Grey putting out their last 2 full-lengths Ape-X and more specifically Gods & Claws through Majik Ninja Entertainment until going on a hiatus that surprisingly ended last weekend. Clock has since formed the MC/producer duo Them Chains with Tomás Carrillo dropping a handful of singles as a unit & is now releasing a full-length solo debut studio album that he mostly produced by himself other than 2 tracks.

The self-produced title track kicks things off perfectly with a settle beat telling us that you can have a vice life just like him especially after everything he’s been through whereas “Critical” takes the soulful trap route instrumentally wanting y’all to let him know when to go since he been too far gone. “Boomstick” marks a turn into boom bap territory to talk about living lawlessly while “‘Til the Sky Turns Black” promises to live every day like it’s the last pretty much.

Moving forward from there, “Get Lost” gives off a bit of a rap rock vibe to the beat making it clear he doesn’t want to be found if he winds up lost just before the catchy “Down” admits to feeling like dancing on landmines pleading not to stand by. Them Chains reunite for a brief moment with the dreary trap banger “Keanu” talking about wanting everyone on the pronto leading into “The Menu” returns to the boom bap so he can tell everyone who isn’t going up so long.

“Can’t Lose” featuring 4toda5to is this decently slick rap rock cut with both of them refusing to stop while “Pain” featuring C-Mob offers the best guest verse of the 2 on the LP as they passionately want to let everyone listening feel the pain that they’ve experienced. “Hilarious” ends Have a Vice Life by reassuring everyone that he’ll be laughing until they bury him since there’s no need to cry whatsoever going forward.

As someone who’s been following him since the GV days during the Christmas of 2016 where it was announced that they had signed to MNE, hearing that Clock mostly produced this all by myself increased my anticipation for it & it’s some of the most personal music of his entire career. It’s a good mix of boom bap & trap, reserving a few guests to join him in at showing a vulnerable side to him.

Score: 4/5

Keep up with @legendswill_never_die on Instagram & @LegendsllLiveOn on Twitter for the best music reviews weekly!

Joey Cool – “Roller Coaster” review

Kansas City, Missouri emcee Joey Cool making his 8th studio LP a double-disc effort. Starting out as a long-time affiliate of local independent hip hop powerhouse Strange Music dropping a total of 4 mixtapes & a studio album on his own until Tech N9ne decided to officially sign him to the Snake & Bat in 2017, he then dropped an eponymous sophomore album the next spring followed by Old Habits Die Hard as well as Coolie High & I Tried to Be Normal Once. Coming off The Chairman of the Board & the Mario Casalini-produced Enjoy the View however, the Swankiest of Strangeland is taking us on a Roller Coaster.

After the “Poor Sinner’s Hand” intro, the first song “Madhouse” sets the Roller Coaster in motion with an atmospheric trap instrumental talking about Satan making him crash out spazzing whereas “Commotion” works in more of a robotic beat allowing Joey to break down, just exactly how he was made. “Heart” featuring Doobie & produced by C-Lance interestingly has this grotesque trap sound flexing he can drop a bag & it’ll still follow him since he lookin’ like he hit the lottery, but then the cloudy “Out the Way” talks moving surgically as opposed to being merciful.

“Drippin’ 3” explosively picks up right where “Drippin’ 2” from the Swank Sinatra mixtape left off reuniting with Mario Casalini telling y’all to catch him outside with the swank leading into “Indecisive” pulling inspiration from the hyphy scene instrumentally describing a woman as being inconclusive pleading for her to actually make up her mind. “Trouble Town” featuring Lil Wyte hooks up a guitar & hi-hats suggesting to let the world burn since there’s no looking back just before “Give Thanks” featuring The Popper finds both KC spitters praising the higher power over a thunderous trap beat.

The 5th & final single “OG Cool” concludes Disc 1 by having Wyshmaster lace Joey with a rubbery instrumental all in his zone hitting his stride & after the “Price of Admission” intro, “G.O.Y.F. (Get Out Your Feelings)” featuring X-Raided starts Disc 2 with both Strange Music artists over pianos & hi-hats telling everyone listening to do exactly that. “I Sent the Text” is a decent, auto-tune heavy pop rap joint meaning no disrespect to the woman he texted & made this very track about while “Static” marks an energetic trap turn likening this to all of his powers assembling.

“Parlez Vous” is this organ/hi-hat crossover that Lowkey tha Wizard of the unConventionAl KingZ cooked up spitting the gospel while “Vibe Check” refers to himself as the cream of the crop over more hyphy production. “Sail Away” featuring Ubiquitous finds the 2 trying to take their time on top of this guitar/trap fusion with Matt Phoenix on the hook while “The Fuse” finds him on the verge of exploding over horns. “Slow Down” smoothly tells his girl to take things in their relationship slowly remaining the man even if he ain’t rich as she thought he was and “Crawl Space” featuring Tech N9ne reaches the end of the ride with a trap metal closer feeling on the edge.

All 8 of the new joints that Joey gave us off the deluxe version of what’s easily the most emphatic offering of his career Enjoy the View back March unquestionably could’ve made it onto the final product that celebrated it’s 1-year anniversary almost a couple weeks ago but either way, it was a dope way to hold us off until he took us on a Roller Coaster trip full of all the twists & turns, ups & downs you can expect from an elite MC on his level of skill.

Score: 3.5/5

Keep up with @legendswill_never_die on Instagram & @LegendsllLiveOn on Twitter for the best music reviews weekly!

Rome Streetz – “Hatton Garden Holdup” review

New York lyricist Rome Streetz enlisting Daringer for his 9th studio LP. Emerging in 2016 off his debut mixtape I Been Thru Mad Shit, this was followed up by a plethora of projects with the most notable being the Noise Kandy tetralogy & Headcrack. These past couple years however we’re probably his biggest ones yet, as he dropped some of the best work of his career from the DJ Muggs-produced Death & the Magician or the Futurewave-produced Razor’s Edge to the Ransom-assisted collab effort Coup de Grâce & the Griselda Records deal that followed. His debut with the Buffalo powerhouse Kiss the Ring alongside the Big Ghost Ltd.-produced Wasn’t Built in a Day both made the top 10 spots of my last couple Best Of lists & I had no doubt Hatton Garden Holdup would do the same coming off the 5th & final installment of the Noise Kandy series.

“Ace of Base” starts us off by stripping the drums completely detailing his expertise in the drug game whereas “Starbvxkz” takes the boom bap route instrumentally talking about this shit being a cakewalk to him. “Sage” featuring ScHoolboy Q finds the 2 linking up so they can coldly talk about being married to the game leading into “Drive By” going drumless again providing the theme music to firing a weapon from within a motor vehicle & then fleeing.

Meyhem Lauren joins Rome on “Cadillac Smoke” working in some kicks, snares & even a vibraphone leaving everyone in the morgue frozen every time they hop on the mic just before “100 Schemes” maintains a gritty boom bap flare cautioning to not let anyone fuck you over in this industry, but then “Spike” samples are off music once again dissing those who’ve been at the same spot for so damn long.

“Pro Tro” featuring Conway the Machine brings the kicks & snares back in the equation flexing that both of them were destined to score while “Weight of the World” featuring Cormega finds the 2 dustily raising Hell in the midst of being on a paper trail. “Jimi’s Headband” eerily talks being an amazing artist that started out as a Street Fighter while “SpaceX” named after the space technology company founded by Tesla CEO, Neuralink co-founder & Twitter owner Elon Musk aggressively declares himself a champ like 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.

The track “Reap What You Sow” pushes towards the conclusion of Hatton Garden Holdup boasting that his money so big to the point where he can’t fold it on top of seeing shit that made his heart freeze as a result of him never selling his soul with the tons of dope during his street days & finally, “Heavy Traffic” finishes Rome’s masterpiece by hopping over 1 more boom bap beat to paint images of the gangsta lifestyle.

Most people who’ve been keeping up with me throughout of the year probably know I have Benny the Butcher’s latest Def Jam debut Everybody Can’t Go as my favorite album of 2024 & as I had expected, Hatton Garden Holdup surpasses. From the perfectly articulate lyricism that Rome Streetz is known for to Daringer’s signature production & the high-profile guests, all 3 factors combined make for a perfect 42 minute listening experience.

Score: 5/5

Keep up with @legendswill_never_die on Instagram & @LegendsllLiveOn on Twitter for the best music reviews weekly!

Elcamino – “Millionaire” review

Buffalo emcee & singer Elcamino staying busy with his 3rd EP of 2024 & the 17th of his discography overall. Blowing up in 2017 off his self-titled EP with Griselda Records, his profile increasingly grew after being followed up by Walking on Water mixtape in the summer of 2018 along with dropped 2 studio albums & a few EPs the year after that.. They Spit on Jesus proved to be a well received Black Soprano Family Records debut the first Camino project that I had covered since On the 3rd Day & that much like No Weapon Formed Against Me was an improvement over some of the material we’ve gotten from him in recent memory. 6 months after having Real Bad Man produce The Game is the Game followed by Ill Tone recently producing Built for Cuban Links named after Raekwon’s iconic solo debut Only Built 4 Cuban Linx…produced by RZA, Meech looking to start the final quarter of the year flexing his Millionaire status.

“Money Mayweather” featuring Estee Nack sets the tone of what’s to come with it’s luxurious boom bap instrumental & the lyrics tryna cause a head-on rainstorm whereas “Chill Lord” kinda gives off a psychedelically dusty vibe feeling more like an actual song rather than an interlude talking about your whole entire style being animated. “Paid in Full” featuring Estee Nack works in some vibraphone sampling mixed with kicks & snares admitting at least 10 people in the Griselda camp have become rich prior to “Gambino Family” featuring Estee Nack hopping over a classy beat looking to do big business.

Starting the final leg of the EP, “The Gold Elephant” returns to the boom bap with more of a soulful flare letting y’all know that this rap shit can do you right since he ended up eating after several years of negligence while the beat on “Maybach Muzik” most definitely feels inspired by Rick Ross allowing Elcamino to talk about having a hunger for more ever since he was a youngin’. “Wu Level” finishes Millionaire on a drumless note with it’s crooning sample & discussing not being structured to be mad at one’s personal decisions.

Camino’s been teasing Millionaire for the past 3 weeks or so & only a month after Built for Cuban Links, I do hear some improvement from him compared to the EP that he gave us back in September although I did very much enjoy it & could be my 2nd favorite EP of the 3 that we’ve gotten from him behind The Game is the Game. The production continues to balance boom bap & drumless so Elcamino can portray the gangsta lifestyle for only 16 minutes.

Score: 3.5/5

Keep up with @legendswill_never_die on Instagram & @LegendsllLiveOn on Twitter for the best music reviews weekly!

Scatz – “F.T.O.S. (Fuck the Other Side)” review

Flint, Michigan rapper Scatz with his 7th EP & his 2nd project since signing to M.I.N.E. Entertainment. Introducing himself Halloween 2022 with his debut EP Kyriee Krazy followed by the debut mixtape Yung N***a World, his next 5 EPs SharkLoto, Gift of Gab, Yung Dirty Bastard, The Biggest & Yung Dirty Bastard all the following year caught the attention of Rio da Yung O.G. & signed the 6 Ward Lord to M.I.N.E. behind bars. Almost 3 months later, Scatz is looking to apply further pressure by giving a finger & saying F.T.O.S. (Fuck the Other Side).

“Soul Searchin’” was a nearly 2 minute Detroit trap intro talking about riding around with 2 switches taking lives whereas “Free the Innocent” calls for those who’re incarcerated for crimes they never committed to come home over 808s & an airy backdrop. The title track heavily incorporates some bells to speak on the gangsta lifestyle he endures himself into until “Fully” reflects on being young & dumb tryna get a kill.

Moving on from there, “Go Dumb” comes out the gate by telling a bitch to prove her love for him when she told him only for the relationship to completely dissolve & his twin never missing with the glock prior to “W.B.Y.I. (What Bag You In?)” tryna figure out the deal with this guy runnin’ up tellin’ on others. “$50K” featuring Lil Nook marks the first of 2 collabs on the EP ruining a dark Detroit trap instrumental asking what your momma would do if she was sent that much.

“Topside on a Sunday” kicks off the final leg of F.T.O.S. (Fuck the Other Side) by telling people to question his legitimacy in the hood to know if he really drills anyone like that poppin’ 10s while “1 Click” pulls off some Mobb undertones talking about keeping no bitches around him. “Spike” featuring Ducko & PaidLife Zar closes the EP with 1 last Detroit trap collaboration that I like a little less than the other despite the piano-heavy beat.

6 War Lord was a complete step up from Scatz’ early EPs & mixtape sounding hungrier than he did compared to when he started out & that same hunger transitions onto F.T.O.S. (Fuck the Other Side). His production choices keep getting better & I preferred the guest list on the predecessor a few months ago, but the Flint native continues to feel right at home realizing Money Is Not Everything or Music Is Never Ending speaking of his upbringings.

Score: 3.5/5

Keep up with @legendswill_never_die on Instagram & @LegendsllLiveOn on Twitter for the best music reviews weekly!