$uicideboy$ – “New World Depression” review

New Orleans, Louisiana duo Ruby da Cherry & $crim a.k.a. the $uicideboy$ are back for their 4th studio LP. Together, they’ve released a plethora of projects within the last decade whether it be the Kill Your$elf saga & Eternal Grey or even I WANNA DIE IN NEW ORLEANS & the Travis Barker-produced Live Fast, Die Whenever. The boy$’ sophomore effort Long Term Effects of Sufferingfollowed & they dropped their last full-length Sing Me a Lullaby, My Sweet Temptation couple summers ago & are linking back up from a quick solo detour ringing in New World Depression.

“Lone Wolf Hysteria” produced by $crim & Dynox begins heading towards a misty Memphis rap direction instrumentally promising to trace the mark on their label G*59 Record$ when they dead & gone whereas “Mental Clarity Is a Luxury I Can’t Afford” takes the eerie trap route talking about smoking them. “The Thin Grey Line” fuses Memphis rap with boom bap & trap honoring all who serve in correctional institutions prior to “Thorns” works in a cloudier beat boasting that they’re on a whole different planet.

The desponding trap atmosphere on “Misery in Waking Hours” fits perfectly well with the theme of bitches getting them all the way fucked up while “Burgundy” reusing the exact same sample they used for the 2015 SoundCloud cut “Royal” vividly portraying the gangsta lifestyles they live. “Transgressions” returns to the boom bap obeying the Lord when he talks to them, but then “Are You Going to See the Rose in the Vase or the Dust on the Table?” blends cloudy trap production with pop rap & emo rap reachin’ out for help.

“All of My Problems Always Involve Me” depressively opens up about traveling the world & almost going crazy in 2018 just before the sample-based trap joint “The Light at the End of the Tunnel for $9.99 a Month” confesses to the fear of relapsing. The Totalitarian remix of “Drag ‘Em “N” tha River” by U.N.L.V. is a cool homage to one of the first acts Cash Money Records ever signed while “Us vs. Them” dustily holds 3s up for their set. To finish their 4th album, we get the 5th installment of the “Kill Yourself” series of tracks.

Coming back from a much needed break to focus on further establishing themselves individually & of course the entire G*59 roster since I’ve literally reviewed every single one of the 8 artists signed to the label, they embark on a unapologetic exploration of the darker sides of human experience to resonate with anyone who has ever felt out of place or battled with their own shadows. Through the navigation of themes revolving around fame along with self-destruction & the relentless search for identity amidst chaos, they give us an album on par with I No Longer Fear the Razor Guarding My Heel V.

Score: 4/5

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Ty Farris – “Enigma with an Attitude” review

Detroit veteran Ty Farris returning after nearly a whole year for his 11th LP. Emerging under the name T-Flame being featuring on a lot of projects throughout the mid-2000’s until the very end of the decade, it was at that point where he started to put out solo stuff at a prolific rate by dropping 11 mixtapes, all 10 of his previous albums & 3 EPs. Standouts include the Room 39 duology & the No Cosign Just Cocaine series, the Machacha-produced Malice at the Palace & the Graymatter produced Sounds That Never Left My Soul. An entire summer later, Ty’s returning as the Enigma with an Attitude.

After the “Riddler Meets Jigsaw” intro, the first song “Alchemy in the Trenches” produced by Futurewave sets the tone of what it’s to come excellently from the boom bap production to Ty’s deadly lyricism whereas “Riddles from a Ruger” talking about never getting a read on him over a chipmunk soul instrumental. “Puzzle Full of Pistols” has to be another favorite of mine here from the Animoss beat to the bars about full mags resolving issues, but then the crooning boom bap cut “Mind of the Jigsaw” reveals the villain with charisma.

“The Man, The Myth, The Mystery” has a significantly darker vibe thanks to August Fanon visiting him by turning the music up loud as you can just before “The Enigma” uncannily talks about remaining mysterious. “True Identity” pushes forward the 2nd half of the album tensely moving at a different pace asking why he needs to still move packs when he making music leading into the lavish “Villain with the Smile” smiles at his enemies playing chess at the highest level.

To begin the encore of Enigma with an Attitude, the song “Who Got the Answers” returns to the boom bap explaining that it’s another day another question while “3rd Eye Never Lie” from the Wavy da Ghawd instrumental to the lyrics about seeing differently when focused stands as another personal favorite. Even the title track with its haunting Camoflauge Monk beat & flexing he’s 20x better than your favorite MC.

After a year off, T-Flame returns for a journey dating back to 7th grade for him filled with thought provoking lines and heavy play on the enigma. He does this by taking street scenarios & life situations & bend them with this theme of Enigma if you really think about the streets being mysterious & very complex as it is. Regardless of the approach for Ty being different, he still gave the world something that forced you to think in a painful way.

Score: 4/5

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Don Toliver – “Hardstone Psycho” review

Here we have the 4th full-length LP from Houston, Texas rapper & singer/songwriter Don Toliver. Catching my attention in 2018 off his debut mixtape Donny Womack along with being featured on “Can’t Say” off his mentor Travis Scott’s 3rd album ASTROWORLD signing to Cactus Jack Records literally the very next day, his full-length debut Heaven or Hell is a bit underappreciated since it came out when the pandemic started in my opinion & the sophomore effort Life of a Don was solid yet not as good. Lovesick received mixed feedback a year & a half ago although I appreciated that it was more conceptual & had a feeling Hardstone Psycho could reach if not surpass the bar that Heaven or Hell set.

“Kryptonite” is this eclectic choice of an opener from the electric guitar instrumental from Bugz Ronin to the beat drop during the 2nd half explaining that he got what you need whereas “Tore Up” samples “Industry Sets In” by She Died Real Pretty talking about the fast life. “Brother Stone” featuring Kodak Black sees Diplo taking the psychedelic trap vibe instrumentally saying the birds in the trap gon’ stink by tomorrow prior to “Attitude” flipping “Beautiful” by WWE Hall of Famer Snoop Dogg with tresillo-styled drill hi-hats & counter snares thanks to Cash Cobain, redeeming himself from giving us the worst J. Cole feature of all-time on “Grippy”.

Vanguard Music Group in-house producer ReidMD mixes trap, southern hip hop, pop rap, rap rock, rage & experimental hip hop on the lead single “Bandit” couldn’t have been a better choice for a track to begin the LP rollout doing legitimate damage leading into Tommy Parker shooting for a soulful vibe on “Glock” sampling “Exhale (Shoop Shoop)” by Whitney Houston talking about letting the hammer off when he come around the block. “Ice Age” featuring Travis Scott with co-production from BNYX of Working on Dying has a trippier trap flare to it comparing themselves to H-Town vet & Ice Age Entertainment founder Mike Jones since these hoes know their numbers, but then the 2-parter “4×4” talks about being back for more.

“Purple Rain” featuring Future feels like it was made during the We Don’t Trust You/We Still Don’t Trust You sessions from the Metro Boomin’ beat that Honorable C.N.O.T.E. & Zaytoven both had an additional hand in to the codeine inspired lyricism that fits better in the context of Hardstone Psycho while “New Drop” talks about falling in love with 2 bitches in the cut over a dance inspired instrumental from Wheezy & Dez Wright. The stripped back “Backstreets” tells the story of a chick that he met last week in the minor street remote from a main road just before “Deep in the Water” fuses new jazz, alternative R&B & trap publicly addressing Kali Uchis’ pregnancy with their son.

Travis returns on the synth/hi-hat crossover “Inside” to start the final quarter of the album Promise Land with him & Don getting romantic with their partners while “5 to 10” up about his love for Harley motorcycles on top of a sample of “Drugs You Should Try It” off his mentor LaFlame’s 2nd & to date final mixtape Days Before Rodeo. “Last Laugh” nears the end of the LP by letting Vendr, Toom & Pilgrim give off the Internet Money Records sound since Vendr’s an in-house producer for the label talking about his success & “Hardstone National Anthem” ends the album with an ode to his new label Hardstone Records.

“Rockstar Girl” starts the deluxe run for a dedication to all the women out there living the rockstar life over synths & hi-hats while “Love is a Drug” has a bit of a psychedelic trap edge to it provided by both Rio Leyva & Taz Taylor boasting about putting his girl straight to sleep like it was melatonin. “Donny Darko” featuring Lil Uzi Vert goes full on rage so both of them can laugh their ways to the bank not giving a fuck what everyone else thinks & the final bonus track “Geeked Up” featuring Yeat gives trap metal a shot talking about being unable to sleep for that specific reason.

Even since the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic began the day Heaven or Hell, I had it regarded as his best & the singles that Hardstone Psycho made it seem as if he was going to surpass that debut we got from him over 4 years ago. Lo & behold: He has come into his own artistically & given us what a lot of people including myself thought would be the crown jewel of his discography. We still get the experimentally southern trap/pop rap/alternative R&B stylings of before except he additional treads the waters of new jazz, trap soul, rage, sample drill & rap rock.

Score: 4/5

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DJ Quik & Jason Martin – “Chupacabra” review

Compton, California producer/emcee DJ Quik reuniting with German-American emcee Jason Martin formerly known as Problem for their 2nd collaborative LP. One is amongst THE most underappreciated producers of all-time who I consider to be on the same level as the Quincy Jones of hip hop himself Dr. Dre behind the boards & the other started out in the mid-2000s crossing paths with QDT during the sessions for WWE Hall of Famer Snoop Dogg’s 9th album Ego Trippin’. 9 years later, they linked up for the first time on Rosecrans in the spring of 2017 to significant acclaim & are reuniting 7 years later to put out Chupacabra.

The title track featuring The Game starts with pianos, kicks & snares stellarly portraying themselves as 2 versions of the monster even though I respectfully think Game is corny for dissing Rick Ross & siding with Drake in his beef with Kendrick Lamar on “Freeway’s Revenge” to spite Dr. Dre for not letting him perform the Super Bowl LVI halftime show exactly like he did when he made “The Black Slim Shady” off his last album Drillmatic: Heart vs. Mind whereas “Dern & Spruce” uses the same sample Madlib did on “No More Parties in L.A.” by Ye formerly known as Kanye West featuring Kendrick talking about being back in this bitch.

“Eazy Call” by DJ Quik himself & Big Hit finds the 2 flipping “Heartz of Men” by 2Pac for an Eazy-E tribute while “Cold Ass 2 Step” works in these carefree horns & claps so Suga Free the pimp himself can handle the verses. Jay Worthy’s crew Meet the Whoops get their very own title track on Chupacabra with the quintet flowing over a boom bap beat for 2 & a half minutes approximately that is until we get a soulful sequel to “She’s Not Around” solely performed by The Game which is as solid as the titular intro & certainly better than the STB Entertainment compilation Time that he hosted last weekend.

Jason returns to the mic with Jay Worthy himself & Larry June for “Gurbs & Youngs” for a smooth ass dedication to both of those types of people while “Workout” heavily samples “U Don’t Hear Me Tho” by Rodney O & Joe Cooley so Jason can talk about expressing yourself by doing your thing in the mirror reminding that we all make mistakes. “Chupa’s Groove” serves as a this funky instrumental intermission that Quik & Thundercat cooked up together in the lab closing out the album’s first half until “Two Hi (Waves)” by Quik featuring Channel Tres & Wiz Khalifa is this fun summertime jam to start the other.

“Fresh White T” featuring D. Blake & Shiro prior to the “Quik Message” interlude from DJ Drama hooks up a guitar & hi-hats boasting that there ain’t too many like them while “Since I Was Lil” featuring Bun B, Curren$y & Jay Worthy kinda gives off a g-funk vibe talking about how long they’ve been doing this shit. Dom Kennedy lands a solo cut in the form of the bass guitar-infused “Money, Cars & Guns” speaking those 3 things & Jason returns again accompanied by Barney Bones on “AYO” for a KAYTRANADA joint that’ll rock the dance floors. “DITTO” by CeeLo Green, Shiro & Gwen Bunn finds the pair rapping & singing about needing time ahead of “Soul Circus” by Ab-Soul ends on a drumless note.

What Jason & Quik gave us on Chupacabra achieves the goal that both artists & its curator Jay Worthy had set out to do from the start restoring a feeling that’s been missing from California music as a whole. Just like they did on Rosecrans about 7 years ago, you have both Compton powerhouses joining forces 1 more time for the city showcasing their musical talents including a creative chemistry that date back over 15 years & how far they’ve come since ‘08. Just when one of the greatest west coast producers of all-time was gonna hang it up, Jason helped Quik find his passion in the process.

Score: 4.5/5

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Joey Valence & Brae – “No Hands” review

Joey Valence & Brae are an MC/production duo from State College, Pennsylvania consisting of 2 friends meeting during their freshman year at Penn State University. Introducing themselves off their debut EP The Underground Sound to moderate reception, these guys’ debut album Punk Tactics would eventually go on to earn more positive reception & the sophomore effort prompted me to hear it since it quickly became amongst the most celebrated hip hop releases of this summer.

“Bussit” comes straight out the gate with both of them naturally going back-&-forth with each other over an instrumental that feels reminiscent of the Beastie Boys feeling like WWE Hall of Famer Snoop Dogg the way they be toastin’ the most but after the dustily raw “Packapunch” featuring Danny Brown references the machines used in the Zombie mode of Call of Duty, the jazzier title track finds the pair talking about living like it’s double XP weekend.

EDM & hip hop cross paths with one another on “Like a Punk” suggesting that all the cool kids in the bus head straight for the back since the time to rave is now whereas “Where U From?” suggests for women to not speak to them since they’re doing it for attention over a beat combining nerdy, hardcore east coast hip hop with boom bap, mid-school hip hop & hardcore breaks.

“The Baddest” featuring Ayesha Erotica on the remix was a humorously boastful Miami bass/crunk single asking who the illest ones in the club are now that they’ve pulled up to the spot themselves & once “OK” returns to the boom bap with a mid-school spin to it talking about how they stay getting it going on, “Doughboy” featuring Terror Reid finds the trio looking to get some bread of their own.

Moving on from there, “What U Need?” brings the EDM influences back in full effect boasting about them being more fly than Baby Keem prior to the rage-inducing big beat single “John Cena”homaging the 16-time WWE world champion, 4-time WWE tag team champion & 5-time WWE United States Champion of the same name.

“Omnitrix” concludes the standard edition of No Hands giving their props to the Discovery Global-owned Cartoon Network series Ben 10 while “Pineapple Fried Rice” starts the deluxe run referencing 2-time WWE Hall of Famer, former 16-time WWE world champion, WWE Intercontinental Champion, 6-time WWE United States Champion, 6-time WWE tag team champion & 9-time NWA World’s Heavyweight Champion Ric Flair.

Hardcore hip hop, mid-school hip hop, breakbeat, nerdcore & Philly club rap all get combined into the single “Can’t Stop Now” talking about them preferring to brawl than melee as a nod to the Nintendo-owned Super Smash Bros. & the final bonus track “Freaks” advises anyone who didn’t come out to party to hit the bricks so any outcast or outcasts like them can dance.

Forcing you to be confident in yourself and do things simply because they make you happy, Joey Valence & Brae’s comparison to the Beastie Boys becomes increasingly justifiable by entering their funnest era so far. Their versatile production although rooted in boom bap & mid-school hip hop throws hints of electronic dance music, hardcore breaks, Miami bass, crunk, jazz rap, big beat, rage, breakbeat & Philly club rap in only 38 minutes evenly balancing hardcore & nerdcore subject matter in a creatively distinct manner.

Score: 4.5/5

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Charli XCX – “brat” review

Charli XCX is a 31 year old singer/songwriter from Cambridge, England, United Kingdom who one might remember for her feature on Iggy Azalea’s biggest hit “Fancy” a decade ago. Her solo material would go on to step leaps & bounds beyond hers with highlights including her 3rd & 4th mixtapes #1 Angel & Pop 2 respectively alongside her 4th & 5th LPs Charli & How I’m Feeling Now. Her previous full-length Crash was the last to be released through Asylum Records about 27 months ago & a decent one at that, so I most certainly had high hopes for Charli’s 7th album backed by Atlantic Records.

PC Music co-founder A.G. Cook mixes bubblegum bass, electropop, pop rap, Atlanta bass & dance-pop into 1 on “360” starting us off singing about going her own way whereas “Club Classics” maintains the primary bubblegum bass sound of the opener with additional elements of bassline, new beat, Jersey Club, fidget house & acid house talking about that being all she wants to hear. “Sympathy is a Knife” takes the hyerpop route instrumentally to tackle themes of self-doubt ahead of “I Might Say Something Stupid” singing over bare pianos thanks to Gesaffelstein about being unsure if she belongs here anymore. Former G.O.O.D. Music in-house producer Hudson Mohawke of TNGHT jumps behind the boards for the undeniably catchy electropop jam “Talk Talk” asking for this man to talk to her that is until the electro house, electropop, dance-pop, Dutch house & electroclash-flavored “Von Dutch” later becoming the official theme song for WWE Royal Rumble XXXVIIII assures that it’s ok to simply admit of one’s jealousy/envy of her.

“Everything’s Romantic” continues to go for an EDM vibe for the beat discussing endlessly falling in love prior to “Rewind” goes electropop once more wishing that she could turn back certain moments of her life. “So I” continues the 2nd half of Brat in the form of a profound dedication to Charli’s late collaborator SOPHIE just before “Girl, So Confusing” featuring Lorde on the remix turns the electronic dance music influences back up opening up about the confusion it is to be a woman at points. “Apple” keeps the upbeat grooves going reminding that the apple certainly doesn’t fall far from the tree whatsoever, but then “B2B” futuristically talks about going back to back.

The hyperpop song “Mean Girls” takes inspiration from Dasha Nekrasova exploring societies’ fascination with mean women worshipping Lana Del Rey in her wireless Apple Inc. Bluetooth earbuds AirPods while the penultimate track “I Think About It All the Time” brings a dance-pop flare to the instrumental fearing that she’s running out of time. Finally, the closer “365” ends Brat hypnotically alluding to the never ending cycle of partying. “Hello goodbye” begins the deluxe embarrassing herself in the midst of introducing herself to a potential partner sticking to the PC Music sound while “Guess” featuring Billie Eilish on the remix has that signature electroclash style The Dare is known for expressing Charli’s sexual desires. “Spring breakers” concludes the bonus track run sampling “Everytime” by Britney Spears chockfull of references to the 2012 film of the same name.

Crash was an average way for Charli to fulfill her Asylum contract couple years back & as we enter further into the summer, Brat reveals to be the most aggressive & confrontational yet most vulnerable album in her discography so far. The production is mainly club-centered evoking & channeling the illegal London rave scene through electropop, EDM, bubblegum bass, electro house, dance-pop, electroclash, pop rap, Atlanta bass, bassline, new beat, Jersey Club, fidget house, acid house & hyperpop providing introspection that might come to you in the midst of a party or the insurmountable dread of the morning after.

Score: 4.5/5

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Ski Mask the Slump God – “11th Dimension” review

Orlando, Florida rapper Ski Mask the Slump God returning for a sophomore LP. Coming up as the co-founder of Members Only alongside the late XXXTENTACION, he then dropped a couple EPs & a great mixtape called Drown in Designer in 2016 before signing to Republic Records the following year with his 2nd tape called YouWillRegret being his first outing on a major label. This was followed up with Beware the Book of Eli, the full-length debut Stokeley in 2018 & Sin City about 3 years later. Fast forward another 3 years, Ski’s returning to take us to the 11th Dimension almost 5 months since Moose became a 3-time TNA World Champion at Hard to Kill V.

“DragonTooth” opens up the LP with rage beats from Trgc only needing 1 shot whereas “Monsters Inc.” featuring Future named after the classic Pixar film works in a bassy trap instrumental from ATL Jacob putting their gang over everything else referencing the National Geographic subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company. “By Myself” talks about moving in stealth with Synthetic of Internet Money Records returning to the hypertrap sound just before “Earwax” works in a vocal sample, a rubbery bass-line & hi-hats provided by Swaggyono of Working on Dying feelin’ like he’s going to lose control.

Things take the chaotic trap route for “Full Moon” likening himself to a werewolf when the clock strikes midnight leading into “Part the Sea” talks about dying in a mosh pit over a monstrous rage beat from BEAUTIFULMVN. After “Jah’s Interlude” reusing X’s verse from the “Hope” freestyle off the ? deluxe, “WDYM” picks up from there calmly asking his romantic interest to stay for a bit longer while “Tuk-Tuk” produced by DJ Scheme is this fun braggadocious banger.

“Wake Up!” featuring the late Juice WRLD demonstrates speedier flows from both of them accompanied by minimal trap production talking about being mutants, but then “Hulk” ends the first half of 11th Dimension with ilykimchi & Oogie Mane of Working on Dying going for a hypertrap direction once more drawing comparisons to the iconic Marvel hero. “Headrush” is this skull-smashing trap metal banger to start the 2nd leg of the album to talk about being up prior to the rubbery albeit cloudy “Frozen One” talking about being chosen.

Meanwhile on “Killstreak”, we have Ski boasting that he’s hard to find over a quirky trap instrumental with bells while “From Yard” featuring Skillibeng comes through with a decently blaring anthem paying homage to his Jamaican background. “Him Jung Un” mixes the sounds of pots & pans with hi-hats so he can pop tags while “Let It Breathe” psychedelically talks about being cerebral.

“Mandalorian” takes it back to his roots thanks to Ronny J going huntin’ on the mic while the cacophonous “Jump” feels like a modern homage to “Pass the Courvoisier Part II” by Busta Rhymes & Puff Daddy, which as good of a song is bad timing since P. Diddy & later Diddy has gone down quicker than TKO Group Holdings co-founder Vince McMahon. Especially after the security footage of him assaulting Cassie premiered on national television & subsequently got arrested. The penultimate track “Shibuya” is this rage/pop rap hybrid showing his appreciation for the titular city in Japan & finally, “Go!” featuring Corbin ends 11th Dimension awkwardly singing over synthesizers.

I’ll still maintain that I was unsure of where Ski was gonna take it after Sin City when you think about the hardships he’s faced in the last 6 years, but 11th Dimension officially marks his return in the form of his most ambitious project to date. It revolves around a loose concept centering multiple characters that he created himself representing the man in each dimension & the production ranging from rage to even alternative rock.

Score: 3/5

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Yelawolf – “War Story” review

Alabama rapper, singer/songwriter, producer, fashion designer & entrepreneur Yelawolf returning for a double disc 9th LP. Coming up as a contestant on The Road to Stardom in 2005, his full-length debut album Creekwater that same year & didn’t catch the mainstream’s attention until New Year’s Day 2010 off the strength of his 4th mixtape Trunk Muzik. This caught the attention of Detroit icon Eminem, who signed Catfish Billy to his Interscope Records imprint Shady Records the following year. Yelawolf went on to release 4 albums under his contract with Slim, leaving in Spring 2019 to focus on continuing to build his own label Slumerican Records. Shooter Jennings helped him go country rock on Sometimes Y last time we heard from the Slumerican Shitizen couple years ago & is showing his artistic range altogether for War Story, a sequel to Love Story.

“Trailer in the Sky” featuring Jelly Roll on the hook begins Disc 1: Michael Wayne with a moody rap cut produced by Malay hoping to get high one day whereas “Glasses Up” kinda has a syrupy tone instrumentally talking about never stepping away from music anytime soon. “Make You Love Me” has a funkier flare to the beat this time around, singing about a romantic interest that caught his eye while “Juliana” solemnly tells the titular character who bites like a piranha that she needs to get a grip & looking to get ahead of her.

On the other hand, “Marijuana” works in some hair-raising piano chords likening his life as an artist being the war of a soldier leading into “Goodbye Mornin’” taking the dark boom bap route welcoming the evening & talking about LSD being a Hell of a drug as it is. “Cars” works in some militant drums expressing his desire for fancier whips prior to “Lookin’ Over” featuring DJ Paul going country rap to talk about being watched over when times get rough.

“Farewell” featuring Struggle Jennings goes for a triumphant trap vibe advising to tell the truth when you speak of them promising to return home with dinner on their backs ahead of the fierily passionate “Talkin’” addressing those who only listen when they’re speaking themselves. “Cookin’ Cocaine” psychedelically makes magic over holy water & “Legend” ends the Michael Wayne portion explaining how legends are made.

To start Disc 2: Trunk Muzik 4ever, the first song “New Me” has this bouncy trap vibe to it thanks to WLPWR going back to his old ways just before “Bad News” featuring Caskey menacingly cautions that going against them won’t end well. “Box Chevy VIII” featuring Bub Styles & Killer Mike is the 8th installment of Yelawolf’s well-known series of tracks showing his love for Chevrolets, but then “Another Drink” goes rap rock to talk about consuming alcohol.

“Barn Fire” embraces the trap metal sound to get in his Catfish Billy bag while “Flashlight” takes on a more haunting atmosphere in favor of turning pain into art illuminating his heart similarly to the titular object. “Bang Bang Bobby” jumps over pianos explaining that everyone has an uncle, cousin or a wild ass friend you can’t do shit with while the synth-driven “Tonight” talks about being a traveling spirit.

Meanwhile on “Everything”, we have Yelawolf returning to the boom bap boasting that he has it all while the electronic-infused “Bad Motherfucker” talks about this woman having a perfect body & knowing how to wear it. The synth-trap banger “Work” tackles his genius while the distorted country rap “Ticket” nears the end of War Story forever chasing the dream. “Put ‘Em Up” rowdily ends the LP explaining Trunk Muzik don’t quit.

Regardless of what heads think of the guy, Yelawolf surely has more than enough versatility to pull off a double album & gave us a worthy sequel to his Shady Records sophomore effort celebrating it’s 10-year anniversary next spring. The first disc Michael Wayne has to be amongst the most introspectively intimate music of his career yet & the other Trunk Muzik 4ever continues the legacy of the Trunk Muzik series that resonate with the signature style that fans have come to love.

Score: 4/5

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KAYTRANADA – “Timeless” review

KAYTRANADA is a 31 year old DJ, producer, singer/songwriter & rapper born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti albeit raised in Montréal, Québec, Canada starting as 1/2 of The Celestics alongside his younger brother Lou Phelps. For the past decade, he’s has been widely recognized as being amongst the most popular & in-demand producers in all of music working with everyone from Mobb Deep to Mach-Hommy. KAYTRA even has 2 solo efforts under his belt in the debut 99.9% through XL Recordings & the RCA Records-backed Bubba as well as the eponymous debut from KAYTRAMINÉ last summer. KAYTRADAMUS gained more exposure after opening for The Weeknd during the After Hours ‘til Dawn Tour & is capitalizing by releasing a 3rd album.

“Pressure” is an instrumental opener to the LP with synthesizers & danceable groove whereas “Spit It Out” by Rochelle Jordan sings about reflecting on what she had with a former partner of hers over a spacious beat. The Celestics team up on the tropical “Call U Up” admitting that they don’t wanna hit up their current romantic interests in fear of falling in love with them, but then the funky “Weird” by Durand Bernarr confronts his lover for acting strange around him.

We get some hip house vibes on “Dance Dance Dance Dance” for a couple minutes prior to Don Toliver poppin’ in for the atmospherically smooth “Feel a Way” confessing to being caught up in his ways & guarding one’s love. “Still” by Charlotte Day Wilson luxuriously & passionately professes the attraction that she still feels towards a man that she cries thinking of while “Video” by Ravyn Lenae brings the synths back into the fold telling her partner to show her which way he wants her to go & recording it.

“Seemingly” nears the end of Timeless’ first half sampling Don Blackmon just before “Drip Sweat” by Channel Tres turns the house music influences back up singing about a man who thinks he can come in the night telling him to jump off the ledge. “Hold On” by Dawn Richard asks if we go back to days when lights use to dance & when love wasn’t scared yet over a house beat ahead of the hypnotically entrancing “Please Babe”.

Meanwhile on “Stepped On”, we have KAYTRA going for a synth-based direction instrumentally so he himself can demonstrate his singing chops addressing something wrong with him while “More Than a Little Bit” by Tinashe has a dreamy alternative R&B flare to it talking about her heart being frozen. “Do 2 Me” by Anderson .Paak & SiR links the pair up for a charming pop rap/R&B hybrid that is until the summery “Witchy” by Childish Gambino sings his heart out about missing something for a while.

“Lover/Friend” by Rochelle Jordan was a solid deep house/R&B single head-on asking if this person really wants a relationship with her while the mellow “Wasted Words” by Thundercat starts the deluxe run encouraging to rise above it all. The song “Snap My Finger” by PinkPantheress is this danceable R&B jam getting an ex of her’s off her mind while the penultimate track “Stuntin’” by Channel Tres goes contemporary R&B feeling the best. “Out of Luck” by Mariah the Scientist ends the album futuristically singing about having no luck left.

Much has changed since Bubba nearly 5 years ago representing a shift in collaborations & his RCA sophomore effort here marks a superior return along with my new 2nd favorite full-length of his behind the debut. Primarily because Timeless has a stronger guest-list, the overall feeling of it takes inspiration from 80s new wave, he’s using newer equipment & expands his house/R&B sound to newer heights.

Score: 4/5

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Willie Nelson – “The Border” review

Willie Nelson is a 91 year old musician, singer/songwriter, actor & activist from Abbott, Texas known for being one of the main figures of the outlaw country subgenre & being 1/4 of The Highwaymen. Standouts in his vast discography include Shotgun Willie, Phases & Stages, Red Headed Stranger, Stardust, Spirit & Teatro. Looking to celebrate a month after his birthday though, Buddy Cannon is producing the 75th full-length solo LP of material from country music’s favorite stoner.

The title track that starts us off with a decent cover of “The Border” by Rodney Crowell whereas “Once Upon a Yesterday” works in some acoustics, pianos so Willie can passionately sing about getting older reminiscing that we were all children working hard at play at one point in our lives. “What If I’m Out of My Mind” has a peppier country flare to it finding the girl of his dreams & after “When I Wrote This Song for You” covering Larry Cordle, the harmonica/guitar laced “Kiss Me When You’re Through” addressing a woman who told him she wouldn’t want him if he was the last person on Earth.

“Many a Long & Lonesome Highway” covers Rodney Crowell once again to start the 2nd leg of the album, this time the lead single off his 6th album Keys to the Highway leading into “Hank’s Guitar” telling a story from the perspective of the late great Hank Williams’ very own guitar. “Made in Texas” was a solid choice of a lead single paying tribute to his home state, but then the bluesy/country hybrid “Nobody Knows Me Like You” sings about Annie D’Angelo being the only person who knows him best. “How Much Does It Cost” ends the album with a powerful country ballad asking the cost of freedom.

As I stated when I reviewed Beyoncé’s new album Cowboy Carter couple months ago: Country music one of those genres that I’m not the biggest fan of altogether with some exceptions & Willie who did an interlude for B on the 2nd act of her ongoing trilogy is most certainly one of them. Nearly 7 decades in the game & The Border elevates everything that made A Beautiful Time his best album since Teatro to new levels. Buddy improves his production from Blueglass’ to help efficiently tell the inner struggles & outer life stories of a border guard.

Score: 4/5

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