Compton, California rapper, singer/songwriter & actor Vince Staples is back with his 5th LP. Emerging as a close affiliate of the now defunct Odd Future collective, he would go on to release 4 mixtapes before signing a joint deal with Blacksmith Records & even No I.D.’s very own Def Jam Recordings imprint ARTium Recordings. My personal favorite of which being Stolen Youth, which was entirely produced by the late Mac Miller. His first major label outing Hell Can Wait was a dope little EP preluding the full-length debut Summertime ‘06, which became one of the best double disc albums of the previous decade. Vince later detailed the pitfalls that came with his success on the next EP Prima Donna & the dude’s sophomore effort Big Fish Theory was unquestionably his most experimental work yet. He later teamed up with Kenny Beats for his 3rd EP FM! & his eponymous 3rd album but coming off Ramona Park Broke My Heart from a couple years ago, Vince is fulfilling his Def James contract on Dark Times.
After the “Close Your Eyes & Swing” intro, the first song “Black&Blue” is this vigorous kickstarter talking about still being on some n***a shit whereas the boom bap driven “Government Cheese” encourages the listeners to smile & not to lose their inner child. “Children’s Song” goes for a twangier trap vibe instrumentally telling y’all to stop playing with his crib & play with your kids instead ahead of “Shame on the Devil” going for a conscious west coast hip hop vibe talking about God making him special.
Jay Versace‘s production on “Étouffée” takes the atmospheric route & Vince paying homage to the New Orleans hip hop scene during the hook & after the “Liars” skit, “Justin” returns to the boom bap telling the story of a woman who’s already in a relationship. “Radio” gives off a solemn trap flare to the beat from Cardo so he can turn up his hustle while “Nothing Matters” brings back the kicks & snares asking why she told him that she loves him when she doesn’t.
“Little Homies” begins the encore of Dark Times by hopping over a funky instrumental telling all his lil homies out there listening to be blessed & keep their heads on a swivel when they stop while the last song “Freeman” prior to the “Why Won’t the Sun Come Out?” outro fulfills Vince’s contract with Def Jam talks about everything being all good.
Even I thought that Vince had already left Def Jam since he’s been releasing his last couple projects through Motown Records, but at least he officially went out by finding the clarity that he was looking for when he initially signed his first major label deal over a decade ago. It has a prominently conscious west coast hip hop sound to it with additional neo-soul, neo-psychedelia, jazz rap & experimental hip hop undertones sprinkled in & you can truly hear his growth after all this time.
Varg Vikernes or professionally known as Burzum is a 51 year old musician, author & convict from Bergen, Norway whose 3rd album Hvis lyset tar oss & more specifically it’s follow-up Filosofem are regarded as some of the most essential black metal in the subgenre’s history even now. Dauði Baldrs & Hliðskjálf went for more of a dungeon synth direction since both of them were recorded while he was in prison for arson & the murder of founding Mayhem guitarist Euronymous. Over a decade later, Belus marked a return to Burzum’s black metal roots & Fallen personally is the last LP of Varg’s that I personally found myself enjoying especially as a result of beginning to incorporate his nationalist far-right beliefs onto the 4 full-lengths he’s released since. Ye formerly known as Kanye West cited him as an inspiration for ¥$’ ongoing Vultures trilogy to the point where Burzum’s coming out of his 4-year retirement to put out his 13th & final album.
Varg Vikernes eller profesjonelt kjent som Burzum er en 51 år gammel musiker, forfatter og straffedømt fra Bergen, Norge hvis tredje album Hvis lyset tar oss og mer spesifikt dets oppfølging Filosofem blir sett på som noe av det mest essensielle black metal i undersjangerens historie. selv nå. Dauði Baldrs & Hliðskjálf gikk for mer en dungeon-synth-retning siden begge ble spilt inn mens han satt i fengsel for brannstiftelse og drapet på grunnleggeren av Mayhem-gitaristen Euronymous. Over et tiår senere markerte Belus en retur til Burzums black metal-røtter og Fallen personlig er den siste LP-en av Varg’s som jeg personlig fant meg selv glede av, spesielt som et resultat av at han begynte å inkorporere hans nasjonalistiske ytre-høyre-tro i de 4 fullengdere han er utgitt siden. Ye eller tidigare känd som Kanye West citerade honom som en inspiration för ¥$’ pågående Vultures trilogi till den punkt där Burzum kommer ut efter sin fyraåriga pensionering för att ge ut sitt 13:e och sista album.
“The Magic of the Grave” is a nonstarter intro because while I appreciate the fact that Varg gives a calmer delivery, the atmospherically depressive black metal/dungeon synth instrumentation with post-punk undertones is on some cutrate GarageBand shit. “The Hidden Name” decently works in more atmo-black influences although the vocals get drowned out whereas “The Nature of the Gods” pointlessly goes spoken-word for 3 minutes over a piano. “The Call of the Kraken” has to be my favorite track here so far feeling like a throwback to the Belus/Fallen days of my early adolescence, but then “Beyond the Gate” comes off as cheaply composed as the opener.
«The Magic of the Grave» er en ikke-starter-intro, for selv om jeg setter pris på det faktum at Varg gir en roligere levering, er den atmosfærisk depressive black metal-/dungeon-synth-instrumenteringen med post-punk-undertoner på noe kurant GarageBand-dritt. «The Hidden Name» fungerer anstendig i mer atmosorte påvirkninger, selv om vokalen overdøves, mens «The Nature of the Gods» meningsløst går i tale i 3 minutter over et piano. «The Call of the Kraken» må være favorittsporet mitt her så langt, og føles som et tilbakeblikk til Belus/Fallen dagene i min tidlige ungdomstid, men så blir «Beyond the Gate» like billig komponert som åpningen.
Burzum does an ok job of evoking epic soundscapes commonly associated with fantasy & medieval settings through the usage of synthesizers, keyboards & drum machines on the 15 minute “Winds of the Vanished Realm” that is until “Memories in the Mist” microwaves a longwinded post-minimalism leftover from the Thulêan Mysteries sessions, Varg’s previous full-length prominently centered around dungeon synth alongside dark folk & ritual ambient music.
Burzum gjør en ok jobb med å fremkalle episke lydlandskap som vanligvis er assosiert med fantasi- og middelalderinnstillinger gjennom bruk av synthesizere, keyboard og trommemaskiner på den 15 minutter lange «Winds of the Vanished Realm» det er til «Memories in the Mist» mikrobølger en langvarig post-minimalisme-rest fra Thulêan Mysteries -øktene, Vargs forrige fullengder sentrert fremtredende rundt dungeon-synth sammen med mørk folkemusikk og rituell ambient-musikk.
“What Will Come” makes up for the mediocrity of “Memories in the Mist” which an atmospheric black metal/funeral doom metal hybrid that I enjoy except for Varg delivering what could possibly be the absolute worst vocal performances on the entire thing while “Elfland” surprisingly is my favorite so far putting a post-punk spin on atmospheric black metal. Can’t say the same for “Beneath the Barrow” or “The Mound of Fire”, both replacing the secondary post-punk elements with spoken word for uninspired atmospheric black metal while the bonus cut “The Reincarnation of Ódinn” has to be right behind “The Call of the Kraken” & I’ll even say amongst the best dungeon synth/spoken word tracks that Burzum ever put out as someone who isn’t a big fan of Dauði Badlrs or Hliðskjálf personally.
«What Will Come» gjør opp for middelmådigheten i «Memories in the Mist» som er en atmosfærisk black metal/funeral doom metal-hybrid som jeg liker, bortsett fra at Varg leverer det som muligens er den absolutt dårligste vokalprestasjonen på hele skiva, mens «Elfland» er overraskende nok min favoritt så langt, og setter en post-punk vri på atmosfærisk black metal. Kan ikke si det samme om «Beneath the Barrow» eller «The Mound of Fire», som begge erstatter de sekundære post-punk elementene med spoken word for uinspirert atmosfærisk black metal, mens bonuskuttet «The Reincarnation of Ódinn» må være rett bak «The Call of the Kraken» og jeg vil til og med si at det er blant de beste dungeon synth/spoken word sporene Burzum noensinne har gitt ut, som en som ikke er en stor fan av Dauði Badlrs eller Hliðskjálf personlig.
Umskiptar up until this point was my least favorite black metal album in the Burzum canon & fast forward a dozen years, The Land of Thulê has now sadly taken over Umskiptar’s spot since he usually thrives the most there. I’ll always defend Burzum’s first 4 albums including Belus & Fallen for being enjoyable black metal, but does that mean I agree with & support Varg’s views? In absolutely no way shape or form! My issues with this LP are the cheap GarageBand production & his take on the same style of extreme metal that would literally go on to influence countless other acts simply isn’t as innovative as it was when he first emerged in the Norwegian black metal scene during the late 80s/early 90s.
Umskiptar frem til dette tidspunktet var mitt minst favoritt-black metal-album i Burzum-kanonen og spol frem et dusin år, The Land of Thulê har nå dessverre overtatt Umskiptars plass siden han vanligvis trives best der. Jeg vil alltid forsvare Burzums første 4 album, inkludert Belus og Fallen for å være morsom black metal, men betyr det at jeg er enig med og støtter Vargs synspunkter? På absolutt ingen måte form eller form! Problemene mine med denne LP-en er den billige GarageBand-produksjonen og hans oppfatning av den samme stilen av ekstrem metal som bokstavelig talt ville fortsette å påvirke utallige andre handlinger, er rett og slett ikke så nyskapende som det var da han først dukket opp i den norske black metal-scenen under slutten av 80-tallet/begynnelsen av 90-tallet.
Toronto, Ontario, Canada instrumental band & production team BADBADNOTGOOD consisting of drummer/vibraphonist Alex Sowinski, bassist/keyboardist Chester Hansen & multi-instrumentalist Leland Whitty following up Mid Spiral: Chaos from last Wednesday by releasing their 3rd EP. Forming in 2010 over their shared appreciation for the late MF DOOM & of course Odd Future, their first 2 full-lengths BBNG & BBNG2 further gained traction for blending original material & covers until III fully won me over near the end of my junior year of high school after Tyler, The Creator introduced me to them through shouting the band out on “Lone” off his sophomore effort Wolf. They also produced what I consider to be Ghostface Killah’s most underrated album Sour Soul approximately 9 months later & Leland was promoted from touring member to official member the next summer on IV. Matthew Tavares departed in 2019 & their XL Recordings debut Talk Memory subsequently came out couple years later. However, the odd trio are looking to continue the Mid Spiral trilogy on Order.
To get us started, “Playgroup” is this warm 7-minute composition crossing over jazz & funk from the EP they gave us only the previous week whereas “Juan’s World” experiments with samba jazz in a way I find to be as essential as Stan Getz & João Gilberto’s eponymous collaborative album Getz/Gilberto that turned 60 earlier this spring. “Taco Taco” speaks about walking around Los Angeles stoned on top of a Latin jazz instrumental prior to “Sétima Regra” showing more of a Arthur Verocaiinfluence bringing an MPM flare to the table. “Sunday Afternoon’s Dream” is a vibe perfect for the concluding weekend with it’s horns & saxophones, but then “Rewind Your Mind” concludes Mid Spiral 2: Order with a meditative 5-minute piece.
I have to be honest with myself & admit I was the impression that Mid Spiral: Chaos being a teaser to BADBADNOTGOOD’s upcoming 6th album only 7 days ago when we first got it. Now it’s been made clear as day Mid Spiral will span out as a whole trilogy of EPs similarly to how the EARTHGANG is splitting EARTHGANG vs. the Algorithm into 3 separate EPs beginning with R.I.P. Human Art last fall & Robophobia few months ago, it’s certainly matches the bar set by the predecessor last week. The jazz fusion & jazz-funk sounds very much so carry themselves over except they’re replacing the jazz-rock undertones with samba-jazz as well as Latin jazz.
This is the 7th full-length solo LP from Memphis rapper, songwriter, producer & record executive Juicy J. Rising to stardom in the 90s as the co-founder of the seminal Three 6 Mafia alongside his Tear Da Club Up Thugs cohorts DJ Paul & the late Lord Infamous, he’s also had the most successful solo career out of everyone in the Mafia whether it be the Taylor Gang Entertainment/Columbia Records-backed Stay Trippy & Rubba Band Business: The Album or more recently Crypto Business & Mental Trillness. The latter noticeably taking on a more serious tone than some of Juicy’s latest material, taking a good chunk of it’s time coping with Gangsta Boo’s untimely passing & was wondering if the sequel here would address personal themes once more.
“Serenity” starts with a drumless instrumental saying goodbye to Hollywood whereas the self-produced “Bury My Problems” continues by banging out a Memphis tinged 2-parter talking about his pain running deep. “Overseas” works in more minimalistic half-time drum machine programming & droning bass to flex his European guap just before “Desperate Measures” eerily asks why you think he scrapes the bowl tryna get all the extras out.
Hi-hats get mixed with chopped & screwed vocals throughout “4 Life” so Da Juice Man can represent his city until he can’t anymore, but then the decent single “Sukihana” featuring Sukihana herself has more of a cloudier trap flare talking about needing a freaky hoe. “My Hood” throws it back to the classic Three 6 sound advising the newer Memphis artists who been pimpin’ leading into the ominous “He Did” discussing those online claimin’ sets getting checked by goons.
“Fired Up” starts the 2nd leg of the album in the form of a 2-minute smoke break for everyone listening that’s working a 9-5 while “Dig” serves as a playful dedication to hard working bitches. “Cut Back” brings back the signature Memphis sound instrumentally talking about trying to get his life together while “Money Flippa” featuring Project Pat taking a soulful turn to the beat telling everyone to get their grind & shine right.
Nearing the LP’s final quarter, “Switched Up” chops up soul samples once again airing out those who turned on him while “On the Way” featuring both IDontKnowJeffery & Xavier Wulf of the East Memphis Boyz brings 2 generations of the Memphis scene together fondly. Xavier sticks around for the penultimate track “All It Takes” smoothly talking about your girl running to dudes like them & lastly, “Suffering from Realness” concludes Mental Trillness 2 morbidly boasting that he’s too real.
The predecessor last spring was a bit of a breath of fresh air that Juicy’s solo output needed since it was starting to feel repetitive lyrically & the Mental Trillnesssequel plays to the strengths from the album that we got from him over 13 months ago already. He tones down the amount of guests only by a couple notches, it’s mostly self-produced in comparison to producing a little over half last time & addresses further personal issues on the mic.
Here we have the surprise 9th EP from Atlanta, Georgia up-&-comer tana. Beginning in 2018 as a member of the plu2o9 collective under the original moniker BabySantana, he would go on to drop his first 2 EPs Recreation! & Planet Sosa alongside his debut mixtape Quan before signining to Lil Tecca’s very own Republic Records imprint Galactic Records the next fall. tana then preluded his full-length debut album bana by putting out Gaultier as well as London & Dale. Only a month following the main course, Santanaromani has decided to upload Friends Forever on SoundCloud only 24 hours after producing the standout track “Chauncey” off the new Ian EP Valedictorian.
In a surprising turn of events, “Les Fleurs de Belle” kicks off the EP by taking a complete 180° stylistically departing from the trap/pop rap/rage/pluggnb sounds that he became known for in favor of psychedelic rock production from n9ck & robotically sung vocals. Yes, you heard me correctly. “Meisje” continues to delver further down the psych rock rabbit hole to sing about heartbreak while “Charlie” comes through with my favorite vocal performances on the entire EP letting Charlie know what he’s caused continuing the mid-60s style of rock emulating or enhancing the effects of psychedelic drugs. “Let’s Run Far Away” concludes Friends Forever by rejectingly singing about escapism over solemn guitars passages.
Friends Forever isn’t really any different from the new Ouija Macc tape Corruptus or Lil Yachty’s last album Let’s Start Here., of course IGOR and 808s & Heartbreak too. The latter of which he definitely pulls influence from with the amount of heavy auto-tune on his voice during a few points on the EP. But my point is: What you’re gonna get on here is something COMPLETELY & ENTIRELY different from anything that he’s put out previously. When an artist goes into a completely different direction like this, it could go like Rebirth & Supermarket or like those other projects I mentioned. And Friends Forever‘s rock sound makes tana the most versatile signing on Galactic much like maintaining Destroy Lonely happening to be the most versatile signing on Opium.
Scott & Seth Avett aka The Avett Brothers are back for an eponymous 11th full-length studio album of material. Not only is it their first new music in 5 years since Closer Than Together, but it’s also their 6th under American Recordings & to be fully produced by the label’s founder Rick Rubin. Their 6th LP albeit major label debut I & Love & You turning 15 this fall is their crowning achievement in my opinion. The Carpenter as well as Magpie & the Dandelion also got some rotation during half of my high school years. And nevertheless of True Sadness & Closer Than Tougher being the weakest efforts that Seth & Scott have done with Rick, I was still interested in hearing what they’ve been up to after all this time.
“Never Apart” is a folk rock opener talking about not having to miss one another because nothing can separate them whereas “Lover of a Girl” kinda gives of a funk rock vibe finding meaning in the every day struggles of their life being over the romantic attraction they have to women. “Cheap Coffee” stands out as the best on the album working in some pianos & electric guitars singing about feel the warmth of their partners’ love light shining on them prior to the blissful “Forever Now” asking how long is now & expresses their desire to live forever now within.
Meanwhile on “Country Kid”, we have The Avett Brothers taking on the contemporary country sound as they discuss growing up in North Carolina leading into “Orion’s Belt” starring the 2nd half with a boring take on country pop. “2020 Regret” sings over pianos about never regretting any time they had with their previous romantic interests. “Same Broken Bones” has a delicate sound to it altogether as they discuss someone waiting for them & “We Are Loved” acoustically finishes by reminding that everyone is loved even when they’re lonely.
It would be amazing if Rick encouraged them step out of their comfort zone stylistically a little, but I’ll still take The Avett Brothers’ self-titled effort over their last couple albums. They respond to those saying they don’t know when to hold back by sticking to their signature sound giving the audience a glimpse of independently studied spirituality; questions & considerations in the interest of the divine unknowable seek the sacred in the commonplace reveling in the fun & surrender of what we cannot understand.
The Inner Realmz are a production duo from the Mojave desert of California consisting of Masta Cypher Devine & Goomson. Since the beginning of the current decade, they’ve been making waves in the west coast underground scene off their first 2 beat tapes SP 1000 and Build & Destroy followed by Low End Wizards as well as it’s sequel & Digital Chains. Goomson so happened to team up with Broke last summer for a collaborative beat tape Heavy Wreck displaying Broke’s talents behind the boards for Side A & of course Goomson on Side B except for Masta Cypher Devine doing the closer. I was however interested in their 6th beat tape since I personally found the cover art to be reminiscent of black metal music.
“Digest Culture” sets the tone of what’s to come with a 47 second spoken word intro accompanied by kicks & snares whereas “Cymatics” works in some pianos whilst keeping it dusty with the drum patterns. “Recognize Absence” mixes funk & boom bap together with a prominent flute also but after the “Therapeutics” skit, “Mighty Healthy” starts by weaving these summery guitar licks ahead of the kicks & snares coming in later on.
After the “Emulators” interlude blending spoken word & keys, “Pantheon” returns to the boom bap keeping the pianos untouched while “Neural Dust” gives off more of a hypnotically raw vibe generally. “Renowned” finishes the first half of the tape with some masterful pianism just before “Aspersion” adds the kicks & snares in the picture again that when I hear, I can’t help imagine a rainy day in Times Square or any other big city.
“Desirous” starts with a vocal intro from Guru from one of the greatest duos in the history of hip hop culture Gang Starr until we get another boom bap beat except the tone of the chords set off a somber atmosphere leading into “Radio Silence!” taking a darker, eerier turn aesthetically as the kicks & snares remain in tact. The keys on “Daily Commute” seem a tidbit peppier ahead of the downbeat/upbeat drums while “Back to Source” turns the jazz influences back up significantly.
After the “Imitators” skit, “Vesica Piscis” is another piano/boom bap crossover while “Ruggedness & Knowledge” has to be one of my favorites on the whole tape. Especially the 4-start count reminiscent of my favorite production duo of all-time The Neptunes, who unfortunately are at the opposite ends of one another over the trademark of the very name Pharrell & Chad Hugo are known as. Even the closing track “3rd Eye Spies” is a standout concluding Omnipotent aggressively.
Said it when I reviewed Stretch Money’s new EP To the West…with Love few weeks ago & I’ll say it again right now: Los Angeles will always be my 2nd homie since I myself am from Detroit & I gotta say that The Inner Realmz have a promising future as an unstoppable production duo in the underground. Each track masterfully selected and arranged jazz samples sends the brain on a mellow, trippy journey down memory lane with each hiss & crackle.
Here we have the sophomore full-length studio LP from Buffalo, New York emcee Heem. Catching my attention in 2020 after becoming of a protege of Benny the Butcher & signing to his MNRK Music Group imprint Black Soprano Family Records, he He also made a few appearances on the label’s showcase EP prior to dropping his debut mixtape Long Story Short & a debut EP High Art. And with his debut album From the Cradle to the Game celebrating its 1-year anniversary last weekend, it makes sense for him to follow it up by releasing Bars & Noble.
“46 Long” is a soulfully drumless beginning to the album fighting his demons with weed & Hennessy maintaining his chemistry with the killaz to whereas “Lanova’s” featuring Conway the Machine & Jae Skeese brings a jazzier boom bap flare to the table thanks to Scram Jones lethally going off top for 2 & a half minutes. “Super Gangsta” featuring Illy Foo makes a murkier turn within the instrumental talking about never backing down, but then “Pookie’s First Love” stripping the drums to profess that this crack shit got a hold of him.
Benny joins Da Steemer for “Billy Goat” hopping over a grand trap beat from Ill Tone to get back in action just before “1000 Watts” samples soul music yet again talking about doing this shit for the trenches & all the real ones that stay on the block. The title track makes a turn into eerie boom bap territory getting real with y’all leading into the dusty, hair-raising “R.N.S. (Real N***a Shit)” featuring Jay Worthy calling bluff on those who be cappin’ about the way they living.
“Life of a Gangsta” gets on his mob shit over a grim beat with kicks & snares while “The Oath” featuring Boldy James & produced by the late DJ Shay makes a soulful turn instrumentally vowing to never quit. The funky “7.62” breaks down exactly how dark & cloudy it is on his side while the piano-boom bap “1 Mic” talks about getting his mind right & his money up. “Me vs. Me” wraps things up with a soul sample dismissing any competition.
On the contrary to the idea of Heem hunkering down with a singular producer like Scram Jones or even DJ Green Lantern to fully produce an entire project for him which I think would be incredibly dope, Bars & Noble regardless stands as an enjoyable sophomore effort from the Black Soprano Family Steemer keeping the label’s continuous grind going. The production is primarily boom bap with some drumless & trap undertones, we have a brief yet mostly solid guest list & they help Heem give a dedication to the Day 1s.
This is the 4th EP from up-&-coming rapper/producer Ian of the D1shonorable collective. Somebody that got his start in 2019 producing the single “Know That” by Izaya Tiji before going on to release 3 EPs of his own: Only for a While, Remembrance & the gyo-produced Empty Suit. For the past few months however, he’s been going viral off a couple singles to the point of landing a contract with Akon’s brother Bu Thiam’s very own Columbia Records imprint Buvision Entertainment & further building off the recent hype to put out Valedictorian.
After the DJ Holiday intro, the first song “Never Stop” is a playful trap opener to the tape refusing to quit under any circumstances whereas “Bentayga” works in some synths & hi-hats detailing the luxurious lifestyle. “Airbnb” vibrantly brushes off any tough talk that comes his way & throwing a hoe a bag if she shows him something leading into “Hermes Sheets” giving me a heinous atmosphere instrumentally continuing to show off his wealth. “Omakase” talks about busting his ass day & night like KiD CuDi referencing WWE Hall of Famer, former 6-time WWE world champion & WWE Intercontinental Champion Randy Savage over a synth-laced trap beat while “Chauncey” might be favorite track from the cloudy instrumental from Galactic Records signee tana to the lyrics referencing former Detroit Pistons player Chauncey Billups.
“Judgement” flexes that he’s too rich to entertain chumps over minimal synthesizers & hi-hats, but then “Grand Slam” has these rage-inducing undertones boasting that his hermano crazy about the pollo similarly to my favorite show of all-time Breaking Bad. The EP’s final song & lead single “Figure It Out” just so happens to be the very first song of Ian’s that I ever heard carrying over the minimal hypertrap influences from “Grand Slam” as I had previously mentioned including a reference to the Batman franchise owned by the Warner Bros. subsidiary DC Entertainment. The first bonus cut “Options” keeps the rage going talking about his neck changing the weather & the other “Magic Johnson” produced by Rio Leyva & Taz Taylor becoming another standout passing bread like the Lakers player.
Being already somewhat familiar with the D1 crew since Fakekickin’ just fully produced the new Moh Baretta mixtape RE:VAMP over a week ago, Ian here has been catching my interest for a few weeks as a result of Valedictorian’s final 2 tracks continuing to grow in popularity & he might even be my new favorite member. He properly introduces himself to a wider audience whilst maintaining the plugg/rage elements of his earlier EPs, further solidifying himself as an exciting new face in both subgenres.
Struggle Mike is a 42 year old producer, curator, record executive & audio engineer from Buffalo, New York who introduced himself at the end of 2019 off the strength of his full-length debut Great Escape followed by Next Up as well as Wall & Progress. He eventually kept his consistency going on Ties & Struggles until signing to Black Soprano Family Records as an artist after becoming an A&R of theirs, who put out his previous couple albums IYKYK & IYDK last spring showing considerable improvements above his previous output. And with that in mind, I had a feeling the 9th LP in Mike’s could plausibly become my new favorite of his.
After the intro produced by DJ Benoit, the first song “Escobar” by Benny the Butcher & Heem brings them together over bongos from the late DJ Shay talking about feeling as if they stuck in the game whereas the title track by Lo Profile alongside Lucky 7 & Smoke Bulga goes boom bap to boast about getting bills like the Buffalo team. “Sleepless” by B.A.R.S. Murre, Eto & GoToMar$ hooks up solemn keys with kicks & snares seeing what type of man you are in daylight prior to “Body” by Jeru the Damaja, Lucky 7 & Planet Asia dustily reassures everyone how they do it all day everyday.
“Work” by Benny the Butcher, Chase Fetti& Rick Hyde keeps it boom bap talking about growing up in a society that’s already doomed within itself & after the titular interlude, “China October” by Boons & Heem mixes a Chinese sample with kicks & snares so they can get on their east-side grimy shit for a few minutes. “Gandolfini” by O.T. the Real & Rick Hyde gives me a bit of a bluesy vibe to the beat doing shit themselves when no one else would, but then “Quick” by Flames Dot Malik & Rick Hyde jumps over guitars to talk about being hustlers.
As the end of Honor draws closer, the penultimate track “Parasite” by Fuego Base & Rick Hyde goes drumless with both of them explaining everybody getting shot like they generous on top of still riding with guns since the rap game stays sketchy & even hiding from paranoia off the drugs that is until “Well I Do” by Heem & Sule ends the album returning to the boom bap for 1 more time going at the throats of the heartless that maintain a Tin Man posture & boasting about the whole Black Soprano label being cut from the same cloth.
For any B$F fan who slept-on the last couple LPs that Mike curated a year ago, you’re gonna wanna give Honor a listen since he pretty much elevates everything that made IYKYK & IYDK his finest curations thus far to a whole different level. We’re instrumentally treated to a prominent boom bap sound that a lot of the label’s artist bare with a hint of drumless, leaving most of the mic time in-house with the exception of a couple established veterans & a few collaborators from previous material.
Legends Will Never Die 