Isaac Castor – “The Rabbit Hole 3: Smoking Caterpillar” review

Detroit, Michigan emcee Isaac Castor returning after 2 years for his 3rd full-length studio album. Coming up in 2010 under the original moniker Gameboi, he would go on drop 4 mixtapes & 3 EPs prior to signing to the local underground hip hop powerhouse Middle Finger Music following its formation 8 years later. He then enlisted the label’s co-founder Foul Mouth behind the boards for his full-length debut The Rabbit Hole & the sequel ahead of the trilogy chapter Smoking Caterpillar.

“Here They Come” is this boom bap-driven opener tryna get the money while he’s still here & assuring that he ain’t ever behind whereas “I Ain’t Fresh?” keeps it in the basement instrumentally dropping off battle bars for a few minutes. “Blind” has a soulfully & jazzier vibe talking about finally living in the mountains leading into “Why Should I Die?” hops over some horns, kicks & snares to call himself a diamond in the sky.

Kain Cole joins Isaac on “Cash Rules” planting the seeds whilst everyone else is camping while “Sidetracked” talking about all these other MCs selling out instead of him & refusing to do so. “Customer” maintains a boom bap edge promising 2025 gonna get ugly just before “Shadow Realm” featuring J-Classic & Mvck Nyce bringing the trio together so they can all flex their pen-game.

“Time for Jazz” hooks up a crooning sample talking about ditching the lazy habits he used to have, but then “Gotham” compares himself to Batman here to save the city. “Spin Itch” heads for more of a rap rock direction feelin’ cold blooded while “No Comp” featuring Jalen Frazier & Tone Plummer reminds everyone that you play by the rules if you in the game.

The song “Thoughts Runnin’” nears the end of the final chapter in the Rabbit Hole trilogy Smoking Caterpillar promising that he’ll break your head wide open so he can examine the contents of it while the closing track “Live Wire” aggressively rounds it out talking about going through the cycle all over again in the midst of him growing.

This upcoming spring will mark the 5 year anniversary of The Rabbit Hole in addition to the sequel turning 2 a couple weeks from now so whether Isaac intends on continuing the series with a Rabbit Hole 4 or a completely different body of work within itself, The Rabbit Hole 3: Smoking Caterpillar takes everything that made both of it’s predecessors the most essential listens in Isaac’s discography & elevates them. Foul Mouth builds his production around boom bap, jazz rap & rap rock with Isaac’s lyricism going from hardcore to introspective.

Score: 4.5/5

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The Weather Station – “Humanhood” review

The Weather Station are a singer/songwriter band from Toronto, Ontario, Canada consisting of bassist Ben Whiteley, keyboardist Johnny Spence, guitarist Will Kidman, guitarist Christine Bougie, saxophonist/clarinetist Karen Ng, drummer Evan Cartwright, drummer Kieran Adams & frontwoman Tamara Hope. Self-releasing their debut The Line in the spring of 2009 only to further introduce themselves with their sophomore effort All of It Was Mine as well as Loyalty & an eponymous LP, the latter of which resulted in Fat Possum Records signing the band & elevating them on their debut for the label Ignorance & recording the follow-up How Is It That I Should Look at the Stars around that same time. 3 years later, Tamara’s returning for her 7th album.

After the “Descent” intro, the first song “Neon Signs” is this artsy piano rock opener singing about it never being enough in a world without trust relying upon the lightning flash of lust whereas “Mirror” fuses art rock, trip hop, jazz fusion & jazz-rock comparing God to that of a reflection. “Window” balances art & jazz rock admits to feeling like her heart’s racing leading into “Body Moves” bringing together sophisti-pop, post-rock & jazz fusion after the “Passage” interlude addressing an individual seeing too far away.

“Ribbon” hooks up some heavy pianos singing that her pain is ordinary & being like anyone else followed by a fantastically lush outro but after the “Fleuve” interlude, the title track colorfully details diving into Lake Ontario & being shocked into a sense of the present. “Irreversible Damage” offers a heavy trip hop vibe reminiscent of Portishead while “Lonely” calmingly realizes what it was not to be alone. “Sewing” after the “Aurora” interlude closes Humanhood by clarifying it’s too late to take it all back.

Managing to be this cinematic widescreen record that tells a story going from dense to open to loud to silent, Humanhood returns 4 years after Tamara & company made their Fat Possum debut making commentary on the global climate crisis to showing a predominantly more personal side of Tamara & do so in such an ambitious manner showing influences of art pop, art rock, jazz-rock, post-rock, sophisti-pop, jazz fusion, trip hop & piano rock.

Score: 4/5

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Scum – “IOUz” review

Here we have the 16th studio LP from Denver, Colorado emcee & Lyrikal Snuff Productionz founder Scum. Starting as a member of an experimental grind/noise band called Down Syndrome about 29 years ago, his solo debut Enter the Asylum just turned 20 this past winter & has outdone himself plenty of times since. Case in point: The Gorefather, Out with the Old & recently his 3rd EP Bad Uncle fully produced by Chapter 17/Psychopathic Records in-house producer Devereaux. I also found myself enjoying the previously mentioned Dyin’ World Chroniclez trilogy of course too & paying off some IOUz almost 9 months since Anti-Human.

The title track by S.O.S. starts with this grisly trap intro paying up & making a deal with the devil whereas “Not Us” apocalyptically talks about representing the outcasts of the outcasts. “On My Behalf” brings back the trap vibes showcasing his bilingualism rippin’ the mic in both English & Russian respectively during his verse prior to “What I Want” featuring Rysk suggests you’d already be dead if they wanted you gone.

“Snuff Lab” offers a heinous trap flare instrumentally morbidly breaking down his murderous tendencies & saying that Jesus hung up on y’all while the ghostly boom bap joint “Tell Me” featuring Our Inner Circle asking if there’s something you haven’t told them yet. “Skeet Skirt” keeps it in the basement slaughtering anyone trippin’ leading into the sample-driven trap cut “Neva Good Enough” featuring Chloe Killz talking about that very feeling.

As for “When That Bill Due”, we have Scum on top of these ominous synthesizers to talk about revenge never being too late just before “Free 2 Rot” featuring Mista Doesha clarifying that they’ll probably never live up to the expectations of others. “Blown Off Heads” cloudily discusses headless corpses literally being unable to speak with police, but then “Whatever Awaits” featuring Madopelli & Mikahl Lawless returns to the boom bap heading towards what’s on the other side.

“Necessary Evil” gets the encore of IOUz going on a villainous trap note reassuring the fact of every story needing a villain while “Reburn” by M.M.M.F.D. energetically talks about pyromania. “Giving Up” ties up the Gorefather’s first body of work in 9 months feeling as if there are heavy chains attached to his legs getting ready to go for a swim off the edge a cliff & the chances of surviving being very slim.

Apologizing for being less professional & on point from time to time than everyone else deserves, the LSP founder has a reached a point where his life-long tab is due for a payment & IOUz is the best way he knows how to do it. All profits from the limited run of persobalised & signed physical copies will be donated to a non-kill animal shelter owing them too since as an animal lover & not doing as much as he should to help.

Score: 4/5

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Logic – “Aquarius III” review

Maryland rapper, singer/songwriter, producer, author & Twitch streamer Logic preluding Phonkadelic with a new EP. Emerging just over a decade ago off the strength of the first 3 installments of the Young Sinatra mixtape series. His potential would continually be shown on his first 2 albums Under Pressure & The Incredible True Story. However, it’s no secret that the quality of his music took a nosedive from Bobby Tarantino to Supermarket or the unlikeable bitterness of Confessions of a Dangerous Mind. No Pressure however was a mature sequel to his full-length debut & I also thought the Doc D concept mixtape Planetory Destruction was decent too, but Bobby Tarantino III was pretty underwhelming. His final offering for Def Jam Recordings that dropped couple summers ago Vinyl Days happened to be his most artistically definitive yet. College Park & Ultra 85 was his strongest since Vinyl Days, but is compiling leftovers from that recent LP onto Aquarius III.

“This is the Way” samples ”Sittin’ Sidewayz” by Paul Wall thanks to Bobby Boy Records in-house producer 6 talking about rappin’ until he’s dead & gone whereas the self-produced “French Dispatch” takes a groovier route instrumentally explaining that music, family & movies are his 3 favorite things. “Not a Game” playfully suggests a change in the rap game while “Universe” nocturnally talks getting paper courtesy of Soundtrakk & the weight off his shoulders. “A Message From My Younger Self” rounds out the EP with a spoken word piece that was recorded in the summer of 2011.

Phonkadelic is said to be a huge stylistic departure for Logic since Juicy J will be executive producing it & the overall sound will be influenced by the phonk subgenre of trap artists like the $uicideboy$ & more recently Ouija Macc have become known for, so for Bobby to drop off an EP’s worth of Ultra 85 outtakes will do fine until then. The production continues to be more interesting now that he’s been off a major label for a few years at this point & the themes of these tracks would’ve fit in with the rest of his previous album without any objection.

Score: 3.5/5

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Napoleon da Legend – “Great Minds” review

This is the 29th studio LP from French-American emcee Napoleon da Legend. Heads in the underground should already be familiar with him due to the lengthy discography that he’s built up for himself for nearly the past decade including Coup D’État, it’s sequel, Street Universe, Dragon Ball G, the Sicknature-produced Colossus of GOATS, Buckets or the DJ D-Styles-produced Invincibl Rap Mislz & the DJ Rhettmatic-produced Legmatic. 8 months later, he & JR Swiftz are coming together on Great Minds.

“Death Star Lazer Beam” kicks things off with this airy boom bap intro talking about not wasting time & making money with his whereas “Raining Sledgehammers” aggressively sends a message to everyone who thought it was over for him. “Destroy Your Ego” sets out to dismantle the egos of everyone who ain’t willing to go the distance just before “Pride” maintains a dusty edge feeling like failure coming up similarly to the reaper.

Moving on from there, “K.O.B. (Knock Out Blow)” keeps it in the basement referencing WWE Hall of Famer Mike Tyson while “My Truth” featuring REKS finds the 2 linking up to apply lyrical pressure. “Sniperific” featuring Nejma Nefertiti rawly demands respect & $1M each while “Righteous” featuring Awon gets together to talk about their grind being unbelievable. “Sistine Gravel” concludes Great Minds on a piano-driven note cautioning no one wants smoke with him.

Napoleon usually comes out with more than 1 project a year in contrast to Legmatic being his only 2024 offering but either way: Great Minds continues to maintain the high level of quality that its predecessor achieved. JR Swiftz’ boom bap production carries the Griselda sound over strongly & Napoleon himself taking 8 months off to focus on making this another standout in his vast discography feels evident.

Score: 4.5/5

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Gloom Unit – “Come Heavy II: Mo Heavy” review

This is the 2nd EP from west coast horrorcore duo the Gloom Unit consisting of Acetone Boogie & Frankie Goldie. One of whom comes straight out of Tucson, Arizona & the other representing Sin City Las Vegas, Nevada respectively as part of the Swamp Society collective. Acetone’s been putting it down for the underground for over a decade at this point putting out a total of 3 solo LPs as of me writing this review & Frankie has been establishing himself artistically by doing a couple features & even releasing 2 solo singles. Come Heavy last New Year’s Day produced by Devereaux was a phat introduction to the unit & are returning 12 months later unloading Mo Heavy.

After the “Mo Heavy” intro, the first song “Money Makin’” is a dark-synth trap opener telling everyone to move out the way so they can get to the bread whereas “Honey Berry” takes a tropical trap vibe to the beat getting on their Gloom type shit. “D.M.M.D.I. (Devil Made Me Do It)” heads for a cloudier direction asking for people to check their shit in since they need it leading into “Denzel” calling for the roof to burn.

“No Sleep” continues the other half of Come Heavy II: Mo Heavy by Frankie Goldie atmospherically gettin’ on his count-up shit while “Raindance” manically declares that the Unit be running every piece of the underground at this point. “This is How It Endz” wraps up the duo’s 2nd EP with an Acetone Boogie solo cut that he dropped last spring by working in some sampling walking alone under the moonlight.

Over a whole year since Come Heavy marked their introduction to the the world, the Gloom Unit are back with another EP carrying over every single thing that made it’s predecessor a fun New Year’s listen as Devereaux expands on their dark trap sound in favor of drawing inspiration from cloud rap to the Memphis scene & both MCs leveling up their chemistry after a whole 54 weeks.

Score: 4.5/5

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Mac Miller – “Balloonerism” review

2nd posthumous outing & 7th full-length studio LP overall from Pittsburgh’s very own Mac Miller. The man exploded onto the scene in the 2010s with a handful of projects including K.I.D.S. (Kickin’ Incredibly Dope Shit), Macadelic, Watching Movies with the Sound Off, Faces & GO:OD AM. The final album of his lifetime Swimming was inspired by his breakup with Ariana Grande & he tragically passed away only a month later. A sequel to Swimming produced by Jon Brion called Circles stands as one of the best posthumous offerings in recent memory & Balloonerism is looking to do the same.

After the “Tambourine Dream” intro, the first song “DJ’s Chord Organ” by SZA starts off by singing over the late Daniel Johnston’s chord organ about running around & the ruthlessness of cocaine whereas “Do You Have a Destination?” cloudily asks where you’re going. “$5 Pony Rides” produced with Thundercat crosses over neo-soul, jazz rap, contemporary R&B, pop soul & funk reflecting on a complex, emotionally distant relationship while “Friendly Hallucinations” takes the mellow boom bap route talking about paradise waiting on the other side of the dock.

“Mrs. Deborah Downer” continues the atmospherically dusty vibes instrumentally admitting that everything feels slow to him leading into “Stoned” keeping the kicks & snares in tact to talk about wanting to get high with his romantic interest. “Shangri-La” wants to know exactly how super a supermodel really is on top of this lo-fi boom bap beat, but then “Funny Papers” takes the negatives & positives of what somebody might read in a newspaper while reflecting similarly on his own emotions

As for “Excelsior”, we have Mac hooking up more kicks & snares with a piano thrown in asking when did life become so serious while “Transformations” marks the return of the Delusional Thomas alter ego. “Manakins” talks about there being no such thing as freedom returning to the boom bap prior to “Rick’s Piano” pondering what death’s like playing Rick Rubin’s piano, but then “Tomorrow Will Never Know” ends Balloonerism asking if the dead have dreams like the rest of us.

Over a decade later & recorded around the same time as Faces, the 2nd posthumous offering in Mac’s discography shares a lot of the same key characteristics that made Faces his most acclaimed mixtape. His production builds around the sounds of jazz rap, east coast hip hop, neo-soul, cloud rap, neo-psychedelia & experimental hip hop showcasing both the breadth of his musical talents & fearlessness as an artist.

Score: 4.5/5

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1 Man Kru – “Overthrowing the Underground” review

Alabama emcee, producer, professional wrestler, martial artist, boxer, actor, graphic designer, video editor, content creator & audio engineer 1 Man Kru ringing in 2025 by releasing his 3rd full-length studio LP. A founding member of the Keepaz of the Krypt, he would even put out a couple solo albums & an EP of his own until becoming an in-house producer for the Insane Clown Posse’s label that runs beneath the streets Psychopathic Records for the early part of this decade after meeting them the Legends & Icons show Juggalo Championship Wrestling (JCW) produced. However, he fell out with the clowns due to $20K in unpaid royalties after production during the original Yum Yum Bedlam sessions landed on the Krypt Keepaz’ comeback effort The Astronomic Dr. Khronik almost 2 years ago. 21 months later, he’s Overthrowing the Underground.

After the “Burial” intro, the first song “Fuck You Motherfucker” is this an eerie trap opener with an unnecessary line referencing Violent J’s daughter being a furry & the title track featuring Project Pat after the “Robbery” skit maintains a trap vibe seeking to be the next kings of the underground with 1 Man Kru taking shots at J in his verses again while “Respect on My Name” by the Keepaz of the Krypt featuring MC Eiht finds the trio putting their detractors to shame.

“The Business” featuring Juicy J finds the pair linking up for a Memphis club banger wanting skinny model bitches leading into the 3rd single “Street College” featuring The Game giving the listeners some old head knowledge & Game reusing his verse from “Underworld Degen” by G. Twilight, although it sounds better here. “In the Building” featuring Kurupt mixes trap & g-funk together boasting their gangsta ties & after the “Awakening” interlude, the lead single “Off with Their Heads” featuring Krayzie Bone & Twista aggressively calls for their detractors to be decapitated & 1 Man Kru dissing Violent J in his verse again.

WWE Hall of Famer Snoop Dogg appears on the dark 2nd single “Hard Times” talking about that being the very reason that they hustle & take what’s theirs while “Fancy Bitch” by the Keepaz of the Krypt featuring Too $hort after the “Interrogation” skit gets back on the party tip explaining their preferences in women. “No Future in Your Fronting” by the Keepaz of the Krypt featuring Gucci Mane & LB~Sickning is another trap cut staying busy hustling while “Afterlife” by the Keepaz of the Krypt featuring Xzibit mixes organs & hi-hats feeling like it’s too late for them to reach heaven.

“Dear God” has one of the most awkward flows throughout Overthrowing the Underground despite the beat dabbling with drill music & bringing a Holy atmosphere to the table with it asking for the Higher Power to save him from these drugs that he’s been on while the closer “Suck My Dick” featuring Bizarre, Kuniva & Swifty McVay of D12 sends off the LP with all 4 of them delivering a dedication to the shooters & killers.

This guy’s production on the “Bewitching” intro off the Yum Yum’s Lure EP few years ago is still one of the very few moments on there that I still enjoy even years after he fell out with Psychopathic as someone who respects the clowns & juggalos. Compared to both its predecessors on the other hand, I don’t think Overthrowing the Underground is as great as Legend of the Earth. I don’t mind the prominent trap sound whatsoever since my issues more so lies with some of the guests’ verses being recycled from previously released material as opposed to being newly recorded except a few of them actually sounding better & even 1 Man Kru himself occasionally faltering in a couple of his performances conceptually built around his beef with the clowns.

Score: 2.5/5

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Jae Skeese – “40 Hours” review

Buffalo, New York emcee Jae Skeese is back for the 4th EP in his discography. Starting in 2010 off his debut mixtape W.A.C.K. (Women, Alcohol, Cash & Kicks), it wasn’t until a decade later where he & 7xvethegenius gained wide exposure as the first signees to Conway the Machine’s very own Drumwork Music Group. The Big Ghost Ltd.-produced 3rd EP Authenticity Check & the sophomore effort Abolished Uncertainties both elevated Skeese’s popularity in the last couple years. Coming off the Superior-produced Testament of the Times & elevating from Ground Level though, he’s starting 2025 right by putting 40 Hours in.

“Balance Inquiry” is this jazzy boom bap intro wanting to know what the holdup exactly is whereas “Rotary Phone” talking about the real ones always breaching through the walls at the end of the day. “Buffganistan” featuring Glueski dabbles with trap trading back-&-forth refusing to go broke while “FedEx” works the kicks & snares back up to talk about piecing it all together.

The song “Strike!” featuring K Pi$tol & Lil Jonezy reaches the backend of 40 Hours vibrantly boasting that this shit be larger than life itself leading into “Way Up” featuring Scoop Dolla fusing soul & jazz rap 1 time for ya mind. “Round & Round” concludes the EP hopping over a sample to read between the lines talking about finding once you set out to seek. The first bonus track “Toast Up” links with Ill Tone warming up for something greater & “Banditland” featuring Chasè Scanz ends the deluxe with a triumphant ode to Buffalo.

Looking to put on a handful of local artists & a couple producers, Skeese delivers vibes & bars for the Drumwork fanbase although I personally find myself gravitating towards the Ground Level mixtape that he delivered last summer. The production a lot like that previous body of work balances boom bap & trap except its predecessor contains stronger feature performances.

Score: 3/5

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Tha God Fahim – “Dump Gawd: Hyperbolic Time Chamber Rap 4” review

Remember when I said Tha God Fahim & one of the best producers of this decade Nicholas Craven wrapped up the Hyperbolic Time Chamber Rap trilogy couple weeks ago? They’re picking up where they felt off on Fahim’s 50th EP. Starting as an affiliate of Griselda Records as well as being 1/3 of the Dump Gawds alongside Mach-Hommy & Your Old Droog, we also can’t ignore the massive discography that he’s managed to build for himself, some of the standouts include Breaking Through tha Van Allen Belts & Dump Assassins. That said: He’s been on a CRAZY ass run in 2023 with the standouts being the Camoflauge Monk-produced Dark Shogunn Assassin, the Nature Sounds-backed Iron Bull & the Nicholas Craven-produced Dump Gawd: Shot Clock King series, the Oh No-produced Berserko, Dump Gawd: Rhyme Pays produced by Mike Shabb, Tha Supreme Hoarder of All Pristine Wealth. Supreme Dump Legend: Soul Cook Saga produced by Cookin’ Soul & Machine Gun Vocabulary produced by Cartune Beatz. Continuing the Dump Gawd: Hyperbolic Time Chamber Rap saga that later had a 2nd & 3rd installment of their own however, Dump Gawd: Hyperbolic Time Chamber Rap 4 is now upon us.

“GFY” is this sample-driven opener flexing that he fathered some of these styles in the underground with a resume that very much checks out whereas the soulful “Got Game” reminding everyone that it’s about what you bring to the table. “I Don’t Care” hooks up some strings so he can call himself the final boss of rap & the classy “Muscle Mass” talks about seeing people do a whole switch.

The song “Plot Armor” gets the other half of the EP going for a soulful boom bap route instrumentally referring to himself as a metric ton being compared to grams while “Questions & Answers” keeps the kicks & snares in tact to talk about his colossal posture sampling soul music once more. “Righteous Skills” wraps up Dump Gawd: Hyperbolic Time Chamber Rap 4 with a jazzier sound flexing that he’s turned negatives to positive many times in his career.

Many people regard the original Hyperbolic Time Chamber Rap trilogy to be mid, but he’s continuing the saga by ending 2024 strong & coming in 2025 even stronger since it’s general sound is more very compared to its predecessors. Nicholas Craven’s sample-heavy production draws inspiration from boom bap to drumless, chipmunk soul & jazz rap dumpin’ lyrical heat for 17 minutes.

Score: 4.5/5

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