André 3000 – “New Blue Sun” review

It’s still surreal to me that I’m actually fucking saying this but this is the official solo debut album from Atlanta, Georgia emcee, singer/songwriter, producer, actor & visionary André 3000. Coming up as 1/2 of the greatest hip hop duo of all-time OutKast with Big Boiwhom he met at Lenox Square Mall when they were both 16, they were also a part of the Dungeon Family collective & released some of my favorite music EVER! This includes ATLiens, Aquemeni, Stankonia & Speakerboxxx / The Love Below. The 2nd disc of which was basically the closest thing we got to a solo album from 3 Stacks up to this point. However after what would eventually be their final album Idlewild serving as a soundtrack to the movie of the same name they would focus on their solo careers. Francis the Savannah Chitlin’ Pimp mostly notably putting out 3 full-length LPs of his own as well as an eponymous EP as Big Grams & an eponymous debut album as Big Sleepover too. André 3000 however stuck to doing features & pursuing an acting career most recently in the A24 Films comedy drama Showing Up, putting out an avant-garde jazz EP on Mother’s Day 2018 called Look Ma No Hands. So considering that, I’m not too surprised by New Blue Sun expanding on jazz music in a flute-heavy fashion because I like to consider Dré as the Prince of hip hop in the sense that he can do just about anything musically.

“I Swear I Really Wanted to Make a Rap Album, But This Is Literally The Way The Wind Blew Me This Time” is a peaceful 12 & a half minute opener to the LP that I can imagine hearing after waking up on a beautiful morning whereas “The Slang Word Pussy Rolls Off the Tongue with Far Better Ease Than the Proper Word Vagina. Do You Agree?” takes the atmospheric route instrumentally & I absolutely agree with the question. “That Night In Hawaii When I Turned Into a Panther & Started Making These Low Register Purring Tones That I Couldn’t Control…” makes me feel like I’m walking through a jungle for 10 & a half minutes in the best way possible, but then “BuyPoloDisorder’s Daughter Wears a 3000® Button Down Embroidered” sounds like he made this 13-minute piece in the midst of watching The Mandalorian or something.

To start the 2nd half of the album, “93 ‘Til Infinity & Beyoncé” is the shortest cut on the entire LP yet still absolutely euphoric from start to finish just before “Ghandi, Dalai Lama, Your Lord & Savior J.C. / Bundy, Jeffrey Dahmer & John Wayne Gacy” keeps the peaceful vibes in tact. The penultimate “Ants to You, Gods to Who?” goes for a futuristic approach sonically & “Dreams Once Buried Beneath the Dungeon Floor Slowly Sprout Into Undying Gardens” is a magical 17 minute closer.

Like I said on Twitter at the beginning of the week: I’m not even mad at 3 Stacks for doing an ambient, new age spiritual jazz album because he’s just one of those guys who can do just about anything & it makes me very happy that this day has come as a long time OutKast fan because this is way better than Look Ma No Hands over 5 years ago. His production also showcases elements of progressive electronic, tribal ambient, Andean new age & Native American new age in the most soothing ways you can imagine.

Score: 4.5/5

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Nvy Jonez LKR & Chop the Father – “Undertaker vs. Kane” review

This is the brand new collaborative EP between Brooklyn emcees Nvy Jonez LKR & Chop the Father. Both of whom have made names for themselves within the underground for quite some time at this point, most notably Nvy whether it be the Chicken Spot collab EP series or his own solo output such as A.L.T.D. (Angels Loyal to Demons). However, they are joining forces & likening this occurrence to that of the best match at WrestleMania XIV in my opinion: Undertaker vs. Kane.

After the “WrestleMania XIV” intro, the title track is a rugged boom bap opener chockfull of cutthroat, gangsta, lyricism whereas “Modelo & Popeyes” works in a dreamy loop as well as kicks & snares talking about respecting you more if we make money together. “Fuego” featuring Xicano Vega takes a more suspenseful route instrumentally dedicated to everyone over 30 that’s still rocking one of my all-time favorite streetwear brands A Bathing Ape.

“Choke Slam” featuring Kesoh admitting they have bad tempers with no patience & a morbid atmosphere to the beat while Best Shot” featuring DFD Baby Lee gives off a twangier boom bap vibe talking about their caliber being able to make your head explode. “Trouble” featuring D-Rell ends the EP on a climactic note saying no one can take them down.

If you wanna hear 2 heavy-hitting MCs coming together to bring you the cage match of the century, then you’re gonna wanna give Undertaker vs. Kane a shot. Both of them match each other’s intensity the way they ping off one another, the production is predominantly rooted in the traditional boom bap sound & the features all add their own unique flavor to the experience.

Score: 4/5

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Stanwill – “Unstoppable” review

Detroit, Michigan rapper Stanwill ending his 2023 with his 5th EP. Coming up as 1/3 of the ShittyBoyz with Babytron & TR Dee signing to Lando Bando’s own The Hip Hop Lab Records, he eventually branched out on his own during the COVID-19 pandemic off the debut EP $camwill as well as it’s successor Gifted & the debut mixtape Van Gundy. He also went Full Auto for his 3rd WP & coming off debut album Big $hitter followed by his last EP Big $hitter: Lost Files & of course the sophomore effort Still $hittin’, he’s feeling Unstoppable.

“Potty Trained” begins with a Detroit trap instrumental talking about the Dog $hit Militia pretending to not know the score whenever they be catching Ws whereas “Super Mario” references former 11-time WWE Tag Team Champions, 2-time TNA World Tag Team Champions, ROH World Tag Team Champions, HOG World Tag Team Champions & ΩCW Tag Team Champions The Hardy Boyz.

Moving on from there, “Ball or Fall” talks about people only being there for you when you’re balling out & then turning their backs as soon as you start falling off while the self-produced “R&B” cautions that he’ll make the chopper sing soon as he catches an opp in his sights. “Hide & Seek” admits to checking his bank account when he gets depressed while “No Cap” makes reference to the Endeavor-owned TKO Group Holdings division WWE.

“Song 7” by the ShittyBoyz, Fordio, J1Hunnit, MJPaid, Prince Jefe & ScrumbleMan nears the conclusion of Unstoppable with a THHL posse cut produced by Danny G & Jakesand while “Impossible” finishes up the EP with Stan talking about the thought of him being stopped becoming an impossibility at this point getting back on track after having to hurdle over some obstacles.

Still $hittin’ was an admirably shortened sequel to Big $hitter in spite of others saying it wasn’t on par, but Unstoppable finishes up Stanwill’s year with an extended play that fans of Detroit trap will probably like as much if not more than the full-length we got from him several months earlier. His labelmates all make stronger guest appearances than Still $hittin’ & the production is what you’d expect out of this style of music.

Score: 3.5/5

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Meek Mill & Rick Ross – “Too Good to Be True” review

This is a brand new collaborative full-length LP between Miami Gardens, Florida rapper & Maybach Music Group founder Rick Ross as well as his biggest signing in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania’s very own Meek Mill. Both of whom have been working each other for over a decade at this point including songs like “Ima Boss”or “2Pac Back” & “Believe It”. It’s been quite a while since we’ve heard these guys crossing paths but to celebrate the 1-year anniversary of them reuniting, they’re giving back by teaming up & it’s Too Good to Be True.

“Shaq & Kobe” featuring Damian Lillard & Shaquille O’Neal is a decent hardcore hip hop/pop rap opener to the album referencing current AEW manager, WWE Hall of Famer & former SMW Heavyweight Champion Jake “The Snake” Roberts whereas “Star Island” works in some synths & hi-hats from ATL Jacob talking about having a palace at the titular location. “Go to Hell” goes for a luxurious sound courtesy of Cool & Dre reminding that the real recognize real leading into the bombastic “800 Karats” discussing that they’re the biggest bosses.

Fabolous comes into the picture for the vulnerable “Dead Last” produced by TM88 & a hook from Vory admitting that they feel a certain way towards those who be talking behind their backs, but then the instrumental on “They Don’t Really Love You” is a bit disappointing despite the subject matter addressing fake love. “$1M Trap” has this eerie atmosphere in the background mixed with some hi-hats of course throwing a party in the penthouse just before the exuberant “Grandiose” produced by Murda Beatz flexes with 2 bad bitches in the club tryna go up.

DJ Khaled heavily samples “Tha Shiznit” throughout “Above the Law” the point where it just gets annoying on impact even though I accommodate theme of the untouchables being unable to be touched while “Fine Lines” featuring Wale talks about how our lies scar so deep to the point where we can’t uncross things & the beat here is just ok, but I’d still take it over what Khaled did on that last track. “Gold Medals” encourages not to let anyone try to tell you what your place is over a groovy instrumental from Hitmaka & BongoByTheWay while the soulful trap hybrid “Iconic” advises to Never look at pussy from a bitches point of view.

“Lyrical Eazy” hooks up some keys & hi-hats bringing hardcore bars for only a minute & a half while “Pillow Talk” reps the gang over a revitalizing beat from both Tay Keith & Cubeatz. “Millionaire Row” feathering French Montana set out for more money over a born-laced trap instrumental boasting they were poppin’ Teslas before meeting it’s CEO Elon Musk & to end the album, “In Luv with the Money” is this enjoyable Ross solo cut with Southside behind the boards dedicated to the bread.

I’ll admit I wasn’t too sure about how I was gonna feel about this album since the singles were mostly average & that I wasn’t a fan of Meek’s previous album Expensive Pain all that much from a couple years ago. Surely enough, Too Good to Be True is one of the better mainstream collaborative efforts I’ve heard in a while & a decent debut under gamma.’s new distribution deal with MMG. Although the production can be spotty at times, the chemistry’s there & the features are tight.

Score: 3/5

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The Kid Laroi – “The First Time” review

The Kid Laroi is a 20 year old rapper & singer/songwriter from Waterloo, New South Wales, Australia who emerged as a protege of the late Juice WRLD. Subsequently, he signed to Grade A Productions & Interscope Records. He eventually introduced himself to a wider audience on his debut mixtape Fuck Love receiving mixed-to-negative reviews & even going on to release not 1 but 2 deluxe EPs off it for whatever reason over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic. But for his debut full-length LP over here, Laroi has since jumped ship to Columbia Records interestingly enough.

“Sorry” is this airy opener produced by FNZ & BoogzDaBeast apologizing for getting stuck while high whereas “Bleed” dabbles with alt-pop & indie pop this time around tackily asking how others’ hearts mend so easily when his is still bleeding. “I Thought That I Needed You” has one of the better instrumentals throughout the LP thanks to both BNYX & F1LTHY of Working on Dying singing about a love that was lost nearly a year ago, but then “Where Do You Sleep?” mixes some synthesizers & even a soul sample with co-production from Dez Wright asking a nameless ex partner where she be staying these days.

Central C & Jung Kook both join Laroi for the contemporary R&B/pop rap hybrid “Too Much” that Emile helped cook up asking if those they’re no longer seeing would wanna kick it with them again leading into “Tear Me Apart” melodramatically apologizing for hurting this woman over some acoustics from John Cunningham. Clams Casino brings a psychedelic vibe to “Nights Like This” after the “Strangers” interlude even though I don’t care for the lyrics about him needing the love of his life with him just before “What’s the Move” featuring BabyDrill & Future brings the trio together over a soulful trap beat telling the significant others to marry them.

After another “Strangers” interlude, “Call Me Instead” featuring YoungBoy Never Broke Again goes into a piano-driven direction addressing lovers whose heart they no longer have full grasp on while “Deserve You” brings more soul samples & hi-hats together singing that this chick doesn’t deserve him whatsoever. “What Went Wrong???” gives off a more hard hitting instrumental reminiscing on a previous relationship that came to an end while “The Line” featuring future teenage murderer d4vd turns into stripped back territory as the duo take a trip down memory lane tackling the themes of past relationships.

“What Just Happened?” switches gears in flavor for an alt/pop-rock cut admitting he doesn’t know if they just crossed the line ‘cause he don’t even know what just happened while “You” is peppier joint with keys, kicks & snares talking about how they weren’t workin’ out ‘til we ended up workin’ out. “Love Again” tediously paints the image of a toxic-love hate relationship although I appreciate the folk pop instrumental while “Where Does Your Spirit Go?” is this average adult contemporary singer/songwriter jam dedicated to his late mentor.

After the “You Never Forget Your First Time…” interlude, the closer “Kids Are Growing Up”actually ends Kid Laroi’s debut album on a profoundly mature note opening up to the world on top of displaying his personal growth & vulnerability over an aquatic beat. He does this by namely addressing the loss of his uncle Wayne, dropping out of school in 9th grade & expresses gratitude to his mother for her resilience during difficult times.

“Baby I’m Back” produced by Rogét Chahayed starts the deluxe run sampling “Baby Come Back” by Player reflecting on the past year whereas “Stick with Me” further butchers “Set Adrift on Memory Bliss” by P.M. Dawn expressing his grievances over an imbalanced relationship. The synth-heavy “Pick Sides” expresses jealousy over his ex-girlfriend’s new boyfriend & questions if she still thinks about their time together while the sequel to “Nights Like This” starts out as much as the predecessor.

Lil Yachty joins Kid Laroi for the pop rap/trap cut “Hatred” opening up about their love lives while “Girls” was a cool pop rap, hip hop soul, hyphy & contemporary R&B single exploring themes of freedom & fun in relationships. “1,000 Miles” acoustically sings about his journey through recent relationships, sharing troubles he has with them & the final bonus track “Heaven” was an underwhelming finish to the deluxe mutating pop & singer/songwriter with adult contemporary & soft rock reminiscing on a journey of change.

14 with a Dream, Fuck Love & even both of the deluxe EPs that followed suit have all done very little to win me over on Kid Laroi’s music up to this point. The First Time however is a slight improvement over those previous bodies of work. Although it’s quite possibly the most well-produced I’ve heard him sound fusing alt-pop as well as folk pop & chipmunk soul into his pop rap stylings, the features are ok & I still find Laroi to be an underwhelming performer.

Score: 2/5

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Larry June – “The Night Shift” review

The 10th full-length LP from Vallejo, California emcee Larry June. Steadily grinding his ass off since dropping out of high school by dropping his last 9 studio efforts as well as 14 EPs & 7 mixtapes with the highlights of his ever-growing discography including the Lex Luger-produced Trap Larry, the Cardo-produced Cruise USA & it’s sequel Into the Late Night, the Harry Fraud-produced Keep Going & more recently the mobb music-influenced Jay Worthycollab effort 2 P’z in a Pod & more recently The Alchemist-produced The Great Escape this past spring. So when it was announced that Cardo was producing The Night Shift, I went into it knowing this was gonna be on the same level as The Great Escape.

“Clocked In” is an incredibly smooth opener to the album with the bass hitting hard & pockets on full whereas “Chops on the Blade” slickly talks about trappin’ like a motherfucker. “Ocean Cuisine” featuring 2 Chainz lavishly finds the 2 looking to make it last today just before “Love of Money” embraces a jazzier, soulful trap sound paying homage to the Bone Thugs-n-Harmony single “Foe tha Love of $” from the sample to the subject matter also.

Meanwhile, “Sweet Lady” is more of a slow jam describing a different kind of love for Larry leading into the synth-heavy “Pop Out” featuring ScHoolboy Q sees both of them coming together to drop braggadocio. “The Great Escape” featuring The Alchemist brings Larry with the man who produced his best album on the mic so they boast about being the ones over a pillowy beat, but then “Glasshouse Knockin’” draws inspiration from mobb music instrumentally talking that traphouse shit once again.

“Without You” featuring Blxst was a decent choice of a single & I can see why since it’s leaning more towards the pop rap style as they tell their significant others that they’re the ones while “GRGP” featuring Peezy & Too $hort brings the trio together for a breezy anthem getting on their pimp shit. “Stickin’ & Movin’” has a bit of a funkier flare musically admitting that it’s feeling like 2019 all over again for him while Jordan Ward’s hook on the delicately produced “Won’t Wait” has to be one of my favorites throughout the LP as Larry talks about being good on his own.

To start the final leg of the album, “Let Me Know” gives off a cloudier vibe acknowledging shit’s changed yet she ain’t ever met any other guy like him while “Made a Way” featuring Payroll Giovanni brings back the synths so they can talk about being as fly as they are. The song “Road Runnin’” gives me a futuristic feeling to the instrumental looking to get the money while “Big Fish” featuring Alemán atmospherically talks about putting rap first over the game these days. “The Good Kind” is a wavy closer getting in bag mode.

These guys have never missed in the 4-5 years of teaming up with one another & The Night Shift lived up to the expectations I had going into it continuing to churn out some of his best material to date. Cardo’s production is more rooted in mobb music & g-funk as opposed to the jazzier, drumless loops Uncle Al whipped up on that previous LP matched with equally solid performances from The Freeminded leader & nearly all the guest MCs/singers. Great job once again, Larry!

Score: 4.5/5

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Lo Key – “Portraits of Horror” review

Philadelphia horrorcore emcee Lo Key unleashing his 15th EP. You may know him for his involvement in a handful of groups within the underground like Mission: Infect or more recently Cabal & Neon Sermon or even his own solo discography of LPs that he calls the 12 Oracles. So far the only 4 we’ve gotten from him are Shadowland, The Book of Time, The Blood of Izu, The Eyes of Parasuva. But to help him paint Portraits of Horror, we have Lo Key enlisting former Strange Music in-house producer MIKE SUMMERS a.k.a. 7 to produce the whole thing.

After the intro, the first song “The Box” opens the EP with some pianos & hi-hats with heavy guitars during the hook proclaiming that you could never kill him whereas “Burn the Witch” takes the eerie trap route looking to do exactly that as it is a necessity for him. “You’re My Everything” morbidly answers if he’s ever had to deal with stalkers just before “Parasitic” frighteningly admits he gave it his best & it wasn’t enough. “Remote Control” wraps everything up with a ghoulish trap beat looking to lead everyone to Shadowland.

25 years in the game & here we have Lo Key returning to form by taking it back to his horrorcore roots in comparison to his last few solo efforts going for different sounds. 7’s production is incredibly consistent & not only can the Mission: Infect leader still spit the wicked shit raw all these years later, but he shows his versatility as a vocal performer along the way too. Most notably during the hooks.

Score: 4.5/5

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Aesop Rock – “Integrated Tech Solutions” review

New York emcee/producer Aesop Rock returning for his 10th full-length LP. Universally revered for his massive vocabulary, the man has put out a handful of underground hip hop essentials throughout the decades whether it be his solo catalogue or his membership of groups like Hail Mary Mallon or Malibu Ken. As far as his solo stuff: I recommend his sophomore effort & Definitive Jux Records debut Labor Day alongside The Impossible Kid, which was his 2nd album with Rhymesayers Entertainment whom Aesop had made himself home with for over a decade at this point. But coming off the Blockhead-produced Garbology couple years ago, Aesop’s now offering Integrated Tech Solutions.

After the “ITS Way” intro, the first song & lead single “Mindful Solutionism” is a self-produced industrial nerdcore opener with elements of glitch hop & some humorously abstract consciousness on the lyrical side of things whereas “Infinity Fill Goose Down”musically feels like a bit of a throwback to his early Def Jux days from the experimental noise rap production to the lyrics about always being into something. “Living Curfew” featuring billy woods finds the 2 discussing crystals being in the handle of their hands up to the ember over a fucking crazy sample leading into a brief lesson about “Pigeonometry” with some rap rock undertones to the beat.

“Kyanite Toothpick” blends industrial hip hop with boom bap & trap to declare that he’s on that Mobius shit just before “100 Feet Tall” goes for a quirkier sound talking about not letting any fools or suckas in his circle. “Salt & Pepper Squid” displays an incredibly charismatic flow from Aesop Rock as he flexes how y’all exactly know when he’s made it, but then “Time Moves Differently Here” goes for a spacier feeling instrumentally so he can end the first leg of the album pretty much talking about gluttony.

To start the 2nd half of Integrated Tech Solutions, “Aggressive Steven” fuses rap rock with boom bap & even some soul samples telling the story of the titular character while “Bermuda” keeps it dusty bringing more kicks & snares into the picture talking about flowers being sent to him. “By the River” goes for a jazzier vibe expressing how much he likes rivers while “All City Nerve Map” looks to get out of his own nightmare by himself over a boom bap beat with a blobby loop.

Hail Mary Mallon reunites for the rap rock-infused “Forward Compatibility Engine” letting it be known that this is for the roof dogs only while the “On Failure” interlude mixes more guitar riffs with kicks & snares admitting that he was thinking of Vincent Van Gogh recently. More specifically the Landscape with Snow painting. Getting back to the music: “Solid Gold” goes for more of a hardcore approach acknowledging he’s always looking out while “Vititus” is a luxurious boom bap cut dedicated to his grandmother. “Black Snow” hypnotically ends the album boasting that he got stacks covered by the stove.

Aesop’s output on Rhymesayers throughout these past 7 years have been his most conceptual since Labor Days & he continues to move towards that trajectory on Integrated Tech Solutions because this is the best thing he’s done for the Minnesota indie powerhouse since The Impossible Kid. We are introduced to an organization offering “lifestyle & industry-specific applications designed to curate a desired multi-experience” with his production probably being the leanest & most innovative.

Score: 4.5/5

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Sonnyjim – “Ortolan & Armagnac” review

This is the 6th studio LP from Birmingham, West Midlands, England, United Kingdom emcee/producer Sonnyjim. Making his debut in the summer of 2011 with The Psychonaut, he would go on to drop 4 more albums as well as 14 EPs & a mixtape, most notably the No Vi$ible Means of Income duology produced by Giallo Point or the Buckwild-produced Coke Le Roc & the Illinformed-produced The Chemistry Must Be Respected. However, he’s signing to Blah Records & having its founder Lee Scott entirely producing Ortolan & Armagnac.

“Sakuraba” depicts himself as a former 10 pound drug dealer’s been trying to recover over a calmingly eerie beat whereas “Tommy Lee Scott” featuring Crimeapple finds the 2 kickin’ full-fledged facts together. “Lo Mein” featuring Heems & Your Old Droog strips the drums so all 3 of them can drop hardcore verses without the need of a hook leading into “Dude, Where’s My Car?” talking about building a house using his bare hands & fearing nobody.

Reaching the halfway point, we have Sonnyjim telling everyone to “Pay Attention” over a boom bap instrumental with some jazz influences leading into “Herb McGruff” featuring Beni Laylo & King Grubb bringing the trio together so they can talk about the mafioso lifestyle. “Barry McGuigan” goes off-the-top for 84 seconds over a piano-woven beat speaking of his specialization in enterprising while “Fetch My Mink” talks about doing what he wants whenever he pleases.

The title track featuring Lee Scott spends a couple minutes sharing the mic together dropping hardcore verses over a drumless loop explaining that you gotta defeat the man to become the man just before “Phonejacker” sends it all off with this psychedelically syrupy boom bap vibe instrumentally talking about people trying to call or text him for an entire week when his reasoning for not responding was because he shut his line off, eventually having to get a new number.

If you’re a fan of either of Sonnyjim’s previous output that I mentioned in the opening paragraph or the Camoflauge Monk-produced Money Green Leather Sofa & the Leaf Dog-produced How to Tame Lions to name a couple more extended plays from him that I like, you can add Ortolan & Armagnac to the same A/S tier rankings of the Birmingham artist’s discography. I wouldn’t put it above White Girl Wasted either, but an entire full-length with him over Lee Scott production wound up becoming as dope as I would’ve thought.

Score: 4/5

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P.H.D. – “P.H.D. (Poor, Hungry, Determined)” review

P.H.D. was a 41 year old MC from Detroit, Michigan who started as 1/2 of Da Bash Brotherz with local MC/producer Foul Mouth. They would put out a mixtape together in the spring of 2010 & Foul would go on to become one of the city’s most in-demand beatsmith as well as co-founding Middle Finger Music with Pat Deegan. P.H.D. however tragically passed away in the spring of 2020 a couple months after the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns began. But when it was announced a week ago that Foul would be joining Jimbo Slice & Pig Pen in producing his posthumous solo debut over here, I knew it was gonna be a genuine thing as opposed to how other posthumous albums get handled these days.

“The Check’s in the Mail” kicks things off with an angelic boom bap beat from Pig Pen & the late Motor City emcee tearing up adversaries from beyond the grave whereas “Time 2 Shine” takes the mellower route thanks to Jimbo Slice talking about how far he had come until his passing. “Beware” works in some organs, kicks & snares continuing to body rappers like it ain’t nothing just before the groovy boom bap infused title track explains the significance of P.H.D.’s moniker.

B-Side comes into the picture for the heartfelt “Gold” so both of them can stay determined leading into “Money, Money, Money” featuring his niece Vae Vanilla finds 2 discussing family affairs over an orchestral boom bap instrumental. “Zoo Gang” featuring Guaranteed pulls from jazz rap this time around doing it big, but then “Psychopath Talking” featuring Dagda & Spit the Supreme Being sees the trio getting aggressive over a darker beat.

“I’m OK” featuring Jake Knew hooks up a vocal sample assuring the ones they love that they’ll be home soon & they’re doing well while “4 MCs, 1 Fam” by Da Bash Brotherz featuring Aztek the Barfly & Joey Beeps gives off a hardcore flare talking about being family. The symphonic “Questions” featuring Drunken calls out someone who was plotting against him from the very start & after the interlude, “MASH Unit” featuring Lee Harvey shoots for a cloudier feeling promising to never entertain their foes again.

To start the final leg of the LP, “Gotta Move On” has to be one of the most introspective moments on the album seeking to stay strong in the end while the soulful “One of Them” vulnerably talking about how he never thought the love of his life would replace him with another man. The penultimate track “I Know” advises to never start a war you can’t finish like Viet Cong over a luxurious boom bap instrumental & “If You See Me, Pt. 2” closes out the posthumous effort with a sick Detroit posse cut.

Back Again was such a solid tape from the beginning of the previous decade & it’s unfortunate that P.H.D. passed away during a scary time even though some look back on it weirdly & understandably so. That being said: I was sure there had to be some music he made before his untimely death & this posthumous debut is a good look as to who he was. The production is remarkable & the features are tight, appropriately telling the story of the Poor, Hungry, Determined.

Score: 4/5

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