Moving Base O.T. is an east coast hip hop duo consisting of Fuego Base & O.T. the Real. The latter of whom has been making noise in the underground for the past several years now whether it be The Irishmanor Maxed Out & the other made his debut over a year ago signing to Black Soprano Family Records & becoming Hartford, Connecticut’s Biggest Since Camby. O.T. eventually signed to B$F, enlisting araabMUZIK to produce his debut for the label Zombie last fall. Fast forward 8 months later, he & Fuego are teaming up to put out their debut together.
After the “Real Sopranos” intro, the first song “Arithmetic” starts off the album jumping over a raw boom bap instrumental talking about every dummy wanting to be an earner as well as 2 rappers getting stuck 1 night & it wasn’t them whereas “Battle Scars” featuring Benny the Butcher finds the trio morbidly cautioning that those who think they’re safe are done in actuality. “Hometeam” keeps it boom bap talking about jumping bail & breaking the bond while everyone else was playing Pokémon, but then “Bodies” goes rap rock to catch 1 body after another.
“Overpass” featuring Rick Hyde tensely advises to let the junkies free since it’s already rampant out here leading into “Pirouette” featuring Allstar da Great grimily talking about a brick that’s all natural & a bitch breaking her neck after taking a sniff. “John Doe” featuring Sule brings the trio together over kicks & snares airing out dudes driving their girls’ cars like they own it themselves just before “BrownStone” aggressively tells the listener it’s either us or them & to pick a side. “Keith Sweat” ends the LP ruggedly detailing how strong the coke is.
These guys have always crossed paths with one another since obviously they’re both signed to the same label, so I wasn’t opposed to the idea of bringing both of them together throughout the duration of an entire album & hopefully Moving Base O.T.’s debut here is the first of more to come. The production is consistently centered around the traditional east coast boom bap sound, 75% of the features bring their own flavor to the table & each MC elevates one another lyrically.
BVNGS is a 32 year old MC from New York City who started out at the end of 2017 off her debut EP Not Available followed up by 7 Dutches & a Sweet Tea, Brown Girls & Bubble Coats, Lula & Only Crying Because I’m Drunk. She then caught the attention of amongst the underground’s most prolific artists in recent memory Flee Lord, who signed BVNGSY to Lord Mobb Music & put out her 6th EP Laquisha in the spring of 2021. Only 4 months later, I had the privilege of meeting her at a Catch 1 show in Los Angeles that Flee was headlining & was impressed by her set. BVNGS herself has since been building up anticipation for her upcoming full-length debut studio album by releasing 4 singles & after 3 years, the moment has arrived.
After the “Channel 7” intro, the first song “‘91 Varsity” is this psychedelic trap opener referring to herself as a boss & a shooter whereas “Jester” has an uncanny boom bap quality to the beat from EYEKETYSON getting in her hardcore bag lyrically. “Stick Up” strips the drums completely promising nobody out there wants to go to war with her & after the interlude, “Get Yo Chain” mellowly taunts those she stole their ice from to come take it back from her.
“Saw” takes the laidback route instrumentally calling out all the pussies in the game while the title tracks works the kicks & snares back into the picture knowing one’s life is a lie if they’re able to survive or not. “Nights Like This” featuring AC Gudda nears the conclusion of Mary Mack going drumless warning that you’re gonna need security around them & “God Saves” officially rounds out the LP keeping the drums out showing a personal side to her.
She has quickly become one of my favorites Lord Mobb signings after being introduced to her a few years ago, but everything from the 6 EPs that BVNGS has already established herself through to Flee signing her to his label & the singles we’ve gotten from her since have all lead to this very moment & you’re certainly gonna hear more from her hereon out. The production pulls from boom bap, trap & drumless & the Big Apple much like LaQuisha further reveals herself as a threat in the underground.
Detroit veteran Boldy James linking up with Conductor Williams for his 7th EP. Breaking out in the fall of 2013 off his Alchemist produced debut M.1.C.S. (My 1st Chemistry Set). He would later go on to land a contract with Nas’ independent label Mass Appeal Records for a little while before getting locked up but once Boldy came home, Uncle Al would help get his name back out there once getting out by dropping the Boldface EP around Christmas 2019 & then the sophomore album The Price of Tea in China. This was followed up with the Sterling Toles-produced Manger on McNichols which was as equally fantastic, but the Griselda Records-backed Versace Tape EP was a tad bit disappointing given how rushed it was. Bo Jackson though would become his most critically acclaimed work to date & Super Tecmo Bo was almost as great for an EP. Fair Exchange No Robbery produced by Nicholas Craven also became an essential until Penalty of Leadership surpassed it & Mr. 10-08 produced by Futurewave is up there too, so hearing that Conductor was producing Across the Tracks sounded as thrilling of an idea on paper.
“Terms & Services” starts off with a soulful boom bap beat talking about the first brick he ever touched being the worst one whereas “All Madden” featuring Bo Jack goes for a cloudier approach instrumentally referring to themselves as the real apex predators. “Flying Trapeze Act” brings back the soul samples flexing the way his youngin’ be catching bodies leading into “The Ol’ Switcharoo” unsettlingly talking about the all-nighters giving him vertigo.
Meanwhile on “Undisputed”, we have Conductor dabbling with more of a trap sound so Boldy can remind everyone he got the right mix just before “Lamp Shade” goes drumless talking about them coming to confiscate his onions sooner than later. “St. Juliana” soulfully moves on from there staying 2 commas in & 7 figures strong, but then “Permission” featuring Double D keeps the sampling going talking about needing the ok from them to make the hit.
“Offwhite Lumberjack” nears the conclusion of Across the Tracks on some lo-fi rap rock shit acknowledging that he’s been fucked up in the head ever since they took Tonya from him later referencing the late アイアンマンヘビーメタル級チャンピオン, TNA World Tag Team Champion, WCW World Television Champion, 2-time WWE United States Champion, 7-time WCW World Tag Team Champion, 4-time WWE Intercontinental Champion & 2-time WWE Hall of Famer Scott Hall prior to “Stamps in the Middle” wrapping up the EP jumping on top of victorious horns talking grey squares keeping the stamps dead in the middle of them & comparing the Cuban on his neck to that of a whole trophy made out of diamonds.
Boldy already dropped a top 10 album of 2024 in Penalty of Leadership right when it began & now he’s concluded the first half of the year by putting out an EP that’s as highly enjoyable. His lyricism is rawer than the previous LP’s personal themes & Conductor Williams’ spot as one of the most in-demand producers in hip hop today as well as the standout member of Griselda’s in-house production trio The Heartbreakers is reaffirmed demonstrating his range more.
Johnny Cash was a prolific singer/songwriter, musician & actor from Kingsland, Arkansas who rose to prominence as an icon in country music & for being one of the biggest badasses that has ever roamed God’s green Earth. He put out some of the genre’s most essential music including With His Hot Blue Guitar!, Orange Blossom Special, At Folsom Prison, Man in Black, all 3 albums from The Highwaymen & my personal favorite: the Rick Rubin-produced American Recordings hexalogy. Columbia Records unearthed Out Among the Stars during my junior high of year high school after keeping it in the vaults for 3 decades & now to commemorate the 30 year anniversary of American Recordings a couple months ago, Mercury Records is releasing his 4th posthumous album that he wrote all by himself 31 years ago before American even revitalized his career with new production from Johnny’s only son John Carter Cash.
“Hello Out There” is this magical opener with Johnny singing about planet earth calling whereas “Spotlight” fuses country with country pop & baroque pop encouraging to let him feel like losing her will be alright in the end accompanied by a sick guitar solo before the final verse. “Drive On” later saw the light of day on American Recordings the following year & has been a favorite of mine off that late career masterpiece, but then I Love You Tonight” has more of a laidback country tone to it admitting that it sure has been a party & they’ve been down that road previously.
Meanwhile on “Have You Ever Been to Little Rock?”, we have Johnny over acoustics asking listeners about the titular city in his home state of Arkansas leading into “Well Alright” surprisingly revealing itself back in April as one of the best country singles of the year telling the story of a woman that he met at a laundromat. “She Sang “Sweet Baby James”” goes for a stripped back approach singing about a woman who had a heart full of love prior to “Poor Valley Girl” profoundly paying homage to his late wife June Carter Cash.
The final song “Soldier Boy” kindas has this rockabilly singing about a boy with his backpack saluting all the women out there listening for doing what they have to do, but then the 2 bonus cuts consist of a cover of “Sing It Pretty, Sue” off his 8th album The Sound of Johnny Cash & “Like a Soldier” that also appeared on American Recordings the subsequent year much like “Drive On” did. Funny enough, “Like a Soldier” happens to be up there with “Drive On” as some of the best tracks in Johnny’s vast discography.
Being the first country artist that I can legitimately say I became a fan of, my expectations for Songwriter were it to maintain the caliber of both Willie Nelson & even Beyoncé’s latest full-lengths The Border & Cowboy Carter respectively. Come to find out, I like it more than the latter 2 combined. We get 8 brand new songs that we’ve never heard before, 2 demos & a cover spruced up production-wise by John Carter for a posthumous country/americana/outlaw country offering from his father that clears a lot of the bro-country you hear today.
Marsha Ambrosius is a 46 year old singer/songwriter from Liverpool, England, United Kingdom who came up as 1/2 of the duo Floetry. They would only put out 2 full-lengths before disbanding, but Dr. Dre signed Marsha to his Interscope Records imprint Aftermath Entertainment shortly after only for her to depart in 2009 without releasing a solo effort. She eventually released her debut Late Nights & Early Mornings under J Records in the spring of 2011 & returned a few summers later with the RCA Records-backed sophomore effort Friends & Lovers. The Songstress was last heard in 2018 when she put Nyla out through MNRK Music Group, but is returning to Aftermath/Interscope to let the Quincy Jones of hip hop himself Dre produce her 4th album making up for lost times.
“Smoke” starts by sampling “Yesterday” by Clifford Brown so she can take you away & preparing to bring umbrellas just in case of the weather whereas “Tunisian Nights” singing about evenings in the North African country of Tunisia putting an orchestral spin on the “Flight Time” by Donald Byrd sample. “1 Night Stand” flips “Remind Me” by Patrice Rushen so Marsha can describe a singular sexual encounter just before “Cloudy With a Chance of…Real” samples “Smilin’ Billy Suite, Pt. II” by The Heath Brothers so she can sing about loneliness.
Moving on from there, “Greedy” co-produced by DJ Khalil & Phonix luxuriously confesses she’s been hurting lately & it simply isn’t enough leading into the outstandingly sequenced 2-parter “Self Care / Wrong Right” singing about satisfying her appetite along with her lover having the good good & giving her the best sex she’s ever had. “Wet” incorporates these illustrious strings staying with her partner even during the worst conditions, but then “Thrill Her” brings a soulfully jazzy boom bap flare to the beat paying homage to the late King of Pop Michael Jackson.
“The Greatest” was another exuberant choice of a single ahead of Casablanco that Marsha herself, Dre of course, Blu2th, Dem Jointz, Focus… & Trevor Lawrence Jr. laced asking if one is scared of the love she has to give while “Best I Could Find” nears the end of the album hopping over summery guitar passages & keys talking about things becoming distant to the point where love had come far behind. “Music of My Mind” rounds out the LP fusing the symphonic & jazz elements into 1 giving flowers to some of her influences from Duran Duran to the late great J Dilla.
When you think about the fact that Marsha’s the only Aftermath artist to leave the label without releasing an official album & eventually come back to do exactly that, it was something that a lot of people including myself were surprised by although expectations remained higher than her previous material. Sure enough, this was a moment almost 2 decades in the making exemplifying her talents. It’s significantly more well-produced than her early solo stuff which is a given considering Dre’s perfectionism & Marsha lays down the most passionate songwriting & vocals of her career.
Houston, Texas rapper, songwriter & actress Megan Thee Stallion returning after 2 years for her 3rd album & Roc Nation Records debut. Rising to prominence in the spring of 2019 with the release of her debut mixtape Fever, I myself was very impressed with how it displayed Megan’s knack for catchy songwriting, dirty south/Memphis inspired production & a unique personality. Her popularity began to rapidly increase off her 3rd EP Suga & the full-length debut Good News, but Something for thee Hotties was a bit underwhelming in my opinion. Traumazine ended up being a decent sophomore effort with more highs & lows, so I expected Megan to be more personal given the title.
“Hiss” was a single that eventually grew on me heading for a hardcore Memphis trap direction tackling various aspects of her life up until this very moment whereas “Rattle” taking the eerie trap route to discuss having too many haters. “Figueroa” brings the scary vibes to the table dabbling with Detroit trap referring to herself as a Brat as opposed to a Barbie a.k.a. Nicki Minaj whose Megan diss “Big Foot” might be the worst diss track ever made, but then “Where Them Girls At?” moves on from there with a thunderous Hot Girl anthem.
Tay Keith cooks up one of my favorite beats throughout the album on the standout “Broke His Heart” vibrantly talking about making her ex Pardison Fontaine trick leading into “B.A.S. (Both Ain’t Shit)” featuring Kyle Rich produced by Lil Ju & Megan herself turns into cloudy trap territory painting a couple that both really ain’t shit since they lie to each other. “Otaku Hot Girl” playfully & wittingly shows her love for anime & Japan altogether just before “Find Out” has a rubbery tone instrumentally thanks to 30 Roc talking about her lil’ whoopty-woo.
“BOA” fuses trap, hardcore hip hop, pop rap, dirty south & electropop to show her boldness & assertiveness while “Mamushi” featuring Yuki Chiba on the standard version or TWICE on the remix works in pianos & hi-hats so both of them can declare themselves as the stars they are. “Accent” featuring GloRilla has this aquatic trap flare to the beat describing how thick they are while “Paper Together” featuring the greatest Houston duo of all-time UGK is a historic crossover representing different generations of the city.
Victoria Monét appears for the hook on the pop rap/trap hybrid “Spin” talking about putting that ass in a trance like you even have a chance to begin with while “Down Stairs DJ” hooks up a whistling sample & hi-hats thanks to Honorable C.N.O.T.E. telling everyone that she essentially loves her pussy. “Miami Blue” featuring Big K.R.I.T. has a grimier trap approach provided by Buddah Bless pointing out there must be something in the water & the pop rock/rap abomination “Worthy” could be the worst offender here despite the lyrics about being precious.
“Moody Girl” nears the conclusion of Megan picking things back up with a banger that Juicy J cooked up behind the boards leaving me fiending for the Three 6 Mafia co-founder to produce a whole project for her at some point since they’ve been bringing the best outta each other for 5 years now as further exemplified from the calming trap instrumental to the aptly moody lyricism Megan displays that is until “Cobra” closes her Roc Nation debut blending trap, rap rock, conscious subject matter & dirty south excellently.
Starting the deluxe run, “Bigger in Texas” hops over this dirty south beat paying homage to her home state while the bloodcurdling “Bourbon” fiercely addresses every hater of her’s who stay watching everything she does out here. Buddah Bless shakes it up with the playfully fun “#1 Rule” with Megan speaking to all the people who forget exactly who she is while “Roc Steady” featuring Flo Milli samples “Goodies” by Ciara & Petey Pablo so both of them can lock in for this exciting back-to-back delivery.
“Best Friend” continues with this decent trap joint cooked up by Nico Baran of Internet Money Records about forming a mixed tag team similarly to The Terror Twins while “Right Now” declares herself the baddest out with this dark Tay Keith & FNZ instrumental backing her, to which I agree with on a mainstream level. “TYG” featuring Spiritbox takes an ugly jab at trap metal that I find disappointing when you look at the gangsta-themed lyrics while “Motion” talks about bitches being sick of her & real quickly wanted to point out that I’ve been a fan Drumma Boy, but he went harder than he should’ve behind the boards on this one.
The boom bap direction “Fell in Love” takes might come as a shock to those who don’t keep with Megan addressing her current relationship with Chicago Bulls player Torrey Craig while “He Think I Love Him” & “Like a Freak” move on from there freestyling over “I Think I Love Her” by Gucci Mane & “Like a G6” by the Far East Movement respectively. Our final bonus track “Neva Play” featuring RM is now the current theme song as of me writing this for the WME Group-owned TKO Group Holdings division’s WWE Friday Night SmackDown program after moving from FOX back to the USA Network.
For years I’ve been telling people that Megan is the finest female lyricist in the mainstream (Rapsody’s kinda in the middle between mainstream & underground for me) & now that JAY-Z got her out of her 1501 Certified Entertainment/300 Entertainment deal, the future is certainly looking bright for the Hot Girl Queen since it could very well be better than her first couple LPs. It’s more personal & seems like she’s less restricted as far as creative freedom goes.
Chicago, Illinois emcee Lupe Fiasco is back after nearly 2 years releasing his 9th LP. Blowing up in 2005 after appearing on “Touch the Sky” off of Kanye West’s sophomore album Late Registration, he then went on to release 2 classic albums Food & Liquor and The Cool in 2006 & 2007 respectively. However, his output since then has been very inconsistent. His next album Lasers in 2011 is easily his worst yet, Food & Liquor 2: The Great American Rap Album in 2013 was just ok but then Tetsuo & Youth in 2015 was a near perfect return to form for him. Given that, I was excited to see what he was going to do in the future. DROGAS Light wound up being a disappointing mixed bag, but DROGAS Wave eventually made up for it. Drill Music in Zion produced by Soundtrakk on the other hand was a near-perfect sequel to Tetsuo & Youth, so I found him going the way of the Samurai from there to be an interesting move.
The title track sets the tone of the album by hooking up a jazzy, lo-fi boom bap instrumental comparing himself to an actual member of the powerful military caste in feudal Japan whereas “Mumble Rap” groovily talks about a woman drawn to the vibe of his remarks waking up with a song on the heart. “Cake” works in an organ & hi-hats showing his fans gratitude for sticking by him even when times were tough prior to “Palaces” bringing back the kicks & snares to talk about being tormented for so long.
“#1 Headband” jazzily kicks off the 2nd half of the album promising that he’s gonna be the one referencing WWE Hall of Famer, former 2-time WWE Champion & 2-time WWE Tag Team Champion Yokozuna just before “Bigfoot” singing the things that you’d normally keep inside your head out loud maintaining the jazz influences instrumentally.
Meanwhile on “Outside”, we have Lupe mellowly advises to wait for him out in the open nearing the conclusion of the LP leading into the piano-driven “‘Til Eternity” ending Samurai with a reference to former NWA World’s Heavyweight Champion or most notable in TKO Group Holdings as WWE Intercontinental Champion, WWE Tag Team Champion, TNA Hall of Famer & the UFC Hall of Fame’s inaugural inductee Ken Shamrock.
“High Note” soulfully starts the deluxe run by talking about the type of music he makes grabbing people by the jugular whilst referencing WWE Hall of Famer Mike Tyson during the final verse while the other bonus track “SOS” finishes the extra flavor with a jazzy, lo-fi boom bap single talking about holding down the bass similarly to Guile from the カプコン-owned Street Fighter set to be played by the current 2-time WWE Champion Cody Rhodes in next spring’s theatrical reboot.
I mentioned at the beginning of the review about Lupe’s discography being inconsistent at times in the past but if we’re continuing to get albums from him on the same quality as Samurai & Drill Music in Zion, then I’m all for it because he went back-to-back here. In contrast to the latter being a sequel to one of his most acclaimed offerings, what he gives us here is a loving & living portrait to one of his all-time favorite artists: Amy Winehouse.
Hiatus Kaiyote is a neo-soul band from Melbourne, Australia consisting of lead singer/guitarist Nai Palm, bassist Paul Bender, keyboardist Simon Mavin & drummer Clever Austin. Their sophomore effort Choose Your Weapon the month I graduated high school in 2015 was my introduction to them & I loved how they fused it with soul jazz, acid jazz, funk music, nu jazz, progressive pop & neo-psychedelia. They finally returned 7 years later making their Brainfeeder Records debut on Mood Valiant maintaining the neo-soul & nu jazz elements from previously except putting a bigger emphasis on psychedelia. 3 summers later, Nai & company are returning for their 4th album.
“Dreamboat” majestically begins singing for the titular object to sail away & take her home whereas “Telescope” fuses psychedelic soul, neo-soul, contemporary R&B, neo-psychedelia, Afropiano & jazz-funk transporting listeners to an intimate crux in the universe to find solace in their shared musicality. “Make Friends” crosses over neo-soul, contemporary R&B, jazz-funk, psychedelic soul & jazz fusion exploring the concept of recognition principally in regards to gender identity leading into “Everything’s Beautiful” following the “BMO is Beautiful” interlude featuring Niki Yang working in elements of neo-soul, jazz-funk, jazz fusion & psychedelic soul finding beauty in literally everything.
Meanwhile on “Dimitri”, we have Nai over more funky production singing about everyone being “amputees of our divination” leading into what could possibly be my least favorite track on the entire album “Longcat” futuristically talking about the longest cat in the world for 105 seconds. “How to Meet Yourself” fortunately picks things back up working in pianos with the title much like “Everything’s Beautiful” speaking for itself conceptually just before the title track brings psychedelic soul, neo-soul, art pop, trip hop & neo-psychedelia encouraging to keep it handsome. “Cinnamon Temple” releases the pressure mixing psychedelic soul, experimental rock, math rock, noise rock, neo-psychedelia & progressive rock prior to the closer “White Rabbit” covering Jefferson Airplane.
In addition to providing the world a snapshot of 4 musicians dancing together on the edge, Nai & company also give us a cohesively wide-eyed yet relaxed body of work that reflects a deeper understanding of themselves & the music they wish to share with the world around them. And on the contrary of the band’s appraisal mostly stemming from their complexity, Love Heart Cheat Code has a simpler approach generally. I’d be further remissed if I didn’t mention Hiatus Kaiyote venturing out of their prominently psychedelic neo-soul sound in favor of contemporary R&B, Afropiano, jazz-funk, jazz fusion, art pop, trip hop, experimental rock, math rock, noise rock, neo-psychedelia & progressive rock.
This is the 4th full-length studio album from Cuban singer/songwriter Camila Cabello. Originally a member of 5th Harmony, I first heard her when she was featured on the diabetically lovey dovey “Bad Things” by MGK & her full-length debut Camila at the beginning of 2018 released through Syco Music & Epic Records mostly produced by Ging ironically won me over on her. Romance & Familia were both later released to mixed reception & the singles building up to C,XOXO had me hoping she would bounce back from those couple duds. Especially after learning she signed a new label deal with Geffen Records & Interscope Records.
“I Luv It” featuring Playboi Carti was a disappointing opener mixing electropop, Jersey drill, pop rap, footwork, Jersey Club & hyperpop inspired by “Cockiness (Love It)” by Rihanna whereas “Channel No. 5” decently fuses alt-pop, alternative R&B, pop rap, glitch pop, cloud rap & art pop to talk about a romantic partner being unable to resist her scent. “He Knows” featuring Lil Nas X following the “pink xoxo” interlude featuring PinkPantheress crosses over alté, dance-pop, alternative R&B, pop rap, tarraxinha, afroswing describing a chemistry that’s too strong leading into the stripped-back “20somethings” admitting to feeling like she’s living in limbo ripping off SZA.
The now disbanded City Girls consisting of JT & Yung Miami join Camila on “Dade County Dreaming” to draw inspiration from house music paying tribute to the titular county out in Miami, Florida but after the “koshi xoxo” interlude featuring BLP Kosher, “Hot Uptown” featuring Drake brings the 2 together for a melodic house duet produced by Boi-1da & Noel Cadastre asking if their partners want them back topped by Drake’s annoying fake patois during the refrain further validating the colonizer line on “Not Like Us”. Drizzy even gets his own song on “Uuugly” & it might be the best one he’s put out after the beef with Kendrick Lamar, but then “Dream-Girls” warmly pays tribute to the girls learning to become women.
After the “305tilidie” interlude which is the 3rd & final one on the entire LP, the song “B.O.A.T. (Best Of All-Time)” atmospherically tackles the rumination & reflection stage of a breakup to start the final leg while the penultimate track “pretty when I cry” tropically wallows about how much of a pity it is that her ex left her. “June Gloom” closes out Camila’s official Geffen/Interscope debut slowly yet dejectedly asking her former boyfriend if his new girl gets as wet as she does for him moves the way she does over an FNZ beat.
“baby pink” featuring Eem Triplin’ starts the deluxe run by talking about their partners being theirs forever over synths while “Come Show Me” peppily tells this dude who’s tryna convince her that he’s changed to actually prove it to her. “can friends kiss?” spaciously talks about becoming too close to someone she considers as a friend having fantasies of them in her head at night & the final bonus track “godspeed” ends the deluxe with my favorite of the 4 new songs taking us through a ghost world through art pop, electropop, alt-pop & glitch pop.
A lot can happen in 6 years & given Camila’s last couple albums didn’t do it for me (her racist comments towards Normani in 2019 certainly didn’t help either), her new one here is better albeit not by very much. The features are ok but my biggest complaint about C,XOXO is that it feels like it’s trying to be a more commercial version of Charli XCX’s latest masterpiece brat from 3 weeks earlier with more of an contemporary R&B, alt-pop, alternative R&B, pop rap, alté, tarraxinha & afroswing vibe with additional elements of hyperpop, Jersey drill, footwork, dance-pop, Jersey club & art pop.
This is the 3rd & final full-length studio LP from Arlington, Texas emcee Claas alongside Louisville, Kentucky/Covington, Georgia duo The Horde consisting of Bukshot & Boondox or collectively known as The Underground Avengers. Forming in 2012 off an eponymous debut EP, they got back together in the summer of 2018 to have Majik Ninja Entertainment back their debut album Anomaly 88 & returning almost a year later for the sophomore effort Dark Matter. A 2nd EP The Gateway was released in the fall of 2022 & coming off an appearance at Astronomicon 7 couple months ago, they’re taking us to Oblivion after 12 years in the making allegedly.
After the “Judgment is Upon You” intro & the “Reassembled” skit, the unhinged first song “Who Dat?!” produced by MIKE SUMMERS a.k.a. 7 who did UGA’s coda in it’s entirety leaving everyone running when the trio comes through whereas the morbidly flavored trap joint “Diablo” telling the haters to keep it moving. “Without a Trace” takes the aggressive trap route instrumentally making them learn when they do wrong & after the titular interlude, “Sideshow” angrily talks about being ready for rapture.
“Smash” brings an unsettling trap flare to the beat detailing the asshole nature all 3 of them possess while “Predators” featuring Mr. Grey sees the quartet devilishly talking about ripping the spine out your back. After the “OPLAN” interlude, “Snake Eater” hooks up an eerie atmosphere once again looking to make the final feature just before “Be Warned” grimly cautions listeners of UGA’s wrath.
After the “Reaping” interlude, “Other Side” delivers an adrenaline inducing hardcore trap banger leading into the grisly “‘Til the Music Stops” looking to ride until the wheels fall off the muhfucka. After the “Collision” interlude, “A Little Crazy” goes boom bap to talk about their craziness while the bouncy “Bring It Back” runs from the law grinding & getting dirty.
“When or Whenever” uncannily talks about everyone else watching them take the lead & after the “Dissassembled” outro, “Alibi” weaves organs & hi-hats wanting to be labeled as the bad guys when they’re gone while “Scab” is an insane rollercoaster ride of an underground 8 minute posse cut. After the “Black Hole” interlude, “Can’t Find Me” by The Horde finishes by shows a serious side to Boondox & Bukshot since the end is getting nearer.
Understandably, I can see why we’ll more than unlikely get another Underground Avengers album going forward since everyone’s already established individually in their own rights & Oblivion was the greatest note for them to leave on that took a dozen years for us to hear. The production’s primarily trap centered & the apocalypse concept throughout pretty much suits the fact that this is the last time we’ll hear them assemble.
