1300SAINT – “Savior” review

Atlanta, Georgia recording artist 1300SAINT finally releasing his 3rd LP. Known for staying out of the box with a versatile sound & style drawing in listeners from all walks of life painting pictures of all colors & shapes to create a true experience for his audience, the heavy 808 based instrumentals he lays his smooth vocals over on his full-length debut Noir makes you feel every song a little more than usual & led to Young Thug signing him to YSL Records not too long after he came home last Halloween. All Hail marked his debut for the label, preluding Savior with Saint Season as well as 4 & NewDrug. respectively. However, the main course has arrived.

We get some background vocals & hi-hats colliding all over the intro “Bigger Than Life” thanks to venny & Internet Money Records in-house producer Synthetic so 1300 can describe how he’s been feeling this whole entire year to the world whereas “Kyoto” talks about being posted up in the capital city of the 京都 prefecture of 日本. “Stop Playin” finds himself refusing to go back-&-forth with these clowns online including a jab at his former labelmate 9 Vicious just before the cloudy “Slitherin’” talks about having his way.

Lil Gotit fresh off his new collaborative album with his late brother Lil Keed this past Halloween appears on “R.I.P. Pope” so they can sell swag & discuss the way both of them are living while “Heard It All” embraces a hazier trap vibe talking about how that bro shit don’t work with him anymore. “Divine” luxuriously breaks down his expensive habits & assuring the racks don’t speak for him while the flute-tinged “Mona Lisa” talk about possibly needing money counseling.

“Palm Springs” starts the 2nd half of 1300SAVIOR’s sophomore effort for YSL repping his squad for eternity & promising this fine woman that he’s been speaking to that he’ll buy her anything she wants leading into “Slimier > You” boisterously talking about how slimy he is. “Bounty” gives off a shimmery trap atmosphere suggesting you might need another engine to catch up with him while “Soulties” talks about not giving a fuck regarding all these broke ass rapper & not regressing to his past self.

Yung Heir makes the weakest guest appearance throughout Savior with “Chainz & “Corvettez”, decently clarifying they ain’t ever lonely because of the cash flow while “Flaws” talks about getting his killstreak back up. Nico Baran hops behind the boards for “Return You” likens himself to a pilot the way he make these muhfuckas flying while the “Interlude” feels more like a 3 & a half minutes song talking about going through it all.

“Savior Solitude” spaciously concludes by showing off his singing chops over a beat kin to Yeezus while “Militia Boss” starts the deluxe run with a 2-parter talking about putting a blick on that bitch. “Blonde P*nk” hops over a hypertrap instrumental boasting that he’s goin’ punk with an all blonde bitch beside him while “Mami” talks about having trouble getting all of these bitches off him.

The rage beats are brought back in full effect on “White Ops” promising to burn anyone who wants smoke with him or his gang while “Pandemonium” takes about full chaos unraveling any time he puts out new music. “I Need” featuring Sk8star links up over a euphoric trap instrumental to break down the type of hoes they’d require to have around them while “Pretty Pu$$y” talks about him & a bitch having the time of their lives.

“Loadout (Hit)” featuring ApolloRed1 teams up so they can advise other people to have a pole out whenever they catch them in public while “EA” featuring 9 Vicious talks about hitting the Eastern portions of their hometown. Rounding out 3rd, he issues a warning to not even think of testing him because the “Shells” he has are hot over an Ayelavish! beat while the final bonus track “Lifetime” produced by 406ahmad ends by telling this shawty that he still cares for her & he’s living like a rockstar.

1300SAINT has already paving the way for a new generation of YSL since late February & it’s without a shadow of a doubt my favorite project of the 5 he’s dropped since he got signed, enhanced by all 11 of the additional cuts. The cloudy trap & rage production is more detailed than NewDrug. a few months earlier & despite Yung Heir’s feature being the weakest of the 5, I do admire that he & the other guest verses make Savior’s gangsta themes feel less monotonous than All Hail.

Score: 4/5

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Roy Wood$ – “Flower City Heartbreak” review

Brampton, Ontario, Canada rapper & singer/songwriter Roy Wood$ dropping off his 6th EP. Signing to Drake‘s very own OVO Sound a decade ago already, he has since gone on to release a total of 3 full-lengths & 5 EPs, with the most notable of the handful being the 2015 debut EP Exis & of course the debut album Walking at Dawn the following winter. Rolling Stone back in December felt like a bunch of uninspired Weeknd runoff & Dark Nights wasn’t any better, gearing up to spill some Flower City Heartbreak.

“Energize Bunny” starts with a corny mutation between dancehall, pop rap & cloud rap talking about being the type of guy that makes your girlfriend get naughty whereas the lead single “1 Night Stand” featuring Chow Lee on the remix continues by going for a generic alternative R&B direction praying this girl he fucked gets her period asking how she got a body like that. “You’re So Right” gives off a trap soul vibe singing about the way she makes him feel & the “no XOs” line possibly being a sneak diss towards X❤️O Records until the moody “I Like It” tells his partner he enjoys it when she screams his name.

The song “TSA” kicks off the 2nd half of Flower City Heartbreak with an ironic Weeknd bite singing that he doesn’t want to cheat on the chick he’s been speaking to recently & knowing he can do better which I commend him for admittedly, but I’d much rather listen to Hurry Up Tomorrow. “Supposed to Be My Lover” makes for another moment reminiscent of Abel’s music asking how he’s supposed to live without this woman by his side & the outro “Crazy” takes 1 last opportunity to rip off The Weeknd singing a out the baddest bitch walking.

To see Roy Wood$ go from providing a unique take to the alternative R&B, trap soul, cloud rap & pop rap styles compared to the rest of the OVO roster a decade ago when Exis had initially dropped & supposedly ghostwriting his mentor’s “Sicko Mode” verses to increasingly becoming more & more like a Great Value version of the alternative R&B artist that Drake wishes he was all because he started up X❤️O instead of signing to OVO has only been getting sadder because it’s getting to the point where his output keeps declining.

Score: 1.5/5

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Tommy Richman – “Worlds Apart*” review

This is the 4th EP from Woodbridge, Virginia singer/songwriter & rapper Tommy Richman. Beginning to make music almost a decade ago by releasing his debut single “Ballin’ Stallin’” on SoundCloud & Spotify respectively, he would go on to put out 3 EPs including Paycheck as well as Alligator& The Rush. The latter of which caught the attention of Brent Faiyaz who in turn made Tommy the first signee to his newly formed ISO Supremacy imprint. Coyote marked his full-length debut 14 months ago & is following it up with Worlds Apart*.

“Stuck in My Head” was a fun g-funk intro singing about all the girls wanting them to be their man whereas “Amen!” instrumentally feels like a throwback to my favorite production duo of all time The Neptunes opting to focus on his vision even when things don’t feel right. “San Andreas”blends contemporary R&B with synth-funk & g-funk for an ode to the greatest Grand Theft Autogame ever while “West Coast” by mynameisntjmack & 03 Greedo unite for another Neptunes-inspired pop rap cut in which Giddy steals the show in this instance.

We get some prominent bongos on “What’s on Your Mind?” to kick off the 2nd half asking his lover what she’s thinking about at this very moment prior to “Actin’ Up” featuring Sexyy Red on the remix blending trap, pop rap, dirty south, contemporary R&B, hip hop soul & snap talking about cutting ties for what it is. “Bother Me” featuring Brent Faiyaz comes together for a duet admitting they were in their heads a week prior & “Mortal Sacrifice” ends by asking the woman he’s speaking to if she’s turning his wrongs into rights.

The “culture vulture” allegations surrounding Tommy Richman in the past year since he said he doesn’t make hip hop music around the time Coyote came out last is kinda silly to me because not only have both “$1M Baby” & “Devil is a Lie” revealed his artistic potential already, but he wasn’t entirely wrong when you take consideration of the fact that his music is more rooted in contemporary & alternative R&B with hints of hip hop soul & neo-soul. Worlds Apart* however makes for a decent extension of Tommy’s versatility fusing those 4 styles with g-funk, synth-funk, trap, pop rap, dirty south & snap ahead of a presumed sophomore effort in 2026.

Score: 3/5

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SoFaygo – “Mania” review

Here is the sophomore effort from Cobb County, Georgia rapper SoFaygo. Cementing himself as one of the biggest faces in the plugg/pluggnB & rage scenes in recent memory, he’s since gone on to drop over a dozen EPs & it’s even resulted in Houston trap trailblazer Travis Scott signing him signed to Cactus Jack Records for his long awaited full-length debut Pink Heartz couple years back even though reception towards it was generally mixed. He coincided with the 1-year anniversary of both him making it on the XXL Freshman Class & the release of B4Pink with Go+, ready for some Mania roughly 54 weeks since applying Pressure.

“Open It Up” starts off by atmospherically talking about losing his appetite & getting his paper situation corrected whereas “Bankrolls” hazier trap approach instrumentally thanks to BryceUnknwn promising that he’ll be keeping stacks on him until the very end. “Outside” produced by Cardo could be my favorite of the bunch from the ethereal beat to the lyrics about being in a different dimension prior to “Back in the Mix” discussing his return a bit more over a glitchy sample.

Faygo’s plugg origins talking about every single day being a new payday for him just before the rage-inducing “Notice Me” courtesy of Ginseng referencing my 2nd favorite basketball player of all-time Kobe Bryant although I wish Hardrock had a verse. “Relocate” boisterously talks about female rockstars being his type & getting more geeked up than a zombie until thr6x brings back the rage during “Extreme” feeling like he’s running out of time.

“Challenge” yearns to take his lovers to where the millions are over these fuzzy, grungy synthesizers telling his girl that he understands that people are jealous of him because he’s on a whole different level while the trippy “Monster” kicks off the 2nd act by asking his partner if she loves the madness & the action. “Figure Me Out” cloudily talks about a woman intrigued by his lifestyle while “Mission” makes reference to my all-time favorite basketball player Michael Jordan over an Ayelavish! beat.

Internet Money Records in-house producer Rio Leyva jumps behind the boards for mind-altering “Count Up Fast” poppin’ tags with more rocks than the Warner Bros.-owned Flintstones franchise while “Wasted” runs it back with thr6x to talking about consuming lean to the point of feeling numb. The only single “Money & Clothes” explains that those’re the only 2 things he knows while “Grow” talks about prioritizing his career & counting bread daily.

The song “Crash Out” begins Mania’s last 7 minutes incorporating more synths popping out in a Rick Owens fit & calling out the frauds pretending they solid when they’re disloyal in actuality while the cloudy “Safe” gets on demon time thumbin’ through his bills chillin’. “See Me Shine” finishes with another throwback to SoFaygo’s pre-Cactus Jack sound advising to not waste one’s time on how he’s been doing.

Go+ quickly silence the crowd that thought SoFaygo had become washed after signing to Cactus Jack Records & if the divisive reception of Pressure had anybody thinking that we were in for a sophomore slump, you’d be sorely mistaken because this is the best he sounded since he got a label deal & his strongest full-length of the 2. The production is a mix of old & new sounds he’s explored throughout his career, recapturing the energy of “MM3” off Jackboys II.

Score: 4/5

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Ransom – “The Uncomfortable Truth” review

Jersey City wordsmith Ransom dropping his 14th EP a week following its announcement. Coming up as 1/2 of the short-lived duo A-Team alongside Hitchcock, he branched out on his own in 2008 following their disbandment beginning with the full-length debut Street Cinema & the Statik Selektah-produced sophomore effort The Proposal. But it’s been safe to say these last couple years have been his biggest so far whether it be the 5 EPs that he put out produced by Nicholas Craven, 7 based around the 7 deadly sins, Heavy’s the Head entirely produced by Big Ghost Ltd., the Rome Streetz collab album Coup de Grâce, Chaos is My Ladder, Director’s Cut 4 & Deleted Scenes 2. Lavish Misery produced by Harry Fraud was a step above Spare the Rod, Spoil the Child & MadeinTYO producing Smoke & Mirrors last summer was an exciting surprise, coming off The Reinvention produced by DJ Premier this past Halloween to confront The Uncomfortable Truth with Conductor Williams.

“Clairvoyance” ferociously breaks the gate down talking about his ability to perceive events in the future whereas “Blood Stains on Coliseum Floors” works in a crooning soul sample posing the question of why one would believe in faith when every single prophecy he’s familiar with has been ignored. The only single “Bomaye” drumlessly references the Rumble in the Jungle between George Foreman & WWE Hall of Famer Muhammad Ali just before “Temple Run” featuring J. Arrr talks about not reaching their full potentials.

To begin the 2nd half, “Late Replies” keeps chopping up the soul samples apologizing to the love of his life for responding to her calls & texts later than he normally does leading into “The Human Animal” talks about people trying to pass batons in the midst of racing death. “Flowers & Tombstones” featuring J. Arrr reunites the pair 1 last time over a drumless beat to place blossoms on these analytics’ gravesites while “Trigger or Trigga” soulfully ends the EP talking about people falling victim to trigger works.

Wouldn’t have expected The Uncomfortable Truth to drop so soon after The Reinvention almost 3 weeks earlier but unsurprisingly, it’s another one of the greatest extended plays throughout Ransom’s whole entire catalog. Conductor Williams’ production leans heavier towards the drumless side of things contrasting Preemo’s signature boom bap sound of The Reinvention on Halloween & the lyrics are more soul baring, bringing along J. Arrr for a couple appearances instead of holding it down by himself again.

Score: 4.5/5

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Tha God Fahim – “Slam Dump” review

Atlanta, Georgia emcee/producer Tha God Fahim shaking things up a bit with his 67th EP. Starting as an affiliate of Griselda Records & 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. He’s been putting out amongst his best material in the past few years like 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, the Mike Shabb-produced Dump Gawd: Rhyme Pays, Tha Supreme Hoarder of All Pristine Wealth, Supreme Dump Legend: Soul Cook Saga produced by Cookin’ Soul & Machine Gun Vocabulary produced by Cartune Beatz. Dump Gawd: Hyperbolic Time Chamber Rap 19 on Halloween was technically his most recent solo effort until Slam Dump, starting a new series instead of doing a Lethal Weapon 5.

“Happily Ever After” jumps over a chipmunk soul instrumental talking about there being no happy endings when ever he closes a chapter whereas “All Buckets” chops up another sample cycling through an entire clip until he hears a click. The title track featuring Jay NiCE soulfully talks about this rap shit being easier than breathing prior to “Clean ‘Em Up” also featuring Jay NiCE winning championships without coaching.

Jay NiCE makes his 3rd & final appearance on “International Champs” talking about making sure your “gold” doesn’t turn out to be copper in reality while “1st Strike” make for some of the extended play’s craziest rhyme schemes continuing a legend’s story. “Professional Hits” incorporates more samples to talk about his words representing lightness & “Noble Lineage” concludes with a soulful outro explaining that trials are a part of the process.

Regardless of how long it’ll be until Dump Gawd: Hyperbolic Time Chamber Rap 21 & whether or not it’ll be another collaborative effort with Jay NiCE, I have to appreciate Tha God Fahim for doing a 180° although it wouldn’t surprise me if Lethal Weapon 5 does come to fruition within the next year. Drega33’s production ranks amongst his best as he & FlyG prepare for the MENNBLVCK sequel in less than a couple weeks & the lyricism maintains Hyperbolic Time Chamber Rap 19‘s caliber.

Score: 4/5

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Dave McMurray – “I Love Life Even When I’m Hurting” review

Here we have the 9th studio LP from Detroit, Michigan saxophonist & multi-instrumentalist Dave McMurray. Introducing himself in 1989 off his debut album The Secret Life & returning 7 years later with the sophomore effort The Dave McMurray Show under Warner Records, he would go on to put out Peace of Mind as well as Soul Searching & Nu Life Stories between the late 90s/early 2000s until returning in 2018 by signing to the greatest jazz label of all-time Blue Note Records & made Music is Life his debut for the home of the genre’s finest. Coming off Grateful Deadication & it’s sequel, he wants to make it clear that I Love Life Even When I’m Hurting.

After the spoken word intro “This Life” by Herschel Boone, “The Jungaleers” starts with Shady Records in-house producer Luis Resto alongside drummer Jeff Canady & percussionist Mahindi Masai joining Dave to pull from Afrobeats for a nod to the high school the latter had attended whereas “Just a Thought” dedicates itself to his wife & daughter. “7 Wishes 4 G” blends soul-jazz & deep house for a love letter to “Astral Traveling” by Pharaoh Sanders leading into him covering “We Got By” by Al Jarreau.

“The Plum Blossom” by Yusef Lateef gets covered to start the 2nd half while the title track recruits Blue Note president Don Was to play acoustic bass. “Find Your Peace (4 Tani)” gives his flowers to drummer Tani Tabbal bringing the soul-jazz influences back in full effect to endearing results. “The Wheel” finishes the LP with a cover of the Grateful Dead b-side of the same name & honoring Jerry Garcia’s legacy in his own fashion.

Celebrating the love he has for the Motor City & for the many musicians he’s collaborated with, Dave McMurray comes off the Grateful Deadication series to make his greatest musical statement since Music is Life. Consisting of 6 original compositions & 3 covers in the wake of a friend of Dave’s who succumbed to illness & passed away alone, it’s admirable for me hearing him using that energy to construct a full-length themed around positivity surrounded by the most special people in his life.

Score: 4/5

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The Neighbourhood – “(((((ultraSOUND)))))” review

The Neighbourhood is an alternative rock & indie pop band from Newbury Park, California consisting of drummer/percussionist Brandon Fried, bassist Michael Margott, rhythm guitarist Jeremiah Freedman, lead guitarist Zachary Abels & frontman Jesse Rutherford. Signing to Columbia Records in 2012, they would go on to make their full-length debut the next spring with I Love You. & Wiped Out! celebrated it’s 10-year anniversary only a couple weeks ago. Hard to Imagine The Neighbourhood Ever Changing would improve from both it’s predecessors while Chip Chrome & the Monotones would moderately fulfill their Columbia contract. They have since taken a hiatus between 2022 & this summer, joining the Warner Records roster for their 5th album.

“Hula Girl” sets up their return with a bit of a homage to Oasis singing about the feeling of being removed from his peers whereas “OMG” continues by blending elements of the Wiped Out! & Hard to Imagine The Neighbourhood Ever Changing eras lyrically calling back to “You Get Me So High” & “No Grey” respectively, which is something I believe longtime fans will certainly admire. “Lovebomb” goes for a more nostalgic vibe altogether breaking the curse that all of Jesse’s previous relationships all have in common just before “Private” sings about the relationship he has with his current girlfriend Valentina Bilbao.

As for “Lil Ol’ Me”, we have The Neighbourhood continuing to pull inspiration from Oasis with a hint of Nirvana sprinkled in this time around singing about people wanting Jesse’s soul after putting a lease on it while “Planet” incorporates a bridge reminiscent of the late Michael Jackson yearning to take back a light that was stolen. “Holy Ghost” reaches the halfway point experimenting with alternative dance singing for Valentina to hold him close whenever he feels uncomfortable or wants to give up making music while “Rabbit” begins the 2nd act of (((((ultraSOUND))))) tackling themes of agony & despair.

“Tides” keeps it rolling by throwing it back to the Wiped Out! days once again depicting a relationship built around constantly fighting & asking if they can put their differences behind them while “Daisy Chain” shifts towards an indie rock direction stylistically singing about the topic of nostalgia. “Zombie” compares Jesse to the undead because of him staying up all night waiting for a woman he’s been in contact with as of late to answer his missed calls while “Mama Drama” thematically picks up where “Daddy Issues” left off a decade earlier.

The song “Crushed” winds down (((((ultraSOUND)))))‘s final 11 minutes by taking a bit of a funkier approach in terms of sound singing about self-destruction while “Mute” apologizes in advance if Jesse’s been acting weird, attributing it to his desire of wanting to disappear & things inside his head becoming increasingly loud. “Stupid Boy” concludes the band’s comeback with a sequel to “Pretty Boy” off Chip Chrome & the Monotones, except the aesthetics of I Love You. happen to be more significantly prominent with his empathy increasing & his faith in humanity decreasing.

“Start” appropriately begins the deluxe run singing about having a difficult conversation with someone while “Good Grief” continues by admitting that he’s been having difficulty trying to get over the individual he’s addressing. “Lulu” sings about creating a self defense mechanism that allows Jesse to transform himself & experience life through a different identity while “Red Flag” suggests to set him on fire before he loses it. The final bonus track “Bed” spends the last couple minutes singing about being unsure of whether he’s lonely or alone & lying to himself to make everything seem alright.

Up until this point: These guys to me personally have always been one of those acts where they’ll occasionally wow me by putting out tracks like “Prey” or “Roll Call”, but (((((ultraSOUND))))) changes everything for The Neighbourhood returning under Warner Records for what might be their strongest LP. The production has something that all fans can enjoy recapturing every style they’ve explored during their Columbia Records tenure from alternative rock to indie pop, indie rock, alternative dance & dream pop with it’s darker & moodier spin complimenting Jesse Rutherford’s intimately self-aware lyrics revolving around heartbreak, disillusionment & emotional vulnerability.

Score: 3.5/5

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Swapa – “CLRBLND” review

Swapa is a 21 year old recording artist & producer from Harlem, New York introducing himself in 2021 off his poorly received debut EP To Each It’s Own. He would gradually improve himself from there whether it be New Harmony, Bannon, Ollo, Eigen, Island or his most recent extended play as of me writing this Armageddon celebrating it’s 1-year anniversary last month. In regards to his full-length studio debut album CLRBLND, seeing a couple notable producers that I’m a fan of making some contributions to it had me intrigued & I thought I’d give it a shot.

“tap in” starts us off by introducing a new mind of swag to the world since he’s in his bag differently whereas the experimental “fully chop” talks about nobody being able to fuck with him because of his boss status. “redinyoeyes” appreciatively throws it back to the Bannon era a little for those who’re fond of that point in his career leading into the self-produced “skull” talking about the type of guy he is compared to some of these lames.

Moving on from there, “heavy metal” continues to display Swapa’s production talents assuring that he’s in it similarly to the titular genre of music just before the 808-heavy “steve kerr” talks about being richer than the Golden State Warriors’ head coach himself. “nah” stylistically feels like some new age Future shit getting fried while “sir scale” produced by Whyceg & Goxan works in more 808s talking about everything he says eventually selling.

“rigged” reaches the halfway point of the LP subtly referencing the NBA’s ongoing illegal gambling scandal involving Chauncey Billups, Damon Jones & Terry Rozier while “old habits” sticks out with one of my favorite flows throughout CLRBLND asking if one wants to die now that he gave his bitch a Glock to carry for protection. “nother level” speaks of wanting to murder their opps & throw their corpses in the river while “again” talks about it only being him & his bands in the end.

Things take a more rage-inducing vibe on “troll” considering himself a threat while “ykisshme” leans heavier towards a synth-based sound thanks to Clayco promising y’all gonna know it’s him when he pulls up. “marni” much like “old habits” shines as a moment where he shows off what he can do with his flows while the piano-heavy “why not?” talks about doing this music shit for himself. “alien” finishes Swapa’s debut with him psychedelically arriving to the function looking extraterrestrial.

Impressed with his verse on Devstacks’ sophomore effort 4SouljasOnly earlier this spring, it only made sense for me to find out if CLRBLND would be capable of topping Armageddon in addition to some of the other EPs he has under his belt that I don’t find myself going back to very often like Island for instance. Surely enough, all 5 tracks he produced by himself along with “sir scale” & “ykisshme” to name a couple all make for the finer moments over the course of Swapa’s proper introduction.

Score: 3.5/5

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Meek Mill – “Indie Pack” review

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania rapper & songwriter Meek Mill preluding his 6th album with his 8th EP. Starting out in the battle rap circuit before T.I. briefly signed him to Grand Hustle Records. Once he left, Rick Ross brought him over to Maybach Music Group & we’ve seen a handful of ups & downs in his career over the past decade. The critically acclaimed Dreamchasers mixtape series, his beef with Drake & who could forget where he was sentenced to 6 years in prison by a corrupt judge only to be released 5 months later? Championships was seen as his most mature body of work yet despite being a tad bit bloated, fulfilling his contractual obligations for Maybach & Atlantic Records with Expensive Painto divisive reception. Coming off Heathenism & Who Decides War?, the next phase of his career is being teased via an Indie Pack only a couple days succeeding what would’ve been the 45th birthday of BJWジュニアヘビー級チャンピオン, 3-time CZW World Tag Team Champion, JCW World Juggalo Heavyweight Champion & ROH World Tag Team Champion Trent Acid.

“Save Yourself” open with a bland instrumental talking about the fact that everybody can’t be saved because all of us weren’t meant to make it whereas “How Far We Came” works in some decent sampling feeling prideful of his successes. “Free Smoke” speaks of people talking shit behind his back wanting to see him dead & “4th of July in Philly” featuring Fridayy finishes with both of them cooking up a mediocre Independent’s Day anthem.

Before I get to my closing thoughts regarding Indie Pack, lemme just say that I’m very happy for Meek Mill getting off a major label & becoming fully independent. However, he hasn’t had a consistent body of work since Championships & this EP unfortunately continues towards the same trajectory as Expensive Pain. Clearly there’s a lot less pressure on him now that he doesn’t have to worry about appeasing record executives anymore, but his production choices are getting worse.

Score: 2/5

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