$crim – “Lonely Boy 2” review

New Orleans, Louisiana rapper, producer & deejay $crim of the $uicideboy$ releasing the deluxe version of his new sophomore LP Lonely Boy. Wetto here was actually the first of the boy$ to branch out on his own by dropping the solo debut A Man Rose to the Dead during the COVID-19 pandemic to mixed to negative reception including from myself. Ruby da Cherry’s been grinding with a couple of skate punk EPs since last summer & Lonely Boy was a solid introduction to $crim’s alter-ego couple weeks ago even though you can tell it was inspired by Destroy Lonely’s debut album If Looks Could Kill. And since the deluxe is said to be a different LP of its own, I was wondering where he was gonna take it from there.

“90 day wonder” starts the deluxe off with a quirky trap instrumental boasting that he just dropped money on his necklace whereas “back4revenge” talks about seeking revenge for having his heart taken out of his chest & torn apart going straight-up dirty south. “operation fishnet” weaves these pianos & hi-hats together so he can ride around town with his shirt off just before for the trap metal-infused “pete rose” co-produced by G*59 Record$ in-house producer Dynox & named after the WWE Hall of Famer boasts about jumping out of the coupe.

Meanwhile, “heartbreak shorty” gives off a hazier flare sonically thanks to Noah Mejia talking about lighting 1 for the gang leading into “i juh wanna ball” is self-explanatory conceptually & the beat here has a bit of a Pi’erre Bourne influence to it. “i cannot promise you that, i give you my word” talks about his bitch being backed up with love over these synthesizers & hi-hats, but then “#ScrimJustWannaHaveFun” brings back the rage beats admitting that the guy wants to have some fun of his own.

“where to go when the levee breaks” confesses to drowning in percocets dabbling into trillwave a bit while “the future only stings once” is this acoustic trap hybrid talking about never understanding his father until he became a father himself. “void” is a pretty cool 2-parter flexing about pulling up in a Hellcat feeling like the man while “lick my nuts” draws from the $B’s Memphis roots instrumentally telling y’all straight forwardly to suck his balls.

Moving on from there, “icarus” talks about the possibility of turning his dog up going for a psychedelic trap sound generally while the ominous boom bap cut “dropping the cross” admits to being in his room chatting with Satan himself. “separation of crows” continues to drop braggadocio giving plugg music a shot while the moody “thought that you should know” admits to thinking about his mistake. “terminally unique” continues to give a psychedelic edge boasting he’s incurable my one of a kind & lastly the vast “find my way” ends the LP by admitting he doesn’t wanna die a certain way.

In contrast to Lonely Boy showing obvious inspiration from Lone & really the whole Opium crew in general due to their popularity at the moment, the deluxe has a way different vibe than the the solo album that we got from Wetto only a couple weeks ago. It’s pretty much a completely different body of work of its own with a good feeling to it this time around & serving more as a thank you.

Score: 3.5/5

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Jerry – “lovemesooner” review

Trenton, New Jersey emcee, singer, producer & music video director Jerry celebrating Valentine’s Day by releasing his 2nd full-length studio LP. You may know him for coming up as 1/2 of the duo MellowHype alongside Left Brain in the mid/late 2000s under the original moniker Hodgy Beats & later simply Hodgy prior to helping I Smell Panties, Casey Veggies & The Jet Age of Tomorrow form the impactful albeit now defunct alternative hip hop collective Odd Future. He was also the first person in the Wolf Gang to put out a solo effort, dropping his debut mixtape The Dena Tape only 9 months after the crew put out their 1st tape as a unit The Odd Future Tape. would go on to expand his solo discography with 2 more mixtapes & 3 EPs prior to his full-length debut Fireplace: TheNotTheOtherSide a day before my 20th birthday which to this day, I still think it’s possibly the most criminally overlooked offering that we’ve gotten since OF’s disbandment due to how much growth was shown on that album. Entitled was a solid comeback EP a couple years ago experimenting with contemporary R&B on top of a predominant west coast trap sound, but Higashi Miyagi reinventing himself once again going by Jerry & is looking to make lovemesooner a broader reintroduction.

“the letter I wanted to write” is a head-on acoustic opener produced by Benja finding Jerry singing about finding time whereas “i’ll say it here” tackles the idea of empty vices & asking if you want to sip cough syrup on top of both Chester Hansen & Leland Whitty of the production trio BADBADNOTGOOD help Benja maintain a stripped-back sound. “an obsessed woman” sings about a woman who’s tired of his games over more acoustics leading into “i became her” confessing that he lost a best friend & isolation blending these melodic background vocals with elements of folk music.

Meanwhile, “to you” has a bit of this acoustic R&B/pop rap tone directing it towards someone who picked their poison destroying what they had together & even their own heart just before the boom bap-inflicted “when you willingly” tell the flight attendant to come with him inside his head cautioning it’s in fact a scary place. “showed your hand” continues to strip things back sonically once more reflecting on a story he had read with no solution in the midst of driving around Hollywood that is until the downtuned “i placed my brain inside it” sings about being all over the place.

“kept my heart for myself” makes it known that he’d rather have her look him in the eyes & kill him slowly or tell him that they simply weren’t meant to be together while the folky “you chose to leave” is an open letter to London asking how they’re doing. “facing the worst fears” instrumentally continues to expand on the folk music influences melodically confessing to having suicidal thoughts while the acoustic “known to man” sings about being the star near the sun you worship.

I love the passionate vocals on “care is given to show” about remaining undefeated & tomorrow being a day repeated although the production remains stripped-back while “us how fucked we are” brings some woodwinds into the fold sings that distance makes the heart getting on some bitter ex-boyfriend shit. “time is measured” tells y’all to save the fuckin’ drama for yourself over a piano-driven boom bap until “to tell us 2” returns to the acoustic ballad callin’ out someone who went behind his back.

The penultimate song “move along” begins the encore of the LP by singing over acoustics yet again that you can take everything from him but his dreams & finally to round out Jerry’s sophomore full-length body of work, the title track hooks this jangly guitar & melodic vocal performances about fighting like a Jedi along with trophies/awards weighing less on his mind with all his might.

I respect that Jerry stepped out of his comfort zone on Entitled by showing off his singing voice more & even making a predominant showcasing of it on this new album over here but as someone who’s been following him since the OF days, it’s just ok. Some of the acoustic cuts can feel a bit samey at times & he still shows his hip hop roots although in a diminished capacity, it’s that some of his sung vocals can sound eerily reminiscent to that of alternative R&B pioneer & fellow Odd Future member Frank Ocean.

Score: 3/5

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¡MAYDAY! – “The Thinnest Line III” review

Miami, Florida trio ¡MAYDAY! preluding their upcoming 9th full-length LP albeit the first under their very own label ¡MAYDAY! Music distributed by It Goes Up Entertainment & Strange Music with their 5th EP & the 3rd installment of The Thinnest Line trilogy. Formed in 2003 by keyboardist/guitarist Plex Luthor & emcee Bernz, the duo released their self-titled debut in the fall of ‘06 before adding 4 more members into the fold: emcee/producer Wrekonize, bassist Gianni Ca$h, percussionist NonMS & drummer L.T. Hopkins in 2009. Together, they would begin to rock the underground off 2 EPs & their sophomore album Stuck on an Island. This would catch the attention of Kansas City veteran Tech N9ne, who signed the group to his independent powerhouse Strange Music in 2011. They would go on to cement themselves as a flagship act on the label’s roster off critically acclaimed projects like Take Me to Your Leader, Thrift Store Halos, Believers & Future Vintage. However since 2016, ¡MAYDAY! has maintained it’s current lineup consisting of Wrek, Bernz & NonMS. Their first album as a trio Search Party was a decent sequel to Stuck on an Island & the heavily reggae-influenced South of 5th was slightly better, but Minute to Midnight wound up to easily be ¡MAYDAY!’s best in 6 years. They have since remained tied to Strange by forming ¡MAYDAY! Music & signing a distribution deal with Strange Music co-founder Travis O’Guin’s own subsidiary It Goes Up Entertainment. Now as far of The Thinnest Line series, the independently released first installment is my favorite & the follow-up backed by Strange was just decent. However since Minute to Midnight was a return to form, the latest entry had to be better in my mind.

After the “End” intro, the first song “Hate to Love You” is an incredibly catchy pop rap opener to The Thinnest Line III cooked up by NonMS coming to terms how hard it is to admit that they’re in love with these individual partners whereas “Warning Signs” takes the acoustic route thanks to MIKE SUMMERS a.k.a. 7 talking about having fun pretending what they had was permanent. “Pull Up” has a groovy self-produced instrumental as ¡MAYDAY! & Mike SB refuse to stop until they’re in the car with the windows down as Mike gives the weakest feature of the 2 but I still liked it, but then the futuristically funky “Last Night” picks things back up asking what you doin’ out here tonight. “At Least We Tried” shifts into summery turf refusing to say goodbye & “Hit My Line” featuring Trizz concludes The Thinnest Line III with an atmospheric trap flare advising to give ‘em a call.

This recent installment of the Miami trio’s trilogy has to be the best since the first one & it’s more than enough to hold fans off until their ¡MAYDAY! Music debut album because much like Minute to Midnight, what we have on The Thinnest Line III is another example of their recent output continuing to improve. The production’s more consistent than The Thinnest Line II’s was primarily due to letting one of their best collaborators handle 4 of the 7 tracks leaving the other 3 being in-house mixed in with versatile performances from ¡MAYDAY! themselves & 50/50 features.

Score: 4/5

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¥$ – “Vultures” review

¥$ is a superduo consisting of Los Angeles, California singer/songwriter, multi-instrumentalist & producer Ty$ alongside Chicago, Illinois rapper, singer/songwriter, one of my top 10 producers of all-time, fashion designer & former G.O.O.D. Music founder Ye formerly known as Kanye West. We’ve seen them together a handful of times for nearly a decade on tracks like “Guard Down”, “Real Friends”, “Ego Death” & “Everything We Need”. However with my favorite Ye album The College Dropout turning 20 today, ¥$ are officially kicking off the Vultures trilogy ahead of the sequel in March & the final chapter in April.

“Stars” co-produced by Digital Nas, FNZ & most importantly JPEGMAFIA samples “Good Luck” by Dijon to begin things talking about ripping up contracts & keeping “a few Jews on the staff now” in reference to Ye calling himself a Nazi on InfoWars whereas “Keys to My Life” takes the hazy trap route thanks to Timbaland explaining that it wasn’t always like this. “Paid” explains they’re only here to stack bread as KAYTRANADA & Wax Motif flip “Brighter Days” by Cajmere leading into “Talking / Once Again” featuring Ye’s oldest daughter North West finds her dad’s mentor No I.D., Swizz Beatz, DJ Camper & even James Blake help blend alternative R&B, jersey club rap, gospel, pop rap & art pop as they address that “the clouds are gatherin’ to release what they held in”.

Meanwhile, “Back to Me” featuring a jaw-dropping Freddie Gibbs verse details their sexual desires including Ye referencing Jay & Silent Bob in Dogma or a bar Freddie had about Twitter owner, Tesla CEO, SpaceX founder & Neuralink founder Elon Musk over YZY SND’s head of music 88-Keys sampling “Rock Box” by Run-D.M.C. just before “Hoodrat” dabbles into rap rock territory overdoing it with the Latarian Milton vocal chops & ¥$ continuing the themes of romance by expressing the divine beauty they see in both of their current partners Bianca Censori & Zalia respectively. “Do It” featuring a Nipsey Hu$$le intro & a YG verse near the end mixes these strings & hi-hats thanks to Wheezy, DJ Mustard & Cubeatz as they try to make a movie just before the heavily distorted “Paperwork” featuring Quavo talks about getting their paper right.

“Burn” might be my favorite on the LP speaking on a dangerous kind of love as Chicago veteran The Legendary Traxster & Leon Thomas III sonically throw it back to the Late Registration days while “Fuk Sum’n” featuring Playboi Carti & Travis Scott is this experimental trap 2-parter looking to do exactly that. Havoc’s remix of the title track featuring Bump J & Lil Durk is the only version of it that exists to me going for a cloudier vibe as opposed to the Chicago drill influence of the original except the “How I’m antisemitic? I just fucked a Jewish bitch” line is still trash, but then the aptly titled “Carnival” featuring Playboi Carti & surprisingly Rich the Kid samples “Hell of a Life” off my 2nd favorite Ye album My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy talking about her “riding the dick like a carnival” ride.

Starting the last leg of the album, “Beg Forgiveness” with co-production from London on da Track has to be one of the most tiring moments heavily building itself around “Gabriel” by Joe Goddard for nearly 6 whole minutes while “Good (Don’t Die)” picks things back up with will.i.am sampling “I Feel Love” by Donna Summer talking about their hearts being ice cold & the thoughts that keep them up all night. “Problematic” talks about feeling like they beat a murder case over Chad Hugo’s horns & the epic closer “King” addresses that they thought the headlines were Ye’s kryptonite when it’s really his antisemitic behavior.

KIDS SEE GHOSTS’ self-titled debut & even The Throne’s only album Watch the Throne are superior in comparison, but that’s not to say I didn’t enjoy a pretty solid amount of Vultures & I’m hoping the next 2 installments of the trilogy are superior. The first chapter has a predominant experimental hip hop & pop rap sound with additional elements of trap music, hip house & alternative R&B as Ye breaks down everything that’s happened these last couple years although I don’t like the way he handled the backlash that he got for the antisemitic comments.

Score: 2/5

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Kemastry – “A Delusional Guide for the Disillusioned” review

London, England, United Kingdom emcee Kemastry breaking out solo with a whole entire EP locking in with one of the UK hip hop movement’s most decorated DJs/producers DJ Jazz T to handle the beats. Notable for being 1/3 of the trio CMPND alongside Vitamin G & Wundrop, they would make their debut under High Focus Records in the fall of 2019 with Eagle Court & most recently made a sequel with the sophomore effort Long Live the Court through the Hove, East Sussex imprint. Kemastry however has opted to crack open A Delusional Guide for the Disillusioned by having the founder of Boot Records producing it for his label.

After the compositional “Mind Control” intro, the first song “Delusional” begins with this old school boom bap instrumental talking about being stick up in this rat race from the sun whereas “Apocalyptic Flows” featuring Ramson Badbonez contains the strongest guest appearance of the 2 linking with Kemastry over pianos mixed with kicks & snares spittin’ deadly cadences of their own. “Hamster Wheel” featuring Roughneck Jihad has a cloudier, almost jazzier boom bap vibe to it having no one to trust & “Stay Grounded” smoothly ends by giving that very advice.

Countering the scathing observations & multi-syllables Wundrop & Vitamin G have respectively become known for with his surreal unpredictability, Kemastry elevates that to a whole new level providing A Delusional Guide for the Disillusioned to begin carving a path for himself individually. DJ Jazz T’s boom bap production pared with the CMPND member’s signature approach to songwriting with only a couple features joining him for roughly 15 & a half minutes isn’t a bad way for him to establish himself on his own & has me anticipating where he’ll go from here.

Score: 4/5

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Booba – “AD VITAM ÆTERNAM” review | Booba – « AD VITAM ÆTERNAM » revoir

Sèvres, Paris, France emcee Booba has returned with the 11th full-length LP in his discography. Coming up 1/2 of the duo Lunatic with Ali after starting as a b-boy, they would go on to release a critically acclaimed debut Mauvais Œil & a moderately received sophomore effort Black Album until disbanding. Booba’s solo debut Temps Mort much like Mauvais Œil considered to be a landmark in the French hip hop scene, with Panthéon & Ouest Side also being positively received. 0.9 & Lunatic wound up getting mixed reactions until returning to form on the next few albums Futur, D.U.C, Nero Nemesis & Trône. Ultra has gone on to be considered by many to be the Tallac Records founder’s worst full-length outing yet, so I went into AD VITAM ÆTERNAM hoping it would be the most I’ve enjoyed something from him in 7 years.

Sèvres, Paris, France maître de cérémonie Booba est de retour avec le 11e album de sa discographie. Faisant partie de la moitié du duo Lunatic avec Ali après avoir débuté en tant que b-boy, ils sortiront ensuite un premier album acclamé par la critique, Mauvais Œil, et un deuxième effort moyennement reçu, Black Album, jusqu’à leur dissolution. Le premier album solo de Booba, Temps Mort, tout comme Mauvais Œil, est considéré comme une référence sur la scène hip hop française, Panthéon & Ouest Side étant également accueillis positivement. 0.9 & Lunatic ont fini par susciter des réactions mitigées jusqu’à revenir en forme sur les prochains albums Futur, D.U.C, Nero Nemesis & Trône. Ultra est considéré par beaucoup comme le pire album du fondateur de Tallac Records à ce jour, alors je suis entré dans AD VITAM ÆTERNAM en espérant que ce serait le plus que j’apprécierais quelque chose de lui en 7 ans.

“Rebel” starts the album by talking about how everything goes through force & that we’re acquired by right on top of a murky trap instrumental whereas “Saga” switches gears into this pop rap ballad boasting that he’s always surrounded by models & the world is his. “Dolce Camara” featuring SDM finds the pair describing their handsomeness on top of synth-horns & hi-hats prior to the underwhelming trap single “Sport Billy” telling us where he hid the weapon bag.

« Rebel » commence l’album en parlant de la façon dont tout passe par la force et par laquelle nous sommes acquis juste au-dessus d’un instrument de trap sombre tandis que « Saga” passe à la vitesse supérieure dans cette ballade pop rap vantant qu’il est toujours entouré de modèles et que le monde est son. « Dolce Camara » avec SDM trouve le duo décrivant leur beauté au-dessus de synthés et de charleys avant le single trap décevant « Sport Billy » nous disant où il a caché le sac d’armes.

Concluding the first half of the album, the lead single “Signé” isn’t any better unfortunately fusing pop rap with afro trap & funk brasileiro explaining that he’s always been told to go elsewhere since he wasn’t awarded as a shooter leading into one of the better cuts “6G” being a decent continuation of the series of songs that began on D.U.C nearly a decade ago. “G.M. (Gyèt Manmanw)” featuring Evil P & Gato is this cringey trap cut dedicated to not having girlfriends since they only knowing big sluts, but then “Abidal” featuring Sicario talks about being in the flagship waiting for the signal giving off more of a generically dark trap vibe.

En conclusion de la première moitié de l’album, le premier single « Signé » n’est pas meilleur malheureusement fusionnant pop rap avec afro trap & funk brasileiro expliquant qu’on lui a toujours dit d’aller ailleurs puisqu’il n’a pas été récompensé en tant que shooter menant à l’un des meilleurs morceaux « 6G » être un continuation décente de la série de chansons qui a commencé sur D.U.C il y a près de dix ans. « G.M. (Gyèt Manmanw) » avec Evil P & Gato est ce fastidieux coupure piège dédié au fait de ne pas avoir de copines puisqu’elles ne connaissent que de grosses salopes, mais ensuite « Abidal » avec Sicario parle d’être dans le vaisseau amiral en attendant le signal dégageant davantage une ambiance de piège génériquement sombre.

“Bénigni” nears the encore of the LP by making Booba feel like a featured artist on his own album since USKY takes up a majority of it as they both ride alone in the city feeling inhabited over these piano chords that is until “C.V.B.S.P. (Ça Va Bientôt Casser)” concludes AD VITAM ÆTERNAM with this twinkling drill track admitting that it’s all inevitably gonna break soon & asking why he should wait as a result of that.

« Bénigni » s’approche le fin du LP en faisant sentir Booba comme un artiste invité sur son propre album puisque l’USKY en reprend la majorité alors qu’ils roulent tous les deux seuls dans la ville en se sentant habités sur ces accords de piano jusqu’à ce que « C.V.B.S.P. (Ça Va Bientôt Casser) » conclut AD VITAM ÆTERNAM avec ce morceau de forage scintillant admettant que tout va inévitablement bientôt casser et se demandant pourquoi il devrait attendre à cause de cela.

It’s blatantly obviously to say Booba won’t make another album like Temps Mort ever again although he came close to reaching that caliber a couple times on Ouest Side & Nero Nemesis, but wow it’s very unfortunate that AD VITAM ÆTERNAM was even a step below of the album that he gave us almost 3 years ago. Although I fully understand that he intentionally made it less than a half hour long due to the constraints of streaming, it just feels rushed ultimately.

C’est évident de dire que Booba ne fera plus jamais un album comme Temps Mort même s’il a failli atteindre ce calibre à plusieurs reprises sur Ouest Side et Nero Nemesis, mais wow c’est vraiment dommage que AD VITAM ÆTERNAM soit même un cran en dessous de l’album qu’il nous avait offert il y a presque 3 ans. Bien que je comprenne parfaitement qu’il l’a intentionnellement fait moins d’une demi-heure en raison des contraintes du streaming, cela semble précipité finalement.

Score: 1.5/5

Score; 1,5/5

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B.A.R.S. – Self-Titled review

B.A.R.S. is an underground quartet consisting of V Sinizter, Zitro, Tierre Diaz & Clifton Derrell. One of whom is a Saginaw, Michigan native releasing his debut EP Hunting Season in 2003 under Psychopathic Records, Zitro is one of the newest members of the hatchet family coming straight outta Detroit, Tierre hails from Boston, Massachusetts coming fresh off signing to DJ Clay’s very own Armed Robbery Entertainment last summer & finally Clifton represents the Windy City of Chicago, Illinois as an overly smart punk who experienced his first electric moment when Eric B. & Rakim’s rhythm hit him. So considering their histories intertwining with juggalo culture, it only makes sense for all 4 emcees to form a supergroup & introduce themselves as a unit on their debut EP.

The title track is an incredibly rugged opener talking about everyone watching them with all hands on deck whereas the rowdy “On Sight” sets out to start riots in every club they hit up. “The Pinnacle” begins the 2nd leg of the EP by giving off a bit of a futuristic vibe instrumentally boasting that they’re in demand & ready to bring the pain, but then “Top No More” rounds things out by calling out those who’re envious of seeing the 4 on top over these guitar licks & hi-hats.

Anyone who considers themselves to be a fan of any or all 4 of the members of B.A.R.S. has to check out their eponymous debut EP together here & it makes me anticipate hearing what the underground supergroup has coming down the pipe from hereon out. The production gives off a different vibe for everyone & although everyone has stood out in their own ways previously, hearing them together is another level.

Score: 4/5

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Little Simz – “Age 101: Drop 7” review

Islington, London, England, United Kingdom emcee, singer & actress Little Simz returning with her 10th EP & the 7th installment of the Age 101: Drop series. Getting her start at the beginning of the previous decade, she would go on to drop 4 mixtapes along with her 9 previous EPs & 5 full-lengths LPs. GREY Area showed some serious artistic evolution, S.I.M.B.I. (Sometimes I Might Be Introvert) wound up being my 2021 Album of the Year after giving it a perfect 10 & No Thank You was a late AOTY contender in the following winter. However after 4 years, Simz is returning to put out a successor to Drop 6.

“Mood Swings” starts things off dabbling with hip house a bit talking about her mood abruptly changing on the regular whereas “Fever” tells the story of being in São Paulo, Brazil with her friend over a more tribal beat. “Torch” gives off a glitchy EDM trap vibe a bit advising not to be afraid of the bounce & that she’s trying to be the force but after the 3-minute instrumental cut “SOS”, we have Simz explaining that “they gon’ have to give me more of your soul when I’m needin’” over cloudy trap production. “Power” gives us off-the-top verse for nearly a minute as it sonically gives me a bit of a misty vibe & “Far Away” ends the EP with a jazzy UK drill fusion singing for her lover not to wait around for her.

Little Simz is by far my favorite UK artist in recent memory since S.I.M.B.I. (Sometimes I Might Be Introvert) is one of the best albums of this decade & No Thank You was near-flawless in it’s own right, but this has to be amongst the best installments of the Age 101: Drop EP series in my opinion. She’s demonstrating her range as an artist by rapping AND showing her singing voice as the overall sound here draws from electronic dance music, funk mandelão & of course grime.

Score: 4/5

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Confucius MC – “Stop Signs” review

London, England, United Kingdom wordsmith Confucius MC teaming up with Dublin, Ireland producer Pitch 92 for his 3rd studio LP. Known for being 1/2 of the Old Paradice and CoN & KwAkE, he introduced himself in 2014 off his full-length debut The Highest Form followed by The Artform a few years later & the sophomore effort Somewhere another few years after that. Familiarizing myself with him through his features throughout several High Focus Records projects over the years, it only makes sense to have one of the label’s in-house producers coming in the picture for Stop Signs.

After the “Leisure Time” intro, “Maintenance” begins with a funky beat advising to slow down whereas “Paper Champs” takes the boom bap route instrumentally seeking truth in an ocean of lies. “Missing Persons” brings the funk back with a slicker twist to it talking about someone disappearing every 2 minutes leading into “Raised by Wolves” featuring Renelle 893 links up so both of them can discuss their own upbringings.

“Loneliness in the City” has a somberness to the beat describing this epidemic around his parts & after an intermission, “Cognitive Behavior” featuring King Kashmere finds the 2 talking about being tired of the games. “Days Hours Minutes” featuring the latter’s Kingdom of Fear partner-in-rhyme Jehst speaks of time forever flying past us while “Burden” soulfully talks about not letting anything take a load on you.

Nearing the conclusion of Stop Signs, the song “Blue Skies” hops over a lo-fi boom bap l instrumental that sounds like it could’ve appeared during a bumper on the Discovery Global owned Cartoon Network late-night block [adult swim] asking for his spirits for them to tell him to read the signs & “Respite” concludes the EP with a 77 second outro structured similarly to “Leisure Time” the moment anyone giving this a spin would hear right when they press play.

The Highest Form still has it’s moments a decade later, but I truly think Stop Signs might’ve surpassed it although I’m not sure why Confucius MC didn’t have High Focus Records distribute it because it very much sounds like something that would’ve come out of the renown Hove, East Sussex imprint. Pitch 92’s jazzy production is a huge step above Somewhere carrying the torch of Jaylib’s spirit further & Confucius’ poetic lyricism is at it’s most conscious, joined by a couple of artists on the current High Focus roster & none other than the YNR Productions founder himself.

Score: 4/5

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Icewear Vezzo – “Live from the 6” review

Easily one of the biggest names in the Detroit trap scene today & Iced Up Records founder Icewear Vezzo finally releasing his Quality Control Music debut album although the 4th full-length overall in his discography. For over a decade now, this dude has been making waves locally by releasing the Rich Off Pints trilogy of LPs & over a dozen mixtapes. The previous Paint the City hosted by DJ Drama over a year ago being Vezzo’s first project to come out though the Motown Records imprint & it was a solid prelude, so it definitely increased anticipation for his major label debut Live from the 6.

After the intro skit, the first song “Class of 2024” starts off with some synthesizers & hi-hats so Vezzo can remind us all that he inventing sippin’ mud despite the fact that he’s clean these days whereas the atmospheric “Projects” flexes that he’s a multi-millionaire in the trenches. “Perfect” featuring DaBaby is anything but since the latter’s appearance might be the weakest on the album although I do appreciate the luxurious instrumental & Vez’ braggadocio, but then “Rap Game takes the soulful Detroit trap route celebrating like a parade goin’ down.

“Momma Mil” goes for a darker approach to the vibes of the previous cut minus the soul sample making it clear that his mother didn’t raise no hoes & the “Motion” remix featuring Babyface Ray is superior to the original boasting that that’s exactly what they got over a synth-based Detroit trap beat. “Ain’t Enough” gives off an eerier atmosphere explaining that he needs $2M since $1M isn’t enough just before “Come Outside” featuring YTB Fatt is another underwhelming collab although the message of people dying out here in the D is accurate.

Picking things back up, “I Ain’t Mad at Ya” fuses cloud rap & Detroit trap addressing all the “fuck n****s” out there leading into “Chose Me” featuring Chuckie CEO talking about choosing himself over a ghoulish instrumental & Chuckie punching under his weight. Beginning the encore of the album however, “Different Day” almost has this pluckier tone to the beat talking about the concept of “same shit, different day” & “I’m the One” closes Live from the 6 with this futuristic trap banger talking about being him.

Vezzo’s verse on the “Detroit vs. Everybody” remix made me a fan of his when it came out on my 18th birthday & this major label debut similar to Paint the City continues to show improvement in Vezzo. Yeah the features are kinda underwhelming for the majority of it, but it’s more well-produced than some of his previous material & I admire that he pays homage to 6 Mile as a fellow Motor City native myself.

Score: 3.5/5

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