Philadelphia horrorcore emcee Lo Key unleashing his 15th EP. You may know him for his involvement in a handful of groups within the underground like Mission: Infect or more recently Cabal & Neon Sermon or even his own solo discography of LPs that he calls the 12 Oracles. So far the only 4 we’ve gotten from him are Shadowland, The Book of Time, The Blood of Izu, The Eyes of Parasuva. But to help him paint Portraits of Horror, we have Lo Key enlisting former Strange Music in-house producer MIKE SUMMERS a.k.a. 7 to produce the whole thing.
After the intro, the first song “The Box” opens the EP with some pianos & hi-hats with heavy guitars during the hook proclaiming that you could never kill him whereas “Burn the Witch” takes the eerie trap route looking to do exactly that as it is a necessity for him. “You’re My Everything” morbidly answers if he’s ever had to deal with stalkers just before “Parasitic” frighteningly admits he gave it his best & it wasn’t enough. “Remote Control” wraps everything up with a ghoulish trap beat looking to lead everyone to Shadowland.
25 years in the game & here we have Lo Key returning to form by taking it back to his horrorcore roots in comparison to his last few solo efforts going for different sounds. 7’s production is incredibly consistent & not only can the Mission: Infect leader still spit the wicked shit raw all these years later, but he shows his versatility as a vocal performer along the way too. Most notably during the hooks.
New York emcee/producer Aesop Rock returning for his 10th full-length LP. Universally revered for his massive vocabulary, the man has put out a handful of underground hip hop essentials throughout the decades whether it be his solo catalogue or his membership of groups like Hail Mary Mallon or Malibu Ken. As far as his solo stuff: I recommend his sophomore effort & Definitive Jux Records debut Labor Day alongside The Impossible Kid, which was his 2nd album with Rhymesayers Entertainment whom Aesop had made himself home with for over a decade at this point. But coming off the Blockhead-produced Garbology couple years ago, Aesop’s now offering Integrated Tech Solutions.
After the “ITS Way” intro, the first song & lead single “Mindful Solutionism” is a self-produced industrial nerdcore opener with elements of glitch hop & some humorously abstract consciousness on the lyrical side of things whereas “Infinity Fill Goose Down”musically feels like a bit of a throwback to his early Def Jux days from the experimental noise rap production to the lyrics about always being into something. “Living Curfew” featuring billy woods finds the 2 discussing crystals being in the handle of their hands up to the ember over a fucking crazy sample leading into a brief lesson about “Pigeonometry” with some rap rock undertones to the beat.
“Kyanite Toothpick” blends industrial hip hop with boom bap & trap to declare that he’s on that Mobius shit just before “100 Feet Tall” goes for a quirkier sound talking about not letting any fools or suckas in his circle. “Salt & Pepper Squid” displays an incredibly charismatic flow from Aesop Rock as he flexes how y’all exactly know when he’s made it, but then “Time Moves Differently Here” goes for a spacier feeling instrumentally so he can end the first leg of the album pretty much talking about gluttony.
To start the 2nd half of Integrated Tech Solutions, “Aggressive Steven” fuses rap rock with boom bap & even some soul samples telling the story of the titular character while “Bermuda” keeps it dusty bringing more kicks & snares into the picture talking about flowers being sent to him. “By the River” goes for a jazzier vibe expressing how much he likes rivers while “All City Nerve Map” looks to get out of his own nightmare by himself over a boom bap beat with a blobby loop.
Hail Mary Mallon reunites for the rap rock-infused “Forward Compatibility Engine” letting it be known that this is for the roof dogs only while the “On Failure” interlude mixes more guitar riffs with kicks & snares admitting that he was thinking of Vincent Van Gogh recently. More specifically the Landscape with Snow painting. Getting back to the music: “Solid Gold” goes for more of a hardcore approach acknowledging he’s always looking out while “Vititus” is a luxurious boom bap cut dedicated to his grandmother. “Black Snow” hypnotically ends the album boasting that he got stacks covered by the stove.
Aesop’s output on Rhymesayers throughout these past 7 years have been his most conceptual since Labor Days & he continues to move towards that trajectory on Integrated Tech Solutions because this is the best thing he’s done for the Minnesota indie powerhouse since The Impossible Kid. We are introduced to an organization offering “lifestyle & industry-specific applications designed to curate a desired multi-experience” with his production probably being the leanest & most innovative.
This is the 6th studio LP from Birmingham, West Midlands, England, United Kingdom emcee/producer Sonnyjim. Making his debut in the summer of 2011 with The Psychonaut, he would go on to drop 4 more albums as well as 14 EPs & a mixtape, most notably the No Vi$ible Means of Income duology produced by Giallo Point or the Buckwild-produced Coke Le Roc & the Illinformed-produced The Chemistry Must Be Respected. However, he’s signing to Blah Records & having its founder Lee Scott entirely producing Ortolan & Armagnac.
“Sakuraba” depicts himself as a former 10 pound drug dealer’s been trying to recover over a calmingly eerie beat whereas “Tommy Lee Scott” featuring Crimeapple finds the 2 kickin’ full-fledged facts together. “Lo Mein” featuring Heems & Your Old Droog strips the drums so all 3 of them can drop hardcore verses without the need of a hook leading into “Dude, Where’s My Car?” talking about building a house using his bare hands & fearing nobody.
Reaching the halfway point, we have Sonnyjim telling everyone to “Pay Attention” over a boom bap instrumental with some jazz influences leading into “Herb McGruff” featuring Beni Laylo & King Grubb bringing the trio together so they can talk about the mafioso lifestyle. “Barry McGuigan” goes off-the-top for 84 seconds over a piano-woven beat speaking of his specialization in enterprising while “Fetch My Mink” talks about doing what he wants whenever he pleases.
The title track featuring Lee Scott spends a couple minutes sharing the mic together dropping hardcore verses over a drumless loop explaining that you gotta defeat the man to become the man just before “Phonejacker” sends it all off with this psychedelically syrupy boom bap vibe instrumentally talking about people trying to call or text him for an entire week when his reasoning for not responding was because he shut his line off, eventually having to get a new number.
If you’re a fan of either of Sonnyjim’s previous output that I mentioned in the opening paragraph or the Camoflauge Monk-produced Money Green Leather Sofa & the Leaf Dog-produced How to Tame Lions to name a couple more extended plays from him that I like, you can add Ortolan & Armagnac to the same A/S tier rankings of the Birmingham artist’s discography. I wouldn’t put it above White Girl Wasted either, but an entire full-length with him over Lee Scott production wound up becoming as dope as I would’ve thought.
P.H.D. was a 41 year old MC from Detroit, Michigan who started as 1/2 of Da Bash Brotherz with local MC/producer Foul Mouth. They would put out a mixtape together in the spring of 2010 & Foul would go on to become one of the city’s most in-demand beatsmith as well as co-founding Middle Finger Music with Pat Deegan. P.H.D. however tragically passed away in the spring of 2020 a couple months after the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns began. But when it was announced a week ago that Foul would be joining Jimbo Slice & Pig Pen in producing his posthumous solo debut over here, I knew it was gonna be a genuine thing as opposed to how other posthumous albums get handled these days.
“The Check’s in the Mail” kicks things off with an angelic boom bap beat from Pig Pen & the late Motor City emcee tearing up adversaries from beyond the grave whereas “Time 2 Shine” takes the mellower route thanks to Jimbo Slice talking about how far he had come until his passing. “Beware” works in some organs, kicks & snares continuing to body rappers like it ain’t nothing just before the groovy boom bap infused title track explains the significance of P.H.D.’s moniker.
B-Side comes into the picture for the heartfelt “Gold” so both of them can stay determined leading into “Money, Money, Money” featuring his niece Vae Vanilla finds 2 discussing family affairs over an orchestral boom bap instrumental. “Zoo Gang” featuring Guaranteed pulls from jazz rap this time around doing it big, but then “Psychopath Talking” featuring Dagda & Spit the Supreme Being sees the trio getting aggressive over a darker beat.
“I’m OK” featuring Jake Knew hooks up a vocal sample assuring the ones they love that they’ll be home soon & they’re doing well while “4 MCs, 1 Fam” by Da Bash Brotherz featuring Aztek the Barfly & Joey Beeps gives off a hardcore flare talking about being family. The symphonic “Questions” featuring Drunken calls out someone who was plotting against him from the very start & after the interlude, “MASH Unit” featuring Lee Harvey shoots for a cloudier feeling promising to never entertain their foes again.
To start the final leg of the LP, “Gotta Move On” has to be one of the most introspective moments on the album seeking to stay strong in the end while the soulful “One of Them” vulnerably talking about how he never thought the love of his life would replace him with another man. The penultimate track “I Know” advises to never start a war you can’t finish like Viet Cong over a luxurious boom bap instrumental & “If You See Me, Pt. 2” closes out the posthumous effort with a sick Detroit posse cut.
Back Again was such a solid tape from the beginning of the previous decade & it’s unfortunate that P.H.D. passed away during a scary time even though some look back on it weirdly & understandably so. That being said: I was sure there had to be some music he made before his untimely death & this posthumous debut is a good look as to who he was. The production is remarkable & the features are tight, appropriately telling the story of the Poor, Hungry, Determined.
Corpus Christi rapper, singer/songwriter, producer & director Kevin Abstract back with his 5th solo LP. Making his debut in 2014 in the form of MTV1987, he followed it up 2 years later with the fantastic American Boyfriend: A Suburban Love Story & rose to stardom as the de facto leader of the now defunct BROCKHAMPTON collective the year after. Both of Kevin’s solo efforts since then ARIZONA baby & The Family were solid although I liked the latter more for it’s chipmunk soul heavy sound. However almost a year after BROCKHAMPTON’s disbandment, it seems like Kevin’s going for a new vibe on Blanket.
“When the Rope Post 2 Break” opens the album with some guitar passages from Romil Hemnani whispering to stay put whereas the title track is a mediocre indie rock cut with elements of noise pop & slacker rock which doesn’t sound bad, just feels extremely underwritten. “Running Out” draws inspiration from emo pop & even post-punk revival to not take time for anyone that this point in his life right now that is until “The Greys” comes through with an upbeat jam about not needing the rest of the party.
Meanwhile, “Voyager” goes into a synth-based direction with a bit of a Kanye influence so Kevin can admit that he feels himself growing older for the first time ever just before “Madonna” mixes bedroom pop with indie folk & indietronica singing about rewriting the past & not looking back on it from hereon out. The indie rock infused “Today I Gave Up” doesn’t really need any further explanation with the subject matter, but then “What Should I Do?” gives off a predominant indie pop flare to it talking about telling ghost stories to friends through fences.
After the “Mr. Edwards” interlude, “Scream” singing over a delicate beat to someone that he can only hear through the whispers of the trees while the catchy “Real 2 Me” apologizes for inviting himself & being spellbound by a friend. The stripped-back “Heights, Spiders & the Dark” checks his muses’ world every night to see if they’re alright making him so confused to keep all of them & “My Friend” is an acoustic closer singing that you’ll never understand the way Kevin feels about this individual.
This dude has so much talent & will easily have the biggest solo career out of everyone in the BROCKHAMPTON camp even though I just enjoyed the new Ameerlyn EP Slime in the Ice Machine from last weekend. However, Blanket is a complete stylistic departure from what we got on The Family. Romil’s production is more centered around indie rock & indie pop with elements of bedroom pop & slacker rock as Kevin has more than enough vocal chops to pull it off.
Beverly Hills producer, DJ & rapper The Alchemist coming off his born day over a week ago by dropping his 11th EP & a sequel to the last one Flying High. Beginning as 1/2 of the duo The Whooliganz in 1993 with Scott Caan, they would only disband a year later after recording a debut album that eventually got shelved & Scott went onto acting like his father. Mudfoot on other end quickly established himself as one of the greatest producers in hip hop history with a resume including ranging names from Mobb Deep to even Eminem. But after producing Faith is a Rock for MIKE & Wiki alongside the best album of 2023 Voir Dire by Earl Sweatshirt, it should be known that Uncle Al’s still Flying High.
“Turkish Link” is a full-fledged solo cut to start the EP with Alchemist himself over a jazzy instrumental boasting lyrically whereas “Phil Drummond” featuring Conway the Machine finds the 2 on top of a a murky boom bap beat talking about their current statuses. “Vertigo” featuring Action Bronson takes a groovier approach musically looking to dismantle shot while “Royal Hand” happens to be the grimy, long-awaited reunion of Gangrene after 8 years & they both sound like they never even took a hiatus to begin with. The closer “Paint Different” featuring Curren$y finishes things with 1 last jazz rap cut belittling their competition.
Unlike the last Flying High, we have one of my top 10 producers showcasing his skills on the mic more often in comparison which shouldn’t surprise people since he started out with the late James Caan’s son as a duo of MCs, but a lot of performances on his his producer work are left to the guests & he gels well with them over his own production rooted in his signature hardcore albeit jazzy boom bap sound. Heard he & Hit-Boy are doing an album à la Champion Sound by Jaylib, which is VERY interesting considering “Slipping Into Darkness”.
Majid Jordan is an alternative R&B duo from Toronto, Ontario, Canada consisting of singer Majid Al Maskati & producer Jordan Ullman. Forming in 2011, it wasn’t until a couple years later when 40 signed them to OVO Sound & was featured on their mentor Drake’s hit single “Hold On, We’re Going Home”. Their 2nd EP A Place Like This stands to date as the best project in their catalog, as none of their 3 full-length LPs have been able to reach that caliber generally receiving moderate feedback. However, my curiosity got the best of me & I had to give Good People a shot.
“Tears in Your Eyes” is a smooth soul opener expressing how much he deeply needs this woman in his life whereas “Waiting for You” featuring OVO’s newest recording artist Naomi Sharon mixes alternative R&B with sophisti-pop & some smooth soul undertones as she & Majid both sing about hanging on to love. “Eyes Closed” is really the only song on here I don’t like sounding like Majid’s impersonating Michael Jackson over another smooth soul instrumental just before “Hands Tied” dabbles with new wave & synthpop a bit having an epiphany now that he & his significant other have found each other.
Meanwhile, “Slip” takes a more spacious route to the beat from Jordan as Majid comes clean with this woman to not leave him in doubt leading into the 7-minute “Violet” singing over atmospheric production about growing when their hearts are open. “The Message” goes for a stripped-back approach telling her that all he can offer her belongs to her while the breezy guitar ballad “Cyanide” confesses to this woman that he takes his shy away. The fittingly peaceful closer “Sunset” reminds that being here today & gone tomorrow truly with him it is a tough pill to swallow.
It’s seriously already been a decade since these guys made themselves at home with OVO & as someone who’s been listening to them since that Drizzy single they were featured on, this is the most I’ve enjoyed a whole album from them thus far & it’s the best thing they’ve done since A Place Like This. Jordan Ullman expands beyond the duo’s alternative R&B sound in favor of smooth soul, sophisti-pop, neo soul, new wave & synthpop as Majid Al Maskati assures everyone that solid individuals will be there for you whenever you find it.
Double disc 13th full-length LP from Atlanta, Georgia rapper, songwriter, trap pioneer & actor Jeezy. Emerging in the early 2000s off his full-length debut T.U.I. (Thuggin’ Under the Influence) & the sophomore effort Come Shop wit Me, his biggest breakthrough wouldn’t come until 2004 where he began a partnership with Def Jam Recordings that’s going on strong to this very day & dropped the classic Thug Motivation 101: Let’s Get It the following summer. Subsequent discography highlights would include Thug Motivation 102: The Inspiration, The Recession, Thug Motivation 103: Hustler’z Ambition, Seen It All: The Autobiography & even The Recession 2 that came out the day after his Verzuz battle against longtime rival Gucci Mane during the COVID-19 pandemic. He went back to basics with the help of DJ Drama last fall on his 14th mixtape Snofall & a year later, Jeezy’s departing Def Jam after nearly 2 decades to state that I Might Forgive…But I Don’t Forget.
“I Might Forgive” sets off the 2-disc effort with a triumphant trap instrumental addressing those who say the Snoman fell off & that he needs another hit whereas “My Name” hooks up some melodic background vocals & hi-hits talking about not letting anyone throw dirt on his name hence the title. “No Complaining” gives off a ghostly trap vibe thanks to the J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League & TM88 making it clear that he ain’t buggin’ since he came a long way that is until the orchestral-trap “They Don’t Love Me” produced by ATL Jacob admits he feel like the streets don’t love him anymore.
Moving on from there, “Trust No One” says it all hoping over pianos & hi-hats to declare that he ain’t trusting nobody since everyone out here’s getting killed just before “Sad” brings these unexpected bagpipes into the fold talking about the way his competition is going out. “Couldn’t Lose If I Tried” shows plenty of charisma for 3 minutes flexing that he can’t take no L’s, but then the piano-trap driven “Rewrite History” talks about still celebrating of his victories to this day.
“Never Had a Bad Day in My Life” pretty much says it all as it’s simply a W for him to wake up in the morning over a reversed loop & hi-hats from Cubeatz while “This Too Shall Pass” has this chilling vocal sample throughout providing advise to those that don’t wake up without a bag. “Don’t Deserve Me” gives off an ominous trap flare saying he feels like the rap game don’t deserve him prior to the victorious “If I’m Being Honest” once again talking about how it’s a win he isn’t dead or in jail.
The smooth “Don’t Cheat” has to be the most mature song on the first disc declaring that real ones aren’t unfaithful to their significant others & the soulful “Shine on Me” promising that it’ll be ok in the end. “Keep the Change” ends the first disc of I Might Forgive…But I Don’t Forget on spacious note calling out someone he always thought the best of & how much of a real shame it is. To start the 2nd disc or the But I Don’t Forget half of the album with J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League production top to bottom, “Delusional” is a jazzy start asking why they let the submarine implode.
“Nothin’ to Prove” blends in these horns & hi-hats asking what’s the matter since he ain’t letting them have it their way while the epic trap banger “Titanic” advises that this type of shit isn’t for the weak. “Everything About Me is True” asks what if he told y’all exactly that over a shimmery trap beat while “Expectations” gives of a mystical atmosphere declaring the first mistake is actin’ like you really enemies with him kinda sounding as if he was almost trying to do a 2Pac impression when he said that.
The sample throughout “Claim to Fame” is absolutely stunning explaining that winning, losing & bouncing back is all part of the game while the groovy “What I Gotta Do” talks about how this is a real song as opposed to a chill song oxymoronically. “My Intentions” is more of a slow jam dissing those who be throwing shit his name all day & the spacious trap cut “Never Be a Fan” cutting off those who he ain’t vibing is or even going as far as to telling them the truth if they really don’t know what love is.
“Sade” shows a more sensual side to Jeezy talking about bumping the smooth soul icon & sampling her own music appropriately on top of that, but the cloud rap/trap hybrid “Don’t Let Up” talks about being fucked over as a youth & that it left him with too much trauma. “Since Pac Died” glamorously confesses he hasn’t shed a year since the day 2Pac passed while “Free Champagne” mixes these pianos, guitars & hi-hats declaring a toast to tomorrow. “No Choice” ends the 2-disc full-length by warmly telling y’all to go get it.
I personally like to refer to Jeezy, Gucci Mane & T.I. as the Big 3 trap pioneers & I already went into I Might Forgive…But I Don’t Forget expecting it to be a step above Gucci’s latest double album Breath of Fresh Air from a few weeks ago especially considering that the J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League fully produced disc 2. Sure enough, that’s exactly what we got. The first half of it is cool, but man that 2nd disc joins The Recession 2 & Snofall amongst the best material Jeezy has done this decade. Now let’s see how T.I.’s upcoming double album & supposedly his last Kill the King does.
Queens emcee Lloyd Banks is returning with his 18th mixtape. Gaining notoriety in the 2000s for his witty punchlines along as well as being an original member of G-Unit alongside childhood friends 50 Cent & Tony Yayo, he kept himself busy for a little while after the group’s disbandment in 2015 by releasing A.O.N. 2 (All Or Nothing 2): L.I.U. (Live It Up) & Halloween Havoc 3: 4 Days of Fury just before taking on a 5-year hiatus that really lasted until he received a song placement on the soundtrack for Griselda Records’ theatrical debut Conflicted a year & a half ago along with the whole Course of the Inevitable album trilogy gaining renewed interest in the PLK himself. But 7 years since 4 Days of Furyended the Halloween Havoc trilogy, Lloyd’s resurrecting the series at The 72nd Hr.
“Above the Law” is a boom bap opener with some pianos talking about shocking the world whereas “Convoy” with Haas Almahdi cautions that the southern side of his hometown Queens is loaded with .357 Magnums over a glistening backdrop as well as some kicks & snares of course. “Familiar Scars” works in this appropriately ghostly boom bap beat so he can compare his life to a horror flick leading into the dusty “Speeding Session” talking about seeing the top from where he’s at currently & that they don’t get the vision.
Meanwhile, “Dangerous Minds” gives off an infernal boom bap flare to the instrumental warning that you really don’t wanna take this ride as much as you’d like just before “No Opinions” hooks up a shimmery loop with kicks & snares from Cartune Beatz talking about how there ain’t too many as hot as him demanding his props. “Clubbin’ & Chaos” goes for a sample-based boom bap feeling to it with his eyes never being taken off the prize, but then “Diamond Heist” featuring Vado finds the 2 over a despondent boom bap beat comparing their looks to pulling off the titular crime.
“Trap Dice” flexed that he’s so nice, he gets up when he slips & doubles on top of delicate keys alongside kicks & snares while “Broken Arrows” shoots for a darker atmosphere explaining that he’s just simply tryna breathe. “You Shouldn’t Be Here” has these beautiful orchestral elements throughout letting it be known that you’ll never be able to stick him while the dusty “Roaming Weather” is pretty much an open letter on wax to someone who Banks advises not to be a famous no one since nothing’s wrong with them.
The song “Take Me Under” somberly explains there ain’t no turning back for him until he hits the number while the penultimate track “Bad Advice” featuring Sy Ari da Kid on the hook luxuriously talks about not listening to your friends as their advice is obviously shitty. To end the 4th installment of the Halloween Havoc series, “Condolences” is a grueling closer promising that he’s hitting us at every quarter now refusing to stop.
The Course of the Inevitable 2 & Pieces of My Pain are still both enjoyable, don’t get me wrong on that. With that being said: Halloween Havoc IV: The 72nd Hr is the best thing Lloyd has done since his comeback album over 2 years ago. It’s more toned down with the features & increasingly raw than the trilogy of LPs we were treated to up to this point
Atlanta, Georgia teenage up-&-comer che celebrating Halloween by dropping his 4th EP. Starting as a member of the 4ersona collective under the original moniker murkio before settling on cheRomani+ & later abbreviating it. But it wasn’t until more recently where he decided to build a solo catalog for himself by putting out the debut EP 3 over a year ago & followed it up this past February in the form of X, which was supposed to be the original version of his 3rd EP Closed Captions over the summer which was a solid introduction to who he is artistically & personally. However after dropping 2 singles earlier this month, he’s quickly following up his last EP in the form of Crueger.
“Ok Den” is a futuristic trap opener to the EP produced by CXO flexing that he has fat racks like Pumba whereas “Sayso” likens himself to a demon to his girl with a new Moncler coat for the season over a rage beat. “Busan” mixes elements of pop rap & trap melodically speaking on themes of romance just before the atmospheric “Batman” talks about feeling like the titular DC superhero. To start the 2nd half of the EP, “Gah Damn” dives headfirst back into hypertrap territory threatening that you don’t wanna play games with che since he’ll wet your block up leading into the pluggy “Right Now” singing about his trap falling off so she wants him over quickly. “That’s My Type” gives off a playful atmosphere describing his kind of woman while the dreamy “Badu” comparing his new chick to the neo-soul icon. The closer “Call Me” ends Crueger with 1-last rage beat telling his significant other to call him back.
If anyone came away from Closer Captions impressed as I was earlier this summer, then I’m sure that Crueger would fit well in your Halloween playlist this season. There’s more of a rage influence to the production compared to our introduction to che only a few months ago being based around trap & Chicago drill, but the plugg undertones were quite noticeable & he’s more inspired by Chief Keef. Also, cheRomani himself as a performer is continuing to improve & that goes for his catchy songwriting too.
