Here is the 5th EP from Compton, California emcee, songwriter & producer Jason Martin. Originally known as Problem, he would go on to release over a dozen mixtapes as well as 4 full-length studio albums & 4 EPs. Can’t forget to mention both collaborative efforts DJ Quik, the first being Rosecrans back in 2017 & the follow-up Chupacabra days before Kendrick Lamar’s now historic 1-off Pop Out concert at the Kia Forum. 52 weeks since Repack produced by Mike & Keys, they’re heading to the Mafia Cafe merely 6 weeks following A Hit Dog Gon Holla.
“I Can’t Tell” sets the tone with a drumlessly jazzy instrumental reversing his opposition’s plays whereas “When Will They Learn?” & after “Check It Out” skit embraces a chipmunk soul vibe talking about being in Jamaica backflipping off yachts. “Expensive Rentals” brings back the jazz reminding that Coffee & Kush are great for the mental just before the soulful “Choices” hones in on Jason’s storytelling abilities, portraying a conversation taking place over the phone.
We get some jazzy horns during “Black Entertainment” breaking down the industry as a whole leading into “Cafalonia” drumlessly wittily talks about sipping a latte smoother than Sade’s music. “Pity the Fools” soulfully references WWE Hall of Famer Mr. T & after the hilarious “Akademiks Finally Says Something Worth Listening To” skit, “Tricky Times” jazzily speaks of some harsh realities despite the fact that he got to “Stay Fresh Through It All”.
Not even a couple months since A Hit Dog Gonna Holla & the 3rd extended play from Jason Martin within an entire year quickly surpasses the one that recently came out earlier this fall. Mike & Keys’ production on this one is more sample heavy than it was last time, chopping up records from the jazz & soul genres to provide Jason more than enough space for him to step up his pen-game.
This is the 4th studio LP from Inglewood, California emcee & songwriter Domo Genesis. Starting in mid-2009 as a member of the now defunct Odd Future collective, he’s gone on to give us 3 full-lengths accompanied by 4 mixtapes & an EP excluding the Facade Records trilogy within the last dozen years, my personal favorites of which being his debut mixtape Rolling Papers, The Alchemist-produced 3rd mixtape No Idols, the Evidence-produced debut EP Aren’t U Glad You’re U? and sophomore effort Intros, Outros & Interludes. Doms’ last album What You Don’t Get!? produced by Graymatter had a more drumless sound & coming off World Gone Mad this summer, they’re advising any & all competition to Scram!.
“Sheddingweight” begins with a delicately drumless beat talking about being paid in pounds & not needing any extra baggage whereas “Makemealilmoney” takes an orchestral route instrumentally looking to get paid. “Goodgracious” talks about time waving the long hand wondering how fast it’ll prior to “Clocking2u” featuring Evidence bodying a bare sample together.
Moving on from there, “Money” discusses the most important thing that builds his ego with a more suspenseful sound just before the calming “Dedication” talks about always staying on his feet even when he’s sleeping. “Kurtrambis” kicks off the 2nd half reminding that he’s been running up numbers & others being too afraid to call it the way it is while “Deyknow” talks about the pedigree being stronger than the complication.
“Plainface” brings some synths into the fold speaking of those trying to use his likeness while the heavenly “Tiresmoke” talks about letting bullshit breathe instead of drawing guns. “Buenosnachos” chops up a soul sample to advise that his latest efforts aren’t a tone else’s honors while “Everythingimnot” featuring 3wayslim talks about changing in many ways. “Pray4u” wraps things up with a message to a person he loves more than himself.
Finally accepting himself at face value, Scram! sorta feels like everything that makes Domo Genesis who he is combined into 1. Graymatter’s production more soulful than What You Don’t Get?! & World Gone Mad were, both guests were refreshing to hear as much as I enjoyed both predecessors for holding the fort individually & Doms pens what could very likely be the most abstract lyrics of his entire career accepting himself at face value.
Port Arthur, Texas emcee & entrepreneur Bun B returning for his 7th studio LP. Coming up as 1/2 of the iconic duo UGK over 3 decade ago, he eventually released his solo debut Trill in the fall of 2005 & & began focusing towards his solo career a few months after UGK’s self-titled double album when his cohort Pimp C passed away. Bun went on to release 5 more albums, with the last one being the Cory Mo-produced Mo Trill & to which Way Mo Trill serves as an official sequel to ahead of it’s predecessor turning 4 in a few months.
“There He Go” featuring 8Ball & MJG starts with them forever staying on the grind every minute & every hour whereas the final single “Everywhere We Go” by UGK featuring Juicy J & Project Pat talks about representing the south regardless of where they’re at. “Better Believe It” featuring LaRussell co-produced by DJ Toomp pulls from gospel a bit flexing that they’re back bigger & better while “I Can’t Lie” featuring Monaleo & Scotty ATL after the “Queenie Keeping It Trill 2” skit finds the trio talking about not letting hoes ride with Ray Murray of Organized Noize handling co-production.
Killa Kyleon & Young Dro appear for the soulful lead single “Can’t Stop My Hustle” refusing to pump the brakes in terms of hustling while “Down in the South” featuring Akeem Ali & 24hrs talks about bumping country rap tunes in the ride driving around the city. Woodie Woo joins Bun in clarifying that they’re “Still Outside” & after “N****s Ain’t Right” featuring Z-Ro calls out the frauds, Jay Worthy alongside Legendary Baller & Scar get together with Bun to “Put You on Game”.
Starting the deluxe run, “Be About Some Bread” featuring Talib Kweli joins forces over sample-based trap instrumental advising to get the fuck out the game if you don’t even know how to play it when they’re absolutely correct about it while the final bonus track “Fight Music” featuring Grafh & Termanology finishes up with all 3 of them over some horns & hi-hats for a song either the WWE or the UFC divisions of the Endeavor-owned TKO Group Holdings would include in a future video game soundtrack.
Unfortunately as much as I enjoyed Mo Trill for it’s demonstration of Bun B & Cory Mo’s artistic chemistry approximately 3 & a half years earlier, I wouldn’t consider the sequel to be on par with the predecessor even though I’m very much torn coming away from it. Not because of Cory’s dirty south/trap production or the killer lyricism from the founder of II Trill Enterprises & Trill Burgers, but mainly due to the opinion that the list of guests subtly tones down in consistency.
Brand new EP & the 5th overall from Atlanta, Georgia rapper/producer Zukenee. Starting in the spring of 2021 off his debut EP Undiscovered, he would continue to make a name for himself in the underground by putting out a couple more EPs in Castle & Playful alongside the debut mixtape Stop Playing last summer. Subsequent exclusive singles like “OJAYS” & “Chest” would later become amongst his best singles since both of them were released in the span of a year & a half until Player Slayer came last spring. Cade was brought in to produce Guillotine the previous summer, coming off Birth of St. Slay from last Halloween with Slaytanic & starting November by getting ready for the Knight Shift.
“Ballroom” produced by Cade works in some strings to talk about going fit-for-fit because his closet got attitude whereas “Kino Der Toten” uniquely blends plugg & horrorcore boasting that his diamonds colder than the home state of WWE Hall of Famer Jesse Ventura, who was referenced on the groundbreaking [adult swim] hit series Smiling Friends last month. “Public” talks about being the homage everyone’s been paying over a Cardo instrumental while “WYD?” gets geeked up to watch the Warner Bros. subsidiary HBO-owned Game of Thrones.
Reaching the halfway point, “Skip Rocks” moves things forward with an upbeat vibe talking about not going back to the way things were prior to his popularity increasing just before “Aimy” joyously boasts that he’s higher than the mountains & staying extra clean despite his southern roots. “Nametag” wasn’t a bad attempt at Zuwop self-producing however, talking about his girl fucking him like a king & shutting down traffic when pulling up to the spot.
“Pop Shit / White Beater” starts the last moments of the Knight Shift with an accordion-heavy trap/pop rap song making an OnlyFans hoe into his 1 & only while the piano-tinged “Nobody” talks about carrying swords & sticks beside him due to him growing up roughly. As for the outro “Ribbon”, we’re treated to the Atlanta rapper boasting his new racks & his new bitch over some rage beats.
Birth of St. Slay marked the beginning of Zukenee fusing trap & crunk together although Slaytanic removed the Chicago drill & pop rap influences to give his dirty south origins a chance to shine, which Knight Shift eventually swaps out for his plugg & experimental hip hop in preparation of an eagerly awaited body of work called Zudo entirely produced by Cardo for those who couldn’t tell.
Phoenix, Arizona singer/songwriter of Sudanese-Ethiopian descent Alemeda returning for her 2nd EP. Appearing on the Hit-Boy produced highlight “Fallacy” off Ab-Soul’s 5th album Herbert at the end of 2022, she would eventually sign to Top Dawg Entertainment under an exclusive distribution deal with Warner Records for a positively received pop rock/bedroom pop debut EP Fuck It last fall. 14 months have passed & she’s looking to further her establish her by releasing But What the Hell Do I Know?.
Things begin with the pop rock intro “Happy with You” singing about being in disbelief that she can feel contented by a romantic figure whereas “Beat a Bitch Up!” featuring Doechii fuses alternative rock, post-punk revival, indie rock, pop rap, pop punk & shoegaze for a ventilation of resorting to physical violence. “Losing Myself” sings about feeling like she’s falling into a metaphorical abyss while the indie/pop rock & bedroom pop lead single “Chameleon” featuring Rachel Chinouriri cautions that karma’s coming to manipulators.
“1-800-FUCK-YOU” starts the 2nd half of But What the Hell Do I Know? with a pop rock/post-punk revival single confidently standing up to any bullshit hurled at her while the self-produced “Stupid Little Bitch” asks why she wastes her days crying over someone in her life worth deeming that very title. “I’m Over It” lately sends off the EP with 1 more pop rock track singing about how things started in this relationship she’s describing wound up being the same way things were lost, being on the verge of giving up trying to fix it.
Expanding the predominant pop rock & bedroom pop sounds of Fuck It almost 14 months ago including it’s secondary post-punk revival influences, Alemeda comes to the realization that she didn’t know everything like she always thought & takes a more vulnerable approach than she did on But What Do I Know?’s predecessor. Her whole entire style that makes her differ from her labelmates is being distilled right in front of us for 17 minutes additionally pulling from alternative rock, indie rock, pop rap, pop punk & shoegaze.
Insecure Men is a neo-psychedelia duo from London, England, United Kingdom consisting of bassist Ben Romans-Hopcraft & vocalist/guitarist Saul Adamczewski. Originally a trio with Nathan Saoudi, they would go on to sign to Fat Possum Records & made their eponymous full-length studio debut in 2018 establishing themselves in the windmill scene by additionally pulling from psychedelic hypnagogic pop, returning for a sophomore effort after almost 8 years since properly introducing themselves.
The psychedelic pop intro “Love Again” sings about the horizons not always signify a new beginning whereas the 3rd & final single “Cleaning Bricks” takes inspiration from an old job they had. “Krab” feels like somewhat of a spiritual successor to “The Drones” by The Fat White Family left off their 2016 sophomore effort Songs for Our Mothers while the 2nd single “Time’s a Healer” sings about a hallucinatory narcotic dream that occurred this summer to conclude the 1st act.
“Tulse Hill Station” starts the 2nd half with an ode to the London railway station of the same name prior to the lead single “Alien” comes across as being envious that the woman of interest is seeing other dudes & feels like he’s a complete outsider to her. “Butter” asks what’s left for a person who lost their dream summer job while “Graveyard (Of Our Love)” sings about a relationship that didn’t last & the protagonist hoping he isn’t as stupid as he was. “Weak” concludes the LP with a folkier note pleading to have a hole drank inside their heads due to feebleness.
Focusing less around the hypnagogic pop elements of self-titled, A Man for All Seasons conceptually builds itself around Saul Adamczewski’s hospitalization for severe psychosis & opioid addiction sparking an entire artistic rebirth that includes 2 more albums exploring country & dub music to the fullest extent. The neo-psychedelic pop production of Insecure Men’s debut has matured greatly in the last 7 years since we’ve heard them together exemplified by some of the indie folk elements, taking a more confessionally escapist approach to the lyrics.
Aaron Parks is a 42 year old pianist from Seattle, Washington making his debut in the late 90s, putting out 4 full-lengths as a leader until making his Blue Note Records solo debut the following decade with his magnum opus Invisible Cinema. He would go on to put out 9 more LPs until returning to Blue Note last summer for the final chapter of the Little Big trilogy, which marked my personal favorite installment of the 3 & his 16th album has arrived 13 months since coming back to the greatest jazz label.
“A Way” starts us off bringing bassist Ben Street, tenor saxophonist Ben Solomon & drummer Billy Hart all on board for a post-bop intro whereas the lead single “Parks Lope” shows a bit of a John Coltrane influence bringing a bluesier vibe for only a minute shorter than the opener. The 2nd single “For Maria José” serves as a compositional love letter to Aaron‘s wife that she’s surely adore prior to “Dense Phantasy” pulling inspiration from the late Bill Evans.
The song “Anywhere Together” begins the 2nd half of By Any Means!! with a post-bop jam reminiscent of the late Wayne Shorter’s early output (Juju & See No Evil in particular) while “Little River” publicly expresses the love he has for his son Lucas during the 3rd & final single. Of course I can’t for get to mention “Raincoat”, which so ends the last 6 & a half minutes on a succulent note colliding the piano & tenor sax with some cymbals.
Distancing himself from the jazz fusions that’ve defined a great deal of his output since the late 2010s or so, Aaron Parks reunites the very same trio who brought us Find the Way to embrace a rootsier post-bop approach throughout By Any Means!! as opposed to Invisible Cinema’s lenience towards the ECM style. It may even be his greatest musical statement of his career, celebrating his family & the traditions of jazz music as a whole.
Charlotte, North Carolina recording artist BigBabyGucci finally releasing his 3rd mixtape. Starting almost a decade ago off his debut EP ART HOE Collection, he would continue to build a name for himself by putting out 19 more EPs as well as 6 full-lengths & his last couple tapes along the way. When U Wake Up, When You Go to Sleep, Baby 5 & the heavily alternative ANTI have all become his strongest material of this decade although I can’t the same for Isolation 2.5 a month after the latter. Internet Explorer was a fun redemption for himself & 5 months later, And When I’m Alone looks to keep his foot on the necks of his competition.
“Geeski” opens with an industrial hip hop intro talking about not knowing who the fuck he is anymore after coppin’ Plain Jane whereas “Earth” carries over the industrial vibes immensely sticking to the point because he can’t switch up on himself. “Life of the Party” instrumentally feels reminiscent of Indicud down to the utilization of auto-tuned vocals talking about being sociably lively while “Always Sunny” hopes his girl gives him another chance.
Austin Skinner makes the 1st of 2 guest appearances on “Pipe Down” talking about life seeming like a dream to them whenever they’re high just before “Blue in the Mouth” embraces a rage-inducing atmosphere flexing that his trap’s so crazy that he had to open up his own store. “Gangy” confesses that he isn’t trying to get out of his element anytime soon since he’s not in the usual mood leading into the 808s & Heartbreak-inspired “How Many Shots?” talks about puttin’ muhfuckas back in place.
“Talk to Me” hooks up some sampling chops boasting that a baddie has been watching him shine out here & trying to shoot her shot with him while “Smoke Break” appropriately embraces a slower direction in sound to kick off the 2nd half talking about getting high. “777 Angel Business” featuring Austin Skinner pulls from industrial hip hop once again dripped up in camo ア・ベイシング・エイプ until singing over some synthesizers that his girl wants to meet “By the Lake”.
Moving on from there, “In Sync” distortedly suggesting he better be cautious of how things are becoming all bad while “Death Note” talks about leaving anyone who pulls up on him resting with the dead. “Toonami” co-produced by Nico Baran of Internet Money Records gets reminiscent of the days watching the titular [adult swim] block of the Discovery Global subsidiary Cartoon Network while “Deep Dive” (3AM at Isabelles)” talks about the real ones always shining in the dark.
“No Molly” starts the final leg of & When I’m Alone running up his bands since he’s been grindin’ like the rent’s due while “All Me” talks about a lot being on his mind to the point where sometimes he wishes he’d pass away in his sleep, to which I say God forbid anything like that happens. “Saint Laurent Don” featuring Alois sends off BBG’s 2nd solo effort of 2025 with an outro reminiscent of the pairing’s collab EP Pastel earlier this spring while “Percs & LSD” begins the deluxe run talking about tripping off those 2 drugs specifically.
Hearing an excerpt of Malcolm X’s historic “Who Taught You to Hate Yourself?” speech sampled at the beginning of “Pray for Me” was dope confidently ready to hit a new level while “Passenger” talks about being untouchable. “Chasing the Moon” confesses to getting high because he doesn’t like the way he feels sometimes while “Cherry Red Seats” talks about being more toxic than he is lit. The final bonus track “Fear the Enemy” officially concludes with him responding to those claiming he peaked by keeping his mouth shut.
In preparation of House of Mirrors and Soda & Syrup 2 both coming within the next 52 weeks, & When I’m Alone embodies the blend of pop rap & trap that has made BigBabyGucci stick out for almost a decade. Coming off the heels of bbno$ biting him or most notably Drake on the Pusha T sneak diss “That’s Just How I Feel” off Drizzy’s upcoming 9th album Iceman, the North Carolina rapper/producer sticks to his guns except it’s more influenced by both members of KIDS SEE GHOSTS.
Atlanta, Georgia emcee Jay NiCE & the local Dump Gawd himself Tha God Fahim are back for their 5th collaborative EP. Both of whom have worked with each other countless times in the past several years, teaming up for the collab album Strictly 4 My D.U.M.P.E.R.Z. during the spring of 2018 & the Bloodspiller EP almost 3 years ago. Dump Gawd: Hyperbolic Time Chamber Rap 12 produced by Nicholas Craven became their greatest joint offering yet, coming off the 17th & 18th chapters to run it back for the 20th.
“Panamera” soulfully sets the tone with both of them talking about their flows leading to streams & income whereas “The Yolk” takes a funkier approach instrumentally bodying MCs in a gruesome manner. “Take It on the Chin” calls out those with phony actin’ over some pianos just before the colorful “Destruction Ability” discusses the crowd of people shittin’ on their consistency.
The song “Abandon Ship” counts down Dump Gawd: Hyperbolic Time Chamber Rap 20’s last 6 minutes or so with a soul sample talking about thriving in their current positions while “Deadlifts” hops on top of a flute to brag that nobody can do it hotter than them. “Cold Steel” finishes up the EP using some sampling techniques 1 last time talking about their cosmic influence.
5 episodes deep into season 2 of the Dump Gawd: Hyperbolic Time Chamber Rap saga, 60% of them including this latest entry have all been collaborations with Jay NiCE except this one might be the best since 12 when speaking of his & Tha God Fahim’s shared output. Of course you can’t go wrong with Nicholas Craven’s production, but both southern hip hop artists that’re on the mic together step up their chemistry compared 17 & 18.
Isn’t too surprising the 66th EP from Atlanta, Georgia emcee/producer Tha God Fahim would arrive on Halloween. 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. Lethal Weapon 4 produced by Drega33 was the last time we heard Fahim on his own, making Dump Gawd: Hyperbolic Time Chamber Rap 19 the first since the season 2 premiere to be a solo effort.
“Not Ez” featuring Jay NiCE cautions that going against them will only backfire over a chipmunk soul instrumental whereas “Take the High Road” also featuring Jay NiCE works in some pianos to talk about being the new rulers of the game. “Grimsong” featuring Jay NiCE references WWE Hall of Famer Mike Tyson’s coke addiction prior to “Enchanted” setting the tone for the rest of the EP talking about immature styles not being a fraction of his power.
The song “Hexproof” nears Dump Gawd: Hyperbolic Time Chamber Rap 19’s conclusion cautioning not to ignore the factual combat found when dissecting tracks while “Mill 2” soulfully talks about this ongoing saga only being the tip of the iceberg as far as he’s concerned. “How Does It Feel?” finishes the EP by using some sampling technique a 1 last time looking to make a great impression whenever hits the stage.
Not too surprised that Jay NiCE appears during the 1st half or so of Dump Gawd: Hyperbolic Time Chamber Rap 19, but I could definitely say that this is the most that I’ve enjoyed an entry from the series ever since season 2 began over 4 weeks earlier. The production is prominently more drumless than Tha God Fahim’s last couple collaborative extended plays with the NiCEst of Immobilaire making boom bap a secondary influence & getting more abstract lyrically.
Legends Will Never Die 