Misery Coast – Self-Titled review

Misery Coast is a horrorcore & production duo consisting of Grand Rapids, Michigan rapper, singer/songwriter, producer & Dirtcore Music founder Crossworm and Windsor, Ontario, Canada rapper/producer J Reno. These guys have already been established within the underground wicked shit scene individually for over a decade or 2 already, forming last Christmas after having a couple tracks land on the Dirtcore showcase compilation. Some of the label’s acts had the honor of performing at the Gathering of Legends or the 25th annual Gathering of the Juggalos this summer & with Hallowicked festivities in a few days, Misery Coast’s looking to introduce themselves by releasing a brand new EP.

After the “Coast is Cursed” intro, the first song “Dance with the Devil” begins with a cold-blooded boom bap instrumental talking about sitting beside a fire where the lost souls go whereas “I Fuckin’ Do” takes a rap rock approach to the beat flexing they have the keys to a dead city. “Feed the Fear” talks about death always being nearby no matter how far any one tries to run from it & a haunted heartbeat stealing sleep leading into the “Coast is Clear” interlude.

“Welcome to” starts the 2nd half of the extended play with Crossworm & J Reno by dabbling with trap advising to disregard all the corpses beneath them looking to cause more than simply disorderly conduct while “The Ghost of Who I Used to Be” returns to the boom bap with some sampling talking about seeing part versions of themselves. “Is It Even Halloween?” celebrates the upcoming holiday with a 2 & a half minute wicked shit heater while “1 Last Cloud” finishes by talking about being born with violent cores.

Similarly to what Bodies Below Sea Level did with their eponymous debut album at the very beginning of November immediately following the previous Hallowicked season, it’s Misery Coast turn to properly introduce themselves as a group with a 21 minute EP providing depressive wicked shit for the hopeless & J Reno continuing to bring Crossworm right back to his hip hop roots in time for this weekend.

Score: 4/5

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Jay NiCE & Tha God Fahim – “Dump Gawd: Hyperbolic Time Chamber Rap 17” review

Atlanta, Georgia emcee Jay NiCE & the local Dump Gawd himself Tha God Fahim reuniting for their 3rd 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 was the last time we heard them joining forces & they’re doing it again for the 17th installment.

“At Worst I’m Legend” starts with both of them over a bare soul sample turning their opposition into bloodbaths while “Swift N Effective” by Tha God Fahim soulfully talks about his mind continuously wondering as the cash flow picks up. “Wolves N Sheep” continues the sampling flexing that both of them are the coldest in their respective fields leading into the jazzy “Organize Power” talking about being brutally ruthless.

The song “1,000 Lashes” starts nears the conclusion of Dump Gawd: Hyperbolic Time Chamber Rap 17 by incorporating more vocal chops promising they won’t be granting safe passages just before “Divine Smite” marks Jay NiCE’s final appearance talking about needing sharpness & heart to battle them. “Ruthless Lawbringer” sends off the EP with a 2nd & final solo cut from Fahim advising to look at the bigger picture along with the small details.

Wasn’t expecting to get another collab project out of the Dump Gawd: Hyperbolic Time Chamber Rap saga this quickly let alone a 2nd one with Jay NiCE but since Dump Gawd: Hyperbolic Time Chamber Rap 12 became his & Tha God Fahim’s greatest joint offering yet, you’re probably gonna enjoy the 2nd entry of this ongoing season equally although I prefer the latter. Nicholas Craven’s production is mostly boom bap centered like the predecessor last month was with the exception of the drumless influences being emphasized & the evident chemistry of both lyricists.

Score: 3.5/5

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WowGr8 – “Howl at da Moon” review

WowGr8 is a 35 year old rapper from Atlanta, Georgia notable for being 1/2 of the EARTHGANG with Olu. They would later form the Spillage Village collective together, which J. Cole signing the EARTHGANG as well as J.I.D & the rest of the crew to his Dreamville Records imprint. He also has a solo mixtape & an extended play of his own on SoundCloud at this point, celebrating his birthday weekend by dropping an official solo debut in preparation for his partner-in-rhyme’s Earth 2 Olu.

After the “Red Band Trailer” intro, the first song “Keep It in Da Fam” sets up shop with a soulful trap instrumental talking about people only hating on him & his crew because they’re unstoppable whereas “Dirty Job” featuring Chris Patrick takes a jazzier approach explaining that they’re doing the tough work because someone has to. “Dumbass” dabbles with trap talking about learning the hard way sometimes leading into “Avant Garde” featuring Flvme explaining that they had to switch up their approach.

“Ya Woah” incorporates some sampling to suggest that any children around his vicinity should head home because he’s got a fully loaded clip on him just before “Debo” featuring Bigg Cup & Deante’ Hitchcock homage Tiny Lister’s character from the Friday franchise. Marco+ later joins WowGr8 for 3 minutes of “Pure Debauchery” prior to “Labrador” talking about not being with the back-&-forth shit.

After the “Doc Deescalates” skit, “At the Same Time” featuring Mick Jenkins takes a psychedelic trap turn describing their partners loving & hating them simultaneously while “Right Now” featuring Nicki Jupiter could have my favorite beat on the LP produced by Powers Pleasant, colorfully fuses pop rap with trap soul. “Alley” featuring MediSun embraces a bit of a reggae vibe continuing the themes of romance while “Flamingo” featuring Tonye Ayeba embraces a heavier R&B direction stylistically.

“Too Much Ass” talking about being a young entrepreneur trying to get a check & run a business experimenting with a neo-psychedelic trap sound while “P.N.C. (Post-Nut Clarity)” themed around the idea of being mentally reset after sex could be the most awkward moment on Howl at da Moon coming out the gate with a PornHub intro sample. “Uh Oh” meshes soul & gospel singing about his partner fucking but after the “N***a Pop” interlude, “Meow” featuring Benji makes playful feline references over a funky beat.

Starting the album’s final leg, “The Equation / Chuck Town Freestyle” divides itself in 2 halves with an EDM instrumental during the 1st & spitting off-the-top with a cloudy trap beat backing him during the other while “Swim” featuring Chaz French talks about needing more time & patience. “Throwbike” samples a flit & throws some hi-hats in the equation promising he’ll always give things his all while “Howl at the Moonlight” finishes by talking about everything coming with a price as a part of life.

It’s most likely safe to assume at this point that Earth 2 Olu will be more lenient towards an R&B style based on all 3 singles we’ve gotten from Olu these past 8 months & Howl at da Moon on the contrary stays rooted in hip hop telling the story of WowGr8’s life these past 3 & a half decades. Aside from a few lackluster tracks, I do appreciate him being more vulnerable & dramatic than normally compared to both EARTHGANG & Spillage Village’s own output as their own units.

Score: 3.5/5

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BabyBartier – “Terror” review

This is the 4th EP from Los Angeles, California rapper BabyBartier. Introducing himself to the underground trap scene off his debut EP Baby Blanco earlier this spring followed by Diablo a little over a month later, his popularity would continues to grow in the summer with Awe$ome receiving co-signs from the likes of Internet Money Records founder Taz Taylor along with both of YSL Records’ newest artists 1300SAINT & 9 Vicious although they fell out with one another recently. Almost a week away from Halloween, he’s looking to reek some Terror.

“Grave” starts off by hopping over a cloudy instrumental assuming that he’s suicidal the way his diamonds be cutting his wrists & once “Big Dope” locks in with Patrick Garza to talk about smoking the loudest of loud, the lead single “Marilyn Monroe” produced by Rio Leyva & Vendr reaches the halfway point comparing his girl to the iconic actress & model along with looking to up the score in Los Angeles with his homies beside him.

The 2nd & final single “New Age 2Pac” talks about himself being a madman although it’s titular comparison has become increasingly cliche over time & after “Maybach Minivan” spends the next 90 seconds detailing his lifestyle posting in Malibu on top of a Jwade beat, “Long Time No See” finishes up talking about a woman selling her soul for gold over a Cadeinstrumental.

Looking to get his scare on in preparation for the spookiest time of the year, Terror elevates BabyBartier’s artistry even further with the greatest EP of the 4 that he’s given us in these past 6 months & coming closer to the BabyBoyRecords founder’s full potential being realized. In only 10 minutes, the production is quite stronger than all 3 of its predecessors & the west coast artist lyrically steps his whole game up with ease.

Score: 4/5

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CupcakKe – “The BakKery” review

CupcakKe is a 28 year old rapper & singer/songwriter from Chicago, Illinois releasing her first couple mixtapes Cum Cake & S.T.D (Shelters To Deltas) alongside her full-length debut Audacious almost a decade ago already. Queen Elizabitch, Ephorize & Eden were all welcomed to the same moderate reception as her 2016 material although Dauntless Manifesto last summer showed a lot of growth compared to her earlier output. Roughly 16 months later & she’s pushing herself even further creatively with her 6th album.

“The Silverback Wife” begins with an explosive diss track aimed towards the crowd of people who don’t take her seriously whereas the crunk-inspired “Ballerina Coupe” flexes that she was born legendary. “1 of My Bedbugs Ate My Pussy” blends pop rap, hip house, future house, phonk house, nursery rhymes & ghetto house using shock humor & comedically absurd imagery while “Fist Me” takes her kinkiness to whole new levels over a hip house instrumental.

Meanwhile on “Rubik’s Cube”, we have CupcakKe comparing her heart to the popular 3D combination puzzle & addressing the ongoing Gaza genocide just before “New N***a Now” gives a shout out to the freedom of men suggesting that she doesn’t necessarily needs a guy to start a relationship. “UFO” stylistically gives her flowers to Charli XCX & the late SOPHIE humorously talking about abducting male genitalia leading into the halfway point “Go Get ‘Em” nicknaming bitch ass males The Simpsons after the iconic Fox Corporation’s flagship property’s long-running animated series.

“Moan-a Lisa” begins the 2nd half of The BakKery tour getting goosebumps all over her body simply from her lover while “Akeelah” takes it’s inspiration from the 2006 drama Akeelah & the Bee. The nursery rhyme interpolations that we heard during the single make their way back onto “Snowman” poking fun at a guy who isn’t exactly her type while “Cat in the Hat” does the exact same thing savagely comparing giving a cornball oral to sucking on a cotton swab.

The raunchiness gets turned up during “Rapunzel” talking about pubic hair the entire time while “Alcoholic” describes somebody who’s addicted to getting hammered & CupcakKe pretending to be drunk with them. “Sloppy Joe” winds down the final 6 minutes talking about being taken from the back & “Soccer Mom” finishes by experimenting with afrobeats a little describing a vicious kind of woman who chills on the side for the sole purpose of kickin’ it with the young male she’s been speaking to for a while now.

Dauntless Manifesto‘s secondary influences of Jersey club rap & funk brasileiro are being replaced with elements of hip house, electropop & dance-pop although the hardcore hip hop, pop rap, trap, experimental hip hop & contemporary R&B styles remain in tact all over what could be the most musically bold & hilariously written entry in CupcakKe’s discography so far acknowledging her city’s history of originating house music whilst sharpening her witty pen.

Score: 4/5

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Daniel Caesar – “Son of Spergy” review

Daniel Caesar is a 30 year old singer/songwriter from Oshawa, Ontario, Canada releasing his first few EPs Birds of Paradise as well as Praise Break & Pilgrim’s Paradise followed by his independently released debut Freudian through his own imprint Golden Child Recordings & a moderate sophomore effort Case Study 01 although “Frontal Lobe Muzik” remains a hidden gem. His previous album Never Enough marked his major label debut under Republic Records to widespread acclaim & his 4th studio LP looks to do the same.

Sampha joins Daniel for the gospel intro “Rain Down” asking for God to pour his blessings all over them whereas the singer/songwriter & neo-soul lead single “Have a Baby (With Me)” additionally pulls from smooth soul singing about impregnation. The next single “Call on Me” blends psychedelic neo-soul & indie rock advising to call him if one needs help getting by while “Baby Blue” featuring his father Norwill Simmons sings about his relationship with God.

“Root of All Evil” continues the heavy religious themes referencing 1 Timothy 6:10 just before “Who Knows?” reaches the halfway point singing about feeling like a total coward hiding in a disguise. The final single “Moon / Violence” featuring Bon Iver eclectically pulls from indie folk, psychedelic soul, singer/songwriter, bedroom pop, smooth soul & psychedelic folk asking who’s gonna be their Jesus while the bedroom pop inspired “Touching God” confesses to the feeling of worthlessness without the fame.

Nearing Son of Spergy‘s conclusion, Sign of the Times” sings that he’s stronger now than he ever was & remembering Frank Ocean’s brother Ryan Breaux who lost his life in a car accident while “Emily’s Song” dedicates itself to his ex-girlfriend that he was seeing in the late 2010s thanking her for helping him see clearer. “No More Loving (On Women I Don’t Love)” feels more like a 646yf4t track since his brother’s taking up a good chunk of it vocally contradicting the “Who Knows?” outro & “Sins of the Father” featuring Bon Iver closes Daniel’s 2nd major label project with a 2-parter singing about his relationship with his biological father & God.

Inspired by a reconciliation between himself & his own parents, Daniel Caesar embraces a prominent singer/songwriter & bedroom pop direction compared to Never Enough‘s heavy lenience towards contemporary R&B & neo-soul resulting in his most stripped-back body of work. You’re still getting hints of those previously mentioned styles to a lesser extent on Son of Purgy & it’s predecessor’s psychedelic/smooth soul undertones, but the alternative R&B elements get phased out in favor of indie folk & gospel tackling themes of masculinity along with faith & self-importance.

Score: 4/5

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Hannah Jadagu – “Describe” review

Hannah Jadagu is 23 year old indie/bedroom pop artist from Mesquite, Texas introducing herself in the spring of 2021 by signing to Sub Pop Records & putting out her debut EP What’s Going On? to moderate reception followed by the full-length studio debut Aperture roughly 25 months later, receiving more favorable feedback. Teasing a return during the summer, she’s coming off 4 teasers with her official sophomore effort a couple weeks succeeding Flock of Dimes’ greatest album The Life You Save.

The alt-pop title track & final single begins with Hannah singing about trying her best to be the one who never leaves your mind whereas the 3rd single “Gimme Time” blends bedroom pop & indie rock to tackle the struggles of self-discovery & personal growth in a relationship. “More” sings about the emotional toll being physically distant from a lover takes on their relationship over a a dream pop instrumental just before “D.I.A.A. (Do It All Again)” tackles self-reflection & personal growth.

“Perfect” embraces a bedroom pop vibe assuring her lover that their relationship doesn’t have to be exactly flawless prior to the lead single “My Love” combining indie rock, dream pop & shoegaze to sing about the feelings that can arise when you’re apart from someone you love. “Couldn’t Call” begins the 2nd half with what feels like a repetitively penned a cappella interlude while “Tell Me That!!!” sings that she wants to be told that he really want her to be his now.

Starting the concluding act of the LP, we have Hannah fusing bedroom & alt-pop with breakbeat during the 4th single “Normal Today” feeling distracted by a loved one while the 2nd single “Doing Now” swaps out the alt-pop & breakbeat elements in favor of indie rock sings about reluctancy. “Miracles” continues the final moments by expressing her belief in wonders & the closer “Bergamont” sings about the bittersweetness of a love that has since faded away.

Spending a lot of the time trying to figure out how to express ideas that aren’t always so concrete & searching is for the words to describe the truth on Hannah Jadagu’s terms whilst relishing in the uncertainty in that journey, Describe embraces an expansive shift toward a heavier alt-pop & bedroom pop sound compared to prominently indie/dream stylings of her debut although the dream pop influences are being used to a lesser extent & the indie rock undertones of Aperture are being maintained well enough too conceptually based on her learning the hard way that distance is relative.

Score: 3.5/5

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BNYX – “Loading…” review

BNYX is a 30 year old producer, songwriter & occasional rapper from Upper Darby Township, Pennsylvania mentored by Jean Baptiste & joining the Working on Dying production team known for pioneering tread music. He’s also known for being an extensive collaborator of Yeat, signing to the latter’s Lyfestyle Corporation imprint under Field Trip Recordings & Capitol Records distributed by Universal Music Group. In preparation for his upcoming full-length solo debut Genesis FM, he’s dropping off a taste of what’s to come with a debut EP.

“Room of Smiles” by Dayne Jordan & UHMEER co-produced by BNYX’s brother BEAUTIFULMVN begins by talking about meeting a woman who happens to be incredibly fashionable & once the sample drill-influenced “Telepathy Love” by Clara La San describes a kind of love that feels telepathic hence the title, “Interstellar” by George Clanton & Jahvor finds the pair talking about a man & a woman being unified by yearning for one another.

Fortunately the 2nd half is where things start to pick up, with Johnny Yukon delivering an alternative R&B banger called “Water” hoping the door’s open when comes back once he picks up motion while my favorite track “Proud of Me” by Earl Sweatshirt talks about hoping his mother Cheryl Harris is happy for him, which meant a lot as someone who was around during the Odd Future era in light of Twitter trying to cancel Tyler, The Creator. As for the closer “Switch It” by Yeat & Zukenee, both of them unite for an outro staying more dangerous than ever.

Some of you may remember that I praised BNYX near the end of 2023 as the best mainstream producer of that year & as happy as I am for him getting a label dark, his inaugural EP preluding his upcoming debut LP gives the impression that it could be average at best. I don’t have any complaints in terms of the trap, cloud rap, pop rap & rage production. However, my biggest criticism regarding Loading… is easily the consistency amongst the guest performers & sometimes that tends to be the case with producer albums.

Score: 3/5

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KanKan – “F.E.B. (FUK EVRY BDY)” review

Finally getting the 3rd studio LP from Dallas, Texas recording artist & producer KanKan. Emerging in 2019 as a member of Slayworld & by landing production credits for a wide range of artists from Summrs to even Little Pimp, he’s also dropped an eponymous debut mixtape as well as 21 EPs & a couple full-lengths. Although it’s already been a few years since we last heard from Kan, he’s returning over 25 months following his sophomore effort Way2Geeked by releasing F.E.B. (FUK EVRY BDY) only less than 24 hours since it was even announced.

“Fuk What U Sayin’” begins the comeback with a plugg instrumental talking about the old version of him being history whereas “Make No Sense” flexes that he counts racks & hits the border immediately after. “All Typa Shit” has one of my favorite beats on the entire album talking about luxurious materials just before the exuberant “Thru da Storm” floors it when everyone chooses to take off.

As for “Redeye Flight”, we have Kan talking about spraying mags & having a brand new stash while “Group Home” boasts that he counts new money on a daily basis like it’s some kind of cycle. “3Skii” goes for a more sinister atmosphere carrying ice around his neck & his cup after being away for so long while “Overtime” tells the coach to put him in the game since it’s going past regulation.

“Told” continues to finish up the first half of F.E.B. (FUK EVRY BDY) with some synthesizers talking about him keeping everything P while “Fuk How They Feel” accidentally spills lean all over his Rick Owens jeans, raising his prices as a result of the whole mishap. “It Get Scary” talks about having absolutely 0 love for the other side leading into “Yellow Taped” boasting that he & his friends have made millions with one another.

Moving on from there, “Real Solja” talks about only poppin’ out for a check & whacking artists instead of trying to collaborate with them while “Wet ‘Em Up” flexes that he’s so high in the sky the point where he’s gonna have to need a parachute. “BMG (Long Live Scooter)” gives his flowers to the late Young Scooter who tragically lost his life on his birthday this spring while “Ain’t No Turnin’ Back” refuses to waste any more of his time.

“Can’t Wait Up” talks about his big dog status with new money coming at an impressively consistent rate while the pluggnb-driven “Bringin’ Me Back” tackles the concept of drug addiction, always relapsing whenever he attempts at kickin’ the habit. “Can’t Go Back” finds himself unwilling to climb back at the top since it can be lonely at times while “So Many Nights” talks about having dreams of his death.

The song “Outta Town” gets ready to conclude F.E.B. (FUK EVRY BDY) by leaving the city with a freak hoe getting geeked up with one another while “All Black” talks about his outfit preferences treating the Wock like it’s some kind of trophy. “RR P.R.E.” featuring Summrs however reunites both Slayworld alumni to finish things off calling for all their homies who’re locked behind bars at the moment slidin’ to the function with black trucks & masks up.

Some of you may remember me condemning the series of transphobic disses Dave Blunts hurled towards KanKan’s way during the same weekend as the Endeavor-owned TKO Group Holdings division WWE’s WrestleMania XLI when You Can’t Say That was released & to the surprise of absolutely nobody, F.E.B. (FUK EVRY BDY) clears it by taking it back to the prominently heavy plugg leanings of self-titled down to it’s secondary influences of cloud rap & trap.

Score: 4/5

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Slaine – “A New State of Grace” review

Boston, Massachusetts veteran Slaine has returned with his 6th LP. Most notable for being a member of La Coka Nostra, he released an EP & a total of 4 mixtapes before coming through with his debut album A World with No Skies in 2011 under Suburban Noize Records. This was followed up with The Boston Project in 2013 as well as The King of Everything the year after that, but the man went took a 3-year hiatus following the release of the Slaine is Dead EP in 2016 & returned by dropping the mature 1 Day in 2019. It’s been a while since The Things We Can’t Forgive, but he’s locking in with Statik Selektah to enter A New State of Grace.

The title track opens up by jumping over some synthesizers & a vocal sample talking about going places there usually isn’t any coming back from whereas “Cancel Culture” by La Coka Nostra tackles that very subject on top of a boom bap instrumental. “Listen Up” meshes these quirky synths with kicks & snares for a b-boy anthem just before “Ambition of the Crown” featuring Millyz talks about playing with fire being a dangerous thing when aiming at the king.

“It’s All Good” continues with an apology for someone he hurt whilst thanking them for being a true friend of his while “Ain’t Been the Same” talks about waking up saying hello to his new life & adios to his old one. “Coka Grillz” by La Coka Nostra featuring Paul Wall was a great single with everyone spraying lyrical bullets at those looking to battle them while “Crumbled God” featuring Rasheed Chappell & 1982 takes a more conscious approach topically.

“The Real Shit” featuring Masta Ace & O.C. starts A New State of Grace’s final leg with the trio over a piano-tinged boom bap instrumental talking about times eternally changing while “Gusto” featuring O.T. the Real & Statik KXNG samples “In Memory Of…” by Gang Starr to see who can spit the illest verse. “World Don’t Stop” concludes with a heartfelt outro talking about the future making sense in hindsight.

Capturing the energy of A State of Grace original whilst carrying the weight as well as the wisdom & scars of everything that’s happened since, A New State of Grace seems like a homecoming of sorts regarding Slaine & Statik Selektah’s friendship dating back 2 decade. From the latter’s signature boom bap sound to the sharp lyricism balancing bravado with the maturity of 1 Day & The Things We Can’t Forgive, the sequel to Slaine’s most beloved tape raises the bar both it’s predecessors have set in the late 2010s/early 2020s.

Score: 4.5/5

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