Ransom & Rome Streetz – “Coup de Grâce” review

This is the brand new collaborative effort from Ransom & Rome Streetz. One is a TCF Music Group affiliate out of Jersey City & the other being a New Yorker who rightfully earned his spot as one of the latest signees to the hottest label in the world right now: Griselda Records. Both wordsmiths have come together in the past before like “Blackwater” & “Sage or Gunsmoke” off both their latest albums Heavy’s the Head & Razor’s Edge respectively, but have come together to take things to new heights in the form of Coup de Grâce.

“No Remorse” is a symphonic opener about them giving a fuck less whereas the boom bap-tinged “All I Know” speaks on moving a different kind of dope these days. “Rooftop Sermons” brings back the strings with the help of V Don declaring themselves as hood preachers just before “Claudine” with Che Noir vividly details the story of a drug fiend of the same name & eventually tying into the “Fairwells” interlude.

Meanwhile on the Lord Sear-produced “Pray for the Weak”, we have The Game joining Ransom & Rome to provide some rich food for the soul leading into them talking about making it out the mud for “Jet Fuel” with a keyboard instrumental from Animoss. The soul sample “Silent Murders” is entrancing with the duo rightfully boasting about how nice they are while the dusty “Dark Love” gets in their battle bag.

The penultimate track “Bandoleros” with Lou form Paradise & Tyrant weaves in a chilling sample from Nicholas Craven as the quartet compare themselves to that of bandits while l “Death Becomes Life” ends it all with some organ harmonies getting on that motivational tip.

Both of these dudes have been putting out their best work all year & you can absolutely add Coup de Grâce onto the list. They have a unique chemistry together, the production is gritty as expected & most importantly: it’s an absolute bar-fest from start to finish.

Score: 4.5/5

Big Sean – “What You Expect?” review

This is the debut EP from Detroit rapper & singer/songwriter Big Sean. Coming up as a protege of Chicago icon Kanye West & signing to his Def Jam Recordings imprint G.O.O.D. Music, he generated some buzz in the late 2000s by dropping the Finally Famous mixtape trilogy, but it wouldn’t be until 2011 when his profile significantly increased when Sean dropped a 4th installment as his full-length debut. This was followed up the next year with the highly acclaimed Detroit mixtape & then a sophomore album the year after that entitled Hall of Fame. However, his next 2 full-lengths Dark Sky Paradise & I Decided. were both mediocre in comparison to all those past efforts. Now the last time Big Sean dropped a project was in late 2017 with Double or Nothing which had INCREDIBLE production from Metro Boomin’ top to bottom, but Sean himself was SEVERELY lacking. He just fulfilled his G.O.O.D. contract last fall by dropping the surprisingly mature Detroit II & is re-enlisting Hit-Boy for What You Expect?, except he’s actually producing the whole thing rather than overseeing it.

“Chaos” is a shrilling yet triumphant opener co-produced by Rogét Chahayed about catching them Ws whereas “Into It” follows it up with an airy backdrop & some fast-paced snares boasting. “The One” appropriately samples the SWV joint “You’re the One” admitting he doesn’t know what it’s like for girls to not want him while the song “Loyal to a Fault” with Bryson Tiller & Lil Durk vibrantly speaks on betrayal. The penultimate track “Offense” with Babyface Ray & 42 Dugg finds the trio on their Detroit trap shit talking about being on top, but then “What a Life” ends the EP by picking up where the previous joint left off sonically & recapping on his life up to this point.

If you enjoy Detroit II like I did, then you’re gonna love What You Expect? just as much if not even more because dude is continuing to impress me more & more as of late. Sean’s songwriting is continuing to level up at an unbelievable rate & Hit-Boy’s production suits him like it did Nas on his last 2 albums.

Score: 3.5/5

Omar R.A.P.P.$. – “Holding My Composure” review

Omar R.A.P.P.$. is an up-&-coming MC from Chicago, Illinois who’s been dropping a handful of singles for a little over a year now. However, all of that has been building up to his full-length debut over here showing the world what he’s capable of on the mic.

“Fake the Real” kicks off the album on a jazzy note talking about how he can’t do such thing & after “The Call” skit, “Make It Out” takes a more somber route talking about drowning in the henny. J. Adair tags along for “Dreams” working in a more colorful instrumental saying they’re just trying to make it here just before the title track goes into soulful territory with some hi-hats talking about holding his composure despite everything going on his life.

Meanwhile on “Boa”, we have Omar over some more trap production with a crooning vocal sample chasing a milli leading into UTP Jamma coming into the picture for “H.G.A.” talking about being about the money over a melodic instrumental. “Realign” goes into a more vintage direction in terms of sound encouraging to make your life better but after the “My Time” skit, the final song “My Time” throws some strings in the mix talking about how he’s up next & “Your Glory” ends the album with a skit.

For this to be his first album, he definitely proved me that he has potential & I’d recommend keeping an eye out of this cat in the future. The features are just ok, but I think production is very eclectic in terms of overall sound & the hunger in his voice is just undeniable in my personal opinion.

Score: 3.5/5

Ross from Friends – “Tread” review

Colchester, Essex, England, United Kingdom producer & DJ Felix Weatherall a.k.a. Ross from Friends back for his sophomore effort. Someone who started off in 2013 with his debut extended play David Crane’s Amazing Tennis followed by Alex Brown, You’ll Understand, Don’t Sleep, There Are Snakes, The Outsiders & Aphelion prior to Flying Lotus signing him to Brainfeeder Records distributed by Ninja Tune. His full-length debut Family Portrait made some big improvements over his earlier material & it seems like he’s outdone himself again with Tread.

“The Daisy” begins with a future garage lead single containing additional elements of IDM as well as 2-step & ambient house whereas “Love Divide” blends UK garage, outsider house, ambient trance, Euro house & UK funky for a mellower & more atmospheric single. “Revellers” spends the next 7 minutes showing an Aphex Twin influence although he interestingly puts his own spin on it leading into “A Brand New Start” feeling like a cross between Burial & one of my top 10 producers of all-time Madlib.

We have Felix taking inspiration from Boards of Canada on “XXX Olympaid” & it makes me feel a bit nostalgic considering that they haven’t done anything in almost a decade at this point just before “Grub” takes it back to the future garage sound, further carrying Burial’s torch. “Splatter/Splatter” comes across as a fusion between Aphex Twin & someone you’d hear off of Burial’s eponymous debut while “Morning Sun in a Dusty Room” takes a more ambient approach instrumentally.

“Run” gets the last leg of Tread going taking some characteristics out of the early 2000s trance playbook & hints of deadmau5 with the 2nd half of it hitting harder than the 1st while “Life in a Mind” fuses future garage & UK garage for a composition that starts energizing & ends bittersweetly. The 33 second outro “Thresho_1.1” however should’ve been merged with the final song “Thresho_1.1”, which is a 4 minute IDM closer with an Aphex Twin & Boards of Canada twist to it.

Dialing up the intricate & emotive qualities of his production style, Ross from Friends pushes himself further by composing an LP that I can say is the riskiest yet most adventurous thing he’s ever made almost a decade since his career began. His production’s more future garage flavored than outsider house although Tread carries that sound over to a lesser extent along with ambient, downtempo, IDM, 2-step, ambient house, UK garage, ambient trance, Euro house & UK funky.

Score: 4/5

Detroit YB – “4Closure” review

This is the 4th EP from Detroit emcee Detroit YB. Breaking out in 2017 after dropping his first 2 EPs 3:13 & The Heart of My City back to back. This was followed up by a full-length debut the following year entitled Hustle SZN & now after returning last fall with the sophomore effort Beauty in the Struggle, it’s only right for YB to re-emerge in the form of 4Closure.

“Keep It Real” starts off the EP on some trap shit talking about staying true to yourself while the song “Knock da Feelings” gets on some stripped back shit admitting to his ex that he misses her & probably pushed the limits. The penultimate track “For a Minute” somberly speaks on something he’s been waiting to say even though he’s still preparing for it while “Lost in Love” is a jazzy boom bap finisher talking about rising up & defeating every obstacle.

For those who enjoyed Beauty in the Struggle as much as I did, I think you’re gonna enjoy 4Closure for what it is & I’ll even say YB is becoming one of my favorites from The D right now. The introspective lyrical topics are as captivating as they were last time on that previous album & the production sounds a bit more crisper.

Score: 4/5

Bktherula – “Love Black” review

Bktherula is a 19 year old recording artist from Atlanta, Georgia who first started making music in 2017 as a pop/R&B singer. She eventually broke out a couple summers back in the plugg scene after dropping the single “Tweakin’ Together produced by my lil homie Premiere Maxx, which later appeared on her debut mixtape Love Santana at the beginning of last year. This resulted in her signing to Warner Records & with the 1-year anniversary of her sophomore tape Nirvana approaching this weekend, BK is celebrating in the form of her very 1st full-length album.

“LET’S GET IT” is a moody opener celebrating her newfound success whereas “INCREDIBLE” despite it’s brevity finds her flexing with so much aggression in her delivery & a shrilling Digital Nas beat. “SANTANNY!” serves as an ignorant anthem for her alter ego, but then “THROUGH 2 U” is a blatant Whole Lotta Red rip-off talking about being fed up with a lil bitch that belong to the streets.

Meanwhile on “PLACEMENT”, we have Matt Ox tagging along for whatever reason to bombastically clap back at their critics just before “HIT ME” brings in a Supah Mario instrumental kin to a retro video game telling those who want the sauce not to bug her. “GOD’S PLAN” lively talks about how “n****s ain’t cool at all with gyro, but then “ADVANCED” brings in a cacophonous beat to declare her skills as such.

“HIDE YOUR HOE” keeps the vibrance going saying it’s on when she steps in while the euphoric “WATCH ME” that MexikoDro laced takes a look at her glow up. “YE HO” almost has a bit of a Neptunes influence to RXLVND’s instrumental saying she “ain’t finished this” whereas “CROWN” speaks on her taking over the rap game & the bass is just off the wall.

Following this, “ARE WE DONE?” feels like a 2-minute Eternal Atake & I can’t blame Trgc for that bite while the song “SHE CHOSE ME” briefly yet vibrantly details a woman selecting “everything that give her ass a stack”. The penultimate track “NAH” has a bit of a quirky sound with the help of Evilgiane talking about how “I ain’t your bitch” & the closer “IDK WHAT TO TELL YOU” has a psychedelic Mac DeMarco beat of all fucking people speaking on someone she felt she tried to make bigger.

BK to me is one of the most interesting artists in the plugg scene right now & Love Black really does a solid job at solidifying that. She has a unique voice, she has a catchy delivery & I feel like she’s started to refine her production choices a lil bit.

Score: 3.5/5

JPEGMAFIA – “LP!” review

This is the 4th full-length album from Baltimore emcee, singer & producer JPEGMAFIA. Breaking out 2016 with the release of his full-length debut Black Ben Carson, it wouldn’t be until the man’s next 2 albums Veteran & All My Heroes are Cornballs where he would reveal himself as one of the most creative minds in hip hop today. He dropped a bunch of singles last year & compiled them onto an 8-track EP but after putting out a follow-up with almost all newly recorded material under Republic Records back in February, he’s celebrating his born day with LP!.

“TRUST!” is a short yet glimmering opener to the album talking about self-love whereas “DIRTY” takes a more cloudier route talking his shit. “NEMO!” has a minimal, glitchy vibe going at those who think they know him leading into “END CREDITS!” sampling “Monomyth” by Animals as Leaders referencing current AEW manager Don Callis.

Meanwhile on “WHAT KIND OF RAPPIN’ IS THIS?”, we have Peggy on top of a lush almost boom bappy instrumental calling out someone biting him just before “THOT’S PRAYER!” almost has a bit of a BROCKHAMPTON influence to it sonically confessing that loneliness is killing him inside. “ARE U HAPPY?” eerily ponders about the people around him & the way his life is going, but then “REBOUND!” works in some horns basically saying bitches ain’t shit.

“OG!” speaks on taking the game back on top of a booming beat while “DAM! DAM! DAM!” has a more groovier sound talking about how he has to “keep swimmin’ ’til that muhfuckin’ ship leaves”. Following this is “SICK, NERVOUS & BROKE!” serving as an aggressive trap banger taking shots at his haters whereas “😘” brings in some synths to get romantic.

After the “NICE!” interlude, the penultimate track “BMT!” vibrantly insults his competition & “THE GHOST OF RANKING DREAD!” ends the album on a pillowy yet melodic tone talking about how he can’t keep up with these girls. Then the online version contains 3 bonus cuts from EP! which I still love, but didn’t need to be on here.

Now if you go to the Bandcamp version, there are 3 newly recorded bonus tracks that couldn’t make it onto streaming due to sample clearances. “HAZARD DUTY PAY!” is unquestionably the best hip hop single I’ve heard all year sampling Anita Baker dissing the industry. After that, “GOD DON’T LIKE UGLY” works in a soul sample comparing him to Beyoncé & his competition to Michelle Williams. “💯” terrifically pays homage to the chopped & screwed movement based in Houston just before “Untitled” incorporates some dreary piano chords continuing to challenge anyone to step up to him & wanting to be buried with former アイアンマンヘビーメタル級チャンピオン, TNA World Tag Team Champion, WCW World Television Champion, WWE United States Champion, 7-time WCW World Tag Team Champions, 4-time WWE Intercontinental Champion & 2-time WWE Hall of Famer Scott Hall additionally referencing former CZW Iron Man Champion, 3-time PWG World Champion, 3-time PWG World Tag Team Champion, ROH World Champion, ROH World Tag Team Champion, NXT Champion, WWE Universal Champion, 2-time WWE Intercontinental Champion & 3-time WWE United States Champion Kevin Owens.

Peggy is one of the most unpredictable artists in the game right now & I definitely find LP! to be more consistent than EP2! In contrast to the more mainstream sound of that previous project, I’m happy he realized he didn’t need to try to appeal to a radio friendly market that doesn’t exist & returns to his experimental roots. Also, the 3 bonus songs on the “offline” version make it significantly better than the 3 bonus cuts on the “online” version that were already familiar with.

Score: 4.5/5

Young Thug – “P*nk” review

This is the sophomore album from Atlanta, Georgia rapper & singer/songwriter Young Thug. Hate him or love him, but the man has proven himself as a modern trap icon from dropping classic mixtapes like Barter 6 & JEFFERY to starting up his 300 Entertainment imprint YSL Records & even the clothing line SP5DER. He finally dropped his full-length debut So Much Fun a couple summers back & not only was it executive produced by J. Cole, but it also ended up being the best trap project of that entire year. So given that, I was very excited going into P*nk over here.

“Die Slow” is a bare acoustic opener sending a warning to anyone who goes against him, but then the T-Minus produced “Stressed” feels like a J. Cole song featuring T-Shyne since there’s barely any Thugger presence & Cole’s flow is just so hilariously awful. Metro Thuggin’ returns for “Stupid” which once again takes the bare acoustic route calling out an idiot just before “Asking” switches into some keyboards & snares getting romantic.

Meanwhile on “Recognize Real”, we have Gunna tagging along on top of a low register guitar tone talking about not being victimized leading into “Contagious” touchingly calls for more loyalty. BSlime & Future come into the picture for the piano-tinged “Peepin’ Out the Window” talking about doubling up in life whereas “Rich N***a Shit” works in a bass-heavy Pi’erre Bourne beat as Thugger & the late Juice WRLD get on the materialistic tip.

A$AP Rocky hops on the stripped back “Livin’ It Up” to help talk about how they’re doing good in life now while “Yea Yea Yea” has a danceable Wheezy instrumental expressing his gratitude. “Insure My Wrist” has a lavish Taurus beat as Gunna returns to look back on going from being broke to rich in a span of a decade, but then the Lil Double 0-assisted “Scoliosis” seems like a parody of “Hot”.

“Bubbly” starts out with Thugger & Travis Scott bombastically speaking on their career blasting, but I felt like the beat switch from Cardo during Drake’s verse was a bit unnecessary. “Road Rage” takes a cloudier turn talking about chasing those millions while “Faces” vulnerably opens up about his heart being gone because of a ratchet double crossing him.

I think Turbo’s production on “Droppin’ Jewels” is perfect as Thugger spits some real life shit while “5th Day Dead” hazily addresses those who hate seeing you racking. “Icy Hot” is a romance duet with Doja Cat that has nothing going on instrumentally, but then “Love You More” kinda seems underwritten despite it’s positive message & Jeff Bhasker’s poppier sound.

The penultimate track “Hate the Game” takes it back to the acoustic direction addressing all the people who’ve talking down on him throughout his career referencing the beloved Shrek franchise owned by the NBCUniversal subsidiary of the Comcast Corporation & “Day Before” with the late Mac Miller finds them on top of a sample of “charlie brown” by Verzache speaking on how they don’t need a lot, but have a lot.

Now this album isn’t as great as So Much Fun, but I still ended up enjoying it. I think it’s pretty cool that he kinda takes it back to the BEAUTIFUL THUGGER GIRLS says in terms of sound as well as fusing elements of alternative R&B, but just wish he’d kinda tone it down with the features a little bit.

Score: 3.5/5

Ice 9 Kills – “The Silver Scream 2: Welcome to Horrorwood” review

This is the 6th studio LP from Boston, Massachusetts melodic hardcore band Ice 9 Kills comprised of drummer Patrick Galante, bassist/co-frontman Joe Occhiuti, lead guitarist Joe Occhiuti & frontman Spencer Charnas. Their 2006 debut Last Chance to Make Amends followed by the 2010 sophomore effort Safe’s Just a Shadow as well as The Predator Becomes the Prey & Every Trick in the Book were all received moderately, coming off the opening installment of The Silver Scream trilogy for a sequel essentially saying Welcome to Horrorwood.

After the “Opening Night…” intro, the title track kicks things off with a symphonic death metal/pop punk satire of the film industry altogether whereas “A Rash Decision” draws inspiration from Cabin Fever. The 2nd single “Assault & Batteries” combines melodic metalcore, alternative metal, electro-industrial, industrial metal & symphonic metal for an ode to the Child’s Play franchise leading into “The Shower Scene” homaging one of the most iconic moments in cinema stemming from Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho.

“Funeral Derangements” blends melodic metalcore with some secondary influences of deathcore paying tribute to Pet Sematary for the 4th single just before the preceding single “Rainy Day” experiments with alternative metal, industrial metal, melodic metalcore & electro-industrial giving flowers to the poorly received 2002 adaption of Resident Evil. “Hip to Be Scared” featuring Papa Roach frontman Jacoby Shaddix unites for a melodic metalcore, alt-metal & new wave lead single bases itself upon American Psycho while the 5th single “Take Your Pick” featuring Cannibal Corpse frontman George Fisher homages My Bloody Valentine.

We have Brandon Saller & Ryan Kirby of Atreyu & Fit for a King respectively joining Spencer on “The Box” to pay tribute to Hellraiser while “F.L.Y.” featuring Brandon Nielsen of Senses Fail gives teams up for a track inspired by The Fly. “Wurst Vacation” sings about vacationing in Europe with 3 friends similarly to the plot of Hostel but once “Ex-Mørtis” honors The Evil Dead‘s legacy spanning 4 decades, the last 2 songs “Farewell II Flesh” and “Meat & Greet” end The Silver Scream 2: Welcome to Horrorwood saluting both Candyman & The Silence of the Lambs.

I had no idea who Ice 9 Kills were until Majik Ninja Entertainment founders Twiztid had them featured on “Envy” not realizing at the time that it was the worst place anyone looking to deep dive into their discography could possibly begin & The Silver Scream 2: Welcome to Horrorwood surpasses it’s predecessor to become the saga’s most intriguing entry & the band’s finest album of their career. The melodic metalcore/symphonic alt-metal production’s certainly gotten bigger due to them having a bigger budget & they’re getting crazier with all the horror references.

Score: 3.5/5

City Morgue – “Bottom of the Barrel” review

City Morgue is a trio from New York City consisting of ZillaKami & SosMula on the mic as well as honorary 3rd member Thraxx on production. I first caught wind of them due to ZillaKami’s verse on Denzel Curry’s magnum opus TA13OO, but the group’s full-length debut that followed shortly after Hell or High Water completely stopped me in my tracks. Mostly because prior to that album, I never heard anyone fuse trap with metal music in the way that they did. This was followed up with the worthy sequel As Good as Dead & the mediocre Toxic Boogaloo EP but after spending these last couple months branching out solo, they’re returning for their highly anticipated 3rd album.

“Death Cult” is a short yet cutthroat trap metal opener telling their competition to run for the hill leading into Jasiah tagging along for the eerie “Cabin in the Woods” comparing themselves to Jason Voorhees from the famous Friday the 13th franchise. “Conscience” works in a heavy guitar & a rubbery bass-line to talk about clearing their minds whereas the Thraxx-produced “Make It Disappear” viciously get in their murder bag.

Meanwhile on “What’s My Name?”, we get a wailing guitar rhythm & some punchy 808s talking about marching like dogs just before “Everything’s Broken” is a grunge/trap fusion about blowing their brains out. The first SosMula solo cut “OHDEE” has a more chilled out trap vibe speaking on grinding nonstop, but then the first ZillaKami solo cut “Flat Lips” brings in a down-tuned guitar talking about moshing.

The duo reunite for the abrasive “Hot Shells” comparing themselves to Captain Price from Modern Warfare 2 whereas “Mother Lover” advises not to get fucked up on their mothers. The song “X-Mas Balla” has a chugging riff with the help of Powers Pleasant proclaiming themselves as rat killers & reptilians while the penultimate track “Outer Space” by SosMula is just so annoyingly repetitive. However, the closer “Mutt B” by ZillaKami makes up for it by energetically lighting up anyone who steps up to him.

Even though I was underwhelmed by Toxic Boogaloo & 13 Songs 2 Die 2, I did enjoy Dogboy yet still didn’t quite know what to expect from Bottom of the Barrel. Now that we finally got the album, it’s pretty decent. It’s definitely more focused than Toxic Boogaloo was, but play middle ground with their signature trap metal sound rather than expanding on it.

Score: 3/5