Various Artists – “Judas & the Black Messiah: The Inspired Album” review

This is a brand new soundtrack album curated by California producer, rapper & singer/songwriter Hit-Boy. Coming up in the late 2000s under the wing of Polow da Don, he eventually become an in-house producer for the Kanye West-owned Def Jam Recordings imprint G.O.O.D. Music from 2011 to 2013 before forming his own label HS87 Music distributed by Interscope Records. But it goes without saying that 2020 was Hit-Boy’s biggest year yet, starting off when he entirely produced Nas’ latest full-length outing King’s Disease in it’s entirety in late August. This would result in a 3-peat for Hit-Boy, as he went on to produce nearly half of Big Sean’s last album Detroit 2 a couple weeks later & then lacing Benny the Butcher’s sophomore effort Burden of Proof from front to back a little over a month after. But to accompany the universally acclaimed political drama Judas & the Black Messiah hitting HBO Max & select theaters, the West Coast producer has amassed an all-star cast of performers to make music inspired by the motion picture.

After the 3-minute spoken word intro “COINTELPRO / DEC. 4” by Chairman Fred Hampton Jr., the first song “Fight for You” by H.E.R. talks about freedom over a glossy yet funky beat whereas the next song “EPMD” by Nas gets in his Escobar bag referencing the 5 big tech companies in Google, Amazon, Apple Inc., Meta Platforms & Microsoft over an more aggressive instrumental from Hit-Boy himself. The song “Welcome to America” by Black Thought talks about dreaming as long as you’re breathing in the U.S. over a tribal beat from Sean C while the track “What It Feels Like” by JAY-Z & the late Nipsey Hu$$le talks about success over an instrumental with an ambitious atmosphere to it.

The song “Broad Day” by Hit-Boy talks about A&Ring the game over an angelic beat while the track “Plead the .45th” by SABA & Smino talks about remaining silent over a colorless instrumental. The song “Something Ain’t Right” by J.I.D & Rapsody talks about corruption over a calming beat from Cardiak while the track “Letter 2 U” by BJ the Chicago Kid asks to set this woman’s soul on fire over a tactile instrumental.

The song “On Your Mind” by Lil Durk gets confessional over a trap beat with some wonderful keyboard arpeggios while the track “Appraise” by White Dave talks about being the last hope over a cloudy instrumental. The song “All Black” by G Herbo talks about poppin’ out over some celebratory horn sections from Turbo while the track “I Declare War” by Nado Wick gets violent over an drugged-out instrumental from Cardo.

The song “No Profanity” by Pooh Shiesty perfectly lives up to it’s name as he talks about standing on what he believes in without cussing over a sumptuous trap beat while the track “Last Man Standing” by Polo G talks about leading Chicago the way Fred Hampton did over a wretched instrumental. The song “Respect My Mind” by Dom Kennedy talks about rising to the challenges over a hair-raising beat while the track “Revolutionary” by G Herbo & Bump J talks about “standing like a man” over a beautiful vocal sample laced throughout the instrumental.

The song “Teach Me” by SiR talks about having the wrong idea of love over a holy beat while the track “Contagious” by SAFE & Liana Ledé is a cliché romance duet carried by the spicy instrumental. The song “Rich N***a Problems” by A$AP Rocky details the cons of being wealthy over a jazzy trap beat & after the “J.A.T.B.M”. outro, the bonus cut “Black Messiah” by Rakim is essentially Fred Hampton’s life on wax backed by a soul sample from The God MC himself.

This is hands down the best soundtrack album I’ve heard in a while. I mean I’m not too big on soundtrack albums this day in age & I made that pretty clear when I gave a positive review towards the Conflicted soundtrack last month, but I consider this to be the Black Panther soundtrack on steroids from the guests & production to the subject matter.

Score: 4/5

Babyface Ray – “Unfuckwitable” review

Babyface Ray is a 30 year old rapper from Detroit, Michigan who came up in 2015 as a member of the Team Eastside collective. Since then he’s released 5 mixtapes, a collaborative effort with fellow Team Eastside colleague Peezy & 4 EPs. But with his birthday being the previous weekend & his profile ever-growing, Ray is celebrating by dropping a follow-up to For You in the form of a 5th EP ahead of a full-length debut.

The EP starts with “Real N****s Don’t Rap”, where Ray talks about his authenticity over a woozy trap beat. The next song “If You Know You Know” with Moneybagg Yo finds the duo talking about never trippin’ over a hyphy instrumental while the track “Tahoe” talks about live being good over an capacious FNZ beat. The song “Like Daisy Lane” gets braggadocious over a vigorous instrumental while the track “Allowance” with Kash Doll sees the 2 talking about bad bitches over a trap beat from Hit-Boy with some ghoulish bells. The penultimate track “Pink 10s” with EST G finds the duo on their gangsta shit over an instrumental with some prominent woodwinds & synths whereas the closer “Change You” talks about going up too fast over a tearjerking beat.

I’ve been paying attention to Babyface Ray for past few years now & this new EP is another reminder of his evolution. The production sounds more crisp in comparison to his previous efforts & his songwriting has gotten catchier. Can’t wait to hear what he has in store on an upcoming full-length.

Score: 3.5/5

Rapper Big Pooh – “What Was Lost” review

Rapper Big Pooh is a 41 year old rapper from Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina who came up as a member of the seminal Little Brother alongside rapper/singer Phonte & producer 9th Wonder. However, he’s been building up quite a discography of his own since the man’s 2005 solo debut Sleepers. Last time we got a project from Big Pooh was in 2018 with the Focus…-produced RPM album but after taking a couple years off & to celebrate his birthday, he & Young RJ of Slum Village are unearthing an EP’s worth of joints they recorded together in the late 2000s.

“The Recipe” that starts the EP off spits about how he came to do rather than talk over a triumphant beat whereas the next song “Get It In” talks about going hard over a more rugged instrumental. The track “Money” with O-Dash & Frank Nitt finds the trio showing listeners how it is over a boom bap beat with some twinkling keyboard melodies while the song “Hello” gets on the lovey dovey side of things over a slow, enticing instrumental. The closer “Smile” pays tribute to his mother over a joyous beat.

Even though these joints were recorded a little over a decade ago, it sounds like they were all made recently. Rapper Big Pooh’s pen-game hasn’t changed a bit & Young RJ shows himself as one of the most underrated producers that the 313 has to offer.

Score: 3.5/5

Slaine – “The Things We Can’t Forgive” review

Brand full-length album & the 5th overall from Boston, Massachusetts veteran Slaine. Most notable for being a member of the underground supergroup 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. Fast forward 15 months later, Slaine is kicking off the 3rd act of his career by dropping The Things We Can’t Forgive.

The opener “When the War Ends” talks about how we’re not prepared for what happens tomorrow over a despondent beat from The Arcitype, who produced almost every song on the album much like 1 Day. The next song “Everything Once” talks about having a lot in life to lose over a tense piano instrumental while the track “Blurry Eyed” talks about his soul being torn over a portentous beat. The song “Revolver” talks about continuously ending up in the same place that he’s already been in over a cacophonous instrumental while the track “Wrath & Pride” with Snak the Ripper finds the 2 talking about going crazy over an ornery beat.

The song “Chasing Ghosts” opens up about a failed relationship over an instrumental with some melancholic acoustic passages while the track “Beautiful” acknowledges those who call him strange over a fiery beat. The song “Not Enough” calls for strength to get through the day over a pessimistic instrumental while the title track talks about this relationship of his being like a mirror over an optimistic-sounding beat from Statik Selektah. The album ends with “Legend of the Fall”, where Slaine talks about ghosts talking to him in his head over a glum piano instrumental.

An equally fantastic follow-up to 1 Day, what we get out of The Things We Can’t Forgive is a dark trip into Slaine’s spiraling whirlwind of mental obsession & the most emotional LP in his entire discography. The Arcitype’s production feels a bit darker than it was 15 months ago finding duality through a 38 minute self-examination addressing topics like love, sex, heartbreak, narcissism, trauma, betrayal, addiction, forgiveness & recovery.

Score: 3.5/5

Bonnie & Hyde – Self-Titled review

Bonnie & Hyde are an East Coast duo consisting of death rap veteran Mr. Hyde & his wife Cherie Rain. The couple have been making joints with one another dating back to Hyde’s 3rd album If It Bleeds We Can Kill It back in 2012 but almost a decade later, they’re coming together for a full-length debut.

After the “Killer Couple” intro, the first song “Epic Pursuit (Bonnie & Hyde Theme)” details being chased by the cops over a boom bap beat with some strings buried in the background while the track “Death is Coming” gets on his death rap shit over a Satanic instrumental from Cherie Rain herself. The song “Darkness” talks about the owners of the night arriving over a boom bap beat with some eerie piano embellishments while the track “Poison Fate” spits some battle bars over a perilous instrumental.

The song “Funky Fresh Face Melt” with Celph Titled finds the trio getting homicidal over a grim beat from Little Vic & after the “Kid Joe Forever” interlude, the following track is a NASTY conclusion to the “Street Veteran” saga that started on Psycho+Logical-Records’ 2003 showcase compilation Brutality. The song “Superhuman” talks about being a monster over a rock boom bap fusion & then the closer “Repent the Devil’s Thirsty” comes through with some street poetry over a minimal beat.

The duo really play off one another very well & as a result of that, I personally think this is some of the best material either one of they’ve have ever done. Hyde’s lyrical skills are just as brutal as they were on his iconic 2004 debut album Barn of the Naked Dead, Cherie is a beautiful singer & her sample free compositions are astonishing.

Score: 4.5/5

Smokepurpp – “Psycho (Legally Insane)” review

Smokepurpp is a 23 year old rapper from Miami, Florida who broke out in 2017 alongside his childhood friend Lil Pump. Shortly after the release of his debut EP Up Now Fuck Next, he caught the attention of Houston superstar Travis Scott & dropped his critically acclaimed debut mixtape Deadstar under Cactus Jack Records in a joint venture with the Interscope Records sub-label Alamo Records. This was followed up with a 3-Pack EP a couple months later as well as the Murda Beatz-produced Bless Yo Trap tape in 2018 & the Lost Planet EP in 2019, but then Purpp would leave Cactus Jack that same year to release the full-length debut Deadstar 2. Which was below average in comparison to that debut mixtape. His sophomore album Florida Jit from last summer turned out to be mediocre, as the only saving graces of it were Ronny J’s production & a couple of the features. But to move on from a tumultuous 2020 like almost all of us are doing at this point, Purpp is coming out of the woodwork by dropping his 3rd EP.

Things start off with “Prom Queen”, where Purpp talks about being trigger happy over a trap beat sampling “After Laughter (Comes Tears)” by Wendy Rene. The next song “We Outside” with Lil Mosey finds the duo talking about poppin’ out until the sun comes up over an instrumental that has a bit of a country flare to it while the track “200 Thou” produced by Ginseng talks about walkin’ through the mall with a bunch of cash on him over a comatose beat.

The song “Rockstar” talks about his new lifestyle over an instrumental that sounds like it was copied right out of the Pi’erre Bourne playbook while the penultimate track “What You Wanna Do?” gets on the murder tip over a fittingly grisly beat. The EP ends with “Tic Tac”, where Smokepurpp talks about fucking up the trap over a trap metal instrumental.

Coming from someone who enjoyed Deadstar & Bless Yo Trap quite a bit, I really didn’t care for this EP other than a couple joints. The production choices are very questionable for a good majority of it’s 13-minute runtime & lyrically, Smokepurpp is just painting himself into a corner at this point.

Score: 1.5/5

Yung Rani – “Homecoming” review

Yung Rani is a 18 year old rapper from Detroit, Michigan who originally came out a couple years back off his debut EP Afterparty. However just a little over a year later, he’s returning out of the woodwork to drop a debut mixtape.

The tape starts off with “24/7”, where Rani talks about how people played him & now they bump his music all the time over a druggy beat. The next song “Loko” talks about this chick only wanting him just because he’s famous over an instrumental with some lavish keyboards while the track “Yeah Yeah” talks about handling business over a twangy trap beat. The song “Back Now” talks about going crazy as of late over a euphoric instrumental from the homie Mars while the track “5 Phones” talks about never holding a psycho bitch down over a weepy beat.

The song “Views” talks about excelling over a vibrant instrumental while the track “Envy” opens about feeling like he’s failing all of his goals over a cavernous beat. The song “Bando” talks about listening to your heart instead of your mouth over a flute & some monstrous bass while the track “Baddie” talks about not wanting to let anyone down over a depressive piano instrumental.

The song “Dime Piece” talks about not coming back to any of the fake people who surrounded him over a wistful beat while the track “Big Dreams” talks about his ambitions over a vast instrumental. The song “Mamacita” gets flirtatious over a DJ Mustard type beat while the track “500” gets materialistic over an instrumental with a modern Bay Area feel to it.

The song “Woah Woah” talks getting back on his shit over a gentle beat from Mars while the track “Pourin’” talks about a girl who told him to be himself over a drowsy instrumental. The song “Speechless” talks about someone taking him for granted over a stripped-back, syrupy beat while the penultimate track “Bad Vibes” talks about being unable to think straight over an acoustic instrumental. The album ends with “All I Ever Wanted (Breakfast)”, where Rani talks about how he doesn’t know where he’s going over a sluggish beat.

I honestly never heard of this kid’s music until my brother Jake introduced me to it a while bag & I gotta say, this is a pretty solid effort. The hunger in Rani’s lyrics are undeniable, the melodies he comes up with stick in your head & the production is pretty boisterous. Can’t wait to watch him get bigger as time goes on.

Score: 3.5/5

Pooh Shiesty – “Slime Season” review

Pooh Shiesty is a 21 year old rapper & songwriter from Memphis, Tennessee who broke out last spring off the single “Main Slime”. This resulted in trap pioneer Gucci Mane signing him to his Atlantic Records imprint 1017 Global almost immediately afterwards during the COVID-19 pandemic & coming off noteworthy appearances he made for the recent compilations the label’s put out showcasing their revamped roster, he’s dropping a debut mixtape of solo material to further establish himself.

The intro icily talks about seeing through fake shit whereas “Back in Blood” featuring Lil Durk finds the 2 tackling the subject of murder over an instrumental with some foreboding piano melodies. “Guard Up” acoustically looks to fuck up anyone in his way leading into “Ugly” featuring Gucci Mane talks about how everyone with them thuggin’ in their own way over a trap beat with some distressing keyboards.

“Neighbors” featuring Big30 finds the 2 talking about being certified gangstas over a wintry instrumental while the song “50 Shots” talks about getting it in at the trap over an elegiac beat. “No Chorus” pessimistically talks about death without the need of a hook if anyone couldn’t tell while the song “Box of Churches” featuring 21 Savage sees the duo talking about bringing the smoke to ‘em over a spectral beat.

The bassy, horn-woven “Making a Mess” featuring Big30 & Veeze finds the trio talking about romance & guns while “Choppa Way” speaks of staying the same despite being rich now over an ominous instrumental. Take a Life” featuring Foogiano sees the 2 talking about how people don’t know what it’s like to kill someone over an instrumental with a prominent woodwind sample while “Gone MIA” talks about all the pussies out there over a triumphant beat.

“Big 13 Gang” featuring Choppa Wop & Lil Hank cinematically talks about being a threat while “Drop Some Shit” cloudily speaks of trying to make it out before he gets locked up. “See Red” fuses trap & rock to talk about blood being around him & once the highlight “Master P” produced by Tay Keith compares himself to the No Limit mogul of the same name, “Switch It Up” featuring G Herbo starts the deluxe run discussing their operation being too major.

Lil Baby appears for “Welcome to the Riches” so they can take a few moments to get luxurious & warning to wet up those who move wrong without breaking a sweat while “See Me Comin’” gets in his Memphis bag recalling the harsh realities of his adolescence. “Murder School” talks about learning how to kill someone until embracing the gangsta lifestyle while “Certified” featuring Gunna links up confidently realizing they got muhfuckas figured out.

“Switches & Dracs” featuring EST G, Lil Durk & Moneybagg Yo joins forces to deliver a mild gangsta rap cut where Durkio has the strongest guest verse of the 3 while “No Clues” featuring Big Scarr talks about the Draco coming with shell catchers, leaving no clues behind when the crimes are committed. “Squeeze on ‘Em” featuring 42 Dugg gives us a Memphis/Detroit crossover Wheezy cooked up advising not to tempt them while “Narcos” featuring Baby K brags of their mob ties.

Gucci Mane & Lil Uzi Vert join Pooh over a Brandon Finessin’ beat during “Next Up” talking about the very reason they’re going so hard while “It’s Up” featuring Big30 provides more gangsta-infused lyricism. “Hunting Opps” featuring ShotOff spends a few moments likening their detractors to prey & once “7.62 God” featuring Big30 & EST G on the remix carries over the the gangsta themes, the final bonus track “SUVs (Black on Black)” featuring Jack Harlow ends with a conflicting self-assurance ode.

Of all the recent 1017 signings, Pooh Shiesty has stood out to me the most & I believe he can reach the heights previous artists like Waka Flocka Flame & Asian Doll have reached in terms of success. However, I came away from Shiesty Season a little torn with the final results although I’m confident of him possibly improving. Despite having a great presence & a distinctive songwriting style, a large chunk of the production left little to be desired & there were more guests than I would’ve initially thought.

Score: 3/5

Devin the Dude – “Soulful Distance” review

Devin the Dude is a 50 year old rapper & singer from Houston, Texas who came up as a member of the trio Coughee Brothaz. They would eventually catch the attention of J. Prince in 1993 & sign to Rap-A-Lot Records, only releasing 1 album Fadanuf fa Erybody!!. However, Devin would break out as a solo artist by releasing 4 albums before departing in 2008. He’s gone on to make 6 albums since then but much like his previous effort Still Rolling’ Up: Somethin’ to Ride With that dropped a couple summers ago, Devin is teaming up with Blyne Rob for his 11th full-length outing.

It all starts with the title track, where Devin talks about wanting the pandemic to end & go back on the road over a synth-funk instrumental. The next song “Discouraged” talks about life not being easy over a tranquil beat while the track “To Each His Own” talks about the rap game over a slow boom bap instrumental. The song “Nothin’ Really Just Chillin’” perfectly lives up to it’s name as Devin talks about relaxing over a druggy trap beat while the track “My Left Nut Itch” talks about sluts over a skeletal instrumental.

The song “Just Ridin’ By” with Big Pokey & Lil Keke finds the trio talking about pulling up into a party over a psychedelic beat while the track “You Got No Time to Play” gets romantic over a sensual instrumental. The song “He Don’t Have to Know” talks about infidelity over an acoustic beat while the track “P.L.A.N.S.A. (Please Leave A N****’s Shit Alone)” lyrically speaks for itself over a funky instrumental.

The song “A Good Woman” gives some romantic advise over an spacious beat while the track “High & Trippin’” with 14k sees the 2 talking about bugging out over an odd boom bap instrumental. The song “BREAK-fast” gets in his storytelling bag over a bluesy beat while the penultimate track “Live & Let Live” with Slim Thug & Scarface finds the 3 talking about learning how to take care of business over some heavy drums & some keyboards buried behind. The album ends with “We Smokin’”, where the Coughee Brothaz get together for a weed anthem backed by a bass-line & some bells.

Devin is one of the greatest to ever come out of H-Town & even in his 50s, he hasn’t lost a single step. His versatility & charisma are still stronger than ever whereas Blyne Rob cooks up some slick ass production for him.

Score: 3.5/5

Conway the Machine – “If It Bleeds, It Can Be Killed” review

This is a brand new EP from Buffalo emcee Conway the Machine. I really shouldn’t have to explain who he is at this point not just because I’ve been covering the whole Griselda camp quite a bit throughout these past few years, but just the way they have been dominating hip hop since late 2015 balancing quantity & quality by dropping a handful of dope projects a year. But 2020 was undoubtedly Conway’s most prolific year yet, dropping a total of 2 EPs & a full-length debut that’ve all quickly gone down as some of his best bodies of work yet. But as Conway gears up for his long-awaited Shady Records debut God Don’t Make Mistakes, he’s re-enlisting Big Ghost Ltd. for a sequel to No One Mourns the Wicked entitled If It Bleeds, It Can Be Killed.

After the “Commencement” intro from Lukey Cage, the first song “J Batters” calls to free his homie of the same name over some cinematic string sections whereas the next track “away We Move” talks about going from nothing to performing at Coachella over a soulful beat. The track “Kill All Rats” with Ransom & Rome Streetz finds the trio taking aim at snitches over an occult instrumental while the song “Toast” talks about aiming at fuck boys over a luxurious beat.

The song “Losses to Blessings” talks about the trials & tribulations over a melancholic, jazzy beat while the track “Highly Praised” talks about never falling off over a gospel sample. The song “Sons of Kings” with Knowledge the Pirate sees the 2 getting in their shit-talking bag about over a boom bap beat with some up-tempo keyboard melodies while the penultimate track “Red Beams” talks about wanting all the smoke over a devilish beat. The album ends with “Forever Ago”, where Conway talks about lying to protect his significant other from the truth over some harmonious vocal melodies.

I think If It Bleeds, It Can Be Killed is right on par with No One Mourns the Wicked & brought my excitement for God Don’t Make Mistakes to an all-time high. Conway continues to elevate as the best lyricist in Griselda & on the other end, Big Ghost Ltd. cooks up some of his best production yet.

Score: 4.5/5