New York City emcee BVNGS has returned for her 9th extended play. Beginning over a decade ago off the strength of her debut EP Not Available, she would follow it up with 7 Dutches & a Sweet Tea, Brown Girls & Bubble Coats, Lula & Only Crying Because I’m Drunk respectively. She later blew up off her 6th EP LaQuisha in the spring of 2021 & only 4 months later, I had the privilege of meeting her at a Catch 1 show in Los Angeles & was impressed by her set. Coming off Mary Mack & Twice a Day w/ Food however, she’s admitting to Only Crying Because I’m Drunk Too.
After the “Statistics Show” intro, the opening song “In Love Again” hooks up a soul sample to get things going talking about her falling for someone whereas “Crazy” embraces a smoother sound instrumentally describing the way this person drives her insane. “Opal” takes a more melodic approach in terms of delivery asking her lover if they’d write her if she was incarcerated while “Reaction” turns up the alternative R&B influences singing about trying to relax.
“Everything That You Do” following “Apple Pie (Bianco’s Interlude)” winds down the last leg of Only Crying Because I’m Drunk Too cavernously addressing someone in her life who makes her feel complete while the syrupy Me Too” gets in her R&B bag again singing about her lover’s body calling her. The outro “Delusional” takes up the EP’s final 135 seconds on an atmospherically alternative R&B note asking this person if she’s a loss to them or if they’d miss her.
Only Crying Because I’m Drunk still remains one of the most vulnerable entries throughout BVNGS’ whole discography, but this sequel takes it up a few notches in terms of vulnerability & capitalizes on her versatility taking more inspiration from R&B music although there are moments where she’s very much rapping. I appreciate Only Crying Because I’m Drunk Too for displaying her artistic range more coming off her appearance on the late Big L’s posthumous 5th & final album Harlem’s Finest: Return of the King.
The Blog Era Boyz are a superduo consisting of Cleveland, Ohio rapper, singer/songwriter, musician & actor MGK alongside Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania rapper, singer/songwriter, actor & entrepreneur Wiz Khalifa. Both of whom achieved their own individual levels of popularity during my adolescence even if I’ve always been more of a Wiz fan than MGK. However after initially crossing paths on “Mind of a Stoner” over a decade ago, they’re dropping an eponymous debut under Taylor Gang Entertainment & Interscope Records.
“family > everything” wasn’t all that exciting of a cloudy trap intro despite talking about catching Ws for the sake of those they love whereas “everything tatted” goes for a more boastful vibe expressing the love both of them have for tattoos. “MPH” finds the Blog Era Boyz trying to “rock out like it’s heavy metal” over this generically atmospheric beat until “fill my pockets” ruins a sample of “Scar Tissue” by the Red Hot Chili Peppers to end the 1st half.
Kicking off the 2nd leg, “girl next door” comes through with this corny pop rap anthem sampling “KKMJ” by Sweet Trip just before “stoned” produced by FNZ & Jim Jonsin sings & raps about smoking weed. “passport” finds the 2 moderately going back-&-forth with each other doing it better than “fill my pockets” but after “grind everyday” talks about hustling daily over a Sledgren beat, “fiberglass” finishes with both members addressing those who ain’t on their side.
I tend to look back at the blog era very fondly since I was an adolescence during that timeframe, but MGK & Wiz Khalifa aren’t necessarily the first people who come to mind when I think of that specific period. Maybe to some it’ll make better sense as to why they formed the Blog Era Boyz since both of them came up primarily rooted in the pop rap style, except I can actually take Wiz seriously unlike MGK & would call it almost as bad as genre: sadboy.
Basildon, Essex, England, United Kingdom recording artist & producer fakemink is back with his full-length studio debut. Introducing himself in 2021 off his debut EP Dog Heater, he would go on to drop 7 more extended plays in 90,900, Real Hospitality, London’s Saviour, Wild One, Furever, Disco Biscuit & Galaxy Pavillion Club until getting co-signs from music’s biggest names like André 3000 & Clipse. “Music & Me” would also become one of my favorite singles of 2025, coming off The Boy Who Cried Terrified almost 4 months earlier to serve the main course.
After the titular intro, the noisily self-produced “All Eyes on Me” talks about killing shit because it’s what he must do whereas “Playlist” gives off a more hypnotic vibe instrumentally detailing an innocent angel becoming a whore. “Creep” talks about him moving slowly & putting in work so he can spend all the money he makes while “Like a Virgin” reminds everyone that he’s been getting paid since the 9090gate phase of his career.
“51 Ttashpel Pony Ave.” after the “Jungle-Affair” interlude has a more tone in terms of lyrics sampling “Now” by Julia Wolf to talk about others making paper for his future children’s sake & other never seeing large amounts of cash in their lives while “Hard Candy” details him being allergic to broke shit. “Rewind” ends the 1st half wanting this woman to recognize that she’s his while “Essex Girls” talks about showing a woman what real affection is.
Pop rap, electropop, hip house, euro house & electro hop all collide on the single “Night, Blooming Jasmine” discussing that his objective has now become waking up daily & living his life now that he’s rich & famous while “Wrong Relief” talks about staying lit after setting himself on fire. “Kiss of Death” after the “Fire on Ice” interlude boasts that he bagged the baddest bitch alive while “Creed” talks about the pain that comes with the life he chose.
“Tell Me What You’re Missing” begins the final moments of Terrified asking his lover to let him know what she misses regarding her old life while “Forget Me Not” talks about him winning because he didn’t listen to what everyone else has told him. The final song “Rétard Angel” preceding the “Etna” outro finishes the LP advising not to let his wealth fool anything into thinking that he’s lucky when it’s the complete opposite the way he looks at it.
Taking more inspiration from 2018-2020 drill as opposed to grime music, fakemink’s debut album was conceived as this crude caricature of Los Angeles after returning home to London after a trip out to the west coast & lands behind the London’s Saviour EP for his 2nd best opus. His cloudy production includes elements of jerk, witch house, experimental hip hop & ambient music to lesser extents for a creepy California noir where models try to steal your soul & vampires drive Wraiths down Hollywood Boulevard.
The Kottonmouth Kings are a Placentia, California rip hop outfit now consisting of D-Loc, Chucky Chuck, Judge D & The Taxman. The original marquee act of Suburban Noize Records, their full-length debut Royal Highness distributed by Capitol Records was easily the rawest entry of their discography & the sophomore effort High Society embraced a more futuristic soundpreceding Hidden Stash II: The Kream of the Krop & Rollin’ Stoned stylistically bringing KMK to their own. The last time we heard these guys as a group was when the late Saint Dog & Johnny Richter got with Loc for their 14th album Kingdom Come on 4/20 2018, excluding 25 to Life which is essentially D-Loc’s 3rd solo album. To celebrate 3 decades since their formation however, they’re signing to Virgin Music for a brand new extended play of material.
“Red Eye” produced by Mike Kumagai thunderously begins talking about people everywhere knowing the Kings got the best flow whereas the title track goes for more of a reggae vibe to discuss Americans struggling these past 16 months. “Break the Chains” shifts towards punkier territory talking about rebelling against the system & once “Move Along” encourages all to overcome the odds, “Raise Up” finishes off with a celebratory heater.
I recently got to see the Kottonmouth Kings live the day before Mother’s Day earlier this month since both Motown Rage & Kung Fu Vampire opened for them, but this new lineup’s inaugural collection of music was what 25 to Life should’ve been & makes me more optimistic of where things will go for them hereon out. It’ll be a delightful surprise for fans to hear Kumagai reuniting behind the boards & taking it back to the rip hop sound he helped perfect almost a quarter of a century earlier, mixing political rebellion & stoner raps they’ve become synonymous with.
doPE is a superduo consisting of Los Angeles, California musician, songwriter, author & actor John Densmore alongside Hempstead, New York emcee, songwriter & producer Chuck D. The latter of whom gained notoriety for being the frontman of the seminal political hip hop outfit Public Enemy & the other broke out as the drummer for one of rock music’s most celebrated bands: The Doors. Both members announced their formation a few months earlier & are dropping a debut album under SpitSLAM Records.
“every tick tick tick” begins with a funky rap rock intro produced by C-Doc where Chuck’s talking about ageism, sexism & racism being in the way of people living their daily lives whereas the title track discusses elders being the roof that shelters the youth. “doomsay” returns to a rap rock sound for a gritty description of the apocalypse & after a recitation of “The Bone of my Father” by Etheridge Knight, we have “i love that i don’t love” soulfully ending the 1st half speaking of The Rhyme Animal’s relevancy.
As for “people are strangers”, we have doPE suggesting not to even try at being friends with them if you only know of them while “breakthru” spends 115 seconds talking about the rise of technology over the course of their lives. “ops3ssion” does it’s job masterfully fusing Public Enemy’s politically charged lyrics with 70s rock instrumentation while “everyone dies” following a reading of “Djali II” by Kamau Daáood concludes no country for old men by providing 1 last crucial message for the younger generations listening.
Originally released as a Record Store Day exclusive last month, doPE’s full-length studio debut finally arrives streaming services a month later & would say no country for old men joins Radio Armageddon & Black Sky Over the Projects: Apartment 2025 in terms of the run Chuck D has musically been on for the past 12 months. The production impressively mixes hip hop with funk & rock, sprinkling hints of spoken word along the way to provide some social commentary many need to hear.
GILLtemper is an east coast underground hip hop duo consisting of Millville, New Jersey rapper & producer Gibby Stites alongside Trevose, Pennsylvania rapper ILLtemper. Both of whom have already made themselves known whether it be Gibby briefly signing to Majik Ninja Entertainment in 2021 or the other being 1/2 of the Even Heathens, making his Lyrikal Snuff Productionz debut last fall with Paxil Rose. However after linking up on songs like “MayNeedAxe” or “April Showers”, they’re linking up for an eponymous extended play.
After the intro, “Save Us” begins with an opener produced by Gibby where he hooks up a gospel sample & both of them are pleading to be saved whereas “Lost Puppy” takes a more darker approach talking about darkness constantly following them. “Doing Fine” works in some pianos & strings to explain that nobody’s gonna get in either of their way leading into “Violence” ending the 1st leg talking about the enjoyment they get outta watching brutality unfold.
“Song” begins the 2nd half by being intentionally unserious for 3 minutes over an orchestral boom bap beat even if I’d say it’s my least favorite track here, but then “Cruise Dread” gives off a summery vibe instrumentally talking about a murder mystery on a boat. “Misogyny” asks themselves what kind of rappers they’d be without bringing up prejudice against women & “Manic” concludes with a boom bap outro feeling like they don’t have much left.
Excluding both remixes & the intro, I’d say that GILLtemper feels more like an EP than a full-length LP although I very much appreciate what both Gibby Stites & ILLtemper were trying to do blending humor & stealth-horror with hip hop over the course of their self-titled debut. There are a couple moments I don’t see myself revisiting especially like “Song” or “Misogyny”, but I do enjoy a great bulk of the production & each performer compliments one another.
England, United Kingdom boom bap, political hip hop & ragga duo Babylon Dead consisting of Bristol emcee Jman alongside London producer Illinformed reuniting for their 3rd LP. These guys initially got together for The Mould Tape’s outro “Gettin’ Mouldly” & signed to the Glastonbury, Somerset imprint Real Life Drama Records for their full-length debut 2000 B.D. near the end of 2017. Last we heard from them was the 2020 sophomore effort Book of the Dead, returning once more for Death Upon Dem almost a week after the Slater Dojo & Leyton Buzzard respectively became the new RPW British Tag Team Champions & RPW British Cruiserweight Champion.
“Crash & Burn” begins with this cold blooded boom bap beat talking about destroying the whole system whereas “Real Badman” goes for a jazzier vibe instrumentally explaining that the legitimate are the ones busting shots. “How Yuh Mean” works in some vibraphones so Jman talk about the authorities wanting his people incarcerated leading into Illinformed embracing a darker boom bap sound so they can figure out who they’re trying to “Flex On”.
As for “Out Here”, we have Wyatt Earp appearing to diss the government along with them talking about burning up some weed because they’re struggling to breathe outside while “Bare Burial” after the “Covered in Blood” interlude nears the halfway point of Death Upon Dem on some ghostly boom bap vibes putting us inside the shoes of a mortician. “Buss a Shot” turns up the grittiness talking about shooting at corrupt officers while “Run” almost has this horrorcore quality to it surprisingly.
“Chant Down” after the “Seen” interlude winds down the last moments of the album promising that the revolution will in fact be televised this time while “Gully” rawly blends the sounds of ragga & boom bap for a hardcore hip hop anthem. “Redrum” has a ghostly yet dusty tone to it so they can quench for blood while “Anarchy & Chaos” sends it all off with an empowering rap rock outro suiting for a rebellion asking how high to raise the death toll.
It’s no secret that the world’s been in absolute shambles for the past 16 months, so Jman & Illinformed felt that it was only right for both of them to recapture the politically-charged boom bap/ragga fusions that Babylon Dead became known for in a time where we needed Death Upon Dem now more than ever for the people. Almost a decade since their debut, the subject matter they’ve always tackled directly over Illinformed’s jazzy boom bap production still feels relevant as it did 9 years ago except they only have 1 feature rather than a few.
Here we have the 6th solo LP from Baltimore, Maryland emcee, singer, producer & visionary JPEGMAFIA. Breaking out a decade ago 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. The 8-track EP, it’s follow-up with almost all newly recorded material, LP!, the Danny Brown collab effort Scaring the Hoes & I Lay Down My Life for You each had moments of their own despite Experimental Rap’s length worrying me.
The self-produced “babygirl” after the “投影の芸術” intro begins with this hardcore trap metal single referencing 2-time WWE Hall of Famer, 14-time WWE world champion, 5-time WWE Intercontinental Champion, 3-time WWE tag team champion & the WME Group-owned TKO Group Holdings division’s CCO Triple H whereas “Burning Hammer” references former 10-time AJPWタッグチームチャンピオン, 3-time AJPW三冠ヘビー級チャンピオン, GHCヘビー級チャンピオン, GHCハードコアチャンピオン & 2-time GHCタッグチームチャンピオン 小橋 建太’s finisher.
“$” combines brostep tearout, hardcore hip hop, experimental hip hop, jersey club rap, industrial hip hop, deconstructed club, hybrid trap & riddim talking about the love he has for his own wealth while “Pop this Heat” samples both “The Way” by Ariana Grande featuring the late Mac Miller & “A Little Bit of Love” by Brenda Russell to discuss the game being so soft. “Meet the Dealers” featuring DATPIFFMAFIA links up for a 2-parter about them telling who ain’t ever been to war in their lives based on how they act.
We have Peggy going at the throats of people who be running to the internet soon as shit happens to them during “headline but once “Degenerate Prayer” flips “Frankie Teardrop” by Suicide to talk about scrapping the plates if anyone who touches his paper, “Shake Your Booty” by Bunny Sigler gets sampled during “The Ghost of Emmett Till” making a reference to WWE Hall of Famer, former WWE Champion, WWE Intercontinental Champion, WWE United States Champion, 3-time WWE Tag Team Champion, 17-time WWE Hardcore Champion & current English color commentator for their Libre AAA Worldwide (AAA) subsidiary JBL.
“Since I Met Ye” chops up “Mr. Big” by 8Ball & MJG so Peggy can respond to the backlash he got after producing some tracks for ¥$’ debut albumVultures alongside it’s sequel while “¥” combines industrial hip hop, glitch hop, glitch, epic collage, hardcore hip hop & deconstructed clubhouse referencing the inaugural 2-time AEW World Trios Champions The Elite. “G.Y.B.B. (Get Your Bitch Back)” on the other hand goes for a more soulful boom bap vibe talking about being nothing like those in the streets.
2-time WWE Hall of Famer, former 16-time WWE world champion, WWE Intercontinental Champion, 6-time WWE United States Champion, 6-time WWE tag team champion & 9-time NWA World’s Heavyweight Champion Ric Flair gets referenced on “Tsar Bomba” to end the 1st half while “Mask On” talks about robbing people. “Lights” after the “His Will” interlude however references WWE Hall of Famer, former SMW Tag Team Champion, 3-time WWE world champion, 2-time WWE Intercontinental Champion, 12-time WWE tag team champion & WWE Hardcore Champion Kane.
“New Era” gives off a more laidback atmosphere talking about people wanting to dismiss him for coming to the game with a plan while “War Over Land” after the “1 Day It’ll All Be Over” interlude fuses conscious hip hop, urban contemporary gospel, glam rock, rap rock & drumless explains how possessive he can be. “Bridges on Fire” soulfully talks about him trying to make it through the night while “No Strippers in Heaven” includes a bar referring to the inaugural 4th Rope World Tag Team Champions & current 2-time HoG Tag Team Champions The Hardy Boyz.
After the “內戰” interlude, “Chat” experiments with a pluggier sound even though the “free Derek Chauvin” line when the hook comes around doesn’t sit with me right & the final song “The 1st Amendment” preceding the “You will always lose money chasing women, but you will never lose women chasing money” outro spends Experimental Rap’s final minutes talking about Turning Point USA co-founder Charlie Kirk being killed last fall.
Being a fan of JPEGMAFIA for almost 8 & a half years already, it’s been disappointing to see him go from giving us classics like Veteran & All My Heroes are Cornballs to beefing with artists that I’ve been a fan of longer than him like Armand Hammer or Earl Sweatshirt & Freddie Gibbs. That said: I’m sure it would surprise people to hear me say I’m more on the fence with Experimental Rap than a lot of his previous output. His experimentally industrial hip hop taking additional inspiration from riddim, brostep, glitch hop, rap rock, rap metal & deconstructed club is tastefully mixed even if the hardcore lyricism can be repetitive.
Another extended play & the 8th overall from Detroit, Michigan rapper Lelo. Signing to 10K Projects a couple years ago, he would make his presence known more widely in the local trap scene by putting out his 4th EP Nightingale not too long after landing a record deal & gained even more exposure a month later by dropping the single “No Contempt” on SoundCloud. LifeAfterDogshit along with When It’s Over & New Detroit would further increase his profile, coming off Mastiff earlier this month to drop Pink Tiles.
The self-produced “Mo Betta” hooks up a sped-up vocal sample to talk about turning a bitch out whereas “Get Geeked” experiments with Detroit techno to speak of getting no sleep during the weekends. “White Russian” take a more soulful approach instrumentally to discuss hustlers receiving no love while “End of the World” suggests to worry about tonight over a pluggier beat. “All I Want” embraces a dancier sound talking about making this woman feel good & “I Just Wanna” ends by admitting he wants to fuck.
I respect Mastiff’s counterpart being more musically fun than it’s was 2 weeks earlier experimenting with secondary influences of Detroit techno as well as ghettohouse & juke, but I’m admittedly on the fence with Pink Tiles since I wouldn’t put it in the same ranks as the predecessor or New Detroit & When It’s Over. His performances & songwriting both validate him as one of the best Detroit trap artists in recent memory even if the production can feel repetitive, certainly doing more justice for dance music than Drake’s 10th album Maid of Honour tried to do.
This is the sophomore effort from Detroit Michigan emcee, producer & disc jockey DJ Oreeyo. The son of local veteran Fatt Father previously of the world famous Fat Killahz, he eventually followed his dad’s footsteps by making music himself, properly introducing himself in 2022 & Freshman Year the subsequent fall made for an impressive self-produced debut primarily rooted in trap. It’s been a few years since & the Prodigy’s ready to let us see how much he’s grown since 2023.
The self-produced “Killshot” hops over an orchestral trap beat talking about his preference of having kin instead of friends whereas “How We Comin’” aggressively talking about holding nothing back his confidence being mistaken as arrogance. “Him” keeps expressing his self-assurance of being that muhfuckin’ dude & “What We On” featuring T Cruz was one of the weaker moments here despite them talking about these haters being fans in the grand scheme of things.
“Quick Workout” goes off-the-top for 80 seconds over some horns & hi-hats flexing that he doesn’t need a personal chef because he’s cooking in the studio regardless leading into “Old Soul” reminds me of Slum Village’s early output from the boom bap instrumental to the scratch hook appealing to the old school & new school fans. “Gen Check” has a more cinematic sound to it addressing the people he sees daily while “Me vs. Me” feels like a convo between his older & younger self.
After the compositional “Commercial Break” intermission, “Ain’t Worried Bout U” cloudily makes it clear that he ain’t stressing over anyone while “Makin’ Moves” shifts back towards a more trap-oriented sound suggesting those who support him to get in the mood. “I Have a Dream” however feels less of an interlude & more of an atmospherically woozy statement regarding him making it to the end of this movie we that many would call life.
“Growth Mindset” has a more exuberant boom bap flare to it winding down Prodigy’s final moments talking about bringing his homies with him to make sure they’re all fed by the time he’s gone while “Suspense” has a bit of a west coast groove to it pleading not to show him love later if you’re not gonna do it at this present moment. The closing track “My Dear Reflection” takes up the last couple minutes of the album expressing the importance of standing tall in any challenge the world might hit us with.
Freshman Year was a impressively broader introduction to who DJ Oreeyo from both artistic & personal standpoints, but Prodigy pushes himself further by taking everything that made his debut LP so interesting from the continuation of the predecessor’s trap sound aside from a couple moments where he’s rapping over boom bap production to the penmanship being more sharpened now that he’s older than he was 2 & a half years ago.
Legends Will Never Die 