This is the 3rd EP from Queensbridge emcee Lex the Hex Master, an artist who I’ve been keeping up with since late 2015 when he became one of the first artists to sign with Majik Ninja Entertainment. His latest EP Party Castle that dropped just a few months ago was the 1st in a 4-part series & even though it was more trap-flavored than anything he’s done before, it was a great way to kick the series off. But as fall approaches, Lex is already delivering the 2nd installment.
After the 9-second intro, the title track sets the tone for whole project as Lex talks about getting lit over a C.G. instrumental sampling Justin Timberlake’s “SexyBack” whereas the next song “Be Gone” takes aim at those who’re hating on MNE over a trap beat from Poetics with some melancholic piano-chords. “The Life” sees Lex showboating over an energetic beat while the track “Take It Off” is a wild strip club banger.
The song “S.A.L. (Sorry Ass Loser)” to me seems like a darker, modern version of 7L & Esoteric’s “Herb” while the penultimate track “Insane” with Blaze Ya Dead Homie & Boondox finds the trio talking about staying that way until the very end over an instrumental that has somewhat of a crunk feel to it. The EP finishes with “Bruja”, where Lex talks about a witch over a tribal beat from Charlie Beans.
This whole ongoing EP series are quickly becoming some of my favorite projects that Lex has ever put out point blank period & I’ll even say this is Party Castle on steroids. The club bangers on here in comparison to it’s predecessor are more refined from the hooks, production choices, lyricism & performances. At this rate, the next 2 installments are bound to be even better.
Armani Caesar is a 31 year old rapper from Buffalo, New York with a couple of mixtapes under her belt already. She just signed with Griselda Records at the beginning of 2020 after being featured on Westside Gunn’s FLYGOD is an Awesome God II, Armani is now making her debut on the label with a brand new EP.
After the “Sissy Intro”, the first song “Countdown” takes aim at those who think they can double-cross her over a boom bap beat from JR Swiftz with an old timey piano sample whereas the track right after “Macs 10s for Everybody” looks back on when she used to struggle over a sumptuous instrumental. The titular song shows off some clever wordplay over a lush beat while the track “Gucci Casket” with Conway the Machine sees the 2 rightfully proclaiming themselves as bosses referencing WWE Hall of Famer, former 6-time WWE world champion & WWE Intercontinental Champion Randy Savage over a boom bap beat with some twinkling keyboard arpeggios.
The song “Drillarama” with Benny the Butcher finds them flexing over a vibrant trap beat from the 808 Mafia, but then they hook back up on the track right after “Simply Done” to give the listener some facts over some nostalgic DJ Premier production. The song “Yum Yum” gets raunchy over a rubbery beat while the track “Palm Angels” talks about how her new man makes her ex look like shit over a sensual instrumental from Animoss. The song “Ginger Rothstein” charmingly brags over a glamorous instrumental & then the EP finishes off with a short freestyle on top of the instrumental to one of my personal favorite songs of all-time: “Searching” by Roy Ayers.
I was curious to hear what Griselda would do bringing a female spitter on the roster & Armani manages to hold it on her own pretty well. In contrast to her previous efforts, the sound on here is a lot more boom bappy as to be expected from the camp & her lyricism has improved as well. She can only go up from here if you ask me.
YoungBoy Never Broke Again is a 20 year old rapper from Baton Rogue, Louisiana with a plethora of mixtapes under his belt throughout the last 5 years of his career. However it wouldn’t be until 2017 when he dropped his full-length debut Until Death Called My Name which was not only pretty decent, but arguably his best work. But after a 6 month hiatus, YoungBoy is back with his sophomore effort.
The album starts off with “Drug Addiction”, where YoungBoy talks about being the life of the party over a bassy instrumental with some keyboards. The next song “Cross Roads” talks about being too rich for drama over a trap rock beat while “The Last Backyard…” talks about catching his haters in person over a menacing instrumental. The track “Right Foot Creep” talks about how he walks with a gun over an instrumental that doesn’t really have anything to it with an genuinely catchy bass-line while the song “Dirty Stick” talks about passing hollows to dudes over an dramatic instrumental.
The track “Kacey Talks” is actually a profound dedication to YoungBoy’s 1-year old daughter while the song “My Window” with Lil Wayne sees the 2 talking about collectin’ them dollars over a bouncy beat. The track “I’m Up” talks about how he’s still thuggin’ despite his fame that over an acoustic trap instrumental from Wheezy while the song “Off Season” is a painful love ballad with a buttery beat.
The track “All In” talks about making it out of the dirt pile over another acoustic guitar-tinged instrumental while the song “Dead Trollz” talks about catchin’ a body over an abrasive instrumental. The track “Fuck Ya!” talks about him shining over an uneventful instrumental while the song “Big Bankroll” redundantly flexes his wealth over a bland beat.
The track “Boom” boasts about how he gets places poppin’ over a dull instrumental the song “Reaper’s Child” pretty much says fuck how people be feel towards him over a dreary instrumental. The track “Murder Business” of course talks about killing people over a shadowy instrumental while the song “Sticks with Me” talks about all he ever needs over a mundane beat.
The track “House Arrest Tingz” talks about being damaged over a completely unexpected Buckethead sample while the song “To My Lowest” tries so hard to impersonate Young Thug down to the hook. The penultimate track “Peace Hardly” talks about his recent mental struggles over a beat with a slick guitar passage & then the album ends with “Callin’”, where YoungBoy gets on his gangsta shit with WWE Hall of Famer Snoop Dogg & they both coast on top of the instrumental finely.
If anyone has paid attention to my reviews in the past, then you should already know that I’m very accepting of trap music. That being said: Top is just as boring as almost every other project I’ve ever heard from NBA YoungBoy. I wish him well in his ongoing mental health struggles, but absolutely nothing about this dude’s music interests me whether it be the basic production or his lowbrow presence on the mic
Conway the Machine is a 38 year old MC from Buffalo, New York who’s risen to prominence as a co-founder of Griselda Records with his brother Westside Gunn. The label has put out a lot of the most essential releases from the East Coast within the past 5 years & have quickly become one of the most well-respected crews in hip hop today. Although everyone on the team has always been working their asses off (especially as of late), Conway has definitely stood out the most in 2020. He dropped 2 damn-near perfect EPs in the spring with LULU & No One Mourns the Wicked but as the release of his long-awaited Shady Records debut God Don’t Make Mistakes approaches, La Maquina is finally delivering the highly anticipated prelude album From King to a God.
“From King…” starts by speaking on how Conway has become a brand, taking his demeanor from former 5-time WWE world champion, 11-time WWE tag team champion, WWE Intercontinental Champion & TNA World Tag Team Champion Kevin Nash along with joking about newly inducted WWE Hall of Famers nWo over a grimy Daringer beat whereas the next song “Fear of God” with DeJ Loaf sees the 2 talking about how far they’ve come over an empowering Hit-Boy instrumental. The track “Lemon” with Method Man finds both wordsmiths talking about over a creepy beat while the song “Dough & Damani” is pretty much Conway’s equivalent to “‘97 Hov” off of Benny the Butcher’s 2018 magnum opus Tana Talk 3 down to the switch-ups in the instrumental. The track “Juvenile Hell” with Flee Lord & Lloyd Banks sees the 3 over a dusty Havoc beat & after the “Words from Shay interlude, the song “Front Lines” is a well written response to the murder of George Floyd backed by a demented Beat Butcha instrumental.
The track “Anza” with Armani Caesar finds the 2 talking about how their crew has the most money over a trap beat from Murda Beatz while the song “Seen Everything But Jesus” with Freddie Gibbs finds the 2 talking about their regrets over a boom bap instrumental with some fancy keyboard embellishments. After the “Words from Shay 2” interlude, the song “Spurs 3” with Westside Gunn & Benny the Butcher get on their pyrex shit over a somber instrumental while the song “Forever Dropping Tears” talks about how no one can deceive him a smooth beat from none other than Erick Sermon & Rockwilder. The penultimate song “Jesus Khrysis” talks about being in rare form over a cinematic instrumental from Khrysis whereas the closer “Nothin’ Less or More” talks about how he’ll forever keep it raw over a funky boom bap beat from none other than DJ Premier.
“Raw Oysters” is a raw kickoff to the deluxe run starting with O’s & ending with ki’s ahead of Cardiak & Hitmaka giving “Ameenah’s Van” a soulful boom bap flare talking about being different & the streets needing this gospel. “Crack in the 90s” featuring Jae Skeese & 7xvethegenius hopping over a gritty Roc Marciano instrumental for a flawless Drumwork posse cut while 9th Wonder samples “Wistful Dreams” by Paul Williams for “Serena vs. Venus” acknowledging it feels good to know you fuckin’ with a real g. The final bonus track “Stefon Diggs” featuring Jae Skeese hops over a flute telling their experiences in the streets.
After years of hype, this album certainly lived up to my expectations & only enhances my excitement for God Don’t Make Mistakes. Not only is Conway the most versatile he’s ever been before, but you can really hear how much he’s grown both as an artist & as a person throughout the years.
This is the sophomore album from Maryland‘s very own Maez301. Setting his foot in the industry a few years ago with his debut mixtape Nowhere, the project eventually caught the attention of Ervin Pope & Jerome Taylor. Both of whom helped Maez sign with Strange Music in 2018 & just last fall, they put his self-titled debut showcasing versatility. And as the 1 year anniversary of that album approaches in a couple months, Maez & Ervin are back at it again with Hasaan.
The album kicks off with “Thank You”, where Maez talks about living how he wants now over a graceful beat. The next song “Eff U Thought” with Lex Bratcher sees the 2 clapping back at their detractors over a hard trap instrumental while the track “Like It” with E-40 finds both of them charmingly bragging about themselves over a hyphy beat. The song “R.I.P.” with Infinite E sees the 2 talking about women doing them dirty over a slow instrumental while the track “Back in a Minute” flexes over a playful trap beat.
The song “Sick” vents about almost taking his own life over a mellow instrumental while the track “Orange Blood” talks about wanting to be taken back to when life for him was sample over a trap beat from some luscious keyboards. The song “Y.O.L.O. (You Only Live Once)” talks about turning up over a vigorous instrumental while the track “Lately” tells this woman not to fuck with him over a punchy yet somewhat atmospheric beat.
The song “Don’t Go” with Leila is a decent R&B/trap fused duet about heartbreak while the track “She Say” talks about sex over a moody beat. The song “Never Go” talks about a bitch switching on him over a gentle boom bappy instrumental while the track “Stride” talks about a woman running back to him over a nocturnal beat.
The song “20879” with Ducemd & Infinite E sees the 3 boasting over a vibrant instrumental while the track “90047” with Bad Lucc finds the 2 showing the listeners how to get bread over a euphoric beat with a bit of a West Coast feel to it. The song “Destiny” talks about being made for this rap shit over an instrumental cooler than the ocean breeze while the track “Let U Go” is an acoustic ballad about moving on from this woman.
The song “Up” with Infinite E sees the 2 talking about how they’re on top over a glamorous instrumental while the track “Instagram Famous” is pretty much both of them getting back together again to talk about hoes with large social media followings over a plain beat. The closer “Real Real Love” repetitively talks about wanting an actually romantic bond over an unexpected synth-funk instrumental & then the bonus cut “Higher” gives thanks to the higher power over a synthy boom bap beat.
This is just as dope as the self-titled album & it’s another reminder of how talented Maez can be. The lyrics are a lot more personal this time around in comparison to previous efforts & Ervin Pope’s production continues to bring the best out of him.
This is the sophomore effort from England, United Kingdom boom bap, political hip hop & ragga duo Babylon Dead. Consisting of Bristol emcee Jman alongside London producer Illinformed, these guys initially got together for The Mould Tape’s outro “Gettin’ Mouldly” & have signed to the Glastonbury, Somerset imprint Real Life Drama Records for their full-length debut 2000 B.D. near the end of 2017. Precisely 35 months later, they’re reuniting in the midst of a global pandemic to open up the Book at the Dead.
After the “Babylon” intro, the first song “GHTQ” gives a giant middle finger directed at the crooked racists & sick fucks who’re in power over a boom bap whereas “The Underworld” works in a soul sample as well as a piano & some kicks & snares talking about the future of those he’s assisting on their journey to Hell looking like the bottom of a well. The lead single “1984” fuses boom bap & ragga for a statement addressing the world elite while “Burning” featuring Daddy Freddy & Jamalski leans towards the ragga side of things watching Babylon fall.
“This Likkle Piggy” returns to the boom bap condemning law enforcement who abuse their power while the 2nd & final single “Resistance” brings back the secondary ragga influences talking about standing up to the kind of people who want to incite fear on everyone else. “Shellings” featuring Killa P finds the pair embracing a slower & grittier atmosphere looking to shut the place down with the vibes being the only thing they care for leading into “Revenga” dustily talking about the kind who’re power hungry for some kind of leadership.
Beginning the 2nd half, the title track talks about the right-wing having a hatred for the poor when that’s been made clear for a long time & the time to militantly march in protest being now just before the ghostly “Fucked” featuring Warrior Queen airs out their own respective grievances towards the system. “Revolting” hooks up these sinister piano chords talking about rebelling against corrupt swine & “That’s BD” heads back to the basement instrumentally reminding the world exactly who they are during a turbulent 6 months.
“Bun Brexit” featuring Irah sees the 2 openly criticizing their country for withdrawing from the European Union in January while “Ransom” has a bit of a Bollywood-inflicted boom bap flare talking about doing what they do for the nations who’re experiencing sleaziness within their own government. “Hung, Drawn & Quartered” pulls from rap rock again attacking officers under the impression that they’re above the law while “Finished” featuring Badness & Devilman preceding the “Dead” outro ends with all 3 rappers aggressively retaliating against tyranny 1 last time.
2000 B.D. has already become amongst the top 5 albums in Real Life Drama Records’ whole entire catalog & despite coming away from Book of the Dead enjoying it, I’d have to put the follow-up right behind the predecessor. Illinformed’s boom bap & ragga production matched with Jman’s politically hardcore lyricism are still the most captivating things this LP has going for it, but I wound up becoming a little divided towards the guest list comprised of ragga & grime acts although I did give it the benefit of the doubt because 2000 B.D. didn’t have any features whatsoever.
This is the new surprise album from Inkster emcee Ketch P. Starting off as part of the quartet Street Justice, he eventually went solo & put out 3 mixtapes in the late 2000s. However, Ketch took a hiatus in 2013 & returned last fall by dropping the fantastic comeback tape Gift Certificate under Middle Finger Music. But almost 10 months since, he’s returning from the shadows with Out of Nowhere.
The “RKO” intro boasts about how Ketch made the album in a week over an upbeat boom bap instrumental from his Bad News Brown cohort Foul Mouth whereas the next song “9th Letter Flow” talks about being competitive on the mic over a Slum Village-inspired beat from Chanes. The track “My Addiction” talks about his flame over a classy instrumental from Simple Cuts while the song “Belle Isle Cookout” sees 2 Door Coupé getting together for a fun summertime bop. The track “Big Slick Energy” shows off his charisma over a boom bap instrumental with a faint sample while the song “Wildstyle” with A-Minus & King Bub Rock finds the 3 spitting some vicious battle bars over a fuzzy beat from Nolan the Ninja.
The track “Chugga Bounce” speaks on all the shit that’s happened to him in 2020 over a funky instrumental while the song “Get Money Organically” speaks for itself lyrically over a boom bap beat with a soothing loop. The track “Dazed Mind” spits pure pain over a meditatively jazzy beat while the song “Barry Sanders” with Rim sees the 2 getting rowdy over a dark beat from Blizzard. The closer “Legend Killers” then finds Bad News Brown hooking up with Bang Belushi, Jypsy & King Bub Rock to deliver that anti-radio rap over a trunk-knocking beat.
For a veteran, I think Ketch has only gotten better with time because this is neck-&-neck with Gift Certificate for his magnum opus His pen-game just keeps elevating nonchalantly & the production is as grimy as you’d expect from Middle Finger Music at this point.
Big Sean is a 32 year old rapper & singer/songwriter from Detroit, Michigan 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. But after a couple years of speculation, he’s returning with a sequel to Detroit as his 6th full-length album.
The opener “Why Would I Stop?” speaks on where he is now come over an abrasive instrumental from Hit-Boy & Rogét Chahayed, who had a huge hand in overseeing the whole album. The next song “Lucky Me” opens up on things he’s never talked about over a relaxing beat before a dope switch-up during the 2nd half referencing the inaugural IWGPヘビー級チャンピオン, former 12-time WWE world champion, WWE tag team champion & 2-time WWE Hall of Famer Hulk Hogan while the track “Deep Reverence” with Nipsey Hu$$le sees the 2 talking about being legends in the streets over a spacious beat. The song “Wolves” with Post Malone finds the 2 looking back on how they grew up over a cavernous instrumental while the track “Body Language” is a TWENTY88 reunion about lust over a moody KeY Wane beat.
After the Dave Chappelle story, the track “Harder Than My Demons” talks about how Sean thanks God for everything over a Mike WiLL Made-It & DJ Khalil instrumental sampling the classic Michael Jackson joint “Human Nature” while the song “Everything That’s Missing” talks about heartbreak over a bare piano instrumental. The track “Z.T.F.O. (Zen The Fuck Out)” talks about canceling bad energy over an ghostly Cool & Dre instrumental with co-production from No I.D. while the song “Guard Your Heart” with Wale & Anderson .Paak finds the 3 getting on the conscious side of things over a luxurious boom bap beat.
The track “Respect It” with Young Thug sees the 2 talking about how no one will do them dirty over a vibrant instrumental while the song “Lithuania” with Travis Scott finds 2 boasting over a psychedelic trap beat. The track “Full Circle” with KeY Wane sees the 2 about how everything in their lives/careers have come together over an uplifting instrumental while the song “Time In” by TWENTY88 gets back on the romantic tip over a wavy beat & with what is EASILY the worst hook on the entire album. After the Erykah Badu story, the track “FEED” talks about time moving fast over a murky beat from Boi-1da while “The Baddest” tells his significant other she’s just that over a heavy instrumental with some menacing horns.
The track “Don Life” with Lil Wayne finds the 2 talking about being top dogs over a futuristic instrumental whereas the Friday Night Cypher” is an epic posse cut with constant, perfectly transitioned beat changes featuring a handful of Detroit spitters ranging from Sada Baby & Tee Grizzley to Boldy James & even Bad Meets Ǝvil. Then after the Stevie Wonder story, the closer “Still I Rise” gets on the motivational side of things over a victorious instrumental co-produced by DJ Camper.
The singles leading up had me excited & as for the final product, this album definitely Big Sean’s best work in a while. Not only has the production improved compared to Dark Sky Paradise & I Decided., but you can definitely hear how much he’s matured in the past 13 years & it does a good job of recapturing the essence of that original Detroit tape.
ETheMadAssassin is an MC from Greensboro, North Carolina who’s been on the rise in the underground for about over 15 years now. He just dropped the 3rd installment of his Bear Handz series at the beginning of last year but after doing a couple of features since then, E’s returning with a 4th installment produced entirely by Twelvebit.
After the “Jungle” intro, the first song “Discipline” finds E talking about how he came up differently than others over a nightly instrumental while the track “Stay Paid” of course spits about making money over a dreary beat. The song “Gunsmoke” shit-talks the lames who approach his turf over a spine-tingling instrumental & after the “Reasons” interlude, the track “Children of the Night” talks about being an insomniac over an uncanny boom bap beat.
The song “Don’t Mix Ya Dishes” talks about how life’s a bitch over a depressive instrumental & after the “100 Reasons” interlude, the track “Shots of Gin” talks about drinking over a fittingly intoxicating beat. The song “10” talks about being deep rooted over an ominous instrumental & then the album ends with “How Many”, where E ponders a few questions over an icy instrumental.
Overall, it’s a solid album. I can definitely hear Ethemadassassin‘s growth on here as the dude continues to rap his ass off harder than he ever has before & Twelvebit’s production is a nice fit as well.
This is the brand new EP from Fort Collins, Colorado rapper Mitchell James. He just dropped an short project last winter called Further Notice & about 9 months later, he’s ready to follow it up with Vintage.
The EP starts off with the title track, where Mitch talks about not passing up his opportunity over a 9th Wonder-inspired boom bap beat. The next song “PB & J” with Honey Boy, Duke Shoota & Trav the Trigger sees the 4 getting romantic over an joyous instrumental & then the closer “Some Kind of Outro” looks back on his past along with discussing where he’s at over a trunk-knocking beat.
Not a bad EP in my opinion. The production is very colorful & this might be the most passionate that Mitch has ever sounded it. Curious to hear where he goes from here.
