Kovax – “Manifestor” review

Kovax is a MC from Detroit, Michigan who’s been at it for quite a while now. I personally started noticing him when he opened up for LARS last year, but his set during the show left me impressed to see what he would do in the future. And that leads us to his 5th full-length album, in which he enlists Foul Mouth to produce it in it’s entirety.

It all kicks off with the title track, where Kovax brags about his skills over a trap beat some haunting background vocals. The next song “Dread of Winter” vents about some personal issues over a gloomy beat while the track “Special” talks about his place in the game over a rock/boom bap fusion. The song “I’m So Beat” talks about the positives & negatives of life over a jazzy instrumental while the track “Buzz Kill” is filled with charismatic battle bars over a beat with some prominently somber guitar licking. The song “Ashes” with Xtra Overdoze sees the 2 displaying a vicious chemistry over an eerie trap beat while the track “Heat” talks about how dope he is over a soulful beat.

The song “Desk Job” talks about how trash his competition is over a horror film-esque trap beat while the track “$1.25” talks about his hustle over a trap beat with an immensely dark atmosphere. The song “Popov” takes a jab at his naysayers over a beautiful soul sample while the track “Empathy” talks about someone he’s beefing with over a minimalist beat. The closer “I Won’t Fall” gets triumphant over a joyful beat & then there’s the bonus track “Egodeth”, where Kovax destroys the confidence of all wack rappers over a grimy boom bap beat.

This is easily the man’s best work yet. It’s a little too short, but Foul Mouth continues to prove that he’s the best producer in hip hop right now with his varied instrumental palates & Kovax’ lyricism is more gruesome than ever before.

Score: 4.5/5

Elcamino – “Lot & Abraham” review

Elcamino is an MC from Buffalo, New York that I discovered when he dropped his self-titled EP with Griselda Records in November of 2017. He then followed it up with his debut mixtape Walking on Water last summer & now just 2 months after his debut album Don’t Eat the Fruit, he’s already delivering his 2nd EP with DJ Shay producing it in it’s entirety.

After the intro, we go into the title track. Where Camino reflects on his past over a mellow beat with some horns. The song “2-Tone Joint” talks about his crack dealing days over a soulful beat while the track “Formula” pays tribute to Camino’s mother over some background vocals & a piano load.

The song “Break Bread” talks about knowing his time is coming with over an orchestral beat while the track “Strolling Down Rodeo” continues to brag over some joyous piano chords. The song “Gutta Shit” lives up to it’s title lyrically over some strings & then the EP ends with “Can’t Be Saved”, where Camino talks about people he knew over some guitar licking.

This is honestly tied with the self-titled EP for Elcamino’s magnum opus. The lack of features can leave it somewhat monotonous & a few of the tracks sound unfinished, but his lyrics are sharper with each release & DJ Shay solidifies himself as one of the best producers in the underground right now.

Score: 4.5/5

Denzel Curry – “ZUU” review

Denzel Curry is a 24 year old MC from Carol City, Florida who came up as a member of the Raider Klan, founded by SpaceGhostPurrp. He caught my attention in 2013 with the release of his debut album Nostalgic 64 which was good, but it wouldn’t be until 2016’s Imperial in 2016 & then last summer’s TA13OO that he would top it. However almost a year after the release of his magnum opus, he’s hitting us again with his 4th full-length album.

It all kicks off with the title track, where Zel pays tribute to his hometown & the FNZ beat has a really pretty atmosphere to it. The official WWE NXT TakeOver: WarGames theme song “RICKY” pays tribute to his father over a dirty south style-instrumental while the song “WISH” with Kiddo Marv is a mediocre sex tune a cloudy beat. The track “BIRDZ” with Rick Ross sees the 2 getting confrontational over an eerie trap beat while the song “AUTOMATIC” gets braggadocious over a bass-heavy trap beat from Tay Keith.

The track “SPEEDBOAT” pays tribute to XXXTENTACION over a trap beat with somber piano chords & after the “BUSHY B” interlude, the equally long “YOO” is a pretty decent skit. The track “CAROLMART” talks about how fresh he is over a bouncy beat while the song “SHAKE 88” is an really cool Miami Bass booty anthem. Then after the “Blackland 66.6” skit, the closer “P.A.T.” with PlayThatBoyZay is a fighting anthem with a distorted Ronny J beat.

Despite being worried at first, this wasn’t bad as I feared. Could’ve been padded out with a few more tracks, but it’s a short but fun concept album about Zel’s hometown.

Score: 3.5/5

NEMS – “Gorilla Monsoon” review

NEMS is an MC from Brooklyn, New York who first gained attention in the battle rap field. He made his debut in 2010 with Prezident’s Day & followed it up in 2012 with Coney Soprano but now after years of mixtapes, he’s coming back with his 3rd album.

The album kicks off “Step Aside”, where NEMS is spitting battle bars over a sinister boom bap beat from JAZZSOON (who happens to be the sole producer of the project). The next song “Where You Know Me From?” with Conway the Machine details the gritty street life over a nightmarish instrumental while the track “Timb Boots” gets into fight mode over a funky beat.

“Gahbage” is a ruthless diss towards wack rappers who shove their music down everyone’s throats while the track “Kings” is a dedication to how good NEMS is living over a soulful beat. The song “Lil Niggas” gets back on the battle bar tip over a grimy boom bap beat while the track “Who Got Ya?” brags about his prowess over a piano driven boom bap beat.

After the “Intermission”, the song “200” with Spit Gemz sees the 2 bodying off their competition & their families like disgraced IWGPジュニアヘビー級チャンピオン, 2-time WWE world champion, 4-time WWE Intercontinental Champion, 5-time WWE United States Champion, 7-time WWE tag team champion & 3-time WCW World Television Champion Chris Benoit over a beat that sounds inspired by a horror film. The track “Heavy Metal” reflects on his past over some prominent drums while the song “Leave Me Alone” gets motivational over a punchy beat.

The penultimate track “No Reggaeton” with Al Doe & Axel Leon is an intriguing Puerto Rican flavored cut & then the album ends with “Token of My Gratitude”, which is essentially a beautiful 3 & a half minute song combined with a 13 minute spoken word outro.

Personally, this is easily NEMS’ magnum opus. There are a couple tracks I could’ve done without but for the most part: JAZZSOON’s beats are hardcore, the rhymes are deadly & it really seems like he put his heart into it.

Score: 4/5

Jim Jones – “El Capo” review

Jim Jones is a legendary rapper from the Bronx who came up as a member of The Diplomats at the beginning of the decade. He released a few albums throughout the 2000s, but he went off the radar after 2011’s Capo. It wasn’t until last year’s Wasted Talent that he would make his comeback & now a year later, he’s delivering his 7th full-length album with The Heatmakerz producing it in it’s entirety.

The album kicks off with “Cristal Ocassions”, where he talks about his rise from nothing to fame over a soulful boom bap beat. The next track “Love of the Hustle” minimalistically recalls his drug dealing deals whereas “Make No Issues of It” brushes off ignorance over some harmonious background vocals. The track “NYC” with Fat Joe pays tribute to their hometown referencing WWE Hall of Famer Mike Tyson over a joyous beat while the song “Good Die Young” is a tribute to all of the homies he lost over a beautiful soul sample.

The track “State of the Union” with Rick Ross sees the 2 getting conscious over a mellow beat while the song “Pity in the Summer” with Cam’ron & Fred the Godson is a decent club banger. The track “My Era” with Maino reflects on their pasts over some prominent drums with a soul sample in the background while the song “Nothing Lasts” with Fabolous vents on some life issues over an infectious beat.

The track “Cocaine Dreamin'” with Dave East talks about how their lives a like a movie over a boom bap beat with a sped-up vocal sample. The track “Mama I Made It” with Cam is of course a triumphant success anthem with a nice church choir while the song “To Whom It May Concern” is a fantastic Dipset/Griselda posse cut.

The track “Sports Cars” is all about just that with a decent beat & a perfect Curren$y verse & while “Song Boxing” is short, it’s very cutthroat. The penultimate track “Bread Right” boasts about his money over a dreamy beat & then the album finishes with “Don’t Know What They Took Him For”, where Jim gets with Jadakiss & Philthy Rich to talk about death over a soulful beat.

Overall, this is easily Jim’s best work yet & really the album that I’ve always wanted to hear from him. There are way too many features, but a good chunk of them do their thing. And on top of that, Jim steps his pen-game up continuing the elevation shown on Wasted Talent & The Heatmakerz as Dipset’s in-house production team show why they’re one of the most underrated producers ever.

Score: 4.5/5

100 gecs – “1,000 gecs” review

100 gecs is a hyperpop duo from St. Louis, Missouri consisting of singer/songwriters & producers Dylan Brady & Laura Les. Initially meeting at a high school rodeo, they reunited in 2015 & dropped an eponymous extended play the following year to moderate reception although glimpses of their potential were shown. However, they’ve been getting a lot of attention for the singles preceding their brief full-length debut that they’ve decided to put out through Dylan’s own independent label Dog Show Records.

The remix Parker Corey of Injury Reserve did for the intro “745 Sticky” combines industrial hip hop, glitch hop, deconstructed club, trap, wonky & hybrid trap to talk about the paper whereas their breakout single “money machine” takes a more humorous approach to their songwriting with PC Music founder A.G. Cook’s remix blending bubblegum bass, deconstructed club, industrial hip hop, hyperpop, emo rap & sound collage.

“800db cloud” mixes hyperpop, industrial hip hop, industrial rock, deconstructed club, cyber metal, sludge metal & emo rap asking where the weed’s at while “xXXi_wud_nvrstøp_ÜXXx” after the “stupid horse” interlude interpolates “Kiss Me Through the Phone” by Soulja Boy exploring vocal trance. “ringtone” featuring Charli XCX & Rico Nasty on the remix talks about their partners calling them using different responses over a pop rap, hyperpop, electropop, bubblegum bass, emo rap & digicore instrumental just before “gecgecgec” lets Laura shine on her own for a couple minutes.

Hyperpop, EDM trap, digicore, standard trap, emo rap, hands up, nightcore, bubblegum bass, vocal trance & pop rap all collide for what could be my favorite track they’ve ever done “hand crushed by a mallet” included in WWE 2K24 describing a fight that occurred during a studio session where one of them left & the other one was upset regarding the whole thing while “gec 2 Ü” featuring Dorian Electra on the remix joins forces for a hyperpop, brostep, hands up, glitch & deconstructed club outro talking about their own relationships.

In the mist of all the polarizing reception this album’s been getting, I’d have to strongly disagree with the crowd who’s been calling 1,000 gecsunlistenable & lean more towards the other half of people who’ve been praising 100 gecs for it’s creative amalgamation of multiple genres. Dylan Brady & Laura Les’ production improved their signature hyperpop sound adding elements of deconstructed club, electropop, emo rap, trap, digicore, pop rap, bubblegum bass, industrial hip hop, glitch hop, wonky, hybrid trap, sound collage, industrial rock, cyber metal, sludge metal, electropop, EDM trap, hands up, nightcore, vocal trance, brostep, glitch & deconstructed club to popularize the electropop subgenre.

Score: 4/5

Supergang – Self-Titled review

The Supergang are a quartet from England, United Kingdom consisting of Runcorn, Cheshire, emcee/producer Lee Scott, London emcee Milkavelli, Sheffield emcee Sniff & finally London producer Sumgii. All of whom have cross paths with each other several times over the courses of each member’s careers, so them forming & introducing themselves as a unit by dropping an eponymous debut EP under Blah Records was understandable given the founder of the label’s involvement in many different side projects.

The g-funk instrumental on the intro “Zap” was a welcoming way to get the extended play started having each of them spitting hardcore verses without the need of a hook whereas “Yellow x Green” goes for a lo-fi boom bap vibe talking about dreaming in only those 2 colors. “GNGLVD” keeps the beats dusty making it clear the Devil Gang’s retaliation has begun while “Do It Twice” rawly yet slowly talks about living life do or die because of the rush they get out of it.

“I Confess” starts the backend of the Supergang’s self-titled debut admitting to pushing drugs on their Twitter feeds & being happier than a kid on Christmas Eve once they’re caught instrumentally experimenting with trap leading into the “Unofficial Anthem” coming through with their own 5 & a half minute theme song. “Bubblewrap” closes up shop with 1 last boom bap beat subduing it so all 3 lyricists can fire off 1 last hardcore verse of their own.

Making it their mission to become the UK hip hop scene’s next unstoppable force, the Supergang’s inaugural musical statement certainly does what everyone involved had set out to do & those who enjoy the Mcabre Brothers’ output or Nobodies Home’s debut EP ADHD Concerto 77 wouldn’t deny it. Sumgii’s production here sticks out amongst the funkiest he’s ever made & Lee handles the verse with both Milkavelli & Sniff by his side rather than either or.

Score: 4/5

Ouija Macc – “Resistance: The Walk to Wasteland” review

Ouija Macc is a rapper from Las Vegas, Nevada who came up as the latest signee to the Insane Clown Posse’s label that runs beneath the streets Psychopathic Records in 2017. He made a pretty solid debut last May with Gutterwater, following it up not too long after 2 mixtapes: Waterdamage & 50 Shades of Dead. However to celebrate the 1 year anniversary of his debut, he’s continuing his grind with his 3rd mixtape & longtime collaborator Devereaux producing it in it’s entirety.

The album kicks off with “Controller 17,” where Ouija is dissing an unknown rapper over an eerie beat. The next track “Infinight” talks about shooting out the sun over a druggy trap beat while the song “Lil Monster” gets murderous over a nocturnal trap beat. The track “1700 MPH” has a decent beat, but I love how Ouija disses his haters & that he speeds up his flow during the hook. The song “Dead Diary” is a horrific trap metal fusion & while the track “Randall’s Law” gets murderous, it sounds unfinished. The song “Mayday, Mayday, Mayday” continues the lyrical themes of the previous cut over a haunting trap beat & while the track “Hater Exterminator” pretty much speaks for itself over an ominous trap beat, the hook is annoying.

The song “Gary in the Gravedigger” talks about hustling over an alluring trap beat while the track “Benz Boys” with R I L E Y showcases a pretty decent chemistry between the 2 over a Halloween-esque trap beat. The song “Friends” talks about being lonesome over bass-heavy trap beat with a haunting bell throughout while the track “Toxic Nephilim” talks about being a heathen over an atmospheric beat. The song “Jujitsu” gets boastful over a moody beat while the track “Error 404” is a short yet catchy banger where Ouija continues to brag. The song “Sonar Sizzle” talks about the things he’s seen over the course of his life over a somber beat & then “Chaos Spell” is an adrenaline pumping way to close out the tape.

This was a major improvement over Ouija’s last 2 tapes & it’s on par with Gutterwater for his magnum opus. Devereaux’s producer tags can get annoying after a while as they’re placed on every single track, but his chemistry with Ouija is stronger than ever on this one & I like how they kept features to a minimum. It’s not for everyone though, as they continue to put an old fashioned horrorcore spin on the trap sound that’s ever so popular right now.

Score: 3.5/5

Beast Coast – “Escape from New York” review

The Beast Coast are a New York hip hop collective consisting of Pro Era & Clockwork Indigo (the Flatbush ZOMBiES & The Underachievers). All 3 subgroups blew throughout the decade with the strengths of Joey Bada$$’ debut mixtape 1999, Flatbush’s sophomore tape BetterOffDead & The Underachievers’ sophomore album Evermore: The Art of Duality. Now after all these years of making names for themselves, they’re finally teaming up for their full-length debut as a collective.

The opener “It Ain’t Easy, It Ain’t Easy” by AK, CJ Fly, the Flatbush ZOMBiES & Nyck @ Knight talks about their rise to fame over a bland beat while the next track “Left Hand” by CJ, Clockwork Indigo, Joey Bada$$ & Nyck @ Knight takes a jab at their enemies over a druggy trap beat. The song “Problemz” by CJ, Erick the Architect, Nyck Caution, The Underachievers & Zombie Juice talks about their own issues over a mellow beat while the track “Far Away” by Erick Joey, Meechy Darko & Nyck @ Knight gets romantic over a mellow beat from Powers Pleasant. The song “Snow in the Stadium” by CJ, Erick, Joey, Issa Gold, Kirk Knight & Meechy talks about defeating the best over a cloudy trap beat while the track “Rubberband” sees Flatbush & Joey talks about making dough over a gloomy trap beat.

The song “Distance” by Erick, Issa & Joey talks about feeling free over some pretty keyboards & skittering snares while the track “Bones” by Clockwork Indigo & Nyck @ Knight gets confrontational over a perfectly fitting trap beat. The song “Puke” by AK, Erick, Joey, Meechy & Nyck looks back at when they were broke over some somber piano chords while the track “Desperado” by Joey, Kirk & the 2 Dead Boyz get at their haters over some hi-hats & an ominous acoustic guitar lead. The song “1 More Round” by Erick, Joey, Meechy & Nyck is a headache inducing alcohol anthem with a buttery instrumental while the penultimate track “Coast/Clear” by Flatbush, Issa, Joey & Nyck @ Knight is a horrifically executed friendship ode. The closer “Last Choir” by AK, Erick, Meechy & Nyck @ Knight then talks about being blessed to have made it in the rap game over a joyous instrumental.

While we’ve waited a long time for it, it’s pretty decent. Everyone all sounds great collectively & I love how they didn’t bring on any features as a way of showing that, but the production could’ve been better.

Score: 3/5

$uicideboy$ – “LIVE FAST, DIE WHENEVER” review

The $uicideboy$ are a hip hop duo from New Orleans, Louisiana consisting of G*59 Record$ founders Ruby da Cherry & $crim. They’ve been releasing a plethora of EPs & mixtapes since 2013, but it wasn’t until last September that they made their full-length debut with I WANNA DIE IN NEW ORLEANS. But now 8 months later, they’re delivering their 23rd EP & have enlisted the legendary blink-182 drummer Travis Barker to produce it in it’s entirety.

The EP kicks off with “Killing 2 Birds with 22 Stones”, where the duo get murderous over a grimy trap/metal fusion. The next song “Sour Grapes” calls out the music industry over an druggy instrumental while the track “DON’T TRUST ANYONE!” talks about paranoia over a noisy trap beat. The song “Individuality Was So Last Year” talks about wanting to be left alone over an atmospheric beat while the penultimate track “Aliens are Ghosts” brush off their naysayers over an eerie trap beat & I love how they incorporated samples of Anthony Fantano all over. The EP then finishes with “nothingleftnothingleft”, which is a dime a dozen digital hardcore cut about wanting to commit suicide.

All & all, this was a solid EP. The duo pretty much stick to their Three 6 Mafia influenced guns & Travis really helps enhance their aggression quite a bit. I also love how they got Munky from KoЯn to play guitar on half of the cuts to enhance the rock feeling to the project.

Score: 3.5/5