Tyler, The Creator – “IGOR” review

This is the 6th full-length album from California rapper, singer/songwriter, producer, music video director & designer: Tyler, The Creator. Who rose to international stardom at the beginning of the decade as the de facto leader of the now defunct collective Odd Future with the help of the music video of his breakout single “Yonkers”. Last time we heard Tyler in a long capacity was in 2017 with the release of Flower Boy. Easily his magnum opus & one of the greatest hip hop albums of this decade, where we saw his full artistic & personal evolution with personal lyrics & colorful production. Tyler even saw fit to drop an EP this past winter to coincide with The Grinch & while that was ok, it seems like he’s ready to deliver his long-awaited follow-up to Flower Boy.

The album kicks off with “IGOR’S THEME”, which is a repetitive yet entrancing piece with an instrumental that keeps making well-constructed turns left & right. The next song “EARFQUAKE” with Playboi Carti sees the 2 telling their significant others that they need them in their lives over a atmospheric beat while the track “I THINK” is a catchy love tune with a synth-funk instrumental. After the “EXACTLY WHAT YOU RUN FROM YOU END UP CHASING” skit, we go into the song “RUNNING OUT OF TIME”. Where Tyler calls out his ex’s true colors over a spacey beat. The track “NEW MAGIC WAND” sees Tyler begging his lover not to dump him over a noisy beat while the song “A BOY IS A GUN” is a soulful tune where Tyler is telling this person he’s here for them.

The track “PUPPET” with Kanye West talks about being controlled by a lover over a blissful instrumental while the song “WHAT’S GOOD” vents about depression over a beat that starts off eerie, but later switches into something more chaotic. The track “GONE, GONE / THANK YOU” starts off as a sunny R&B tune about how his love’s no longer here, but then it transitions into an interlude where Tyler is thanking this ex of his. The penultimate track “I DON’T LOVE YOU ANYMORE” is of course a breakup anthem with a punchy yet meditative beat & then the album ends with “ARE WE STILL FRIENDS?”, where Tyler & Pharrell team up to deliver a slow yet beautiful R&B cut with a fitting Al Green sample.

As I expected from the snippets, this a nice change of pace. Tyler’s going into a more neo-soul direction while fusing it with the sounds of his 2015 album Cherry Bomb. You could compare it to M.I.A.’s ΛΛ Λ Y Λ because Kala & Flower Boy were M.I.A. & Tyler’s most accessible albums & both of them turned around to deliver their most experimental efforts yet. Just another example of why T is the most creative recording artists of this decade. Here’s to whatever he has coming in 2021.

Score: 4.5/5

Injury Reserve – Self-Titled review

Injury Reserve is a hip hop trio from Tempe, Arizona consisting of Stepa J. Groggs, Ritchie With a T & Parker Corey. I first caught wind of them in 2016 with release of their 3rd mixtape Floss. They then followed it up with their 2nd EP Drive It Like It’s Stolen & while both were equally dope, I was really curious to see what they would do on their full-length debut over here.

It all kicks off with “Koruna & Lime”, where the trio reflect on all it took to get where they are today over an deconstructed club instrumental. The next song “Jawbreaker” with Rico Nasty gets conscious over a vibraphone & some handclaps while the track “G.T.F.U. (Get The Fuck Up)” with JPEGMAFIA & Cakes da Killa sees the 3 getting confrontational over a beat that starts off gritty, but then transitions into something smoother.

After the “QWERTY” interlude, we go into the song “Jailbreak the Tesla”. Where the trio team up with Aminé to make a dedication to the titular car brand over a bassy instrumental. The track “Gravy n Biscuits” talks about how everything’s alright with a mellow piano throughout while the “Rap Song Tutorial” is a repetitive yet very clever cut teaching those at home how to make a hip hop tune.

The track “Wax On” with Freddie Gibbs talks about getting their money up over a meditative beat while the song “What a Year It’s Been” reflects on their newfound success over a chaotic beat. The track “Hello?!” is more of a unfinished yet melodic interlude while the song “Best Spot in the House” gets introspective over a somber beat. The penultimate track “New Hawaii” with DRAM is a peaceful love ballad & then the album finishes with “3 Man Weave”, where the trio get triumphant over a jazzy beat.

Overall, this was just as solid as their last 2 releases & it gives the new listeners a good glimpse at who they are. The instrumentals are well-put together, it sounds passionate & they continue to solidify themselves as fresh faces in the experimental hip hop scene

Score: 4/5

Wu-Tang Clan – “Of Mics & Men” soundtrack review

The Wu-Tang Clan. What can be said now about the iconic New York hip hop outfit that hasn’t been said already? From their iconic first 2 albums Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) & Wu-Tang Forever to the countless classic solo debuts like Only Built 4 Cuban Linx… & Supreme Clientele, they’ve always been rightfully regarded as the greatest hip hop outfit of all-time. Last time we heard from them collectively in an album capacity was in 2014 with A Better Tomorrow & with a SHOWTIME documentary being recently released, they’re coming together with the help of Nas’ Mass Appeal Records to deliver the soundtrack for it.

The soundtrack kicks off with “On That Shit Again”, where Ghostface Killah & RZA sound vengeful over a piano & some drums. The next song “Seen a Lot of Things” with Ghost & Raekwon pretty much speaks for itself over a prominent electric guitar & after the “Project Kids” skit, we go into the RZA solo cut “Do the Same as My Brother Do”. Where the Abbott kicks some knowledge over a punchy yet orchestral beat. After the “Yo is you Cheo?” skit & before the “1 Rhyme” outro, the final song of the EP is the title track. Where RZA gets with Cappadonna & Masta Killa boast over some prominent drums.

As much as I loved the documentary, this was a decent soundtrack. Most of the performances are fantastic don’t get me wrong, but it sounds like the Clan could’ve fully fleshed it out.

Score: 3/5

Datkid – “Confessions of a Crud Lord” review

Bristol, England, United Kingdom emcee Datkid officially making his debut for High Focus Records debut with the 4th studio LP in his discography. Beginning as a part of the Split Prophets, he began embarking on a solo career in the summer of 2011 off Dkay n Gramma & the subsequent sophomore effort called Home by 8 a little over 8 months later. Coming off Teeth Ledger however, Real Life Drama Records co-founder Leaf Dog of The 4 Owls being picked to fully produce Confessions of a Crud Lord had it shaping up to be the most important entry of Datkid’s individual catalog a week after Aussie Open & エル・ファンタスモ became the new RPW British Tag Team Champions & RPW British Cruiserweight Champion respectively.

“Fire in My Belly” opens up with a boom bap intro talking about his opponents being worse actors than the entire cast of modern day EastEnderswhereas “Myth” marks the return of the all-time dirtiest continuing to make history 2 decades later. “Crud Addict” issues a warning that he’s the very last person one should be bringing drama to just before “The Chosen One” keeps things in the basement instrumentally talking about being prophetic.

To kick off the 2nd quarter, “I’m Nice” hooks up a grungy sample so he can talk about keeping his focus toward bringing his audience some crud for them to bump prior to “Briefcase” featuring Westside Gunn handcuffing suitcases to their wrists referencing 2-time WWE Hall of Famer, 4-time WWE world champion, WWE Intercontinental Champion, 6-time WWE tag team champion & the newest writer/producer of their developmental NXT brand Shawn Michaels.

“Lord Give Me Patience” takes a moment to ask God to grant him perseverance & searching for a sign because he’s getting hungrier the more time goes faster while “Heroin” eerily promises that he can rap around his opposition on his tiptoes if he really wanted to. “Eyes” featuring Conway the Machine begins the 2nd half wanting to smoke weed & count money over a piano mixed with kicks & snares while “Money & Dip” dives deeper down the mafioso rabbit hole.

Roc Marciano joins Datkid for “Scheme On” talking about what their backup plan is if their music careers don’t pan out the way they hope it will & Marc explaining that people will go the way wind blows because they have no loyalty but once “Blank Page goes for an orchestral boom bap vibe wanting to bring life to his notebook by using his pen to write rhymes, “Grown Up” soulfully finds himself caught in the middle of Commissioner Gordons & 2-Faces from the Warner Bros. subsidiary DC Entertainment owned Batman franchise.

The song “Cook Book” nears Confessions of a Crud Lord’s final moments whippin’ some gourmet & coming out claim his stake while the penultimate track “Crud Lord” shifts towards a funky boom bap direction to the beat essentially breaking down his position as a boss of his own style that he calls “crud”. Taking up the last few minutes, “Hoes” wraps it all up by setting out to rule the money out of greed & have women surrounding him.

High Focus Records has been heralding Datkid’s inaugural opus under the Hove, East Sussex imprint to be the grimiest musical statement in the label’s entire discography almost a decade after it’s formation & I can’t even complain with that statement now that Confessions of a Crud Lord has arrived in full since the Split Prophets member’s greatest entry of his solo catalog comfortably fits up in the ranks of that discourse. Leaf Dog’s cooks up amongst the dirtiest production of his career & Bristol’s finest reminds the world why he’s amongst the UK’s most proficient lyricists.

Score: 4.5/5

Illitamin G – Self-Titled review

Illitamin G is an MC/producer duo from the United Kingdom consisting of Bristol, England lo-fi hip hop producer Illiterate alongside London emcee Vitamin G. The latter of whom has been on the come-up making some standout 2018 guest appearances, following the other’s beat placement on Bisk from the Cult of the Damned’s sophomore effort XXXX the preceding year. So being familiar with both of them for some time already, I was already intrigued by what this eponymous full-length studio debut under the Brighton, East Sussex imprint Yogocop Records had in store for each half of the pairing.

“Gone Wrong O’Clock” opens up with a boom bap instrumental containing a vocal sample & some pianos coming out the gate with a reference to the Paramount Skydance Corporation subsidiary MTV-owned jackass franchise’s de facto leader Johnny Knoxville whereas “Protoza” featuring Cutta Chase links up over a lo-fi beat dropping verses with no hook, with Vitamin G’s rhyme schemes going harder & sticking out the most across both songs.

Continuing from there: “Landing” talks about still being here in the stratosphere just before “The Juice” shifts towards a sleepier lo-fi vibe to reach the midway point discussing fools commonly possessing the inability to maintain a loyal soul. “Tried So Hard” kicks off the 2nd half with a sound reminiscent to the late, great J Dilla talking about him still putting in the effort to make it while the breezy “Everybody” featuring CW Jones & Nuphzed boasting of no one fucking with them.

“All the Time” gets back to the sampling techniques finding himself unable to get somebody off his mind while “Oscilate” combines elements of lo-fi hip hop & boom bap addressing an individual moving like a goon possibly losing their place as a repercussion. “Posted” featuring Wundrop finds both members of CMPND joining forces so they can spend 120 seconds dropping hardcore penmanship & the closer “We Did It” spends the remaining minutes of the album getting celebratory.

Almost a month after it was announced that CMPND had signed to one of the UK hip hop scene’s most prolific independent labels High Focus Records, it makes sense why Illiterate decided to do a whole LP with Vitamin G when it’s been revealed he lended a couch for the latter to sleep on the preceding summer. His multisyllabic lyrics was part of what drew me into the trio’s debut single “Whatuplayin@” & that matched with Illiterate’s lo-fi production makes me hope Illitamin G’s paths will cross again for a follow-up when the time’s right.

Score: 4/5

DJ Paul – “Power, Pleasure & Painful Things” review

DJ Paul is a 42 year old MC, producer, DJ, songwriter & entrepreneur from Memphis, Tennessee known for co-founding the seminal Three 6 Mafia with Juicy J. He made his solo debut in 2002 with Underground 16: For da Summa but for the past decade, Paul’s has delivered a total of 7 more albums through his Scale-A-Ton Entertainment record label including his 2015 magnum opus Master of Evil with the help of Psychopathic Records or the Year of the 6 duology in conjunction with Slumerican the following year. However after spending the last year & a half producing & doing features, he’s returning with his debut EP.

After the “Journey Begins” intro, we go into the song “Creepin’”. Where Paul teams up with Wifisfuneral viciously brag over a chaotic trap beat. Then after the “Life Figured Out” interlude, the song “Easy Way” with Yelawolf & the Seed of 6 sees the 4 vividly describing life in the gutter over a dark beat. After the “Cleaner Way” interlude, the song “Came Up” with Rob Vicious co-produced by TWhy is a mediocre anthem about making money. Especially with the tedious “me so horny” hook.

After the “No More Small Time” interlude, the song “Real Money” with Beanie Sigel is pretty much a sequel to the last joint except it’s way more tolerable & off the wall. After the “Life Got Real” interlude, the final song “They Beefin’” is a menacing diss towards people who choosin’ sides. Then the EP finishes off with the “Gettin’ Caught Up” skit & a spoken word outro.

While it’s not bad, it could’ve been a lot better in my opinion considering how overlooked DJ Paul has always been compared to Juicy J. Paul pretty much sticks to his guns both lyrically & sonically, but the interludes before every song are highly annoying. Nonetheless, still a neck-breaking prelude of something bigger to come.

Score: 3/5

Logic – “Confessions of a Dangerous Mind” review

This is the 6th full-length album from Maryland rapper, singer/songwriter, producer & now bestselling author: Logic. Who is fresh off his debut novel Supermarket a couple months ago with a completely unlistenable indie pop album with the same name accompanying it. Now that being said, my opinion on Logic & his music haven’t always been negative. He showed a lot of potential in the early half of this decade with his Young Sinatra mixtapes as well as his first 2 studio albums Under Pressure & The Incredible True Story but since 2016, he has shown himself to be HIGHLY inconsistent. Mostly because his topics have gotten corny & that he’s drowning deeper in his influences to the point where it’s distracting, whether that be his 2017 album ΞVERYBODY sounding like a Dollar Store version of Kendrick Lamar’s To Pimp a Butterfly or his Bobby Tarantino 2 mixtape sounding like a poor man’s Travis Scott album. Nonetheless, my morbid curiously got the best of me for this new record over here & I decided to give it a shot.

Despite claiming to be in his own lane on the title track that kicks the album off, it literally sounds like a J. Cole song down the flow & the symphonic beat that 6 brings to the table. Then we have “Homicide”. Easily the best single of the 3 that were released prior to the album, but still average. The intro about Logic coming out of his dad’s balls is annoying, his lyrics dissing trap music is hypocritical because we all know Logic’s been rapping over this style of production for the past few years now. Also, his speedy flow is a blatant rip-off of Tech N9ne’s & the beat is kinda bland. But luckily, Eminem‘s closing verse is enough to make the cut decent & I love how they sampled Chris D’Elia’s viral impersonation of Marshall for the outro. Didn’t mind Logic referencing referencing 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 either.

“Wannabe” is a barely finished look at people who seek attention online with a decent beat for the clubs while the song “clickbait” talks about the comments he receives over generic trap beat, a horrific delivery & a cringey line about he’d suck dick. The track “Mama (Show Love)” with Cordae sees the 2 telling their mothers to look at them now over a dark, druggy beat while the song “Out of Sight” does have a decently spacious beat, the lyrics are vapid to me. The track “Pardon My Ego” gets insipidly narcissistic over a Middle Eastern-influenced beat while “Commando” with G-Eazy is less of a song & more of a contest to see who can be more basic.

The track “Icy” with Gucci Mane sees the 2 charismatically talking about how clean they are over a smooth beat while the song “Still Ballin’” with Wiz Khalifa serves a pretty decent sequel to a highlight off of Young Sinatra: Welcome to Forever. The track “Cocaine” hilariously talks about selling drugs over a piano & some heavy bass while the song “Limitless” is another redundant materialistic brag.

“Keanu Reeves” whines about the criticisms that Logic’s justifiably gotten over the past few years while the song “Don’t Be Afraid to Be Different” is a sappy motivational anthem despite the infectious instrumental & Will Smith’s verse at the start is easily the most awkward feature I’ve heard all year. The penultimate track “Bobby” is an egotistical ode to Logic himself with an old school instrumental & then the album finishes with “Lost in Translation”, which is actually a heartwrenching high-note to end on both lyrically & sonically.

Yeah I don’t know what else to say beyond that, this is yet another mediocre release in Logic’s ever-growing catalogue. The production is mostly just passable & the concept about social media does sound interesting but unfortunately, it seems like he loses focus of that narrative along the way in place of songs with laughable topics. I really don’t know where he goes from here & that’s sad for me to say as someone who’s appreciative of his early work.

Score: 1/5

Jack Danz – “T.M.I.B.” review

This is the sophomore effort from Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, United Kingdom producer, audio engineer & rapper Jack Danz. Making his full-length debut in the fall of 2015 with Ouija Slang, he would go on to produce for both Lee Scott as well as Bisk from the Cult of the Damned collective. Coming off the Dying Lotus duology of beat tape, it made total sense for Jack to drop T.M.I.B. through one of London’s biggest underground UK hip hop labels: Blah Records.

After a compositional intro, “Washpoppin’” opens up with a murderous self-produced boom bap instrumental talking about being too stupid of getting himself in grave danger prior the morbidly slow title track lettin’ muhfuckas know they can’t imitate him & fuckin’ shit up in the lab. “Riley Reid” incorporates a bell-woven beat discussing his earning his legitimacy without needing a handout prior to “The Deep Field Image” reaching the midway point embracing a deadly atmosphere cautioning of coming near him.

“Winnin’” kick off the 2nd half of the album is willing about being watched through our handheld devices & after “I.D.G.A.F. (I Don’t Give a Fuck)” darkly shows a negligent side to the man, “Narcotic Suite” hooks up a cavernous sample talking about a user for life. “10,000 B.C.” winds down the last few moments advising against getting your perception of him underhanded & the closer “Arabella’s House” ghostly sends it all off talking about the trigger-finger waiting with no deliberation.

Ouija Slang was alright to me personally with all respect, but Blah Records was able to get Jack Danz at his most quintessential since the monotone magician brought his usual brand of dry wit lyricism & rarely vintage sampling to the mix throughout a great deal of T.M.I.B.’s half hour runtime. I also gotta give it up to him for self-producing nearly the whole thing & having no guest appearances, giving himself more than enough room to improve his songwriting & performance skills.

Score: 3.5/5

Valid – “Mihajlo” review

Valid is an MC from Detroit, Michigan who made his debut in 2012 with the release of 2 EPs: Maria & The US 12 Experience. He then followed it up with Beyond Physics’ self-titled debut the following year & his solo debut Reach High in 2015 but now with the help of his mentor DJ Head alongside Pig Pen & Tone Rizzo, he’s back on the scene with his sophomore album.

The album kicks off with “Travel”, where Valid gets nostalgic over an instrumental that kinda has a psychedelic rock vibe to it. The next song “Street Boy” is a heartfelt dedication to his family over some acoustic passages while the song “Bottled” with eLZhi sees the 2 letting out a lot that they’ve been holding back over an atmospheric beat. The track “Stagnant” talks about being in the titular state over a laidback boom bap beat from Foul Mouth while the song “Time for Me” with Mahogany Jones sees the 2 talking about focusing on oneself over a mellow beat from Pig Pen.

The track “Scarf Off” gets romantic over a Big Tone instrumental that cleverly samples Erykah Badu’s “Window Seat” while the song “Bumpin’” gets charismatic over a soulful beat. The track “IShudBeDaWon” talks about how he should’ve been big already over a vibraphone-inflicted boom bap beat from Ilajide while the song “Old Tale” vividly tells the story of a friend of his named Josh over a jazzy beat. The penultimate track “Tomorrow” gets motivational over an smooth beat as well as a fantastic Illa J hook & then the album finishes off with “I’m Blessed”, which is beautifully self-explanatory with a funky instrumental from DJ Dez.

To me, I think this is Valid’s magnum opus. Primarily because I feel like the listener is really getting to know him more as a person with the instrumentals enhancing the vibe & emotion of almost every song.

Score: 4/5

Sean Peng – “Trips to the Medicine Cabinet” review

This is the official full-length studio debut album from Bristol, England, United Kingdom emcee Sean Peng. Known for being 1/3 of the Creatures of Habit & 1/4 of NLP, he would go on to drop the Crazed Conductor beat tape in 2016 preceding the formation of Lost Scroll Records. Coming off the Controlled Experiment extended play preluding Trips to the Medicine Cabinet a couple years earlier, locking in with his Creatures brethren Illinformed to have him produce this next chapter of Sean’s career raising my expectations compared to both of his earlier output.

“Danka Sean” opens with a jazzy boom bap instrumental reliant towards a vibraphone sample introducing us to the titular character himself whereas “Elixir” swaps out the vibraphones in favor of pianos chippin’ off a sip of his own medicine. “Cryostasis” keeps the same aesthetics of the previous track in play undergoing the experimental process of freezing himself for later resuscitation just before “Continuum” by NLP reunites the quartet for a heavy hitting boom bap face-melter.

I felt the opera sample throughout “Bug House” stood out amongst my favorite beats on the album talking about his only interest being him fucking up your funds while “Dr. Doctor” hooks the vibraphones back up pleading for help in fear that the drugs are gonna overcome him. “Green God” by the Creatures of Habit featuring People Without Shoes stands out coasting over boom bap instrumentation naturally leading into “Bitter Sweet” featuring Life MC jazzily demonstrates the power of positive messaging.

“3rd Eye” moves on making it his mission to elevate his fans to another plateau spiritually with his music instead of being fed propaganda while “Full Moon” offers a depressive glimpse at his battle with mood swings. “Deranged Halfwits” jumps over more piano flips talking about the kind of people he’s been living with while “Humming” featuring Datkid ruggedly speaks of both of them living in a whole different dream of their own individually.

The song “Too Many Lines” begins Trips to the Medicine Cabinet’s final leg sampling soul music advising to make the most out of thing since there’s no turning back the clock while “Rotten Seeds” featuring Mothman & Scott Lark finds the trio laughing off the idea of haters not getting what they can’t have despite not having my favorite guest appearances. “Paradigm” wraps up the full-length officially in the form of 1 last boom bap track describing another day inside his own personal paradise.

Compared to the highlights both Crazed Conductor & Controlled Experiment had, Trips to the Medicine Cabinet lands right behind Eric the Red’s sophomore effort Caught Red Handed in being my 2nd favorite LP in the Lost Scroll Records canon. Illinformed’s jazzy boom bap production hits a lot harder than either one of those previous entries in Sean’s discography & the latter makes a cohesively told story themed around prescription drug abuse.

Score: 4/5