Earl Sweatshirt – “Some Rap Songs” review

Earl Sweatshirt is a 24 year old MC & producer from Los Angeles, California who began his career in 2008 under the name Sly Tendencies. He posted a handful of tracks for a mixtape called Kitchen Cutlery on MySpace, but the tape would never be released to this day. Then he formed a rap trio with 2 of his friends called The Backpackerz & planned to release a mixtape together titled World Playground, but they disbanded sometime in 2009. Shortly after, he joined Odd Future & appeared on their 2nd & final mixtape Radical that May. 10 months later, he put out his only mixtape to date Earl with OF’s de facto leader Tyler, The Creator producing a bulk of it. The tape received a lot of buzz, but Earl’s mother would send him to a therapeutic retreat school for at-risk boys in Samoa sometime after until February of 2012. He was then granted his own Columbia Records imprint Tan Cressida Records & released his debut album Doris in 2013 to critical acclaim for his clever rhyme schemes & the gritty production from those such as The Neptunes & even the RZA. He then formed the duo Hog Slaughta Boyz with OF affiliate Na’kel at the beginning of 2015 & released his sophomore album I Don’t Like Shit, I Don’t Go Outside a couple months after. Many of which consider to be better than Doris for it’s darker aesthetic. He’s been laying low since then but with the deaths of his father Keorapetse Kgositsile as well as his his uncle Hugh Masekela & his friend Mac Miller earlier this year, he’s putting out his highly anticipated 3rd album.

The album begins with “Shattered Dreams”, where Earl discusses his comeback over a soul sample. The next track “Red Water” serves as a short yet equally gratifying sequel to Solace while the song “Cold Summers” uses some clever gun imagery over a mellow instrumental. The track “Nowhere2Go” talks about depression over a glitchy abstract instrumental while the song “December 24” gets intellectually conscious over a Denmark Vessey instrumental with a prominently gloomy piano sample. The track “Ontheway!” talks about his mood swinging over a smooth guitar sample while “The Mint” with Navy Blue sees the 2 talking about fighting their demons over an amazing piano loop.

“The Bends” touches down on his success over a soul sample & some strings while the song “Loosie” seems to talk about a backstabber over a slow yet funky beat. The track “Azucar” talks about how he’s been coping with his depression over a blissful instrumental from Navy Blue while the song “Eclipse” is about him missing his shine. The track “Veins” talks about keeping faith over an AMAZING Curtis Mayfield sample & after the heartwarming “Playing Possum” interlude from Earl’s parents, the penultimate track “Peanut” discusses the deaths of Keorapetse & Hugh over a settle yet dark beat. The album ends with “Riot!”, which is an instrumental cut heavily sampling the Hugh Masekela song with the same name.

This has been one of my most anticipated albums of 2018 & at the end, Earl has just given what I believe to be the best album I’ve heard all year. I’m a little disappointed that it’s only 25 minutes long, but the Madvillainy influenced production is super creative & Earl continues to prove himself as the 2nd best lyricist of the decade (#1 of course being Kendrick Lamar) by cleverly detailing the darkest year of his life.

Score: 4.5/5

The Alchemist – “Bread” review

The Alchemist is a 41 year old producer, DJ & rapper from Beverly Hills, California who started out as 1/2 of the duo The Whooliganz in 1993 with Scott Caan. The duo disbanded a year later after recording a debut album that eventually got shelved & Scott went onto acting. Alchemist however, quickly established himself as a household name in hip hop production by working with a handful of legends from Mobb Deep to Eminem. He dropped a short 4-track EP back in April of this year called Lunch Meat & now he’s following it up with this 6th EP right here, which is equally as long as the predecessor.

The EP kicks off with “Ray Mysterio” by Hall ‘N Nash, where Westside Gunn & Conway the Machine deliver their signature gritty street bars over a smooth yet mystic sounding instrumental. The next track “Roman Candles” by Black Thought & Roc Marciano sees the 2 getting boastful over a jazzy beat while the penultimate song “Mac 10 Wounds” by Conway talks about how he’s not weak over a sinister beat. The EP then finishes off with E. Coli by Earl Sweatshirt, where he gets spiritual over a harmonious vocal sample & some strings.

Even though I would’ve loved 3 more tracks just like with Lunch Meat, this is on par with it’s predecessor in terms of length, production dynamics & passionate yet raw lyricism from beginning to end. Hopefully, Uncle Al drops something bigger as we head into 2019.

Score: 4/5

Necro – “The Notorious Goriest” review

Necro is a 42 year old rapper & producer from Brooklyn, New York who started out playing in a death metal band called Injustice in 1987 with his older brother Ill Bill. He then transitioned over into hip hop the following year after being inspired by Bill & both have made quite the names for themselves in the underground. Especially with classics like Gory Days, The Pre-Fix for Death, the self-titled Circle of Tyrants album, What’s Wrong with Bill? & The Hour of Reprisal just to name a few. But at the beginning of the decade, they began distancing themselves from each other with Bill regularly putting out music under his own name as well as with La Coka Nostra. Necro on the other hand has been pretty quiet with the exceptions of his 2010 album Die!, his Murder Murder Kill Kill EP, a handful of singles & a criminally underrated slept-on collab album with the legendary Kool G Rap under the name The Godfathers. However, he’s now making his full comeback with his 7th full-length album after appearing in the A24 Films crime thriller Good Time.

After the intro, we go into the first song “Murder Obscene”. Here, Necro spits his signature death bars over a gloomy boom bap beat. After the “H.N.A. (Head Neck Apartheid)” prelude, we go into the actual song with the same name. Where Necro spits more clever murder bars over a spacious boom bap beat. The track “My Precious” brags about his rapping skills over an ominous instrumental with a killer guitar riff during the hook while the song “Know Con-Science” returns to the witty yet filthy lyricism over a boom bap beat with a sinister piano lead. After the “W.T.W.C.T. (What’s This World Coming To?)” prelude, we go into the actual song with the same name. The hook is kinda annoying, but the soul sample is a nice touch & Necro’s confrontational lyricism suits it pretty well.

The track “Deaded” compares himself to Michael Myers over a boom bap beat with some sinister strings while the song “Caught Up!” talks about how violent he is over a punchy beat with some Halloween-esque bells. “The Love & Terror Cult” tells his competition to step back over a boom bap beat with some somber piano chords while the song “Party Killer” gets raunchy over an electro instrumental. The title track cleverly describes his disgusting antics over an eerie beat while the song “Gat O’ 9 Tales” is filled with battle bars over an instrumental with a prominent piano lead & a beautiful soul sample during the hook.

After the prelude to “The Master of Ruckus”, we go into the actual song with the same name. Here, Necro talks about killing you when you’re sleeping over a boom bap beat with a funky bass-line. The track “Grave Ol World” goes back to the raunchiness over a symphonic beat while “The Stories of the Almost Dead” vividly describes the protagonist’s life of crime over another boom bap beat with a piano lead & soul sample for the hook. And before things end off with the outro, the final song “The Dawn of a Dead Day” goes back to taking aim at his competition over a beat inspired by a blaxpoitation film.

I was wondering if Necro would ever drop an album again, but this is a strong comeback for him. Despite the lack of features & the song preludes bogging it down, Necro continues to prove that he’s one of the best producers that the underground has to offer with soundscapes on here being darker than ever & his horrorcore lyricism being as creative as it’s been in the past.

Score: 4/5

Meek Mill – “Championships” review

Meek Mill is a 31 year old rapper from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania who started out as a battle rapper & then became a Rick Ross protege at the beginning of the decade. He’s had a series of ups & downs throughout his career from his critically acclaimed Dreamchasers mixtapes to his beef with Drake & an unjustful conviction last November (for which he was freed in April of this year). Meek made his official return to the music scene with his 5th EP Legends of the Summer but as the end of November has approached, he’s coming back with his 4th full-length album.

The intro cut on here ferociously claps back at those who prayed on his downfall over a flawless sample of the classic Phil Collins song “In the Air Tonight” while the next track “Trauma” touches down on racial injustice over an ambitious trap beat. The song “Uptown Vibes” with Fabolous & Anuel AA talks about people who try to steal their waves over a latin-infused beat while the track “On Me” with Cardi B gets raunchy over a generic trap beat. The song “What’s Free?” sees Meek alongside Ross & JAY-Z explaining what freedom is to them over some strings & hi-hats while the track “Respect the Game” is essentially about how becoming rich has impacted him personally over a trap beat with a prominent piano sample.

Future, Roddy Ricch & Young Thug appear for nondescript party anthem “Splash Warning” while the title track talks about beating the system over a jazzy beat. The song “Going Bad” with Drake sees the 2 flexing for old times sake over a bass-heavy keyboard instrumental from Wheezy while the track “Almost Slipped” is an awkward ballad about how he almost fell in love with a hoe. The song “Tic Tac Toe” sees Meek charismatically bragging over a triumphant Tay Keith instrumental while the track “24/7” is a smooth sex anthem with a clever sample of Beyoncé’s “Me, Myself & I” throughout.

“Oodles O’ Noodles Babies” recalls his upbringings over a soulful beat while the track “Pay You Back” with 21 Savage sees the 2 talking about how they have shooters referencing WWE Hall of Famer Arnold Schwarzenegger over an apocalyptic Wheezy beat. The song “100 Summers” talks about his mother & his friends over a mellow Hit-Boy instrumental while the track “W.T.S. (With The Shits)” with Melii is a concept joint about this girl frontin’ on him over an instrumental that sounds like it could’ve landed on Lil Pump’s self-titled debut.

The song “Stuck in My Ways” talks about how he’ll always be chasing that paper over a spacious trap beat from Cardo while the penultimate track “Dangerous” with Jeremih originally appeared on Legends of the Summer & it still sounds as corny as it did when I originally heard it back in July. The album then finishes with “Cold Hearted II”, which serves as a fantastic sequel to the closing track off of Meek’s 2015 sophomore album Dreams Worth More Than Money with a sample of “I Was Never There” off of The Weeknd’s latest EP My Dear Melancholy,.

I’ve been a little harsh on Meek’s recent output for the past couple years or so, but I have to be fair & say that Championships has to be the most consistent project I be heard from him in quite a while. Probably his 2nd best album behind Dreams & Nightmares. He’s at his most mature for the good amount of the time on here telling the world about his experiences & issues with social justice, even if there are only a small handful of moments that felt completely unnecessary.

Score: 3.5/5

Ski Mask the Slump God – “Stokeley” review

Ski Mask the Slump God is a 22 year old rapper from Orlando, Florida who came up as the co-founder of Members Only alongside XXXTENTACION. He then dropped a couple EPs & a great mixtape called Drown in Designer in 2016 before signing to Republic Records the following year with his 2nd mixtape called YouWillRegret being his first outing on a major label. He then put out his 3rd tape Beware the Book of Eli earlier this year but now, he’s putting out his long-awaited debut album.

Things kick off with “So High”, where he’s crooning over a moody Tony Seltzer beat. The next track “Nuketown” gets viciously boastful over a murky trap beat with Juice WRLD unexpectedly screaming his brains out on the hook while the song “Foot Fungus” charismatically talks about the famous life over a bouncy Kenny Beats instrumental with a clever interpolation of the classic Snoop Dogg joint “Drop It Like It’s Hot” during the hook. The track “LA LA” talks about his sexual exploits over a sinister trap beat from Ronny J while the song “Unbothered” talks about how he doesn’t give a fuck about taking L’s over a druggy trap instrumental. The track “Save Me, Pt. 2” is a mediocre sequel to the song off of X’s debut album 17 & while the song “Adults Swim” gets more insightful over some bass & hand claps, I wish it was longer.

The track “Far Gone” with Lil Baby sees the 2 talking about being trapped in their mind on a date over an atmospheric Murda Beatz instrumental while the song “Get Geeked” is a unfinished joint for the clubs. The track “Reborn to Rebel” talks about revolution over a banger beat while the song “Faucet Failure” gets braggadocious over an infectious instrumental. The penultimate track “U & I” is a heartfelt tribute to XXXTENTACION over a decent beat & then the closer “Cat Piss” with Lil Yachty sees the 2 talking about how they’re better than their competition over a somber beat.

For a full-length debut, this was ok. Ski Mask definitely has one of the most interesting flows in hip hop today, but the production on this album kinda bland & many songs on here are short to the point where it becomes annoying. I’ll say it again like I did in my Beware the Book of Eli review: If Ski Mask takes more time into his songs & gets better production, I truly think it’ll show his true potential a lot more because this barely does it.

Score: 3/5

Jaz Kahina – “School Run” review

This is the long-awaited solo debut extended play from Hackney, East London, England, United Kingdom emcee Jaz Kahina. One of the most recognizable names in the UK underground hip hop scene with a career spanning over 2 decades, she’s made numerous guest appearances across several projects despite never hunkering down for an entire body of work that she could call her own until now refraining from having guest appearances & bringing some interesting producers on board for a School Run.

“Round Eere” poses the question of why these individuals are in her parts of town over a boom bap instrumental with some strings & after “Worth” produced by Beat Butcha embraces a more vibrant approach talking about understanding your value, “284” over a trap beat from Danny Wolf to end the 1st half of the EP letting us know the kinda shit she’s on compared to everyone else.

Micall Parknsun gets behind the boards for “Fatal Attraction” leaning more towards a futuristic yet cavernous trap sound to kick off the 2nd leg of School Run calling out a guy for dating a basic bitch while the penultimate track “Quitter” talks about all love surviving by the time the sun comes up. The outro “Carry On” spends the final 3 minutes on a jazzier yet soulful tip explaining the inevitable truth of people having to eventually move forward with their lives.

Intended to showcase Jaz Kahina’s ability as a skilled & versatile artist across the board, School Run’s production ranges from boom bap to grime & trap for her to rip apart for 20 minutes. I’m fairly confident a full-length studio debut LP could surpass this if she gets the right producer or producers & maybe a guest appearance or 2 from some UK veterans, but it’ll hold well enough for anyone eager to hear something bigger coming down the pipe whenever that may be.

Score: 3.5/5

J.I.D – “DiCaprio 2” review

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J.I.D is a 28 year old MC from Atlanta, Georgia who released his 1st mixtape Cakewalk in 2010 & joined EARTHGANG’s Spillage Village collective that same year. He dropped 2 more mixtapes as well as then an EP (to which this serves as a sequel to) after that & signed to J. Cole’s Interscope Records imprint Dreamville Records last year, dropping his full-length debut The Never Story just a few weeks after the deal. But now as we reach the end of November, he’s delivering his highly anticipated sophomore album: a sequel to his 2015 EP.

After the “Frequency Change” intro, we go into the first song “Slick Talk”. Here, J.I.D brags about his skills over a haunting beat. The track “Westbrook with A$AP Ferg is a charismatic club banger with some nocturnal bells throughout while the song “Off Deez” with J. Cole sees the 2 viciously attacking their critics over a decent trap beat. The track “151 Rum” vividly describes life in the streets over a trap beat with a prominent vocal sample while the song “Off da Zoinkys” is an anti-drug anthem with a wavy instrumental. The track “Workin’ Out” vents about depression even with his newfound success over a prominently beautiful sample of Helen Merrill’s 1954 rendition of “Don’t Explain” while the song “Tiiied” with 6LACK & Ella Mai is a drab & corny love ballad.

However, the track “Skrawberries (For da Ladies)” does a better job at being romantic than the previous cut does. Especially with the mesmerizing instrumental from J. Cole & the late Mac Miller. The song “Hotbox” with Joey Bada$$ & Method Man is about smoking weed over a punchy piano instrumental rap while the track “Mounted Up” celebrates where he is now over a boom bap beat with some sinister piano chords.

The song “Just da Other Day” discusses his rise in the game over a bland trap beat while penultimate track “Despacito Too” angrily talks about being whatever he wants over this murky boom bap beat. The album then finishes with “Hasta Luego”, where J.I.D lets go or his painful past to become the artist he is know over a nocturnal beat from WondaGurl & Cubeatz.

Overall, this is just as solid as The Never Story & I’ll even say it’s better than the first DiCaprio. The production has stepped up for the most part & lyrically, J.I.D continues to prove each & every single one of us that he truly is the future of Dreamville Records.

Score: 3.5/5

Black Thought – “Streams of Thought 2: Traxploitation” review

Black Thought is a legendary 47 year old MC from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania most notable for being the frontman of The Roots. Fans were been wanting some sort of solo project for a long time now (especially after his iconic Hot 97 freestyle this past winter) & did just that earlier this summer by dropping a flawless EP with The Soul Council called Streams of Thought. Now if that isn’t enough for you, he’s officially following it up except with Salaam Remi producing it in it’s entirety.

The EP kicks off with “Fentanyl”, where Thought compares his skills to the drug over a gloomy beat. The next track “Soundtrack for Confusion” gets conscious over some live drumming & a bass guitar while the song “Get Outlined” talks about the rough life in Philly over the same instruments that popped up on the previous joint. The track “History Unfolds” is filled with angry battle bars over a sinister guitar while the song “How to Hold a Choppa” is about teaching the youth to defend themselves over a minimalist instrumental with a prominent saxophone. The track “The New Grit” brags about his rapping prowess over a funky guitar & more live drumming while the song “Liveth” goes back to the vicious battle bars with a smooth instrumental. The penultimate track “Streets” continues the theme of the last joint over a menacing boom bap beat & then the closer “Conception” talks about fame, race & religion over a soulful instrumental.

While this is a fantastic EP, it’s not better than the first one. I can appreciate Black Thought for holding it down on his own & for it being longer than the predecessor, but I would’ve loved to hear a different featured MC on a track or 2. However, that doesn’t stop Thought from continuing to prove himself as one of the illest MCs of all-time. Here’s to Vol. 3 (if planned).

Score: 4/5

6ix9ine – “DUMMY BOY” review

6ix9ine is a 22 year old rapper from Brooklyn, New York who has become arguably the most polarizing figure in hip hop today from his guilty plea for using a minor in a sexual performance to his beefs with The Game & Chief Keef. He dropped his 1st mixtape DAY69 at the beginning of the year, which showed how 1-dimensional he truly is. He has since been teasing his full-length debut over here with a handful of singles.

The album kicks off with “STOOPID”, which is an confrontational anthem carried by the Bobby Shmurda verse & the trap production from Tay Keith. The next track “FEFE” is a hideous attempt at going pop rap wasting a pretty great Murda Beatz instrumental & with an awkward Nicki Minaj verse. The song “TIC TOC” gets boastful, but the beautiful Scott Storch instrumental with some laid-back guitar strings & even Lil Baby are the only things that make it a fun listen. The track “KIKA” is a tropical-tinged banger referencing 16-time WWE world champion, 4-time WWE tag team champion & 5-time WWE United States Champion John Cena while the song “MAMA” is pretty much an awful sequel to “FEFE” except with a Kanye West verse in the middle.

The track “WAKA” with A Boogie wit da Hoodie sees the 2 spitting bland bars about stealing your chick over a spacey instrumental that’s actually very chilling & even though I like Anuel AA’s performances as well as the reggaeton inflicted Ronny J production on the song “BEBE”, 6ix9ine’s delivery on here is hilariously awful. The track “MALA” is pretty much the exact same thing as ”BEBE” except worse while the song “FEEFA” with Kanye is another corny sex tune with a slow Murda Beatz instrumental. The track “KANGA” with Gunna sees the 2 getting more introspective over a somber beat while the song “TATI” returns to his signature style over an alluring Boi-1da instrumental. The penultimate track “WONDO” over a bass-heavy trap Scott Storch beat & then it finally finishes with “DUMMY”, where he & TrifeDrew come together for a painful auto-tune ballad with a spacey beat.

Even though the production on here is more dynamic than DAY69’s & the features are mostly ok, I can’t think of anything else to compliment on this album because literally nothing entertaining about it has anything to do with 6ix9ine. He does try to step out of his comfort zone occasionally, but he fails miserably at it each time. I legitimately don’t know where he goes from here because you can’t be constantly outshined by your guests & producers on damn near every song of your album.

Score: 1/5

Black Josh – “Yung Sweg Lawd” review

Manchester, England, United Kingdom emcee Black Josh of the Cult of the Damned & LEVELZ collectives as well as the duo B-Movie Millionaires returning for his 5th studio LP. Making his full-length debut Brick Flair’s Ape Mountain following an eponymous debut extended play, the sophomore effort albeit Blah Records debut #blahblahblahblackjosh alongside the Blosh & Pete Cannon-produced Smoking Kills EP would all succeed it. Coming off the Ape Tape & his last full-length Brexit however, Joshi£’s clearing up why they call him the Yung Sweg Lawd.

“Round Ere” begins with a blaring boom bap instrumental suggesting not to spend all one’s time around his neck of the woods since people there aren’t really living their lives whereas “925” produced by Reklews references WWE chairman, CEO, self-booked WWE Champion & ECW World Heavyweight Champion Vince McMahon along with the company’s primary flagship program Monday Night RAW right out the gate basically making comparisons to that of dayjobs.

The title track has Josh talking about trust issues resulting in him no longer having a relationship with certain people over another boom bap beat leading into “Bad Omens” dustily discussing the idea of ghosting negative spirits in one’s life. “This is It” featuring Truthos Mufasa & Yussuf Maleem finds the trio coming together to discuss doing this shit for the Cult just before “Cult Sag 2” featuring the Mcabre Brothers funny enough hits us with a Lee Scott & Sly Moon-laced sequel to a #blahblahblahblackjosh highlight.

“Judge Judy” featuring Nah Eeto brings a psychedelic flare to the table talking about the only woman who can save them while “Dem Ways” wraps up the 1st leg of Yung Sweg Lawd instrumentally shooting for a mellower boom bap vibe explaining him hustling & achieving because his struggle was deep. “Thinkin’” hooks up some sampling so he tackle relationship struggles while “Own Tings” by the B-Movie Millionaires featuring Jesse James Solomon & Sniff talks about the independent grind all 4 of them uniquely possess.

Pitch 92 gets behind the boards during “1000 on Red” featuring Milkavelli getting fed up of being fed up while the mediocre trap cut “What I Need” talks about this woman being what he wants. “2 Fone Shawty” makes up for it from Reklews’ beat to the lyrics about female who has 2 cell phones while “R Kid” featuring Con M1 & Sangy shrugs off what people say regarding them. “Linguine Limbs” featuring Milkavelli reunites 1 last time for a passable cloud rap joint while the closer “Ciggaweed” includes a reference to WWE Hall of Famer Mr. T over a Skepta beat.

#blahblahblahblackjosh & the Ape Tape were both seen has significant improvements above Black Josh’s earlier output, but the Yung Sweg Lawdarrives 9 months following the Attack of the 50,000ft Sweg Lawds from Outer Space taking himself to a newer level artistically through some of his greatest material. His lyricism’s more abstract & the production has an experimentally illbient feeling to it than most of his previous output.

Score: 4/5