Takeoff – “The Last Rocket” review

Takeoff is a 24 year old rapper from Atlanta, Georgia who rose to prominence in 2013 as 1/3 of the Migos with his nephew quavo & his cousin Offset. The first of whom Quavo is arguably the most notable member & he actually happened to drop his solo debut QUAVO HUNCHO just 3 weeks prior. Now if that wasn’t enough for you, Takeoff here is now next at bat.

The album kicks off with “Martian”, where Takeoff talks about his success throughout the years over some prominent hi-hats from DJ Durel. The next track “She Gon’ Wink” by Unc & Phew sees the 2 getting boastful over a spacey trap instrumental while the song “None to Me” introspectively talks about the famous life over a gloomy beat from 808 Mafia members DY, Gezin & TM88. The track “Vacation” pretty much speaks for itself over a trap beat from Murda Beatz & Cubeatz with some faint keyboards while the song “Last Memory” is a painfully bland braggadocious tune. The track “I Remember” vividly recalls drug dealing days over an eerie Murda Beatz instrumental while the song “Lead the Wave” talks about being a leader over a vibrant trap beat from DJ Durel.

The track “Casper” talks about him & his girl cruising down in a wraith over a somber Nonstop da Hitman instrumental while the song “Insomnia” is a boring freestyle over the beat from the latest Juicy J & Travis Scott song “Neighbor”. The track “Infatuation” is an awkwardly buttery love story while the song “Soul Plane” marks a returns to the braggadocious lyrics over a bass-heavy trap beat. The album then ends with “Bruce Wayne”, where Takeoff tells the audience to picture him rolling over an atmospheric beat from Cassius Jay & Wheezy.

This was better than I had anticipated, but it’s still decent. I can appreciate Takeoff for handling a good chunk of it on his own, but it really weighs it down because it tends to get monotonous after a while.

Score: 2.5/5

Vince Staples – “FM!” review

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Vince Staples is a 25 year old rapper who came up as an affiliate of Odd Future. He dropped a number of mixtapes from 2011 up to him being signed to ARTium Recordings & Def Jam Recordings in 2014. Since then, he’s hit us with an EP one year & a studio album the next, with his 3rd EP over here coming fresh off of Vince’s critically acclaimed sophomore album Big Fish Theory last summer.

The EP kicks off with “Feels Like Summer”, which is an out of place summer anthem with a murky trap beat. The next song “Outside!” gets bloodthirsty over a bouncy beat while the track “Don’t Get Chipped” with Jay Rock talks about wealth over a spacey bass heavy instrumental. The song “Relay” has some great storytelling about this woman, but the hook is annoying. The “New Earl Sweatshirt” interlude pretty much trolls everyone who’s been anticipating Earl’s new album & while the song “Run the Bands” gets boastful, the hook is obnoxiously repetitive.

The track “FUN!” with E-40 is of course a party anthem over a hyphy beat while the song “No Bleedin'” with Kamaiyah sees the 2 vividly getting murderous over a nocturnal beat. The “Brand New Tyga” interlude is a follow up to the “New Earl Sweatshirt” interlude, except nobody wanted it. After the “562-453-9382” skit, we go into the closer. Here, Vince & Vonnie talk about how far they’ve come over a spacey trap beat along with a pretty Kehlani hook.

Honestly, this was just ok. The production is eclectic & Vince sounds hype, but I feel like it’s chocked with filler. I really hope his next album will be a much more consistent listen, because I know he can do much better than this.

Score: 3/5

Action Bronson – “White Bronco” review

Action Bronson is a 34 year old MC who blew up with release of his debut album Dr. Lecter in 2011. He then landed a joint venture with VICE Music & Atlantic Records while following up his debut with a couple EPs & mixtapes. The most notable being Blue Chips duology, Saab Stories & my personal favorite: Rare Chandeliers. He then put out his major label debut Mr. Wonderful in 2015 & it has some of his best songs on there, but the end result would be a more glitzy mixed bag. He returned last summer with Blue Chips 7000 & now that he’s completely independent, he has decided to celebrate with his 5th full-length album.

The album kicks off with “Dr. Kimble”, where he gets boastful over a rap rock instrumental from Harry Fraud. The “Irishman Freestyle” is an average theme for the upcoming Martin Scorsese film The Irishman that’s due next year & the song “Mt. Etna” talks about depression over a relaxing Daringer instrumental. The track “Live from the Moon” is filled with interstellar references over a jazzy Knxwledge beat while the titular song feels like a return to Bronson’s old school style from the braggadocious bars to the smooth boom bap beat from Daringer.

The track “Brutal” with Meyhem Lauren sees the 2 spitting battle bars over a guitar & an organ while the song “Prince Charming” is a soulful love tune. The track “Telemundo” sees Bronson getting confrontational over a wailing guitar while the song “Picasso’s Ear” talks about drug use over a soothing Knxwledge instrumental. The penultimate track “Ring Ring” gets back on the boastful tip over a Harry Fraud instrumental with some funky bass & then the album finishes off with “Swerve on ‘Em”, where Bronson links up with A$AP Rocky to talk shit to their competition over a dreamy instrumental with some punchy drums.

Overall, this was pretty solid. The production could’ve been a little bit better at some points & a couple of the features were pretty much pointless, but I gotta commend Bronson for sounding a lot more focused & comfortable than he ever did on his last 2 albums with Atlantic.

Score: 3.5/5

Westside Gunn – “Hitler Wears Hermes VI” review

Westside Gunn is a 36 year old rapper from Buffalo, New York who started with his brother Conway the Machine in the early 2000’s. However it wouldn’t be until this decade that the 2 would see success, eventually forming their own label Griselda Records & signed with Eminem’s Interscope Records imprint Shady Records. They’ve continued to put out a number of modern classics since, including Conway’s G.O.A.T. (Grimiest Of All-Time) & even Westside’s latest album Supreme Blientele. But now to celebrate Halloween, Westside has delivering the 6th installment of his infamous Hitler Wears Hermes series.

After the “Black Hitler” intro, the first song “GiGi” sees Westside Gunn linking up with Benny the Butcher to vividly talk about drug the dealing game over an orchestral Alchemist instrumental. The track “Versace Will Never Be the Same” continues the themes of “GiGi” over an eerie boom bap beat from Daringer & while the song “Niagara Cafe” gets boastful over a soulful instrumental, it’s way too short. The track “Ready Made” talks about how he’s already been successful over a punchy Marco Polo instrumental. As for Keisha Plum’s poetry at the end, it’s just as insightful as always. The track “SLY (Slide Wit It)” talks about capping someone over a settle yet alluring beat while the “Big Luther Freestyle” with Benny sees the 2 returning to the drug dealer life over a clever Luther Vandross sample.

The track “Niggas in Puerto Rico” has some clever beat switches from The Alchemist throughout & while I do enjoy Westside Gunn’s verse as well as Benny’s, Flee Lord to me personally comes off as a Dollar Tree version of Westside Gunn. After the “Chyno Nyno Speaks” interlude, the song “Amherst Station 2” serves as a fantastically soulful sequel to one of my favorite cuts off of Supreme Blientele. The track “My First Drako” with Nick Grant sees the 2 spitting battle bars over a luscious boom bap beat while the song “Evidence Joint” is essentially Westside advising his competition not to fuck with him over a dreamy yet punchy instrumental from Evidence. The closer “John Bena” named after 16-time WWE world champion John Cena gets murderous over a dark instrumental from none other than DJ Muggs, but the Lil Eto verse at the start is kinda boring to me.

It’s obviously not superior to Supreme Blientele or even the last 2 installments of the Hitler Wears Hermes series, this was still a solid tape. Westside Gunn’s street tales are as intriguing as ever, but some of these songs could’ve been more fully fleshed out. Also, some of the production could’ve been better & the same goes to a couple of the features as well. But still if you’re a big fan of Griselda, you’re gonna enjoy a good chunk of what’s being presented on here.

Score: 3.5/5

Curren$y & Freddie Gibbs – “FETTI” review

Curren$y & Freddie Gibbs are 2 MCs in their late 30s with similar upbringings in their careers. Spitta was signed to No Limit Records & Young Money Entertainment/Cash Money Records throughout the 2000s while Freddie was signed to Interscope & CTE World/Def Jam in the late 2000s/early 2010s. Neither of them put out a full-length album on any of those labels, as it wouldn’t be until they found their success as independent artists. The 2 have been teasing a collab EP all year & for Halloween, they’ve decided to put it out with the legendary Alchemist producing it in it’s entirety.

The opener “Location Remote” sees the 2 getting boastful over a sinister beat & the next track “The Blow” of course talks about drug dealing over some bass playing, but the hook is pretty awkward. The song “New Thangs” is a return to the boastful bars over some luscious keyboards & even though the track “Saturday Night Special” has spacey instrumental, Spitta & Gangsta Gibbs are talking about 2 separate things. Curren$y is going at the people copying his style while Freddie talking about putting his mob over everything & later a sexual encounter.

The song “Now & Later Gators” is a Freddie solo cut that humorously indulges into old school R&B & the track “No Window Tints” is a Curren$y solo cut vividly going into the mind of a drug dealer over a sinister instrumental. The song “Willie Lloyd” is another Freddie solo cut, this time delivering more serious & gritty street bars over a suiting instrumental while the penultimate track “Tapatio” sees him reuniting with Spitta to talk about warrants being put out on them over a relaxing & almost tropical instrumental. The EP then finishes with “Bundy & Sincere”, where the 2 make a heartfelt tribute to Mac Miller over a smooth instrumental.

After being teased all year, this was well worth it. The Alchemist’s production is a little bit jazzier & he compliments the yin & yang chemistry between Curren$y & Freddie Gibbs near perfectly. If you wanna hear 2 independent vets form like Voltron, then give this a listen. I should also mention that both parties have fallen out a short while after this EP came out, which kills any & all hope people have for a sequel. Shame, but is what it is I suppose.

Score: 4/5

Mick Jenkins – “Pieces of a Man”

Mick Jenkins is a 27 year old rapper from Chicago, Illinois who blew up in 2014 with the release of his 3rd mixtape The Waters. He then released his debut album The Healing Component & after the release of a couple EPs since then, he’s ready to deliver his long-awaited sophomore album.

The intro “Heron Flow” starts off as a spoken word piece, but then a funky ass instrumental kicks in halfway through. The first actual song “Stress Fracture” tackles his inner demons over a mellow Black Milk instrumental while the track “Gwendolynn’s Apprehension” is about this person who isn’t on the same page as Mick another Black Milk instrumental albeit with a heavy J Dilla influence to it. The song “Soft Porn” is a decently slow sex jam while the track “Grace & Mary” is about how he wakes up praising the higher power over a bass-heavy beat with some keyboards & synths. However, it’s way too short.

The song “Barcelona” is a shot at lyrical cliches over a gritty beat & after the Percy interlude, the next song “Reginald” is essentially about not letting your partner count up your drug money over a relaxing instrumental. The track “Padded Locks” with Ghostface Killah sees the 2 wildin’ out over a KAYTRANADA instrumental with a prominent BADBADNOTGOOD sample while the song “Ghost” talks about his rise to success is over an instrumental with some jazzy keyboards.

The track “Heron Flow 2” is pretty much a reprise of the opener & the song “Plain Clothes” is an awkward attempt at going materialistic over a blissful trap beat. The track “Pull Up” vividly talks about a friend of his over gloomy boom bap beat while the song “Consensual Seduction” is another romantic slow jam. The track “U Turn” is about wanting to smack people who think they know him over another slow instrumental albeit with a prominent organ while the funkily KAYTRANADA produced “Understood” follows it up perfectly. The “Smoking Song” that finishes the album of course is about marijuana over some live bass playing.

For all the hype, this was totally worth it. I’d shave off a couple tracks, but it’s a lot more focused & the concept is more consistent than that of The Healing Component as is the jazz-influenced production that one can catch on Mick’s work in the past.

Score: 4/5

Joell Ortiz – “Mona Lisa” review

Joell Ortiz is a 38 year old rapper from Brooklyn, New York who rose to prominence after being featured in the Unsigned Hype column of The Source in 2004. He then signed to Aftermath Entertainment in 2006 & they allowed him to release his debut album The Brick: Bodega Chronicles with E1 Music in the next year. Then in 2008, he left Aftermath & formed Slaughterhouse with Royce da 5’9”, KXNG CROOKED & Joe Budden. They saw a lot of success together with their self-titled debut the next year, landing a contract with Eminem’s Interscope Records imprint Shady Records in 2011 (the same year Joell put out his sophomore album Free Agent. However, the supergroup’s only album on the label welcome to: OUR HOUSE in the following year would unfortunately end up being their last. He’s been focusing on his solo career ever since then & now for his 6th full-length album, he has enlisted Detroit’s very own Apollo Brown to produce it in it’s entirety.

After the “Brushstrokes” intro, we go into the first song “Reflection”. Here, Yaowa putting his 2 cents in on the demise of Slaughterhouse over a mellow beat with some strings. The track “‘My Block” is a vivid tribute to the Cooper Park Houses over a soulful beat while the song “Cocaine Fingertips” is filled with hilarious battle bars over a settle bass-line. The track “Grace of God” is about making it out of the projects with an orchestral boom bap beat while the song “That Place” recalls a friend of his being shot over a somber beat.

The track “Word…” talks about his main squeeze over some bass guitar while the song ““Decisions” contemplates whether to keep rapping or selling cocaine over a gloomy instrumental. The track “Timberlan’d Up” sees Joell linking up with Royce to talk about fighting people over a gritty boom bap beat but if you were a huge Slaughterhouse fan like I was, then you’ll definitely like the remix with KXNG CROOKED a lot more. The penultimate track “Come Back Home” reflects on the good times in his block over a soulful boom bap beat & then the titular song is a 3 minute epic that finishes the album.

As expected, this is Joell’s best work yet. His lyricism is sharper over time & the organic Apollo Brown production suits his stories near perfectly. If you wanna hear an underrated vet at his most mature moments, then give this a listen.

Score: 4.5/5

Georgia Anne Muldrow – “Overload” review

This is the 9th studio LP from Los Angeles, California singer/songwriter, rapper & producer Georgia Anne Muldrow. Self-producing her 2006 debut album Olesi: Fragments of an Earth under Stones Throw Records, the sophomore effort Umsindo was as positively received although Early alongside King’s Ballad & Owed to Mama Rickie’s reception were generally lukewarm. Seeds produced by Madlib however would become the most revered entry in her whole discography, coming off Oligarchy Sucks! & A Thoughtiverse Unmarred to make her Brainfeeder Records debut with Overload.

After the “I.O.T.A. (Instrument Of The Ancestors)” intro, the first song “Play It Up” advises the star that guides & leads her through not to worry about the haters whereas the title track blends contemporary R&B with hip hop & trap thanks to Mike & Keys and DJ Khalil confessing that she’s been overwhelmed by work lately. “Blam” goes for a neo-soul vibe singing about picking up a gun & pulling the trigger out of self defense leading into the “Williehook” skit.

“Aerosol” embraces a psychedelic soul sound describing finding beauty within your average urban neighborhood while “Vital Transformation” sings about all of us being meant to evolve. “You Can Always Count on Me” kicks off the 2nd half uniquely covering a song off The Gap Band’s eponymous 3rd album just before “These Are the Things I Really Like About You” featuring Declaime finds the 2 joining forces so they can tell each other what they enjoy the most regarding one another.

The track “Canadian Hillbilly” pushes towards Overload’s conclusion singing about her husband always being by her side no matter what life throws at her while the jazz-infused “Conmigo” pleads for those listening to cherish everyone that we keep close to our hearts. And prior to the “Ciao” outro, “Bobbie’s Dittie” spends the last 4 & a half minutes experimenting with jazz fusion singing about how fake the bruise we take from love is once we’ve awoken.

Seeds remains my favorite album of Georgia Anne Muldrow’s with Olesi: Fragments of an Earth, but Overload comfortably places itself behind the latter amongst her most celebrated material & vindicates every reason why Flying Lotus signed her to Brainfeeder. The production’s more on the neo-soul, alternative R&B, synth-funk & psychedelic soul side of things rather than continuing to emphasize the predecessor’s heavy boom bap/conscious hip hop influences & she’s thematically healing from the pain society has caused.

Score: 4/5

Hock Tu Down – “Hock Tu 3” review

Hock Tu Down are a duo from Liverpool, Merseyside, England, United Kingdom consisting of producer Reklews alongside Runcorn, Cheshire, emcee/producer & Blah Records founder Lee Scott. Forming in the late 2000s, both members of the Children of the Damned & it’s successor the Cult of the Damned would drop their full-length Prozium Peddlin’ at the end of 2009 & followed it up 9 months later with their debut EP Something Strange. It’s been over 8 years since the latter & these guys are reuniting for a sophomore effort.

“Breakfast” talks about having so much fun in the sun to the point where he might cry over a raw boom bap instrumental whereas “Fanks” takes a more personal approach to Lee’s songwriting speaking of both his parents. “Glenn’s Eye” has a slower vibe to the beat talking about being the ones to explain how shit’s gonna go down leading into “Kit Bag” featuring Milkavelli reunites the Mcabre Brothers referencing former UFC Featherweight Champion & UFC Lightweight Champion Conor McGregor.

As for “Deus Ex Machina”, we have Hock Tu Down giving a fuck less if they impress or disrespect anyone surrounding them working in more kicks & snares with some jazzier undertones just before “1 Tu” talks about reality being what you make of it whether someone’s there cooperating or not. “Game On” featuring Jehst finds the Group talking about life being unfair on top of this slow boom bap instrumental & “Black Hoodie Season” after the “Bengal Tiger” skit moves forward with an autumn ode.

“Yarbles Mahoney” continues the 2nd half of Hock Tu 3 ruggedly talking about being a rare 1-of-1 edition sitting on a lonely shelf while “Honest Daze” featuring Nickelus F & Quelle Chris sees the trio confessing every mistake they made caused them to run & gun more. “Sun D” dustily talks about having nothing to do like it’s a Sunday while “Zip” takes a couple minutes so he can discuss today being a great day to rebel in Hell.

The track “Breathe 101” winds down the album’s final minutes jumping over a gully beat reminding us to take deep breathes regularly & the final song “I Made Some Shit” preceding the compositional 60 second outro sends it all off treading intergalactic boom bap waters instrumentally talking about making more music with the money that Lee’s made off his previous material & tripping on the 12th stair when he was on his way to the pearly gates of heaven.

Prozium Peddlin’ was an outstanding debut for Hock Tu Down & I felt like Something Strange in comparison was ok, but Hock Tu 3 wedges itself in middle behind their inaugural LP almost a decade ago & above the extended play they gave us prior to their hiatus. Waiting for the right time to make a return, Lee Scott takes a batch of boom bap production he’s had from Reklews for some time in middle of him hanging around family & using them as inspiration to write the final product.

Score: 4/5

Roc Marciano – “Kvos” review

Roc Marciano & DJ Muggs are 2 criminally underrated legends in the hip hop world. Both of whom been having a big 2018, with Roc putting out Rosebudd’s Revenge 2: The Bitter Dose in February & Behold a Dark Horse just last month while Muggs just put out a new Soul Assassins album Dia del Asesinato & the new Cypress Hill album Elephants on Acid within the past 2 months. But now, they’re uniting to put out Roc’s 7th full-length album.

After a 2 minute instrumental intro that sounds like it could be playing at the start of a blaxploitation film, the first song “Dolph Lundgren” sees Roc talking about him & an unnamed current rapper being from different eras over a minimalist instrumental with some acoustic guitar strumming. The next track “White Dirt” boasts about what he has over a grimy rap rock beat while “The E Train” is about being one of the illest over a laidback instrumental.

“Aunt Bonnie” vividly talks about murder over an apocalyptic instrumental while the song “Rolls Royce Rugs” of course returns to the bragging tip over a classy instrumental. The track “Caught a Lick” has a pretty murky vibe to it & Roc’s delivery on here is probably the catchiest on the entire album, but it’s way too short.

The song “Wild Oats” gets mafioso over a haunting instrumental while the track “Shit I’m On” gets on some “king shit” over a piano. The song “Wormhole” talks about his main chick over a hypnotic beat & the outro spurs battle bars over an instrumental with a killer guitar & occasionally some orchestral elements.

To be honest, this is one of the best albums Roc has ever done. Despite it’s 36 minute runtime, his gritty lyricism & DJ Muggs’ signature production style mesh with each other near perfectly. I can also appreciate Roc for not getting any features on here as well.

Score: 4.5/5