Kool Keith – “Moosebumps: An Exploration Into Modern Day Horripilation” review

Almost 22 years after the release of his classic 1996 solo debut Dr. Octagonecologyst & then the mediocre Return of Dr. Octagon in 2006, Ultramagnetic MCs member Kool Keith is making his 20th album over here an official sequel to his solo debut. This time, he has re-enlisted Dan the Automator to produce it & DJ Qbert to do the scratches.

The album starts off with “Octagon Octagon”, which is basically about the Dr.’s return with some creepy choir vocals in the background. The next song “Polka Dots” is filled with battle bars over a druggy beat while the track “Black Hole Son” talks about his operating methods over a eerie beat. The song “Power of the World (S Curls)” gets conscious over gritty rap rock beat while the track “Operation 0” sees Keith comparing himself over an atmospheric beat. The song “Bear Witness IV” is a turntablism tune that serves as a sequel to “Bear Witness” from Dr. Octagonecologyst & it’s just as great as the original.

The track “Area 54” gets raunchy over a fun instrumental & the song “Flying Waterbed” is a love profession with a laidback jazzy beat. The track “3030 Mets the Doc” pretty much speaks for itself & I think there’s actually quite a bit of chemistry between Keith & Del the Funky Homosapien. The penultimate “Karma Sutra” gets sexual over rap metal beat & the closer “Hollywood Tailswinging” talks about how he runs the boulevard over a thunderous beat.

While I never thought an official Dr. Octagonecologyst sequel would see the day, this was near-perfect. Kool Keith, Dan the Automator & DJ Qbert all managed to recapture every aspect of the first album flawlessly from the bizarre lyricism to the eclectic production

Score: 5/5

Famous Dex – “Dex Meets Dexter” review

Famous Dex is a 24 year old rapper from Chicago, Illinois & he is finally releasing his debut album after dropping 7 mixtapes over the past 3 years. The album starts off with “DMD”, where Dex gets braggadocious over an atmospheric beat from Pi’erre Bourne. The next song “Prove It” talks about a gold digger over a bass-heavy instrumental with a funky guitar during the hook while the track “Japan” talks about partying in the titular country over a synth-trap beat. The song “Deadpool” may have a spacey trap beat, but it sounds underwritten.

The track “Light” is a luscious romance tune with a beautiful hook, but Dex’s auto-tune is cliché to me. The song “Celine” has a nice bell/trap beat from Ronny J & the auto-tune delivery here is way better than “Light”. The track “Take Her” with Wiz Khalifa flexes about the lavish life over a cloudy beat while the song “Hemi” sounds like a short freestyle over a bass-heavy Ronny J instrumental.

The track “Pick It Up” with A$AP Rocky sees the 2 charismatically bragging about their current wealth while reminiscing about the old days & the instrumental from both FKi 1st & Sosa 808 is beautiful. Especially with the soul sample. The song “Them Days” reflects on his youth over a cloudy beat while the track “Said So” is about her new chick & dissing his ex over a moody d.a. got that dope beat. While he‘s repeating himself on song “XOXO”, it is a fun joint to me. The track “Chump” is about fake dudes over an airy beat & then the closer “Champion” is basically about going from being broke to being rich over an spacey beat from Diplo.

This is the big debut that I’ve been wanting from Dex. His production is better than his past mixtapes & while he’s far from a spiritual lyrical miracle, I’ve always loved his charisma & it definitely shines brighter here than ever before

Score: 3.5/5

Kali Uchis – “isola†ion” review

Kali Uchis is a Colombian-American R&B singer & this is her full-length debut. The album starts off with “Body Language”, where Kali gets playful over a jazzy funky beat. The next song “Miami” with BIA sees the 2 talking about living fast in the titular city over some bass guitar chords & some hi-hats while the track “Just a Stranger” is about a gold digger over a funky beat from Romil Hemnani & Steve Lacy.

The song “Flight 22” uses airport metaphors for love over a blissful instrumental while the track “Your Teeth In My Neck” gets sexual over a Neptunes-esque instrumental. The song “Tyrant” with Jorja Smith is a post apocalyptic love tune & the song “Dead to Me” is this middle finger to an ex of Kali’s over a house beat with some wailing synthesizers. The track “Nuestro Planeta” is sung in Spanish & it talks about wanting a lone planet just for her & her lover a bouncy reggaeton beat while the song “In My Dreams” tells us what the perfect boyfriend would be like for her over a laidback beat from Gorillaz.

After the wavy “Gotta Get Up”’instrumental, we then get into the next song “Tomorrow”. Here, Kali vividly talks about making it out of the rough city over a spacey beat from Tame Impala. Then right after the funky “Coming Home” interlude, we then get into the next song “After the Storm”. Here, Kali hooks up with Tyler, The Creator to talk about saving yourself over a mellow instrumental from BADBADNOTGOOD. The penultimate track “Feel Like a Fool” talks about how dumb she felt after learning that her ex was cheating on her with a baby mama over some keys & the closer “Killer” continues this theme over a smooth instrumental.

I’ve always been curious to see what Kali would do after her Por Vida EP in 2015 & this just goes to prove that she is gonna be a new face in modern neo-soul. The production is just as beautiful as the EP & Kali’s Erykah Badu-like voice is stronger then ever as is her songwriting. If you loved her feature on Tyler’s last 2 albums but haven’t given her a change in her own, give this a listen

Score: 4/5

Lil Xan – “TOTAL XANXIETY” review

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Lil Xan is a 21 year old rapper from Redlands, California & this is his full-length debut. The opener “Who I Am” has a bass-heavy trap instrumental, but his whiny lyrics & boring delivery don’t do it any justice. The next song “Wake Up” gets repetitive lyrically over another bass heavy instrumental while the track “Tick Tock” with 2 Chainz sees the 2 getting braggadocious over an eerie rattling instrumental from Ronny J.

The song “Diamonds” talks about the obvious over a monstrous trap beat while the track “The Man” with $teven Cannon talks about how cool they supposedly are over some heavy bass. The song “Saved by the Bell” is filled with corny school references over a cloudy beat while the track “Moonlight” is about him & his girl getting fucked up over some more bass heavy trap percussion. The song “Shine Hard” with Rae Sremmurd gets braggadocious over an airy beat while the track “Round Here” sees him repeating the same lines for 2 short verses over an explosive beat & the YG feature is the only saving grace on here.

The song “Basically” talks about people he fell out with over a mediocre trap beat while the track “Deceived” continues this theme over an atmospheric trap beat. The track “Betrayed” is about his former xanax addiction & I actually find his story pretty compelling. The song “Slingshot” is about doing lean & narco over a gritty trap beat while the track “Far” is another compelling story: This time about his come up in the rap game. The track “Color Blind” is taken from Diplo’s new EP California & then the closer is a remix of “Betrayal”, both of which I felt like didn’t need to be on here.

Honestly, this thing was awful. The features were cool for the most part, some of the beats I liked & there are very few times were Xan says anything profound. My issue with it is that a lot of the songs sounded samey from the monstrous percussion to Xan repeating himself with no charisma whatsoever.

Score: 1/5

CZARFACE & MF DOOM – “CZARFACE Meets Metal Face” review

This is the highly anticipated & unexpected collab album between East Coast supergroup CZARFACE & the renown MF DOOM. They originally collaborated on the hard hitting “Ka-Bang!” off of CZARFACE’s classic 2015 sophomore album Every Hero Needs a Villain, but now they are reuniting for a full-length project together. After the “Take Your Medicine” intro, we then get into the first song “Meddle with Metal”. Here, the Metal Face Villain alongside Inspectah Deck & Esoteric tell all the wack MCs that armageddon is here over an ominous beat from The Czar-Keys (7L & Spada4). The track “Badness of Madness” sees the 3 MCs bragging about their rapping prowess over some creepy keys & then after the “Closer Talker” skit, we then get into the next song “Forever People”. Here, the 3 charismatically y’all about how dope they are over some settle bass.

The track “Captain Crunch” is basically shit-talking the wack & to be honest, I think Deck has the best verse on here. Especially with how he started it. The 1 & a half minute “Don’t Spoil It” is a short yet head-bobbing Inspectah Deck solo cut that talks about the era he came from & being hip hop’s most wanted over some live drumming & a guitar in the background. The song “Phantoms” with Open Mike Eagle sees the 4 making a fancy anthem over a futuristic beat while & I love how the beat changes to something grimier during the 2nd half. The track “Bomb Thrown” is filled with creative battle bars with an eerie soul sample in the background.

After the “You Masked For It” skit, we then go into the song “Astral Traveling”. While DOOM doesn’t have a verse on this joint at all, CZARFACE & Vinnie Paz do manage to spit violent bars throughout going toe-to-toe with WWE Superstars Finn Bálor & Samoa Joe and the way the beat changes after each verse is a nice homage to “I’m the Man” by Gang Starr. The song “Nautical Depth” takes a jab at the current state of hip hop over an eerie beat while the track “Stun Gun” is a 7L & Esoteric cut with battle bars over some bass & an organ. The song “MF Czar” talks about how the trio & the Villain are hip hop’s antidote over some grim electronic keyboards while “Captain Brunch” is a decent remix to “Captain Crunch”. The album then finishes off with “Sleeping Dogs”, which is just a 50 second instrumental.

From the second this was announced, I knew this was gonna be great. CZARFACE’s chemistry has been proven over the past 5 years, but their chemistry with MF DOOM is stronger than it was on “Ka-Bang!”.

Score: 4.5/5

U-God – “Venom” review

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Almost 5 years after the release of the highly underrated The Keynote Speaker & with his autobiography coming out earlier this month, Wu-Tang Clan member U-God is returning with his 5th full-length album. The opener “Exordium” brags about his success as an MC over an orchestral beat & the next song “Unstoppable” talks about his longevity over a decent Powers Pleasant instrumental. The track “Epicenter” with Raekwon, Inspectah Deck & Scotty Wotty sees the 4 telling us that the Clan is the central point of hip hop over an sinister boom bap beat from DJ Green Lantern while the song “Bit da Dust” tells the story of someone getting stuck over a DJ Homicide beat that sounds like something the Wu-Elements would’ve produced.

The song “Elegance” is a smooth love tune with a decent hook from Nomdiq while the track “Climate” touches down on the current state of hip hop over some sinister keys & punchy drums. The titular song gets braggadocious & the way he flows over the beat is perfect while the track “Felon” reflects on his criminal past over a Large Professor instrumental with a killer rap rock vibe to it. The song “Legacy” is an ode to U-God’s own legacy & the horns in the instrumental where a nice touch.

The track “Whole World Watchin’” brags about how skillful he is over a gritty horn-inflicted boom bap beat from Lord Finesse while the song “XXX” with Method Man sees the 2 venting about a couple jealous exes they had over a infectious beat. The penultimate track “Jackpot” is basically a Scotty Wotty song since U-God doesn’t appear on it at all & while it’s not terrible, I feel like it didn’t need to be on here. The album then closes with “Wisdom”, where Golden Arms gets insightful over an ambitious beat.

Honestly, this is up there with The Keynote Speaker & Golden Arms Redemption as one of U-God’s better solo albums. The production is mostly on point & lyrically, it’s probably his most mature one yet.

Score: 4/5

G-Mo Skee – “8 Bit Filth” review

In front of us is the 2nd EP from Richmond, California lyricist G-Mo Skee. Emerging as a member of the trio Stampede & later the Inf Gang. He would drop 2 official mixtapes Got Filth & Got Filth II: The Great Adventures of G-Mo independently before Twiztid signed him to Majik Ninja Entertainment in 2016. His full-length debut My Filthy Spirit Bomb coming out that same winter to significant acclaim, teasing Chaly & the Filth Factory with 8 Bit Filth after making an appearance at the first annual Astronomicon.

“Final Boss 2” is a sequel to the song on his 2012 sophomore mixtape Got Filth 2: The Great Adventures of G-Mo & I think this is a lot more grimier than the original from the production to the lyricism. The next song “Skate” is filled with confrontational battle bars over an Atari-esque boom bap beat while the track “Glitch” sees G getting with the Inf Gang to talk about about making it over a spacious beat.

The song “Trouble” is an angry reminder that you don’t wanna fuck with G-Mo over a sinister beat from Godsynth while the title track is basically about his haters & his longevity over a boom bap beat. The song “Fade Up” with Crowda, Jamie Madrox & King Gordy is about weed over a murky beat while the penultimate track “Can’t Lose” is a triumphant ode to G’s success. The EP then finishes with “Final Stage”, where G spits battle bars over a sinister beat.

As a whole, this is a fantastic prelude to G-Mo Skee’s next album & in general professes itself in being a love letter he has for video games which I appreciate being someone who enjoys gaming as much as listening to music. His filthy confrontational bars are raw as ever, the guest list is & the video game samples (which is why you can only get the EP exclusively at the MNEStore website) are creatively used catering to the sound G has become notable for.

Score: 4.5/5

Westside Gunn – “FLYGOD is Good…All the Time” review

Up until this point, it seems that Hall ‘N Nash member & Shady Records signee Westside Gunn has been having a quiet 2018. However, he is finally coming out of the dark with his 3rd EP & he has enlisted Mr. Green to produce it in it’s entirety. After the Kool Herc intro, we then go into the first song “Part Deux”. Here, the FLYGOD gets reminiscent on his past & how far he’s come since then over a piano & an alluring soul sample. The track “Stash House” flaunts about the shit he’s bought from being in the drug game over a grimy boom bap beat while the song “Trash Bag” gets confrontational over a funky bass-line with the drums in the background popping like his famous gunshot adlibs. The penultimate track “8 Seconds” charismatically touches down on his success & pretty much says “fuck you” to those who didn’t have his back in the past over a gloomy instrumental. The EP then finishes off with “Brazy”, where he talks about being on his bullshit & basically tells you that he’s God over a dreary beat.

Overall, this was just as great as I expected it to be Westside Gunn’s grim street bars are vivid yet charismatic as always & they suit Mr. Green’s raw production just as well as I thought they would. I believe the Griselda camp is one of the illest out right now & despite this being released under Nature Sounds, it is no exception

Score: 4.5/5

PRhyme – “PRhyme 2” review

With the 4 year anniversary of their self-titled debut coming up at the end of the year, PRhyme is finally delivering their long-awaited sophomore album. After the “Salute” intro, we then get into the first song “Black History”. Here, Royce da 5’9” talks about his upcoming as well as DJ Premier’s over some piano keys & strings. It originally appeared on Royce’s 2nd EP Tabernacle: Trust the Shooter in 2016, but I’m still happy to hear it on here since he said that this album was coming. The track “1 of the Hardest” sees Royce boasting about him being one of the best out right now over a guitar/boom bap beat while the song “Era” with Dave East touches down on hip hop today & I really appreciate Preemo trying something different with his production on here. The track “Respect My Gun” with Roc Marciano sees them taking about firearms over a gloomy beat while the song “W.O.W. (With Out Warning)” with Yelawolf is filled with battle raps over an eerie instrumental.

The track “Sunflower Seeds” cleverly uses that as a metaphor for livin’ from the hood to logon how he is now over an organ-inflicted beat while the song “Streets at Night” is basically Royce telling us he runs the streets over some wavy synths. The track “Rock It” not only has a gritty bap beat with some keyboards & strings, but Royce’s wordplay on here is phenomenal. The song “Loved Ones” is basically about when Royce was cheating on his wife & I love the way Rapsody is incorporated as she talks from the perspective of Royce’s wife. The track “My Calling” touches downs on hip hop being his calling & the current state of the culture over some birds chirping & hard hitting drums while “Made Man” with Big K.R.I.T. talks about being making it their way over a boom bap beat with some background vocals & strings.

After the “Relationships” skit, we then go into the track “Flirt”. Here, Royce & 2 Chainz get romantic over a boom bap beat with a fancy tone to it. Despite the song “Everyday Struggle” having a short yet decent verse from Chavis Chandler near the end, I thought Royce’s response to all the purists was really insightful. Especially with the lines at the very beginning about Joe Budden (who is a member of the Shady Records signed supergroup Slaughterhouse with Royce alongside KXNG CROOKED & Joell Ortiz) attacking Lil Yachty in an interview last year. The penultimate track “Do Ya Thang” tells his haters to do just that over some chimes & horns while the closer “Gotta Love It” is an ode to hip hop as a whole over orchestral backings.

Overall, this is just as great or even better than the first album. It’s longer, it’s doesn’t have too much features like the last one had, Royce’s lyricism is sharp as always & I actually like how DJ Premier takes a few risks with his flawless production on a few tracks.

Score: 4.5/5

MURS – “A Strange Journey Into the Unimaginable” review

On the day of his 40th birthday, former Living Legends member MURS is celebrating by delivering his 11th full-length album & he has enlisted 7 to produce it in it’s entirety. The album starts off with “The Unimaginable”, where MURS vents about his recent divorce & the death of his newborn son over a gloomy acoustic guitar with some militant drums added halfway through. The next song “Melancholy” touches down on the titular feeling over a somber acoustic guitar & some live drumming while the track “‘Midtown” reflects on coming up from South Los Angeles over a twangy guitar. The song “Same Way” with Tech N9ne sees both MCs telling their loved ones they know that their families don’t like them over a laidback beat while the song “Powerful” takes a jab at the current state of hip hop over a woodwind-infused boom bap beat.

The song “G Lollipops” with Fashawn & Prof is a humble brag about their talents over an fun instrumental fit for the clubs & then the track “Superhero Pool Party” sees MURS telling a bedtime story to his son where he was at the fictitious titular party. It is filled with creative references to iconic superheroes such as Superman, Wonder Woman & The Incredible Hulk just to name a few. Also, Kanye West & Jean Grae are both mentioned as well. The song “Whiskey & Patron” with XV is a fun liquor tune with a druggy beat while the track “A Lean Story” recalls a time where he tried lean before a show in 2000 over a gloomy beat.

The song “Lo-Fi Nights” touches down on internal conflict & finding inner peace referencing WWE Hall of Famer, former WWE Champion & 2-time WWE Intercontinental Champion The Ultimate Warrior over a beautiful instrumental while the track “So Far Close” is a heartfelt message to his ex-wife Kate over some somber yet jazzy instrumental. The song “Celebrate” is a smooth ode to all of the good memories in MURS’ life while the penultimate track “Vows” tells us how he met who I presume to be his new wife & where they are now over a beautiful piano instrumental. To be honest with all of you, this song almost made me cry the first time I heard it. The album finishes with “God Is the Greatest”, where MURS is getting in the faces of his critics over an eerie boom bap beat.

As a whole, I think this was a beautiful way to celebrate the man’s 40th birthday. MURS gets at his most personal lyrically & 7’s production suits him near perfectly. I’ve always wanted the 2 to work on a whole album together ever since MURS signed to Strange Music in 2014 & the end result is his best album with the label as well as being tied with …The End of the Beginning as the magnum opus in his solo discography

Score: 4.5/5