TopOppGen – “Peace Doesn’t Reside on My End” review

TopOppGen is a 20 year old rapper from Charlotte, North Carolina who dropped his debut mixtape Mind of a Menace in the summer of 2021. He would go on to follow this up with 3 extended plays & 6 mixtapes including TopOppBusiness, All I Know is 6, ?, 6orry for the Wait, House Arrest Tingz, The Last 6ixer…, love, topopp & imperfections until signing to Columbia Records. The full-length debut fake pills & real scars along with the sophomore effort kalon have both been making waves & the singles building up towards his 3rd album made it seem like it could be his most defining statement thus far only hours after Cedric Alexander ended Leon Slater’s reign as TNA X Division Champion.

“purple fluid” opens things up talking about falling in love with drugs after having his heart broken whereas “don’t cry” fuses rap rock, trap & emo rap assuring his partner that she doesn’t have to do him wrong if he does it initially. “chemistry” talks about love not meaning anything to him until “scrimmage” for some reason admits to stalking this woman’s page when he knows he has better stuff to do.

The 2nd & final single “love war” suggests maybe he’s better off in his deathbed when most would consider it to be the worst case scenario while “don’t wanna do that” talks about being on drugs that his homies have never heard of previously. “emo girl” wraps up the 1st leg of the LP proclaiming the chick he’s been with to be dumber than Patrick Star leading into “everything” talks about remembering all he & an ex have done together.

“I hate relationships” kicks off the 2nd half warns everyone who wants to kill him that he has guns of his own at the crib while “features” talks about being mesmerized by the beauty of this pretty girl with a cold heart. “rampaging” touches base regarding him being on lean for 3 straight weeks & pondering if he’s been losing his feelings while “heartfelt message” blends a guitar & hi-hats expresses hope of him never seeing a hoe’s face again because of their love dissolving.

The song “blow me away” winds down Peace Don’t Reside on My End’s final moments advising to let him be if someone finds him bleeding out all over the ground & his partner’s absence causing him to begin hallucinating while “cavity” talks about making it out the hood even if he couldn’t take the hood with him. The closing track “way past 10” spends the full-length’s last couple minutes taking inspiration from the late XXXTENTACION’s emo-folk stuff, primarily 17.

Proving himself to be one of emo rap’s most prominent forces within the past year, TopOppGen extends the back-to-back streak he’s been on since signing to a major label & making it a 3-peat considering how much Peace Doesn’t Reside on My End feels like a continuation of both it’s predecessors. The production refines his style by maintaining the secondary influences of gangsta rap, pop rap, rap rock & trap and he refrains from having any guests join him in expressing his pain.

Score: 3.5/5

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Nick Grant – “Smile” review

This is the 5th studio LP from Atlanta, Georgia emcee Nick Grant. Blowing up a decade ago off his debut mixtape ’88 along with the Epic Records-backed full-length debut Return of the Cool, his next tape Dreamin’ Out Loud would prelude the acclaimed God Bless the Child produced by Tae Beast of the Top Dawg Entertainment in-house production team Digi+Phonics followed by Carolina Diaries & Welcome to Loveland. I did like Sunday Dinner & I Took It Personal was a great perspective on the industry itself, but he’s returning with a Smile on his face.

“Another Classic” hops over an orchestral boom bap beat from the Trackmasters to talk about the realest stepping on business for as long as he lives whereas “Money Problems” works in a chipmunk soul sample so he can break down his experiences with financial issues. “The Algorhythm” featuring Punch incorporates a flute so they can talk about some of these people dancing to the same song over & over leading into the gospel-influenced “Back Up” sending a warning to those who want to put him down.

Westside Gunn & Young Chris join Nick on “Price Tag” sampling “Love (I Guess That’s the Fool in Me)” by City Limits so they can talk about nothing being free in this world to end the 1st leg while “Bullsh!t” featuring CyHi the Prynce & Ransom references the late アイアンマンヘビーメタル級チャンピオン, TNA World Tag Team Champion, WCW World Television Champion, 2-time WWE United States Champion, 7-time WCW World Tag Team Champion, 4-time WWE Intercontinental Champion & 2-time WWE Hall of Famer Scott Hall.

“Generational Runs / No Shortcuts” kicks off the last leg of Smile with a 2-parter expressing his desire or being placed amongst the greatest when his run’s up just before “Dope Bitch” talks about the girl he’s with being awesome in her own ways. “Sensitive Gangsta” spends a couple minutes poking fun at these so-called street dudes who’re overly in their feelings & “Everyday I Wake” concludes Smile by spitting pain some wouldn’t understand over a soul sample.

Agreeably considered to be one of the most slept-on lyricists of this decade, Nick Grant continues to validate those claims with Smile striving to become a timeless artist. He’s trying prove to his audience that anything’s possible now that he’s at a place where he doesn’t want people to forget who he is & learning that our experiences are the true meaning of life, bringing a handful of guests who’re all on their own plateaus of potency rather than continuing to spit verses by himself over a varied batch of production.

Score: 3.5/5

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Jane Remover – “Status Update Music” review

Here is the 7th mixtape from Newark, New Jersey musician Jane Remover. Aside from the 3 full-lengths under deadAir Records including Frailty as well as Census Designated & most notably Revengeseekerz, they have also released the Ghostholding mixtape on the label & 4 tapes pioneering the Dariacore sound. Coming off the Indie Rock mixtape last summer & Young Dabo’s sickeningly transphobic “Bleed” diss towards them however, Jane’s back to give the world some Status Update Music.

“If You Think I’m a Bitch, You Should Meet Jane Remover” blends Dariacore, hybrid trap, industrial hip hop, deconstructed club, xtra raw, jerk & complextro for an energetic intro mentioning underscores whereas “XO Tour Llif3” experiments with hyperphonics, speed house, electro house, hybrid trap, electro house, future bass & complextro to distinguish itself from Lil Uzi Vert’s biggest hit.

Brostep, Dariacore, rawstyle, EDM glitch hop, complextro & hardstyle all collide on the emotional “I Did This for Us” single while “…Like Watching a Zombie Turn” would debatably be amongst my top 3 tracks here due to the way future bass, changa tuki, UK hard house, brostep, psystyle & power soca are all mixed with hyperflip. “Crowdkilling 101” on the other hand explores bass house, electro-industrial, hard techno, complextro, speed house & French electro whilst maintaining the hyperphonics elements.

“Nothing Lasts Forever (Every Detail U Have Ever Told Me)” was a too 5 moment personally expanding beyond Dariacore in favor of rawstyle, speed house, hybrid trap, bubblegum bass, complextro, future riddim, festival progressive house, alternative rock & bass house while the manically dense “Chase This Feeling” bringing secondary influences of hyperflip, future bass, speed house, bubblegum bass, changa tuki, hard trance, rawphoric & rawstyle to the table.

Dariacore, deconstructed club, complextro, changa tuki, electro, nu skool breaks & bass house each have their own distinctive presence throughout “#BoyLetMeKnow” kick off the 2nd half of Status Update Music while “The Summer I Pretty” comes through with a mechanical melting pot of bass house, industrial techno, hyperflip, deconstructed club, complextro, Detroit techno, electro-industrial, hard techno, French electro, bass house & tearout.

“Right Nowww (Tear Me Apart)” would be my 2nd favorite song on the tape maximally meshing Dariacore, happy hardcore, hard trance, freeform hardcore, speedcore, buchiage trance, UK hardcore, hyper techno, psytrance, nightcore, midtempo bass, hardtek & bouncy techno while “L.A.M.B. (Love.Angel.Music.Baby.)” bears it’s name after Gwen Stefani’s timeless solo debut despite being stylistically rooted in brostep, hyperphonics, rawstyle, tearout brostep & hybrid trap.

The rhythmically buzzy “I Belong to Nobody (But Tonight I’m Yours)” keeps pushing boundaries of Dariacore drawing further inspiration from neoperreo, deconstructed club, digicore, lento violento, snap, jerk, trap, xtra raw & rawstyle prior to “Get Ugly” containing it’s individual sections varying between French electro, electro-industrial, hyperflip, drumline, industrial metal, ballroom, Jersey club, deconstructed club, neoperreo, midtempo bass & rawstyle.

“In Every Lifetime (Together Like This)” nears closer towards Status Update Music’s conclusion with a melodically polyrhythmic bass house, Dariacore, alternative R&B, hard techno, bubblegum bass, indietronica & speed house while the outro “Summer Fling” ends in the form of this perfect dance-pop, contemporary r&b, funky house, Baltimore club, akishibu-kei & 2-step anthem in time for next month.

Most would say Dariacore 2: Enter Here, Hell to the Left is the best thing Jane Remover had done under the leroy moniker, but Status Update Music surpasses it 5 years later. Their production nearly perfects the Dariacore subgenre of hyperpop & EDM microgenre Jane created eclectically mixing it with hints of hard dance, hybrid trap, industrial hip hop, deconstructed club, xtra raw, jerk, complextro, speed house, electro house, future bass, rawstyle, EDM glitch hop, hardstyle, changa tuki, UK hard house, brostep, psystyle, power soca, bass house, electro-industrial, hard techno, French electro, bubblegum bass, future riddim, festival progressive house, alternative rock, hard trance, rawphoric, nu skool breaks, industrial techno, Detroit techno, tearout, happy hardcore, freeform hardcore, speedcore, buchiage trance, UK hardcore, hyper techno, psytrance, nightcore, midtempo bass, hardtek, bouncy techno, tearout brostep, neoperreo, digicore, lento violento, snap, trap, drumline, industrial metal, ballroom, Jersey club, midtempo bass, bass house, alternative R&B, indietronica, dance-pop, contemporary R&B, funky house, Baltimore club, akishibu-kei & 2-step.

Score: 4.5/5

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Possessed – “Absentia” review

Here we have what could likely be the only extended play from London, England, United Kingdom emcee Possessed. A founding member of Rhyme Asylum, they would drop their full-length debut State of Lunacy in 2008 & followed it up a couple years later with the sophomore effort Solitary Confinement. The latter of which would become the group’s final album since they disbanded afterwards although neither Skirmish or Psiklone have gone solo, which Absentia gave some fans hope considering it dropped without any prior announcement.

“Revolution” hops over a raw beat to kick things off talking about being immortalized & apologize for leaving when he shouldn’t have while “Priority” embraces a creepy boom bap vibe instrumentally, wrapping up the 1st leg advising those who think they can hang with him on the mic to put a sock in it. The closing track “Take Me” preceding a titular outro skit spends the EP’s remaining 3 & a half minutes chopping up a soul sample talking about being a completely different breed.

The man himself has since confirmed he’s done making music despite continuing to drop tracks from the vault that’re previously unreleased so if Absentia marks the only time we hear Possessed by himself for the duration of a project, then I suppose I’ll take it. I don’t find the production to be as impressive as someone like Illinformed or Badhabitz per se, but he still makes good justification regarding why he’s one of the most technically skilled lyricists in all of UK hip hop.

Score: 3.5/5

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Ankhlejohn – “Everything Beautiful Died Early” review

Here we have the 8th mixtape from Washington, D.C. emcee/producer Ankhlejohn. Breaking out off his Big Ghost Ltd.-produced sophomore effort Van Ghost, he’s given the underground his last 7 tapes as well as 8 EPs & 7 full-lengths in almost a decade. Other favorites of mine in his discography include the Navy Blue-produced As Above, So Below, the Rome Streetz collaborative effort Genesis 1:27, the Cookin’ Soul-produced The Michelin Man & the August Fanon-produced Live! at the Disco last summer. A whole year later & V Don’s producing Everything Beautiful Died Early.

“Origins” gets things going with a 125 second intro talking about being paid to prove cases over a drumless orchestra backing him whereas “No Specifics” goes for a boom bap vibe instrumentally referencing The Sopranos, which is one of my top 3 shows. $ha Hef joins Lordy so they can talk about some “Monyun” over a sample & some drums while “Trauma or Tragedy” incorporates a more laidback beat to talk about being there when the powder was still stone.

Babymaine joins Ankhlejohn on “Inglorious” for a gangsta rap/boom bap crossover detailing their experiences living in The Bronx & the DMV just before “Stoneisland” wraps up the 1st half of Everything Beautiful Died Early looking back at when Juelz Santana was a big inspiration to him. “Vegan Goose Down Silence” kicks off the 2nd leg talking about making this tape because he felt like the game needed him leading into “King, Pawn & Rook” featuring Crimeapple breaking down the mafioso lifestyle.

“Solar Faxx!” aggressively talks about his desire of making educating ourselves more mainstream while “Laugh & Cry” once again touches base regarding the subject of the gangsta life, explaining that it’s pretty much a cycle. “Day 1” talks about his refusal of disrespecting the plates he came from & his knowledge of the game dating back since the beginning while “Packback” ends by observing the amount of love since his youth that’s faded.

Next fall will be a whole decade since Ankhlejohn introduced himself by taking the underground on a trip through The Red Room & for the past 14 months, he’s been dropping the greatest output of his entire career from The Michelin Man to Live! at the Disco & now Everything Beautiful Died Early. There are only a small handful of guests on this one rather than Lordy holding down the mic all by himself throughout the predecessor last spring, but they’re all carefully selected since everyone flows well over V Don’s distinct production style.

Score: 4.5/5

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Stray Withers – “Blink of an Eye” review

Stray Withers is a 33 year old rapper & songwriter from New Haven, Connecticut who formed the Rogue Hollow collective during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic. His solo debut extended play Witherman would come out the next fall as did his full-length debut Cloudy Alibi in the summer of 2023 & more recently his previous EP Enjoy the View this past July, enlisting his crew’s newest in-house producer Charlie Beans to handle all of the beats for Stray’s 3rd EP coming off producing most of James Joyce the Squatch’s 4th album Discomfort Inn last month.

“Cicada” after the “Change of Plans” intro starts off with an aggressive boom bap instrumental pleading to dig up this world that’s been underground for too long while “Foul Ground” featuring James Joyce the Squatch talks about the difference between them & the rest. “Out Alive” depressively speaks of sleeping under a cypress tree forever & after “Frost Bite” assures it’s ok if one can’t keep up, the final song “Perfect Timing” preceding the “Epilogue” outro ends by explaining the very thing life has never had.

Gearing up for his upcoming sophomore effort Flinch also entirely produced by Charlie Beans later this fall, I’m getting a huge impression that it’ll top Cloudy Alibi to become Stray Withers greatest LP yet since Blink of an Eye surpasses both Weathermen & Enjoy the View as far as his EPs go. Between the Sky Swamp Orange frontman’s lyrics & Charlie’s dark production, it could also be looked at as Rogue Hollow’s continuation of making shockwaves across the underground.

Score: 4/5

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Isaac Castor – “Lost in Transit” review

New surprise LP & the 4th altogether from Detroit, Michigan emcee Isaac Castor. Coming up in 2010 under the original moniker Gameboi, he would go on drop 4 mixtapes & 3 EPs prior to signing to the local underground hip hop powerhouse Middle Finger Music following its formation 8 years later. He then enlisted the label’s co-founder Foul Mouth behind the boards for his full-length debut The Rabbit Hole as well as the sequel & the final chapter Smoking Caterpillar, switching it up by having Machacha produce Lost in Transit.

“Bullet Train” begins with this 92 second drumless intro talking about needing a credit card replacement the way this game be scamming whereas “All Love” works him some bare guitars calling out the jokers faking to be tough when they ain’t. “Poet Dog” brings in some drums to talk about being made to reach the top just before “Canadian Wildfire” ditches them once again so he can explain the reason why the clouds have gotten so gloomy.

Things take a turn towards a boom bap vibe on “Get Serious” talking about staying mysterious in part of the sheep trying to follow the herd but after “Hopeless” featuring Miz Korona soulfully addresses an individual who’s so vain that they’ll consider this to be a diss directed at them, “What’s in the Box?” featuring Jalen Frazier continues the sample-driven boom bap instrumentation making people line up for this designer drug they’ve concocted.

“Candy Flip” featuring Aztek the Barfly, Fatboi Sharif & Foul Mouth brings the quartet together for a gritty hardcore hip hop anthem where each artist drops a cutthroat verse without the need of a hook while “Americano” jazzily talks about needing sativa & coffee soon as he gets up every single morning. “1 Way Ticket” takes up the last few minutes of Lost in Transit with a boom bap outro talking about people treating him like he’s normal until they realize he writes songs.

A great deal of the projects Machacha’s produced for other artists for at least 6 months following Eye of the Beholder have either been hit or miss, but Lost in Transit in my opinion ranks amongst Isaac Castor’s greatest material outside of The Rabbit Hole trilogy. You’re always gonna get quality production from Machacha & that’s no different here, the biggest difference however is the improved performances from both the main artist AND the guests.

Score: 4/5

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Jimmie D – “Birds Fly Yonder” review

Here we have the 5th extended play from Montréal, Québec, Canada rapper Jimmie D. Coming up off the Trout & Brussels Sprouts EP a decade ago already, he would later go on to put out a full-length debut alongside a mixtape & 3 more EPs since. The sophomore effort Good Music Hypnotizes entirely produced by Nicholas Craven around this time last year has quickly become the best thing he’s made yet & he’s coming back 12 months later for Birds Fly Yonder.

“Humble Beginnings” begins with this 97 second drumless intro discussing there being nothing nice regarding the struggle whereas “All Nighter”goes for a chipmunk soul vibe to describe learning from his failures & leaving them behind. “No Love” produced by Nicholas Craven was a favorite of mine from the drumless sampling to the lyrics about falling back to progress at times “Koi” featuring Pay$o boasts that no one’s on their level.

Mike Shabb gets behind the boards for another standout track “Peter Thiel” hooking up a psychedelic beat so Jimmie can get in his bag for a minute & a half but after “Rudimentary” reunites with Pay$o & brings Raz Fresco along for a boom bap heater Nicholas Craven cooked up to kick off the 2nd leg looking back at how far each of them have come, “Corporate Prophet” strips the drums again for a lesson of mastering the slow flow & the loop having a summertime aura to it.

“Chipping Away” winds down the last act of Birds Fly Wonder incorporating a drumless gospel sample from Nicholas Craven to dismantle the type of people who like to burn bridges until he talks about hitting “Downtown B.C.” with a homie from the Philippines & a bad bitch with him. The outro “Wasted Time” runs it back with Nicholas Craven for the EP’s remaining 2 & a half minutes chopping up soul samples 1 last time demanding not to fuck around when it comes to his pay.

I fully support the idea of Craven enlisting 3 other producers to help Jimmie D make Birds Fly Yonder& despite half of it containing some of my favorite songs he’s done yet, it wouldn’t necessarily be put in the same tier as Good Music Hypnotizes when ranking Jimmie’s discography although I think the upcoming project Shabbo’s producing for him will be superior whenever the time comes. The instrumentals are more drumless except we’re still getting hints of chipmunk soul & boom bap, although Jimmie’s wordplay & guests all come correctly.

Score: 3/5

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Trap Dickey – “The Ville” review

Hartsville, South Carolina rapper Trap Dickey making his Top Dawg Entertainment & Uptown Records debut by dropping a brand new mixtape a month after signing. Carving a path for himself artistically after getting shot in the face as a result of a crossfire, his full-length debut Trap or Die would eventually arrive in the spring of 2021 & he has since spent the last several years building up anticipation for The Ville through numerous teasers. However in light his new deal, he’s ready to make a broader introduction under a major label.

“Sonny” produced by Sonny Digital was actually an impressive southern trap intro talking about him always looking up to the dealers whenever he watched gangsta movies whereas “Slidin’” mixes a guitar & some hi-hats to spit that g shit. “Jacker” brings a more energetic vibe to the table asking this woman if she’s ever fucked with a gang member until the 5th single “Don’t Trip” explains the reason a lot of rappers leave their hood is because they really don’t run the city.

As for the 7th & final single “Tell Me Why”, we have Trap Dickey confronting someone regarding the purpose of them fucking with him & the 6th single “Down South” featuring Key Glock was quite possibly my favorite of the bunch from FNZ sampling “Darkest Light” by the Lafayette Afro Rock Band to both artists calling to stop hatin’ on the wrong hitters. “Keep Going” featuring K Camp was a mediocre way to conclude the 1st half despite the messaging just before the 2nd single “No Love” featuring BigXthaPlug flips “Nothing But Love” from The 5 Heartbeats for a moderate gangsta rap cut.

“Blue Devils” featuring DaBaby on the remix trades verses with each other representing both Carolinas for the lead single while “LA Nights” samples “Island in the Sun” by Weezer to talk about spending evenings out in the west coast. The 3rd single “Gettin’ Money” featuring OJ da Juiceman has some cool strings & bells even if the “this shit gon’ stay on me like babies, please don’t pamper me” line was a bit trite while “Morning” samples “Easy” by the Commodores to provide some introspection.

YTB Fatt makes an appearance on the gospel trap crossover “Glory” referring themselves to be the big dog rookies of the year despite the fact that neither one of them are beginners while the 4th single “Day Shift” fuses a bluesy guitar & hi-hats talking about putting on for everything that’s in the streets along with no longer being a hitter due to the money that’s on his head. “New Philly” ties up the last few minutes of The Ville with a passionately drumless outro.

There are only a select few artists on the TDE roster that I would have to put in the C tier like Lance Skiiiwalker & Zacari, but you could add Trap Dickey to that same category considering that a great deal of The Ville was mediocre to me personally. Even if the guest list & production both falter at times, I can totally understand why Anthony “Top Dawg” Tiffith signed him because his whole style’s like a preacher’s grandson speaking directly to the audience.

Score: 2.5/5

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BigBabyGucci – “Asleep at the Wheel” review

Charlotte, North Carolina recording artist BigBabyGucci preluding his next LP with his 5th mixtape. Starting almost a decade ago off his debut EP ART HOE Collection, he would continue to build a name for himself by putting out 19 more EPs as well as 7 full-lengths & his last 4 tapes along the way. When U Wake Up, When You Go to Sleep, Baby 5 & the heavily alternative ANTI have all become his strongest material of the 2020s although I can’t the same for Isolation 2.5 a month after the latter. Internet Explorer was a fun redemption for himself & 5 months later, following up And When I’m Alone & Serotonin to fall Asleep at the Wheel.

“Bound” begins with him talking about smoking blunts & poppin’ bottles right when he gets up in the morning whereas “Glass Table Girls” samples “Don’t Play” by Travis Scott featuring Big Sean & The 1975 to describe the kind of women who get high every night. “Kiss & Tell” works in some synthesizers to talk about a type of love that’s on fire leading into “Still Around” confronts somebody for hanging around lames.

To finish the 1st half, “Is It a Dream?” talks about him still kicking it with thugs & still having aim even when he’s under the influence of drugs while “Alpina” gets the 2nd leg going confessing whilst drunk off tequila that the reason he has trust issues is because of all the real ones wanting to fuck with his girl. “Sonny Liston 2” comes through with a sequel to one of my favorite Universe 2 songs, refusing to give the ball back to anyone who crosses him.

“Fake Friends” wraps up Asleep at the Wheel’s final moments talking about the kind of people only come around in your life when it makes sense to them while “Chardonnay” likens himself to the Sunday paper hence why he doesn’t entertain old news & preferring lean over wine when I don’t drink either. “Prevail” spends the last couple minutes of the tape blaming him for being different as the cause of why he doesn’t fit in, admitting he isn’t doing so well.

Tha Leak was an intriguing collection of previously unreleased tracks between 2019-2022 & not only has he confirmed that there’ll eventually be a sequel, but we’ll get 2 more albums called Side Effects & 1 Long Trip by the end of the year with Asleep at the Wheel confirmed to be a prelude to either one of those. House of Mirrors & Mint Colored Stones are supposedly still coming too, conceptually taking us on a 26 minute car ride soundtracked by a producer he’s been bending genres with since 2019 already.

Score: 3.5/5

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