Big Herk – “Y’all Musta Forgot” review

Detroit, Michigan veteran Big Herk surprise-releasing a brand new EP. Known as a member of Rock Bottom, he would depart the group to form his own label Got’cha Back Entertainment following his full-length debut Guilty as Charged as well as the Still Guilty & Play Time’s Over mixtapes later on. He returned a decade after Guilty as Charged to drop his sophomore effort Overdose, coming back a dozen years later to make the streets remember who he is in case Y’all Musta Forgot.

“They Don’t Know” was a personal Detroit trap intro with a soulful hook talking about us having no idea what he’s been through in the past couple decades whereas “The Way That It Goes” produced by Helluva sticks out as my favorite track breaking down the hardships that come with the game. “Kenya” heavily samples “Brenda’s Got a Baby” by 2Pac to tell the story of a woman going by that name who ends up dead just before “Wut U Thought” featuring Devious leaves anyone who wants to fuck with them lined in chalk.

To begin the final leg of Y’all Musta Forgot, the song “Alright” chops up a soul sample to spin the block on a beautiful day staying optimistic of everything working itself out leading into J-Nutty linking with Herk on “Da Plug” fuses Detroit trap & synth-funk together so both parties can reflect on their days in the streets slangin’ dope. “Hold On” featuring Baby Herk, Knine Millie & Young Herk finishes the EP with the a family affair promising that you can live your dreams too as long as you keep it together.

Best remembered for collaborations with the likes of Slum Village to Obie Trice & Esham, the Got’cha Back Entertainment founder makes a comeback improving on the modern Detroit trap sound that Big Herk went for on Overdose compared to his older solo material & of course everything he put out during the Rock Bottom days. A noteworthy detail regarding the closer is that Herk has a collab tape coming out with his son this fall called The Bloodline, coinciding with Solo Sikoa dethroning Jacob Fatu to become the new WWE United States Champion this past weekend.

Score: 3.5/5

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FlyG – “MENNBLVCK” review

FlyG is a 40 year old MC of Nigerian descent based out of the Washington metropolitan area properly introducing himself to the underground last spring off his debut EP Soulful Journey. He just had SPCL_CHRCTRS fully produce his previous EP Serenade Symphony at the end of February, looking to enlist rising French producer Drega33 for his 3rd EP coming off RJ Payne’s most recent EP Triangle D’Or & who could forget the Lethal Weapon trilogy of EPs that Tha God Fahim has been dumpin’ to serve as a breather for his ongoing Dump Gawd: Hyperbolic Time Chamber Rap saga?

“FRNCHCNNXN” hooks up a drumless chipmunk soul instrumental referring to this moment as the final bout with no referee in sight whereas “J@DED” chops up another vocal sample talking about No Limit Records founder Master P being his favorite hustler growing up. “POWERSTONE” takes a jazzier route instrumentally to talk about kickin’ his rhymes until the final hour of his life runs out until “DIVINE ENERGY CH@RGE” talks about those running their franchises worse than Dan Snyder.

Reaching the halfway point, “RXGHTEOUS LXRD” gets back on the chipmunk soul tip keeping the party pumpin’ sans Joe Budden while “REMAIN HE@LTHY” soulfully talks about the winning streak he’s been on. “ACTIV@TED” jazzily reflects on going from looking at the stars to owning many cars after paying the cost to be the boss leading into “DOUBLE DR@GON” figuring out the price of living in tranquility. “I’m Leaving” appropriately finishes with G bouncing out after witnessing a failed attempt it getting it right.

Of the 3 EPs in the FlyG canon & a 4th one produced by SPCL_CHRCTRS called HRLM Heat coming out soon following some delays, I’m fairly confident in MENNBLVCK satisfying fans of the Lethal Weapon trilogy & Triangle D’Or who’re simultaneously looking for a new artist to broaden their musical horizons. The largely drumless sound that Drega33 became known for on the original Lethal Weapon a few months ago & that previously mentioned EP from the Reign Man carries itself over to the flyest’s direction to unleash his hunger.

Score: 4/5

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Public Enemy – “Black Sky Over the Projects: Apartment 2025” review

Long Island, New York political hip hop icons Public Enemy now consisting of frontman Chuck D alongside Flavor Flav & DJ Lord putting out their 17th LP on Bandcamp without any prior announcement. Their first 5 albums are hip hop essentials as what Chuck & company were saying on all of them are still very much relevant today. They ended up leaving Def Jam Recordings in ‘98 after releasing the He Got Game soundtrack, putting out a total of 10 full-lengths independently until returning to Def Jam posing the question What You Gonna Do When the Grid Goes Down? during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic. Radio Armageddon marked Chuck’s official Def Jam debut as a solo artist last month & is transitioning that energy onto Black Sky Over the Projects: Apartment 2025.

“Siick” produced by C-Doc comes out the gate with a consciously charged rap rock intro observing the world being stricken in hate due to the current political climate until Flav joins Chuck on “Confusion (Here Come the Drums)” trading a verse with one another to talk about being the last of a dying breed of emcees. “What Eye Said” instrumentally feels reminiscent to The Bomb Squad asking if anyone can write a verse without cursing when Method Man & No Malice are the best modern examples of that, but then Flav pops back in on “C’mon Get Down” to hit y’all that old school shit.

Meanwhile on “Evil Ways”, we have the rhyme animal himself self-producing a rap rock cut of his own preaching that even the baddest savages eventually get humbled by the averages just before “Sexegenarian” works in more heavily sampling to talk about being 65 & speaking to every 35-year old out there strugglin’ with hopes of makin’ it. “Messy Hens” marks the first of 2 solo cuts Flavor Flav lays down refusing to worry about suckas since his legacy’s far from phony, but then “Fools Fools Fools” gets Tré Cool of Green Day on live drums for Chuck to call out the frauds lying behind their likes on social media.

“Public Enemy Comin Throoooo” finds Flav rightfully rubbing the group’s legacy in everyone’s faces & Mistachuck being the mad thinker to the “swinger” mentality of his hype man & “Ageism” commendably expands on the very topic that was addressed on Radio Armageddon last month with a funky sample backing him. “The Hits Just Keep on Comin’” brings the pair together 1 last time to plead for our country to wake up in the midst of the undying revolution & “March Madness” closes with 1 more Flavor Flav solo track attacking gun violence & crooked politicians.

Turns out What You Gonna Do When the Grid Goes Down? was originally intended to be a reissue of Nothing’s Quick in the Desert hence why some of the songs on that polarizing effort were mixed with newly recording material on their Def Jam comeback nearly 5 years ago this fall & Black Sky Over the Projects: Apartment 2025 feels like a broader extension of what PE’s frontman did 5 weeks ago in the absolute best way imaginable. It’s refreshing to hear both of their core MCs over production reminiscent of their early years & the message of their existence needs to felt now more than ever.

Score: 4/5

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Nezzy – “Worm Food” review

Sandusky, Ohio emcee/producer Nezzy back with his 3rd studio LP nearly 10 months since the last one. Emerging within the underground in 2022 off his first 2 EPs Subject to Change & Pyramids, he went on to follow this up by releasing the debut album Hippie Thug in the subsequent spring & his 3rd EP New World Disorder in the fall. His sophomore effort Hall of Infamy came last summer the week following him opening for Psychopathic Records alumni Anybody Killa & DJ Clay at the co-headlined Welcome Home Party, getting another summer in effect by dropping Worm Food.

After the titular intro, the first song “Tha Boogeyman” kicks the door down with a hardcore boom bap opener promising to show you the ropes if you don’t understand it whereas “Ohio State of Mind” featuring Copywrite finds the 2 linking up to rep their home state with secondary rap rock influences. “Nezferatu” produced by Hobgoblin sticks out from the creepy boom bap instrumental to Nezzy’s bloodthirsty lyrics just before “Toyz in the Attic” recalls a time where he wanted to kill the man who sexually took advantage of his sister & with every reason in the world.

“Death of a Poet” featuring Psyonik works in a crooning soul sample from Jamil Honesty so they can make a blueprint & devise off it but after the “By Any Meanz” skit, “‘68 Grand Prix” takes it back to the basement with a siren raising boom bap beat & boastful lyricism. The instrumental on “Alakazam” sounds like it was flipped from a horror film soundtrack & drums added on to pull tricks out his sleeve while “Shark Fin Soup” unleashes stored anger with his pen over some pianos.

We have Nezzy promising that he’ll live forever through his discography & giving it “Raw ‘n’ Uncut” over a mobster-like sample until “Necron 99” after the “Huey Freeman” skit recites his soul to the microphone making better use of his days instead of being incarcerated counting down his release. “Trigger Warning” nears the final moments with another favorite of mine where he & Johnny Slash laugh off how sensitive everyone is & “Spittin’ Image” flexes his pen 1 last time.

Almost a year since the Halls of Infamy were explored, Nezzy’s distinct blend of hardcore vulgar references & deeply introspective conscious rap full of uncompromising rhyme schemes & thought-provoking choice of words gets pushed to newer heights with what he’s been calling the finest work of his career. Rightfully so too since his sword’s sharper than ever & the boom bap production feels rawer.

Score: 4/5

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Hardrock – “Slimyfella” review

In front of us is the 4th studio LP from Atlanta, Georgia recording artist Hardrock. Getting his start over 2 years ago off his debut EP Y.N.S. (Young N***a Shit), he would continue to build up anticipation by delivering 6 more EPs ahead of the commercial debut LP Next! & the breakout sophomore effort 808 Speaker Knockerz. The latter of which contains some of his best tracks to date like “H.Y.L.M.N.? (How You Like Me Now)”, “Madonna”, “New WRLD” & “Luigi Mansion”. The last album 1of1 matched the caliber of it’s predecessor & Slimyfella has finally arrived following the prelude My Gift to You immediately after signing to Victor Victor Worldwide/Republic Records.

“New Level” hops on top of a rage beat out the gate to talk about bossing up tremendously in the 14 months since we’ve last heard from him whereas “Watch Out” pulls from hypertrap once more talking about pullin’ up with them killas. “Biggest Soldier” produced by Devstacks proved to be the most reasonable choice as the sole single during the rollout to drum up anticipation hooking up these synthesizers & hi-hats to throw opps in the wild leading into “Slide” flexing about the body he just caught on camera.

Meanwhile on “Get Go”, we have Hardrock airing out the people who’ve been plotting on him from the very beginning while “Blood Sweat Tears” turns the bass up extremely high to talk about being timeless & putting his all into this music shit unlike those who ain’t making it out the hood. “They Know” shows a hypertrap influence again promising to live by the code & die by it maintaining the roll he’s been on unbeknownst to others prior to “Gimmie Dat” going for a plugg direction to talk about knowing people who want the whole loaf of bread.

“Disgusting” show off how filthy his pockets have been in the past few years with another plugg instrumental making it’s way to the fold while “Hot” ends the first half of Slimyfella working his thumbs by twisting his fingers counting his bands. “Mr. Spendalot” kicks off the 2nd leg of the LP with some peppy synthesizers talking about being the type to blow a bag until “Bloody Seats” references the late CFFC fighter Kimbo Slice who briefly fought in the UFC during the hook.

Nosaint & Toom of Vanguard Music Group help turn the rage back up in full effect during the standout “De La Cruz” smoking big blunts because he ain’t a rookie, but then “Solid” keeps it rollin’ by waking up & getting right to it. “Familia” kinda has this quirky trap edge to it declaring the squad as his real family in addition to asking for his pedigree to be checked while “Heaven (007)” hazily compares himself to James Bond.

“Koko” bombastically pushes forward boasting about his lifestyle while “No Time” with Y3rip & n9ck cloudily looks get the bags poppin’ the second he gets up. “Slime Stroll” gives regalia a shot doing what he does since he’s a boss acknowledging everyone out in the streets speaking cocky on him & “Cold Stare” caps it off with a synth-driven trap closer talking about not going anywhere without his finger on the trigger.

Catching on to him right when he started blowing up a few summers ago, it pains me to say that I found myself liking Slimyfella less than his last couple projects & it could be the most divisive offering in his discography. Although I love that he got Vanguard to oversee it & the engineering has improved greatly compared to his earlier material, it feels like it runs a little longer than it should’ve been.

Score: 3/5

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King Combs – “Never Stop” review

King Combs is a 27 year old rapper & singer/songwriter from New York notable for the being the son of disgraced Bad Boy Entertainment founder, Sean John founder, Cîroc brand ambassador, Revolt founder & music industry mogul Puff Daddy a.k.a. P. Diddy or Diddy and the late Kim Porter. His debut mixtape 90’s Baby as well as his first couple EPs Cyncerely, C3 & C3 were all released either moderately or negatively, but Ye or the Nazi formerly known as Kanye West has decided to solely produce C3’s newest EP in the midst of Diddy’s ongoing trial coming to a close.

“Lonely Roads Still Go to Sunshine” produced by Ye, The Legendary Traxster & Mario Winans was teased on Twitter way back in March & one that Ye’s ex-wife Kim Kardashian had every right being mad at over their daughter North West appearing on the bridge regardless off The Hobbit’s weird relationship with a Tesla robot now whereas “Kim” remembers his mother over a chipmunk soul instrumental.

Ye actually appears on “People Like Me” chopping up a soul sample & throwing some hi-hats over it so he & King Combs can talk about needing people like them when one of them is a self-professed Nazi, but then “Diddy Free” unsurprisingly survived the In a Perfect World sessions by making it’s way onto this EP & King Combs not doing the beat any better than the man who made it did himself.

The song “Repeat Me” heavily builds itself around a slowed down sample of “Slauson Ave” by Karri subtly saying that this is his way of doing house compared compared to what Drake went with on Honestly, Nevermind ruined by the poor pop rap lyrics while “The List” makes it even worse with the “suck a n***a cock ’til I’m cockless” line. Finally, the closing track “Souls” butchers a chipmunk soul instrumental with repetitively annoying pop rap bars.

For all the hate Nasir for being rushed, at least an off-beat Nas was a far more interesting MC on there how King Combs sounds on Never Stop. I’ll play devil’s advocate & give him credit for actually writes his own lyrics unlike his father’s storied history with ghostwriters, although him getting the same treatment as everyone involved in the 2018 Wyoming sessions feels like a downgrade when you think of Ye’s production being wasted this way.

Score: 1.5/5

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Harlem Heat – Self-Titled review

New collaborative EP from Buffalo, New York emcee & singer Elcamino alongside Stamford, Connecticut emcee Fuego Base. Both of whom have already been establishing themselves with Mino putting out an eponymous EP under Griselda Records in 2017 & of course Base garnering traction off the Say Dat trilogy. Being on Black Soprano Family Records together for a couple years at this point, they’ve decided to team up & take their duo name after WWE Hall of Famers as well as record 10-time WCW World Tag Team Champions & former RoW Tag Team Champions Harlem Heat the day after The Skyscrapers became the new MLW World Tag Team Champions.

“Promise” kicks it all off with a crooning sample boasting of not having to worry about the neighbors since they don’t even have any whereas “Hunger Games” shrugs off each & every one of the fools speculation of being in bad deals aside from a questionable Diddy line. “Free Griselda Ticket” works in a heavy piano sample to talk about being in the moving business before rap while “Luxury Dope” featuring Jay Worthy finds the trio guaranteeing the lean coming if a fiend standing straight. “Protect Me” strips the drums to get God to keep watching over them going forward & “Gave ‘Em Hope” ends by talking about holding hate not being an ideal way for them to live.

Figured we would’ve gotten a sequel to Moving Base O.T. since it came around this exact time a year ago, but Harlem Heat leaves enough of a lasting impression regarding what both parties can do together when paired. Fuego Base’s comparison of himself to current NXT commentator, 2-time WWE Hall of Famer, 6-time WWE world champion, 4-time WWE United States Champion, 14-time WWE tag team champion, 2-time WWE Hardcore Champion, RoW Tag Team Champion & TNA World Tag Team Champion Booker T is validated & the way Elcamino’s delivery compliments Fuego’s feels reminiscent of former RoW Tag Team Champion, WWE Hall of Famer, WCW World Television Champion & 10-time WCW World Tag Team Champion Stevie Ray.

Score: 3.5/5

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RMC Mike – “Like Mike” review

This is the 3rd studio LP from Flint, Michigan recording artist RMC Mike. Signing a joint deal with Rio da Yung O.G. & Peezy’s own labels M.I.N.E. Entertainment & #Boyz Entertainment alongside EMPIRE Distribution, his first couple EPs Rookie Season & Sophomore Season established himself as in the Detroit trap scene until his full-length studio debut Junior Season elevated it further. His last EP Ghetto Season was good & the sophomore effort Senior Season left me on the fence, coming off a trip to The 6 to brag that nobody can do it Like Mike.

“Devil’s Lake” opens with a Detroit trap intro with strings & bells giving his music career everything in his might whereas “Neat Freak” shows off some secondary Mobb influences to the instrumental detailing his lifestyle. “Duck Hunting” featuring 3200 Tre finds both M.I.N.E. signees teaming up to figure out what those who say they ain’t in for the money are really doing it for leading into YTB Fatt poppin’ out for the underwhelming gangsta rap collab “Drug Bust” despite the Jakesand beat.

Baby Money, Rio da Yung O.G., VonOff1700 & YN Jay all join Mike on the boastful single “Braggin’ Rights” although I can do without Von’s verse right in the middle of it just before “Chicken Box” produced by Danny G talks about not wanting to hear of the things you couldn’t have, wouldn’t have or shouldn’t have done. “Slam Cam” featuring Rio da Yung O.G. references WWE Hall of Famer, former 2-time WWE world champion, ECW World Television Champion, 6-time WWE Intercontinental Champion, 5-time WWE Tag Team Champion, 4-time & the final WWE Hardcore Champion, TNA World Champion & TNA X Division Champion Rob Van Dam while “Keep It Honest” by admitting he feels alone even if he’s not the only one in the ride.

“Brody crazy with the chopper like he autistic” makes for one of the wildest bars ever during the last 30 seconds or so of “Authentic” wanting to talk business with anyone who has a plug prior to “Music Is Never Ending” creating a brand new acronym for the 1 of the 2 labels he’s signed to. “We the Ones” brings the bells back in the equation laughing off the wankstas who ain’t ever dropped a body except “Damn Baby” as a finisher felt like a mediocre look at his preference in women who get lit.

Wouldn’t have thought that we would get Like Mike this quickly after The 6 since it’s been a couple months tops, but I still consider it to be a worthy album & probably my favorite of Mike’s. Regardless if I prefer The World Famous D-Boy’s production on the most recent EP, there are some striking similarities both projects share with the biggest one being that there are only a couple guest performances I could do without. A key difference however is Mike speaking his truth the whole time rather than taking us around The 6.

Score: 3.5/5

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Pi’erre Bourne – “Made in Paris” review

South Carolina producer, rapper, songwriter & engineer Pi’erre Bourne finally making up for the 15-month delay of his 4th studio LP. Becoming one of the most in demand beatsmiths in hip hop today off Playboi Carti’s “Magnolia”, he’s also made a name for himself on the mic by dropping 10 mixtapes as well as a couple EPs & 3 full-length albums. Grails was a short yet highly favorable collection of Pi’erre’s most anticipated solo tracks & with the 2-year anniversary of that passing a couple months back, Interscope Records has at long last allows him to recount a trip to France he made in the form of Made in Paris.

Splitting the intro “Façade” into 2 different sections, the first “Inside” wishes his uncle who did the spoken word intro was still here to see him today & the other “Alone” remembers his late grandmother along with flexing that he has more Soss than Ragu. The warm synthesizers on “Le Vôtre” make for one of my personal favorite instrumentals on the whole entire album talking about 2 hoes never feeling right with him while “Bon Appétit” takes a pop rap turn wanting his partner to eat him alive.

“J.B.H. (Just Being Honest)” featuring Young Nudy pairs the 2 over a syrupy plugg beat feelin’ like people are still doubting them as artists leading into “La Loi, C’est La Loi” trying to tell this woman how much he misses her when she doesn’t wanna hear it over an accordion. “Bleu” hooks up these organs tackling the issue of not knowing he would leave a chick heartbroken after trying to save their love while “Temps de Chasse” talks about not wanting to fuck around with his life anymore & the grass not being as greener on the other side.

The 2nd & final single “Pop” opens up regarding the kind of relationships he’s had in the past blending pop rap & trap with cloud rap while “Retraite” combines the colorfully atmospheric Good Movie outtake “Kit Kat” with an original latter half “Playground” turning up the rage. “En été” digs up these fuzzy synthesizers flexing his gains not that he’s playing his cards right while “Rapunzel” recaptures the themes of lust once again.

“J’adore” addresses his current love life referencing WWE Hall of Famer, 6-time WWE world champion, WWE Intercontinental Champion, WWE United States Champion, WWE Tag Team Champion, WWE Hardcore Champion, IWGPヘビー級チャンピオン, the inaugural 6-time TNA World Champion, TNA X Division Champion & 2-time TNA World Tag Team Champion Kurt Angle & “Toot It Up” might be my favorite song here only because of the plugg instrumental & NOT because of the Timbaland line due to his ongoing AI tomfoolery.

Reaching the final leg, “Violette” meshes these acoustics & quirky synths with one another making reference to Futurama in light of it’s upcoming 10th season on The Walt Disney Company-owned hulu later this summer until “Blocs” proved to be a fun pop rap/trap lead single talking about being on the block when he was younger. “L’amour” offers a bit of a pluggnb vibe speaking to a woman he seems completely dependent on & “Sait” promises to give his girl everything but a wedding ring.

Recharging from all the traveling & barely getting any sleep in part of making sure the visuals were presented in the best possible way he wanted, Made in Paris pushes Pi’erre back in the spotlight with the most vital album of his career & one that captures his growth more than Good Movie did. Inspired by a trip to Paris a year or 2 ago, he takes some ideas that he’s had going far back as 2019 or presently & uses them together resulting in the most consistent LP in his canon since The Life of Pi’erre 4 & The Life of Pi’erre 5.

Score: 4.5/5

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Chetta – “Mix with Poison” review

This is the 22nd EP from New Orleans, Louisiana emcee/producer Chetta. Starting out a decade ago with his debut mixtape Nino White, this was followed up with 18 EPs as well as 11 more tapes & a full-length debut, but gained significant attention off his G*59 Record$ debut Been Here Forever a couple summers back. Falling Off went on to be an equally dope prelude to the previous album Playboy, which also maintained the level of consistency as those previous projects since signing to G*59 as did Sick Bitch. $crim of the $uicideboy$ produced Sacrifice & Sabotage last spring & is back 7 months after Can’t Replace Me to release Mix with Poison.

“I Guess This is Where I’m Supposed to Apologize” was a self-produced rage intro co-produced by Dynox talking about never folding whereas “Sobe” keeps things in the hypertrap lane to discuss his old self being dead. “Fail on My Own” pulls inspiration from the Memphis scene being too high to give a fuck just before “Come Down Feel the Love” enraging airs out a how’s true intentions with him. “Flat Earth” finally closes Mix with Poison getting on his emo rap shit falling into Hell & hanging on until he feels numb.

Earlier this week, it was announced by G*59 that the first artist they ever signed Ramirez was departing to focus on starting his new label Velvet Note Records & Mix with Poison carries forward a new era for the independent southern hip hop/trap powerhouse by whipping up an EP ahead of their annual Grey Day Tour starting 6 weeks from now by writing & fully producing 5 new songs that I prefer more than Can’t Replace Me.

Score: 4/5

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