The Wu-Tang Clan are the greatest hip hop group of all-time from Staten Island, New York consisting of one of my top 10 producers the RZA, the GZA, Inspectah Deck, U-God, Ghostface Killah, Method Man, Raekwon, Masta Killa, Cappadonna, the late Ol’ Dirty Bastard & their deejay Mathematics. Originally a trio under the All in Together Now moniker, their 1993 debut Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) became an east coast hip hop landmark & their 1997 sophomore effort Wu-Tang Forever is the greatest double disc hip hop album ever. The W was significantly less polished than most of what came of that era in the Clan & Iron Flag divisively revisited old sounds. 8 Diagrams stirred more controversy due to RZA embracing a experimental, orchestral & more universal production style with A Better Tomorrow during my senior year of high school being regarded as their worst even if “Pioneer the Frontier” has always stood out to me personally. Mathematics would fully produce The Saga Continues… & is doing so again for the Wu’s 8th album preluding their upcoming farewell tour. Not even gonna waste my breath on Once Upon a Time in Shaolin.
After the “Sucker Free City” intro, the first song “Mandigo” is this boom bap opener with 4 of the 9 remaining swordsmen talking about their style taking a strong back & total breath control whereas “Roar of a Lion (The Lion’s Pit)” by RZA & U-God featuring Kool G Rap finds the trio giving middle fingers to all their enemies. “Claudine” by Ghostface Killah & Method Man featuring Nicole Bus crosses over hip hop & soul trying to fight for love while “Shaolin vs. Lama” by Inspectah Deck & Raekwon talks about holding your head.
“Executioners from Shaolin” keeps it rolling by sinisterly cautioning that nobody want smoke with them in a battle just before “Cleopatra Jones” by Masta Killa & Raekwon sees the pair breaking down the affection each of them have a woman who goes by that name. “Warriors 2, Cooley High” by Method Man featuring Benny the Butcher absolutely delivers as a big fan of both Wu-Tang & Griselda just before “Let’s Do It Again” by RZA following his role as Bobby in the A24 Films surrealist comedy drama Problemista featuring RJ Payne, Willie the Kid& 38 Spesh talks about getting stronger as life becomes more difficult.
Cappadonna, Masta Killa & U-God all link on up “Dolomite” for another hardcore boom bap track justifiably boasting that you can’t tell ‘em shit since they’ve been around longer than the 80s crack epidemic & going deep enough in the projects where no one else can go, but then the “Trouble Man” outro shows off Kameron Corvet’s skills through a brief verse. “Charleston Blue, Legend of a Fighter” by Cappadonna featuring KXNG CROOKED officially ends the album with the latter talking about fatherhood & Cappa penning an open letter to his mother while the bonus track “Sinners (Mo’ Better Blues)” by the Def Squad was a cool reunion minus Redman.
7 & a half years since The Saga Continues…, the Clan homages the blaxploitation & martial arts genres of films that shaped them 5 decades ago. I appreciate that all 9 members were able to contribute lyrically testing each other’s swords unlike U-God being the only absentee on the predecessor & some of the finest in the underground today joining them felt like a rewarding passing-of-the-torch moment. 1 final noteworthy mention has to be Mathematics displaying his growth & development as a producer with the selection of beats he’s arranged.
This is the 3rd EP from San Francisco, California rapper, songwriter & entrepreneur Berner. Beginning as a battle rapper in high school, he would go on to drop 16 LPs along with a few mixtapes & a couple EPs in addition to the plethora of collaborative projects he has with numerous artists. Hoffa was a Gotti sequel that recaptured the essence of its predecessor from a new perspective & the Cookies founder is back 5th months later to put out Carbon teasing his next studio album.
“Mid Flight” soulfully talks about everything you need if you want to get right whereas “Envy” strips the drums to discuss themes of jealousy. “Fuck ‘Em” featuring Mando works in a rock sample to give everyone the middle finger while “1,000,000 Bags Sold” featuring Ohgeesy & Yung Chowder finds the trio talking about pushing that many bags of dope. The title track goes for a dreary trap vibe embarking on an endless paper chase & “Corporate Thuggin’” featuring Chevy Woods smoothly ends with them tryna get paid.
Hoffa was the most that I personally have found myself enjoying a project from Berner in some time since his most recent output has been generally treated to mixed reception & sadly to say, Carbon feels like a step or 2 back after taking a few steps forward last fall. His verses & the production are both, but I feel like the performances from the features primarily don’t really hold up to the Bern 1 Entertainment founder’s other than both Ohgeesy & Chevy Woods.
Pretty sure this has to be the 17th studio LP from Toronto, Ontario, Canada emcee/producer Raz Fresco. I’ve been familiar with the guy since my high school years at this point whether it be some of his features or his own extensive discography including the Magneto Was Right mixtape series, the Futurewave-produced Gorgeous Polo Sportsmen album, the Nicholas Craven-produced Boulangerie album, the Cake beat tapes, the Gia…À La Carte collab EP with Estee Nack or more recently the Cookin’ Soul produced Bakin’ Soul, the Daniel Son collab effort Northside & the DJ Muggs-produced The Eternal Now. Merely 9 months later, Futurewave’s coming back for the return of the Stadium Lo Champions.
After the intro, the first song “Mind Light” is a boom bap intro with a calming vocal sample talking about everyone seeing him shine both day & night whereas “Ok Let’s Go” finds him ready to get the show going. “Tesla Tower Power” strips the drums talking about being cold-hearted since they’re Canadian while “Steve Austin” featuring Daniel Son homages the WWE Hall of Famer, former 6-time WWE Champion, 2-time WWE Intercontinental Champion, 2-time WWE United States Champion, 5-time WWE Tag Team Champion & NWA World Tag Team Champion set to appear on former WWE Women’s Champion Stephanie McMahon’s new ESPN+ reality show Stephanie’s Places next week.
“Lauren Story” tells everyone to gather around he can vividly paint the image of a woman he met a week ago named Lauren over some vibraphones leading into “Cyanide” returning to the boom bap cautioning everyone to fasten their seats & steer away living your days fast. “Earth Spin” featuring Gritfall & Sonnyjim finds the trio addressing the people who feel as if the world revolves solely around them prior to “Olympic Flame” talking about working for either Satan or God.
Moving on from there, “What’s the Word?” those for a jazzier boom bap vibe instrumentally asking what’s good with the people he’s around just before “Alpaca” featuring al.divino & Estee Nack sees all 3 of them talking about certain individuals needing to get back out their & making the money they’re owed. “Honestly” expresses his desire for the whole world over a jazz rap beat prior to “Mortal Kombat” featuring The 6th Letter referencing the Warner Bros.-owned fighting game franchise that the WB CEO David Zaslav is considering selling.
“In My Lifetime” reaches the final moments of Stadium Lo Champions in some lo-Fi boom bap shit suggesting the things Raz has seen during his life will take everyone out their right minds & ahead of the “Lo Champion” outro, the final song “Sam Never Was My Uncle” concludes the album with 1 more drumless track pretty much talking about the United States of America’s current position it’s been taking for nearly 3 months already.
This summer will mark 2 years since Raz began churning out amongst the most important material of his 15 year career, taking it further by returning with Futurewave to display the growth within their chemistry together halfway through the current decade. The latter’s production is mainly built around boom bap, drumless, jazz rap & lo-fi hip hop as we’re treated to an evolution Gorgeous Polo Sportsmen they once were to becoming Stadium Lo Champions.
Merkules is a 32 year old rapper from Surrey, British Columbia, Canada who began rhyming at age 15 under the name Merk Mikz. He later became Snak the Ripper’s hype man to get his career kickstarted over a decade ago, dropping a total of 7 albums & 3 EPs of his own since 2011 or so. Following the acquisition of Death Row Records by one of the label’s original artists & WWE Hall of Famer Snoop Dogg at the start of 2022, the very 1st artist to sign under the revived umbrella was Merkules & he’s brought C-Lance to produce a vast majority of his Death Row debut albeit his 8th studio LP.
The title track marks his introduction as a member of the untouchable Death Row with a drumless piano instrumental talking about feeling remorse after surviving a near-death experience or traumatic event when others perished whereas “Loser” takes the boom bap route instrumentally to discuss being a failure of a person. “Grew Up” was the only track that didn’t have C-Lance behind the boards & one of the only 5 skippers here, but then the acoustic-trap hybrid “Blast Off” runs from the past as if it’s erased.
“Mama Tried” keeps the downtuned guitars in the fold favoring more of a boom bap flare to the beat talking how his mother tried her best raising him leading into the g-funk influenced “Wassup” featuring NHale linking up with the son of an original from Tha Row & the late King of Hooks himself Nate Dogg refusing to fuck around since they’ve experienced the ups & downs. “Out Here” featuring Classified was a decently dusty chipmunk soul collab hustlin’ on the daily, but then “Glory to God” gets derailed by Dax’ corny ass dropping the worst guest verse on the whole thing.
Elements of rock & trap get blended once more on “Inside Out” admitting to that being exactly how he mentally feels at the moment & “On Guard” featuring Shaquille O’Neal heads for a cloudier direction so they can talk about bringing it to the doorsteps of anyone who wants beef with either of them. “Bawse” featuring Prof sees both MCs returning to the boom bap saying they the type to smack muhfuckas through the element of surprise while “Forgive Me” asks God to forgive him for all the sins he’s committed in his life up until this very moment in his career.
“Smoke To” featuring Afroman cloudily comes together for a dedication to all the stoners out there since 4/20’s coming up on Easter weekend & Day 2 of WrestleMania XLI just before “Pair of Chucks” featuring Daz Dillinger shows off the brand new kicks they copped over a predominately west coast-flavored instrumental. “Fight Music” featuring Brotha Lynch Hung & X-Raided shows the trio on the verge of being ready to throw hands while the crooning “All I Know” featuring Evil Ebenezer talks about the only thing they’re familiar of & knowing they gotta change.
Detroit veterans Kuniva & Swifty McVay of prior D12 fame both join Merkules for the boom bap-tinged “Big Bad Bullies” refusing to fake the funk while “Assholes” featuring Chris Webby talks about always keeping ammo on them & only speaking practice when they shoot. “Safety Off” embraces a rap rock vibe only needing some kush & his wife beside him while “Deserve You” shows gratitude towards his ride-or-die chick.
“R.W.T.R. (Riding with the Reaper)” featuring B-Real chops up the soul samples again talking about driving around past midnight with Death beside them while “Mirrors” featuring Ricky Hil speaks of having conversations with mere reflections of themselves. “Championship Rings” brings October London on the hook to talk about coming from the bottom & “Runnin’ Away” featuring DIZZYISDEAD finishes Merk’s debut under the untouchable Death Row on some emo rap shit.
Starting the deluxe run, “Inside My Head” acoustically airs out those in his life who’ve become envious of his success while “Twisted” featuring Jelly Roll talks being sick to their stomachs & drinking alcohol to numb it. “LowKey” featuring Twista intensely shows off their chopper abilities & Merk keeping up with the Chicago vet while the Mobb-infused “Yeah Yeah Yeah” featuring Too $hort talks about another day in the lives of real ones.
“Time” passionately shows 0 tolerance for anyone tryna bring him down while “Voices” featuring Struggle Jennings talks about hearing shit inside their heads. “Homicide” featuring Bone Thugs-n-Harmony angrily warns a murder or 2 will take place if you fuck around with them while “6:00 News” featuring Chris Webby feels as if both of them are losing their minds getting shade from artists who are now washed & past their prime.
Caskey pops out to a lay a verse during “Revenge” so they can tell everyone to get the fuck out their faces & give them the space they need while “Better Myself” featuring Rittz tackles mental health talking about improving themselves as people & everything seeming like they’re drowning in the deep end. “Not Like You” featuring Hopsin reflects on everyone who’s told them that neither artist wouldn’t be in the positions they’re in currently while “In Your Feelings” talks about never falling off.
“Woodstock ‘99” calls for everyone to go crazier than the festival that took place during the summer of 1999 & making it the best night of everyone’s lives while “Nerves” talks about him partying until it hurts as well as having blisters on his fingers because of blowing money. “Need Me Now” featuring Benny the Butcher observes those in their lives who respectively need them more than ever while “In My Sleep” featuring The Game rides around the city looking lavish.
Keeping the extra freshness going, “Hollywood Hills” lets everyone know where he can be found now that he’s signed to one of the absolute most notorious record labels in the entire music industry while “I’m Here” explains that he only fears God realistically. “Inferno” confesses to trippin’ as of late & simultaneously feeling larger than ever as an artistic while “The Title” asks what you’d expect after crossin’ a psycho like him.
“C’est la Vie” talks about the problems getting bigger as a result of the money growing & it hitting differently since he came form the bottom while “Pat Stay Forever” profoundly remembers the late battle rap standout Pat Stay. “DNA” featuring Conway the Machine talks about sleepless nights getting them to where they are in 2025 while “Do This to You” cautions of bodies dropping if you get too cocky around him.
Millyz makes the first of 2 appearances with “Nauseous” remembering when others said they wouldn’t be shit & them basically being afraid of the success coming their way while “Commas” talks about having a lot of problems & wanting to stack his paper even higher. “Cigarette” will be more enjoyable to anyone who enjoys smoking them even if I don’t since I don’t fuck with tobacco while “Still Him” talks about the hunger remaining inside himself.
“Distant” apologizes for not being as intimate as he usually is citing the reasoning for him suffering mentally & avoiding facing the fuck-ups he caused while “Middle of Nowhere” talks about being unsure as to where to go & feeling scared in the mental prison he’s inside of. “Run Away” featuring Phix contains a genuine theme of escapism even if Phix always stood out as being equally corny as Dax in my opinion that much for me personally while “Ha Ha Ha” gives a shot at trying to make more uptempo stuff.
As for “My Shoes”, we have Merkules talking about feeling unstoppable because of his Godly flow while “Ups & Downs” delves down the basement feeling worthless at rock bottom & seeing change soon as he accepted his flaws. “The West” gives even more flowers to the sunshine state shifting in favor of g-funk once more while the soulful boom bap crossover “Good Kid” looks back on not causing trouble during his childhood.
“No Favours” dismisses the notion of anyone doing him any favors since he doesn’t want to self destruct & wondering where everything went wrong in his life while “Lights Camera Action” exuberantly clarifies his success not happening overnight. “Give Me a $ign” talks about not trying to break & finding new ways of numbing his pain because there’s only being so much he can take while “10 Toes” promises to stay on top for eternity.
The longest reigning 2-time JCW World Juggalo Tag Team Champions the Insane Clown Posse showing up during the Shaggytheairhead-laced “Swish” only makes sense making way for Merk, the shortest reigning JCW World Juggalo Heavyweight Champion Shaggy 2 Dope & the JCW Commissioner Violent J to tell these bitches they only mad since their girls plays both artists’ music while “Fill My Cup” gives a nod to anyone who’s going through hard times in their lives at this current moment. “Never Come Down” featuring Millyz talks being up way too high prolifically & never imagining they’d be making goodbyes while “Switch Lanes” pokes fun at other artists who’re bitch made.
“No Hooks” talks about the Death Row logo justifiably showing everyone who’s been paying attention to him in recent memory exactly who the fuck he rolls with while “Cory & Trevor” featuring Lil Windex of all fucking people likens themselves to both characters from Trailer Park Boys on Netflix. “Momma We Made It” publicly & assures his mother he’s finally become a successful artist in a heartfelt full circle moment & the final bonus track “Ego Intervention” comes off as more of a therapy session than a diss.
My introduction to Merk personally came right when he had a verse on the Tech N9ne album ENTERFEAR a month following the start of the COVID-19 lockdowns & all 24 songs on the final version of his Death Row debut combined with 46 outtakes that were left on the cutting room floor turned out to be better than I would’ve thought. C-Lance nails it at making Survivor’s Guilt the most well-produced offering in Merkules’ discography, giving more than enough room for him & most of the guests to enhance the enjoyability.
The Lords of the Underground are a trio from Newark, New Jersey consisting of DoItAll, Mr. Funke & DJ Lord Jazz. The group’s Elektra Records-backed debut Here Come the Lords produced by Marley Marl & K-Def would become an east coast essential, with Keepers of the Funk also being positively received. Resurrection was treated to more mixed reception & their previous full-length 18 years ago House of Lords is regarded as their weakest, enlisting the Snowgoons to produce their 5th studio LP after 5 years in the making.
“Circle of Life” is a boom bap opener with a piano sample discussing the series of biological changes an organism undergoes from fertilization to death whereas “Cook ‘Em” maintains a hardcore vibe dismantling their opposition. “Every Man” ruggedly talks about their bars elevating y’all & everyone needing to learn how to navigate, but then “Another Zone” rawly finds them getting back in a lane unlike any other.
As for “Keep on Rockin’”, we have the Lords encouraging everyone to never give up over another boom bap instrumental while “Out of Body” embarks us a rugged OBE roughly lasting a good 2 & a half minutes. “Absolution” works in these organs telling everyone that only they can save themselves leading into the piano-driven “U Can Get It” talks about being everything you’re not.
“Insomniac” was the very 1st single to come out when So Legendary was initially announced at the very beginning of the decade crossing over boom bap & a hint of rap rock reminding everyone that they know exactly where the trio can be found while “What’s Up?” featuring Onyx rounds out their comeback effort to turn the aggression up 1 last time.
This past year or 2 has seen several of established O.G.s in the game returning after so many years of inactivity when it comes to putting out music & even if So Legendary marks the Lords of the Underground’s best album in over 3 decades, it still makes me happy to see these veterans redeeming themselves & adding to their longevities. The Snowgoons’ production is a lot more well-crafted than both of the Lords’ predecessors & the group themselves really took their time to making it the best return as possible.
Atlanta, Georgia recording artist Ken Carson celebrating his 25th birthday with his 4th studio LP. Breaking out in the SoundCloud scene & becoming a protege of local trailblazer Playboi Carti as one of the first artists to sign to the latter’s Opium Records, he would go on to drop a total of 5 EPs prior to his full-length debut Project X & coming off the mature sophomore effort X which Anthony Fantano infamously gave a 0. A Great Chaos came in the fall of 2023 & is looking to stir up More Chaos.
“Lord of Chaos” featuring Ty$ on the remix starts it off with a rage-inducing instrumental from Outtatown talking about being a master of disorder whereas “Xposed” maintains a hypertrap flare shouting out the 808 Mafia since some forget the fact of him starting out as a member of the prolific trap production team. “Money Spread” blends glitch hop & trap to talk about his paper getting bigger while “Root of All Evil” locks in with 16yrold to discuss his current run he’s on bringing back the rage in the process.
Moving on with “K Hole”, we have Ken over a rattling bass-heavy beat with some horns making a nod to “K Pop” off Carti’s 4th album MUSIC that finally dropped month ago just before “Trap Jump” talks about getting the trap crazier than the greatest basketball player of all-time Michael Jordan himself. The 2-parter “Blakk Rokkstar” produced by F1LTHY of Working on Dying dismisses the need for a diamond tester since his ice be blinging out leading into another 2-part song “LiveLeak” making reference to the current TNA World Tag Team Champion in his 3rd reign & the inaugural 4th Rope World Tag Team Champion Jeff Hardy of The Hardy Boyz.
“Diamonds” keeps the 2-parters going refusing to trip over hoes who don’t reciprocate his energy while “Dismantled” gives those same bitches a middle finger since he’s getting money regardless. “200 Kash” with Four3va ends the first half of More Chaos airing out a supposed Blood he saw rollin’ with a rival Atlanta gang called the 60 Crips, but then “Down2Earth” talks about vacationing in Japan with a woman he’s sleeping with & encouraging her to bring a friend.
The rage continues to be turned up to higher levels on “Confetti” upping a million times on everyone else who look at him as competition while “Naked” talks about a wack relationship he found himself involved in & preferring to be solo since it’s that stale. “Kryptonite” displays a raunchier side to Ken feeling he & his girl the only 2 people in the world when they link up while “Psycho” opens up about him being as crazy as he is.
“Inferno” reunites with F1LTHY to stay true to himself & not fucking with too many people other than his Opium family while “Thx” confesses his fear of having his heart broken. “2000” represents the year he was came in this world on his 25th born day while “Evolution” talks about the overall growth in Ken since he began making music. Pi’erre Bourne saves another standout beat for last on the uncannily dark “Ghoul” homaging my 2nd favorite basketball player of all-time Kobe Bryant when he hits a buck while “Off the Meter” featuring Destroy Lonely & Playboi Carti serves as an Opium posse cut referencing WWE Hall of Famer, former 6-time WWE Champion, 2-time WWE Intercontinental Champion, 2-time WWE United States Champion, 5-time WWE Tag Team Champion & NWA World Tag Team Champion Stone Cold Steve Austin.
Originally said to come out last Halloween & unsurprisingly being delayed 6 months later since that’s how the whole Opium roster has been moving when you really think about it in the grand scheme of things, More Chaos carries over the ethos of it’s year & a half old predecessor. The prominent rage production showcasing additional influences of pop rap, hardcore hip hop, Chicago drill, digicore, industrial hip hop & experimental hip hop feels as if it’s a cut above the previous installment & Ken holds off from having any guests to hold the fort down on the day of his Silver Jubilee.
Messa is a doom metal band from Cittadella, Veneto, Italy consisting of guitarist/bassist Marco Zanin, drummer Rocco Toaldo, guitarist Alberto Piccolo aka Little Albert & frontwoman Sara Bianchin. Their debut album Belfry as well as the sophomore effort Feast for Water & Close have become amongst the highest quality traditional doom metal of the past decade with influences of heavy psych thrown in. Metal Blade Records has signed them for their 4th studio LP & one I was highly anticipating.
“Void Meridian” is this heavy psych/doom metal intro asking how far can 1 go whereas “At Races” blends goth rock, psychedelic rock, post-metal & doom metal to sing about being cursed & running. “Fire on the Roof” shows a bit of an industrial metal influence I wasn’t quite expecting admittedly spiraling backwards where Sara feels like she belongs while “Immolation” takes a shot at piano rock with a heavy psych twist asking to be sacrificed or immolated.
We have “The Dress” bringing together doom metal, dark jazz, jazz fusion & heavy psych singing about all Sara’s monsters that’re ready to be fed coming over to feast on her heart with no exception in addition to not even looking at herself at this point anymore while “Reveal” begins with a bluesy guitar until getting heavier & darker in terms of general sound. Last but not least, the closing track “Thicker Blood” finishes up the album with a cinematic 9-minute doom metal epic.
Making another step towards legendary status, Messa invites the metal world on a breathtaking journey across the wide open skies of their creative imagination over a beautiful landscape of moods, twists & styles during the course of their Metal Blade debut. From a basis in the band’s eclectic sound they they call scarlet doom, The Spin rises, falls, broods, bites, comforts & destroys while resounding with both instinctive, compulsive magic & obsessive, concerted hard work.
Bon Iver is an indie folk band from Eau Claire, Wisconsin consisting of drummer/keyboardist Sean Carey, drummer Matthew McCaughan, guitarist/keyboardist Andrew Fitzpatrick, bassist/saxophonist Mike Lewis, guitarist/keyboardist Jenn Wasner & frontman Justin Vernon. Their first 2 albums For Emma, Forever Ago & Bon Iver, Bon Iver are widely regarded by many to be their most essential offerings although that’s not to say 22, a Million & i,i didn’t have their own highlights. 6 years later, they’re back for their 5th studio LP.
After the “…” intro, the first song “THINGS BEHIND THINGS BEHIND THINGS” acoustically starts the EP off singing about being caught compiling his own news expressing his fear of changing while “S P E Y S I D E” fuses indie & chamber folk with singer/songwriter taking a more autobiographical approach with the lyrics. “AWARDS SEASON” goes for a more minimal folk sound so Justin can sing about taking stock of a major & wrenching change whereas “Short Story” suggests you’ll never be complete since life heals & repeats.
“Everything is Peaceful Love” peppily sings about all feeling right inside of him regardless of the self-awareness surrounding his current relationship possibly falling apart at any time leading into “Walk Home” suggests his partner to show her burdens because he’s certain she was made for him. “Day 1” featuring Dijon & Flock of Dimes unites the trio asking if they can have a rewind only once just before “From” singing for his lover not to let shit trouble her mind & take the affection he has for her at her own pace.
Meanwhile on “I’ll Be There”, we have Justin promising to keep this fire inside him “even if it takes all goddamn night” while “If Only I Could Wait” featuring Danielle Haim serves as a duet about taking the pain for what’s already at stake. Prior to the “Au Revoir” instrumental outro, the final song “There’s a Rhythmn” finishes Bon Iver’s first full-length in 6 years talking about seeing a woman in Spain he genuinely considers a babe & how she treats him as good the way she does.
SABLE, feels more like a prologue detailing a controlled burn clearing the way for new possibilities & fABLE is the book counterpart portraying stories of introduction & celebration that includes a fresh growth blanketing the charred ground. Pretty much what I’m saying is that Disc 1 was a work of solitude& Disc 2 is an outstretched hand. The production is prominently based around indie folk & singer/songwriter with additional elements of chamber folk, folk pop & art pop originally emerging from a long-gestating breakdown.
Gerald Clayton is a 41 year old pianist from Los Angeles, California notable for being the son of John Clayton & the nephew of Jeff Clayton from The Clayton Brothers. Introducing himself in 2009 off his full-length debut 2-Shade followed by the sophomore effort Bond as well as a Life Form & Tributary Tales, latter of which caught the attention of Blue Note Records & Gerald made his debut for them in 2023 with Bells on Sand. Continuing to evolve under the greatest jazz label of all-time, the Out Of/Into member’s returning for his 6th full-length LP.
“Angels Speak” combines post-bop, chamber music & neo-soul for a lead single with Elena Pinderhughes playing the flute alongside Joel Ross on the vibraphone & Kendrick Scott on drums whereas “Cinnamon Sugar” moves forward with a heavier lenience towards Latin jazz reminiscent of the late Kenny Dorham’s 3rd album & Blue Note debut Afro-Cuban.
Moving on from there, “Sacrifice Culture” embraces a nu jazz vibe remembering Jon Hassell prior to “How Much Love?” heavily leaning towards Elena’s flautist abilities. The buoyantly angular “Count M” pulls from hip hop culture a little blending a flute & a piano with Marquis Hill playing the trumpet for 2 & a half minutes leading into “Just Above” homaging the late Eric Dolphy’s sole Blue Note offering Out to Lunch! a couple months following his death in 1964.
“Lovingly” finishes the first half of 1s & 2s combining a flute & vibraphones for a 4 minute composition while “Rush” begins the 2nd act by giving percussionist Kassa Overall a few moments to shine throwing it back to Herbie Hancock’s jazz fusion masterpiece Head Hunters. “For Peace” evenly balances elements of nu jazz & electric jazz while the usage of a vocal choir during the backend of “More Always” felt like a refreshing idea to me.
The closer “Space Seas” takes us through a 2 & a half minute exhibition of Kassa’s percussionist skills getting more rhythmic than “Rush” was earlier while “Glass Half Warm” starts the deluxe run shifting the spotlight towards the flute, piano & vibraphones. The final bonus track “Glass Half Cool” feels like a continuation of sorts to “Glass Half Warm”, justifying the album’s key themes of harmonious tension & the idea of coexistence extending out to human relationships & cultures than simply music.
Heavily inspired by the art of turntablism, Gerald Clayton set out to create a musical statement consisting of 7 songs each symbolizing the opposing sides of yin & yang where the A side can be played simultaneously with the B side. The end resulting him ditching the post-bop vibes of Bells on Sand in favor of a jazz fusion/nu jazz sound, joining the likes of Robert Glasper’s whole Black Radio trilogy & the Madlib collection of remixes that got me into Blue Note as a teenager Shades of Blue in bridging jazz music & hip hop culture.
Atlanta, Georgia rapper RRoxket returning with his 3rd mixtape. Emerging in 2022 off his debut EP Rixhie Rixh & the full-length debut album R.I.P. RRoxket, he would go on to drop 3 more EPs Happy Birthday RRoxket as well as RRoxket Valentine and Red M&M ahead of his debut tape Red Ranger that was preluded by his last EP High School Flunky. He put out a fun self-titled efforton Black Friday after officially signing to Sony Music & is returning to the essence of Rixhie Rixh.
“Bad Company” is this plugg-influenced intro referencing Super Bowl LVI champion & current NFL free agent prospect Odell Beckham Jr. whereas “Deuce” goes for a quirkier trap vibe instrumentally assuring everything will be ok the second he wakes up. “Oxycodone” gets back on the plugg tip so he can talk about his addiction to the previously mentioned opioid leading into “Accept” finding him being unable to get this woman off his mind.
Moving on from there, “Kids” shows affection towards both of his daughters & tackles fatherhood in general just before “Balenciaga Fabric” talks about going from the streets to business maintaining a plugg flare to the beat from Hariroc. “Beautiful Dancer” sees him hittin’ up an amigo of his buying whatever he be importin’, but then “RR Shit” goes full-blown rage likening himself to a rockstar since he inked the Sony deal
“Wake Up” goes for a cloudier direction talking about rollin’ another blunt up the second he gets out of bed in the morning while “Sergeant Dip” blends the plugg aesthetics with gangsta rap lyrics. “Never Shook” featuring Lil Tony atmospherically discusses refusing to back down while the pluggy “Field Trip” talks about being willing to bet someone snitched. “Codeine, Percocets, Marijuana” finishes with a single revolving around those 3 substances.
It’s already been 3 years since this guy introduced himself off the original Rixhie Rixh & he takes it up a few levels on the sequel, showing his growth as an artist in that quick span of time. A lot of the same sounds that were all over self-titled like plugg, cloud rap & dark plugg make their way on here except the experimental hip hop undertones get swapped out in favor of rage & the energy of it’s predecessor gets recaptured from a new perspective.
Legends Will Never Die 