Rim – “Corner Disciple” review

Brooklyn, New York emcee Rim teaming up with Vanderslice for his 6th LP. Notable for being 1/2 of Da Villins, he also embarked on a solo career in 2018 with his debut EP Ugandan Lunch Meat along with the debut album Dead on Arrival & the sophomore effort KeeP! It Ville. Couple more EPs Algorhythms & Poetic Substance preluded Phresh Waves, which was followed by 2 more EPs; M!nd State produced by Finn & later Verse Ability. Both installments of Rimbrandt were ok & $5 Holla was a little better, although Corner Disciple had more potential to be his best.

“Da Corner” intro by BRNGTN kinda has this drumless reggae flip that sticks out calling himself a drug game participant whereas “If It’s Hot” featuring Maffew Ragazino & Planet Asia gives off a jazzier boom bap edge kicking the bitch-made out since they were never needed & out of both guest verses, Asia’s stood out to me the most. “Stick to the Plan” works in these pianos taking jabs at those always complaining about something leading into “Daily Crimes” featuring Illa Ghee ominously walking the ghetto forest speaking orders.

We have Rim over this mobster-style beat on “Night Drives” talking about taking his whip out for a spin during the evenings while “Him Did It” ruggedly cautioning to check the signs before striking. “Hazul Story” returns to the boom bap showing off his storytelling abilities prior to “Bodega Apostles” featuring Aye Wun & Spit Gemz bringing the trio together discussing their prophets statuses in the street corners. “1 Day” breaks down the possible experiences one could have while “Faction of Action” featuring Lørd Skø & Rock ends with all 3 of them warning not to slip.

Only a little over 2 months since Stuyville put out their sophomore effort albeit 3rd body of work together overall Welcome to Stuyville produced by Camoflauge Monk & 38 Spesh to high acclaim amongst underground heads, the Pennsylvania veteran gets with the Brownsville lyricist for his most essential body of work. Rim’s songwriting is top notch & Vansleazy’s gritty yet well polished production only elevates it.

Score: 4.5/5

Keep up with @legendswill_never_die on Instagram & @LegendsllLiveOn on Twitter for the best music reviews weekly!

Bishop Nehru – “Now or Never” review

This is the self-produced 4th studio LP from New York emcee/producer Bishop Nehru. Starting out dropping a couple beat tapes before emerging in the underground off the solid debut mixtape Nehruvia, he profile would only begin to increase in 2014 by signing to Mass Appeal Records & form the duo NehruvianDOOM alongside the late MF DOOM & putting out an overlooked self-titled effort together that same fall. Bishy would leave Mass Appeal a couple years later to drop 2 full-lengths Elevators & My Disregarded Thoughts on his own, both of which I look at as some of the best shit he’s ever done. He would also drop 7 EPs & 5 more mixtapes, the most recent of the 2 being Kult Life: From Pain to Paintings. He found Solace in Shadows in November & has returned 4 months later with Now or Never.

The synth-driven trap instrumental on “Back Around” caught me off guard at first although I quickly came appreciate the subject matter of him still having his piece of mind & warning to stay if you go against the grain whereas “Cash Rules” significantly experiments with sample drill chopping up “C.R.E.A.M. (Cash Rules Everything Around Me)” by the almighty Wu-Tang Clan referencing 2-time WWE Hall of Famer, former 5-time WWE world champion, 11-time WWE tag team champion, WWE Intercontinental Champion & TNA World Tag Team Champion Kevin Nash.

“Chocolate Pain” flips the viral Tay Zonday hit “Chocolate Rain” laughing at those who thought he’d fall off while “Couldn’t Get By” samples “Wouldn’t Get Far” by The Game featuring & produced by Ye formerly known as Kanye West to talk about trying to get what’s his. “Face Down” offers more of a quirky trap vibe promising you’ll be ignored if you keep fucking with him just before “Figured It Out” hooks up some 808s talking about finding peace.

Moving on from there, “Front!” brings the sample drill influences back sampling the iconic Pharrell single “Frontin’” featuring JAY-Z so he can keep it blood with a chick who wants to front on him leading into “Glory” talking about trying to become highly renown. “Henny Black” feels more rage-inducing discussing his life being what he imagined it being & “How Many?” was a great Valentine’s Day theme trap single.

“Nothing to Lose” switches it up with what I consider to be a little bit of a summertime ode with it’s sample heavy sound sticking to the script while “OOTC” focuses on trying to make more paper & get his mind right simultaneously. “Stuck in the Dark” closes Now or Never with a cloudy trap beat talking about everyone not imagining that he would take it as far as he has & him continuing to raise the bar through versatility.

Bishy Chulo has always stood out for his range & if you think you’re gonna get the same boom bap production that was primarily on Solace in Shadows, you might be disappointed. He gives sample drill a shot giving respect to songs I grew up listening to since we’re the same age, prominently keeping it in trap territory with hints of both cloud rap & rage to significantly lesser extents.

Score: 3.5/5

Keep up with @legendswill_never_die on Instagram & @LegendsllLiveOn on Twitter for the best music reviews weekly!

Che Noir – “Seeds of Babylon” review

Buffalo emcee/producer Che Noir recruiting Superior for her 8th EP. Discovering her after 38 Spesh signed Che to TCF Music Group & fully produced her first 3 EPs, her Apollo Brown-produced full-length debut As God Intended & then her self-produced 4th EP After 12 during the 2nd half of 2020 was where her potential began to blossom exponentially. She has since followed this up with the sophomore effort Food for Thought as well as The Last Remnants, the Big Ghost Ltd.-produced Noir or Never, The Color Chocolate & more recently The Lotus Child. It’s been only 5 months since the latter, the Seeds of Babylon have now been planted.

After the intro, the first song “Revelation” soulfully kicks it all off talking about getting a crown after trying to save this rap shit whereas “Bow & Arrow” kinda has a funkier vibe to the beat treating the money as if it’s a fish on a pole. “Sovereignty” goes drumless staying on the grind refusing to go for a day off & after the interlude, “Jynx’s Dream” is really a Jynx716 solo cut giving him a couple minutes to shine by himself.

“Ivory” works in some bongos to reflect on the days when she was surviving in the jungle while “Midnight” featuring ICECOLDBISHOP finds the pair talking about seeing rookies become masters outta special ed. The final song “Destiny Rose” prior to the outro strips the drums once again in favor of these bare strings expressing the joy that she gets out of motherhood being unlike anything else.

When discussing the EPs in Che’s discography, Seeds in Babylon has to be my favorite of her’s since Noir or Never couple years ago & I even enjoyed it as much as The Lotus Child this past fall. Superior keeps pushing himself as one of the German hip hop scene’s most in-demand producers currently & his sound combined with the Buffalo standout’s conscious lyricism makes her first offering of the year more than salvageable to any longtime fan of either of them.

Score: 4.5/5

Keep up with @legendswill_never_die on Instagram & @LegendsllLiveOn on Twitter for the best music reviews weekly!

Tierre Diaz – “Maniflex” review

Worcester, Massachusetts emcee & actor Tierre Diaz returning 6 years after his full-length debut studio album Energy by making the sophomore effort his Armed Robbery Entertainment debut. Ever since performing the Clown Drip Stage at the 21st annual Gathering of the Juggalos which is the only Gathering that I’ve ever been to in my lifetime, he’s been seeing the biggest successes of his career whether it be DJ Clay signing him to A•R or forming the B.A.R.S. supergroup over 12 months ago exactly. He performed at this year’s Juggalo Weekend, so it makes sense to drop Maniflex a month later.

“The Wave” begins with a cloudy trap instrumental talking about everyone else being in a whole different lane compared to him whereas the title track keeps it atmospheric so he can shine as if he never even left. “Prime” goes for a guitar-driven trap direction keeping focused & never noticing others leading into “B.O.T.H. (Blood On The Hood)” showing a bit of a Memphis influence getting violent.

As for “Shiny”, going for a cloudier trap vibe once again telling everyone to quit acting as if they’re blind to the success he’s been seeing these past several years just before “Let’s Live” hooks up these prominent horns trying to go to places he ain’t ever been. “Bad Meets Killa” featuring Royce da 5’9” & produced by Johnny Slash returning to the boom bap to lay out hardcore lyricism, but then “Fantastic” featuring Ant G aptly explains how they’ve been.

The Insane Clown Posse joins Tierre for “Trending Topics” that Shaggytheairhead laced poking fun at everyone who be following trends while “Michael Myers Jordan Jackson” after the “MMJJ” interlude talks about being a mix of the Halloween antagonist, the greatest basketball player of all-time & the king of pop. “How Can I Sleep?” featuring King Gordy & Zitro ominously gets the trio in their wicked shit bags while “So It Is (RAPfirmations)” talks about being the person he always wanted to become.

“Delight” featuring Romey Sklar fuses trap & pop rap displaying a sensual side to both of them while “Girlfriend” embraces a rap rock sound talking about a woman who wants to date him. “urself” encourages everyone to be their true selves since ain’t nobody gonna come close to being you while “Time” continues the cloudiness talking every day being anew & hitting snooze.

The song “What’s Next for Me” aggressively nears the end of Tierre’s long-awaited Armed Robbery debut maintaining the fusion of hip hop & rock courtesy of Zug Izland guitarist Mike P. confessing that he’s unsure of whatever God has planned for him continuing to take the road he’s been going nonetheless & “Last Breath” is this gloomy trap outro talking about not wanting to have any regrets when his time to go comes.

In the 6 years since Energy, the Worcester artist/actor has had quite a few realized goals or dreams of his becoming manifested all in this era of his career & Maniflex attests to his growth since he first started making music. The production shows influences of boom bap, trap, rap rock & horrorcore with some of his biggest influences joining him on the mic spreading a message that has changed Tierre for the better & could change yours too.

Score: 4/5

Keep up with @legendswill_never_die on Instagram & @LegendsllLiveOn on Twitter for the best music reviews weekly!

Seth Narley – “The American Dream: Son of a Dealer” review

This is the 8th EP from South Bronx, New York emcee Seth Narley. Dropping his debut EP 5am on Crosby in 2019, he would later follow it up by putting out the Trissland trilogy & drop 3 more EPs last year; Night at the Roxy, A Millbrook Story & S.A.L.Y. (Still Ain’t Lie Yet). Both the artwork & the name for The American Dream: Son of a Dealer caught my attention since it homages former 3-time NWA World’s Heavyweight Champion, NWA National Heavyweight Champion, WWE Hall of Famer, WWE United States Champion, 2-time WCW World Tag Team Champion & 3-time WCW World Television Champion Dusty Rhodes.

“Club Eugene” after the “American Dream” intro is a drumless opener to talk about usually making fast money on a slow day while “Pelle Pelle Princess” works in a heavy piano instrumental asking who this dude get his style from since he clearly stole it. “Jolly Mo (High)” featuring S.W.A.N. finds the pair coming up short & getting a quarter for trying prior to “Dusty (Family)” finishing the EP properly by talking about recently being advised to keep it within the bloodline & chillin’ at the courtyard of the Marriott resort.

A little over a decade in the game & the former A$AP Mob affiliate known for his style being a mixture of former Bad Boy Entertainment artist & current It Is What It Is co-host Ma$e meeting Ye formerly known as Kanye West with wordplay inspired by the late Stack Bundles cooks up my favorite EP of his ever telling us what it was like for him being the Son of a Dealer homaging the late father of the current WWE Champion Cody Rhodes who’s also an 8-time WWE tag team champion, 2-time WWE Intercontinental Champion, the inaugural & record-tying 3-time AEW TNT Champion, NWA World’s Heavyweight Champion, IWGP USヘビー級チャンピオン ROH World Champion & ROH World 6-Man Tag Team Champion.

Score: 4/5

Keep up with @legendswill_never_die on Instagram & @LegendsllLiveOn on Twitter for the best music reviews weekly!

Grounds – “Walking into Tragedy” review

Grounds is a singer/songwriter & multi-genre producer from Farmington, Missouri most well known for leading the alternative rock band It Comes in Waves. Finding his calling quickly during his adolescence, he was invited to front multiple local bands & even formed a hip hop duo which would go on to release 2 full-lengths. He eventually signed to Dirtcore Music last summer, which marked a pivotal moment in the label’s expansion into rock & metal music. Couple singles later, he’s putting out an EP of his own & is setting out to show Dirtcore’s versatility.

“Down in the Fire” is a nu-metal opener produced with Dirtcore founder Crossworm that really gives you a taste of what’s to come from the rest of the EP singing about not feeling alive whereas “Broken” continues the heavy instrumentation explaining that no one knows the Hell he’s been through. “Fractured” goes for an alt-rock vibe that I really enjoy unable to tell if it’s love or regret just before “The Little Things” passionately sings about no longer being afraid of what he’ll lose for speaking his truth. “Make Sure You Hurt” featuring Samson Samson ends the EP vengefully assuring those who cross them will be sorry.

Dirtcore Music is primarily known for their acts being within the underground hip hop realms other than Crossworm’s last album ANTI & Walking into Tragedy feels a lot like Zug Izland releasing their debut album Cracked Tiles under Psychopathic Records or Makenzie Nicole’s sophomore effort Mystic under Strange Music & the Dropout Kings’ sophomore effort Riot Music under Suburban Noize Records being a more recent example. What I’m saying is: Dirtcore lets the It Comes in Waves frontman drop a 5-track EP that I can see appeal to fans of LINKIN PARK, 3 Days Grace, 30 Seconds to Mars & Bullet for My Valentine.

Score: 4/5

Keep up with @legendswill_never_die on Instagram & @LegendsllLiveOn on Twitter for the best music reviews weekly!

Selena Gomez – “I Said I Love You First…& You Said It Back” review

Selena Gomez is a 32 year old actress, singer/songwriter, producer & businesswoman from Grand Prairie, Texas notable for emerging as Alex Russo on The Walt Disney Company owned Disney Channel sitcom Wizards of Waverly Place & & later the A24 Films crime satire Spring Breakers. She even put out 3 full-lengths Kiss & Tell, A Year Without Rain & When the Sun Goes Down under Hollywood Records with her band The Sceneuntil fulfilling her contract in the form of her solo debut Stars Dance & signing to Interscope Records thereafter. Revival & Rare were as decent as everything else she’s done, except her 4th LP produced by her fiancé benny blanco got my best interest even if people are more upset with Selena for crying on camera because of people being deported instead of Ye formerly known as Kanye West fresh off leaking his own album BULLY openly calling himself a Nazi.

After the titular intro, the first song “Younger & Hotter Than Me” produced with FINNEAS details self-hatred for thinking an ex of her’s was different & wishing she never loved him after moving on to someone younger & prettier whereas “Call Me When You Break Up” featuring Gracie Abrams co-produced by Cashmere Cat & Dylan Brady blends pop rock, dance-pop, synthpop & indie pop offering support to a friend after a breakup. Ojos Tristes” featuring The Marías samples “El Muchacho de los Ojos Tristes” by Jeannette for a Latin pop duet describing a boy with sad eyes finally finding a reason, but then “Don’t Wanna Cry” sings about finding another hand to hold.

“Sunset Blvd” was my favorite single fusing synthpop, bedroom pop, alt-pop, chillsynth & hypnagogic pop recalling her first date with benny just before “Cowboy” featuring Glorilla on the remix gets a little raunchier topically revolving around the themes of intercourse. “Bluest Flame” written with Charli XCX suggests a contrast or an overcoming of a set standard by evoking an intense & powerful feeling wanting to go insane all night leading into “How Does it Feel to Be Forgotten?” expresses hope that one will get to heal 1 day & asking what it’s like having her forget the individual that she has in mind.

After the “Do You Wanna Be Perfect?” interlude, “You Said You Were Sorry” opens up about a dream she had where someone finally apologized to her & them forgiving each other while “I Can’t Get Enough” dabbles with moombahton except it feels more like a J Balvin song. “Don’t Take It Personally” addresses a friend of benny’s that he used to talk to every day & things not being the same since she came around while “Scared of Loving You” is a folk pop, singer/songwriter & indie folk outro telling her fiancé that she’s afraid of losing him.

“That’s When I’ll Care” starts the deluxe run with a Rare outtake indifferently responding to those who’re so consumed about her personal life while “Talk” interpolates “Never There” by Cake yearning to have benny’s arms around her. “Stained” is another leftover from the Rare sessions singing about the damage Selena’s exes have inflicted upon her & the final bonus track “Guess You Could Say I’m in Love” featuring Greg Gonzalez puts their feet down regarding the pain that comes with love.

Growing up watching Selena Gomez on Wizards of Waverly Place during my adolescence, I could never get into really any of The Scene’s output or her last 3 solo efforts since it simply wasn’t for me personally. I Said I Love You First…& You Said It Back however went above & beyond my expectations for it beginning her impending hiatus from making music to focus more on her acting career by chronicling her & benny’s love story from around the time they first met to,l falling in love & looking to what the future holds showing influences of pop rock, dance-pop, synthpop, indie pop, bedroom pop, alt-pop, chillsynth, hypnagogic pop, moombahton, folk pop, singer/songwriter & indie folk.

Score: 4/5

Keep up with @legendswill_never_die on Instagram & @LegendsllLiveOn on Twitter for the best music reviews weekly!

Dutch Interior – “Moneyball” review

Dutch Interior is an indie rock band from Long Beach, California consisting of guitarist/vocalist Jack Nugent, guitarist/vocalist Conner Reeves, keyboardist/vocalist Shane Barton, drummer Hayden Barton, bassist/vocalist Davis Stewart & guitarist/vocalist Noah Kurtz. Their 2021 debut EP Kindergarten would prelude their full-length debut Blinded by Fame, the latter of which would become their most acclaimed project thus far & resulted in Fat Possum Records signing them earlier this winter. To coincide with spring, they’re making their debut for the label by putting out their sophomore effort.

“Canada” is this indie rock opener singing about seeing 2 sparrows flirting by the lake whereas “Sandcastle Molds” goes for more of an alt-country vibe dealing with holding on to your sense of self as the world descends into madness at a nauseating pace. “Wood Knot” keeps the alt-country influences going disregarding the idea of being a leaf when he’s a natural irregularity, but then “Science Fiction” sings about something shifted in his shape over acoustics & an organ.

The acknowledgement of self-awareness on “Sweet Time” of the world moving fast day by day is made clearly with it’s traditional country tone while “Life (So Crazy)” goes indie rock again singing that he misses the days when the moments were still until the weight came. “4th Street” embraces an Americana direction keeping their secrets close to the ground & the country-driven “Horse” dreams of living in the countryside. “Christ on the Mast” feels more alt-country feeling Hell bent & “Beekeeping” finishes their Fat Possum debut with a reflection on personal flaws.

These guys’ disparate influences all converge on here shapeshifting oscillates between sharply hewn indie rock as well as alt-country along with hints of dissonant ambience & Americana, all while still sounding like a band who both speak their own private language & translate it into something universal. They take the observation of us existing in a tradition of American music & take that to places that are personal to them finds its way in terms of songwriting through its own humorous twists & turns, an undercurrent of omnipresent & steadfast declarations of love.

Score: 4.5/5

Keep up with @legendswill_never_die on Instagram & @LegendsllLiveOn on Twitter for the best music reviews weekly!

Tha God Fahim – “Dump Gawd: Hyperbolic Time Chamber Rap 5” review

This is the 51st EP from Atlanta, Georgia emcee/producer Tha God Fahim. Starting as an affiliate of Griselda Records as well as being 1/3 of the Dump Gawds alongside Mach-Hommy & Your Old Droog, we also can’t ignore the massive discography that he’s managed to build for himself, some of the standouts include Breaking Through tha Van Allen Belts & Dump Assassins. That said: He’s been on a CRAZY ass run in 2023 with the standouts being the Camoflauge Monk-produced Dark Shogunn Assassin, the Nature Sounds-backed Iron Bull, the Nicholas Craven-produced Dump Gawd: Shot Clock King series, the Oh No-produced Berserko, Dump Gawd: Rhyme Pays produced by Mike Shabb, Tha Supreme Hoarder of All Pristine Wealth. Supreme Dump Legend: Soul Cook Saga produced by Cookin’ Soul & Machine Gun Vocabulary produced by Cartune Beatz. Continuing the Dump Gawd: Hyperbolic Time Chamber Rap saga that later had a 2nd & 3rd installment, he’s returning 2 months after the predecessor for Dump Gawd: Hyperbolic Time Chamber Rap 5.

“Crimes Against Humanity” references the current UFC Middleweight Champion Dricus du Plessis of the Endeavor-owned TKO Group Holdings division over a spacious boom bap instrumental to get us started whereas “Hakai” soulfully talks about him meeting the requirements to become a titan. “Mass Gainer” keeps the chipmunk soul vibes going unable to put it any plainer than him continuing to gain mass while “Mirko” talks about so many people nowadays hiding their foul smells.

To kick off the other half, “Radioactive” keeps chopping up the soul samples always knowing that he was fortune’s favorite leading into “Remote Location” maintaining a chipmunk soul edge talking about how you can’t come back once you cross the line with him. “SSDG” makes a reference to WWE Hall of Famer, former WWE Champion & 2-time WWE Intercontinental Champion The Ultimate Warrior prior to “Wayne Towers” ending with a drumless closer dumpin’ like it’s a meteor shower.

These past 10 weeks staying locked in was really what Fahim needed after dropping the previous entries in the series all within the end of 2024 other than the 4th one coming out a little after a week into 2025 & I’m genuinely not trying to sound like a broken record here, but Dump Gawd: Hyperbolic Time Chamber Rap 5 could be the new best in the saga. Nicholas Craven’s brings an influx of samples to the table & the Dump Gawd goes fully automatic on the mic.

Score: 4.5/5

Keep up with @legendswill_never_die on Instagram & @LegendsllLiveOn on Twitter for the best music reviews weekly!

Sk8star – “Rebelution” review

This is the 6th EP from Atlanta, Georgia recording artist Sk8star. Getting his footing in the spring of 2021 off Superstar Status, he would go on to follow it up last year with both the B4NWØ EP & his debut mixtape New World Ørder respectively. The latter being my introduction to Sk8’s music after my lil brody UnreleasedSnip put me on, with songs like “Standin’ on Business” & “YSL Flow” being the standouts for me personally. Following his 3rd EP Mogul along with rebel at the beginning of 2023 & whole new meaning that same spring, Sk8 addressed the Rebel in the Room & the time has now come for a Rebelution.

“Backbone” starts off with a cool trap intro talking about everyone out here being scared simply because they’re losers whereas “On God” talks about people unable to ball with him if you can’t take no charge. “walk down” cloudily boasts that nobody can fuck with a vet like him with the help of Richie Souf until the plugg standout “sex” featuring Diorvsyou & Southsidesilhouette produced by Pi’erre Bourne elevates all 3 of them. “Fuck on a Fan” ends the EP talking about being in the trap & that muhfuckas jumping.

Even if Ye formerly known as Kanye West’s behavior in the past 5 weeks has been absolutely pissing me off, I’m not too surprised regarding him co-signing “sex” yesterday & I myself find to be an exciting moment as somebody who’s been following all 3 artists on there since 2022. As far as the rest of the EP, it’s a good way to prelude his upcoming full-length debut album Designer Junkie.

Score: 3.5/5

Keep up with @legendswill_never_die on Instagram & @LegendsllLiveOn on Twitter for the best music reviews weekly!