Kanye West – “BULLY” review

Chicago, Illinois rapper, singer/songwriter, producer, fashion designer, former G.O.O.D. Music founder & YZY SND’s sole proprietor Ye formerly known as Kanye West subtly posting his 11th full-length studio LP in it’s current unfinished state on his Twitter. Someone who I personally have considered a top 10 producer of all-time up until this point with 3 perfect 10s in his discography: The College Dropout, Late Registration & My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. He’s sadly been on a mission to destroy his legacy since late 2022 by identifying as a Nazi on Alex Jones’ fake news platform InfoWars, where he aired out his grievances towards the co-founder of UFC & WWE’s parent company TKO Group Holdings & it’s owner Endeavor Group Holdings’ CEO Ari Emanuel in that same interview. Ye’s been taking it up a few notches for the past 5 weeks on Twitter owned by Tesla CEO, SpaceX founder, Neuralink founder & fellow Nazi Elon Musk making comments that’re antisemitic, ableist, homophobic & misogynistic or dissing the likes of the late Virgil Abloh & showing envy for Kendrick Lamar since he’s on the throne of the rap game. In the midst of his Twitter meltdown lasting over a month, he posted a link to Bully only 3 months ahead of its originally scheduled date a little after hanging out with white supremacist Nick Fuentes of the Groypers.

“Preacher Man” is actually a decent drumless intro sampling “To You With Love” by The Moments wanting you to trust him when he goes God mode whereas “Can’t Hurry Love” flips an iconic Supremes track of the same name even though it’s ruined by the AI vocals he’s been incorporating onto his more recent output or what I personally would like to call YeI. “White Lines” samples Stevie Wonder’s cover of “Close to You” by The Carpenters except any & all potential it had going for it gets derailed with even more YeI vocals just before “Circles” butchers a sample of “Huit Octobre 1971” by Cortex with underwritten lyrics & piss poor singing. Listen to “1 Beer” by Madvillain instead.

The title track brings the YeI vocals back in the fold ruining a sample of “Mujhe Maar Daalo” by Ashle Bhostle leading into “Last Breath” featuring Peso Pluma being a full-blown YeI cut sung in Spanish desecrating “Besame Mama” by revered conguero Poncho Sanchez. One of the earliest joints teased “Beauty & the Beast” returns to Ye’s chipmunk soul roots sampling “Don’t Have to Shop Around” by The Mad Lads even if Mike Dean said it was a DONDA leftover & “Showtime” co-produced by James Blake & even Ye’s mentor No I.D. flips “Walk on the Wild Side” by Lou Reed talking about ready to go to war with his Hobbit ex-wife Kim Kardashian.

“Highs & Lows” continues to work in more YeI vocals fucking up a sample of “soleil soleil” by Pomme that is until “Melrose” by ¥$ featuring Playboi Carti awkwardly sticks out like a sore thumb considering that Ye recently dissed Carti on Twitter amongst others. To make it funnier, the YeI gets utterly outperformed by both Ty$ & Carti’s verses. The way Ye samples “Feelings” by the late Nina Simone on “Damn” was cool even if the songwriting is lazily repetitive applying to a lesser extent when 1srael of Working on Dying helps Ye flip “Vitamin C” by Can on “Losing Your Mind”.

The visuals directed by Hype Williams were surprisingly enjoyable as a fan of the ブシロード-owned 新日本プロレス adding onto his recent attendances at shows promoted by the サイバーファイト-owned division プロレスリング・ノア & DDTプロレスリング’s sister promotion 東京女子プロレス (TJPW). Appearances in the video include former NEVER無差別級6人タッグチャンピオン & IWGPジュニアタッグチャンピオンヨウ, former 3-time IWGPタッグチャンピオン, 6-time NEVER無差別級6人タッグチャンピオン & GHCタッグチャンピオン矢野通, AJPW世界ジュニアヘビー級チャンピオン, NWA World Jr. Heavyweight Champion, 6-time IWGPジュニアヘビー級チャンピオン, 2-time IWGPジュニアタッグチャンピオン & 2-time GHCジュニアヘビー級タッグチャンピオンタイガーマスクIV and the current IWGPジュニアヘビー級チャンピオン in his 5th reign エル・デスペラード who was a former CMLL Arena Coliseo Parejas Campeon, a 4-time IWGPジュニアタッグチャンピオン, NEVER無差別級6人タッグチャンピオン & GHCジュニアヘビー級タッグチャンピオン.

To say Ye’s behavior these past several weeks is nothing more than embarrassing for anyone with common decency & especially for everyone like me who came from generations that were influenced by him would be such a massive understatement. He’s clearly unwell mentally, admitting his mother Donda’s death in 2007 caused him to have suicidal thoughts daily & recently not having those urges since beginning his Twitter hate speech tirade. Would never thought that Ye could make anything worse in his discography than Jesus is King, yet here we are with Bully. I commend his production for the sample-heavy sound, with my biggest complaints being the use of YeI & it clearly being unfinished.

Score: 1/5

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SABA – “From the Private Collection” review

This is the 4th full-length studio LP from Chicago, Illinois emcee/producer SABA. The co-founder of the Pivot Gang collective a decade back, he broke out in the fall of 2016 off the solo debut Bucket List Project & the follow-up CARE FOR ME was where his potential would be put on a much more broader display. Few Good Things was a better version of Cordae’s sophomore effort From a Bird’s Eye View & after 3 years, he & No I.D. are finally unearthing tracks From the Private Collection.

“Every Painting Has a Price” soulfully kicks it all off talking about it being a lovely day for him to go out of his way & everything being good aside from shit getting ugly whereas “Breakdown” takes the jazzy trap route instrumentally asking his romantic partner what’s really going on. “Crash” gives off a calmer vibe to the beat talking about making time go fast together just before “Woes of the World” brings a trap flare back getting emotional to know what he knows.

The drums get stripped during “Stop Playing with Me” telling everyone that he ain’t wanna be fucked with leading into “Westside Bound 4” featuring MFnMelo jazzily talking about being unstoppable under any given circumstance. “head.rap” samples “No Time to Lose” by Madison McFerrin covering Saba’s hair & it’s continuous changes, but then “Acts 1.5” looks to fuck the street up referencing the baddest man on the planet & WWE Hall of Famer Mike Tyson.

After the “Reciprocity” interlude, “Stomping” boasts that he’s so smooth of a talker to the point where he could convince Jesus Christ to buy an NFT off him while the soulful trap hybrid “Big Picture” talks about considering the broader context, long-term implications & overall goals of a situation. “30secchop” featuring Jean Deaux & Joseph Chilliams finds the trio no longer walking with their heads low while “How to Impress God” delves into the complex relationship between earthly achievements & spiritual purpose.

“She Called It” featuring Frsh Waters nears the final moments From the Private Collection with both of them talking about Pivot being a collective that’s respected as a family refusing to break their balls & their word since those’re the only 2 things they got left while “a FEW songs” featuring Smino finishes with them assuring the listeners of it being ok l to change it all so beautifully, feeling the love & letting it go. The jazzy boom bap fusion “Back in Office” warns his competition to take caution & the other bonus track “Hue_Man_Nature” carries over the sounds of the predecessor putting a conscious spin on it.

SABA’s been teasing this for nearly 3 years now & because of the death of his uncle, the final product underwent a complete change of direction & could very well be the brightest collection of material of his whole career. Arguably surpassing Care for Me as the crown jewel of his discography. No I.D.’s versatile production goes from boom bap to jazz rap, trap, drumless & neo-soul remaining more consistent than Few Good Things providing a little bit of everything & refusing to misuse an opportunity like this coming with fully developed ideas.

Score: 4.5/5

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¡MAYDAY! – “Justus” review

Miami, Florida trio ¡MAYDAY! surprise-dropping their 9th studio LP albeit the first under their very own label ¡MAYDAY! Music distributed by It Goes Up Entertainment & Strange Music. Formed in 2003 by keyboardist/guitarist Plex Luthor & emcee Bernz, the duo released their self-titled debut in the fall of ‘06 before adding 4 more members into the fold: emcee/producer Wrekonize, bassist Gianni Ca$h, percussionist NonMS & drummer L.T. Hopkins in 2009. Together, they would begin to rock the underground off 2 EPs & their sophomore album Stuck on an Island. This would catch the attention of Kansas City veteran Tech N9ne, who signed the group to his independent powerhouse Strange Music in 2011. They would go on to cement themselves as a flagship act on the label’s roster off critically acclaimed projects like Take Me to Your Leader, Thrift Store Halos, Believers & Future Vintage. However since 2016, ¡MAYDAY! has maintained it’s current lineup consisting of Wrek, Bernz & NonMS. Their first album as a trio Search Party was a decent sequel to Stuck on an Island & the heavily reggae-influenced South of 5th was slightly better, but Minute to Midnight wound up to easily be ¡MAYDAY!’s best in 6 years. They have since remained tied to Strange by forming ¡MAYDAY! Music & signing a distribution deal with Strange Music co-founder Travis O’Guin’s own subsidiary It Goes Up Entertainment. Now as far of The Thinnest Line series, the independently released first installment is my favorite & the follow-up backed by Strange was simply decent. Minute to Midnight was a return to form for them & are returning a little over a year after The Thinnest Line III to drop Justus.

After the “Top of the World” intro, the first song “Just Us” produced by NonMS starts us off by asking what will happen when it’s only them left whereas “Black Lemonade” talks about refusing to ever ride the wave at any point in their career. “Unapologetic” reunites with Gianni Ca$h & Plex Luthor behind the boards to discuss their aptly mentioned mindset leading into the whistling “Acting Grown” talking about them simply acting grown & the inner child basically.

“Misinformed” goes for a bit of a melodic rap rock vibe observing coming down quicker than that of a middle just before the heavily melodic “Cold Shoulder” reunites with former Strange Music in-house producer MIKE SUMMERS a.k.a. 7 to sing about hoping one doesn’t forget now. “No One’s Around” gets back on on the rap rock tip telling everyone to turn up & get down, but then the acoustic “Silver Linings” featuring Mike SB finds them driving in the late night.

The song “Ain’t for Them” nears the conclusion of ¡MAYDAY!’s official It Goes Up debut responding to those saying that the group has been aging firing back by pointing out the mere fact of the world changing by each & every day that goes by while “I Don’t Wanna Know” featuring kaub decently brings a tropical flare to the table. “Ceilings” featuring Mike SB ends with them assuring that hard work does pay off in the long run.

All the singles we’ve dropped since starting ¡MAYDAY! Music as a fully independent venture has lead us to this moment & their debut under the It Goes Up/Strange distributed imprint retains everything that made the group so beloved within the underground scene to begin with the in-house production or Mike SB improving on his feature game & the versatility that they’ve always been known for whether it be rap rock cuts or the pop rap tracks.

Score: 4/5

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Playboi Carti – “MUSIC” review

Atlanta, Georgia rapper, singer/songwriter, model & Opium Records founder Playboi Carti at long last releasing his 3rd full-length studio LP. Putting out 3 mixtapes & an EP under the original Sir Cartier moniker, he would become an affiliate of the A$AP Mob & sign to Interscope Records for an eponymous 4th mixtape & a groundbreaking debut album Die Lit that became some of the best trap music of the previous decade. Whole Lotta Red on Christmas 2020 birthed the rage scene, signing Ken Carson alongside Destroy Lonely & the Homixide Gang to Opium since. Ahead of Rolling Loud this weekend however, I AM MUSIC is here after it was initially set to be released last year as said in the “2024” single.

“Pop Out” is this rage-inducing opener talking about pulling up to the party only to fuck you up whereas “Crush” featuring honorary WWE Hardcore Champion Travis Scott fresh off giving the current WWE Champion Cody Rhodes a black eye couple weeks ago accompanying The Rock ‘n’ Soul Connection & produced by F1LTHY of Working on Dying works in some synths & hi-hats boasting that a hoe gonna let them smash. “K Pop” originally called “Ketamine” brings this suspenseful atmosphere to the table flexing he stays running checks & holding a knife since it’s a sport while “EVIL J0RDAN” discusses his lifestyle being out of control & referring to himself as an emo thug rather than a rockstar over a Cardo beat.

Moving on from there, “Mojo Jojo” takes it’s name after the primary PowerPuff Girls antagonist saying the only reason everyone’s nice to him now is because of his wealth leading into “Philly” featuring Travis Scott talking about having brand news eyes & noses. “Radar” brings a triumphant flare to the table courtesy of Metro Boomin’ discussing that he should be swaggin’ up just before “Rather Lie” featuring The Weeknd on the hook with co-production from Mike Dean talks about lying to his girl instead of losing her.

“Fine Shit” co-produced by Cash Cobain shows off how bad his bitch is to the point where she can’t even go outside anymore nor can she post online leading into Ye formerly known as Kanye West fusing trap & chipmunk soul during “BACKD00R” talking about raising some Dons with all 3 artists he currently has on the Opium roster & the title referencing his infamous Adin Ross stream. “Toxic” featuring Skepta ominously links both of them up observing the poisonous state of a mosh pit & them having too much profit these days prior to “Munyun” rightfully talking about those being unfamiliar with his voice living under a rock.

As for “Crank”, we have Carti telling a lil freak hoe to slow it up for him due to her having a free throat sampling “Fuck Taylor Gang” by SpaceGhostPurpp while “Charge Dem Hoes a Fee” featuring Future & Travis Scott teams up on top of a Wheezy, Dez Wright, Southside & Smatt Sertified instrumental so they can talk about charging these bitches some money. “Good Credit” featuring Kendrick Lamar has these prominent rage undertones cautioning of the hate only getting realer, making fun of A$AP Relli for snitching, addressing the Drake lawsuit & mentioning Los Angeles Lakers player Luka Dončić while the futuristic “I Seeeeee You Baby Boi” talks about his girl wanting to be the one to lie to him.

Travis Scott returns for the psychedelic “Wake Up F1LTHY” that BNYX helped laced with F1LTHY homaging the latter’s producer tag tryna to run some cake up with each other while the bouncy “Jumpin’” featuring Lil Uzi Vert talks about the way these drugs got them feeling. “Trim” featuring Future is a cloudy Mixtape Pluto outtake that he & Barti made with TM88 referring to themselves as the richest in their hoods until “Cocaine Nose” samples “Only U” by Ashanti to make a sick reference to WWE Hall of Famer, former SMW Tag Team Champion, 3-time WWE world champion, 2-time WWE Intercontinental Champion, 12-time WWE tag team champion & WWE Hardcore Champion Kane.

“We Need All Da Vibes” featuring Young Thug & Ty$ finds the trio cloudily wants everyone listening to see the way that each of them be ballin’ while the sleeper-hit “Olympian” interestingly dabbles with glitch hop & trap wanting to know why he’s being stared at & shouting out Ricky Hil. Clayco gives “OPM BABI” a bit of a bombastic edge representing the very label that Carti launched 6 years ago & the in-house producer of the same name while “Twin Trim” featuring Lil Uzi Vert feels more like a back-&-forth interlude.

Carti gives his flowers to the New Orleans icon Lil Wayne on “Like Weezy” with a cool sample of “Bend Over” by the Rich Kidz showing up to this bitch off the rocks & fucking up his thumbs after counting so many hundreds while “Dis 1 Got It” mixes some hi-hats with a piano sample feeling like he’s invincible off the percocets. “Walk” homaging the late Bankroll Fresh wants all his Day 1s to know this’ll be a new beginning for them & the apocalypse for his opps while the Memphis-driven “H00DBYAIR” confronting hate he’s received throughout his career.

“Overly” continues to push further towards Music’s final moments with a simplistic Maaly Raw beat built around a piano likening the blue Bugatti he has to Sonic the Hedgehog stunning with the rest of the Opium squad by his side & “South Atlanta Baby” couldn’t have been a better choice of a closer whether it be DJ Swamp Izzo telling Carti that he’s in a whole new category when it comes to his artistry or the lyrics of growing up in the southern region of Atlanta.

Starting the deluxe run, “Different Day” shows ’em what the fuck he’s really been on going for a cloudy trap direction while “2024” was one of my top 10 singles of 2023 from Ye sampling “Jacob’s Ladder” by Yeo to Carti talking about putting anyone who poses as a threat to him on a mural & on the news. “BACKR00MS” featuring Travis Scott reunites the duo 1 more time to liken themselves as the quarterbacks of the rap game holdin’ bombs & throwin’ these hoes & the final bonus track “Fuck on My DJ” talks about women wanting to sleep with DJ Blak Boy.

Obviously it’s gonna be a while until we have the discussion of where this lands compared to both it’s predecessors, but I can easily tell you that Music was worth the continual delays since it feels like a mix of his old sounds & the new ones he’s been trying out since this era of his initially began. Some of the best collection of tracks in the trap & rage subgenres you’ll hear in 2025 showing influences of hardcore hip hop, cloud rap, pop rap & experimental hip hop assembling a high quality list of guests to join him.

Score: 4/5

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clipping. – “Death Channel Sky” review

Los Angeles, California experimental hip hop trio clipping. fronted by Daveed Diggs alongside William Hutson & Jonathan Snipes with their 5th studio LP. Emerging off their midcity mixtape in 2013, they signed Sub Pop Records shortly after & the label gave them a full-length debut the following year. However, I didn’t completely hop on board with these guys until their Deathbomb Arc debut Splendor & Misery in 2016, which is a fantastic sci-fi odyssey. They returned to Sub Pop by dropping their magnum opuses There Existed an Addiction to Blood & Visions of Bodies Being Burned. They’re returning halfway through to put out Death Channel Sky almost a week since former AEW World Champion, AEW World Tag Team Champion, the inaugural shortest-reigning 2-time AEW World Trios Champion, AJPW世界ジュニアヘビー級チャンピオン, DDTエクストリームチャンピオン, KO-D無差別級チャンピオン, 3-time KO-Dタッグチャンピオン, 2-time KO-D6人タッグチャンピオン, AAA Mega Campeon, IWGPヘビー級チャンピオン, IWGPインターコンチネンタルチャンピオン, 2-time IWGPジュニアヘビー級チャンピオン, IWGPジュニアタッグチャンピオン, the inaugural 2-time IWGP USヘビー級チャンピオン, 2-time NEVER無差別級6人タッグチャンピオン, PWG World Champion & TNA World Champion, Kenny Omega ended the current NEVER無差別級チャンピオン竹下幸之介’s reign as AEW International Champion’s at Revolution VI.

The first song “Dominator” after the intro begins by fusing hip house & industrial hip hop together to talk about being 1 of a kind whereas the 3rd single “Change the Change” takes the industrial hip hop, breakbeat hardcore, acid breaks, big beat, power noise, digital hardcore & hardcore breaks route making faces hurt with the waves they’re making. The lead single “Run It” draws inspiration from the Detroit techno scene painting a picture of a drug dealer & addict from the highs of partying to the lows of being caught, arrested or killed.

“Go” strips the drums for a brief experimental hip hop joint talking about running it down & after the “Simple Degradation (Plucks 1-13)” interlude, “Code” explores themes of digital identity along with hacking culture & futuristic survival going for a cyberpunk vibe. “Dodger” goes for a drum & bass direction talking about finding & killing a virus because time is of the essence but after the “Malleus” interlude, “Scams” featuring Tia NoMore finds her & Daveed talking about the beat continuously knocking in the back.

West coast gangsta rap, pop rap, conscious hip hop, acid house, political hip hop & boom bap all mold into 1 for the 2nd single “Keep Moving” suggesting to keep pushing dope everywhere you go while “Mood Organ” after the “From Bright Bodies” interlude bares it’s name after a fictional device in Philip K. Dick’s novels Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? & We Can Build You. “Polaroids” unearths all of these photos hidden tucked neatly in a box & hidden in a sock drawer or underneath the bed just before “Madcap” after the “Simple Degradation (Plucks 14-18)” interlude advises not to get it twisted with a businessman.

“Mirrorshades 2” featuring Cartel Madras continues the renowned cyberpunk anthology edited by Bruce Sterling since it’s a cornerstone of the genre’s aesthetic & themes while “Welcome Home Soldier” featuring Aesop Rock after the “& You Called” interlude was a great nerdcore cut with additional elements of industrial hip hop, abstract hip hop & glitch hop exploring into digital escapism & the allure of virtual worlds. “Ask What Happened” closes the LP by talking about history & future belong to the 1%.

The original “Mirrorshades” starts the deluxe run recapturing the themes of the sequel that we all got hear first earlier this spring while “Forever War” blends industrial hip hop, conscious hip hop, electronic, electro, hardcore hip hop & political hip hop talking about the way war goes. “Hard-Eyes” suggests to keep the family close & the ghosts in the closet with the safe while the final bonus track “Night of Heaven” reminds us all that the government is watching.

In contrast to their last few projects containing record-long concepts like the classic prog rock of old, Dead Channel Sky is more like a mixtape with it’s carefully curated collection of songs in which every track is a love letter to a possible present. Their industrial hip hop production expands in favor of hardcore hip hop, glitch hop, glitch music, acid techno, noise, big beat, electronic dance music, abstract hip hop, nerdcore, west coast hip hop, gangsta rap, pop rap, conscious hip hop, acid house, political hip hop, boom bap, drum & bass, hip house, breakbeat hardcore, acid breaks, power noise, digital hardcore & hardcore breaks texture-mapping the twin histories of hip hop & cyberpunk onto an alternate present.

Score: 4.5/5

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Curren$y – “Never Catch Us” review

Here we have the 24th studio LP from New Orleans, Louisiana rapper, songwriter & record executive Curren$y. Starting with No Limit Records in 2002, he would then hop over to Young Money Entertainment & Cash Money Records in 2006 & eventually branched out in 2008 with his own label Jet Life Recordings. The man has since made a name for himself by dropping a handful of projects every single year with my favorites including the Harry Fraud-produced Cigarette Boats, the Alchemist-produced Covert Coup, the prominently Ski Beatz produced Pilot Talk series, The Carrollton Heist, the Lex Luger produced Motivational Speech, the Statik Selektah-produced Gran Turismo & Continuance to name a small handful. Last time I covered Spitta was when he had So So Def Recordings founder Jermaine Dupri produce For Motivational Uses Only & was intrigued by the Never Catch Us singles.

“Drop Zone” couldn’t have started any classier with it’s sumptuous trap instrumental talking about turning blank pieces of paper into all kinds of things whereas “Checkpoints” works in some great vocal sampling to run up the score by selling dope & cheffing up more. “Dream Machines” featuring Premo Rice gets on some laidback jazz rap vibes talking about their lifestyles leading into “Airport Industries” featuring Wiz Khalifa dreaming of the finer things.

Conway the Machine & Rome Streetz join Spitta for “Money Magnet” embracing a boom bap flare talking about them being able to attract paper just before “Zack Morris Phone” featuring Bruiser Wolf strips the drums discussing the concept of perspective. “Duct Tape” gets back on the trap tip refusing to partner with cowards & flying with the loudest until “True Lies” featuring Babyface Ray, Styles P & 03 Greedo uniting the quartet talking about playing seriously & cool.

“No Wrinkles” featuring Fendi P hooks up these strings & hi-hats showing off their smoothness widen it comes to women while “320 Estate” featuring Dave East soulfully explains their first rule being not to speak ill of them. “All Season Long” featuring D.R.A.M. & Jay Worthy has these prominent synthesizers suggests those who lie to kick it ain’t your friends while “Encrypted Messages” psychedelically asks what you raising the top for.

The continuous themes of past fan favorites Cigarette Boats, The Stage, The Marina & The Outrunners are prevelant during the course of Never Catch Us showing the evolution of Curren$y & Harry’s chemistry for the past decade or so. Nearly every guest come correct with their verses, Spitta himself sounds focused & the production eclectically bounces between boom bap to trap & jazz rap.

Score: 4/5

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B.G. – “Freedom of Speech” review

B.G. is a 44 year old rapper from New Orleans, Louisiana known for being 1/2 of The B.G.’z with Lil Wayne prior to forming the Hot Boy$ with Juvenile & Turk along with the Cash Money Millionaires supergroup with the Big Tymer$. His first 5 solo albums Chopper City, It’s All on U, It’s All on U 2, my personal favorite Chopper City in the Ghetto & Checkmate all came out on Cash Money Records until he wanted to his own label Chopper City Records. The next 5 Living Legend, Life After Cash Money, The Heart of tha Streetz, Tha Heart of tha Streetz 2: I Am What I Am & Too Hood 2 Be Hollywood would all be distributed by MNRK Music Group aside from Atlantic Records providing further distribution for the latter. He would later spend a little over a decade in prison for 2 counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm & 1 count of conspiracy to obstruct justice, returning after over 15 years for his 11th studio LP.

The title track is a guitar-driven trap intro talking about him only getting greater whereas “Rock-A-Bye-Bye” works in a vocal sample reminding us that those who’re already familiar with him know his story by now. “1st Question” featuring Birdman dabbles with the Detroit trap sound reuniting with his mentor by having the better verse while “Go Live” featuring Boosie Badazz & Juvenile brings the trio together to rep their home state.

“Thank You” profoundly thanks everyone for still standing by him after being incarcerated going through it behind bars just before “Saved My Life” gets on the Detroit trap tip again talking about how trapping is the reason that he’s still alive today. “My Hood” hooks up pianos & hi-hats to clap at all the suckas out here with no style leading into “Live from the Gutta” featuring E-40 finds the duo taking us to the trenches.

Reese Youngn’s hook on “Know Your Worth” is hilariously awful despite the average beat & the genuine message within the lyrics, but then “Been a Dog” featuring Fredo Bang is one of my least favorite collaborations on the entire album. “Real Life” makes up for it with Gizzle solemnly looking back on the way he grew up & refusing to cap as a result while “Get It Poppin’” featuring Finesse2tymes doesn’t really get it poppin’ for me all that much.

“All Nite” shows a more romantic side to the original Hot Boy to begin the final leg of Freedom of Speech keeping this woman in his mind during the evening & giving it to her all day while the song “Real as It Gets” talking about still maintaining his legitimacy even if it was ruled last summer that his future songs have to be approved by the government. “When You Come Home” featuring Fiend jazzily ends with the former No Limit Soldier teaming up with the Cash Money Millionaire.

Starting the deluxe run, “Firebomber” by The B.G.‘z featuring Busta Rhymes makes it a mission to fuck up everything in existence while “Louisianimal” comes through with an anthem to his home state. “Lost Lives” featuring Juvenile warns that no one wants to be in the jungle when it’s war time while “We in Here” takes on a more celebratory attitude. “A Long Time” looks back on his career up to this point & the final bonus track “When I” finishes with a mediocre pop rap joint.

His collaborative mixtape with Gucci Mane called Choppers & Bricks marked the first of 8 projects that the Baby Gangster had written during his time behind bars, except the 2nd albeit his first solo effort in 16 years is a tad more decent in comparison. Other than a few guests faltering with their performances & some of the production being a little spotty, it’s somewhat refreshing to hear him holding down an entire body of work by himself again & am confident he can improve with the other 6 albums he has coming down the pipe. The deluxe however improves upon itself.

Score: 3.5/5

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Consentrik Quartet – Self-Titled review

The Consentrik Quartet are a jazz band consisting of drummer Tom Rainey, upright bassist Chris Lightcap, tenor saxophonist Ingrid Laubrock & guitarist Nels Cline. The latter of whom has already put out his most recent solo efforts Lovers alongside Currents, Constellations & Share the Wealth through what I consider to be the greatest jazz label of all-time: Blue Note Records. Understandably, it only makes sense for the Consentrik Quartet to come over to Blue Note to put out their official debut album as a group.

“The Returning Angel” takes inspiration from Nels’ career spanning 5-decades already with a quietly reflective intro whereas “The 23” was a highly enjoyable lead single embracing a jazz-rock sound. “Surplus” prominently shows off Nels & Ingrid’s abilities playing the guitar & tenor saxophone for a little over 5 minutes keeping the jazz-rock vibes going strong until “Slipping into Something” starts with a guitar for the first half until the drums & tenor sax both make their way in the equation for the other.

Meanwhile on “Allende”, we have the Consentrik Quartet giving off a somber mood feeling like the perfect composition that would suit a rainy day just before “House of Steam” layered some guitars on it to get extra resonance on the opening theme. “Inner Wall” begins the 2nd half of the band’s debut giving off a mysterious flare for a good chunk of it waiting during the last minute & a half or so to bring the drums to the table, but then the “Satomi” turns the nihilism up going for a darker & deliberate turn through punk & post-rock.

“The Bag” was actually written as a dedication to drummer Tom Rainey including some of my favorite instrumentation on the entire LP leading into the 2nd single “Down Close” excitingly blending the cool jazz & free improvisation subgenres together. “? (The Spot)” continues the backend of these guys’ introductory debut since the tumultuous disorientation is another moment of aggression or fervor on the entire thing & “Time of No Sirens” finishes up with a gently, emotionally deep counterpart.

By turns swinging, grooving, bracing, mesmeric & quietly stunning, the Consentrik Quartet’s spotlights the ensemble’s profound chemistry as well as Cline’s versatility as both a player & a writer with 12 evocative soundscapes. It’s a love letter to the Brooklyn improvised-music scene that he became a vital player in well over a decade ago & though he no longer lives in the borough, his allegiance to the creative musicians Brooklyn nurtures remains steadfast.

Score: 4/5

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Sanhedrin – “Heat Lightning” review

Sanhedrin is a metal band Brooklyn, New York consisting of drummer Nathan Honor, guitarist/vocalist Jeremy Sosville & bassist/vocalist Erica Stoltz. Introducing themselves a decade off their full-length debut A Funeral for the World, the next couple The Poisoner & their Metal Blade Records debut in particular Lights On would increase their popularity, returning after nearly 3 years to deliver their 4th full-length studio LP & their 2nd for Metal Blade coming off a couple singles within the last few months.

“Blind Wolf” is this heavy metal opener reminiscent to that of Iron Maiden finding the Brooklyn outfit coming together to share the light whereas the title track works in some chugging guitars to sing about when the wind whips a righteous storm & the smoke blinds the sun. “Above the Law” has a bit of a punkier edge to it showing a rebellious side to Sanhedrin living in a pit full of vipers, but then “The Fight of Your Life” sings about the compulsion to play music no matter what.

To start the other half, “King of Tides” finds the trio leaving all they know behind in order for them to have better lives just before “Franklin County Lines” feels like a cross between Thin Lizzy & Motörhead taking inspiration from the surrounding area in the northern part of New York. The song “Let’s Spill Blood” reflects how fortunate the human race is that most people seek justice as opposed to revenge & after “High Threshold of Pain” angrily calls ego a death wish, “When the Will Becomes the Chain” ends with them singing that the wicked world will leave us torn.

Delivering a diverse collection of songs that wholly captures their wide array of influences with an elevated level of production, Heat Lightning is the fullest representation of the power of Sanhedrin has by handing Metal Blade their most complete offering. When you take 3 seasoned musicians with their favorite handpicked instruments & put them in front of 2 brilliant producer/engineers in a studio stacked with incredible equipment & no outside distractions, this is what you get.

Score: 4/5

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iam3hard – “3x Harder” review

This is the 3rd full-length LP from Atlanta, Georgia rapper iam3hard. Coming up in 2023 off his first couple of extended plays Down 2 Win & The Bandlab Beast, his 3rd EP Dissimilar Prevalence produced by Whyceg succeeding his full-length debut The Bandlab Bandit has become his most celebrated work & the sophomore effort WDF 3HARD followed a couple months later. Before I Sign & Willing to Die For both resulted in 3hard signing to Cegular Records, making his debut for the Sony Music imprint by going 3x Harder.

“Limo Tint” made for a decent intro talking about always making hits whenever he pops out of the penthouse whereas “Hit Hard” produced by SOULJASPIRITS & Whyceg explaining his preference for using Russian Cream Backwoods rolling papers. “Quit My Job” talks about putting bullets in the houses of anybody speaking ill of his crew just before the plugg-influenced “Slave Whippin’” flexes his cheese & he ain’t referring to the kind used to make fettuccine.

Instrumentally, things take a cloudier turn during “Purple Kool Aid” talking about knocking the toupee off Trump’s head and stilling lean in front of his niece & nephew while “Save da Trench” dark off a dark plugg vibe confessing he signed his deal in the middle of the streets. “Goku” talks about doing a muhfucka like the ドラゴンボール protagonist himself leading into “All Hats” cautioning of him flattening those who try him.

“Chowder” featuring 2sdxrt3all references the main character of the Discovery Global owned Cartoon Network series of the same name in regards to the color of the drank in their cups while “We Dem Ones” talks about his squad being the chosen few & smashing someone who ain’t paying dues. “Glockstar” talks about possibly going out getting chased by the cops like a NASCAR race while “Gnarly” suggests being so real that he has a heart made of emeralds.

The song “2025” starts off 3x Harder’s final moments with a nocturnal plugg beat talking about having the block on lockdown barring anybody from trying to buy it off him while “On Rocks” warns those wanting to run up on his squad that they carry Glocks beside them & will put ‘em 6 feet in the ground if they test ‘em. “Fear God” finishes up 3hard’s debut for Cegular by talking about he ain’t scared of anything unless it’s the higher power above, cherishing the smaller things lately.

Until this point, I’ve considered Dissimilar Prevalence to be the dare plugg gangsta rapper’s most prominent entry of iam3hard’s entire discography & his Cegular Records debut 3x Harder hits a lot heavier than everything else I’ve heard from him previously. The production mostly handled by Whyceg & SOULJASPIRITS feels like a major upgrade compared to 3hard’s earlier albums, the latter of whom makes himself comfortable besides Babystaydown & Pradabagshawty in shaping the local plugg label into something special.

Score: 4/5

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