Chino XL – “Prelude to The Mantis” review

Here we have the 8th studio LP albeit 3rd posthumous offering from East Orange, New Jersey emcee Chino XL. Breaking out in the mid-90s after signing to American Recordings & releasing his classic debut Here to Save You All, he eventually went on to beef with 2Pac & I genuinely feel sorry for anyone who writes him off because of that. Especially since that I Told You So, Poison Pen & the Viper Records-backed RICANstruction: The Black Rosary all contain some of the best songs in his whole discography. Stu Bangas was brought in to produce God’s Carpenter a few summers ago & that became a near-flawless comeback, with Darkness & Other Colors recorded back in 2020 foreshadowing his own death from beyond the grave. Map of Bones recorded between 2008-2012 commemorated what would’ve been Chino’s birthday last April, dropping a Prelude to The Mantis in preparation for his upcoming collaborative effort with Dheezy & of course God’s Carpenter 2.

“The Mantis” produced by Johnny Slash was a great intro from the flute-heavy boom bap beat to the hardcore chopper flows whereas “Blue Bird” takes a more luxuriously dustier route instrumentally although hearing him tackling depression hits differently considering the circumstances of his passing. “I Know” works in some horns thanks to Nick Wiz talking about what every region wants leading into “Steezy” experimenting with cloud rap & trap continuing the mental health themes.

Rittz, Statik KXNG & Tech N9ne all join Chino XL on “Terminally Ill” having all 4 lyricists bodying a Statik Selektah beat for nearly 7 minutes just before Apathy flips some strings during “Blood, Sweat & Tears” making way for Chino to spend 109 seconds speeding up his flow. “Guillotine” has a smoother instrumental flexing his raw glow while the radio friendly “Loving You” featuring Holy Toledo Productions founder M-80 links up for a tacky look at themes of heartbreak.

“Shots Through Ya Vehicle” blends a flute with more kicks & snares spitting intricate wordplay whilst maintaining a chopper-like delivery while “Chi Chops” swaps out the woodwind in favor of some keys talking about his only goal being him wiping out humanity entirely. “A Capella” seems like a moment here that feels completely unfinished since it could’ve easily been used as a guest appearance while “Basquiat” pretty much feels the same except the apocalyptic beat’s alright.

Copywrite & KXNG CROOKED both appear for a “Triple Seize” tearing apart their opponents over a rap rock instrumental while the piano-driven “Paradigms” displays what crazy breath control he had talking about being more than flesh & bones, hence he won’t ever be dead & gone when he has been. “The Rapture” featuring Cappadonna, KXNG CROOKED & Planet Asia brings the 4 together for a raw east coast/west coast crossover while “Chemistry” takes another jab at trap talking about being the type who was smart enough to listen when others didn’t.

“We Just Spit Bars” featuring Canibus could be an outtake from the S.L.I.C.C. (Self Licking Ice Cream Cone) sessions & that to me was one of Bis’ better opuses in recent memory while “Cruel World” keeps it hardcore for almost a minute & a half. “Champion” featuring Killah Priest as well as Kurupt & Ras Kass talks about either being victorious or a victim but after “On My Grind” gruesomely dismisses artists who’s pen isn’t alive, the outro “Grand Finale” concludes with another disjointed verse.

Putting the M-80/Chino XL estate controversy aside, Darkness & Other Colors remains my personal favorite of the 3 posthumous albums we’ve gotten so far & Prelude to The Mantis would have to go right behind it since I enjoy it more than Map of Bones although that’s not to say this warmup for what Chino & Dheezy have coming next doesn’t have flaws of it’s own. As opposed to the last couple full-lengths actually being presented as completed statements, there is some filler that could’ve been utilized more properly although the confrontation of mental health would certainly help those struggling.

Score: 3.5/5

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By Storm – “My Ghosts Go Ghost” review

By Storm is an experimental hip hop duo from Phoenix, Arizona consisting of producer Parker Corey & emcee Ritchie with a T. Both of whom were 2/3 of Injury Reserve with Stepa J. Groggs, disbanding out of respect of the latter following his death. They’ve been teasing their full-length studio debut since Injury Reserve’s 2nd & final album By the Time I Get to Phoenix, having my favorite Single of the Year back-to-back years & signing to deadAir Records for this new era of both Ritchie & Parker’s careers that’s been a minute in the making.

“Can I Have You for Myself?” poses the question to Ritchie’s lover a guitar instrumental singing & rapping that they’ve been moving at the same pace & being ready to grow whereas “Dead Weight” goes for a more experimental hip hop vibe explaining he doesn’t need more hands because he has his foot in. “Zig Zag” blends experimental hip hop, ambient pop, neo-psychedelia, folktronica, post-rock, glitch hop, abstract hip hop, slowcore, glitch & neo-soul advising one can’t make unexpected moves to the moon just before “Grapefruit” talks about anything going because everyone has no shame.

Folktronica, experimental hip hop, neo-psychedelia, cloud rap, conscious hip hop, post-rock, downtempo, alternative R&B & ambient pop all collide during “In My Town” capturing where Ritchie’s at currently while “Best Interest” featuring billy woods talks about benefiting them if they’re by their homies. “Double Trio 2” eclectically fuses experimental hip hop, abstract hip hop, avant-garde jazz, jazz rap, nu jazz, IDM, glitch hop, neo-psychedelia, spiritual jazz & art pop continuing to heal from Stepa’s passing.

“& I Dance” takes further elements of experimental hip hop, neo-psychedelia, alternative R&B, cloud rap, glitch, pop rap, illbient & art pop talking about there being nothing to run from while the acoustic title track asks if this was all a show. “Double Trio” still deserves a nod for it’s dosages of experimental hip hop, abstract hip hop, jazz rap, glitch hop, juke, glitch, ambient, neo-soul, avant-garde jazz, wonky & art pop suggesting now’s the time to burn things in addition to shit always repeating because of delays.

Teasing this since the summer of 2023 by dropping 5 incredible singles in a row, Ritchie with a T & Parker Corey at last begin this new era of their careers moving on from Injury Reserve permanently evolving into By Storm with deadAir Records being the most appropriate label for them to do it on. Ritchie’s lyrically telling us where he’s at in his life complimenting Parker’s production masterfully experimenting with electronic, folktronica, glitch hop, neo-psychedelia, alternative R&B, illbient, ambient pop, post-rock, slowcore, glitch, neo-soul, cloud rap, downtempo, avant-garde jazz, jazz rap, nu jazz, IDM, spiritual jazz, pop rap, juke, ambient & wonky.

Score: 4.5/5

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Jordan Ward – “Backward” review

Jordan Ward is a 29 year old singer/songwriter & dancer from St. Louis, Missouri introducing himself in 2017 off his debut EP A Peak at the Summit, signing to ARTium Recordings & Interscope Records for his debut mixtape Valley Hopefuls as well as another extended play called Remain Calm. His debut album Forward elevated himself beyond his earlier material capturing his potential in the styles of contemporary & alternative R&B, ending the 1st month of 2026 with a sophomore effort.

“Stranger” singing about feeling like a newcomer in his own life with a rush of strings behind him whereas “Smokin’ Potna” featuring SAILORR finds the 2 linking up over a groovier instrumental for a soothing weed smoker’s ode. “High Functioning” sings about how robust he’s coming across being high at the function taking a funkier approach to the beat & after the “BWD” interlude, “Ross Fit” keeps the groovy vibes rolling confessing he has way too much motion.

Things go for more stripped back approach instrumentally during “Noisy Neighbors” praying that his landlord does him right & all of us having our own internal struggles while “Change of Scenery” sings about feeling inspired again over more acoustics suggesting a landscape switch up would mean everything to him. “Juicy” reaches the halfway point advising this woman to forget him since he doesn’t have to be her favorite while “Themselves” sings about turning your passion into your hustle.

“Take-Out” feels like 97 second interlude yearning in the midst of ordering food to go that he’ll return home to his lover some day when he’s touring but after “Til Then” takes a more significantly personal approach to his songwriting singing about saving it all & breaking the cycle, the final single “Champion Sound” dedicates itself to Jordan’s mother calling her a warrior & asking if she’s been cheering him on already after all the success he’s been seeing.

The piano-driven “Y” tells his partner who seeks reassurance that she’ll come with him for the next run of shows praying he’ll find her again if there’s more to this life we all live while “Cutti” featuring Smino finds the pair coming together for a 2-parter combining elements of trap as well as R&B & pop rap. “Carsex” featuring TiaCorine finishes Backward with another track stylistically similar to the previous one advising his lover impatiently desiring to sleep with him in his ride to slow things down due to him touring.

Tyler, The Creator co-signing Jordan Ward prior to Forward coming was what made me a fan of his music Backward continues where the predecessor left off exploring the darker sides of his fame whilst channeling some of music’s most celebrated greats from the late Donny Hathaway to Bob Marley & Joni Mitchell throughout his songwriting. The production’s a bit funkier than Jordan’s debut was a few years earlier assuringly tackling subjects like growth, nostalgia & self-discovery.

Score: 3.5/5

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Joel Ross – “Gospel Music” review

This is the 5th studio LP from Chicago, Illinois vibraphonist Joel Ross. Signing to Blue Note Records in 2019, he would go on to make his debut for the greatest jazz label of all-time a couple months later with Kingmaker followed by the sophomore effort Who’re You? as well as The Parable of the Poet & most recently Nublues almost a couple years earlier. He would also form The Blue Note Quintet a.k.a. Out Of/Into, coming off the latter’s sophomore effort Motion II to finish January offering some Gospel Music.

“Wisdom is Eternal” brings along alto saxophonist Josh Johnson, tenor saxophonist Maria Grand, bassist Kanoa Mendenhall, drummer Jeremy Dutton & pianist Jeremy Corren for this meditative 4 & a half minute intro dedicated to Barry Harris whereas “Trinity (Father, Son & Holy Spirit)” goes for a heavy post-bop vibe thematically building itself around religion. “Protoevangelium (The 1st Gospel)” sticks out being the longest composition here dedicating itself to the Gospel of James leading into “Hostile” taking it back to the post-bop sound with intense vibraphone playing midway through.

Meanwhile on “The Shadowlands”, we have Joel & company continuing to take the hard bop subgenre of jazz & throwing the unconventional elements it’s preceding style’s successor has become known for in the mix while “Nevertheless” lets the saxophonists shine for the opening 51 seconds until properly letting the bandleader shine throughout the rest of the track’s duration. “Word for Word” reserves the spotlight for the vibraphonist & drummer for a vast majority of the instrumental aside from the saxophones at the earliest & latest parts of it just before “Repentance” compositionally soundtracks the familiar feeling of remorse.

“The Sacred Place” gets the 2nd half of Gospel Music going mostly relying on the piano, vibraphone & drums for roughly 180 seconds or so conceptually taking inspiration from shrines while “A Little Love Goes a Long Way” gives me the impression the sextet freely improvised it although I don’t consider it’s brevity to be an issue with me whatsoever. “Praise to You, Lord Jesus Christ” heads for a prominently spiritual jazz direction worshipping our Savior who died for our since while “Calvary” celebrates Black excellence in the form of this Juneteenth single.

Andy Louis takes the microphone all over “The Giver” singing with Joel’s piano backing him that God’s role as a provider of all things while “To the Throne (The Mercy Seat)” instrumentally takes a more subdued approach than a lot of the earlier cuts. The final single “Be Patient” earlier this month continues Gospel Music’s last leg taking a few moments to convey the virtue of forbearance in sonic form but after “The New Man” reveals itself to have some of the most lively performances over the course of the album, “Now & Forevermore” appropriately sends off the full-length with this heavenly grandiose outro.

For his newest offering on the Blue Note imprint, Joel Ross ends January with the most religious musical statement of his entire career composing post-bop’s answer to the biblical story in addition to simultaneously exploring his own faith & the fulfilment of his musical upbringing in the church. His deepened study & exploration into the theological & historical depths of his religious beliefs has really paid off considering he furthermore uses the opportunity of Gospel Music to fuse the intricacy of his earlier output with the accessibility of his recent material.

Score: 4.5/5

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Alla Xul Elu – “No Masters” review

Portsmouth, Ohio horrorcore trio & Long Live Evil founders Alla Xul Elu ending the 1st month of 2026 with their 7th LP. Consisting of Billy Obey as well as Joey Black & Lee Carver, they broke out a decade ago as a duo by releasing their first 2 albums Head of Horns & Sci-Co that same year. This was followed up with their 4/20-themed debut EP Necronomichron in 2017 & adding Carver into the fold shortly after, but it wasn’t until Twiztid signed them to Majik Ninja Entertainment in 2018 when the Xul Boys’ music got increasingly better. Their MNE debut The Almighty is unquestionably the greatest horrorcore album of the 2010s, their 2019 sophomore EP Church of Xul took a much darker approach, Mauxuleum made it in the top 10 of my Best Releases of 2020 list despite them ditching their signature boom bap sound for a more industrial, trap metal direction & Necronomichron 2: Dead by Bong was a superior sequel to their 4/20 EP. The Magic Xul Bus preluded their final MNE offering Gods of Evil Rise produced by Mike E. Clark, opening for Psychopathic Records & Juggalo Championship Wrestling (JCW) founders the Insane Clown Posse this past Hallowicked. A couple weeks after JCW Lunacy head writer Vince Russo crowned Facade of The Neon Blondes & Ken Anderson the new JCW American Champion & JCW World Juggalo Heavyweight Champion respectively, A.X.E. are dropping No Masters.

After the “SINTRO”, the title track begins jumping over this horror-sounding trap instrumental talking about them bowing down to no one whereas “BRINGTHEVIOLENCE” goes for a boom bap vibe & getting gorier with their pens for the Xuligans’ sake. “ONEXONE” blends industrial hip hop & trap talking about converting people at the Church of Xul leading into the 33 second Billy Obey solo cut “FROMAXE” advising to cop a shotty if anybody got a problem with someone.

“INLOVEWITHAGHOST” has a funkier vibe to the beat showing a more lustful side of Xul regarding the horror movie queens from their darkest dreams & an outro reminiscent of “Rigor Erectus” but after the “BUCKYFUCKNERS” skit, “Black” takes a darker boom bap route instrumentally talking about blackening out the sun. “FUCKLIFE” gives a middle finger to all the bullshit they’ve been fed up with & no longer looking at things on the brighter side while “CHURCHBURNER” infernally talks about being fire breathing shell blazers.

Kicking off the 2nd half, “DIEONEDAY” goes for a vintage boom bap approach stylistically reminding us that every living being will soon meet it’s demise while “REALFAKEAI” talks about the rise of AI these past couple years getting to the point where people don’t know what’s real anymore. After the “WORKOUTPLAN” skit, “UNDERNEATHTHEFLOORBOARDS” gives flowers to the horrorcore subgenre they’ve been representing for a decade while “OPPOSITEOFCHRIST” talks about there being nothing like what the Church provides.

After the minute long “CANTSAVETHEMALL” intermission from Billy Obey kinda like what “FROMAXE” was, “NOREASONWHY” featuring S.O.N. & the Super Famous Fun Time Guys brings the modern day Dark Lotus together for an LLE posse cut while “TIMEBOMB” comes across as another interlude using the same structuring “CANTSAVETHEMALL” & “FROMAXE” did. “MASKMAKER” ends No Masters talking about the Forever Faces got their name because they’re eternal, although “IGETITTWIZTID (DEALWITHTHEDEVIL)” was a nasty Twiztid diss.

Warming up for this new chapter in Alla Xul Elu’s prolific career where they have No Masters doing their own thing under Long Live Evil for all of eternity by having Billy Obey & Lee Carver going solo with both Rhymebook of the Recently Deceased & Meathead: Satanic Steakhouse this past fall, the production’s like a mix of all the sounds they’ve explored from boom bap to industrial hip hop & trap with Billy, Lee & Joey Black lyrically declaring their independence.

Score: 4.5/5

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Don Toliver – “Octane” review

This is the 5th studio LP from Houston, Texas rapper & singer/songwriter Don Toliver. Catching my attention in 2018 off his debut mixtape Donny Womack along with being featured on “Can’t Say” off the honorary WWE Hardcore Champion Travis Scott’s 3rd album ASTROWORLD signing to Cactus Jack Records literally the very next day, his full-length debut Heaven or Hell is a bit underappreciated since it came out when the pandemic started in my opinion & the sophomore effort Life of a Don was solid yet not as good. Lovesick received mixed feedback a few years ago although I appreciated that it was more conceptual, ready to push himself further than his Hardstone Records debut Hardstone Psycho did with Octane a day prior to Tommaso Ciampa ending Mark Briscoe’s reign as AEW TNT Champion.

“E85” begins with Travis Scott sampling “Chest Pain (I Love)” by Malcolm Todd so Don can sing about being on the highway with the love of his life & the mother of his child Kali Uchis whereas “Body” decently flips one of my favorite Justin Timberlake singles “Rock Your Body” thanks to BNYX of Working on Dying admitting to Kali that he goes out of control crushing over her. “Rendezvous” featuring Yeat might be my least favorite collab of theirs & it has more to do with the structuring despite the Rio Leyva instrumental while the atmospherically melodic “2ndhand” sings about Kali being all he wanted in life.

Trap, pluggnb & Memphis rap all collide during the lead single “Tiramisu” produced by Cardo speaking of wanting to spend some quality alone time with Kali Uchis leading into the infectious 2nd & final trap single “ATM” that Honorable C.N.O.T.E. cooked up spitting braggadocio. After the “Long Way to Calabasas” interlude, Wheezy goes for an acoustic trap sound for “Rosary” featuring Travis Scott continuing the themes of love while “All the Signs” featuring Teezo Touchdown ends the 1st half with an alternative R&B duet.

“Call Back” kicks off the 3rd quarter with this futuristic trap heater asking his partner when she’ll return his phone calls while the psychedelically repetitive “Tuition” talks about kinda getting fucked up at the strip club. SahBabii’s appearance on “K9” might be the weakest feature so far although I don’t mind futuristic trap approach Vendr takes instrumentally. “Excavator” combines synths, bells & hi-hats talking about being the type to go & bring her home to take her on vacation while the horn-heavy “Gemstone” courtesy of 30 Roc & FNZ asking why he’d ask a DJ to play his music when he knows it slaps.

Reaching the 4th & final act of Octane, the song “Opposite” confidently assures us he’ll still be making money when he’s no longer here with us physically while “T.M.U. (Turn Me Up)” shifts towards sample-driven cloud rap territory with the help of Internet Money Records in-house producer Synthetic continuing to tackle the subject of romance. “Pleasure’s Mine” brings the synths back in full effect singing about never picking his feet up from using it to crush the necks of his opps & “Sweet Home” sends it all off finding himself stuck in an cycle.

Hardstone Psycho has already topped Heaven or Hell because I feel like that’s where Don Toliver came into his own, but I’d have to put this new full-length behind his debut although I’d much prefer it over Life of a Don & Lovesick. The production’s more trap-oriented similarly to Octane’s predecessor exploring further elements of pop rap, cloud rap, neo-psychedelia, alternative R&B, rage, experimental hip hop & neo-soul trading 2 wheels for 4.

Score: 4/5

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fakemink – “The Boy Who Cried Terrified” review

fakemink is a 21 year old recording artist & producer from Basildon, Essex, England, United Kingdom who introduced himself in 2021 off his debut EP Dog Heater. He would go on to drop 7 more extended plays in 90,900, Real Hospitality, London’s Saviour, Wild One, Furever, Disco Biscuit & Galaxy Pavillion Club until getting co-signs from music’s biggest names like André 3000 & Clipse. “Music & Me” would also become one of my favorite singles of 2025, preluding his full-length debut Terrified by telling the story of The Boy Who Cried Terrified.

“Blow the Speaker” gets the ball rollin’ talking about turning the bass up to the highest volume it can go over a cloudy jerk instrumental whereas the self-produced “Young Millionaire” psychedelically compares himself to Lil Wayne after seeing an increase of wealth. “Dumb” might be the only song I dislike, going for a more rage-inducing vibe talking about loving it when baddies act stupid just before the adrenaline rushing “Mr. Chow” chaotically discusses working in his sleep.

We get more crossovers between cloud rap & jerk music throughout “The Mercer” flexing that he’s greater than everyone who’s washed up at this point in their careers while “Milk & Honey” talks about being aware of those wanting him to fall off when that isn’t gonna be the case anytime soon. “fml” samples “IGOR’S THEME” by Tyler, The Creator & “Rival Dealer” by Burial to end The Boy Who Cried Terrified feeling like he’s simultaneously losing it mentally & reaching his peak.

Known for taking an experimentally cloudier approach to the jerk subgenre of hip hop with a bit of a pop rap twist to it, fakemink comes off some of the biggest stamps of approval he’s ever received or other hits like “Under Your Skin” & “Easter Pink” giving us exceptionally brief dosages of what we can expect out of Terrified next month landing behind the likes of London’s Savior as well as Wild One & Furever amongst his greatest extended plays. The production also explores elements of lowend to a lesser degree, justifying his status amongst the most creative trap artists to look out for.

Score: 3.5/5

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BLAX – “Omnipotent Methodology” review

Milwaukee, Wisconsin emcee/producer BLAX returning for his 4th studio LP. Breaking out over a decade ago off his debut mixtape BLAX x Life x Files followed by the debut EP Archangels & the debut album Be Well, he temporarily changed his moniker to Armstrong Ransome for his sophomore effort Dedicated & the 2nd EP Found before returning to the BLAX moniker on the next couple EPs Angeline &Wembenyama. His last album BLAXPLOITATION a couple years ago took hip hop’s classic sound & threw some modern elements in it, hitting us with Omnipotent Methodology.

“Soul(4)caster” begins with a drumless, lo-fi instrumental talking about shooting high above the clouds whereas “Brass Railz Cabaret” goes for a jazzier vibe feeling like he’s on fire when he’s never claimed to be the hottest previously. “Oneirology” goes for a cloudier boom bap talking about the study of dreaming while “PoetGvngDevoshun(all)” takes a more soulful approach to the beat suggesting those who ain’t talking the same slang isn’t repping the same thing he is.

Continuing with the 2nd quarter, “The Ominous Mobb” combines elements of jazz & boom bap reminding the world what kind of crew people are trying to fuck with up at their spot leading into “Ya Hip Hop Weak” getting a bit more aggressive so he can lyrically rip apart everyone who be churning out bullshit regularly. “24hrs7days” experiments with trap a bit talking about have to get the money every single day of the week just before “Brew City Cab Collective” embraces a funkier tone instrumentally for some slick boasting.

“Agencement Manifesto” starts the other half of Omnipotent Methodology with another drumless beat expressing his belief that there’s no such thing as overnight success while “Young Little Ghetto Boy” does the trap style better than “24hrs7days” did showing a more conscious side to his pen. “Take a Picture” vividly portrays what it was like for his mother raising him in the ghetto over this bluesy instrumental while “Pop, Toast!” featuring Baby Blak talks about envisioning themselves catching Ws like pros shifting towards funkier territory.

To get the full-length’s last leg going, “3rd Eye Open” returns to the boom bap with a luxurious twist speaking of achieving a higher state of consciousness while “Alive Wyre!” swaps out the pianos in favor of a soul sample opting to talk his shit on this one. “Divinity Directions” incorporates some jazzier undertones touching base regarding him staying faithful to God while “Beautiful+Healthy” makes for a soulful conclusion talking about prioritizing him stacking up his money.

Putting it down for the Milwaukee underground for 2 decades already, BLAX makes another career highlight out of Omnipotent Methodology rivaling it’s predecessor in becoming amongst the greatest entries in The God Degree Records founder’s discography. The production’s mostly inspired by jazz music aside from a few detours exploring boom bap or chipmunk soul & trap, representing the culmination of the conscious lyricist’s independent grind since the 2000s.

Score: 4/5

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S.O.S. – “Unloved by God, Unwanted by Satan” review

Horrorcore duo S.O.S. consisting of Denver, Colorado emcee & Lyrikal Snuff Productionz founder Scum alongside his New Mexico underwing Smallz 1 reuniting roughy 2 & a half year since their debut with a sophomore effort. Crossing paths with one another dozens of times over a couple decades almost, they would eventually form a group together in 2022 & drop Blame Us at the Gathering of Dreams of that year’s Gathering of the Juggalos festival. They’re looking to start 2026 by taking us through the minds of a pair who’re Unloved by God, Unwanted by Satan & I was anticipating it since I’ve liked their chemistry since initially familiarizing myself with LSP.

“I Found Out” begins tosses the mic back-&-forth with each other over an industrial boom bap fusion talking about being sinners until the end whereas “Look What I Did” continues to trade more wicked bars slaughtering the sheep & tearing their eyelids off. “Hit ‘Em” aggressively talks about unloading full clips at all the detractors & hoping to strike where it really hurts just before “Imbalance” tackles the subject of mental health, speaking of having missing screws in their heads.

Things go for a quirky boom bap vibe as S.O.S. explains how life’s “A Joke” that falls on everyone from their own perspectives depending on the way others see it leading into “Kick It” dabbling with trap so they can talk about punting muhfuckas in the dick. “Self Opp” explains they don’t need any enemies due to the fact Scum & Smallz can merely harm their own selves while “Don’t Listen” talks about cancelling out all the wack bullshit cornballs try to send their way.

“It’s a Shame” was a relatable way to get the 2nd half of Unloved by God, Unwanted by Satan going by wishing they could go back & undo all the things they’re ashamed of while “6°” blends some pianos & hi-hats trading gory bars with each other. “Backed into a Corner” angrily compares themselves to hungry wolves over more trap production while the trap metal-inspired “Woosah” dedicates itself to anyone who likes to start mosh pits.

The song “Ikarus Fall” produced by Godsynth winds down the last several minutes of S.O.S.’s 2nd album on some cloudy trap shit talking about Team Snuff being the gang & the rest needing to duck from the Gore Hop family while “U Disgust Me” eerily expresses disparaging feelings they have towards their victims prior to cutting them up. “It Don’t Matter” finishes the full-length with Smallz & Scum over pianos & hi-hats 1 last time talking about nobody caring if one of us dies or falls.

Scum & Smallz 1 elevate themselves throughout S.O.S.’ follow-up to their debut roughly 3 & a half years ago did an exciting job of bringing everything that made their previous collaborations so entertaining & Unloved by God, Unwanted by Satan puts itself right behind Blame Us enhancing all it’s perks. There are no issues with the prominent back-&-forth delivery nor the production, but I wouldn’t mind a feature or 2 whenever the underground’s equivalent to the current AAA Mundial Mixtas Parejas Campeons in the inaugural 2-time WWE Women’s United States Champion Chelsea Green & the current NXT North American Champion Ethan Page decides to make another body of work.

Score: 3.5/5

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42 Dugg – “Part 3” review

Detroit, Michigan rapper & singer/songwriter 42 Dugg back with his 5th mixtape. His breakout debut EP 11241 Wayburn in 2018 would catch the attention of both Yo Gotti & Lil Baby, who jointly signed him to their respective labels Collective Music Group & CBFW Records shortly after. Dugg’s profile continued to grow in a year later when he dropped his debut tape Young & Turnt, which was followed up last year by the sequel Young & Turnt 2& the mature Free Dem Boyz. He returned last summer dropping 4eva Us Never Them, closing out the 11241 Rayburn AND the Young & Turnt trilogies combining the final chapter of both throughout Part 3.

“I.D.B. (I Done Been)” moderately starts off talking about his experiences of previously being shot past muhfuckas whereas “Fake Friends” produced by 30 Roc taking shots at those specific type of people. “It Is What It Is” featuring Lil Baby & Rylo Rodriguez finds the trio talking about the real ones always catching Ws leading into “No Fakin’” featuring EST G reunites the 2 so they can give off more gangsta rap vibes lyrically although the Republican line at the end of EST G’s verse seems kinda tacky.

Reaching the halfway point, “Still on Dat” featuring G Herbo trades verses with one another without the need of a hook portraying the gangsta lifestyle once more just before “Thick One” featuring Skilla Baby joins forces over a Helluva beat talking about their preference in women. “We Not Done” makes it clear he’s still trapping’ even after his music career has taken off continuing to sell bricks & pints while “To the Side” featuring Glorilla employs a back-&-forth delivery again, except I like it more than “Still on Dat”.

“Going Through It” winds down the last few minutes of Part 3 taking a more introspective approach to his songwriting, talking about missing all of his friends & children admitting that he has no idea if he’ll get the chance of seeing a couple of them ever again while “It Get Deeper 3” featuring Doughboy Clay finishes with a Detroit trap cut where they’re sharing the microphone & trying to triple their bags since street money’s the only thing either one of them have come to know.

Being somebody who considers 42 Dugg to be amongst the greatest CMG signings alongside Glorilla & Mozzy, I have to admit Part 3 being the conclusion of the 11241 Rayburn and Young & Turnt series left me somewhat disappointed considering some of my favorite songs appear on those earlier installments although it’s very much average at best. I commend him for revisiting the concepts of that earlier material, but the overabundance of guests & some of the production choices can be somewhat spotty.

Score: 3/5

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