Logic – “Aquarius III” review

Maryland rapper, singer/songwriter, producer, author & Twitch streamer Logic preluding Phonkadelic with a new EP. Emerging just over a decade ago off the strength of the first 3 installments of the Young Sinatra mixtape series. His potential would continually be shown on his first 2 albums Under Pressure & The Incredible True Story. However, it’s no secret that the quality of his music took a nosedive from Bobby Tarantino to Supermarket or the unlikeable bitterness of Confessions of a Dangerous Mind. No Pressure however was a mature sequel to his full-length debut & I also thought the Doc D concept mixtape Planetory Destruction was decent too, but Bobby Tarantino III was pretty underwhelming. His final offering for Def Jam Recordings that dropped couple summers ago Vinyl Days happened to be his most artistically definitive yet. College Park & Ultra 85 was his strongest since Vinyl Days, but is compiling leftovers from that recent LP onto Aquarius III.

“This is the Way” samples ”Sittin’ Sidewayz” by Paul Wall thanks to Bobby Boy Records in-house producer 6 talking about rappin’ until he’s dead & gone whereas the self-produced “French Dispatch” takes a groovier route instrumentally explaining that music, family & movies are his 3 favorite things. “Not a Game” playfully suggests a change in the rap game while “Universe” nocturnally talks getting paper courtesy of Soundtrakk & the weight off his shoulders. “A Message From My Younger Self” rounds out the EP with a spoken word piece that was recorded in the summer of 2011.

Phonkadelic is said to be a huge stylistic departure for Logic since Juicy J will be executive producing it & the overall sound will be influenced by the phonk subgenre of trap artists like the $uicideboy$ & more recently Ouija Macc have become known for, so for Bobby to drop off an EP’s worth of Ultra 85 outtakes will do fine until then. The production continues to be more interesting now that he’s been off a major label for a few years at this point & the themes of these tracks would’ve fit in with the rest of his previous album without any objection.

Score: 3.5/5

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Napoleon da Legend – “Great Minds” review

This is the 29th studio LP from French-American emcee Napoleon da Legend. Heads in the underground should already be familiar with him due to the lengthy discography that he’s built up for himself for nearly the past decade including Coup D’État, it’s sequel, Street Universe, Dragon Ball G, the Sicknature-produced Colossus of GOATS, Buckets or the DJ D-Styles-produced Invincibl Rap Mislz & the DJ Rhettmatic-produced Legmatic. 8 months later, he & JR Swiftz are coming together on Great Minds.

“Death Star Lazer Beam” kicks things off with this airy boom bap intro talking about not wasting time & making money with his whereas “Raining Sledgehammers” aggressively sends a message to everyone who thought it was over for him. “Destroy Your Ego” sets out to dismantle the egos of everyone who ain’t willing to go the distance just before “Pride” maintains a dusty edge feeling like failure coming up similarly to the reaper.

Moving on from there, “K.O.B. (Knock Out Blow)” keeps it in the basement referencing WWE Hall of Famer Mike Tyson while “My Truth” featuring REKS finds the 2 linking up to apply lyrical pressure. “Sniperific” featuring Nejma Nefertiti rawly demands respect & $1M each while “Righteous” featuring Awon gets together to talk about their grind being unbelievable. “Sistine Gravel” concludes Great Minds on a piano-driven note cautioning no one wants smoke with him.

Napoleon usually comes out with more than 1 project a year in contrast to Legmatic being his only 2024 offering but either way: Great Minds continues to maintain the high level of quality that its predecessor achieved. JR Swiftz’ boom bap production carries the Griselda sound over strongly & Napoleon himself taking 8 months off to focus on making this another standout in his vast discography feels evident.

Score: 4.5/5

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Gloom Unit – “Come Heavy II: Mo Heavy” review

This is the 2nd EP from west coast horrorcore duo the Gloom Unit consisting of Acetone Boogie & Frankie Goldie. One of whom comes straight out of Tucson, Arizona & the other representing Sin City Las Vegas, Nevada respectively as part of the Swamp Society collective. Acetone’s been putting it down for the underground for over a decade at this point putting out a total of 3 solo LPs as of me writing this review & Frankie has been establishing himself artistically by doing a couple features & even releasing 2 solo singles. Come Heavy last New Year’s Day produced by Devereaux was a phat introduction to the unit & are returning 12 months later unloading Mo Heavy.

After the “Mo Heavy” intro, the first song “Money Makin’” is a dark-synth trap opener telling everyone to move out the way so they can get to the bread whereas “Honey Berry” takes a tropical trap vibe to the beat getting on their Gloom type shit. “D.M.M.D.I. (Devil Made Me Do It)” heads for a cloudier direction asking for people to check their shit in since they need it leading into “Denzel” calling for the roof to burn.

“No Sleep” continues the other half of Come Heavy II: Mo Heavy by Frankie Goldie atmospherically gettin’ on his count-up shit while “Raindance” manically declares that the Unit be running every piece of the underground at this point. “This is How It Endz” wraps up the duo’s 2nd EP with an Acetone Boogie solo cut that he dropped last spring by working in some sampling walking alone under the moonlight.

Over a whole year since Come Heavy marked their introduction to the the world, the Gloom Unit are back with another EP carrying over every single thing that made it’s predecessor a fun New Year’s listen as Devereaux expands on their dark trap sound in favor of drawing inspiration from cloud rap to the Memphis scene & both MCs leveling up their chemistry after a whole 54 weeks.

Score: 4.5/5

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Mac Miller – “Balloonerism” review

2nd posthumous outing & 7th full-length studio LP overall from Pittsburgh’s very own Mac Miller. The man exploded onto the scene in the 2010s with a handful of projects including K.I.D.S. (Kickin’ Incredibly Dope Shit), Macadelic, Watching Movies with the Sound Off, Faces & GO:OD AM. The final album of his lifetime Swimming was inspired by his breakup with Ariana Grande & he tragically passed away only a month later. A sequel to Swimming produced by Jon Brion called Circles stands as one of the best posthumous offerings in recent memory & Balloonerism is looking to do the same.

After the “Tambourine Dream” intro, the first song “DJ’s Chord Organ” by SZA starts off by singing over the late Daniel Johnston’s chord organ about running around & the ruthlessness of cocaine whereas “Do You Have a Destination?” cloudily asks where you’re going. “$5 Pony Rides” produced with Thundercat crosses over neo-soul, jazz rap, contemporary R&B, pop soul & funk reflecting on a complex, emotionally distant relationship while “Friendly Hallucinations” takes the mellow boom bap route talking about paradise waiting on the other side of the dock.

“Mrs. Deborah Downer” continues the atmospherically dusty vibes instrumentally admitting that everything feels slow to him leading into “Stoned” keeping the kicks & snares in tact to talk about wanting to get high with his romantic interest. “Shangri-La” wants to know exactly how super a supermodel really is on top of this lo-fi boom bap beat, but then “Funny Papers” takes the negatives & positives of what somebody might read in a newspaper while reflecting similarly on his own emotions

As for “Excelsior”, we have Mac hooking up more kicks & snares with a piano thrown in asking when did life become so serious while “Transformations” marks the return of the Delusional Thomas alter ego. “Manakins” talks about there being no such thing as freedom returning to the boom bap prior to “Rick’s Piano” pondering what death’s like playing Rick Rubin’s piano, but then “Tomorrow Will Never Know” ends Balloonerism asking if the dead have dreams like the rest of us.

Over a decade later & recorded around the same time as Faces, the 2nd posthumous offering in Mac’s discography shares a lot of the same key characteristics that made Faces his most acclaimed mixtape. His production builds around the sounds of jazz rap, east coast hip hop, neo-soul, cloud rap, neo-psychedelia & experimental hip hop showcasing both the breadth of his musical talents & fearlessness as an artist.

Score: 4.5/5

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1 Man Kru – “Overthrowing the Underground” review

Alabama emcee, producer, professional wrestler, martial artist, boxer, actor, graphic designer, video editor, content creator & audio engineer 1 Man Kru ringing in 2025 by releasing his 3rd full-length studio LP. A founding member of the Keepaz of the Krypt, he would even put out a couple solo albums & an EP of his own until becoming an in-house producer for the Insane Clown Posse’s label that runs beneath the streets Psychopathic Records for the early part of this decade after meeting them the Legends & Icons show Juggalo Championship Wrestling (JCW) produced. However, he fell out with the clowns due to $20K in unpaid royalties after production during the original Yum Yum Bedlam sessions landed on the Krypt Keepaz’ comeback effort The Astronomic Dr. Khronik almost 2 years ago. 21 months later, he’s Overthrowing the Underground.

After the “Burial” intro, the first song “Fuck You Motherfucker” is this an eerie trap opener with an unnecessary line referencing Violent J’s daughter being a furry & the title track featuring Project Pat after the “Robbery” skit maintains a trap vibe seeking to be the next kings of the underground with 1 Man Kru taking shots at J in his verses again while “Respect on My Name” by the Keepaz of the Krypt featuring MC Eiht finds the trio putting their detractors to shame.

“The Business” featuring Juicy J finds the pair linking up for a Memphis club banger wanting skinny model bitches leading into the 3rd single “Street College” featuring The Game giving the listeners some old head knowledge & Game reusing his verse from “Underworld Degen” by G. Twilight, although it sounds better here. “In the Building” featuring Kurupt mixes trap & g-funk together boasting their gangsta ties & after the “Awakening” interlude, the lead single “Off with Their Heads” featuring Krayzie Bone & Twista aggressively calls for their detractors to be decapitated & 1 Man Kru dissing Violent J in his verse again.

WWE Hall of Famer Snoop Dogg appears on the dark 2nd single “Hard Times” talking about that being the very reason that they hustle & take what’s theirs while “Fancy Bitch” by the Keepaz of the Krypt featuring Too $hort after the “Interrogation” skit gets back on the party tip explaining their preferences in women. “No Future in Your Fronting” by the Keepaz of the Krypt featuring Gucci Mane & LB~Sickning is another trap cut staying busy hustling while “Afterlife” by the Keepaz of the Krypt featuring Xzibit mixes organs & hi-hats feeling like it’s too late for them to reach heaven.

“Dear God” has one of the most awkward flows throughout Overthrowing the Underground despite the beat dabbling with drill music & bringing a Holy atmosphere to the table with it asking for the Higher Power to save him from these drugs that he’s been on while the closer “Suck My Dick” featuring Bizarre, Kuniva & Swifty McVay of D12 sends off the LP with all 4 of them delivering a dedication to the shooters & killers.

This guy’s production on the “Bewitching” intro off the Yum Yum’s Lure EP few years ago is still one of the very few moments on there that I still enjoy even years after he fell out with Psychopathic as someone who respects the clowns & juggalos. Compared to both its predecessors on the other hand, I don’t think Overthrowing the Underground is as great as Legend of the Earth. I don’t mind the prominent trap sound whatsoever since my issues more so lies with some of the guests’ verses being recycled from previously released material as opposed to being newly recorded except a few of them actually sounding better & even 1 Man Kru himself occasionally faltering in a couple of his performances conceptually built around his beef with the clowns.

Score: 2.5/5

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Jae Skeese – “40 Hours” review

Buffalo, New York emcee Jae Skeese is back for the 4th EP in his discography. Starting in 2010 off his debut mixtape W.A.C.K. (Women, Alcohol, Cash & Kicks), it wasn’t until a decade later where he & 7xvethegenius gained wide exposure as the first signees to Conway the Machine’s very own Drumwork Music Group. The Big Ghost Ltd.-produced 3rd EP Authenticity Check & the sophomore effort Abolished Uncertainties both elevated Skeese’s popularity in the last couple years. Coming off the Superior-produced Testament of the Times & elevating from Ground Level though, he’s starting 2025 right by putting 40 Hours in.

“Balance Inquiry” is this jazzy boom bap intro wanting to know what the holdup exactly is whereas “Rotary Phone” talking about the real ones always breaching through the walls at the end of the day. “Buffganistan” featuring Glueski dabbles with trap trading back-&-forth refusing to go broke while “FedEx” works the kicks & snares back up to talk about piecing it all together.

The song “Strike!” featuring K Pi$tol & Lil Jonezy reaches the backend of 40 Hours vibrantly boasting that this shit be larger than life itself leading into “Way Up” featuring Scoop Dolla fusing soul & jazz rap 1 time for ya mind. “Round & Round” concludes the EP hopping over a sample to read between the lines talking about finding once you set out to seek. The first bonus track “Toast Up” links with Ill Tone warming up for something greater & “Banditland” featuring Chasè Scanz ends the deluxe with a triumphant ode to Buffalo.

Looking to put on a handful of local artists & a couple producers, Skeese delivers vibes & bars for the Drumwork fanbase although I personally find myself gravitating towards the Ground Level mixtape that he delivered last summer. The production a lot like that previous body of work balances boom bap & trap except its predecessor contains stronger feature performances.

Score: 3/5

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Tha God Fahim – “Dump Gawd: Hyperbolic Time Chamber Rap 4” review

Remember when I said Tha God Fahim & one of the best producers of this decade Nicholas Craven wrapped up the Hyperbolic Time Chamber Rap trilogy couple weeks ago? They’re picking up where they felt off on Fahim’s 50th EP. 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 of their own however, Dump Gawd: Hyperbolic Time Chamber Rap 4 is now upon us.

“GFY” is this sample-driven opener flexing that he fathered some of these styles in the underground with a resume that very much checks out whereas the soulful “Got Game” reminding everyone that it’s about what you bring to the table. “I Don’t Care” hooks up some strings so he can call himself the final boss of rap & the classy “Muscle Mass” talks about seeing people do a whole switch.

The song “Plot Armor” gets the other half of the EP going for a soulful boom bap route instrumentally referring to himself as a metric ton being compared to grams while “Questions & Answers” keeps the kicks & snares in tact to talk about his colossal posture sampling soul music once more. “Righteous Skills” wraps up Dump Gawd: Hyperbolic Time Chamber Rap 4 with a jazzier sound flexing that he’s turned negatives to positive many times in his career.

Many people regard the original Hyperbolic Time Chamber Rap trilogy to be mid, but he’s continuing the saga by ending 2024 strong & coming in 2025 even stronger since it’s general sound is more very compared to its predecessors. Nicholas Craven’s sample-heavy production draws inspiration from boom bap to drumless, chipmunk soul & jazz rap dumpin’ lyrical heat for 17 minutes.

Score: 4.5/5

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Eric the Red – “The Red Alert” review

Bristol, England, United Kingdom emcee Eric the Red starting 2025 with his 3rd studio LP. Known for being the brother of Illinformed & Real Life Drama Records co-founder Leaf Dog of The Four Owls, he would also become 1/3 of the Creatures of Habit & 1/4 of NLP in addition to forming his own label Lost Scroll Records almost a decade ago. His compositional solo EP Basement Blues dropped in 2016 & the In My Element beat tape followed as did the Illinformed-produced debut album Caught Red Handed. Coming off Broken Ear Drum & more recently the sophomore effort Painting da Town Red under Illin’ for Meds Records, he’s having Leaf fully produce The Red Alert a few weeks after Michael Oku became a 2-time RPW British Heavyweight Champion.

“Wins & Sins” begins with a symphonic boom bap instrumental talking about having to risk yourself in part of making your dreams come true whereas “The Good, the Bad & the Druggies” works in some pianos speaking of benefiting his by pushing buggies or moving weight for baby necessities. “Place of the Lost” featuring Verbz finds the 2 dismissing their competition’s reputation for being a parody of itself just before the crooning “Champagne” featuring Leaf Dog talks about delivering Christmas presents via a spaceship in 2021.

“Candies”, we have Leaf flipping organs mixing some kicks & snares in the picture for Eric to get more sexual lyrically leading into “Black Hole Wisdom” featuring Killah Priest soulfully linking the 2 up so they individually hold their own composure dissecting the track together. “The Fish Scale Tale” chops up more soul samples talking about the downsides of cocaine addiction while the jazzy boom bap fusion “Bentley” talks about people becoming envious of Lost Scroll’s success.

“Bad Luck” reaches the halfway point of The Red Alert hauntingly shrugging off the idea that he’d look back at his past feeling remorseful while the 109 second “Asgard” featuring Leaf Dog jazzily reunites the 2 siblings on the mic to drop lyrical braggadocio. “Shut It All Down” also featuring Leaf Dog sticks around so both of the Leigh Brothers can talk about being professionals with the mic while “Don’t Be Scared” features Leaf Dog again likening themselves to sleeping giants.

Eric holds the fort down by himself again for “Duck & Dive” hopping over a violin-infused beat talking about conquering the whole entire map with Leaf but after “Takes Practice” carries over the orchestral boom bap aesthetics explaining that it takes preparation to acquire the kind of skills has, “Sepia” soulfully advises those looking for a sign to hold their loved ones closely & grief doesn’t become easier the more time passes.

“Pappa’s Brothers” featuring Leaf Dog kicks off The Red Alert’s final moments talking about burning weed tags by the numbers & laughing at undercover cops driving past them due to them being so wild while “3 Kings” featuring Leaf Dog & Sonnyjim hops over a prominent woodwind for all 3 of them to flex their royalty status. “Last Lesson” finishes with Eric talking about smoking kush to help him sleep at night & his squad being a bunch of baboons hopping off the balcony spraying up houses.

I’ve been hoping for Eric the Red to have Leaf Dog produce an entire body of work for a minute now & since The Red Alert has arrived, I’d comfortably rank it in the top 3 amongst the Lost Scroll CEO’s discography alongside Caught Red Handed & Painting da Town Red. Leaf’s boom bap production is more rawer than Illinformed’s jazzier sound obviously, his 6 guest appearances all combined make a great showcasing at both Leigh’s’ performative chemistry & Eric going as hard as he did a year earlier.

Score: 4/5

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Doggystyleeee – “Blame It on My Crippin’” review

San Bernardino, California emcee Doggystyleeee linking up with longtime collaborator AC3Beats for his 4th EP. Emerging in the fall of 2019 off his full-length debut Into Somethin’, he would go on to put out his last 3 EPs as well as 5 mixtapes & a couple more albums garnering interest to the point where WWE Hall of Famer Snoop Dogg whose cousin Mercedes Moné is the current AEW tbs Champion, 新日本プロレス STRONG女子チャンピオン & now RPW British Women’s Champion this past week following the current AEW International Champion 竹下幸之介 becoming the new NEVER無差別級チャンピオン at レスリング • キングダム19 almost signed him to Death Row Records not too long after purchasing the label from MNRK Music Group to revive it. His last tape No Features Needed dropped last summer holding down a half hour’s worth of material by himself without any guests.

“Nightmare Off Evan’s St.” samples the Halloween theme for a g-funk intro warning that you’ll get shot if you fuck around with him whereas “Bacc on My Bullshit” throws it back even further to the early 90s west coast scene refusing to hang with lames. “Don’t Claim Me” clarifies that he doesn’t have a bitch currently while “Footsteps” embraces the g-funk sound further telling his new romantic interest to keep it g.

Trizz joins Doggystyleeee on “I Bet You Never Had” maintains a g-funk flare as they tell the women that they’re currently seeing they ain’t never had anyone like them just before “Nothin’ Like Yo Last” featuring Big Motion, Judy Drama, Rae Monique & $inClar3 comes off as a female counterpart of the previous track. The song “On Safety” brings the g-funk vibes back tryna find his way & “Nothin’ 2 Somethin’” ends by reflecting on his success.

Gearing up for his upcoming 4th album set to come later on in the year, Blame It on My Crippin’ preludes it with Doggystyleeee got one of the very producers who’s always brought the best outta him since he started to blow to help him craft a 24 & a half minute 8-track EP putting a bit of a new school twist on the g-funk gangsta rap that dominated the westside 3 decades ago.

Score: 4/5

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Rio da Yung O.G. – “Rio Free” review

This is the sophomore full-length studio LP from Flint, Michigan rapper & M.I.N.E. Entertainment founder Rio da Yung O.G. home from behind bars. Breaking through the local trap scene during the latter portion of the previous decade under the mentorship of Peezy signing to #Boyz Entertainment in tandem with EMPIRE Distribution, he has since put out his last 9 EPs as well as a full-length debut album & a handful of collaborative projects under his belt all over the duration of 7 years. Rio Circa 2020 was a solid EP celebrating his 30th birthday & we’re here 8 months to celebrate Rio Free.

“Yung O.G.” happens to be this synth-driven Detroit trap intro demanding everyone brings their cheddar out now that he’s in the streets again whereas “Shake Back” comes through with a club banger clarifying his only concern being getting his weight back. “Do Dat” tears down his competition mixing Detroit trap & Mobb music leading into “Me & Marc” talking about going from sitting incarcerated to a Maybach.

Moving on from there, “Uncle Sam” warns that he might pull up with a strap & everything he says ain’t cap at all just before “Off-Rap” wanting to know how he got indicted when he ain’t ever cooked powder. The title track makes a clear statement that it’s his time now while “We Dem Niggas” reps M.I.N.E. & #Boyz Entertainment while “W.Y.D.T. (What You Do Today?) asks a question for the broke. “Rap War” concludes Rio Free by daring everyone to bring their dogs out.

“Something Happen” kicks off the deluxe run with some bells gearing up to a start a fire up in this muhfucka while “4 Minutes of Hell” holds it down for that exact length of time rappin’ without a hook. “Coincidence” asks how the fuck y’all became broke when he was in jail & him being rich soon as he came home while “Booked Summer” talks about his son loving money as much as he does never wanting any toys.

As for “Make a Way”, we have Rio assuring that he still has the wheel except he can’t steer straight these days getting by with 25 racks while “We Need a Pilot” talks about needing to sit down for a minute due to him consuming too many pills. “2:52am in Atlanta” lays a trap out in order to catch a mouse while “Cousin Killed” talks about slime shit resulting in his cousin’s death. “Crash Dummy” admits that he cries even with his gangsta status & the final bonus track “Claressa Shields” gives his flowers to the Flint boxer & MMA fighter.

For only a 54 minute follow-up to the full-length debut turning 5 this spring, Rio da Yung O.G. gears up for his homecoming show at the Masonic Temple tomorrow by dropping one of the most pivotal offerings in his discography yet. He refrains from having any guests join him in contrast to Rio Circa 2020 containing features half of the time letting the Detroit trap scene that he’s a key figure of know that he’s returned as if he was never locked up.

Score: 4/5

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