Chino XL – “Darkness & Other Colors” review

This is the 6th full-length studio LP albeit posthumous debut from East Orange, New Jersey emcee Chino XL. Breaking out in the mid-90s after signing to American Recordings & releasing the classic full-length debut Here to Save You All, he eventually went on to beef with 2Pac & I genuinely feel sorry for anyone who writes him off to this day 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 last summer & that became a near-flawless comeback, so I was interested in hearing Darkness & Other Colors recorded back in 2020 ahead of God’s Carpenter 2 following Chino’s passing this summer.

The self-produced “Words in the Color of Death” sets the tone of the album perfectly morbidly acknowledging his departure from beyond the grave whereas “Sermon in Crimson” works in a drumlessly symphonic loop talking about putting bars over bullshit. “Sepia Files from the Last Supper” hooks up a boom bap instrumental so he can take selfies at the final meal Jesus shared with his apostles in Jerusalem prior to “The Red You Deserve” finding Body Bag Ben keeping things in the basement flexing he’s iller than anyone who’s still alive.

After the organ heavy “Saged Sleep” interlude, “Byzantium Darkness” mixes this eerie backdrop with kicks & snares addressing the darkness that was following him at that point in time leading into “Blue Obsidian (Been Telling You)” strips the drums once again telling anyone who’s listening to this that he’s in the darkness with all of them. “Burn in Ivory” returns to the boom bap airing out those who ain’t ever stand beside him just before the somber, guitar-driven “Black Room” talks about getting back to people from the titular room.

“Lumps of Silver” samples soul & rock declaring that absolutely nothing can break him regardless of him suffering greatly while “Grey Discipline” featuring Eto after the “Chardikala (Chardi Color)” interlude DJ Sam Seed helped put together grittily talks about others only respecting the bickering instead of the discipline. The spine-tingling “Lifted Gods Auburn” featuring Sauce Money shows off the wild style both MCs are known for & “Vanilla Sky” ends the LP soulfully reassures listeners he’s still alive within lucid dreams.

I’m well aware of the drama between Chino’s estate & Holy Toledo Productions founder/A&R extraordinaire M80 surrounding the release of this album but I gotta admit as someone who admires Chino’s art, I can see why M80 wanted to drop Darkness & Other Colors since it very much offers explanation that he was clearly adamant of perfecting it back in 2020 when he was still here with us during the COVID lockdowns.

Score: 4/5

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Psycho Les – “Escape the Matrix” review

Psycho Les is a 52 year old MC/producer from Queens, New York notable for being 1/2 of The Beatnuts alongside Juju as well as 1/5 of the Liknuts supergroup with Tha Alkaholiks. He eventually started carving a path for himself as a solo artist in the spring of 2007 with the debut album Psycho Therapy & returning almost a decade later for the weed-themed, feature-heavy sophomore effort Dank God. Ahead of the Real Psychos’ eponymous debut with B-Real next month, Eric Bobo & Stu Bangas are getting together to help Escape the Matrix on his 1st solo EP.

“S.O.S.” starts by spitting conscious lyricism over a boom bap instrumental cautioning of the world we know it today being in danger & considering yourself lucky if you’re still alive refusing to get on his Chuck D shit whereas “Crooks” featuring Snyp Life works in more kicks & snares with a delicate backdrop referring to themselves as the last ones of their kind pleading for everyone to take facts over fear. “Fire” featuring Blahzay Blahzay properly ends the EP with Outloud joining Les with PF Cuttin’ on the scratching to talk about the world burning.

Dank God had its high points, but I’ve always felt like it was overloaded with features in comparison to Psycho Therapy. And although Escape the Matrix only became a 3-track EP instead of a full-length studio album, what it offers in nearly 10 minutes is better than a lot of what was on that previous LP almost a decade ago. Eric Bobo & Stu Bangas both recapture the magic of their production throughout their Empires collaborative effort on 4/20 2021 keeping it underground traditional boom bap vibes alive & Les himself offers more politically conscious subject matter.

Score: 4/5

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Sule – “Written on Wide’s Corner 2” review

This is the 9th EP from Englewood, New Jersey emcee Sule. Signing to Benny the Butcher’s very own Black Soprano Family Records at the end of 2022 after putting out 7 EPs over the course of a decade, he’s also notable for his guest verse on the Biggest Since Camby closing track “White Lives Matter” produced by Havoc formerly of Mobb Deep & of course the well received Black Soprano debut Written on Wide’s Corner earlier this spring. Fast forward to Election Day 2024, we’re being treated to a sequel.

“New Jersey State of Mind” is a boom bap opener, letting us know what it was like for him growing up in the titular state whereas “Trois Sopranois” featuring Benny the Butcher & Fuego Base finds the trio representing B$F to the fullest for a few minutes. “Victor Cruz” produced by STREETRUNNER offers a soulful trap flare referencing the WR for the New York Giants, but then “Cutz” featuring Flames Dot Malik gets the 2 together for an aggressive hardcore hip hop joint breaking generational curses.

To start the other half, “My Brother’s Keeper” soulfully talks being known for making promises instead of threats while “Sule Common Wealth” featuring Lo Pro works in more kicks & snares so they can refer to themselves as the same ones who ran it. “I Made You Wealthy” featuring Fuego Base maintains a boom bap flare addressing people who’ve betrayed them after making them rich & “The Crash Out Story” ends by teaching everyone to leave their valuables at the stash house.

Sule has quickly risen to become one of the best artists on the Black Soprano Family roster in the past 8 months & in contrast to Written on Wide’s Corner achieving his goal of making Englewood a landmark, the follow-up elevates that further. The production is a mix of boom bap & trap just like the predecessor was, a couple of the guests stick the landing performance-wise & the New Jersey artist himself continues to tell us what it’s like where he’s from.

Score: 4/5

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SoFaygo – “Pressure” review

This is the 14th EP from Cobb County, Georgia rapper SoFaygo. Cementing himself as one of the biggest faces in the plugg/pluggnB & rage scenes in recent memory, he’s since gone on to drop a dozen EPs & it’s even resulted in Houston trap trailblazer Travis Scott signing him signed to a Cactus Jack Records for his long awaited full-length debut Pink Heartz couple years back even though reception towards it was generally mixed. He coincided with the 1-year anniversary of both him making it on the XXL Freshman Class & the release of B4Pink with Go+, returning to once again apply Pressure.

“Big Body” produced by thr6x starts by mixing trap & pop rap together melodically flexing that he’s been on that shit hopping out of the big bodies whereas “Road Rage” takes a bit of a psychedelic trap route instrumental staying geeked 24/7 including a dope reference to Nettspend. “Pointers / Act Up” is a 2-parter to begin the other half of Pressure rockin’ out with the diamonds around his neck making plays in the field & “Minute Maid” properly ties up the EP with an incredibly loud snare leaving the bank boasting that he might let it rain.

There’s been a lot of speculation in regards to whether or not SoFaygo had actually quit making music & not only did he debunk all of that by surprise releasing a 4-track 10 minute EP, but one that serves as a prequel to his upcoming sophomore effort Mania that was originally conceived as a sequel to his 2019 EP War. Even if I think the production is average for the most part, his performances aren’t too bad.

Score: 3.5/5

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Ella Mai – “3” review

London, England, United Kingdom singer/songwriter Ella Mai celebrating her 30th birthday with her 4th EP. Signing to DJ Mustard’s very own Interscope Records imprint 10 Summers Records, her first few EPs Time as well as Change & Ready were all solid preludes ahead of her acclaimed eponymous full length debut studio album. Her sophomore effort Heart on My Sleeve would also be well received & 2 years later, she’s dropping off a 3-track offering produced by Mustard.

“Hearts on Deck” is this infectiously catchy ass opener singing about how this person’s next move better be the best one whereas “One of Those” samples I’ll Be Around” by Gnarls Barkley frontman Cee-Lo Green of the Goodie Mob subunit of the Dungeon Family collective admitting that she can’t get her boyfriend Jayson Tatum of the Boston Celtics off her mind. “Little Things” ends the EP on some trap soul vibes wanting to take some time thank y’all & just let you know just how you make her proud.

Introducing a fresh chapter in Mai’s career now that her 20s are behind her, 3 finds her & DJ Mustard’s reinforcing her signature soulful sound bringing listeners into a journey of love, connection & self-awareness. It also mirrors her personal growth & evolution, aligning beautifully with the themes of maturity & discovery reflected throughout the course of a 10 & a half minute listening experience without any features whatsoever.

Score: 4/5

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Freddie Gibbs – “You Only Die 1nce” review

Indiana emcee Freddie Gibbs returning after Halloween for his 5th LP. Coming up in 2004 with his debut mixtape Full Metal Jackit. he would then sign to Interscope Records for a brief period of time until he left without dropping an album with them. This was made up for with the mixtapes The Miseducation of Freddie Gibbs & Str8 Killa No Filla, which would catch the attention of Jeezy & land Freddie a contract with CTE World in 2011. However, Gibbs eventually left CTE the following year after releasing the tapes Cold Day in Hell & B.F.K. (BabyFace Killa). In 2013, he decided to form his own label E$GN Records & finally dropped the full-length album E.$.G.N. (Evil $eeds Grow Naturally). He & iconic Oxnard producer Madlib would drop their MadGibbs debut Piñata the year after that, which is EASILY one of the greatest hip hop albums of the previous decade. Gibbs continued to grow his profile after that with Shadow of a Doubt, You Only Live 2wice, Freddie, the Curren$y collab EP Fetti & who can forget MadGibbs’ sophomore effort Bandana or Alfredo produced by The Alchemist? E$GN signed a new distribution deal with Warner Records in tandem with $oul $old $eparately to positive reception & returning to that You Only Live 2wice essence on You Only Die 1nce.

“Status” is this drumless intro talking about currently being at the throne of the rap game whereas “Cosmo” works in these exuberant ass piano chords continuing to win as long as everyone else keeps singin’. “Wolverine” produced by 454 stays in the castle since the streets ain’t worth the hassle hookin’ up some layering & background vocals, but then the soulful trap crossover “Brick Fees” gets in his hustler bag.

Moving on from there, “Rabbit Island” discusses life being exactly what you make of it over this calming & crisp instrumental while “It’s Your Anniversary” offers a west coast flare likening his MCing abilities to that of a crack attack. After the “Nobody Like You” interlude, “30 Girlfriends (Yeah Yeah)” shifts into a lush trap direction refusing to let anyone make a move on him just before the highlight “Steel Doors” that BNYX of Working on Dying laced with iloveit! seals his legacy.

“Walk It Off” starts the final leg of You Only Die 1nce on the symphonic trap tip courtesy of 454 pointing out how everyone wants to see us against each other while the chilled out “Ruthless” featuring Leon Thomas III on the remix thanks to Freddie’s manager Lambo interestingly talks about maintaining the titular mentality. “Origami” finds BNYX excellently dabbling with boom bap so Gibbs can try to get paid & “On the Set” gives his flowers to the late Rich Homie Quan.

Coming off one of the best verses of his entire career on “Back to Me” off ¥$’ debut album Vultures at the beginning of the year, You Only Die 1nce proves quite the treat for devotees for his razor-sharp raps. The production ranges from boom bap to drumless, jazz rap & trap holding off on having any guests join him, giving himself further room for the Freddie Kane persona’s return now that he’s off Warner.

Score: 3.5/5

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Bishop Nehru – “Solace in Shadows” review

New York emcee/producer Bishop Nehru self-producing his 3rd LP. Starting out dropping a couple beat tapes before emerging in the underground off the solid debut mixtape Nehruvia, he profile would only begin to increase in 2014 by signing to Mass Appeal Records & form the duo NehruvianDOOM alongside the late MF DOOM & putting out an overlooked self-titled effort together that same fall. Bishy would leave Mass Appeal a couple years later to drop 2 full-lengths Elevators & My Disregarded Thoughts on his own, both of which I look at as some of the best shit he’s ever done. He would also drop 7 EPs & 5 more mixtapes, the most recent being Kult Life: From Pain to Paintings. To start November though, Nehru’s finding Solace in Shadows.

“Seeking Solace” is a heavy sample-driven opener talking about Bishy Chulo searching for comfort whereas “I Don’t Know” soulfully promises to make everything all his despite if he doesn’t know if the vision’s seen. “Been So Cold” takes the boom bap route instrumentally flexing how long he’s been in the game killing shit leading into “Defying Odds” keeping the kicks & snares in tact making it to the stages after days in the hallways.

Meanwhile on “Vanilla Frosting”, we have Nehru sampling a woodwind taking a break from the mic for 135 seconds so he demonstrate his sampling skills flipping a prominent woodwind prior to the “Breaking the Rules” talking about tryna take it to the next level over a bagpipe & later the hardcore “Rap Leonardo da Vinci (So Please)” flexing his artistry. “I Don’t Care” boasts him taking the unclear road, but then the crooning “Good Thing I Know” promises you won’t come back if you cross him.

“Mr. Pessimistic” starts the encore of Solace in Shadows admitting that life’s been crazier than a Tesla in the fast lane while the orchestral boom bap hybrid “Look Within” telling you how you can change outside. “Mind over Matters” takes it further down the basement explaining the only thing that really matters while “All in the Plan” soulfully reassures that this God’s plan. “The Best Me” ends by talking about giving y’all the best version of himself.

I did enjoy the first entry of the Kult Life series of EP & several months later, Bishop has outdone himself by putting out an album that lives up to both of it’s predecessors. The production that he cooked up all by himself is a step above the previously mentioned EP that we got from him early into 2024 & conceptually, he’s taking us through the experiences of him finding comfort within the shadows.

Score: 4/5

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DaeMoney – “The Godson” review

This is the 3rd full-length studio LP from Detroit trap star DaeMoney. Coming up as the nephew of one of the 2 biggest artists in the city right now Babyface Ray as well as a now former member of the WRLD Tour Mafia collective, he broke out on his own by dropping his debut mixtape Young Sexual Misconduct & his debut EP Slae Season accompanied by his 2nd EP Rockstar Lifestyle & Slae Season 2. Slae went on to sign to EMPIRE Distribution couple summers ago & celebrated in the form of his Slayer’s Coming EP fully produced by Trees shortly after as well as the final installment of the Slae Season trilogy & a sequel to Rockstar Lifestyle. He was surprisingly dismissed from WRLD Tour this spring due to scamming through Slam A Slut Records & is returning as The Godson.

The title track sets the tone of what’s to come with this mafioso trap instrumental letting y’all in on the family business & explaining the way he got out of the hood whereas “Snotball” featuring Babytron brings the 2 together for a Detroit trap highlight. “All My Sons” featuring Peezy continues to apply pressure under Detroit trap tip showcasing both the subgenre’s different generations while “Fuck Slae” hooks up pianos & 808s getting smarter with age.

“SpongeBob & Patrick” has this energetic Detroit trap vibe throughout flexing that his naysayers can’t stand it when he be goin’ hard just before the wavy “King of the Hill” talks about coming from the trenches. “Vice City” has a meditative trap atmosphere rockin’ 20 venues straight leading into the cloudy Detroit trap hybrid “07 Melo” compares himself to Carmelo Anthony in his prime.

Rally joins Slae for the slow-tempo “Sam Called Me Billy” talking about how late really far from the millions while the synth-driven “Kurt Cobain” produced by LulRose flexes a bitch blowing brains exactly like the iconic Nirvana frontman. “Manifest” pushes further down the 2nd half of The Godson doing everything differently prior to “Painting” explains the streets being dangerous due to the snitches & snakes.

“Can’t Sleep” gets the final leg of the LP going on a psychedelic note boasting that there’s no trading for the WRLD Tour Mafia even after the fact that him & Rafa had fallen out with each other while “Superstar” takes a couple of minutes of our time to show off his current status. “Game Winning Speech” ends by reflecting on going from chillin’ in the projects to where he is now.

Becoming a fan of WRLD Tour about 2 & a half years ago when DaeMoney was still a part of the group, I still look at him as one of the most talented members & will continue to support him on his solo endeavors as is the same with Slam A Slut. What about The Godson? It’s another consistent Detroit trap project that you’d expect from him. He pretty much breaks down his titular position playing a significant role in his success & the production mainly basing itself around the city’s unique take on trap.

Score: 3.5/5

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The Cure – “Songs of the Lost World” review

The Cure are a well regarded post-punk/goth rock band from Crawley, West Sussex, England, United Kingdom consisting of bassist/keyboardist Simon Gallup, keyboardist Roger O’Donnell, guitarist Perry Bamonte, drummer Jason Cooper, guitarist Reeves Gabrels & frontman Robert Smith. They’ve made some of the most essential music within both subgenres like 17 Seconds, Faith, Pornography, The Head on the Door, my personal favorite Disintegration, Wish & even the eponymous effort that Ross Robinson produced. 16 long years later, they’re back together for their 14th album.

“Alone” starts by fusing goth rock with dream pop & ethereal wave drawing it’s inspiration from the Ernest Dowson poem “Dregs” whereas “& Nothing’s Forever” is a slow & string-heavy number singing about a promise Robert made to be with someone on their deathbed. “A Fragile Thing” crosses over into alt/goth rock turf with additional influences from drean pop & baggy music clarifying there’s nothing you can do to change the end, but then the gloomy “Warsong” sings that we’re all born for war.

To get the 2nd half going, “Drone:Nodrone” easily stands as the catchiest & most upbeat moment on the entire LP from a musical standpoint acknowledging a tumultuous relationship just before “I Can Never Say Goodbye” passionately laments the death of Robert’s brother Richard for 6 minutes. “All I Ever Am” sings about way love turns out every time from his perspective will never be enough & “Endsong” wraps things up with a 10-minute epic of a closer inspired by a starlit night that reminded Robert of a similar evening in 1969, stargazing in the back garden with his father when Apollo 11 landed on the moon.

The goth rock/post-punk icons return after an over a decade dealing almost exclusively in death, dying & the relentless march of time inspired by David Bowie’s 26th & final album ★. The songs move slowly & many go on for minutes before Smith opens his mouth. No pop hits, no hooks & really no fun. It’s also some of the band’s most engrossing work, a statement that like most great Cure songs can’t be taken lightly.

Score: 4.5/5

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Tuxedo – “Tuxedo IV” review

Tuxedo is a synth-funk/boogie duo consisting of producer Jake One & frontman Mayer Hawthorne. Forming almost a decade ago, their eponymous full-length debut came out a couple months before I graduated high school with a sophomore effort coming down the pipe a couple years later & more recently their previous LP. It’s already been 5 years since we last saw Tuxedo together & since they took a break to focus on their own endeavors, I was thrilled for their 4th album.

“Hold Us” is a g-funk opener co-produced with DJ Battlecat reminiscing of the late, great king of hooks Nate Dogg to melodically detail shit sounding expensive so they pour up wanting to know if you know anything about that whereas “This is 4 You” brings a nu disco flare to the table reserving this ballad for a specific person in particular tonight. “Back 4 More” has a boogie driven direction singing of a love that’s never felt this good & “Think Twice” goes synth-funk advising both of their romantic interests not to overthink.

As for “Good Time 4 Ever”, we have Tuxedo maintaining a synth-funk vibe making sure you have a good time for the rest of your life & “Cake” right after the “Jake’s Groove” interlude inspired by DJ Quik of course throws it back to the Parliament-Funkadelic days a bit. “Ride with Me” returns to a g-funk edge homaging Nate once more, but then “Windows Down” charismatically throws it back to the Zapp/Roger Troutman era. The upbeat “4 Sure” dances on the ceiling above the floor & “We Made It” properly finishes the LP by shifting towards a smoother direction celebrating the duo’s success.

Bonding over a shared love of Parliament-Funkadelic & Zapp amongst other Zodiac signs in funk music altogether, Tuxedo finally make their comeback after their longest gap between releases yielding a bevy of absolute slappers that are packaged perfectly for dance floors in 2024 whether it be Jake One’s production pulling from g-funk to synth-funk & boogie or Mayer Hawthorne’s catchy vocal performances detailing the duo’s exuberant lifestyle.

Score: 4/5

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