Pz’ – “No Turnin’ Back” review

Yes, we finally have another extended play from Atlanta, Georgia rapper & fashion model Pz’. Emerging a couple years ago off the strength of his debut single “Sun”, he would eventually blow up last summer when “Hedis Bussin’” came out & has since collaborated with the likes of billi0n for his debut mixtape Revenge as well as the Uy Scuti Bøyz’ eponymous tape earlier this spring. B4NTB came out a few days ago & No Turnin’ Back has arrived after a 48 hour delay as promised.

“Never Gon’ Home” opens with a bassy intro explaining that it’s difficult for him to specifically say where he’s headed leading into “Live Strong” hazily talking about how he prayed for his success to come & all of his ØWay brethren playing their individual roles. “Dis Ain’t Right” speaks of being trained to kill along with smoking up all his weed because he can’t sleep at night while “Canes” talks about all this internet shit being a joke to him & coming from a city where all the artists are homegrown.

dragnutz makes the EP’s sole guest appearance on the synth-driven “No Ceilings” so they can discuss reaching new heights together just before “X Tape” talks about possibly changing this woman’s life after having sex. “Fête Feeling” experiments with Afrobeats observing that the woman he slept with has been acting strange around him & after “Claim to Fame” talks about constantly thinking of money, the outro “Maxfields” finishes up suggesting he might make a bag only to put it in his will afterwards.

No Turnin’ Back retains the similar trap & pop rap production that made B4NTB such an interesting prelude although there are more elements of rage being incorporated & a small dosage of Afrobeats towards the backend of ot contrasting the previous EP’s plugg & free car music undertones. Pz’ could potentially be the most versatile member of the ØWay collective the more I think of it & I already know his discography will only improve going forward.

Score: 3.5/5

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tana – “Me” review

Here is the sophomore effort from Atlanta, Georgia rapper & producer tana. Starting in 2018 as a member of the plu2o9 collective under the original moniker BabySantana, he would go on to drop his first 2 EPs Recreation! & Planet Sosaalongside his debut mixtape Quan before signing to Lil Tecca’s very own Republic Records imprint Galactic Records the next fall. tana later preluded his full-length debut bana by putting out Gaultier as well as London & Dale, celebrating his independence by dropping Me.

“keep rollin’” begins with a self-produced 2-parter talking about nobody being on his level artistically whereas “me & my gun” takes a more psychedelic trap approach instrumentally so he can get in his gangsta rap bag. “Insane (For Your Love)” swaps out the psychedelia in favor of pop rap elements expressing how obsessed he is with a woman he’s in love with leading into “i like her” talking about his girl chiefing blunts & the beat reminds me of KiD CuDi’s early material at points.

As for “take u there”, we have tana over a druggier instrumentally explaining that he likes to count up his bread & mind his own business just before “pray for my mama” talks about making sure his people are good where they’re rising. “Everything Will Be Fine” dismisses acting right since he credits his selfishness to being the main reason he became wealthy while “control” provides words of encouragement, telling the audience he believes in them.

“nsfw (the prelude)” kicks off the 2nd leg of Me on some 808s & Heartbreak vibes singing about being from the future while “again” returns to a trap sound dissing 9 Vicious & admitting that his days have been getting somewhat darker. “laptopnotebook” mixes some hi-hats with sampling techniques talking about not needing anything else other than those 2 specific items while “PMD” details being in love with the way she sits on his ambition.

Cardo gets behind the boards for the song “show it off” talking about wanting to link up with his shawty because he finds their relationship to be nothing short of gorgeous while “dear jodie” produced by Zodiac of Vanguard Music Group pens an open letter to a woman he knew wanting her to know that he’s a changed man. The outro “philly” spends Me’s final minutes talking about coming to fuck shit up & arriving to the function throwing bands.

Despite being happy for tana no longer being held back by a major label, I wouldn’t put Me above Bana or even Gaultier although I’m adamant of him putting something out of that caliber regardless of whether he signs somewhere else or not. The cloudy yet poppy trap production could’ve been better especially during the 2nd half of it other than a few occasional highlights & would’ve loved a guest appearance or 2.

Score: 3/5

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The Alchemist – “Liquid Form” review

New surprise EP & the 13th overall from Beverly Hills producer, DJ & rapper The Alchemist. Beginning as 1/2 of the duo The Whooliganz in 1993 with Scott Caan, they would only disband a year later after recording a debut album that eventually got shelved & Scott went onto acting like his father. Mudfoot on other end quickly established himself as one of the greatest producers in hip hop history with a resume including ranging names from Mobb Deep & Eminem to Travis Scott & even Drake. The Genuine Articulate found himself rapping more & he’s returning behind the boards once again to drop Liquid Form in celebration of the New York Knicks winning the NBA Finals.

“Gutter Pain” by Kool G Rap begins with a boom bap intro telling hood stories others aren’t his parts weren’t able to whereas “Beat Like a Key” by 2 Chainz maintains the dustiness talking about blowing shit down right when he pulls up. “Streets Don’t Change” by Conway the Machine kicks off the 2nd half on some more dark boom bap shit & Con explaining that the streets will always be the same, but “On the Spectrum” by Boldy James gives us a prelude of an upcoming Boldy LP produced by Uncle Al himself.

This has been a long time coming for the Knicks since their last championship was over half a century ago, so I completely understand why The Alchemist said “fuck it” & hit us with a 4-pack returning behind the boards in preparation of the upcoming self-titled debuts from the Forensics and Abi & Alan. Rather than continuing the abstractly drumless vibes The Genuine Articulate went for, the guests comprised of individually established veterans depict the life of gangstas & there are significantly more drums.

Score: 4/5

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che – “Empty Clip” review

The 2nd surprise EP of 2026 & the 6th overall from Atlanta, Georgia recording artist che. Starting as a member of the 4ersona collective under the original moniker murkio before settling on cheRomani+ & later abbreviating it, it wasn’t until more recently where he decided to build a solo catalog for himself by putting out the debut EP 3 & followed it up in the form of X or the original version of his 3rd EP Closed Captions a few summers ago. Crueger that same Halloween showed more of a Chief Keef influence & sayso says was an acclaimed rage debut of it’s own, coming off the beloved Rest in Bass & Fully Loaded to unload an Empty Clip.

The self-produced “Like Lil Mexico” starts us off with a bassy instrumental talking about being tatted whereas “Tuesday” produced by CXO samples “I Don’t Sell Molly No More” by iLoveMakonnen to discuss women & drugs. “DMX” turns up the bass so he can pull out his Mr. Krabs voice & after “O.G. Ginobili” talks about knowing he’d play with guns since he was a kid, “Los Santos” runs it back with CXO for a rage-inducing outro.

Continuing to tease his upcoming 3rd studio LP set to drop sometime before the end of the year, this most recent extended play of che’s could likely be my favorite of the 2 that we’ve gotten from him within these last few months. Empty Clip’s production is predominantly hypertrap-oriented although there are some secondary influences of trap metal & experimental hip hop, basically refining what he was trying to do at the beginning of the spring in time for summer.

Score: 4/5

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Chlöe – “Resurrection” review

Atlanta, Georgia singer/songwriter, producer & actress Chlöe enlisting Norfolk, Virginia producer Timbaland to handle all of her debut solo mixtape’s production. Coming up as 1/2 of the duo Chlöe x Halle with Halle Bailey, they introduced themselves in 2018 when Beyoncé signed them to Parkwood Entertainment/Columbia Records for their decent full-length debut The Kids Are Alright. The sophomore effort Ungodly Hour in the summer of 2020 during the COVID-19 lockdowns would prove to be their most acclaimed body of work yet but coming off In Pieces & Trouble in Paradise, I went into Resurrection hoping Timbo wouldn’t be using any AI on it.

“Talking Dirty” begins with a sultry R&B intro singing about her lustful intentions whereas “Hold It” gives off a catchier vibe altogether from the instrumental to the lyrics of being drawn into someone. “Priorities” shifts towards an alternative R&B direction stylistically airing out the people who think she’s breakable for misunderstanding her leading into “World on Fire” singing about feeling safe with her partner even if the globe’s in turmoil.

Meanwhile on “Caught”, we have Chlöe over a seductive R&B beat realizing that maybe you lose ’em how you get ’em just before “Sensitive” lusciously addresses an ex-boyfriend telling him to move on already. “Better Than She Can” leans towards a dance-pop direction trying to convince a guy to leave his current girlfriend for her to reach the halfway point while “On Your Own” slows down the pace singing about her keeping a close eye out for a specific individual.

“Believer” feels like a throwback to Timbo’s early 2000s output admitting that she didn’t mean to come off too strong while “Main Attraction” sings about wanting to get sexually active. “Mama’s Boy” sends shots a cornball whining to his mother of her being the problem in their relationship & after “Belong to You” confronts her soulmate telling him that they were meant for each other, “Jittery” ends Resurrection taking accountability for the way things panned out.

Considering that Timbaland’s recent production placements on Conway the Machine’s 5th album You Can’t Kill God with Bullets & more recently Juvenile’s 12th album Boiling Point didn’t really warrant a lot of criticism out of me, I’m happy to say that he keeps that same energy throughout the greatest achievement in Chlöe’s solo career providing her a consistently tasteful batch of R&B production & holding off on having any guest appearances compared to both of her previous LPs.

Score: 4/5

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Cochise – “Trench Town” review

Cochise is a 28 year old rapper & producer from Palm Bay, Florida who introduced himself back in 2018 off his debut extended play. He would go on to drop 4 more EPs along with the full-length debut Benbow Crescent & the sophomore effort The Inspection. The latter of which has been widely considered to the weakest entry in his discography yet & Why Always Me? back in 2024 was an improvement, celebrating his independence following his departure from Columbia Records with his 4th studio LP.

“Parlay” begins with a 90 second rage intro talking about chopping the roof off his coupe whereas “SRT” carries over the hypertrap vibes instrumentally boasts that he made millions off this rap shit, hence why no one can tell him shit. “White Boy Swag” produced by venny has a crazy line about Puff Daddy a.k.a. P. Diddy or Diddytrying to kill KiD CuDi on top of more rage beats leading into the soulful trap fusion “On My Mind” admitting that he woke up with some recurring thoughts in his head.

Pradabagshawty makes one of many stellar guest appearances on “Test” hopping over a BenjiCold beat talking about pulling up with choppers & kidnapping kids just before “We Chat” spends 78 seconds discussing a bad bitch who turns out to be bad news later on. “Who Dat?” sends a warning of decapitating anyone who tries to fuck with him leading into “Glorious” featuring Lelo joins forces over a Supah Mario instrumental sneaking in the club with firearms.

“It’s a Trap” gets the 2nd half of Trench Town going on some plugg shit cautioning against women saying they like you when that isn’t the case whatsoever in reality while “Headache” talks about needing some Advil to make his head stop killing him. “Cutlass” featuring Oodaredevil & 454 finds the trio masking up & shutting out mascots together while “So Much Fun” featuring prettifun talks about being so rich the point where they don’t need to make music anymore.

Meanwhle on “Bad Jit”, we have Cochise talking about his experiences of being a wild kid growing up while “Hashtag” wasn’t that impressive of a single to me although I appreciate the way he observes social media’s prominent usage of hashtags. “Gon” hooks up some celebratory synthesizers into the fold talking about killing shit with his twin by his side & the outro “Gilmora” takes inspiration from Ye to end the album giving a fuck less what people have to say since they treat him like a villain.

I wasn’t really a fan of Cochise’s major label output other than Benbow Crescent, but Trench Town commemorates this new era of his career no longer being held back by a major label to drop the most enjoyable collection of music he’s made since his debut. All 5 of the guests match his energy in terms of performances with the cloudy trap & rage production going a lot crazier than The Inspection or Why Always Me? combined.

Score: 3.5/5

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YG – “The Gentleman’s Club” review

Compton, California emcee YG back for his 4th LP & 10K Projects debut. Coming up in 2009 off his debut mixtape 4Fingaz, this was followed up with 4 more tapes prior to Jeezy discovering him in 2013 & landing him a deal with his Def Jam Recordings imprint CTE World. YG’s potential would begin to show in the form of his full-length debut My Krazy Life & came into his own on the sophomore effort Still Brazy launching his own label 400 Records around that same time period, but the next 4 tapes Stay Dangerous as well as 4Real 4Real, My Life 400 & I Got Issues all received mixed to poor responses as did the 3rd installment of the Just Re’d Up series. However, he’s opening up The Gentleman’s Club to celebrate the summer.

After the intro, “OMG” featuring Pusha T begins with both of them over a sinister beat although there’s a questionable line during Push’s verse whereas “Kudos” incorporates a harp instrumental talking about saying goodbye to everything to made him. “Hitman” has a more aggressive vibe in general promising to be the last one standing while “Simon Says” featuring Isaiah Falls & Odeal derails it with a hideous pop rap cut.

“On the Low” featuring Tyler, The Creator & produced by Ty$ was highly anticipated by me talking about dressing like Vogue models just before the nervous “We Know the Truth” confesses to not having Drakeo the Ruler murdered. “Hollywood” featuring the Shoreline Mafia finds the trio hitting us with more traffic music detailing their gangsta upbringings while “Gang Bizness” featuring PayGotti kicks off the 2nd half with a gangsta rap single that I found myself enjoying less than the one prior.

We have YG responding to the “Hitman” who tried to claim his life on “Ready to Die” hooking up some prominent pianos & capitalizing on his ability of telling stories but after “Writing My Wrongs” leans towards a more cavernous vibe instrumentally talking about all the mistakes he’s made in his life, “Dinner Dates & Heartbreaks” has a cloudier approach to the beat lividly airing out a bitch for lying to him & demanding that she gives him the truth for once.

“Tiffany” splits itself into 2 separate portions recalling an encounter Chris had with the titular character whom he met at the club who happened to be transgender while “Insecure” featuring Ab-Soul & J.I.D was my favorite single of the bunch, talking about their own personal insecurities. The closing track “Mid Life Crisis” spends The Gentlemen’s Club’s final minutes hopping over a Jay Versace beat looking to get all the bullshit off his mind.

The Gentlemen’s Club is noticeably more conceptual than a lot of YG’s recent material & I’m happy that he came to the realization of throwing shit at the wall to see if it sticks wasn’t entirely the best way to get out of his contract since his discography suffered as a result. Some of the contemporary R&B/pop rap-flavored cuts still don’t do it for me although the elements of hardcore hip hop, conscious hip hop, gangsta rap & nervous music are all higher quality material.

Score: 3/5

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Germ – “Stay Gold” review

This is the 4th extended play from Atlanta, Georgia rapper Germ. Signing to G*59 Record$ in mid-2018, he would drop his debut EP Bad Shit a couple years earlier followed by the Badshit (Bootleg) EP along with the debut mixtape Germ Has a Deathwish as well as The Hijinx Tape & the Cold Summer EP. Last we heard from him was almost 2 & a half years ago when he dropped his full-length studio debut Every Dog Has It’s Day, celebrating his birthday by dropping Stay Gold entirely produced by Cosh.

The title track incorporates some heavy bass to get things going talking about moving with the wicked whereas “Out My Top” gives off a funkier vibe instrumentally explaining that he has tons of pain inside his heart. “Fasho Fasho” brings a more laidback beat to the table talking about the money calling him & after “Space Face” embraces a darker atmosphere to get on gangsta shit lyrically, the outro “Heart Went Cold” ends the EP looking to run the racks back up.

Every Dog Has It’s Day at this point has already surpassed Germ Has a Deathwish to become my favorite entry in Germ’s whole discography & if we’re gonna get a sophomore effort down the line, then I’d say Stay Gold would be an acceptable prelude to it. I was already familiar with Cosh since he produced the intro of that Mental Trillness 2 mixtape Juicy J did a couple years ago & it’s appropriate considering G*59’s heavily inspired by Three 6.

Score: 3.5/5

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Tierra Whack – “Whack’s Museum” review

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania rapper & singer/songwriter Tierra Whack has returned for her 2nd mixtape in time for the summer. Breaking out in 2018 off the strength of her debut tape Whack World after signing to Interscope Records, she would go on to drop a trilogy of EPs showcasing her artistry: Rap? as well as Pop? & R&B?. Her full-length debut Worldwide Whack was more moderately received compared to Whack World although I appreciated it for what it was, taking us through Whack’s Museum a couple years later.

“Whack Job” produced by Chris Keys & Conductor Williams breaks the door down responding to the people saying she should rap more whereas “Wax Paper” takes the boom bap route instrumentally talking about feeling too generous at times. “Brazilian Wax” soulfully asks herself why some are intimidated by her presence until “Wiggidy Whack” runs it back with Conductor talking about leaving any & all competitors scorched.

As for “Totem”, we have Tierra embracing some trap vibes so she can discuss getting what she wants leading into “Godda” ending the 1st half returning to the boom bap courtesy of Swaggyono from Working on Dying talking about making some money. “Siren” kicks off the 2nd leg of Whack’s Museum so she can let get a bit more goofier & joyous with her wordplay while “Candle Wax” strips the drums to talk about her going out being herself: Amongst the greatest to ever do it musically.

“Queen’s Crown” retains her signature sense of humor dropping 4 straight verses without a hook over a soul sample while “Earwax” talks about choosing not to play the game despite her knowledge of it over another drumless loop. “215” shouts out the city that made her the person she’s becoming once again getting humorous with her pen & the outro “Flowers” ends Whack’s Museum demanding her props from those who ain’t giving ‘em to her.

Little Simz & Doechii have been widely regarded as some of the greatest women to touch a microphone in recent memory, but Tierra Whack has already proven herself to be in that same category from her Lil Boat 3 feature to her recent appearance on Jill Scott’s latest album To Whom This May Concern several months earlier. Her lyrics are more abstract & occasionally conscious than usual with the production varying between boom bap, jazz rap & pop rap.

Score: 4/5

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vax – “Steeze” review

West Palm Beach, Florida rapper/producer vax staying busy with his 7th extended play. Someone who’s eventually go on to drop his last 6 EPs since 2023 after beginning to make music at the age of 12 including New Jazz as well as Forgive My Sins & Pyramid Scheme, with Is This You? following my personal favorite of the bunch Throne. Coming off #B4BlueDawn & the full-length debut Blue Dawn merely 8 weeks earlier & he’s applying more pressure by releasing Steeze.

“Parade” kicks things off with a rage-inducing intro talking about being with slayr in his hometown & looking for all the hoes back in the South shaking ass at a local parade while “Hetereo” bridges Steeze boasting that nobody can do this music shit the way he does it. “Screamer” spends the final minutes of the EP with 1 last hypertrap instrumental talking about going dumb whenever he’s on stage & making sure his bitch can’t walk for a week after sex.

Ditching the primary digicore influences of Blue Dawn along with the cloud/pop rap undertones, vax gets ready for the next era of his career dropping of a 6 minute 3-pack that I find to be average in comparison. The rage production doesn’t make a lasting impression on me as much as the debut a couple months ago & maybe a track or 2 could’ve been more fully fleshed out, but you can definitely still hear the hunger in his performances.

Score: 3/5

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