Shoreline Mafia – “Bidness is Boomin’” review

This is the 4th extended play from Los Angeles, California duo the Shoreline Mafia now consisting of Ohgeesy & Fenix Flexin’. Originally a quartet, their debut mixtape ShorelineDoThatShit resulted in them signing to Atlantic Records for their next couple tapes & EPs as well as a full length studio debut. They would temporarily disband following Mafia Bidness so it’s members could pursue their solo careers, reuniting with half it’s members in 2023 & are coming off returning to Atlantic in tandem with 300 Entertainment for the sophomore effort Back in Bidness to explain how Bidness is Boomin’.

“Planet of the Apes” opens up by detailing the gangsta lifestyle over a nervous instrumental whereas “We Like to Party” produced by Hitmaka & Ty$ was easily my favorite single of the 4, interpolating “La Di Da Di” by Slick Rick himself during the hook. “Take U Home” gives off a more soulful vibe talking about their desires of bringing women back to their residences while the 4th & final single “Wood Wire Buffs” explains that the main reason women fuck with them is because of their professionalism.

The 2nd single “Out My Mynd” kicks off the latter half talking about having the ability to make wishes come true due to their statuses as stars while the hyphy-tinged lead single “Rockin’” samples “Funky Little Beat” by Debbie Deb so they can discuss their success. “Fine Shyt” winds down Bidness is Boomin’s final minutes talking about the women they’re seeing fucking their exes prior to the closer “Play Ball” ties things up with this gangsta rap/hyphy outro.

I wasn’t so much a fan of the Disco Mafia’s eponymous debut a few months earlier was a bit underwhelming, so the singles that were building up towards Bidness is Boomin’ gave me the impression of surpassing Party Pack 2 to become the Shoreline Mafia’s greatest EP. A lot of the same musical ideas we heard on Back in Bidnessover a year ago from nervous to hyphy & gangsta rap all bleed through the production once more, but it’s more polished.

Score: 3.5/5

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Isaiah Rashad – “It’s Been Awful” review

Chattanooga, Tennessee emcee & singer/songwriter Isaiah Rashad finally back for his 3rd studio LP. Coming up over a decade ago by signing to Top Dawg Entertainment & dropping his 2nd EP cilvia demo to universal acclaim the following year, the full-length debut The Sun’s Tirade as well as the sophomore effort albeit major label debut The House is Burning under Warner Records would continue to cement Zaywop was the most underrated weapon in the TDE arsenal. It’s Been Awful however could wake some people up since many would use that name to describe the past year & a half.

“The New Sublime” begins with this slow beat talking about wanting someone to pray for him & his family because of everyone going crazy whereas “M.O.M. (Man On a Mission)” rhythmically describes himself as the type who’s determined to get what he wants. “Same Sh!t” made for a tolerable trap single talking about the plan being to make money until he dies leading into “Boy in Red” featuring SZA coming through with this synergistically buttery R&B duet.

As for “Supaficial”, we have Zay further embracing a smoother vibe instrumentally asking if he & his lover can lay outside due to his dislike of lights in the ceiling while “Scared 2 Look Down” combines elements of cloud rap & trap to talk about him changing for the greater good. “Happy Hour” doesn’t shy away regarding him giving up on love from his side of things & sippin’ lean slowly just before “Do I Look High?” reaches the halfway point talks about dancing with the dark to fall in love with what he really is.

“Ain’t Givin’ Up” kicks off the 2nd leg of It’s Been Awful discussing his refusal of killing this high he’s experiencing while “G.T.K.Y. (Get To Know You)” produced by Wu10 talks about a desire of wanting a better understanding of his romantic interest from a personal standpoint. “Cameras” featuring Dominic Fike finds the pair pleading for their partners to pull up for a bit while “Act Normal” ponders what love is when he doesn’t trust men or women.

Rounding out 3rd, the song “10 States Away” talks about getting fucked up during the middle of the day & planning his escape route while “Nuthin’ 2 Hide” admits to an individual killing his love through lying & pushing his limits in the evening without having a single thing to hide. “Superpowers” blends jazz rap & trap so he can talk about having extraordinary abilities of his own while the “719” freestyle samples “It Doesn’t Make Sense” by The Family Circle to speak of running back to his bitch.

It’s a shame that some closed-minded bigots will overlook Isaiah Rashad for the rest of his career all because of some asshole outing him as bisexual because he gets a lot of confessions & contemplations off his chest over the course of It’s Been Awful, possibly becoming the darkest material in his entire discography. The production in general feels like a different sound for him balancing conscious hip hop & contemporary R&B, limiting the amount of guests compared to The House is Burning to break down the Hell he’s gone through.

Score: 4/5

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PlaqueBoyMax – “Crash Dummy” review

West Orange, New Jersey recording artist, producer, audio engineer, media personality & streamer PlaqueBoyMax is back with his 6th extended play. Catching on to him at the beginning of the year after calling out DJ Akademiks for being a child groomer, he has since stayed busy by churning out 5 EPs in the quick amount of time he’s been in the spotlight signing with Field Trip Recordings & Capitol Records. 5 Forever almost last year wasted some genuinely solid production on Max’s weakly performed raps. The same can be said regarding Too Much Music, which didn’t raise my anticipation for Crash Dummy.

“Bussin’” made for an underwhelming intro talking about not needing any handouts whereas “Elastiboy” explains the new nickname he gave himself now that he’s got all these bands on him. “Break the Bank” reaches the halfway point redundantly talking about his wealth while “Get Off Me” tells a bitch to hop off his dick. “Different Bag” hilariously talks about being in a whole other category than everyone else & “Bad Bitch Addiction” produced by Internet Money Records in-house producer Rio Leyva details his obsession for baddies.

Since we got Too Much Music this past winter, PlaqueBoyMax has already comforted that he’s in the midst of working on his full-length debut Prince & an entire body of work fully produced by Metro Boomin’ afterwards. There’s only a few problems with that however: His rapping hasn’t improved at all compared to 5 Forever almost a year earlier or Crash Dummy’s predecessor 5 months ago despite his production choices & Atlanta proving himself to be better at curating.

Score: 2/5

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Razakel – “The Possession of Razakel” review

I believe this is the 5th extended play from San Antonio, Texas rapper & Shrunken Head Entertainment founder Razakel. Known for being 1/3 of the Slice Girls as well as the Dead Girlz & 3FRMHELL in addition to her formerly comprising 1/2 of the Serpentines, she also has over a dozen solo albums under her belt along with her last 4 extended plays. She had a song on her most recent full-length Surprise, Surprise! last fall that was produced by Grand Rapids, Michigan rapper, singer/songwriter, producer & Dirtcore Music founder Crossworm and that has now led us to The Possession of Razakel.

“Sum1 Like U” begins with this industrial boom bap intro lyrically talking about figuring out the kind of people who’re fake & live always wishing for those specific types of individuals whereas “Funeral” further embraces an industrial vibe instrumentally, advising for the crowd who’re against her to begin planning their own memorials in advance & lacking any mercy. “Slasher” on the other hand ends the EP fusing horrorcore lyricism with EDM instrumentation.

Come to think of it: Pretty much everyone on the current Dirtcore roster has already put out new music on the label over the course of these past 4 years, so I can get on board with Crossworm’s idea of reaching out to other artists in the underground & do a brief takeover of sorts. Mainly because I firmly believe people will consider The Possession of Razakel to be some of greatest material she’s recorded in whole career, sharpening her pen for 10 minutes over a small handful of industrial hip hop beats.

Score: 4/5

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Farma G – “Nearly Nothing’s Enough” review

London, England, United Kingdom emcee/producer Farma G enlisting Brighton, East Sussex producer Relense to solely produce his sophomore effort. Known for being a member of the Mud Family collective & 1/2 of the Task Force alongside his brother Chester P, he would go on to produce for several big names within the underground from Rome Streetz to Vinnie Paz & the latter’s Heavy Metal Kings cohort Ill Bill. Signing to High Focus Records a few years ago, How to Kill a Butterfly was a solid beginning of this new chapter in his career & the chances of Nearly Nothing’s Enough outdoing it were very likely given some of the teasers.

“‘Till I’m Gone” begins with a boom bap-tinged 3rd & final single celebrating his journey so far whereas “Ya Dead Now” talks about the trials & tribulations of a nomad being on the line. “Mr. Moany” portrays himself to be an depressed individual who can’t see to leave his own home due to the messiness of his life while the lead single “Makes Me Wanna…” makes some commentary on the state of the scene in an age of overinflated egos & social media clap trap.

Meanwhile on “Peace Pipes”, we have Farma talking about law enforcement officers who abuse their power just before “The Circus” works on a vocal sample so he can ask himself if anyone in this game has balls. “Punch Up” demands for everyone to give him everything they have or put their heads on the chopping blocks while “Matters of the Heart” talks about having the process of mending heartbreak lasting our whole lifetime.

“X-Files” kicks off the 4th quarter of Nearly Nothing’s Enough taking a more conspiratorial approach to his songwriting while “Psycho with a Lexicon” talks about analyzing murder scenes in order to identify the victims. The 2nd single “Sun Wukong” stunningly brings the anciently supernatural Monkey King from Journey to the West to life & the outro “Never Be the Same” finished the album talking about things constantly changing throughout our existence.

I can still picture Farma G making a full-length where he’s handling all the beats by himself with a few guests, but Nearly Nothing’s Enough will suffice as the greatest entry of his solo discography for now. Relense’s gritty analog production is a cut above How to Kill a Butterfly’s, soundtracking the venom & introspection that fuels a great deal of Farma’s wide range of topics taking him back to a corner where he once sat & studied the world as it passed him by.

Score: 4.5/5

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Grafh – “Sometimes Money Cost Too Much” review

Here is a brand new LP & the 5th overall from Queens, New York emcee Grafh. Emerging over 2 decades ago off his debut mixtape The Bang Out, he went on to release 7 more tapes before dropping his full-length debut Autografh only a few years later continuing that with a total of 10 mixtapes & an EP. The sophomore effort Stop Calling Art Content produced entirely by the late DJ Shay & released through Benny the Butcher’s very own MNRK Music Group imprint Black Soprano Family Records as well as his TCF Music Group debut Art of Words would become his most acclaimed material to date, coming off God’s Timing to explain how Sometimes Money Cost Too Much.

“Word Up Son” represents his home borough over a horn instrumental produced by 38 Spesh to open up shop whereas “Squeeze 1st” featuring Benny the Butcher finds the 2 talking about asking questions after initially firing shots over a bloodcurdling boom bap beat from Mike & Keys. “Outside” featuring Mitchy Slick & Styles P brings the trio together so they can let everyone know they’re still out in the streets leading into “Documented” talking about everything with him being kept on record.

Tech N9ne appears on “Suicide” explaining that crossing either one of them will result in the death of those doing the backstabbing while “Better with Time” featuring Bun B goes for a cloudy trap vibe instrumentally talking about improving as they get older. “Big League” featuring Joyner Lucas was one of the weaker singles teased fusing rock & trap to speak of being in the majors when Grafh’s the better lyricist of the 2 until “Brick by Brick” decently continues talking about the gangsta lifestyle.

“Rollin’” featuring Don Paul & Dope Gang Porter experiments with a more nervous sound encouraging the listeners to look at him & his squad now while “Twin” incorporates a sped-up soul sample to get more romantic on the lyrical side of things. “Lil Vybe” was another single that I wasn’t head over heels for continuing the sensual subject matter over a cloudier beat while “Some Wounds Never Heal” finishes with a drumless outro where we get hit with gut-wrenching introspection.

The last 3 albums we’ve gotten from Grafh within almost 5 years have been some of the most important material in his entire 2-decade career & that alone has raised my anticipation for Sometimes Money Cost Too Much. However since it’s finally out following some delays within the past couple months, I’m a little torn by it although there are certainly more highs than lows. He does his thing on the mic as do a great deal of the guests, but some the production left me underwhelmed & the 2nd half feels weaker than the 1st.

Score: 3/5

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Curren$y & Wiz Khalifa – “Roofless Records for Drop Tops” review

Brand new 2-disc collaborative mixtape & their 3rd together overall from New Orleans, Louisiana rapper, songwriter & record executive Curren$y as well as Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania rapper, singer/songwriter, actor & entrepreneur Wiz Khalifa. Proving themselves to be hip hop’s Cheech & Chong of the late 2000s when the Jet Life Recordings & Taylor Gang Entertainment founders dropped their How Fly mixtape, they would return a decade later for the 2009 album & are back again 7 years later to have Cardo & Harry Fraud respectively produce each side of Roofless Records for Drop Tops by themselves.

“Close Your Eyes” was a psychedelically cloudy intro talking about getting it because they’re going the hardest until the wheels fall off whereas “Jet Life Taylor” represents each of their respective crews over a calmly nocturnal beat. “So Many Flavors” kinda has this smooth west coast vibe instrumentally talking about having several different strains of weed leading into “Stoned & Leave” going for a pop rap direction wanting their partners to pull up to get high.

Cardo makes a turn for cloudy trap territory during “Bounce Back” so Spitta & Wiz can talk about feeling down bad sometimes & coming back from it by catching more Ws prior to “How Could I Lose?” suggesting that others are right when they say both artists are running the game. “The Same One” has a more subdued tone to the beat telling their lovers they can’t be at their houses unless there are no neighbors while “Live Fast Burn Slow” explains the way the game goes.

“Ashes Out the Window” experiments with somewhat of a pluggier sound calling for everyone moving slow to pick up the pace while “Rrari Twins” ends the 1st leg flexing their Ferraris & meaning big business whenever they pull up to the spot. “Pink Panther” gets the 2nd half going over a jazzily drumless loop taking a more sensual approach to their songwriting while “The Coin Toss” express a desire of making their families rich by the end of the summer.

We have the jazz rap influences making their back in the spotlight on “🍾🍾🍾” talking about smoking wherever they go & hosting meetings chillin’ inside of yachts but after “Smoke N’ Pray” combines some keys with more hi-hats to detail the complications that come with their boss statuses as well as wakin’ up early being an obligation, “Long as You Live” expresses the way they feel over a predominant woodwind instrumental talking about how touching $1M doesn’t mean shit to them.

“Storm Shadow & Snake Eyes” winds down the last 7 & a half minutes of Roofless Records for Drop Tops incorporating this bluesy guitar to discuss riding around their sports cars stoned as fuck & commending those who’re actually wise enough to stay out of their way while “z28” luxuriously talks about shit being far from sweet out in their hoods & people knowing your whip before your name because the game’s dirty like that. As for the final song “Palm Island”, it cloudily ends the mixtape boasting their expensive habits 1 last time.

Similarly to Jay Worthy’s debut album Once Upon a Time last fall, I choose to wait until both sides of Roofless Records for Drop Tops were officially released so that way I could cover the whole tape start-to-finish & I’m happy I did considering the mixed reception Disc 1 generally got at the end of the month will likely be reevaluated now that the other half’s here. It could potentially become amongst Curren$y & Wiz Khalifa’s greatest material as a duo since I’m at it, trading verses depicting their stoner rap escapades over Cardo & Harry Fraud production varying from trap to drumless & jazz rap.

Score: 4.5/5

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Bake Lo – “Spirals” review

Bake Lo is a 32 year old rapper from Detroit, Michigan who made his solo debut Only the Beginning in the fall of 2011 when I was a freshman in high school. He would go on to follow it up with the sophomore effort Misunderstood Mindstate, but it wasn’t until Anybody Killa signed him to Native World Inc. & dropped A Step in the Wrong Direction under the label where I personally started catching onto him. Monster would be released independently as was the Chuck extended play, which was the last time we’ve heard him. Coming off the 9th annual Astronomicon however, he’s returning for his 5th studio LP in preparation for him touring with ABK.

After the “Into the Spiral” intro, the opener “Spiral Down” expresses confidence that we’ll all begin life again someday leading into Str8jaket joining him in letting the “Words of Violence” fade & going for a boom bap vibe instrumentally. “Jewel Thief” angrily fires back at the people who take him for a fool leading into “Golden Eye” featuring MVNDI & Skwynts finds the trio hopping over an apocalyptic trap beat cautioning not to wake the beast inside of them.

“Criminal” featuring Donnie Menace joins forces so both of them can talk about living like mobsters robbing people for cleats while “Dirt on My Face” featuring Insane E fiercely emerges out of the flames of Hell in an attempt to escape the cells both of them have been locked in. “Spek” featuring Lyte reaches the halfway point talking about carrying Glocks around their respective parts of Michigan while “Just Incase” dismisses any & all precautions.

Things take more introspective approach on “Note to Self” asking himself who he is if he isn’t becoming the person he wants to be while “Confrmula” featuring Ant G, Histio & the King of HorribleCore talks about no longer waiting since now’s the time to claim what’s theirs. “Benjamin” experiments with country rap a bit admitting the devil wants his soul & after “Bite Outta You” industrially depicts himself as a bloodthirsty creature, “Uzumaki” featuring Zitro finishes things up addressing those who don’t like them.

Spirals showcases Bake Lo’s signature lyrical depths as well as his raw storytelling & authentic voice delivering a fresh yet grounded perspective inspired by the 8 years of growth since the Monster for longtime fans & new listeners alike. Committed to quality & genuine expression, Bake Lo invites the underground & the world at large to experience the evolution of his artistry redefining his sound with a list of underground wicked shit titans joining him on the mic.

Score: 4/5

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Twiztid – “Herb n Legends” review

Detroit, Michigan’s demented duo & Astronomicon founders Twiztid hitting us with their 18th extended play. Consisting of Jamie Madrox & Monoxide, both of whom originally started out as part of the House of Krazees alongside childhood friend The R.O.C. in 1992 before their initial disbandment 5 years later. Almost immediately after, the Insane Clown Posse took Jamie & Mono under their wings by signing them to Psychopathic Records as who they’re known as today. They would become the label’s 2nd biggest act being their mentors off projects like Mostasteless, Freek Show, Mirror Mirror, The Green Book, W.I.C.K.E.D. (Wish I Could Kill Every Day) & Abominationz. Shortly after the latter was released, Twiztid left Psychopathic to form Majik Ninja Entertainment in 2014. Since then they’ve released 8 albums & 9 EPs on their own label, my favorites of which being /ˌrevəˈlāSH⁽ᵊ⁾n/ & even their last full-length Glyph. Their last full-length Welcome to Your Funeral produced by Rob Zombie’s engineer Zeuss was a superior Unlikely Prescription sequel & are unearthing the Herb n Legends.

After the intro, the opener “So Numb” sets things off talking about a feeling a fire burning inside of them whereas “My God” by Triple Threat describes a way they’ve never felt before. “Noid” featuring James Garcia or the artist formerly known as Young Wicked throws it back to the latter’s Axe Murder Boyz roots & “D.I.D.” ends the EP having both Triple Threat & Otis linking up to talk about smoking to escape the problems they face in the daily lives.

Conceptually inspired by a man disappearing in the forest of West Branch while getting away from friends only to be found 73 hours later carrying a 20 minute recording explaining where he had been & what had happened to him, Herb n Legends returns to Twiztid’s hip hop roots rather than continuing to expanding the rap/nu metal sounds of their previous full-length with a conceptual EP themed around their love of smoking kush with a horrorcore twizt.

Score: 4/5

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Nasaan – “Method Acting” review

This is the debut mixtape from Detroit, Michigan rapper, singer/songwriter & producer Nasaan. The son of the late D12 de facto leader & in my opinion the greatest Detroit emcee of all-time Proof, some of you may remember him for releasing the Def Jam-backed debut EP Kiss of Karma in July of 2019, which was followed up with the Error 404 extended play under Atlantic Records. Now that he’s no longer signed to a major label, he’s beginning a new chapter of his career with Method Acting.

“To My Name” made for a slick opener talking about having no reason to complain since he has $100K in his bank account whereas “All for Me” featuring Bruiser Wolf comes through with an ode for their homies who had bitches trying to play them before they were the real deal. “Calling Me” goes for a smoother vibe in general for a charming pop rap ballad leading into him admitting to not knowing how to solve his “Family Issues”.

We have Nasaan throwing it back to 80s with “Need That” playfully asking for his lover to save him to begin the 2nd half while “Man Again” soulfully talks about willing to go to war with stars. “This Close” might be my least favorite track here because of it’s distractingly heavy Drake influence but after the spacious “Sexy” admires the beauty of his significant other, “Stay Blessed” luxuriously ends the EP carrying his grandmother’s advice forward.

Celebrating what would’ve been his late girlfriend Mycah Lewis’ birthday, Nasaan spends a great deal of Method Acting getting more melodically sensual than a lot of his earlier output & finishes what she helped him start from selecting the beats to being his biggest judge critiquing the final product. It was a surprise to hear it was supposed to come out earlier within the month but nevertheless, I know Mycah’s looking down on him with his dad proud of the artist & person he’s become.

Score: 3.5/5

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