This is a brand new EP from Detroit trap veteran & Iced Up Records founder Icewear Vezzo. For over a decade now after appearing on the studded “Detroit vs. Everybody” remix, this dude has been making waves locally by releasing the Rich Off Pints trilogy of LPs & over a dozen mixtapes. The previous tape Paint the City hosted by DJ Drama preluded his Quality Control Music debut album Live from the 6 celebrating it’s 1-year anniversary a little over a month ago & remains Undefeated after the sequel.
“Fuck the Internet” gets the door broken down with an ominous Detroit trap intro talking about refusing to chase trends whereas “Streets Ain’t the Same” samples “Regulate” by Warren G & the late Nate Dogg letting off his observations of shit changing in the hood & getting the actual Warren G himself on the remix. “Geeks” references WWE Hall of Famer, former 6-time WWE Champion, 2-time WWE Intercontinental Champion, 2-time WWE United States Champion, 5-time WWE Tag Team Champion & NWA World Tag Team Champion Stone Cold Steve Austin just before “Cake & Rice” pours up enough drank that can give him stomach aches during the evening.
Meanwhile on “Good to Me”, we have Vezzo talking about a woman who wants someone rich leading into “Worth Something” featuring Big Sean & Skilla Baby finding the trio making the whole block jump. “Minnesota” morbidly takes the wocky to the North Star State while “Richer Than I’ve Ever Been” featuring GT of course boasts their wealth. “Dumb Dumb” finishes by leaving the plug & coming right back since his packages be slapping.
It’s been 4 months since the Detroit trap star & IUR CEO celebrated his birthday by putting out a Live from the 6 successor that explored 6 Mile even further than the predecessor did & he warms up the streets for whatever has coming next by cooking up 9 tracks bringing along a few of the city’s biggest artists for the ride letting y’all into the way they be living over the Motor City’s unique take on trap music.
Dough Networkz is a music management executive & underground hip hop curator from Inglewood, California notable for having the duo DirtyDiggs produce his full-length studio debut LP Above Cloud Vision in the summer of 2019. He even helped curate an East to West compilation from Lord Mobb Music about a year & a half ago, turning the sophomore effort here into a double album except both discs were released a week apart from each other.
“Niyyah” by Osbe Chill & Tek is a soulful intro talking about being strong & wrong simultaneously whereas “A Day Late & $1 Short” by Boldy James & Trizz featuring Jay Worthy on the remix was a great lead single linking up to boast they’ve been getting money since prior to them getting laid for the first time. “Fake Dead” by Jason Martin formerly known as Problem, Jayson Cash & WeSSmont SSkeme brings a west coast vibe with Jason Martin having the best verse while “Dreamin’” by Big Twins soulfully feels like the hood is his.
Conway the Machine & Sirrealist join forces for the gully boom bap joint “Sawed Off” talking about getting your nose blown the fuck off if you stick it where it shouldn’t be leading into the cloudy “3 Hours Past Noon” by Jay Worthy boasts that it ain’t a party until he pulls up to the spot. The soulful “Never Knew” by Jameel Na’im X, King Akeem & Young Roddy admitting they didn’t think the love the trio have would be the way it is & “Sunsets Over Inglewood” by Domo Genesis featuring Smoke DZA on the remix proved to be another great single choice representing the southwest.
“Old Rules” by N8NOFACE angrily gives a middle finger to the kids who be calling him an old head when he feels like you should rightfully have pride in your shit just before “Automatic Lovers” by Airplane James & The Jack Moves switches gears stylistically departing from hip hop in favor of a smooth soul ballad. “Rap Camp” by Ab-Soul, Baron Davis, Dazy Lyn, LaRussell, Malachi & Mani Coolin is this cool 7 & a half minute posse cut while “Crime Networkz” by Crimeapple & RLX feels reminiscent of their recent collab album Los Pollos Hermanos.
Tha God Fahim jumps on top of this haunting instrumental throughout “Eyes of the Beholder” doing squats with the weight of the world on his shoulders while “Goodbye Twice” by Baron Davis & T.F. soulfully talks hitting the parlay like it’s Uncut Gems. The song “Lil Bobby” by Hyde Park Firebug & Traffic discusses the realest shit meaning more to them & “Play Your Role” by Cala the Prophet & Eastside K-Boy offers nothing more than advice.
“Don’t” by Drebo sets off Side B with a west coast g-funk banger with a hook reminiscent of the late, great Nate Dogg carrying over elements from that era onto “Black Bentley” by Black C & Lil Woofy Woof except both of them are showing off their gang ties. “Player Made” by Brodie Fresh & The Musalini hops over a sample to talk about them being the players they are while “Beverly Hills Car Club” by AJ Snow finds therapy within wiping down the rims of his ride.
Osbe Chill & Rome Streetz appear for the crooning “However” talking about getting rich while “Phone Call from Dough” by Westside Webb jazzily making it clear that he really be hustling & flowing out here staying in his own zone. “Cash Rules” by Kai Ca$h goes boom bap so he can explain that money talks while “West to East” by Flee Lord & MC Eiht perfectly represents both Queens, New York & the city of Compton, California.
“Sticks & Scars” by Da$h & Win or Lose Records has a slower boom bap tone realizing that the payback is way past due the way they see it while “Mika & Sef” by Baron Davis & 2-1 keeps it in the basement showing off the different type of skill they’ve already mastered. “Center of Change” by Chance Infinite grittily performs prayers instead of a seance in the middle of chaos observing the devils having awareness of being wrong & “Designer Drugs” by Jonah Love makes me feel like I’m listening to Boldy James.
Mitchy Slick & Trizz come together to make “Money on the Fly” backed by a sample while “The Invitation” by Vel 9 finds her drifting on a star. The song “No Fronts” by Huey Bliss cloudily talks being reliant on his clientele & “Where We Are” by Sadat X opens up on only needing a few individuals by his side rather than a whole army with these piano chords playing behind him. “Time is Now” by Big Cheeko & JAY NiCE closes Side B with them talking about what a shame it is that people act lame & gossip.
After the “Follow Your Dreamz” skit, “Clearing My Mind” by G Perico starts the deluxe run with a drumless sample looking to free himself mentally while “3 for 50” by O.T. the Real soulfully talks about trappin’ since his halfway house days. “Allahu A Lem” by Osbe Chill & Tha God Fahim teams up together again to discuss God eternally knowing best while the funky “Black Business” by All Hail Y.T. & EDIDON talks about African American entrepreneurship.
“Came from the Bottom” by Morray cloudily admits to the mistake of bringing too much fake in his mix & not having anything growing up while “Cocaine Heroin” by G4 Jag & T.F drumlessly talks about pushin’ weight. “Darkside” by Reaper Mook continues the bare sampling to state he was in the trap too long because he felt like it was the only way while LIFEOFTHOM’s title track bodies a jazzy boom bap beat for 112 seconds.
After the “Follow Your Vision” spoken word interlude, “Handle Business” by Southside Vic smoothly talks about running up the money with bad ambition & his girl’s response when he told her he was in the lab while “It’s a Compton Thang” by Mari Ruger & MC Eiht represents their hometown with a g-funk flare. “Limo Tints” by Jay Worthy & Tiona Deniece experiments with trap soul hoping to make haters sick with their success while “Stronger Than My Pain” by EDIDON & Tha God Fahim talks about there being no love lost because it doesn’t cost shit.
Warren Wint gets introspective over some keys during “Out My Window” simply trying to survive around his parts livin’ to get by while “Triumph” by Bale & Neko Brim soulfully talks about this sounding like a victory lap to them. “Patterns” by Boldy James, Grafh & T.F. unites so each of them can describe livin’ like legitimate gangsters while the funky “Sliding” by B-Legit & LE$ talks about tying up anyone who tries to mess with their bread.
“Paisa” by El Nino switches up with a full-blown Latin rap song backed by a classy instrumental while “Yote Networkz” by Coyote makes up for it’s minute & a half brevity with both LadiesLoveGuapo & Ricky Blanco spitting aggressive verses in that matter of time. “Sushi” by Sirrealist & Starz Coleman prefers to peak out the window like Malcolm instead of turning the other cheek while the final bonus track is pretty much Win or Lose Records speaking “Straight from the Heart”.
Since both discs of Dis for the Project are finally in front of us now, it reveals itself to be an exciting double LP following up on Dough Networkz’ official debut Above Cloud Vision. I prefer the production that NoyOne & J.R. cooked up 6 years ago, except I appreciate the quality list of performers that he had to bring on board whether it be established veterans or some lesser-known names looking break down the wall of obscurity & get themselves out there.
Doodlebug is a 58 year old MC from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania notable for being 1/3 of the Digable Planets. Following their disbandment, he would branch out in favor of a solo career beginning with his 2011 debut Futuristic Sci-Fi as well as The Expendables & more recently The Calidelphian roughly a decade after Futuristic Sci-Fi dropped. West coast duo 80 Empire are officially joining him for a new collaborative LP & have signed a deal with Fat Beats Records to help put it out into the universe.
After the “Galactic Intro”, the first song “Outtaspace Connection” is a funky romance tune throwing it back to Zapp during the hook talking about the laws of attraction whereas “Breathe” slickly talks about his passion for drums coming from his uncle having a drum set at his grandmother’s house growing up. “Mother Earth is Dying” jazzily discusses our planet slowly deteriorating leading into “Spread Love (Communicate)” talks about positivity & communication.
Shabazz Palaces joins Doodlebug for “Deliveries” letting it be known what they stay constantly running & getting paid off of these days while “Amore” soulfully gets back on the themes of romance. “Time Keeps Slipping” featuring Nejma Nefertiti finds the pair talking about life flying by the way does just before “Intergalactic Love Supreme” featuring YaH-Ra spaciously speaks on love once again.
“I Am” featuring Emma Lee M.C. & Skrewtape unites the trio they can demand that you obey the empire, but then “Nothing Lasts Forever” featuring Bone Crusher & KXNG CROOKED officially concludes A Galactic Love Supreme with all 3 of them cooking up what could possibly be my favorite collaboration reminding us all that there isn’t a single thing out there that’ll last until eternity.
Sir Analog & Duke of Digital both really nailed it helping Doodlebug make a provocative body of musical escapism with every song revealing itself to be a different painting making the canvas at its core hip hop although it’s meticulously textured with so many other influences from jazz to soul music. Reminiscent of a time when music’s sole obligation was to make you feel good & think critically, they portray a healthy marriage of analog & digital or nostalgia meeting contemporary.
This is the 9th full-length studio LP from Toronto, Ontario, Canada rapper Tory Lanez. Blowing up a decade ago off The New Toronto mixtape, he ended up signing with Interscope Records the following year & releasing a total of 4 albums until departing at the beginning of 2020. Daystar that same fall gaslight everyone after shooting Megan Thee Stallion in the foot & if that wasn’t enough, we’re getting a successor 5 years later after teasing it with multiple singles last summer.
After the intro, the first song “Free Me” calls for his freedom due to him having a family & some homies who need him advising to not let your emotions supercede your intelligence whereas “Sneeze Wrong” talks about the game not being based around sympathy & finding his way home until he loses himself. “White Lightning” finds himself getting drunk in his cell off that moonshine while “Guide Me Through the Storm” talks about needing God more than ever.
“9$ide / Amethyst” is a 2-parter with the 2nd half of it sounding rather unfinished compared to the other & after the “MAWA” interlude, “Lunch Tray” promises that shit won’t ever be the same again once he comes home. “$ailor Moon” has one of the better instrumentals courtesy of araabMUZIK dissing a woman who fucked his dog after becoming incarcerated just before “Verdict Day” reflects on the very day he was found guilty.
After the “Lawyer Fees” interlude, the actual Lawyer Fees” song itself admits that he doesn’t have the money he needs since he’s down bad & his pockets are currently light leading into “Slipping & Falling” coming off as a decent homage to one of the late DMX’s most popular cuts “Fallin’”. We get treated to a couple more 2-parter with the first “Charlie Row / Wishing Well” having a more repetitive 2nd half, but then both halves of “Phone Secs / FaceTime” feel fully complete except the themes of love portrayed don’t do it for me.
“T.D.F (Turn Down Fades) / County Jail” produced by Lex Luger has to be my favorite 2-part joint on the album rejecting any fades that come his way & asking where everyone was when he was fucked up in the county while “Gangland / Fargentina 4EVR” featuring WolfGang Petersen finds the 2 being fed up with these bitches playing with them. “I Fucked a Lady Cop” tells a female officer that she’s his best kept secret while “My Shayla / SPICE-RILLA” featuring D$TNY responds to being served restraining order papers in his cell.
The track “Back Out$ide” featuring SOS oddly begins the encore of Peterson by defending disgraced Bad Boy Entertainment founder Puff Daddy a.k.a. P. Diddy or Diddy ahead of his trial a couple months from now & after TB’s interlude, “Free Tory” wraps up the Daystar sequel by promising to God that he’ll be released from prison at some point later on in 2025 & even if I personally am not so sure of it, we’ll just have to find out for ourselves in due time.
Tory’s 5 Fingers of Death freestyle on Sway’s Universe back in 2018 epitomizes the amount of talent he has & it’s a shame that he hasn’t put anything out channeling that same energy since. Peterson for being a continuation of his most panned body of work isn’t as bad as the predecessor albeit it almost is. I’d be lying if I said the production wasn’t only a smidge above Daystar almost half a decade ago this fall & his performances for a good run of it are subpar.
Lady Gaga is a 38 year old singer/songwriter, actress & Haus Labs founder from New York City breaking out into stardom in 2008 off her full-length debut The Fame after signing to Konvict Muzik & Interscope Records. Her debut EP The Fame Monster & the sophomore effort Born This Way later inspiring the name of the Born This Way Foundation marked her final offering for Konvict, remaining on Interscope for Artpop along with Joanne & Chromatica. Her previous LP Harlequin was better than Joker 2: Folie a Deux itself, coming off the disappointing film for her 7th studio album.
“Disease” draws from electropop, dance-pop, midtempo bass, French electro & futurepop singing about making sinners into believers whereas “Abracadabra” works in elements of dance-pop, electro house, electropop, acid house, hardbag & French electro facing the challenge of life, the challenge of the night & finding the magic in it all. “Garden of Eden” produced by Gesaffstein maintains the dance pop vibes mirroring Adam & Eve’s biblical paradise prior to “Perfect Celebrity” serving as the theme song of the current WWE Women’s Champion & former NXT Women’s Champion Tiffany Stratton’s upcoming WrestleMania XLI match against 14-time WWE women’s champion, 2-time NXT Women’s Champion & WWE Women’s Tag Team Champion Charlotte Flair making some stunning commentary on the manufacturing of those types of celebrities.
Moving on from there, “Vanish Into You” sings about wanting to merge into a singular identity of her partner’s in order to insulate herself from the worldly emotions just before the synth-funk “Killah” pushes herself out of her comfort zone swing herself as a killer both in a literal & metaphorical state. “Zombieboy” remembers her late friend Rick Gernest who passed away in the summer of 2018 with celebration of the nights when fun leads to feeling like a zombie the next morning, but then “LoveDrug” basically comparing the feeling of love to an addictive substance.
“How Bad Do You Want Me?” questions how much her partner loves her in the midst of him dreaming about another person while “Don’t Call Tonight” goes for a warm pop rock flare suggesting not to hit her line unless the targeted individual wants to cause her harm. The irresistibly catchy “Shadow of a Man” sings about not wanting to be under the darkness tonight & to have the light shown to her while “The Beast” shows her evil alter ego telling her partner to colloquially free the beast from within him.
The track “Blade of Grass” dedicates this moment to her fiancé Michael Polansky recalling conversations of proposals in their backyard & simply wrapping a blade of grass around her finger would be her act of grace until “Die with a Smile” featuring Bruno Mars ends fusing pop soul, pop rock, soft rock, adult contemporary & piano rock really crossing over “Shallow” off the A Star is Born soundtrack & Bruno’s work with Anderson .Paak of the duo Silk Sonic wanting to be with each other during the end of the world.
“Can’t Stop the High” starts the deluxe run mixes electro & grunge music for a harder successor to “Perfect Celebrity” while “The Dead Dance” meshes nu-disco, dance-pop, synthwave, synth-funk & electropop to sing about music’s ability to save the lives of others. The final bonus track “Kill for Love” finishes with somewhat of a spiritual successor to “The Beast” in the sense of the werewolf she was speaking of is replying back to her dismissing the idea of wearing it’s disguise.
Stemming from a period of deep introspection & personal challenges, Lady Gaga celebrates her love for music by bringing together a wide variety of genres, styles & different dreams from a place of joy. The production built around dance-pop, electropop, nu-disco, pop rock, synthpop, soft rock, adult contemporary & piano rock, synth-funk, electro house, acid house, hardbag, French electro, midtempo bass & futurepop results in the most memorable songs that’s she’s written in roughly 15 years embarking on a transgressive journey through genres reflecting her diverse musical influences & life experiences.
Washington, D.C. emcee/producer Ankhlejohn teaming with Cookin’ Soul for his 7th mixtape. Breaking out off his Big Ghost Ltd.-produced sophomore effort Van Ghost, he’s given the underground a total of 6 full-length studio albums as well as 27 EPs & his last 6 tapes in almost a decade. Other favorites of mine in his discography include the Navy Blue-produced As Above, So Below & the Rome Streetz collaborative effort effort Genesis 1:27. I was however interested in hearing The Michelin Man after his verse on Gangrene’s comeback effort Heads I Win, Tails You Lose.
“Landlord Member” sets the tone by hooking up this gospel sample to talk about being the kind of father that actually lives with his children whereas “Rump with Me” takes the boom bap route instrumentally asking if anyone out there wants smoke with him. “The Hell Pit” goes drumless talking about everyone already knowing the deal with him for these past several years leading into “Lance Vance” featuring Premo Rice praising God for keeping their affairs in order.
As for “Deuteronomy 28”, we have Cookin’ Soul continuing to strip the drums once again making way for Ankhlejohn feeling like Onyx telling everyone to do the knowledge just before “Seed of Chucky” featuring Tony Shhnow marks the soulful collaboration I never thought I needed to hear. “Sturgeon Eggs” returns to the boom bap putting his street life on full display lyrically while “Halfway” featuring Mike Shabb sees the 2 leaving y’all shot in the mouth.
“Riga Mortis” officially starts the final moments of The Michelin Man referencing WWE Hall of Famer, former 6-time WWE Champion, 2-time WWE Intercontinental Champion, 2-time WWE United States Champion, 5-time WWE Tag Team Champion & NWA World Tag Team Champion Stone Cold Steve Austin following the premiere of the WME Group-owned TKO Group Holdings division WWE’s new developmental brand Evolve revived by EVOLVE Wrestling’s original founder Gabe Sapolsky showcasing talent under the WWE ID (Independent Development) program on tubi yesterday prior to “Feel the Breeze” finishing us off on a jazzier note making his mother proud with his words.
Some of LORDY’s output in the past 7 years has been hit-or-miss & heads I know who’ve been following him for the same amount of time as me have agreed on that when engaging in conversations of his discography, but The Michelin Man easily sticks out as Anhklejohn’s finest offering of the 2020s elevating Cookin’ Soul’s production run that began last year & the D.C. artist’s finest performances in a while.
Albuquerque, New Mexico emcee, songwriter, producer & architecturalist Lost Membranes dropping his debut EP on his YouTube channel. Inspired by a multitude of artists in different genres from the almighty Wu-Tang Clan to post-punk pioneers Joy Division & the pioneering nu metal band KoЯn, he first introduced himself at the very beginning of 2022 & has put out numerous singles since then. However, he’s opening The Empty Diaries as his 1st official body of work in order to make a broader statement in the underground.
“Awakening” starts the EP by screaming in the brightest moonlight until it’s time for the almighty to show him what he has in store for him next whereas “Bleached” has this occult atmosphere that I find fitting talking about how the world got him feeling & he’ll never be the same again. “Confront” goes for a rap rock to discuss life being a daily struggle while the solemn “Discord” marches on to a war’s parade. “Paradox” ends by talking about everything coming down to the decisions he’s made.
Each song on this 5-track EP gives you an inside look into the constant grind & fights we have with the battles we face in life such as our personal struggles, our faith, our ups & downs, our hopes & dreams, having loved ones or losing loved ones & what we do to maintain our sanity through it all. A mix of hip hop as well as punk & metal music, The Empty Diaries is an emotional journey from beginning to end.
This is the 6th EP from Belleville, New Jersey emcee/producer Action Figure 973. Somebody whose growing discography comprised of 2 mixtapes & 5 EPs has been steadily making waves in the underground for a few years already, gearing up for the hit Vice docuseries Dark Side of the Ring’s upcoming 6th season at the end of the month 48 hours succeeding John Cena’s shocking heel turn attacking the current WWE Champion Cody Rhodes at Elimination Chamber XV this past weekend.
“Villain Eyes” sets it all off with an uncanny boom bap instrumental talking about the way he sees the game whereas “Rap is Crap” gives a nod to The West Texas Rednecks from WCW’s dying days led by the late WWE Hall of Famer, former 2-time WWE Intercontinental Champion, WWE United States Champion & WCW World Tag Team Champion Curt Hennig and calling the game cornier than WrestleMania IX.
WWE Hall of Famer Gene Okerlund gets referenced on the jazzily drumless “Laughing at Your” just before “Mook vs. Arty” references both the late 3-time ECW World Tag Team Champion & SMW Tag Team Champion New Jack and WWE Hall of Famer, 7-time WWE world champion, 7-time WWE tag team champion & WWE Hardcore Champion The Undertaker.
“Skip the Pleasantries” goes for a jazzier direction instrumentally talking about being stronger than record 10-time WCW World Tag Team Champions Harlem Heat just before “Jack Veneno vs. Carlos Colón” acknowledges the former NWA Worlds’s Heavyweight Champion & WWE Hall of Famer of the same name respectively. “Are You Not Entertained?” sends off the EP with a boom bap outro talking about his presence drawing results.
Focusing on topics like former ECW World Tag Team Champion Eddie Gilbert & WWE Hall of Famer The Sheik to name a couple this spring regarding the show itself, the Dark Side of the Ring EP musically takes the love Action Figure 973 has had for the professional wrestling business throughout his career & incorporates it significantly heavier into his music with a hardcore boom bap project turning up the amount of nods to it’s long & rich history.
Here we have the 10th studio LP from Bronx, New York rapper Jim Jones. A member of The Diplomats in the 2000s, his first 5 full-lengths from 2004-2011 had some highlights in them even if they were all average at best as whole albums. However it wouldn’t be until 2018 after dropping Wasted Talent where he would really start putting out his best material ever & then came out with his magnum opus the following year El Capo. El Capo 2 & the Harry Fraud-produced The Fraud Department continued the acclaim up until the Hitmaka-produced Back in My Prime proved to be disappointing. Over 2 decades after his debut, he’s arrived At the Church Steps.
“Jomo” produced by 1982 is actually a great sample-driven opener to get us started reminding everyone who he is 21 years later whereas “Genesis” fuses gospel & trap courtesy of Jim himself talking about half these dudes out here being broke to the point where they can’t pay their debts. “Seen It All” discusses getting it all in & never falling because of his shoes being tied, but then “Make It Out” maintains a trap vibe thanks to Hitmaka talking about him & Cam’ron falling out with each other again a month ago.
Conway the Machine & Keen Streetz join Jimmy for “Walking on Business” working in a boom bap instrumental to follow through with their actions & sticking to their values just before “White Lines” talks about being obsessed with spending money & refusing to back down for anybody. “Call on Me” goes for a solemn trap vibe again with the help of Smatt Sertified feeling like the world’s falling on him leading into “Opp Thot” featuring Fabolous talks about the L only being a loss if you’ve learned your lesson.
“This Shit Still in Harlem” embraces the Brooklyn drill sound representing the Manhattan neighborhood further proving Cam’s point that he isn’t from Harlem at all while “Dope Boy” featuring Keen Streetz ominously suggests to let them do their dance. “Cinema” featuring Fivio Foreign & Keen Streetz takes another shot at the New York Drill sound missing the landing even harder than previously & after the “Ray Ray” skit, “Back in My Bag” returns to the boom bap getting in the mix again.
Dave East appears with Jim on “What’s Going On?” so both of them can break down shit being different nowadays while “Back in the Day” by The Lobby Boyz keeps the traditional boom bap sound in tact getting reflective. “End of Summer” atmospherically asks God to make space in heaven for him & “Church Steps” ends with a gospel-inspired closer that The Heatmakerz cooked up talking about arriving at the steps of a place of worship.
“Outside” starts the deluxe run with Ron Browz going sample drill behind the boards talking about being out here with that shit on while “Shop” offers a weak take on cloud rap pointing out that some like to take out fires & others letting them burn. “Walk with Me” featuring Keen Streetz cavernously talks about their street mentality & legitimacy while the industrial hip hop joint “Fashion Killa” shows off his taste in drip.
Keen Streetz links back up with Jimmy on “Hoodie Season” providing an average anthem for that specific time of year when it starts to get cold out while “Hustlers” featuring Keen Streetz jazzily talks about being go-getters. “Swerv” featuring G Herbo takes another jab at sample drill doing it just as good as “Outside” did earlier while the trap rock hybrid “Civil Rights” shows a more conscious side to the Vamplife Records founder.
“Ring” slickly pleads for someone to call him while the underwhelming “Skin” fails in terms of an attempt at sexy drill. “Deep End” featuring Rick Ross intriguingly shows off their riches while “No Love” featuring YG shows absolutely 0 affection for these bitches while “Vamp Ooter’s” featuring Dilla illa & 34Zeussy doesn’t represent the VL label that well personally. The final bonus track “Flu Game” featuring Trinidad Jame$ is only slightly better, soulfully talking about being ok.
Some of the singles building up to At the Church Steps including the feature-heavy tracklist truly had me a bit torn on the sequel to the ByrdGang leader’s solo debut unlike the high praise I gave to El Capo, El Capo 2 & The Fraud Department. Now that I’ve actually heard the whole entire thing, I’m still a little iffy on it. Jim’s growth in the past 2 decades is there, except a lot of the hooks are cringe & some of the production tends to falter occasionally.
1300SAINT is an Atlanta, Georgia up-&-comer known for staying out of the box with a versatile sound & style drawing in listeners from all walks of life painting pictures of all colors & shapes to create a true experience for his audience. The heavy 808 based instrumentals he lays his smooth vocals over on his debut album Noir makes you feel every song a little more than usual, catching Young Thug’s attention & signing him to YSL Records after coming home last Halloween for 1300SAINT’s official sophomore effort.
“Never Them” starts with a trap instrumental working in some sampling talking about this not being a homecoming whatsoever from his perspective whereas “Venom” talks about him chilling with the snakes in the pit now that he has a label deal. “I See Red” gives a glimpse of what’s in his cup & not wanting problems with him, but then “Out Bad” produced by Jwade fuses trap & rock reflecting on being at his lowest when he was 18 compared to his current status.
Meanwhile on “LCKY NMBR 7”, we have 1300SAINT over this cloudy trap instrumental reflecting on the days when he was playing on the block as if it was Tetris just before “Everything Slatt” produced by PROJECT4PLAY really represents YSL to the fullest on here & he more than deserves it. “Life of a Don” blends an atmospheric trap backdrop with a guitar showing off what it’s like to be a Don & after the Young Thug interlude, the sample-based “Safe & Sound” suggests he & a romantic interest lay back some time.
“Gallery” calls out those who taught them the way they should be moving for not giving him credit for it while “BTTR & BTTR” talks about his evolution. “Cayenne” has these crazy synthesizers throughout observing the dog eat dog world for what it is while “Sunsex” melodically shows a sensual side to him. “The World is Yours” wraps it up with him getting everything he asked for.
It’s no secret YSL Records was in a rough patch for almost 3 years because of everything that went on & they really needed to bring someone on board who fits in with the rest of the roster keeping up with the modern trap sounds. 1300SAINT was the right person they could choose. As far as production goes, it’s a cut above his previous material & he holds the fort with no guests for 37 minutes.
