Reason – “Everything in My Soul_Blue” review

Carson, California rapper Reason finishing his 2025 with his 2nd EP. After releasing his first 4 tapes, Top Dawg Entertainment signed him in the middle of 2018 by reissuing the one that landed him the contract in the first place: There You Have It. However, his official full-length debut album New Beginnings received more mixed reception when it came out the fall where COVID had the whole world shut down & Anthony “Top Dawg” Tiffith’s son Moosa subsequently got into a heated exchange of words with Reason the week Porches dropped saying former employee & pgLang co-founder Dave Free regrets even signing him in the first place. I Love You Again came out 8 months ago under his own label Do More Records, which preluded Everything in My Soul_Blue.

The soulful trap instrumental on “Pity Parties_BLUE” was an immediately intriguing way to start us off talking about being known for slam dunking as if he’s Vince Carter prior to “Lie to Me_BLUE” pretty much channeling the frustration of being lied to in a relationship. “Paralyzed_BLUE” featuring Westside Boogie finds the 2 talking about love being stiff while “Idols & Rivals_BLUE” featuring Kai Ca$h continues with them feeling like they’re spiraling.

“Liu Kang_BLUE” begins the 2nd half of Everything in My Soul_BLUE bringing a summery vibe instrumentally referencing the Warner Bros.-owned Mortal Kombat character of the same name & once “There’s Pain in Photos_BLUE” takes the pop rap route stylistically talking about pushing through his lowest points & praying to stay focused, “Thass My Word_BLUE” concludes the EP with a cloudy trap beat trying to see who’s really all in for action like they claim

Starting the deluxe run, “GodLines_BLUE” drumlessly feeling as if people take time with his demons rather than taking time to get to know him personally while “Red Rose White Ceiling_BLUE” featuring Jayson Cash talks about nobody being able to walk their shoes. “Crab Cakes at Joeys_BLUE” tells the story of a woman sleeping with an A&R in hopes of launching her career & the final bonus track “Brittany Renner_BLUE” finishes on some boom bap shit sending prayers to the popular social media model.

Apparently said to be the inaugural entry in a new ongoing series of extended plays & despite remaining optimistic regarding however many installments are being planned, Reason begins this new era of his career moderately. I can admire the personal topics he addresses coming off I Love You Again renewed passion for songwriting & recording, but the moodier direction in sound can be hit or miss.

Score: 3/5

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Danny Brown – “Stardust” review

Detroit, Michigan emcee Danny Brown staying with Warp Records for his 7th LP. Emerging as a member of the Rese’vor Dogs in the mid-2000s, he would go onto form the Bruiser Brigade at the start of the previous decade & put out his debut album The Hybrid shortly after. This resulted in him signing with Fool’s Gold Records & delivering a near perfect sophomore effort XXX the next year, which was followed up with Old in 2013 as well as his 2016 magnum opus & Warp debut Atrocity Exhibition. Coming off uknowhatimsayin¿ in 2019 & what was originally supposed to be his final Warp Records album Quaranta, the Motor City’s finest has decided to stick around & have them drop Stardust.

Quadeca’s ethereal instrumental on “Book of Daniel” matched with Danny’s lyrics confidently talking about making it by the end of the night couldn’t have been a perfect combination to set it all off whereas “Starburst” fuses experimental hip hop, hardcore hip hop, industrial hip hop, bubblegum bass, trap, hybrid trap, deconstructed club, poetry & wonky for a speechless 2-parter showing no pity for a clout-chasing succubi.

“Copycats” combines pop rap, electropop, electro hop, electro house, grime, hyperpop, electro hop, dance-pop & bubblegum bass into 1 thanks to underscores expressing the importance of staying authentic in a world full of imitators just before “1999” featuring JOHNNASCUS works in some skittery synthesizers from the former Spider Gang member himself to tell us that the world truly ended a quarter of a century ago referencing Y2K.

Meanwhile on “Flowers”, we have Danny over an EDM beat talking about persevering through the hardest times of his life leading into “Lift You Up” embracing a hip house vibe instrumentally suggesting to move slower as a result of things going too fast. To conclude the 1st act, “Green Light” shifts towards a bit of an industrial hip hop/pop rap direction telling the love of his live that nothing won’t stop him from giving.

“What You See” reunites with Quadeca to begin the 2nd half on a colorful note wanting to know what their lovers see in them specifically & once “Baby” featuring Rodney Chrome finds the pair coming together to talk about being the perfect type of guys, ISSBROKIE joins Danny during “Whatever the Case” so they can clarify to those in pain due to their hustle that they won’t be knocked off their axis.

Femtanyl’s drum & bass influence throughout “1L0v3myL1f3!” is pretty cool talking about enjoying how things are going in his life because he has his paper up right when some tried counting him out while “Right from Wrong” advises to continue the journey & focus more regarding what’s ahead of us. “The End” featuring Ta Ukrainka links up for a bilingual 3-parter produced by Cynthoni & Quadeca, but “All4U” featuring Jane Remover stands as the true outro doing everything for those who take the time out to listen to their music.

Not to be mistaken with the lowest point of the current 2-time WWE Champion Cody Rhodes’ entire career, Stardust isn’t necessarily superior compared to Atrocity Exhibition but what I can say that it’s an admirable foray into electronic dance music after getting sober. He’s essentially telling about his recovery from addiction & finding joy in art again through the lens of a 90s-era semi-autobiographical popstar named Dusty Star additionally exploring the styles of pop rap, hardcore hip hop, bubblegum bass, deconstructed club, hyperpop & industrial hip hop.

Score: 4.5/5

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Armand Hammer – “Mercy” review

New York underground duo Armand Hammer signing to Rhymesayers Entertainment for their 7th LP. Consisting of billy woods & Elucid, they formed together a decade ago already off their only mixtape Half Measures & the debut album Race Music. The pair would go on to release an EP & 4 more albums worth of abstract political hip hop, with the last one Haram fully produced by The Alchemist becoming the most critically acclaimed within their discography. We Buy Diabetic Test Strips quickly became the greatest musical statement in Fat Possum Records’ entire discography, reuniting with Uncle Al for the Haram sequel Mercy & switching labels from Fat Possum to Rhymesayers.

“Laraaji” comes out the gate hooking up an uncanny sample saving a reference to the late Ka’s 9th & final album The Thief Next to Jesus for billy’s verse whereas “Peshawar” trades the mic with one another over a piano talking about the technological advancements in AI with the “thou shall not make a machine in the likeness of a human” line. “Calypso Gene” embraces a jazzier vibe instrumentally using water as a metaphor for spiritual cleansing just before “Glue Traps” featuring Quelle Chris topically finds the trio addressing more economic issues.

We get some heavy pianos throughout “Scandinavia” talking about life being filtered through white curtains being stranger than the northern European subregion while “Nil by Mouth” continues to put Alchemist’s ear for sampling on full display comparing their flows to remote control lightning. “Dogeared” ends the 1st half with a drumless beat talking about their love running deep until “Crisis Phone” addresses the type of people who don’t know what it means to bleed.

“Moonbow” continues the 2nd leg of Mercy by incorporating a chipmunk soul instrumental hoping all shine through until the end of their days while “No Grabba” combines elements of boom bap & cloud rap talking about their preference of smoking weed without mixing tobacco with it. “U Know My Body” feels more like a brief billy woods solo track going on a complete massacre while “Longjohns” featuring Quelle Chris talks about seeing it all.

The 3rd & final single “California Games” featuring Earl Sweatshirt samples “Rehearse with Ornette” to continue the abstract brilliance of their previous collaborations “Falling Out the Sky” & of course “Tabula Rasa” while “Super Nintendo” wraps things up with a lead single that combines drumless, neo-psychedelia & chiptune using that very console as a metaphor for childhood memories fleeting away.

Despite being confirmed by both billy woods & Elucid that the creative processes behind Haram & Mercy were similar, you’d be disappointed to expect Armand Hammer’s debut under the triennal Rhymesayers Entertainment to sound much like it’s predecessor because that isn’t the case whatsoever. Obviously less experimental than We Buy Diabetic Test Strips was over 25 months earlier, the drumless & jazz rap influences of Haram still remain behind the revered abstract hip hop duo to test out more back-&-forth flows.

Score: 4.5/5

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Aaron Parks – “By All Means!!” review

Aaron Parks is a 42 year old pianist from Seattle, Washington making his debut in the late 90s, putting out 4 full-lengths as a leader until making his Blue Note Records solo debut the following decade with his magnum opus Invisible Cinema. He would go on to put out 9 more LPs until returning to Blue Note last summer for the final chapter of the Little Big trilogy, which marked my personal favorite installment of the 3 & his 16th album has arrived 13 months since coming back to the greatest jazz label.

“A Way” starts us off bringing bassist Ben Street, tenor saxophonist Ben Solomon & drummer Billy Hart all on board for a post-bop intro whereas the lead single “Parks Lope” shows a bit of a John Coltrane influence bringing a bluesier vibe for only a minute shorter than the opener. The 2nd single “For Maria José” serves as a compositional love letter to Aaron‘s wife that she’s surely adore prior to “Dense Phantasy” pulling inspiration from the late Bill Evans.

The song “Anywhere Together” begins the 2nd half of By Any Means!! with a post-bop jam reminiscent of the late Wayne Shorter’s early output (Juju & See No Evil in particular) while “Little River” publicly expresses the love he has for his son Lucas during the 3rd & final single. Of course I can’t for get to mention “Raincoat”, which so ends the last 6 & a half minutes on a succulent note colliding the piano & tenor sax with some cymbals.

Distancing himself from the jazz fusions that’ve defined a great deal of his output since the late 2010s or so, Aaron Parks reunites the very same trio who brought us Find the Way to embrace a rootsier post-bop approach throughout By Any Means!! as opposed to Invisible Cinema’s lenience towards the ECM style. It may even be his greatest musical statement of his career, celebrating his family & the traditions of jazz music as a whole.

Score: 4/5

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MexikoDro – “Still Goin’” review

Atlanta, Georgia producer & rapper MexikoDro making his full-length studio debut under Republic Records. A member of the BeatPluggz, he would later embark on a solo career with Down Bad as well as De Mayo & Quatro respectively. In almost a decade he’s also produced tracks for the likes of Maxo Kream, Drake, Bktherula, Smokingskul, Tony Shhnow & more recently Diorvsyou this spring. 14 months since Quatro, he’s making it clear that he’s Still Goin’.

“Hurt” jumps over a futuristic trap instrumental to talk about making songs as a way of getting shit off his chest leading into “Stuck” discussing the importance of never folding even when life was getting really tough. “Den” talks about fucking up the roads driving in his new Durango over some synthesizers until the celebratory trap single “Remy” speaks of life improving with God by his side.

As for “No Clear Coat”, we have Dro on top of more trap production talking about living life blindly because he has too much faith just before “Marta”boasts that he has more women than an all women’s school over a plugg beat. “Wish” reaches the halfway point thanking the Higher Power for a new day right when he wakes up while “Hire” confesses that he’s far from perfect & feeling confidence of doing well.

“Height” has to be the most personal single this guy‘s ever put out, basically talking about going from calling his mother whilst incarcerated & checking into rehab for drug abuse to turning down huge opportunities while “Maid” desiring to have a big body vehicle instead of a sports car. “Twice” talks about doing better than he was a couple years earlier previously while “Aware” embraces the plugg sound fully looking to turn himself up for the summer.

To begin the last 5 minutes of the LP, the deadpan lead single “No Date” finds himself refusing to do any punk ass bullshit for the sole purpose of going viral because he’s been artistically upgrading throughout the course of these past 11 months while “Doin Right” ties things up in the from of this celebratory outro talking about taking his music career seriously considering that it’s his blessing.

Usually whenever a producer takes the risk of adding the performer occupation onto their repertoire whether they choose to rap or sing their vocals, it could either be a success or a failure. In MexikoDro’s case, the BeatPluggz member’s major label debut album wowed me more than I had initially thought it would. Even if it can be a little monotonous, the production isn’t bad for him making no contributions in that department & the passion’s certainly there in terms of what he gets off his chest.

Score: 3.5/5

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Insecure Men – “A Man for All Seasons” review

Insecure Men is a neo-psychedelia duo from London, England, United Kingdom consisting of bassist Ben Romans-Hopcraft & vocalist/guitarist Saul Adamczewski. Originally a trio with Nathan Saoudi, they would go on to sign to Fat Possum Records & made their eponymous full-length studio debut in 2018 establishing themselves in the windmill scene by additionally pulling from psychedelic hypnagogic pop, returning for a sophomore effort after almost 8 years since properly introducing themselves.

The psychedelic pop intro “Love Again” sings about the horizons not always signify a new beginning whereas the 3rd & final single “Cleaning Bricks” takes inspiration from an old job they had. “Krab” feels like somewhat of a spiritual successor to “The Drones” by The Fat White Family left off their 2016 sophomore effort Songs for Our Mothers while the 2nd single “Time’s a Healer” sings about a hallucinatory narcotic dream that occurred this summer to conclude the 1st act.

“Tulse Hill Station” starts the 2nd half with an ode to the London railway station of the same name prior to the lead single “Alien” comes across as being envious that the woman of interest is seeing other dudes & feels like he’s a complete outsider to her. “Butter” asks what’s left for a person who lost their dream summer job while “Graveyard (Of Our Love)” sings about a relationship that didn’t last & the protagonist hoping he isn’t as stupid as he was. “Weak” concludes the LP with a folkier note pleading to have a hole drank inside their heads due to feebleness.

Focusing less around the hypnagogic pop elements of self-titled, A Man for All Seasons conceptually builds itself around Saul Adamczewski’s hospitalization for severe psychosis & opioid addiction sparking an entire artistic rebirth that includes 2 more albums exploring country & dub music to the fullest extent. The neo-psychedelic pop production of Insecure Men’s debut has matured greatly in the last 7 years since we’ve heard them together exemplified by some of the indie folk elements, taking a more confessionally escapist approach to the lyrics.

Score: 4/5

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Jim Jones – “The Fall Before the Rise” review

The Bronx, New York rapper Jim Jones dropping a brand new extended play a few days succeeding it’s announcement. 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 & At the Church Steps was ok, coming off Pusha T dissing him on the Clipse single “Ace Trumpets” to present The Fall Before the Rise.

The intro opens up with a genuinely decent instrumental telling the God’s honest truth until “I’m the Best” butchers a sample of “You’re the Best” by Joe Esposito for a little over a minute to stroke his ego after having Fivio Foreign do so not too long ago. The usage of sampling on “Rich Water” isn’t done any better having something for everyone who did him wrong leading into “Move ‘Em” talking about having the city under control like a PlayStaion over some 808s.

“Friday” thunderously speaks of formerly making money by putting yay on the highway just before “Eat Tonight” with an uncredited feature comes through with a mediocre Bonnie & Clyde ballad. “Revolution” talks about us getting increasingly closer to a rebellion of sorts while “Summer Where You Been At?” flips “Summertime” by DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince to address a lost love interest. We’re then treated to a freestyle spit during the 3rd annual Mafiathon, which was merely ok.

Wasted Talent marked a huge turning point in Jim Jones’ career putting out some of his greatest material over the course of the late 2010s/early 2020s but since Back in My Prime, the quality of his music is continuing to steeply decline the bigger his head grows. We still would’ve gotten a better product if you kept both tracks from At the Church Steps (deluxe included), whereas The Fall Before the Risecontains worse production & reminds us all he’s not even close to surpassing Nas as an MC.

Score: 1.5/5

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Alemeda – “But What the Hell Do I Know?” review

Phoenix, Arizona singer/songwriter of Sudanese-Ethiopian descent Alemeda returning for her 2nd EP. Appearing on the Hit-Boy produced highlight “Fallacy” off Ab-Soul’s 5th album Herbert at the end of 2022, she would eventually sign to Top Dawg Entertainment under an exclusive distribution deal with Warner Records for a positively received pop rock/bedroom pop debut EP Fuck It last fall. 14 months have passed & she’s looking to further her establish her by releasing But What the Hell Do I Know?.

Things begin with the pop rock intro “Happy with You” singing about being in disbelief that she can feel contented by a romantic figure whereas “Beat a Bitch Up!” featuring Doechii fuses alternative rock, post-punk revival, indie rock, pop rap, pop punk & shoegaze for a ventilation of resorting to physical violence. “Losing Myself” sings about feeling like she’s falling into a metaphorical abyss while the indie/pop rock & bedroom pop lead single “Chameleon” featuring Rachel Chinouriri cautions that karma’s coming to manipulators.

“1-800-FUCK-YOU” starts the 2nd half of But What the Hell Do I Know? with a pop rock/post-punk revival single confidently standing up to any bullshit hurled at her while the self-produced “Stupid Little Bitch” asks why she wastes her days crying over someone in her life worth deeming that very title. “I’m Over It” lately sends off the EP with 1 more pop rock track singing about how things started in this relationship she’s describing wound up being the same way things were lost, being on the verge of giving up trying to fix it.

Expanding the predominant pop rock & bedroom pop sounds of Fuck It almost 14 months ago including it’s secondary post-punk revival influences, Alemeda comes to the realization that she didn’t know everything like she always thought & takes a more vulnerable approach than she did on But What Do I Know?’s predecessor. Her whole entire style that makes her differ from her labelmates is being distilled right in front of us for 17 minutes additionally pulling from alternative rock, indie rock, pop rap, pop punk & shoegaze.

Score: 4/5

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BigBabyGucci – “& When I’m Alone” review

Charlotte, North Carolina recording artist BigBabyGucci finally releasing his 3rd mixtape. Starting almost a decade ago off his debut EP ART HOE Collection, he would continue to build a name for himself by putting out 19 more EPs as well as 6 full-lengths & his last couple tapes along the way. When U Wake Up, When You Go to Sleep, Baby 5 & the heavily alternative ANTI have all become his strongest material of this decade although I can’t the same for Isolation 2.5 a month after the latter. Internet Explorer was a fun redemption for himself & 5 months later, And When I’m Alone looks to keep his foot on the necks of his competition.

“Geeski” opens with an industrial hip hop intro talking about not knowing who the fuck he is anymore after coppin’ Plain Jane whereas “Earth” carries over the industrial vibes immensely sticking to the point because he can’t switch up on himself. “Life of the Party” instrumentally feels reminiscent of Indicud down to the utilization of auto-tuned vocals talking about being sociably lively while “Always Sunny” hopes his girl gives him another chance.

Austin Skinner makes the 1st of 2 guest appearances on “Pipe Down” talking about life seeming like a dream to them whenever they’re high just before “Blue in the Mouth” embraces a rage-inducing atmosphere flexing that his trap’s so crazy that he had to open up his own store. “Gangy” confesses that he isn’t trying to get out of his element anytime soon since he’s not in the usual mood leading into the 808s & Heartbreak-inspired “How Many Shots?” talks about puttin’ muhfuckas back in place.

“Talk to Me” hooks up some sampling chops boasting that a baddie has been watching him shine out here & trying to shoot her shot with him while “Smoke Break” appropriately embraces a slower direction in sound to kick off the 2nd half talking about getting high. “777 Angel Business” featuring Austin Skinner pulls from industrial hip hop once again dripped up in camo ア・ベイシング・エイプ until singing over some synthesizers that his girl wants to meet “By the Lake”.

Moving on from there, “In Sync” distortedly suggesting he better be cautious of how things are becoming all bad while “Death Note” talks about leaving anyone who pulls up on him resting with the dead. “Toonami” co-produced by Nico Baran of Internet Money Records gets reminiscent of the days watching the titular [adult swim] block of the Discovery Global subsidiary Cartoon Network while “Deep Dive” (3AM at Isabelles)” talks about the real ones always shining in the dark.

“No Molly” starts the final leg of & When I’m Alone running up his bands since he’s been grindin’ like the rent’s due while “All Me” talks about a lot being on his mind to the point where sometimes he wishes he’d pass away in his sleep, to which I say God forbid anything like that happens. “Saint Laurent Don” featuring Alois sends off BBG’s 2nd solo effort of 2025 with an outro reminiscent of the pairing’s collab EP Pastel earlier this spring while “Percs & LSD” begins the deluxe run talking about tripping off those 2 drugs specifically.

Hearing an excerpt of Malcolm X’s historic “Who Taught You to Hate Yourself?” speech sampled at the beginning of “Pray for Me” was dope confidently ready to hit a new level while “Passenger” talks about being untouchable. “Chasing the Moon” confesses to getting high because he doesn’t like the way he feels sometimes while “Cherry Red Seats” talks about being more toxic than he is lit. The final bonus track “Fear the Enemy” officially concludes with him responding to those claiming he peaked by keeping his mouth shut.

In preparation of House of Mirrors and Soda & Syrup 2 both coming within the next 52 weeks, & When I’m Alone embodies the blend of pop rap & trap that has made BigBabyGucci stick out for almost a decade. Coming off the heels of bbno$ biting him or most notably Drake on the Pusha T sneak diss “That’s Just How I Feel” off Drizzy’s upcoming 9th album Iceman, the North Carolina rapper/producer sticks to his guns except it’s more influenced by both members of KIDS SEE GHOSTS.

Score: 4/5

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Jay NiCE & Tha God Fahim – “Dump Gawd: Hyperbolic Time Chamber Rap 20” review

Atlanta, Georgia emcee Jay NiCE & the local Dump Gawd himself Tha God Fahim are back for their 5th collaborative EP. Both of whom have worked with each other countless times in the past several years, teaming up for the collab album Strictly 4 My D.U.M.P.E.R.Z. during the spring of 2018 & the Bloodspiller EP almost 3 years ago. Dump Gawd: Hyperbolic Time Chamber Rap 12 produced by Nicholas Craven became their greatest joint offering yet, coming off the 17th & 18th chapters to run it back for the 20th.

“Panamera” soulfully sets the tone with both of them talking about their flows leading to streams & income whereas “The Yolk” takes a funkier approach instrumentally bodying MCs in a gruesome manner. “Take It on the Chin” calls out those with phony actin’ over some pianos just before the colorful “Destruction Ability” discusses the crowd of people shittin’ on their consistency.

The song “Abandon Ship” counts down Dump Gawd: Hyperbolic Time Chamber Rap 20’s last 6 minutes or so with a soul sample talking about thriving in their current positions while “Deadlifts” hops on top of a flute to brag that nobody can do it hotter than them. “Cold Steel” finishes up the EP using some sampling techniques 1 last time talking about their cosmic influence.

5 episodes deep into season 2 of the Dump Gawd: Hyperbolic Time Chamber Rap saga, 60% of them including this latest entry have all been collaborations with Jay NiCE except this one might be the best since 12 when speaking of his & Tha God Fahim’s shared output. Of course you can’t go wrong with Nicholas Craven’s production, but both southern hip hop artists that’re on the mic together step up their chemistry compared 17 & 18.

Score: 4/5

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