Lil Gotit & Lil Keed – “Fraternal” review

Atlanta, Georgia rappers & siblings Lil Gotit & the late Lil Keed celebrating Halloween with a brand new collaborative project. The latter eventually became the most popular of the 2 in the late 2010s when Young Thug announced he has signed him to YSL Records & his younger brother would go on to put out a total of 5 full-lengths as well as a couple mixtapes under Alamo Records until his departure almost 3 years ago already. Keed unfortunately passed away in 2022 of eosinophilia & Gotit’s finally putting Fraternaltogether after teasing it with a couple singles throughout the entire month, making it Keed’s 2nd posthumous offering succeeding Keed Talk to ‘Em 2.

“Game Time” finds the Renders over a cloudy trap instrumental for 85 seconds talking about nobody being in their range artistically whereas “Cash Brothers” takes a few minutes to back out with each other & stack their bread. “Relapse Game” works in some strings & hi-hats so they can talk about loading up the sticks while “Red Eyes” conceived during for the Trapped in Cleveland 3 sessions has a new life of it’s breathed into it.

Tee Grizzley joins Gotit & Keed on the cloudy trap fusion “From the Heart” talking about how everything they do comes from a place of sincerity just before “Stupid Shit” produced by CashMoneyAP demands answers for all the stupidity around them recently. “How Bout You?” continues the 2nd half suggesting that people should be taking risks & trying to become rich while “Woah” lusciously getting higher than the rest thanks to Outtatown behind the boards.

“Young N***a” gets to the encore of Fraternal by digging up another outtake from the Trapped in Cleveland 3 sessions while “5 Star Residence” sticks out in being another favorite of mine personally from the Supah Mario instrumental to the Render siblings talking about the bankroll coming in all different types of colors. “Wild Life (I’m Higher)” closes Gotit & Keed’s joint effort with them reflecting on their crazy lifestyles while “What’s Up?” starts the deluxe run talking about wanting to get high.

As for “Give ‘Em Hell”, we have the Render brothers taking a few minutes to speak of sliding with their money in their pockets while “I’m So Sorry” apologizes in advances for the possibility of sending hits at the detractors who want nothing more than to see them both lose. “Boss Man” airs out the clones stealing their drip & getting pissed because they didn’t get co-signs from either one of them while “Cat Got His Tongue” speaks of cornballs pillow talkin’ to hoes on the phone over a Taurus beat.

“Minaj” featuring Ty$ with G*59 Record$ in-house producer Dynox behind the boards brings the trio together talking about the baddies they’re dating playing their parts while “Rappin’ Shit” guides listeners through the rap game itself. “Fierce” marks the last time both performers appear on the same song with each other since the last 3 bonus tracks “Disgust Me” & “5AM” are Lil Gotit solo joints & “Baby Boy” being a Lil Keed solo song, shrugging off all competition they might have for being weirdos.

Personally, I’ve always found myself listening to Lil Keed more than Lil Gotit although I’ve enjoyed a great deal with their collaboration so I had no problem going into Fraternal. Solid way of Gotit remembering his older brother & I’m pretty sure he would be happy with it if he were still here. The production’s ok but from beyond the grave, it’s bittersweet hearing Keed with his younger sibling carrying his legacy & doing so the right way.

Score: 3.5/5

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The Doppelgangaz – “Bet on Black Cloak” review

Orange County, New York duo The Doppelgangaz back with their 13th EP on Halloween. Consisting of MCs/producers Matter ov Fact & EP, they’ve gone on to make waves in the underground by dropping a total of 8 full-length albums as well as a dozen EPs & 6 beat tapes. Standouts include their breakout sophomore effort Lone Sharks, the follow-up Hark, their 5th album Dopp Hopp, Aaaaggghh, Black Cloak Lifestyle & Went Left. The latter of which got a sequel this summer, assuring that you can Bet on Black Coat a few months later.

“Dopp Gang Thang” starts off with a piano-boom bap instrumental talking about being the game never being the same again whereas “6 Ways 2 Sunday” dustily flexes that they do things the dumb way. “Wacky Wild Crazy” works in some pianos to talk about acting that way sometimes while “Don’t Mess with Them Sharks” advises that you don’t wanna fuck with them. “Whatchu Wanna Do?” soulfully asks their partners that very question for the evening & “Live 2 Regret It” ends with a message to the hardheaded.

The ghastly duo continue to warm up for their forthcoming 9th LP by taking it back to the traditional boom bap sound that made The Doppelgangaz so popular in the underground after taking a quick g-funk detour with a rawer, more rugged, dustier & dirtier extended play than the slept-on Groggy Pack Entertainment founders have ever sounded almost 2 decades in the game.

Score: 4/5

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SosMula – “Kamp Krystl Lake” review

This is the 4th studio LP from Manhattan, New York rapper SosMula. Coming up as 1/3 of the now defunct City Morgue alongside fellow emcee ZillaKami & producer Thraxx, they’ve released 2 full-length albums & an EP together up before branching out on their own for a little bit. Sos was the first to step up to the plate by dropping 13 Songs 2 Die 2, which was a bit of a disappointment in my opinion due to the features & production. ZillaKami followed it up a month later with HIS solo debut Dogboy & the duo reunited to drop Bottom of the Barrel the month after that, both of those I found much more tolerable. 2 High 2 Die was better than it’s predecessor & the Sleez Machine EP that fall was the worst solo effort of his yet. Signing to Limosa Nostra Records & Atlantic Records following the divisive reception of his final Republic Records offering Sleez Religion, it only makes to go to Kamp Krystl Lake on Halloween.

“Killa Season” begins with a bloodcurdling trap metal intro talking about shooting his opps on camera whereas “Mr. Anderson” bombastically flexes that his stick matches the kicks in his wardrobe. A favorite of mine “Kathedral” featuring Ricky Hil & produced by Thraxx blends a shredding guitar riff & some hi-hats to get on some gangsta rap shit lyrically leading into “Aaron Hernandez” referencing the disgraced New England Patriots tight end of the same name.

Moving on from there, we get more trap metal production on “Blood of My Blood” showing a bit of a Marilyn Manson inflection in SosMula’s vocals during the hook just before “God’s Country” embraces a cloudier trap direction & pens a more nauseating chorus than earlier. The lead single “Trench Brazy” was an impressive 2-parter Lex Luger cooked up likening himself to a pimp while “House in the Trees” feels like God isn’t answering his prayers.

“Project Baby” was another exciting single reusing the same beat as “Deception” by Cameron Azi from 13 months ago except I feel like Mula suits it better down to the additionally included sampling of “Pop Out” by Playboi Carti while “Spiral” angrily talking about running up to houses to put his gun in the mouths of whoever opens it. “Preacher” speaks of hooking up with the reaper & gangbangers repping his set while “Mercedez Brazy” takes a slower approach than the other singles.

The song “Blakk Bootz” winds down Kamp Krystl Lake’s final 8 minutes with an industrial trap sound talking about his preference of rockin’ an all black got while “Outlaw Squad” contains some of the goofiest vocals throughout the album comparing himself to a fugitive. “Circus Roaches” lastly ends things experimenting with a grungy rock outro talking about him trying to figure out all this shit happening recently while “Excalibur” starts the deluxe run going to war over a trap metal beat.

“Spin Class (Fitness for Opps)” cloudily promises to gauge out the eyes of those going against him while “GTA VI” references Rockstar Games’ upcoming action-adventure game of the same name. “Death from Above” talks about the sky & eyes turning red over a rap rock instrumental while “Walk ‘Em Home” boasting all his stacks are chrome. “Barbellz” featuring Ricky Hil intriguingly trades the mic back-&-forth with one another the final bonus track “M. Bison” has a bar referring to WWE Hall of Famer Mike Tyson.

None of SosMula’s solo effort have come close to Dogboy but surprisingly, Kamp Krystl Lake gives pretty good reasons as to why Ricky Hil signed him to Limosa Nostra Records & Atlantic Records ahead of 10,000 Grams. Maybe even the best Sleezy has sounded on his own ever, stylistically drawing from the trap metal sound City Morgue pioneered to cloud rap & alternative rock taking it’s themes after the iconic Friday the 13th franchise.

Score: 4/5

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Scatz – “F.T.O.S. II (Fuck the Other Side II)” review

This is the 8th EP from Flint, Michigan rapper Scatz. Introducing himself 3 years ago with his debut EP Kyriee Krazy followed by the debut mixtape Yung N***a World, his next 5 EPs SharkLoto, Gift of Gab, Yung Dirty Bastard, The Biggest & Yung Dirty Bastard all the following year caught the attention of Rio da Yung O.G. & signed the 6 Ward Lord to M.I.N.E. Entertainment behind bars. F.T.O.S. (Fuck the Other Side) celebrated its 1-year anniversary last month, so it makes sense for him to drop a sequel on Halloween.

“Talkin’ Dumb” featuring Rio da Yung O.G. starts with both them over a Flint trap instrumental spitting a whole bunch of gang shit whereas “Jog” works in some 808s & pianos referencing the Endeavor-owned TKO Group Holdings division WWE’s secondary flagship program Friday Night SmackDown. “1 of 1” flexes that the body he hit with the switch has become unique in it’s own way just before “Can’t Forget” featuring 2800 Twin decently trades verses with one another.

We have Scatz understandably representing his squad on “It’s M.I.N.E.” for a good 2 minutes while “Cheddar Bob” references DJ Rec, who inspired the popular 8 Mile character of the same name. “Fluffy” featuring Baby TR delves deeper into the gangsta lifestyle taking 2 blocks & keeping only 1 while “Lulu” featuring Doonie talks about both of them having more stripes than the British luxury fashion house Burberry.

“Make a Bet” featuring FTOS Swan promises to walk victims down in Rick Owens instead of wearing Prada while “King of the Hill” give a nod to the Hulu serves of the same name set to premiere season 15 in 2026 in light of seasons 16 & 17 being ordered. “Facts” wraps up F.T.O.S. II (Fuck the Other Side) II with him talking about shooting up a crib every single week with the sole purpose of testing his groove.

Gotta be honest: As much as I enjoy the original F.T.O.S. (Fuck the Other Side) last fall, its spiritual successor feels a bit mediocre in comparison. I don’t mind the production nor do I have any criticisms with Scatz’ own performances, but the guest list is more inconsistent with only 1 of the 5 sticking out & that being none other than Rio.

Score: 3/5

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Heem – “Bars & Noble 3” review

Buffalo, New York emcee Heem closing the Bars & Noble trilogy with his 4th LP. Catching my attention in 2020 after becoming of a protege of Benny the Butcher & signing to Black Soprano Family Records, he also made a few appearances on the label’s showcase EP prior to dropping his debut mixtape Long Story Short & a debut EP High Art. His debut album From the Cradle to the Game came in the spring of 2023, coming off the sequel to Bars & Noble earlier this year to complete the final chapter.

The title track opens up with a boom bap instrumental talking about leaving anyone running their mouths on stretchers whereas “Bonettis” featuring Illy Foo finds the 2 discussing times getting harder trying right some wrongs. “Buffalo to Bompton” featuring Figg Newton joins forces for a moderate east coast/west coast collaboration with a bit of a small g-funk influence just before “$20 Stones” gets on his hustler shit over a sample.

“Redrum” moves forward by showing off his murderous tendencies advising that people near him better run for their lives when he pulls up to the spot while “Menace to Society 2” conceptually picks up where the Long Story Short highlight left off. “Foot Steps” featuring Z Baby finds the 2 expressing their desire to get up & grind leading into “$1 & a Dream” featuring Jamal Gasol optimistically talking about their day coming.

Jae Skeese joins Heem on the song “Graceful” starting the final leg of Bars & Noble 3 with my what could most likely by my favorite feature of the 5 in my personal opinion anyways asking to pray for them while “Family Tree” talks about his upbringings sampling soul music. “Warring Ave 2” finishes the trilogy with another sequel to a Long Story Short standout telling us more stories of him growing up in that very street of his hometown.

The original Bars & Noble was a solid dedication to all of the people in his circle who’ve been around since Day 1 & it’s sequel this spring at him at his wisest, but Bars & Noble 3 compared to it’s predecessors feels like a mix of both at times although the list of guests & some of the production doesn’t interest me all that much. By no means am I saying it’s wack, I simply prefer the earlier installments above this most recent one & that’s that.

Score: 3/5

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SABA – “C0FFEE!” review

Chicago, Illinois emcee/producer SABA celebrating Devil’s Night with a brand new EP. The co-founder of the Pivot Gang collective a decade back, he broke out in the fall of 2016 off the solo debut Bucket List Project & the follow-up CARE FOR ME was where his potential would be put on a much more broader display. Few Good Things was a better version of Cordae’s sophomore effort From a Bird’s Eye View coming off From the Private Collection produced by No I.D., he’s grabbing himself a cup of C0FFEE!.

“How Many X?” begins by asking all sorts of questions like the amount of times this woman had broken his heart or if she even wants give his love a chance & after the “don’t be long” interlude, “my bro” featuring Senite jazzily talks about charming a woman he fell for more than once. The self-produced “Looking for Parking” shows off his singing abilities hoping his girl ain’t tired after pulling up to her complex while “Today Years Old” talks about not being like others.

Starting the 2nd half, “high tides” discusses all the hues in his life get so bright for the moment just before “itachi” after the “supplier” interlude talks about trying to stay sane despite that not being so easy because of the turmoil unraveling in front of us these past 9 months. “TICTACTOE” lastly finishes the EP with him starting to miss phone calls & texts from a female he’s no longer on speaking terms with realizing that some shit is better off being let go of.

It doesn’t really surprise me that coming off the most beloved full-length of SABA’s career this spring, C0FFEE! would embrace an experimental sound & get more abstract with his songwriting. However even with all these interesting creative ideas floating around, I don’t find myself coming back to it as much as From the Private Collection because there are a few key moments where some of these tracks don’t feel fully fleshed out.

Score: 3/5

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Icewear Vezzo – “Purple Passion” review

Detroit trap veteran & Iced Up Records founder Icewear Vezzo celebrating his birthday weekend with a brand new mixtape. 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 tapes. The previous Paint the City hosted by DJ Drama preluded his Quality Control Music debut album Live from the 6, which had a sequel of it’s own & the Undefeated looks to discuss his Purple Passion.

“Regular” opens with a reference to 14-time WWE world champion, 2-time WWE Hall of Famer, 5-time WWE Intercontinental Champion, 3-time WWE tag team champion & current the Endeavor-owned TKO Group Holdings division’s CCO Triple H whereas “GMB” featuring GT finds the 2 entertainingly trading verses with one another for almost 3 minutes. “Tesla” produced by Danny G could be my favorite track here even though the clean energy automotive company’s CEO, Twitter owner since 2022, SpaceX founder & Neuralink founder is a Nazi while “Heavy Metal” smoothly pulls up prices with the devil out in the ghetto.

Finesse2tymes’ appearance on “Trophy Music” is actually ok as someone who isn’t really a fan of him & the name does a solid job at matching that same vibe down to the horns until “Party on the 6” talks about shutting 6 Mile down for a block party. “High Fashion” glamorously expresses his appreciation towards haute couture just before “Status” featuring 2 Chainz taps into the Detroit sound whilst using a sample to talk about both of them getting everything they dreamt of.

Beginning the final act of Purple Passion, we have Vezzo atmospherically satisfied he’s “Having My Way” with things in his life as of late while “Supreme” gives a nod to the influential New York streetwear brand of the same name. “I Be Knowing” winds down the mixtape’s last 7 minutes with more sampling techniques talking about him being aware of the difference a woman & a hoe while the soulful Detroit trap outro “Free” talks about still being himself despite all his flaws.

Purple Passion preludes the next era of Icewear Vezzo’s artistry coming 2026 delivers the unique kind of raw storytelling that made the Iced Up Records CEO well beloved in his hometown & eventually the trap spectrum. Not only would I consider this tape to be an improvement over Undefeated because he’s elevated his style for the past decade, but also it’s heavy themes revolving around the hard work & dedication it took for him to be in his current position.

Score: 4/5

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Dirtcore Music – “Overkill” review

This is the 2nd showcase compilation from Grand Rapids, Michigan independent record label Dirtcore Music founded by local rapper, singer/songwriter & producer Crossworm. The latter of whom was sole artist officially signed for its first 2 decades of existence until bringing Samson Samson whom he formed Bodies Below Sea Level with, Madd Maxxx, Mumm Ra, Sleep Lyrical, J Reno whom he formed Misery Coast with & Grounds all on board. Others such as Gavyn Gunn & Oblivia have spent a brief amount of time signed to Dirtcore with Gavyn’s debut EP Malevolent being a great start to his ongoing trilogy, celebrating Devil’s Night with Overkill.

Crossworm eerily starts with a self-produced intro “Halloween Sucks” talking about him spraying mace at anyone who knocks on his door whereas “The Veil” by J Reno takes the trap route instrumentally discussing the boundary between life & death. “Mask On” by Sleep Lyrical shows a bit of a Memphis influence being in the kitchen with evil eyes every Halloween while “Agree to Disappear” by Madd Maxxx speaks to his therapist on wax.

“CR4V3 M3” by Samson Samson embraces a funky industrial direction talking about a woman who’s yearning for him just before “The Old Man” by J Reno returns to the boom bap vividly describes a house usually skipped during trick-or-treating being the only 1 in town this year. “The Warning” by Mumm Ra aggressively asks if anyone wants smoke with him because he ain’t got shit to lost leading into “The Dead Can’t Die” by Crossworm industrially talking about the undead being immortal.

Misery Coast comes off their eponymous debut EP earlier this week with the dusty “Never Woulda Guessed” confessing they didn’t imagine themselves winding up 6 feet in the ground while the horrorcore/industrial “Scream” by Samson Samson talks about making innocent victims shriek when walking in the room. “Demon Me” by Madd Maxxx & Sleep Lyrical bodies a trap beat together feeling lost out their minds while the outro “Nobody” by Grounds sends off the compilation with a metal closer kin to his debut EP Walking into Tragedy.

Dirtcore last Christmas finished 2024 with Dirtcore Music by compiling a collection of songs that’ll get the average listener who hasn’t heard of with the label familiarized with who everyone is from an artistic standpoint & a little bit as people. As far as Overkill’s concerned, they’re switching it up by having the entire roster penning songs that celebrate Samhain through a mix of styles from horrorcore & industrial music to metal & a small dosage of spoken word.

Score: 4/5

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Klokwerk E – “Rent a Friend” review

This is the 4th EP from Columbus, Ohio horrorcore duo Klokwerk E. Consisting of Billy D & Kyle Kombs, they introduced themselves a couple years ago off their debut EP Will Boof 4 Rent & later the full-length debut The Emerald Tablets. These guys would also form the supergroup Mighty Morphin’ Wackness with the Super Famous Fun Time Guys over 14 months ago, dropping Santa Claus Fukked My Dog as well as an acclaimed sophomore effort Anubis & their previous EP Bukkake Mukbang Extravaganza this summer. In preparation for Hallowicked weekend however, Rent a Friend has been slowly revealing itself to be their most interesting extended play yet.

It’s only appropriate for the title track produced by Kyle Kombs to set the tone of things talking about making new best friends & looks to “Have Some Fun” after a long day over a trap instrumental. “Bad Influence” humorously asks if you’d ride & die for them but after the “What’s Your Name?” skit, the synth-funk inspired “Johnny Bravo” references the classic Discovery Global-owned Cartoon Network series of the same name.

After the “Do You Remember?” skit, the penultimate song “Homeboys” officially winds down on Rent a Friend with a chill ballad dedicated to chillin’ with some good friends & “Together” sends off the EP with one of the greatest Klokwerk E songs ever heartwarmingly telling everyone listening that they won’t ever be alone hoping some of us live life more, find love & that it gets people through whatever hardships they’re facing.

The 3rd project from Klokwerk E in 2025 feels like a forgotten VHS tape from another era offering a 1-on-1 friendship experience that you’ll never forget, rivaling Anubis for some of the Silver Boof Brothers’ greatest material & exemplifying their popularity in the underground. Kyle Kombs’ production has been continuously getting better as he & Billy conceptually engage in a late-night conversation full of joy, melancholy & grief.

Score: 4/5

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Jay NiCE & Tha God Fahim – “Dump Gawd: Hyperbolic Time Chamber Rap 18” review

48 hours later & the 4th collaborative EP between Atlanta, Georgia emcee Jay NiCE & the local Dump Gawd himself Tha God Fahim has arrived. 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 & fresh off the 17th chapter this weekend, installment #18 is here.

“Better Days” opens with Fahim holding the mic down by himself over a calming boom bap instrumental getting on some mental health shit whereas the soulfully jazzy “Everyday” talks about doing this shit no matter what. Jay NiCE finally appears during “Lay Punishment” setting wack rappers on fire on top of a sample just before “Lands Trapped” lets their words echo through nature.

The song “Well Done” continues the 2nd half of Dump Gawd: Hyperbolic Time Chamber Rap 18talking about being eager to make an other bag drop while Tha God Fahim’s final solo joint “Soo True” discusses protecting your heart. “Gumbo” finishes the EP with both MCs teaming up 1 last time for a soulful outro including a reference to WWE Hall of Famer & the shortest reigning WWE Champion André the Giant.

Reserving my praise towards Dump Gawd: Hyperbolic Time Chamber Rap 12, the predecessor on Sunday wasn’t on par with the season 2 premiere or the 16th entry in saga & I can pretty much confirm that Dump Gawd: Hyperbolic Time Chamber Rap 17 fits in the same category. Jay NiCE’s contributions decreased from 71% to 57% but other than that, there isn’t really a whole lot to be said that hasn’t been sent already from their chemistry to the production.

Score: 3.5/5

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