Trap Dickey – “The Ville” review

Hartsville, South Carolina rapper Trap Dickey making his Top Dawg Entertainment debut by dropping a brand new mixtape a month after signing. Carving a path for himself artistically after getting shot in the face as a result of a crossfire, his full-length debut Trap or Die would eventually arrive in the spring of 2021 & he has since spent the last several years building up anticipation for The Ville through numerous teasers. However in light his new deal, he’s ready to make a broader introduction under a major label.

“Sonny” produced by Sonny Digital was actually an impressive southern trap intro talking about him always looking up to the dealers whenever he watched gangsta movies whereas “Slidin’” mixes a guitar & some hi-hats to spit that g shit. “Jacker” brings a more energetic vibe to the table asking this woman if she’s ever fucked with a gang member until the 5th single “Don’t Trip” explains the reason a lot of rappers leave their hood is because they really don’t run the city.

As for the 7th & final single “Tell Me Why”, we have Trap Dickey confronting someone regarding the purpose of them fucking with him & the 6th single “Down South” featuring Key Glock was quite possibly my favorite of the bunch from FNZ sampling “Darkest Light” by the Lafayette Afro Rock Band to both artists calling to stop hatin’ on the wrong hitters. “Keep Going” featuring K Camp was a mediocre way to conclude the 1st half despite the messaging just before the 2nd single “No Love” featuring BigXthaPlug flips “Nothing But Love” from The 5 Heartbeats for a moderate gangsta rap cut.

“Blue Devils” featuring DaBaby on the remix trades verses with each other representing both Carolinas for the lead single while “LA Nights” samples “Island in the Sun” by Weezer to talk about spending evenings out in the west coast. The 3rd single “Gettin’ Money” featuring OJ da Juiceman has some cool strings & bells even if the “this shit gon’ stay on me like babies, please don’t pamper me” line was a bit trite while “Morning” samples “Easy” by the Commodores to provide some introspection.

YTB Fatt makes an appearance on the gospel trap crossover “Glory” referring themselves to be the big dog rookies of the year despite the fact that neither one of them are beginners while the 4th single “Day Shift” fuses a bluesy guitar & hi-hats talking about putting on for everything that’s in the streets along with no longer being a hitter due to the money that’s on his head. “New Philly” ties up the last few minutes of The Ville with a passionately drumless outro.

There are only a select few artists on the TDE roster that I would have to put in the C tier like Lance Skiiiwalker & Zacari, but you could add Trap Dickey to that same category considering that a great deal of The Ville was mediocre to me personally. Even if the guest list & production both falter at times, I can totally understand why Anthony “Top Dawg” Tiffith signed him because his whole style’s like a preacher’s grandson speaking directly to the audience.

Score: 2.5/5

Keep up with @legendswill_never_die on Instagram & @LegendsllLiveOn on Twitter for the best music reviews weekly!

Law & Disorder – Self-Titled review

Law & Disorder is an east coast superduo consisting of Brooklyn, New York emcee/producer D-Dot alongside Philadelphia, Pennsylvania by way of Buffalo emcee & lawyer Tracey Lee. They’ve already crossed paths a few times already with D-Dot producing some tracks off Tracey’s slept-on solo debut Many Facez under Universal Music Group almost 3 decades ago, so hearing that they were joining forces for a full-length debut of their own at the beginning of the year peaked my curiosity.

After the “Court Day” intro, the opener “Be Warned” begins issuing a cautionary statement over a boom bap instrumental about them still being beasts with the pen whereas “Let’s Get It On” hooks up a quirkier beat to talk about their flows being hard to follow. “Like This” turns up the dustiness boasting the surgical abilities they have with the pen leading into “What’s Missin’?” talking about being the product of 2 turntables & a mic.

“The Bop” after the “Need a Lawyer?” skit nears closers to the halfway point bringing us the rawness some have been looking for just before the funky “Boss” comes through with some lyrical braggadocio. “Oooweee Owwweeee” featuring the late Black Rob finds the trio bringing it hardcore over a jazzy instrumental prior to D-Dot getting a solo joint of his own with “D-Dot Wins” for a couple minutes, turning up the aggressiveness.

Preceding the “Act Now!!!” skit, we have Law & Disorder talking about the “Brotherly Love” they have for each other while “King-Dome” keeps dissecting all opponents who dare to step up against them. “Seen It All” takes a few moments to look back at the pair’s individually historical careers & once “It’s a Flex” talks about being better than everyone else, “You Know Who We Are” ends the album by having both parties dropping battle bars 1 last time.

I initially went into Law & Disorder expecting it to be a Tracey Lee solo album fully produced by D-Dot, but I had no issue with The Madd Rapper himself joining Tracey on nearly every track since he began in the late 80s as 1/2 of 2 Kings in a Cipher. The boom bap production’s a huge upgrade compared to a great deal of the LLeft Entertainment founder’s output since returning to music after getting his bar admission & proves that neither of them are bound by the past.

Score: 4/5

Keep up with @legendswill_never_die on Instagram & @LegendsllLiveOn on Twitter for the best music reviews weekly!

Jimmie D – “Birds Fly Yonder” review

Here we have the 5th extended play from Montréal, Québec, Canada rapper Jimmie D. Coming up off the Trout & Brussels Sprouts EP a decade ago already, he would later go on to put out a full-length debut alongside a mixtape & 3 more EPs since. The sophomore effort Good Music Hypnotizes entirely produced by Nicholas Craven around this time last year has quickly become the best thing he’s made yet & he’s coming back 12 months later for Birds Fly Yonder.

“Humble Beginnings” begins with this 97 second drumless intro discussing there being nothing nice regarding the struggle whereas “All Nighter”goes for a chipmunk soul vibe to describe learning from his failures & leaving them behind. “No Love” produced by Nicholas Craven was a favorite of mine from the drumless sampling to the lyrics about falling back to progress at times “Koi” featuring Pay$o boasts that no one’s on their level.

Mike Shabb gets behind the boards for another standout track “Peter Thiel” hooking up a psychedelic beat so Jimmie can get in his bag for a minute & a half but after “Rudimentary” reunites with Pay$o & brings Raz Fresco along for a boom bap heater Nicholas Craven cooked up to kick off the 2nd leg looking back at how far each of them have come, “Corporate Prophet” strips the drums again for a lesson of mastering the slow flow & the loop having a summertime aura to it.

“Chipping Away” winds down the last act of Birds Fly Wonder incorporating a drumless gospel sample from Nicholas Craven to dismantle the type of people who like to burn bridges until he talks about hitting “Downtown B.C.” with a homie from the Philippines & a bad bitch with him. The outro “Wasted Time” runs it back with Nicholas Craven for the EP’s remaining 2 & a half minutes chopping up soul samples 1 last time demanding not to fuck around when it comes to his pay.

I fully support the idea of Craven enlisting 3 other producers to help Jimmie D make Birds Fly Yonder& despite half of it containing some of my favorite songs he’s done yet, it wouldn’t necessarily be put in the same tier as Good Music Hypnotizes when ranking Jimmie’s discography although I think the upcoming project Shabbo’s producing for him will be superior whenever the time comes. The instrumentals are more drumless except we’re still getting hints of chipmunk soul & boom bap, although Jimmie’s wordplay & guests all come correctly.

Score: 3/5

Keep up with @legendswill_never_die on Instagram & @LegendsllLiveOn on Twitter for the best music reviews weekly!

Action Bronson – “Planet Frog” review

Yes, we have a brand new LP & the 9th altogether from New York City emcee, songwriter, chef, wrestler & television host Action Bronson. Blowing up with release of his debut album Dr. Lecter in 2011, he then landed a joint venture with VICE Music & Atlantic Records while following up his debut with a couple EPs & mixtapes. The most notable being the Blue Chips duology, Saab Stories & my personal favorite: Rare Chandeliers. He then put out his major label debut Mr. Wonderful in 2015 & it has some of his best songs on there, but the end result would be a more glitzy mixed bag. He fulfilled his contracts by dropping Blue Chips 7000 & celebrated his freedom the next year in the form of White Bronco which were both solid, but didn’t reach the caliber of Lamb Over Rice the Thanksgiving after. Only for Dolphins though was pretty mid given that some of the production choices were questionable & Cocodrillo Turbo was a bounce back. Coming off having Daringer & The Alchemist producing Johan Sebastian Bachlava the Doctor in 2024, he’s taking us all to Planet Frog.

“LeBron Hennessy” after the titular intro begins with this soulfully drumless opener produced by Daringer calling out artists who go for the same old meal whereas “Olympic Vince Carter” has a funkier boom bap vibe talking about how to know when there’s trouble in the water. Harry Fraud blends & rap rock so Bronson can compare his life to a “VHS” flick while the lead single “Triceratops” featuring Lil Yachty & Paul Wall still feels like a fever dream.

Roc Marciano appears for the 2nd & final single “Peppers” so they can talk about taking it easy over a boom bap instrumental with a prominent woodwind prior to “Condor” kicking off the 2nd half stripping the drums again explaining that tomorrow’s another journey. “Mandem” featuring Meyhem Lauren emphasizes the rock influences a bit to get boastful with each other just before the 90 second “My Blue Heaven” heads towards jazz rap territory thanks to Kenny Beats referencing WWE Hall of Famers & former WWE Tag Team Champions The Natural Disasters.

“Iguana” references former AEW World Tag Team Champion, 2-time NWA World’s Heavyweight Champion, TNA Hall of Famer, 4-time TNA World Champion, TNA World Tag Team Champion, 8-time WCW world champion, WCW World Television Champion, 3-time WCW World Tag Team Champion, WWE Hall of Famer & 2-time WWE United States Champion Sting while “Mutations” hops over a guitar to talk about taking the sword out the stone. After the compositional “Chutney” intermission, “Simoné” featuring Clovis Ochin sends it all off realizing that love changes.

Despite being thankful that the original AI artwork Action Bronson had posted on social media weeks earlier wasn’t used, I still feel like Planet Frog could’ve been better than what we wound up getting because I’d say this is the most average thing I’ve heard from him since Only for Dolphins. I respect the concept of it being this deep sea odyssey set in a dystopian world, but some of the production doesn’t impress me compared to Johan Sebastian Bachlava the Doctor & Cocodrillo Turbo.

Score: 3/5

Keep up with @legendswill_never_die on Instagram & @LegendsllLiveOn on Twitter for the best music reviews weekly!

Black Milk – “Ceremonial” review

Detroit producer, MC & songwriter Black Milk back for his 9th LP after leaving Mass Appeal Records. Making his presence known as a member of the B.R. Gunna production trio, he eventually went solo 2 decades ago with Sound of the City & followed up on 313 Day 2007 with Popular Demand. The following year, he would dabble with electronic music on Tronic & would later start incorporating live instrumentation on Album of the Year in 2010. His next album No Poison No Paradise eventually became Black Milk’s darkest work yet & it would see a solid sequel If There’s a Hell Below the year after. FEVER became some of his most politically charged material & he’s looking to follow up Everybody Good? with a Ceremonial return.

After the “Fazes” intro, the first song “Feel Sum’n Heal Sum’n” begins by talking about either paying the standard price or double without bargaining over a self-produced instrumental whereas “In the Sky” brings a funkier vibe to describe feeling like the furnace has gone from hot to frozen. “Crash Test Dummy” has this summery boom bap flare so he can talk about slowing down prior to hitting the ground running just before “Dreams Not Only Made at Night” strips things back for a story that ends in people getting arrested.

“Act Like” after the compositional “Lift Off” interlude takes a few minutes to confront a woman who’s switching up on him & after “Never Never” talks about being made for the moment in addition to living a good life being the only thing that he’s ever wanted, “Ceremony” continues the 2nd half of the full-length in the form of this 3 minute instrumental jam session that blending this breezy guitar & drums for the soundtrack to a warm summer day.

Saba appears on the 2nd & final single “Ok…Nah” sending a direct message towards the people who thought they were safe or trying to escape from either artist prior to some rap rock undertones being hooked up so he can talk about waiting for the “Right Time” to come explaining that this shit’s bigger than merely accomplishments from his perspective. “YOUIT (Truth Be Told)” ends the album drumlessly talking about going from sitting on porches to sitting inside of Porsches.

Gearing up to fully produce Fat Ray’s upcoming 6th album Food From the Gods II set to drop somewhere between the next 7 months, Black Milk rocks the mic for the first time in 3 years for a Ceremonial reflection of how far he’s come as an artist since Sound of the City. Not only does his production exemplify this through displaying his creative evolution, but his subject matter’s more introspective than it is political this time around.

Score: 4/5

Keep up with @legendswill_never_die on Instagram & @LegendsllLiveOn on Twitter for the best music reviews weekly!

AZ – “Doe or Die III” review

Here we have the 11th studio LP & Mass Appeal Records debut from Brooklyn, New York veteran AZ. Most notable for his longtime association with Nas being the only feature on the latter’s iconic debut illmatic with the song “Life’s a Bitch”, he would later go to signing with EMI Records & drop a full-length of his own Doe or Die a little over a year later becoming one of the greatest mafioso hip hop albums of all-time. Other standouts in his discography include Pieces of a Man, Aziatic, A.W.O.L., The Format, Doe or Die II & the Buckwild-produced Truth Be Told. In light of Quiet Money Records’ new distribution deal with Mass Appeal however, Doe or Die III looks to complete the trilogy.

After the “Origin” intro, the opening track “No Need for Lactose” hooks up a boom bap instrumental from Ron Browz to get things going sending a shoutout to his hype homies & those serving 25 to life behind bars whereas “Gimme the World” demands what others can’t give back over a Large Professor instrumental. The 2nd & final single “Uniqueness” chops up a sample thanks to Mike & Keys questioning life while the lead single “So High” continues the reflective lyrics over a smooth Bink! beat.

“Still Jackie” after the “Hoe Happy” skit kicks off the 2nd half with a sequel to “Ho Happy Jackie” off the original Doe or Die accompanied by an exuberant Statik Selektah instrumental backing him but after “Surprise” featuring Nas teams up over a soulful Mike & Keys beat so they can talk about the mafioso shit they became known for 3 decades earlier, Bink! continues sampling soul music during “Fresh Water” for Sosa to preach some ghetto gospel.

The track “Winners Win” produced by Buckwild nears Doe or Die III’s backend cautioning for people not to get shit confused & simply do what you do over a laidback boom bap instrumental while “I Was Once There Too” jazzily talks about understanding the perspective of people who aren’t getting what’s due. The final song “Love My Life” preceding the “We Made It” outro takes up the album’s last couple minutes expressing the gratitude he has for the way his life turned out.

It’s surprising to me that AZ didn’t put anything out through Mass Appeal Records sooner considering the rich history between him & Nas, but Doe or Die III joins Truth Be Told & of course Doe or Die II in revitalizing his career 3 decades since his revolutionary debut as well as concluding one of hip hop’s most satisfying mafioso trilogies whether it be the cinematically polished boom bap production or the intricate storytelling.

Score: 4.5/5

Keep up with @legendswill_never_die on Instagram & @LegendsllLiveOn on Twitter for the best music reviews weekly!

Royal Terms – Self-Titled review

Royal Terms is an east coast superduo consisting of Queens, New York emcee Royal Flush alongside Lawrence, Massachusetts emcee/producer Termanology. One of whom became the de facto leader of the ST. da Squad collective & the other’s debut Ghetto Millionaire became amongst the most underrated albums of the 90s. Neither of them have crossed paths with each other musically up until this point, so an eponymous full-length debut of their own as a fan of each artist only seemed fitting enough.

“Terms of Royalty” produced by Statik Selektah begins with this inspiring boom bap intro talking about the legendary statuses they’ve earned for themselves whereas “Baby Don’t Leave” soulfully explains how the trunk & rap games are both the same. “Legendary Blocks” featuring Tek & UFO Fev finds the quartet talking about growing up in their respective home states while “Crack Era Survivors” looks back at when cocaine flooded the streets in the 80s.

Dru Hoffa joins Royal Terms on “Angel Whispers” talking about them getting it out the gravel over an araabMUZIK beat leading into “Problem” describing hotel parties where the room gets turned upside down. “Bedtime” hops over a gritty Cartine Beatz instrumental to talk about protecting what’s theirs & the closing track “Impossible” takes up the last few minutes of the EP chopping up a soul sample discussing not needing a globe to show the world is theirs’.

Similarly to Teknology’s self-titled album a year & a half earlier, Royal Terms unites 2 veterans who’ve spent decades making names for themselves in their own separate lanes to make an introductory opus that’s guaranteed to satisfy fans of both Royal Flush & Termanology. Outside of a couple guests, they spend a majority of the EP trading hardcore verses over quality boom bap production & honing in on their artistic chemistry.

Score: 4/5

Keep up with @legendswill_never_die on Instagram & @LegendsllLiveOn on Twitter for the best music reviews weekly!

Vstylez – “The Final Boss Pai Mei” review

Here is the 4th studio LP from Detroit, Michigan underground veteran Vstylez. Being introduced to him through his feature on “Clash of the Titans” off of eLZhi’s 3rd mixtape The Leftovers, he eventually put out a debut album of his own At Oddz ‘Til I’m Even in late 2014 & the sophomore effort Thornton Melon about 4 years later. The acclaim of the latter resulted in V temporarily signing to Middle Finger Music & returning in 2024 with Buddy Revell, coming back almost 2 years later for The Final Boss Pai Mei.

“Capricorn” after the intro begins with this angelic boom bap intro talking about his zodiac sign whereas “Fenkell Ave.” recalls his experiences growing up near that road leaning towards a much dustier & hardcore vibe. “Iron Sharps Iron” featuring The Bad Seed unites both of them over more boom bap instrumentation talking about both of them being forged for the fight while “My Prime” dabbles with rap rock feeling like he’s in his best possible quality.

The self-produced “YNz” sends a message to all the younger artists out there incorporating some prominent synthesizers leading into “The Raid 2” featuring eLZhi reuniting both MCs to talk about having the ability of putting holes through chests via rhyming. “Introvert” instrumentally brings a triumphant aura to the picture advising everyone to let him be while “Golden Arms” featuring Isaac Castor & Ruste Juxx brings all 3 of them together for a cutthroat hardcore hip hop anthem.

Black Milk gets behind the boards for a profound ode where V looks to stand for “The Fallen” ones in his life & having scars within his soul that no one can visibly see but once “Denmark Vesey” tells the audio story of the late Charleston abolitionist whom the Detroit emcee/producer was named after, Sadat X accompanies V on the mic during “Dumb” for all of these idiotic muhfuckas out here getting high off percocets to acknowledge what they’ve done for the culture.

“Changing My Ways” wraps up the last leg of The Final Boss Pai Mei talking about having liquor on his breath & leaving rumble all over the mess of regrets he’s made while “No One” puts a soulful twist on the traditional boom bap sound thanks to Bronze Nazareth detailing him becoming his own provider & every move being self condition. “Patricia” produced by Marv Won finishes up the full-length sampling gospel for a crushing boom bap tribute to his late mother.m of the same name.

The Final Boss Pai Mei carries over the ethos of both Thornton Melon & Buddy Revell in the sense of Vstylez naming his albums after characters from classic movies, with this one being Gordon Liu’s portrayal in Kill Bill 2 & dropping some of the greatest material of his career for nearly a decade. Even if I personally prefer the latter half, it’s already been confirmed that Walter Sobchak will finally arrive next & this will hold off fine until then.

Score: 3.5/5

Keep up with @legendswill_never_die on Instagram & @LegendsllLiveOn on Twitter for the best music reviews weekly!

iyrus – “Hottest in Philly” review

New surprise EP & the 5th overall from up-&-coming Philadelphia, Pennsylvania rapper & producer of Nigerian descent iyrus. Emerging in the summer of 2024 after doing an On the Radar freestyle, he would later introduce himself more properly a year ago off his debut EP Resurgenceuntil continuing to make waves with I as well as II & of course III. Not even a couple months since the trilogy’s conclusion & the Hottest in Philly does look to slow down anytime soon.

“$$$Talk” starts us off boasting of him putting diamonds in his mouth hence letting the money do all of the speaking for him over a sinister trap instrumental whereas “Shamu” has a more vibrant approach to the beat talking about walking in masked up with a chopper. “Eagle” gets the 2nd half of the EP going flexing how fly he is coming from the northern side of his city while “Rolling Stone” spends the last minute & a half proving all doubters wrong.

I’ve already made it pretty clear since the beginning of 2026 that iyrus was somebody to keep an eye out for & would certainly say he’s one of the Hottest in Philly alongside slayr, but I still think he hasn’t fully reached his potential yet & I came away from it enjoying it a bit less than the other 2 extended plays we’ve gotten from him this year. Mainly because I don’t find the trap/plugg production to be anything all that groundbreaking although I firmly believe he’ll very much get there.

Score: 3/5

Keep up with @legendswill_never_die on Instagram & @LegendsllLiveOn on Twitter for the best music reviews weekly!

Estee Nack – “Al-Andalus” review

Brand new LP & the 16th regarding his solo material from Lynn, Massachusetts emcee/producer Estee Nack. Breaking out as a member of the Tragic Allies, he also branched off on his own my senior year of high school off his Purpose-produced solo debut 14 Forms: The Book of Estee Nack & has since built a lengthy yet impressive discography for himself. Other highlights include the Sadhugold-produced Surfinongold.wav alongside it’s sequel The Order of the Golden Fleece, the Giallo Point-produced Papitas & it’s sequel, his collab efforts with al.divino, the V Don-produced B.R.A.P. (Born Rewards & Penalties), the Griselda Records debut Nacksaw Jim Duggan, the Mike Shabb-produced Live at the Tabernackle, the Futurewave-produced Stone Temple Pyrex & B.R.A.P. 2 (Big Rifles & Pistols). But upon hearing Cookin’ Soul was fully producing Al-Andalus, the chances of it becoming his best material in almost a year were increased.

“Santeria” opens up with this luxuriously mafioso boom bap intro talking about hustling by serving customers to get the dreams right whereas “Inbound” brings a funkier vibe instrumentally so he can detail the gangsta lifestyle. “La Bomba” has a jazzier boom bap approach to the beat talking about him being meant to have the world in his palms just before “Touchin’ Base” turning up the grittiness for Nackie Chan to get on his coke rap shit topically.

Yung Beef appears on the bilingually jazzy 2nd & final single “Telex Free Trap” talking about shooting bums in the face leading into “More or Less” reaching the halfway point of Al-Andalus emphasizing the boom bap elements boasting how fat his pockets have become. “Bread & Wine” featuring Lil Supa finds the pair talking about their unstoppable profiles even if Estee’s verse stood out the most personally while “Carlito’s Way” takes inspiration from the Edwin Torres novel of the same name.

“Hear Me” winds down the last few moments of the album talking about overcoming all the odds being stacked against us regardless of where you’re from while “La Poli” takes a few minutes to express the amount of disdain her has for the pigs. Planet Asia saves my favorite guest appearance for last during the outro “Ghost in the Lab”, going at the throats of those acting like the bread didn’t come with their penchants & not to get their statuses twisted.

It’s already been over an entire year since Big Size fully produced Ankhlejohn’s 7th mixtape The Michelin Man to widespread acclaim across the underground & despite both teasers being admirable attempts at showcasing a couple Spanish hip hop artists Estee Nack fucks with, the rest of Al-Andalus surprised me by delivering what could be my favorite thing he’s done this year considering how well he & Cookin’ Soul compliment each other’s styles excellently from the superb boom bap production to the gangsta-themed lyrics.

Score: 4/5

Keep up with @legendswill_never_die on Instagram & @LegendsllLiveOn on Twitter for the best music reviews weekly!