42 Dugg – “Part 3” review

Detroit, Michigan rapper & singer/songwriter 42 Dugg back with his 5th mixtape. His breakout debut EP 11241 Wayburn in 2018 would catch the attention of both Yo Gotti & Lil Baby, who jointly signed him to their respective labels Collective Music Group & CBFW Records shortly after. Dugg’s profile continued to grow in a year later when he dropped his debut tape Young & Turnt, which was followed up last year by the sequel Young & Turnt 2& the mature Free Dem Boyz. He returned last summer dropping 4eva Us Never Them, closing out the 11241 Rayburn AND the Young & Turnt trilogies combining the final chapter of both throughout Part 3.

“I.D.B. (I Done Been)” moderately starts off talking about his experiences of previously being shot past muhfuckas whereas “Fake Friends” produced by 30 Roc taking shots at those specific type of people. “It Is What It Is” featuring Lil Baby & Rylo Rodriguez finds the trio talking about the real ones always catching Ws leading into “No Fakin’” featuring EST G reunites the 2 so they can give off more gangsta rap vibes lyrically although the Republican line at the end of EST G’s verse seems kinda tacky.

Reaching the halfway point, “Still on Dat” featuring G Herbo trades verses with one another without the need of a hook portraying the gangsta lifestyle once more just before “Thick One” featuring Skilla Baby joins forces over a Helluva beat talking about their preference in women. “We Not Done” makes it clear he’s still trapping’ even after his music career has taken off continuing to sell bricks & pints while “To the Side” featuring Glorilla employs a back-&-forth delivery again, except I like it more than “Still on Dat”.

“Going Through It” winds down the last few minutes of Part 3 taking a more introspective approach to his songwriting, talking about missing all of his friends & children admitting that he has no idea if he’ll get the chance of seeing a couple of them ever again while “It Get Deeper 3” featuring Doughboy Clay finishes with a Detroit trap cut where they’re sharing the microphone & trying to triple their bags since street money’s the only thing either one of them have come to know.

Being somebody who considers 42 Dugg to be amongst the greatest CMG signings alongside Glorilla & Mozzy, I have to admit Part 3 being the conclusion of the 11241 Rayburn and Young & Turnt series left me somewhat disappointed considering some of my favorite songs appear on those earlier installments although it’s very much average at best. I commend him for revisiting the concepts of that earlier material, but the overabundance of guests & some of the production choices can be somewhat spotty.

Score: 3/5

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S.O.S. – “Unloved by God, Unwanted by Satan” review

Horrorcore duo S.O.S. consisting of Denver, Colorado emcee & Lyrikal Snuff Productionz founder Scum alongside his New Mexico underwing Smallz 1 reuniting roughy 2 & a half year since their debut with a sophomore effort. Crossing paths with one another dozens of times over a couple decades almost, they would eventually form a group together in 2022 & drop Blame Us at the Gathering of Dreams of that year’s Gathering of the Juggalos festival. They’re looking to start 2026 by taking us through the minds of a pair who’re Unloved by God, Unwanted by Satan & I was anticipating it since I’ve liked their chemistry since initially familiarizing myself with LSP.

“I Found Out” begins tosses the mic back-&-forth with each other over an industrial boom bap fusion talking about being sinners until the end whereas “Look What I Did” continues to trade more wicked bars slaughtering the sheep & tearing their eyelids off. “Hit ‘Em” aggressively talks about unloading full clips at all the detractors & hoping to strike where it really hurts just before “Imbalance” tackles the subject of mental health, speaking of having missing screws in their heads.

Things go for a quirky boom bap vibe as S.O.S. explains how life’s “A Joke” that falls on everyone from their own perspectives depending on the way others see it leading into “Kick It” dabbling with trap so they can talk about punting muhfuckas in the dick. “Self Opp” explains they don’t need any enemies due to the fact Scum & Smallz can merely harm their own selves while “Don’t Listen” talks about cancelling out all the wack bullshit cornballs try to send their way.

“It’s a Shame” was a relatable way to get the 2nd half of Unloved by God, Unwanted by Satan going by wishing they could go back & undo all the things they’re ashamed of while “6°” blends some pianos & hi-hats trading gory bars with each other. “Backed into a Corner” angrily compares themselves to hungry wolves over more trap production while the trap metal-inspired “Woosah” dedicates itself to anyone who likes to start mosh pits.

The song “Ikarus Fall” produced by Godsynth winds down the last several minutes of S.O.S.’s 2nd album on some cloudy trap shit talking about Team Snuff being the gang & the rest needing to duck from the Gore Hop family while “U Disgust Me” eerily expresses disparaging feelings they have towards their victims prior to cutting them up. “It Don’t Matter” finishes the full-length with Smallz & Scum over pianos & hi-hats 1 last time talking about nobody caring if one of us dies or falls.

Scum & Smallz 1 elevate themselves throughout S.O.S.’ follow-up to their debut roughly 3 & a half years ago did an exciting job of bringing everything that made their previous collaborations so entertaining & Unloved by God, Unwanted by Satan puts itself right behind Blame Us enhancing all it’s perks. There are no issues with the prominent back-&-forth delivery nor the production, but I wouldn’t mind a feature or 2 whenever the underground’s equivalent to the current AAA Mundial Mixtas Parejas Campeons in the inaugural 2-time WWE Women’s United States Champion Chelsea Green & the current NXT North American Champion Ethan Page decides to make another body of work.

Score: 3.5/5

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BLAX – “Omnipotent Methodology” review

Milwaukee, Wisconsin emcee/producer BLAX returning for his 4th studio LP. Breaking out over a decade ago off his debut mixtape BLAX x Life x Files followed by the debut EP Archangels & the debut album Be Well, he temporarily changed his moniker to Armstrong Ransome for his sophomore effort Dedicated & the 2nd EP Found before returning to the BLAX moniker on the next couple EPs Angeline &Wembenyama. His last album BLAXPLOITATION a couple years ago took hip hop’s classic sound & threw some modern elements in it, hitting us with Omnipotent Methodology.

“Soul(4)caster” begins with a drumless, lo-fi instrumental talking about shooting high above the clouds whereas “Brass Railz Cabaret” goes for a jazzier vibe feeling like he’s on fire when he’s never claimed to be the hottest previously. “Oneirology” goes for a cloudier boom bap talking about the study of dreaming while “PoetGvngDevoshun(all)” takes a more soulful approach to the beat suggesting those who ain’t talking the same slang isn’t repping the same thing he is.

Continuing with the 2nd quarter, “The Ominous Mobb” combines elements of jazz & boom bap reminding the world what kind of crew people are trying to fuck with up at their spot leading into “Ya Hip Hop Weak” getting a bit more aggressive so he can lyrically rip apart everyone who be churning out bullshit regularly. “24hrs7days” experiments with trap a bit talking about have to get the money every single day of the week just before “Brew City Cab Collective” embraces a funkier tone instrumentally for some slick boasting.

“Agencement Manifesto” starts the other half of Omnipotent Methodology with another drumless beat expressing his belief that there’s no such thing as overnight success while “Young Little Ghetto Boy” does the trap style better than “24hrs7days” did showing a more conscious side to his pen. “Take a Picture” vividly portrays what it was like for his mother raising him in the ghetto over this bluesy instrumental while “Pop, Toast!” featuring Baby Blak talks about envisioning themselves catching Ws like pros shifting towards funkier territory.

To get the full-length’s last leg going, “3rd Eye Open” returns to the boom bap with a luxurious twist speaking of achieving a higher state of consciousness while “Alive Wyre!” swaps out the pianos in favor of a soul sample opting to talk his shit on this one. “Divinity Directions” incorporates some jazzier undertones touching base regarding him staying faithful to God while “Beautiful+Healthy” makes for a soulful conclusion talking about prioritizing him stacking up his money.

Putting it down for the Milwaukee underground for 2 decades already, BLAX makes another career highlight out of Omnipotent Methodology rivaling it’s predecessor in becoming amongst the greatest entries in The God Degree Records founder’s discography. The production’s mostly inspired by jazz music aside from a few detours exploring boom bap or chipmunk soul & trap, representing the culmination of the conscious lyricist’s independent grind since the 2000s.

Score: 4/5

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Megadeth – Self-Titled review

Megadeth is a thrash metal band consisting of bassist James LoMenzo, drummer Dirk Verbeuren, guitarist Teemu Mäntysaari & frontman Dave Mustaine. Making their debut over 4 decades ago off Killing’s My Business…& Business is Good!, the sophomore effort Peace Sells…but Who’s Buying? would become a thrash landmark as would Rust in Peace. They’ve had some albums I’ve liked since such as Countdown to Extinction & The System Has Failed, but have dropped some unbearable stinkers too like Risk & Super Collider to name a couple. However, they’re commemorating a decade of Dystopiaby making the band’s 17th album their last.

“Tipping Point” was actually a solid technical thrash metal single singing about making people fear the sound of voices that aren’t even there until “I Don’t Care” fails at crossing over heavy metal, punk rock, thrash metal & crossover thrash making his point clear that he gives no fucks. “Hey God?!” continues to go for a traditional heavy metal sound feeling insecure as he walks these streets alone just before “Let There Be Shred” embraces some speed metal vibes singing about being born with a guitar in his hands.

Reaching the halfway point, “Puppet Parade” pulls from standard heavy metal once again describing a mundane lifestyle while a favorite of mine “Another Bad Day” puts ourselves inside the shoes of those in our country who’re down on their luck. “Made to Kill” taps back into the band’s thrash origins singing about profits growing where children die while the heavy metal-tinged “Obey the Call” discusses marching down the path where all reason dies. “I’m War” spends almost 4 minutes personifying themselves as an actual war itself & “The Last Note” concludes with an open letter to the public.

In my personal opinion: A great deal of Megadeth’s output since Endgame has been hit or miss, despite always acknowledging their status amongst the big 4 thrash metal bands nor can I take away the impact they’ve had over the course of several decades giving us a couple masterpieces along the way. That said: I can appreciate Dave Mustaine coming to his senses & calling it day after making 1 more studio LP although I’m a bit on the fence with it. Much like Dystopia: The heavy & thrash metal instrumentation’s fine for what it is, although Dave’s vocals aren’t as commanding like they once were.

Score: 2.5/5

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Julian Lage – “Scenes from Above” review

Here we have the 10th solo LP from Santa Rosa, California guitarist Julian Lage. Introducing himself in 2009 off his debut Sounding Point, he would go on to drop 8 more albums with the most notable being the sophomore effort Gladwell or Modern Lore & Squint. Making his debut under Blue Note Records a couple years ago off Speak to Me, he’s coming off Her Melodious Lay & Lamentations, he’s back on the greatest jazz label of all-time depicting Scenes from Above.

“Opal” recruits pianist John Medeski, double bassist Jorge Roeder & drummer Kenny Wollesen for a lead single that gives off a heavy summertime vibe whether it be the guitar or the Hammond B3 whereas the improvised “Red Elm” experiments with soul jazz starting with some bass licks preceding the guitar, drums & organ. “Talking Drum” appropriately takes inspiration from the avant-groove trio Medeski, Martin & Wood for a jazz-funk tinged 2nd single leading into “Havens” shining some light on Kenny & John for almost 5 minutes, feeling like the beginning of a Sunday service.

The 3rd & final single “Night Shade” gives us a rush of organ melodies & guitar solos during a great bulk of the longest composition here just before “Solid Air” takes a more atmospherically meditative approach than all the other tracks once again recapturing the mood of sitting in a church prior to the pastor starts an hour long sermon. “Ocala” primarily builds itself around John playing the Hammond B3 once more & some bluesy guitar riffs from Julian but after the loosely structured “Storyville” achieves his goal of having something to talk about once he gets together with his bandmates, “Something More” finished in the form of this 4-part prayer wishing brighter days ahead for us all.

Understandably opting against making a Speak to Me sequel, Julian Lage’s sophomore effort for Blue Note Records minimizes the prominent post-bop direction Scenes from Above’s predecessor took in favor of prioritizing it’s secondary influences of jazz fusion & chamber jazz with hints of soul jazz appearing occasionally. I can’t blame him for putting us inside the shoes of his experiences being a band member considering he already made his grandest statement regarding his capability of bandleading, creating a separate character of it’s own depicting themes of freedom & trust.

Score: /5

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Ari Lennox – “Vacancy” review

Ari Lennox is a 34 year old singer/songwriter from Washington, D.C. introducing herself off her debut mixtape 5 Finger Discount & the debut EP Ariography. The latter of which resulted in J. Cole signing her to his Interscope Records imprint Dreamville Records, where she would put out 2 more extended plays Pho & Away Message as well as the debut album Shea Butter Baby. Fulfilling her Dreamville obligations with her sophomore effort age/sex/location, she’s dropping off her 3rd studio LP to begin this new era of her career.

“Mobbin’ in D.C.” begins with this neo-soul intro produced by Elite singing that she’d cut off everybody around her for this guy she’s been talking to whereas the title track combines hip hop soul & contemporary R&B thanks to Jermaine Dupri & BoogzDaBeast wanting her partner to fill this gap in her heart. “Pretzel” goes for a laidback vibe courtesy of both Cardiak & Wu10 singing for her man to flip & fold her in bed just before “Under the Moon” fuses pop soul, neo-soul, doo woo & the Motown sound magnificently sampling “I Only Have Eyes for You” by The Flamingos.

Moving on from there, “High Key” gives off some trap soul undertones yearning to be this guy’s freaky lullaby leading into the contemporary R&B/trap crossover “Twin Flame” asking the person Ari’s with if he loves her the way she does him. JD flips “You’re What I’m All About” by New Birth during “Soft Girl Era” wanting to embrace the youth subculture aesthetics popularized that Ariana Grande popularized until singing about how “Deep Strokes” through her soul gets her high.

“24 Seconds” gets the 2nd half going luxuriously letting her romantic interest know he has that much time left to come get her ass while “Cool Down” heads for a more atmospheric direction instrumentally singing about showing her appreciation for whenever the person she’s been romantically involved with touches her patiently. “Horoscope” packs a bunch of clever zodiac sign wordplay into this tropical 4 & a half minute trap soul cut while “Wake Up” gets back on her bullshit after discovering her man has been seeing another woman behind her back, lying that he was alone when he’s been texting the other hoe.

The song “Company” featuring Buju Banton nears Vacancy’s final moments teaming up experimenting with reggae & R&B expressing a desire for their respective lovers to comfort them while “Dreaming” sings about seeing an ex of hers whenever she has dreams in the evening, wishing she could see him again so they can hold hands sitting on top of a roof & hitting a jacuzzi later. “Hocus Pocus” containing co-production from DJ Camper finishes the album confessing it’s too soon for her to want this man to be hers as much as she does.

I’m very happy Ari Lennox was finally able to get out of her Dreamville deal considering that she was constantly airing out her grievances towards them for shelving her music & Vacancy makes it’s case for being Ari’s greatest body of work yet, making it worth the 34 month gap between this & age/sex/location. The smooth contemporary R&B & neo-soul production feels reminiscent of Shea Butter Baby’s & the constant theme throughout Ari’s career of new beginnings or starting over takes on a whole new meaning of itself.

Score: 3.5/5

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DJ Camper – “Campilation” review

DJ Camper is a 35 year old producer, DJ, rapper & singer/songwriter from Atlantic City, New Jersey notable for being a close collaborator of Big K.R.I.T. & formerly an in-house producer for G.O.O.D. Music at 1 point within the past decade. He has since gotten the chance to collaborate with those from YG & Kehlani to Doja Cat & Doechii, notably producing the 2nd single “Boom Bap” off the latter’s Grammy winning 2nd mixtape Alligator Bites Never Heal. However, he’s been compiling a debut solo album where a cast of both well-known R&B singers are jumping over his beats to perform on top of them for some time now & he’s ready to proper introduce himself individually.

“Tonight” by Lucky Daye sets the tone of what’s to come telling his lover not to say things she doesn’t want to show him over a smooth instrumental whereas “War” by Ari Lennox & Jeremih teams up for this triumphant R&B duet singing about being ready to fight people for the love these 2 protagonists have for each other. “Oowee” by Jill Scott & Ty$ takes a more atmospheric approach stylistically for an ode to smoking weed leading into “I Need It” by Syd & Tank declaring this to be the soundtrack to making love.

Camper himself shows off his singing abilities on the minimally produced “Love Me” including Stevie Wonder playing the harmonica during the outro telling his partner she either loves him or not just before “Come Over” by WanMor yearns for the woman in mind to pull up at their place since she’s missing out. “16 Summers” by Alex Isley & Rose Gold recalls the time it’s been since either of them discovered their first loves while “Waiting on You” by Tone Stith incorporates some pianos at the start & strings from Angelina Barrett singing to her man that she’ll be there when he returns.

“Speak to Me” by Arin Ray & Terrace Martin instrumentally switches it up to get the clock going on Campilation’s final moments dabbling with jazz music depicting a couple trying to sort out the issues of their relationship while “Back & Forth” marks DJ Camper’s return to the mic featuring Brandy singing about having nowhere left to go now that he had broken up with a woman whom Brandy does a fine job of portraying. “Love You” by Victoria Monét might be the most lyrically repetitive moment here, although the flute behind her soothing vocals make up for it.

There are only a couple tracks where DJ Camper’s actually singing but as I expected, he spends a great deal of this Campilation getting in his R&B bag & it has me wondering if he’ll do a sequel where he gets a bunch of rappers over his production kinda like what he did here. His production doesn’t lose its smoothness top to bottom & the guest list is primarily consistent other than a few occasional moments that don’t do it for me whatsoever. That said: I can’t deny him amassing a whole cast of artists representing the R&B genre whether it’s the veterans, the ones who’re popular at this moment & those who have more to offer in due time.

Score: 3.5/5

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Jon Connor – “The Artist Yahn Freeman” review

Brand new EP & the 1st of an ongoing 12-part series from Flint, Michigan emcee/producer Jon Connor. Someone who’s steadily been holding it down for the last 2 decades including The Calling, Vinnie Chase & S.O.S. trilogies along with the Best in the World saga paying homage to some of Jon’s influences, Salvation, While You Were Sleeping & Unconscious State. He was even signed to Aftermath Entertainment for 6 years before departing after Vehicle City wound up being shelved, coming off Food for the Soul & 24 produced by KLC of the No Limit Records in-house production team Beats by the Pound to have Smitti Boi produce I a few days after Jetset Rodeo became the new AEW World Trios Champions.

“Pray” opens up with a gospel sample talking about everyone around him wanting smoke because they don’t have any money & advising them to speak with God whereas “Holy Holy” goes for a trap vibe instrumentally asking the Lord to bless the child who can hold his own. “The System” takes the boom bap route admitting he didn’t think he needed to find support to keep the real alive while “Drowning in Chaos” featuring Jarren Benton finds the 2 talking about mental stress.

Emilio Rojas & MRK SX join Jon on “Hello from Miami” starting the 2nd half soulfully asking the bartender to not treat them like beginners when both of them have been catching Ws of their own for over a decade just before “Live Your Truth” passionately thanks the Man above for all the lessons He gave him during his younger days. “The People’s Anthem” winds down I’s final minutes talking about doing this music shit for the youth & the closer wishes everyone a “Happy New Year”, wishing prosperity & growth to his loved ones.

At the release party for Foul Mouth’s solo debut Everybody Goes Crazy Once a couple months ago, Jon Connor had told me roughly a half hour prior to his set he would be releasing a new project every month over over the course of 2026 & I marks an exciting beginning to the rest of this series we’re gonna watch play out until next winter. Smitti Boi’s production needless to say distances itself from the dirty south sounds of 24’s & the subject matter’s more spiritual than that previous LP’s was the previous summer.

Score: 4/5

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Hardrock – “Off the Planet” review

Atlanta, Georgia recording artist Hardrock resolving his ongoing label issues with his 8th extended play. Getting his start over in 2021 off his debut EP Y.N.S. (Young N***a Shit), he would continue to build up anticipation by delivering 5 more EPs ahead of the commercial debut LP Next! & the breakout sophomore effort 808 Speaker Knockerz. The latter of which contains some of his best tracks to date like “H.Y.L.M.N.? (How You Like Me Now)”, “Madonna”, “New WRLD” & “Luigi Mansion”. 1of1 matched the caliber of it’s predecessor, his Victor Victor Worldwide/Republic Records debut My Gift to You was a solid prelude to Slimyfella despite the latter dividing fans last summer & he’s ready to go Off the Planet.

“UFO” begins with a playful plugg intro talking about shooting down clowns like they’re doors & giving 0 fucks whereas “Mayday” produced by Cade atmospherically discusses him bossing up & getting a raise financially. “Money Dance” gives off a range-inducing vibe figuring out how much he can stack up inside his bag while “Hndrxx” goes back to a pluggier vibe staying dripped no matter what. “Lurkin’” cloudily speaks of his lifestyle once again & the hypertrap-tinged “Diditagain” concludes Off the Planet talking about fucking up the spot.

It’s hard to tell whether or not Hardrock’s planning to drop a new album later on in 2026, but what I can say is that I enjoyed Off the Planet a bit more than Slimyfella almost 8 months ago. I can’t make any complaints regarding the production or his performances, although I give him all the props in the world for not overloading the backend of it with filler like he did the previous summer & it makes me confident his next LP won’t make that same mistake whenever he’s ready to put it out.

Score: 3.5/5

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Fashawn – “Lost Pages” review

This is the 5th extended play from Fresno, California emcee Fashawn. Breaking out in ‘09 his 7th mixtape The Antidote, his profile would begin to increase from there whether it be the Exile-produced debut album Boy Meets World or The Alchemist-produced debut EP FASH-ionably Late & the Mass Appeal Records-backed sophomore effort The Ecology during my senior year of high school. Although his music since for me personally has been hit or miss such as You Owe Us with Interest for example, I did enjoy Carte Blanche fully produced by Little Vic & expected no different out of Lost Pages after finding out about Drega33’s involvement behind the boards.

“Gimme Your Love” chops up a drumless soul sample to get things going by letting everyone who’s sleeping on him know to stay ignorant to his artistic talents whereas “Ma Chérie” turns up the chipmunk soul vibes talking about catching wins with the kind of women he has around him. “Perfect” incorporates a prominent woodwind to ball harder than Allen Iverson while “Shoebox of Rhymes 2” continues with a sequel to his “Book of Rhymes” freestyle off his 5th mixtape 1 Shot 1 Kill.

The song “Missing U” instrumentally takes the chipmunk soul route so he can talk about liquor being the only remedy to this pain he’s been feeling regarding someone in his life who’s no longer here with us & numbing the memories of this person that come with it while “Eastside Gunn” demands his flowers over some bare pianos & reminding us he was carrying big hammers until Pro Tools came into his life. “Mascot” however spends the last couple minutes of Lost Pages talking about his dangerous lifestyle.

Capital & All Hail the King 2 were both ok, but Drega33 solely handling Lost Pages was the most I’ve been excited for Fashawn’s music in a couple years considering the handful of EPs Drega has done with the likes of Tha God Fahim to RJ Payne & FlyG have been elevating him as quite possibly my favorite producer to come out of France recently. Surely enough, I’d put it above Manna & below FASH-ionably Late for a spot amongst the top 3 EPs the Fresno artist has ever made from the drumless sampling to the needed lack of features.

Score: 4/5

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