Cochise – “Trench Town” review

Cochise is a 28 year old rapper & producer from Palm Bay, Florida who introduced himself back in 2018 off his debut extended play. He would go on to drop 4 more EPs along with the full-length debut Benbow Crescent & the sophomore effort The Inspection. The latter of which has been widely considered to the weakest entry in his discography yet & Why Always Me? back in 2024 was an improvement, celebrating his independence following his departure from Columbia Records with his 4th studio LP.

“Parlay” begins with a 90 second rage intro talking about chopping the roof off his coupe whereas “SRT” carries over the hypertrap vibes instrumentally boasts that he made millions off this rap shit, hence why no one can tell him shit. “White Boy Swag” produced by venny has a crazy line about Puff Daddy a.k.a. P. Diddy or Diddy trying to kill KiD CuDi on top of more rage beats leading into the soulful trap fusion “On My Mind” admitting that he woke up with some recurring thoughts in his head.

Pradabagshawty makes one of many stellar guest appearances on “Test” hopping over a BenjiCold beat talking about pulling up with choppers & kidnapping kids just before “We Chat” spends 78 seconds discussing a bad bitch who turns out to be bad news later on. “Who Dat?” sends a warning of decapitating anyone who tries to fuck with him leading into “Glorious” featuring Lelo joins forces over a Supah Mario instrumental sneaking in the club with firearms.

“It’s a Trap” gets the 2nd half of Trench Town going on some plugg shit cautioning against women saying they like you when that isn’t the case whatsoever in reality while “Headache” talks about needing some Advil to make his head stop killing him. “Cutlass” featuring Oodaredevil & 454 finds the trio masking up & shutting out mascots together while “So Much Fun” featuring prettifun talks about being so rich the point where they don’t need to make music anymore.

Meanwhle on “Bad Jit”, we have Cochise talking about his experiences of being a wild kid growing up while “Hashtag” wasn’t that impressive of a single to me although I appreciate the way he observes social media’s prominent usage of hashtags. “Gon” hooks up some celebratory synthesizers into the fold talking about killing shit with his twin by his side & the outro “Gilmora” takes inspiration from Ye to end the album giving a fuck less what people have to say since they treat him like a villain.

I wasn’t really a fan of Cochise’s major label output other than Benbow Crescent, but Trench Town commemorates this new era of his career no longer being held back by a major label to drop the most enjoyable collection of music he’s made since his debut. All 5 of the guests match his energy in terms of performances with the cloudy trap & rage production going a lot crazier than The Inspection or Why Always Me? combined.

Score: 3.5/5

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YG – “The Gentlemen’s Club” review

Compton, California emcee YG back for his 4th LP & 10K Projects debut. Coming up in 2009 off his debut mixtape 4Fingaz, this was followed up with 4 more tapes prior to Jeezy discovering him in 2013 & landing him a deal with his Def Jam Recordings imprint CTE World. YG’s potential would begin to show in the form of his full-length debut My Krazy Life & came into his own on the sophomore effort Still Brazy launching his own label 400 Records around that same time period, but the next 4 tapes Stay Dangerous as well as 4Real 4Real, My Life 400 & I Got Issues all received mixed to poor responses as did the 3rd installment of the Just Re’d Up series. However, he’s opening up The Gentleman’s Club to celebrate the summer.

After the intro, “OMG” featuring Pusha T begins with both of them over a sinister beat although there’s a questionable line during Push’s verse whereas “Kudos” incorporates a harp instrumental talking about saying goodbye to everything to made him. “Hitman” has a more aggressive vibe in general promising to be the last one standing while “Simon Says” featuring Isaiah Falls & Odeal derails it with a hideous pop rap cut.

“On the Low” featuring Tyler, The Creator & produced by Ty$ was highly anticipated by me talking about dressing like Vogue models just before the nervous “We Know the Truth” confesses to not having Drakeo the Ruler murdered. “Hollywood” featuring the Shoreline Mafia finds the trio hitting us with more traffic music detailing their gangsta upbringings while “Gang Bizness” featuring PayGotti kicks off the 2nd half with a gangsta rap single that I found myself enjoying less than the one prior.

We have YG responding to the “Hitman” who tried to claim his life on “Ready to Die” hooking up some prominent pianos & capitalizing on his ability of telling stories but after “Writing My Wrongs” leans towards a more cavernous vibe instrumentally talking about all the mistakes he’s made in his life, “Dinner Dates & Heartbreaks” has a cloudier approach to the beat lividly airing out a bitch for lying to him & demanding that she gives him the truth for once.

“Tiffany” splits itself into 2 separate portions recalling an encounter Chris had with the titular character whom he met at the club who happened to be transgender while “Insecure” featuring Ab-Soul & J.I.D was my favorite single of the bunch, talking about their own personal insecurities. The closing track “Mid Life Crisis” spends The Gentlemen’s Club’s final minutes hopping over a Jay Versace beat looking to get all the bullshit off his mind.

The Gentlemen’s Club is noticeably more conceptual than a lot of YG’s recent material & I’m happy that he came to the realization of throwing shit at the wall to see if it sticks wasn’t entirely the best way to get out of his contract since his discography suffered as a result. Some of the contemporary R&B/pop rap-flavored cuts still don’t do it for me although the elements of hardcore hip hop, conscious hip hop, gangsta rap & nervous music are all higher quality material.

Score: 3/5

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Matt Proxy – “Trojan Horse” review

Matt Proxy is a 19 year old rapper & producer from Minneapolis, Minnesota who began making music as a teenager several multiple aliases with the most prominent ones being cloutedmatt & mwru. He has since dropped a total of 5 extended plays, with his previous one Horse Play under Sony Music last fall coming out not too long after receiving co-signs ranging from JPEGMAFIA to fakemink & even Playboi Carti. Looking to further capitalize on his popularity, he’s releasing a full-length studio debut.

The self-produced “5” opens up with a rap rock intro talking about his life being in a rearview mirror although I wish fakemink had a verse whereas “Stars” hits us with a 2-parter detailing his every move being watched & smoking blunts for therapeutic purposes. “Atlanta” samples “Father”by The Christians along with “Answer” by Tyler, The Creator & “Forever” by The Marvelettes to talk about his dad just before “All You’ll Hear is My Song in Your Head” featuring JUSQ addresses insomnia.

“Misery” chops up “Hate Me Now” by Nas, “Just Too Much To Hope For” by the late Tammi Terrell & “Devil In a New Dress” by Ye featuring Rick Ross talking about his girlfriend still riding for him regardless of his own imperfections just before “New Solution” talks about being faithful to the money. “Blue” ends the 1st leg of Trojan Horseremembering his late sister who passed away back in March while “Never Kill Yourself” by never goodbye denounces suicide ideation.

We have “Meant2B” splitting itself into 2 separate portions talking about being destined for this music shit while “Love&Addiction” fuses experimental hip hop, drumless, sound collage, slacker rock, space rock revival & neo-psychedelia to ask if you can see the vision. “Sorry” later blends pop rap, neo-soul, experimental hip hop, neo-psychedelia, cloud rap & alternative R&B for another single addressing a breakup that he’s been going through.

“God” featuring Current Joys interpolates “Survival of the Fittest” by Mobb Deep talking about not wanting this life going full slacker rock & “iPhone” featuring Aiden Farley sends off Trojan Horse with a synthfunk/pop rap outro having Matt at the beginning of it talking about going fast, then we get a beat switch & Aiden hoping that nobody listens to the probable. I also found the guitar solo near the final moments to be exciting.

Trojan Horse marks a conclusion to a trilogy in which Beating a Dead Horse began & Horse Play bridged by taking more risks than Matt Proxy did 7 months earlier, resulting in the most powerful statement of his career so far. The experimental production dabbles with more live-instrumentation varying between slacker rock, chipmunk soul, industrial hip hop, sound collage, drumless, space rock revival, neo-psychedelia, pop rap, neo-soul, cloud rap, alternative R&B & synthfunk to take an prominently introspective approach to songwriting other than some occasional abstract & conscious detours.

Score: 3.5/5

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Germ – “Stay Gold” review

This is the 4th extended play from Atlanta, Georgia rapper Germ. Signing to G*59 Record$ in mid-2018, he would drop his debut EP Bad Shit a couple years earlier followed by the Badshit (Bootleg) EP along with the debut mixtape Germ Has a Deathwish as well as The Hijinx Tape & the Cold Summer EP. Last we heard from him was almost 2 & a half years ago when he dropped his full-length studio debut Every Dog Has It’s Day, celebrating his birthday by dropping Stay Gold entirely produced by Cosh.

The title track incorporates some heavy bass to get things going talking about moving with the wicked whereas “Out My Top” gives off a funkier vibe instrumentally explaining that he has tons of pain inside his heart. “Fasho Fasho” brings a more laidback beat to the table talking about the money calling him & after “Space Face” embraces a darker atmosphere to get on gangsta shit lyrically, the outro “Heart Went Cold” ends the EP looking to run the racks back up.

Every Dog Has It’s Day at this point has already surpassed Germ Has a Deathwish to become my favorite entry in Germ’s whole discography & if we’re gonna get a sophomore effort down the line, then I’d say Stay Gold would be an acceptable prelude to it. I was already familiar with Cosh since he produced the intro of that Mental Trillness 2 mixtape Juicy J did a couple years ago & it’s appropriate considering G*59’s heavily inspired by Three 6.

Score: 3.5/5

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Ras Ceylon – “Scrollz of Lion Rock” review

Here is the 9th studio LP from Oakland, California recording artist & educator Ras Ceylon. Widely accepted for being the very first Sri Lankan emcee to emerge within the western hip hop canon by making his 1999 debut, he would later go on to join the Wu-Tang Killa Beez collective & drop 7 more full-lengths. However, he enlisted the late Oli “Power” Grant to executive producer Scrollz of Lion Rock prior to his passing with Holy Toledo Productions founder M-80 handling the A&R duties.

After the compositional “Grand Entrance (Sigriya)” intro, “Word is Bond” featuring Cappadonna & Timbo King finds the trio over a boom bap instrumental reminding the world who they are whereas “Dis.Info.Age” samples “Gazzillion Ear” by the late MF DOOM to talk about the rise of misinformation. “Ancestors” featuring Ras Kassjoins forces to discuss the fearless of black people while “Buzzsaw” featuring Timbo King & 9th Prince dismantles all industry plants.

“Uprising” switches things up with a trap beat talking about how he doesn’t hide from shit leading into “Duality” featuring Timbo King produced by Mathematics reaching the halfway point with my favorite song here explaining that people either put the work in for glory or they merely don’t. “International Flex” featuring Tuff Like Iron & Yung Shanty brings everything together to go worldwide with it just before “Heart Muscle” soulfully breaks down his belief in love.

Timbo King appears once again on “Free the World” talking about fighting to win while “Land Grab” dabbled with trap again, maintaining the conscious subject matter. “River 2 Sea” featuring Solomon Childs calls for an end to the Gaza genocide & all apartheid but after “Sword Swingin’” featuring Planet Asia & Timbo King tries to see who’s pen cuts the deepest, the outro “Blessingz” featuring Prodigal Sunn ends the album advising not to take life for granted.

Built on the creative foundation of Jacket Fulla Medalz a couple years ago, Scrollz of Lion Rock elevates Ras Ceylon’s partnership with Timbo King into a fully realized long-form statement that cements him within the Wu-Tang Killa Beez lineage while highlighting his unique globally grassroots voice enlisting guests who help extended the narratives pushed. The production’s mainly rooted in the traditional boom bap sound confronting themes of power, resistance, survival & cultural memory with precision & weight.

Tierra Whack – “Whack’s Museum” review

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania rapper & singer/songwriter Tierra Whack has returned for her 2nd mixtape in time for the summer. Breaking out in 2018 off the strength of her debut tape Whack World after signing to Interscope Records, she would go on to drop a trilogy of EPs showcasing her artistry: Rap? as well as Pop? & R&B?. Her full-length debut Worldwide Whack was more moderately received compared to Whack World although I appreciated it for what it was, taking us through Whack’s Museum a couple years later.

“Whack Job” produced by Chris Keys & Conductor Williams breaks the door down responding to the people saying she should rap more whereas “Wax Paper” takes the boom bap route instrumentally talking about feeling too generous at times. “Brazilian Wax” soulfully asks herself why some are intimidated by her presence until “Wiggidy Whack” runs it back with Conductor talking about leaving any & all competitors scorched.

As for “Totem”, we have Tierra embracing some trap vibes so she can discuss getting what she wants leading into “Godda” ending the 1st half returning to the boom bap courtesy of Swaggyono from Working on Dying talking about making some money. “Siren” kicks off the 2nd leg of Whack’s Museum so she can let get a bit more goofier & joyous with her wordplay while “Candle Wax” strips the drums to talk about her going out being herself: Amongst the greatest to ever do it musically.

“Queen’s Crown” retains her signature sense of humor dropping 4 straight verses without a hook over a soul sample while “Earwax” talks about choosing not to play the game despite her knowledge of it over another drumless loop. “215” shouts out the city that made her the person she’s becoming once again getting humorous with her pen & the outro “Flowers” ends Whack’s Museum demanding her props from those who ain’t giving ‘em to her.

Little Simz & Doechii have been widely regarded as some of the greatest women to touch a microphone in recent memory, but Tierra Whack has already proven herself to be in that same category from her Lil Boat 3 feature to her recent appearance on Jill Scott’s latest album To Whom This May Concern several months earlier. Her lyrics are more abstract & occasionally conscious than usual with the production varying between boom bap, jazz rap & pop rap.

Score: 4/5

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Pz’ – “B4NTB” review

This is a brand new extended play of solo material from Atlanta, Georgia rapper & fashion model Pz’. Emerging a couple years ago off the strength of his debut single “Sun”, he would eventually blow up last summer when “Hedis Bussin’” came out & has since collaborated with the likes of billi0n for his debut mixtape Revenge as well as the Uy Scuti Bøyz’ eponymous tape earlier this spring. Only a few days away from No Turnin’ Back however, he’s dropping off B4NTB.

“Track Meet” hops over this colorful trap beat making it known to anyone who ain’t makin’ a profit that they can’t hang with him whereas “Seals & Tags” acknowledges the ØWay collective’s increasing popularity to end the 1st half. My favorite track here “Tamagochi” embraces a cloudier vibe instrumentally talking about puttin’ muhfuckas on dinner plates & “Keep It Tucked” produced by Noah Mejia finishes with an outro that I’d consider a close 2nd compared to the previous track.

It was already known since the very beginning of the month that Pz’ would finally begin building a discography for himself following his standout guest appearances & singles, but him dropping B4NTB literally 24 hours in advance increases what anticipation I’ve had for No Turnin’ Back tomorrow with an impressively brief collection of trap songs taking additional inspiration from rage, cloud rap, pop rap & futuristic swag in only under 10 minutes.

Score: 3.5/5

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Fimiguerrero – “The Statue of a Fool” review

Greenwich, London, England, United Kingdom rapper & producer Fimiguerrero preluding his upcoming 3rd album Lost City with his 7th extended play. Releasing his debut EP Human Anatomy in 2019, he would continue to build up a catalog for himself with his next EP Fuck Brex!t as well as the eponymous full-length debut & the No Way Out EP. kvnt, Black, the sophomore effort Immigrant & New World Order all followed & he’s decided to shock the world after unveiling The Statue of a Fool without any prior announcement.

“Me Again” opens up with a jerk intro talking about his appetite being suppressed by taking some ecstasy whereas “Loser” keeps the hoodtrap vibes going clapping back at his haters doing the shit they wish they could do. “Good Girl” blends trap, emo rap & jerk so he can talk about his own struggles struggles with fame & trusting women leading into the self-produced “Cocaina” ending the 1st half touching on the subject of escapism & describing a kinda love that‘s addicting.

Kicking off the 2nd half, the song “Dutty” featuring Bassvictim takes an atmospherically darker approach instrumentally admitting to still feeling some sort of disconnect even after he started to gain popularity while “Skywalker” samples “Throw It In” by Lil Wayne addressing individuals who constantly have issues with him although I wish fakemink had a verse. “Mind the Gap” talks about repeating the same mistakes his own father had made & the cons of living in London while “Don’t Leave Me” ends the EP detailing a breakup.

Impressed by the guest appearances he had on both EsDeeKid’s debut EP Rebel & Jim Legxacy’s debut mixtape Black British Music last summer, Fimiguerrero gives us a glimpse of what we can expect out of Lost City in the guise of The Statue of a Fool which is a salvageable appetizer until the main course. I wouldn’t necessarily call it my favorite EP he’s done, but I do appreciate him experimenting a bit more outside of his signature jerk/rage sounds.

Score: 3.5/5

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Wiki – “Ancient History” review

Here is the 6th studio LP from New York City emcee, songwriter & producer Wiki. Formerly a member of the Ratking trio, he would go on to drop his solo debut No Mountains in Manhattan in 2017 under XL Recordings not too long after their disbandment followed by the sophomore effort OOFIE that next fall & Telephonebooth through his own label Wikset Enterprises. Coming off the Navy Blue-produced Half God & the Tony Seltzer-produced 14K Figaro however, he’s looking to dig up some Ancient History.

“G.T.F.O.H. (Get The Fuck Outta Here)” begins with this drumlessly soulful intro admitting that he feels like he isn’t missing out in 2026 whereas “Right Away” gets a little more optimistic over sample-based trap instrumental catching himself on a good day. “1 Time” chefs towards a boom bap direction talking about people not knowing how much power he truly has while “Park” psychedelically spends the early hours of the day sitting in the grass.

Navy Blue gets behind the boards for one of my personal favorite tracks “I.H.N.Y. (I Hate New York)” from the opulent boom bap beat to the lyrics detailing the love/hate relationship Wiki has with the city that made him the very person who he’s become but after “Bloom” featuring duendita & produced by Lil Ugly Mane raps & sings about people knowing where to find them right when the sun rises every morning, “Old Gods” reaches the halfway point solely spitting heat over a Tony Seltzer instrumental.

“Bourbon” kicks off the 2nd half of the album talking about being the cornerstore’s biggest clientele while “All in the Lining” featuring Your Old Droog finds the pair joining forces for another abstract boom bap standout Navy Blue cooked up once again. “Marm Era” soulfully describes memories he can recall like they happened yesterday while “Had Your Fun” continues the sampling to let everyone who thought he was done know that he’s still here.

Salimata joins Wiki for the romantic “Something New” talking about giving up their bullshit for each other over a MIKE beat to wind down the last few moments of Ancient History while the song “7 Deadly Sins” gives us a moody description of Christianity’s capital vices. The title track spends the last 5 minutes of the full-length with a symphonic instrumental from one of my top 10 producers of all-time The Alchemist talking about his shorty being sick of him.

Although I’d still consider Half God to be the most essential statement in Wiki’s solo catalog with 14K Figaro likely becoming a close 2nd at this point & of course placing the spectacular Faith is a Rock collaborative album he did with MIKE a few years ago on that same pedestal, I still liked a good chunk of Ancient History for it’s departure from the predominant trap production & conscious subject matter of it’s 2023 predecessor for a more drumless sound & getting more cryptic with his songwriting.

Score: 3.5/5

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Lee Carver – “A Night 2 Dismember” review

This is a brand new extended play from Dayton, Ohio emcee Lee Carver. Following his 2015 solo debut Massacre Mask, he later became the 3rd & final member to join the almighty Alla Xul Elu & the Long Live Evil founders have been sending shockwaves across the underground wicked shit scene since 2018 known for combining sharp horrorcore lyrics with boom bap & industrial hip hop instrumentation. His sophomore effort Meathead: Satanic Steakhouse came out this past winter & he’s back once more for A Night 2 Dismember.

After the “New Release” intro, “The House Demands a Host” opens up welcoming everyone back to the hellhole over a boom bap instrumental whereas “Serrated” expresses the hatred he has for humanity. “Mr. Meathook” has a quirkier vibe to the beat describing an individual who takes your wishes as his command while “Bump in the Night” featuring Mutanoid Underground Dwellers dedicate itself to the sickos who don’t give a fuck.

“Rotting Flesh Rewind” begins the 2nd half of the EP spitting some bloodcurdling wicked shit filled with gruesome imagery & after “Blood Shed” takes a slower yet morbid approach instrumentally so Carver can continue talking about murder, the final song Corpse Funnel” preceding the “Satanic Steakhouse Theme” outro takes it back to the traditional boom bap sound combining that with more horrorcore lyricism for 4 & a half minutes.

In preparation LLE’s medley set at the 26th annual Gathering of the Juggalos later this summer & the Skinner Family’s next member being introduced, my personal favorite Alla Xul Elu member Lee Carver continues the story of Meathead: Satanic Steakhouse titular character whom we were intended to 6 months earlier through A Night 2 Dismember as well as using it as an opportunity to flesh out his story & give it more context over dark production with a decent guest appearance.

Score: 4/5

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