Z-Ro – “Unappreciated” review

Houston, Texas emcee & singer/songwriter Z-Ro celebrating another winter with his 28th studio LP. A member of the Screwed Up Click collective, he’s been holding it down for 3 decades already whether it be the Rap-A-Lot Records debut & my personal favorite in his discography The Life of Joseph W. McVey or his output as part of the Guerilla Maab & later the duo ABN. He dropped both The Ghetto Gospel & Call Me Rother in 2024, venting over a year later that he feels Unappreciated weeks after record-tying 3-time AEW TNT Champion as well as former AAA Mixtas Parejas Campeon & AAA Mundial Cruceropeso Campeon Sammy Guevara became a 3-time ROH World Tag Team Champion.

“KKK” begins with a bluesy trap intro airing out his grievances towards crooked cops in light of it already being half a decade since his SUC brethren Big Floyd was murdered until “Famous Again” goes for a cloudier trap vibe instrumentally talking about his detractors giving him free promo because they have no motion. “I’m Tryin’” blends soul & gospel wanting his people to know that he’s been doing his best in case this is the last we’ll hear from him while the summery “So So” tells us the way he’s been feeling.

As for “Do Less”, we have Z-Ro continuing to jump over atmospheric trap beats talking about minimizing his output if it turns out people don’t appreciate everything he’s doing while “Would’ve Known” swaps out the cloudiness in favor of more gospel influences pondering if he would’ve still done the shit he did if others were already aware that he’d be gone. “Ro Come Bacc” brings back the soul suggesting for people to never return if they ain’t feelin’ him no more just before “Me Against All Y’all” aggressively channeling his inner 2Pac.

“Gotta Maintain” pushes the 2nd half forward reminding himself of keeping his composure because the rest of the world doesn’t want to see him shine while “Heart of a Hustler” featuring Lil’ Keke has my favorite guest appearance of the 4, talking about the grind always being in their hearts & instrumentally fusing soul with trap. “I Swear” featuring Kook has an admirable theme of betrayal & the latter also delivering a solid verse, but I can’t say the same regarding Yella Fella’s contribution to “Don’t Judge Me” despite the subject matter.

The song “On My Side” gets Unappreciated’s final moments blending the Houston sound with dirty south aesthetics talking about keeping a firearm close to him while the funky trap hybrid “Do You” assures the world that success is making sure your loved ones are good as opposed to having a private-gated estate. “Too Much Patron” finishes up advising to be left alone because he’s in his zone smoking the most potent weed he could get his hands on & drinking tequila.

Call Me Rother still has moments that I’ll go back to every now & then but a lot like his ABN partner-in-rhyme Trae tha Truth put out a late career highlight with the love letter to his daughter Angel on his birthday this summer, Z-Ro has done the exact same thing except he’s reiterating the statement of him becoming Unappreciated in recent memory hinting at retirement once again like he did thorough the last album of his I enjoyed this much initially did: No Love Boulevard.

Score: 4/5

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Your Old Droog – “YOD Serling” review

Ukrainian-American lyricist Your Old Droog’s dropping off his 11th EP albeit the 2nd & final one in 2025. Breaking out through his self-titled debut, many actually first thought he was an alter ego of Nas given that their voices are somewhat similar. He eventually became a legend in his own right off later projects such as Packs as well as It Wasn’t Even Close, TIME & the Nicholas Craven-produced YOD Wave. I didn’t think YOD Stewart, Yodney Dangerfield, The Yodfather & The Shining were as great in my opinion although they most certainly had their highlights & Movie the summer prior became a depiction of his life on wax. 4 whole weeks since anything‘s possible & YOD Serling has arrived only less than a week away from Christmas.

“Suspects” produced by Edan begins by chopping up a chipmunk soul sample so YOD can vividly tell the story of a robbery taking place & after “Pitstop” takes the boom bap route instrumentally talking about still enjoying the simpler things whenever he question why he came back in town, “Ghostwriter” goes drumless thanks to Edan once again recalling an artist who reached his apex & went on to use ghostwriters.

The song “Victims of the Streets” runs it back with Edan for the last time continuing to show off the latter’s ear for sampling & Droog remembers those who lost their lives in the hood because of poverty while “Freekazoid” sends off the EP going for a rugged boom bap vibe thanks to K-Nite 13 referencing the underrated mid-90s animated series Freakazoid! owned by Warner Bros. & Amblin Entertainment.

Originally announced in May of 2017, it could be considered a Christmas miracle by people like me who’ve been closely paying attention to Your Old Droog since my senior year of high school when his eponymous debut was made that YOD Serling has finally arrived & come to prefer it more than anything’s possible. 60% of the production preludes YOD’s next full-length set to be entirely produced by Edan & the lyricism focuses more around his abilities to tell stories.

Score: 4/5

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Kozmonautz – “Full Circle” review

The Kozmonautz are an MC/producer duo from Los Angeles, California consisting of Key Kool & DJ Rhettmatic. Making their eponymous debut in the summer of 1995, they would both go on to form the Visionaries with 2Mex alongside LMNO & another duo called Writer’s Block comprised of Dannu & Lord Zen putting out 5 full-lengths within the next 3 decades. However to commemorate the anniversary of their introductory LP over the summer, the Kozmonautz are running it back for an official sophomore effort.

After the “Big Bang 2” intro, the title track opens up by talking about livin’ life at ridiculous speed on top of sending empathic energy towards their people & presenting the truth whereas “Yes Yes Y’all” takes the boom bap route instrumentally representing all 4 elements of hip hop culture. “Listen to This” works in a funkier beat making way for Key Kool to drop a couple verses in Japanese prior to “Reconcentrated 2” talking about history repeating itself if we don’t learn from the past & teach it to the youth.

“Legacy” incorporates a woodwind to live life with integrity & maintain a pedigree taken from the blood of samurai just before the 2nd & final single “Quite Unique” jumps on top of this funky ass beat to talk about both of them speaking with their hands in dangerous ways. “Down with Us” by the Visionaries gives a taste of what’s to come from their upcoming 6th album in 2026 staying fly as fuck & come from Up Above while “Better World” finds the Kozmonautz reflecting on the current state of things whether it he politicians abusing their power & children playing with iPads rather than going outside.

Maintaining a boom bap vibe, the song “Sureshot” talking about always rockin’ stages whenever tbh hit the scene while the Key Kool solo cut “Catchin’ U Off Guard” produced by Kutmasta Kurt wraps up this Full Circle moment explaining that he & Rhettmatic don’t have anything to prove since they’re a couple of b-boys who have genuine respect for the culture in contrast to all of these mainstream record labels exploiting the art form in addition to the wankstas who think they be hot shit & finally the wannabe star acting larger than they really are.

These guys’ eponymous debut remains amongst the most slept-on west coast hip hop albums ever made filled with consciously abstract & hardcore lyricism flowing over boom bap production, but for Key Kool & DJ Rhettmatic to celebrate 30 years of that full-length by reforming the Kozmonautz for an aptly titled Full Circle moment recapturing the same energy of that beloved album & channeling it through the perspectives of the veterans they have evolved into from the young up-&-comers starting out.

Score: 4/5

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Niontay – “Soulja Hate Repellant” review

Niontay is a 26 year old rapper, songwriter & producer from Brooklyn, New York who introduced himself in 2023 off his first couple EPs Dontay’s Inferno & Demon Muppy. I was also impressed with his features across projects like MIKE’s 5th album Burning Desire or Ritchie with a T’s solo debut Triple Digit (112) & Mike Shabb’s sophomore effort Shabb Van Gogh, putting out a well received debut album of his own Fada<3of$ earlier this spring & returning 8 months later to drop off his debut mixtape.

“Rockoutcentury” produced by Dylvinci starts off with a cloudy Detroit sound talking about cracking the code whereas “100days100nights” made for an boisterous trap single getting geeked after being let out of the kennel. “3am@tony’s” featuring Lerado Khalil teams up over a dark Mobb instrumental from Harrison & Tony Seltzer talking about them doing no pretending leading into “Cressidaway! / Tpgeek” initially going for a plugg vibe & Earl Sweatshirt delivering my favorite guest appearance of the 3 until a cloudy beat switch during Niontay’s verse.

The tape’s final feature goes to Sunny on “Soulja Hate / Mr.havemyway X Mr.beatdaroad”, which is another 2-parter instrumentally taking it’s cues from the plugg subgenre of trap throughout both halves although I prefer the 2nd half over the other just before “Larizzy’s Laire” ends the 1st leg of Soulja Hate Repellant with some 808s & synths dismissing his “opponents” since they nothing like him. “Dadecountydates” pitches Niontay’s vocals enough to make it sound like he inhaled helium prior to getting in the booth refusing to fuck with people who pick sides while “April 7 (Westside Swanging)” goes full chopped & screwed.

“Mark William Lewis Flow” begins the 3rd & final act with a summery trap beat likening his cadence to the experimental artist of the same name while “Dreamin’ (of U ;)” incorporates some heavily drumless sampling talking about a person that’s been constantly appearing in his dreams as of late. “Neymar” experiments with Miami bass referencing the Brazilian soccer team Santos’ star forward & of course the closer “Free Luigi” calls for the freedom of Luigi Mangione ahead of his upcoming trial for murdering UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.

Soulja Hate Repellant’s finishes Niontay’s breakthrough year refining a lot of the same production styles Fada<3of$ explored whether it be the Detroit sound or trap, plugg, cloud rap & drumless with small hints of chopped & screwed and Miami bass sprinkled in the mix transitioning into one another cohesively. He may also be my personal favorite act that MIKE has signed to his growing independent label 10k Global thus far, penning some of his most emotionally sharpest lyrics of his career & using a handful of a number of different flows in only a half hour.

Score: 4.5/5

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Mickey Diamond – “Wolf Tickets” review

Here is the 17th studio LP from Detroit, Michigan lyricist & one of the finest in the underground currently Mickey Diamond. Emerging at the beginning of this decade off the strength of his debut EP Bangkok Dangerous, the dude has since gone on to turn quite a few heads in the underground by building up the impressive discography for himself with his previous 16 albums alongside 7 EPs & a mixtape. Since 2022 however, Mickey has been consistent putting out some of the best material of his career thus far. This includes the Gucci Ghost album & it’s sequel produced by Big Ghost Ltd., the Ral Duke-produced Oroku Saki EP, the Sadhugold-produced Death Threat$ album, the Camoflauge Monk-produced Capital Gains album, the 3rd & 4th installments to the Gucci Ghost saga, the outstanding Oroku Saki sequel Super Shredder & Gucci Gambinos. We got Diamond Cutter this spring & most recently the Dolla $ign Diaries, a couple weeks ago, making Wolf Tickets the beginning of a new trilogy.

A soul sample gets flipped right out the gate during “Peter & Paul” until the drums come in the fold talking about hearing shit because he constantly keeps his ear to the streets in addition to the number of speed bumps & potholes when taking the road to success just before “High Steaks” references the late WWE Hall of Famer Paul Bearer in addition to WWE Hall of Famer, former SMW Tag Team Champion, 3-time WWE world champion, 2-time WWE Intercontinental Champion, 12-time WWE tag team champion & WWE Hardcore Champion Kane and WWE Hall of Famer, former WWE Champion, 3-time WWE Tag Team Champion, 2-time NWA National Heavyweight Champion & AJPW世界タッグチャンピオン Ted DiBiase.

“Black Tears” works in a crooning sample so he can talk about the struggles he used to experience in his hood daily while “Wolfenstein 3D” hooks up a piano-driven boom bap instrumental suggesting to put your money where your mouth is. “No Jumper” talks about nobody moving units the way he does leading into “I Dare You” ends the 1st half by promising to blast anyone who gets way too close to him & keeping snitches in a rear-view.

Starting off the 2nd leg, “You Can’t Buy Love” chops up more samples advising to open your eyes & read the signs when it comes the topic of romance while “WTF” gets in his mafioso bag over a somber boom bap beat. “Missed Calls” talks about him not being afraid to let shots ring out like people are hitting up his number & he isn’t answering them while “Michael Knight” reminds the world as to exactly what type of person he’s always been.

“Blood Moon” begins the final 6 & a half minutes of Wolf Tickets going for a drumless rap rock vibe looking to bring terror to every single flow he uses while “1 Shot Kill” finishes up this inaugural entry of The Wolf, The Sheep & The Goat pretty much poking fun at all these other rappers who’re crying wolf leaving them dead the very second he fires the gun he keeps close to him whether it be on the warm summer days or the cold winters.

Tough for me to say whether or not Mickey Diamond will eventually make Dolla $ign Diaries available on Bandcamp & whatever digital streaming platform of your choice since it’s a physical exclusive for now, but what I can tell you is that he & Big Ghost Ltd. take a more introspectively spiritual approach to Wolf Tickets unlike the Gucci Ghost series or Gucci Gambinos over a year earlier quickly surpassing Diamond Cutter to no surprise. He’s essentially recapping everything that’s happened in his life since Gucci Gambinos with the same rawness we’ve grown accustomed to from him & new perspectives.

Score: 4.5/5

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Mikahl Lawless – “Cult” review

Here we have the 5th EP from York, Pennsylvania rapper Mikahl Lawless. Introducing himself in the summer of 2019 off his debut EP Pen to Paper, he would go on to follow it up with Overture for the Ill & Broken Hearted as well as 13 & Kisses to Nowhere until Cody Manson made him a member of his Trife Life collective. Cody eventually introduced Mikahl to Scum, impressing The Gorefather enough to give him his own deal with Lyrikal Snuff Productionz & introduce himself as part of the roster on Gangri-La. Commemorating the 1-year anniversary of The Snuff Gremlin later this weekend, he’s ending LSP’s year by releasing Cult.

“Ash” starts with a trap metal intro talking about what‘s left of him being blackened whereas “Cold Snow” blends this cloudy backdrop & live drumming telling how he’s feeling on the inside. “Ghost” reaches the halfway point by throwing it back to LINKIN PARK’s earlier output while the title track embraces a synth-pop vibe singing to bleed out beside him. “Prey” shifts back in nu metal turf comparing himself amongst the hunted & the same can be said regarding the outro “In Absence”, singing about him wishing he found nothing.

Many of the previews sounded nothing like Gangri-La & The Snuff Gremlin whatsoever, which gave me the impression of Mikahl Lawless venturing out artistically throughout the duration of Cult & he does it well enough to the point where I can confidently say that it could be the boldest musical statement he’s ever made. The production’s more versatile exploring trap metal, nu metal & synthpop in addition to the horrorcore lyrics being primarily sung as opposed to rapped.

Score: 4/5

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Conway the Machine – “You Can’t Kill God with Bullets” review

Brand new LP & the 5th overall from Buffalo, New York emcee Conway the Machine. Blowing up a decade ago as part of the 3 OGs of Griselda Records alongside his brother Westside Gunn & their cousin Benny the Butcher, the trio have had hip hop on lock ever since their arrival by their constant work ethic balancing quality & quality as well as vividly detailing their lives in the streets. Con’s full-length debut From King to a God was my Album of the Year for 2020 & the Shady Records-backed sophomore effort God Don’t Make Mistakes is the most personal he’s ever been. Last we heard the Drumworm Music Group founder by himself was S.F.K. (Slant Face Killah), marking his Roc Nation Records debut with You Can’t Kill God with Bullets.

“Lightning Above the Adriatic Sea” produced by the J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League after the “Gun Powder” intro includes a bar referencing WWE Hall of Famer Mr. T whereas “B.M.G. (Black Man is God)” goes for a soulful boom bap vibe thanks to Sndtrak so he can discuss African American excellence. “Diamonds” featuring Roc Marciano references former WWE Intercontinental Champion, WWE United States Champion & 2-time WWE tag team champion Carlito over a Conductor Williams beat while “Hell Let Loose” featuring Tony Yayo admits that being called names doesn’t mean shit to them.

Timbaland’s instrumental on “Crazy Avery” was fortunately better than I had initially expected it to be due of his recent AI shenanigans talking about his mind being deeper than the deepest river just before “The Painter” reunites with Daringer breaking down all the problems others don’t need in their lives. After the “Undying” interlude, “Nu Devils” featuring G Herbo takes the trap route courtesy of both araabMUZIK & Beat Butcha spittin’ that gangsta shit together while “Otis Driftwood” talks about him getting better with time over a JR Swiftz beat.

“Mahogany Walls” continues the 2nd half promising that Drumwork will reign for all of eternity bringing Conductor’s lo-fi boom bap sound back in the fold while “Parisian Nights” takes a moment to celebrate success over an E. Jones instrumental with chopped & screwed vocals at the backend of it. The lead single “17.5” goes for a drumless direction stylistically using the pen to paint imagery of the gangsta lifestyle while “Attached” featuring Lady London talking about the future being nonexistent when you’re living in the past.

Apollo Brown chops up a soul sample throughout “Never Sleep” adding some kicks and snares into the picture, asking God to forgive him for his foul ways while “Hold Back Tears” talks about the feeing of losing someone in your life that was close to your heart. The Alchemist strips the drums 1 last time during “Organized Mess” detailing the life money has brought him for the past 10 years & the closer “Don’t Even Feel Real (Dreams)” sends it all off on the soulful boom bap tip talking about his success being surreal to him.

Conway taking more time with You Can’t Kill God with Bullets than he did Won’t He Do It & S.F.K. (Slant Face Killah) was a very smart idea in my opinion because as much as I love both it’s predecessors, I can certainly tell you that this is the most I’ve enjoyed an album from him since God Don’t Make Mistakes. He takes a relatable approach to songwriting relating to whatever many are doing in life whether be celebrating, dating, lost someone special or struggling with mental health all whilst maturing the feeling of Reject 2 & G.O.A.T. (Grimiest Of All-Time).

Score: 4.5/5

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Nas – “Light-Years” review

Queensbridge, New York icon Nas linking up with DJ Premier for his 18th LP. Known for being the son of jazz cornetist/guitarist Olu Dara, his debut illmatic & the equally classic sophomore effort It Was Written would both go on to be widely acknowledged as some of the greatest albums in hip hop history. I also enjoy stillmatic, The Lost Tapes, God’s Son & Life is Good. Then there was the Kanye West-produced NASIR & The Lost Tapes II, which I felt like they were fine additions to his catalogue even though the overall consensuses were polarizing. Both the King’s Disease & Magic trilogies produced by Hit-Boy however would all become his most celebrated material since Life is Good, finishing Mass Appeal Records’ historic Legend Has It series with the mythical Light-Years coming out after almost 2 whole decades in the making.

“My Life’s Real” opens up by talking about telling the truth because there’s no use in lying over a piano-driven boom bap instrumental just before “Git Ready” brings a funkier vibe to the table laying down criminal lines all because of some paper. “N.Y. State of Mind 3” serves as the trilogy chapter to one of my top 10 Nas songs in his whole entire discography using a Billy Joel sample while “Welcome to the Underground” flips a guitar so he can talk about tuning cornballs into cornstarch.

As for “Madman”, we have Nas eerily coming together to drop murderous material from a psycho while “Pause Tapes” recalls making his 1st beat by using dual cassette decks to loop samples. “Writers” blends funk music & boom bap so they can give their flowers to hip hop’s oldest element a.k.a. graffiti writing prior to the “Daughters” sequel “Sons (Young Kings)” sampling a piano for a shoutout to everyone in their lives who have sons of their own wishing them nothing but the most powerful bond.

“It’s Time” samples “Fly Like an Eagle” by Steve Miller continuing the 2nd half of Light-Years talking about the whole concept of time itself while “Nasty Esco Nasir” samples some strings mixed with kicks & snares promising the world that we’re entering the 4th phase of his career. “My Story Your Story” featuring AZ makes for the only guest appearance & 1 that doesn’t disappoint, tossing the mic back-&-forth with each other seamlessly for 4 minutes while “Bouquet (To the Ladies)” dedicated itself to the women in our culture.

The song “Junkie” rounds out 3rd with an orchestral boom bap crossover talking about being his great-great-grandfather’s dream in the living flesh while “Shine Together” suggests that easy money is robbery in the grand scheme of things, becoming increasingly phenomenal for every word he spits. “3rd Childhood” finishes off by revisiting the concept of “2nd Childhood” from stillmatic, which I’ve always related to especially since I get older including a reference to the late Black Sabbath frontman & WWE Hall of Famer Ozzy Osbourne.

There was a point in time where people thought Light-Years wouldn’t ever see the light of day similarly to Redman’s 9th album Muddy Waters 2 last Christmas Eve & roughly 37 months since “30” on King’s Disease III teased it, I’m grateful it finally came to finish what has been amongst the most important years in Mass Appeal Records’ entire decade-long history. DJ Premier’s jazzy boom bap production rivals Hit-Boy’s throughout the King’s Disease & Magic series earlier this decade and Nas’ pen continues to sharpen with time.

Score: 4.5/5

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21 Savage – “What Happened to the Streets?” review

Brand new studio LP & the 5th overall from London, England, United Kingdom born albeit Atlanta, Georgia raised rapper, songwriter & occasional producer 21 Savage. Appearing on the iconic 2016 XXL Freshman Class list, he continued to make a household name for himself in the current trap landscape by dropping his 2nd EP Savage Mode with Metro Boomin’ producing it in it’s entirety shortly after. Then came his full-length debut Issa Album & an incredible collab album he did with Offset called Without Warning the following year, but it wouldn’t be until the end of 2018 where 21 dropped his most mature work to date with i am > i was. Fast forward a little over a month later, he was arrested by ICE after it was revealed that he was born in the UK & stayed in the US on an expired visa only to be freed 10 days later. Savage Mode II quickly became amongst the most celebrated trap albums of the current decade & american dream was more soulful than anything 21 has done previously, trying to figure out What Happened to the Streets?.

“Where You From?” produced by Southside, Wheezy & Dez Wright comes out the gate cautioning to not ask him anything regarding Metro Boomin’s beef with Drake whereas “Ha” samples “Hit Another Lick” by Gucci Mane thanks to Zaytoven talking about drawing gins on muhfuckas for his own amusement. “Stepbrothers” featuring Young Nudy finds the 2 cousins linking up behind a Coupe instrumental backing them to break down the gangsta lifestyle prior to “Cup Full” talking about how this vibe has been making him fill up his cup to the brim over a Taurus beat.

Latto reunited with 21 on “Pop It” for a run-of-the-mill ode to poppin’ tags while “Mr. Recoup” featuring Drake picks up where “Mr. Right Now” from Savage Mode II left off & as much as I still love that song now, I can’t say the same for this generic snooze fest. “J.O.W.Y.H. (Jump Out Wit Ya Hoe)” reaches the halfway point talking about his bitch in an underwhelming fashion & after “Dog $hit” featuring Glorilla sums it up nicely fumbling the concept of being a playa, “Code of Honor” featuring G Herbo comes together to talk about giving everything to their hoods.

“Gang Over Everything” jumps over a chipmunk soul/trap fusion from Metro Boomin’, BoogzDaBeast & FNZ for a reminder that he’s married to this street shit while “Halftime” feels less of an interlude & more of a cloudy statement of him getting amped up after lettin’ bullshit slide for too long. “Big Steppers” incorporates some pianos courtesy of d.a. got that dope talking about his girl knowing he’s legitimate & after the potential Leak$ outtake “Atlanta Tears” featuring Lil Baby, the closer “I Wish” ends on a sincere note shouting out his dead homies.

Next summer will be a whole entire decade since I got introduced to 21 Savage via the Savage Mode EP & if I have to honest, What Happened to the Streets? could eventually become a serious contender for the weakest entry in his discography thus far. The guests are a great example of the “government mandated features” joke that’s been all over social media for the past year or so, a lot of the same themes of his previous material are being rehashed & the production choices stick out amongst the most questionable thus far.

Score: 2.5/5

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Chris Patrick – “Pray 4 Me” review

East Orange, New Jersey rapper, singer/songwriter & producer Chris Patrick making his major label debut with his 3rd full-length studio LP. Introducing himself off his debut EP From the Heart along with it’s sequel & X-Files, it wasn’t until his last couple EPs Lost Files & most notably The Calm caught the interest of Def Jam Recordings last fall. He’s additionally caught my attention via some of his most recent guest appearances asking everyone to Pray 4 Me almost 13 months since getting signed.

“Audra’s Prayer” comes out the gate with a militantly hungry intro & removing the drums during the 2nd to speaking of his friends passing away whereas “Ramen Noodles” angrily talks about muhfuckas not lasting a day in his shoes “Frankenstein” featuring Marco+ links up over a boom bap instrumental from Conductor Williams boasting their prophetic statuses while “The Mayor” featuring Swavay dabbles with trap to promise that they won’t ever walk back on their word.

Reaching the halfway point, “Doremi” gets in his R&B bag on top of a summery beat singing about themes of love leading into “100x” featuring Amindi heading further down that trajectory for a tightly spacey duet. “Patience” brings back the hip hop vibes feeling like God’s testing his forbearance while “Screaming at the Sky” talks about a loved one who passed blending a soul sample & hi-hats. “Huncho’s Prayer” produced by Reuben Vincent finishes the album with a 9 minute closer pouring his heart out, including beat-switch at the backend of it.

Familiarizing myself with him through his features on projects like Reuben Vincent’s 2nd EP General Admission or Reason’s 5th mixtape I Love You Again & most recently WowGr8’s solo debut Howl at the Moon, I’m just as equally happy as Chris Patrick is that he didn’t wind up quitting music 3 months earlier since Pray 4 Me wouldn’t have happened had he done so. He’s honing in on his artistic range pulling from conscious hip hop, boom bap, drumless, R&B & neo-soul for a love letter to surviving all of his sleepless nights.

Score: 4/5

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