Conway the Machine – “What Has Been Blessed Cannot Be Cursed” review

This is the 11th EP from Buffalo emcee & entrepreneur Conway the Machine. Blowing up in late 2015 as part of the 3 OGs of Griselda Records alongside his brother Westside Gunn & their cousin Benny the Butcher. Ever since the trio have rose to prominence, they’ve had hip hop on lock by their constant work ethic balancing quality & quality as well as vividly detailing their lives in the streets on top of boom bap production kin to that of RZA & Havoc in their music. Con’s full-length debut From King to a God was my Album of the Year for 2020 & just dropped his Shady Records-backed sophomore effort God Don’t Make Mistakes back in February, which is the most personal he’s ever been. He just dropped Organized Grime 2 a few weeks ago & is reuniting with Big Ghost Ltd. for What Has Been Blessed Cannot Be Cursed.

“Salutations” is a grim opener talking about whacking motherfuckers whereas “It’s a Green Light works in a piano & a harp admitting that he’s more confident than ever. “Bodie Broadus” takes a richer albeit drumless route calling out those who waited until he blew up to reach out to him leading into Jae Skeese tagging along for bloodcurdling “In My Soul” talking about people wanting them gone. “Y.B.C.M. (Your Bitch Chose Me)” goes into more soulful territory saying they know the game just before “Why You Ain’t Move on Me?” eerily gets on his murder shit.

Meanwhile on “Sunday Sermon”, we have Conway reuniting with Jae Skeese to go back & forth with each other over yet another soul sample bragging about their legendary status while the song “Scared II Death” with Method Man is a ghoulish boom bap banger taking a shot at those who be afraid of them. The final song “Big Drum” comes through with yet another Drumwork posse cut except he’s showcasing damn new the full roster at this point & “Dog Food” ends the EP with an outro from the skit gawd himself Lukey Cage.

No One Mourns the Wicked & If It Bleeds It Can Be Killed have quickly become some of the best EPs that Con have put out yet, so I had very high hopes going into into What Has Been Blessed Cannot Be Cursed & I’m very satisfied with it. As raw as Organized Grime 2 was, the production from Big Ghost Ltd. is much spookier & Con’s lyricism remains unmatched in today’s hip hop climate.

Score: 4.5/5

Drake – “Honestly, Nevermind” review

Drake is a 35 year old rapper, singer/songwriter, actor, producer & entrepreneur from Toronto, Ontario, Canada who skyrocketed to fame in 2009 off his 3rd mixtape So Far Gone. The success of this groundbreaking project resulted in a contract with both Young Money Entertainment/Cash Money Records & they helped put out the man’s full-length debut Thank Me Later the next summer. His sophomore effort Take Care the year after would be even better & I enjoyed Nothing Was the Same too but after If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late & then What a Time to Be Alive with Future (both of which came out in 2015), that’s when the quality in Drake’s music really began to take a nosedive. VIEWS was a terrible foray into dancehall, More Life was mediocre despite being stylistically eclectic, his YM/CM swan song Scorpion was a disappointingly failed attempt at making a double disc album showcasing his hip hop/R&B sides of his music respectively, Care Package is decent collection of 17 loosies from 2010-2016 that we’ve all heard before, Dark Lane Demo Tapes tried to experiment with new sounds only to miss the landing & Certified Lover Boy just felt like the same old shit we’ve heard from him before. However to celebrate his new SiriusXM radio show, Drizzy is surprise-dropping his 7th album.

After the intro, “Falling Back” opens up the album by going full-blown afrobeats with Drake singing about giving his all into a relationship whereas “Texts Go Green” is a more mellower cut produced by the album’s executive producer Black Coffee as he details him moving on from an ex. “Currents” pulls from Jersey club music with a distracting squeaking sound throughout talking about how he feels like he’s tumbling & doing a shitty Abel impression on the hook, but then “A Keeper” asks his old muse why he’d have her stick around over an airy instrumental.

Meanwhile on “Calling My Name”, we have Drizzy returning to dance-pop turf thanks to Gordo asking why it’s hard for him to give this bitch up just before “Sticky” comes through as the best track off the album with the lyrics about knowing tough situations can be & how the drums just hit you in the chest. “Massive” embraces a housier sound singing to his lover about finding them again, but then “Flight’s Booked” incorporates some synths to singing for his chick not to make him wait.

“Overdrive” has a funky ass groove to it with a fresh guitar solo at the end that I both really like admitting that his heart’s racing while “Down Hill” tells his bitch that they’re done & the 40 instrumental has an intriguingly wavy flare of the beat as well as the finger-snaps. The song “Tie That Blinds” throws a nylon guitar in with some prominent drums confessing that he never wants to see his lover leave while the penultimate track “Liability” slathers his vocals in chopped & screwed effects singing about changing for this woman with the hi-hats being mixed louder than the synths. “Jimmy Cooks” with 21 Savage ends the album with a fun 2-parter produced by Vinylz, Tay Keith & Cubeatz describing them throwing a party for their Day 1s remembering Lil Keed & warning this ain’t the WME Group-owned UFC.

I’ve noticed the reception for this has been very polarizing but for it to be a homage to the late Off-White founder Virgil Abloh, I’m honestly on the fence with it. I respect that Drake put his signature pop rap sound in the back-burner in comparison to Certified Lover Boy not elevating it any further so he can mix house & alternative R&B with afrobeats, but the results are extremely hit or miss.

Score: 2.5/5

XP the Marxman – “Pacific Standard Time” review

This is the 5th full-length album from XP the Marxman. Coming up as 1/3 of the trio Rhyme Addicts. As far as his solo career goes, the dude has a handful of projects under his belt already, with my personal favorite being the Roc Marciano-produced Keep Firing. He just dropped The Marxman at the very beginning of the year & as we finally enter summer, D-Styles & DJ Rhettmatic are being brought in to fully produced Pacific Standard Time

After the “Pst #1” intro, “Get At a God” kicks off the album on a dreary note thanks to D-Styles with XP comparing himself to that of a God whereas “Lil Mijos” takes a jazzy boom bap route talking about growing up in the streets. RhymeStyleTroop tags along for the guitar-driven “Ms. America” embracing their Mexican heritages leading into the spine-tingling “Trunk” getting in his hustler bag.

After the “Pst #2” skit, Sick Jacken comes into the picture for the dusty “Tom Fears” produced by Rhettmatic reminding everyone how they play just before the eerie “Paint Pictures” quenching for blood. “The Kuyas” with Big Twins finds the 2 over a piano-laced boom bap instrumental talking about keeping them open, but then “Ski Mask to Jet Skis” lavishly reflects on his life then & now.

The song “Turn Up the Volume” incorporates some colorless piano melodies so XP can get on his thug shit while the penultimate track “Old to New” talks about being a king & the beat on here is just petrifying to the core. However, “Frost Bitten” is a gully ass way to end the album from the horn-laced production to XP’s malicious lyricism.

I was very excited going into this given that I’ve been a fan of The Beat Junkies for a minute & how much I’ve enjoyed some of XP’s most recent projects. Needless to say: It’s some of the best shit he’s ever done considering how great the chemistry between him, D-Styles & Rhettmatic is. Purely raw penmanship & production from start to finish.

Score: 4/5

Leedz Edutainment – “A Worker Among Workers” review

Leedz Edutainment is an underground record label based in Boston, Massachusetts that has been around for a little over decade now. They already have a quite a few showcase compilations under their belt already with the Mass Movementz duology as well as the Write Off tetralogy & Eastern Standard, but are kicking off the summer by returning in the form of A Worker Among Workers.

After the “Introview”, the first song “Edutainment” by S.T.R.E.E.T. is a triumphant boom bap opener asking if y’all are entertained or not whereas “Hustlenomics” by XL the Beast works in some pianos to declare that you’re in the presence of a monolith. “Massive” by REKS, Slaine & STL GLD has a more rowdier tone to it with the trio talking about doing that shit & after the “Threat” skit, “Demons At Your Door” by Reef the Lost Cauze & Wildcard takes a turn into trap territory asking what you gonna do when your demons want war.

“Hands of Time” by Blak Madeen & Smif-n-Wessun finds the trio coming together over bass-guitar laced instrumental to discuss the concept of time & after the “It’s All Hip Hop” interlude, “Heavy Decorated” by Ace & Edo, Akrobatik, Bugout & El Da Sensei sees the 5 asking what your life like over a soulful boom bap beat. “The Rent’s Due” by A-F-R-O, Jarv & Spose references WWE Hall of Famer, former 6-time WWE Champion, 2-time WWE Intercontinental Champion, 2-time WWE United States Champion, 5-time WWE Tag Team Champion & NWA World Tag Team Champion Stone Cold Steve Austin just before “Lyrical Plunger” digs up an old freestyle from 1999 that still sounds fresh today.

Meanwhile on “You Still Gotta Rap”, we have Checkmark & The Dunnas delivering some battle bars accompanied by a quasi-funky groove to the instrumental leading into the Parker & Leedz interlude. “Once Upon a Time” by Jon Hope & Skyzoo is a fresh piano ballad discussing what hip hop is to them, but then Blak Madeen recruits the late Baba Zumbi & Locksmith for the socially conscious “Rise Up” remix that I like better than the original.

“Stuck in My Way” by Peter Manns embraces a more deadpan tone confessing he hasn’t been himself in days while “Spiritual Awakening” by Pvth, Ren Thomas & Vincent Tesoro marks the return of the boom bap to represent God. After the “Hustling in the Wrong Direction” interlude, “Tools of the Trade” by Lateb is a guitar/boom bap fusion talking about finding their way while “Dark Magic” goes full rap rock so Jazzmyn Red can address ego someone’s ego not allowing one to be set free. After the “Results Business” interlude, the final song “Feed the Fire” by XL the Beast ends the album with a more atmospheric ballad pouring his heart about how it’ll all pay off & “Thanks For Coming In” is just a spoken word outro.

I’ve enjoyed every single compilation that Leedz has put out in the last 15 years or so, but A Worker Among Workers honestly has to be my favorite one of the bunch thus far & it continues to cement their longevity celebrating their impact within the underground for over a decade. The Arcitype did a fine job at producing a vast majority of it & the list of guest MCs that the label brings together to do their thing on the mic is pretty consistent.

Score: 3.5/5

SoFaygo – “B4PINK” review

SoFaygo is a 20 year old rapper from Cobb County, Georgia who has cemented himself as one of the biggest faces in the plugg/pluggnB & rage scenes. He’s gone on to drop a total of 10 EPs since 2015 & now in light of Travis Scott signing him to Cactus Jack Records early last year, SoFaygo is preluding his upcoming full-length debut Pink Heartz by dropping an 11th EP & to celebrate him earning a spot on the new XXL Freshman Class list that also came out today.

“Long Way” is an amazingly energetic opener produced by Nick Mira of Internet Money Records & BryceUnknwn talking about how far he’s come whereas “Count Me Out” takes a airier, trap route instrumental wise dismissing those who be doubting him. The song “Good Day” returns to a more cloudier approach confessing that he can’t stay in Atlanta anymore while the penultimate track “Fall” is him bragging about him being the shit over a hazy beat. “Got Damn!” ends the EP by venting out what’s been on his mind & the Bakkwoods/Rafmade instrumental on here has a futuristic flare to it that I really like.

My lil bro J$zpiech actually put me onto SoFaygo months before he signed to Cactus Jack & I really think he gave everyone a fun little prelude ahead of Pink Heartz. The production is alright, but I can’t deny that he has a knack for catchy songwriting & melodic performances. All that being said: I’ll be going into his upcoming full-length debut expecting it to be a pivotal moment in his career.

Score: 3.5/5

Rome Streetz – “Pyrex Pot Poetry” review

Rome Streetz is a 35 year old MC from New York who broke out in 2016 off his debut mixtape I Been Thru Mad Shit. This was followed up by a plethora of projects, most notably the Noise Kandy tetralogy & Headcrack. Last year however was probably his biggest one yet, as he dropped some of the best work of his career from the DJ Muggs-produced Death & the Magician or the Futurewave-produced Razor’s Edge to the Ransom-assisted collab effort Coup de Grâce & the Griselda Records deal that followed. Fast forward a little over 7 months later, Royalz is being brought into the picture to produce Rome’s 6th mixtape from front to back.

After the “Pure Crystal” intro, the first song “Peep the Status” truly kicks the album off on a bluesy note with Rome talking about being cut from a different cloth whereas the Eto-assisted “Wise Guys” mixes some dusty drums & a guitar with both MCs getting in their mafioso bag. The title track with al.divino works in these creepy piano melodies describing the hustler life just before “Versace Drip” laces some horns saying he’s all about the checks.

Meanwhile on “High Noon”, we have Rim accompanying Rome on top of an orchestral beat asking what the move is leading into “Lexus Coupe” fusing pianos & a guitar together talking about forever being on a mission for the loot. “Xo” then incorporates a vocal sample expressing his eternal love for the paper, but then Ty Farris comes into the picture for the rock-tinged “Rebel Forces” talking about how losing ain’t an option for them.

The song “Empire State Haze” returns to a more symphonic sound saying he’s trying to touch $1M while the penultimate track “Walter White” eerily proclaims that everything he spits is biohazardous whilst paying homage to the main character of one of the greatest TV shows ever made. “Unfamiliar Projects” closes out the album with a crooning loop & Rome telling the story of a man who later shoots someone in the elevator after fucking a bitch the night prior.

Given that he’s got another album with Muggs on the way along with his Griselda debut & one fully produced by Big Ghost Ltd. on the way, Pyrex Pot Poetry is a great effort to hold us over until then. Royalz continues to reveal himself as one of the best producers out of Australia currently & Rome’s intricate lyricism never fails to amuse me.

Score: 4/5

Post Malone – “12kt Toothache” review

Post Malone is a 26 year old rapper, singer/songwriter & producer from Grapevine, Texas who rose to stardom in 2015 with the single “White Iverson”. This resulted in him signing to Republic Records, where’s made himself home ever since by dropping a total 3 full-lengths & a mixtape in that span of time. Now even though I’ve never really been the biggest fan of Posty’s work, there’s no denying that he has a decent amount of tracks that I genuinely enjoy like “Congratulations” as well as “rockstar” & who could forget “Sunflower”? Hell I even liked his sophomore effort beerbongs & bentleys, which I maintain is the crown jewel of his discography. It’s been almost 3 years since we last heard from him in the form of Hollywood’s Bleeding, which didn’t resonate to me because I felt like he was just riding the emo rap coattails. That being said, I didn’t know what to expect from this 4th album of his given how long it’s been since he’s put out music.

“Reputation” is a passionate piano ballad produced by longtime collaborator Louis Bell to open up the album with Posty advising the world to save themselves whereas “Cooped Up” with Roddy Ricch has somewhat of a hyphy flare to it & the way they both go on about pullin’ up to a party is just so boring. “Lemon Tree” takes a more acoustic route singing that he’s shit out of luck, but then “Wrapped Around Your Finger” goes full blown dance-pop to whine & cry about missing his ex.

Meanwhile on “I Like You (A Happier Song)”, we have Doja Cat accompanying Post for a moody trap banger with a playful attitude to it leading into the Gunna-assisted counterpart “I Cannot Be (A Sadder Song)” asking what they want them to be over a cloudy instrumental from Taurus. “Insane” obnoxiously describes a bitch that went from classy to nasty over a cavernous beat just before “Love/Hate Letter to Alcohol” comes through as my favorite off the album, as Posty wears his heart on his sleeve about alcoholism & the production is intense.

The Kid Laroi comes into the picture for “Wasting Angels”, which unfortunately wastes a synth-heavy beat for them to spit some unlikeable bars about how crazy their lives are while “Euthanasia” has a more skeletal approach in terms of sound singing that it’s not gonna hurt when he passes. “When I’m Alone” fuses these synths & punky drums only to spill more breakup melodrama while the song “Waiting For a Miracle” is yet another piano ballad about how he stays fucked up. The penultimate track “1 Right Now” is a laughable “Blinding Lights” ripoff which is a shame since The Weeknd carries it & the closer “New Recording 12, Jan 3, 2020” ends the album with an unfinished acoustic demo.

For this to be Posty’s comeback after 3 long years, I can say that I walked away from 12kt Toothache enjoying it even less than Hollywood’s Bleeding. Primarily because it seems like there’s little to no risks being taken as far as the overall sound goes & he sounds mostly uninspired throughout a good portion of the 43 minute run.

Score: 1.5/5

Young Z – “Scumbag” review

Young Z is a 51 year old MC from Newark, New Jersey who came up in the early 90s as a founding member of the Outsidaz. He then branched out solo in ‘96 with the full-length debut Musical Meltdown, which was followed up 16 years later with the Mr. Green-produced 1 Crazy Weekend. Fast forward a decade later, Z’s returning once more by dropping a debut EP under the newly formed Hand to Hand Records based out in Australia.

“D.N.A. (Dat N***a Ass)” is an unsettling boom bap opener where Z’s just ripping on everyone’s favorite rapper whereas “Monkey Bars” with Vinnie Paz almost has a bit of a Middle Eastern flare to the instrumental bragging about how sick their rhymes are. The title track responds to those asking why he doesn’t speak on himself or his relationships over a mystic beat just before “Slave Son” is a deranged piano ballad talking about his grandpa.

The song “S.T.F.U. (Shut the Fuck Up)” with Pacewon finds the 2 heinously reminding everyone to keep their mouths shut when they’re talking, but then the penultimate track “Go Fund Me” works in an alluring vocal sample to get back in his battle rap bag even though R’s verse is pretty weak. “Tonight” with Rah Digga however ends the EP on a cinematic note saying they don’t wanna shoot no one.

For anyone who missed the Outsidaz de factoleader as much as I did, then do yourself a favor & PLEASE give Scumbag a listen because I think it’s a great comeback effort. Flu’s production from front to back is incredibly dark & Z’s casually destroying mics like he never went away for a decade.

Score: 4/5

CyHi the Prynce – “EGOT” review

CyHi the Prynce is a 37 year old MC & singer/songwriter from Stone Mountain, Georgia who originally came up in ‘09 when Akon signed him to Konvict Muzik for a short period of time. He then jumped ship to Kanye West’s very own Def Jam Recordings imprint G.O.O.D. Music, dropping a total of 7 mixtapes & a full-length debut under the Chicago, Illinois icon’s wing. We haven’t heard much from him since then but in preparation for his sophomore album The Story of EGOT coming this summer & founding his very own label EGOT Records backed by EMPIRE Distribution, CyHi is returning with his debut EP.

“Extra” opens up the EP with a horn-laced trap banger talking about feeling a little too cocky while the song “Help Me God” goes into chipmunk soul territory with CyHi delivering a message to the higher power. The penultimate track “Slide” returns to a trappier vibe with some jazzy undertones to it talking about sliding forever, but then “Tears” closes out the EP with a emotional ballad encouraging listeners that it’s alright to cry accompanied by a cavernous instrumental.

Now I’m not sure if any of these cuts are gonna make their way onto The Story of EGOT but nonetheless, I think CyHi gave us an enjoyable appetizer to warm us up for the main course. He sounds rejuvenated on the mic & I really like the amalgamation of sounds that the producers bring to the table ranging from trap to jazz rap & chipmunk soul. Definitely excited for the album later this summer.

Score: 3.5/5

MC Ren – “Osiris” review

MC Ren is a 52 year old MC, songwriter & producer from Compton, California who got his start when Eazy-E signed him to Ruthless Records as a solo act in 1987 & enlisted him to write half of his full-length debut Eazy-Duz-It. This resulted in him joining N.W.A & they went on to become one of the most impactful groups in hip hop history even to this day. But it wouldn’t be until the summer of ‘92 where he started building a solo career for himself with the debut EP Kizz My Black Azz & has since dropped 4 albums of his own, with the last being Renicarnated a little over a decade ago at this point. However, Ren is returning after 13 years & has enlisted Tha Chill of Compton’s Most Wanted to fully produce his 2nd EP.

After the intro, “Keep It Gangsta” sets it off with Ren admitting he’s feeling like Roy Jones Jr. on top of an instrumental giving off a vintage west coast flare to it whereas the title track goes into more trap territory sampling the classic Raekwon joint “Ice Cream talking about him just chilling. Kurupt tags along for the minimally produced “Fire” getting in their battle rap bag just before “The News” takes a soulful route with socially conscious lyricism. The song song “Time” is a cool reflection on the old days over a slick instrumental while the penultimate “Hub City Love” with Tha Chill finds the pair over some pianos paying tribute to their old stomping grounds. “The Anthem” ends the EP with a gritty ass posse cut accompanied by the likes of Cold 187um, J-D, Jayo Felony, Ras Kass & of course Tha Chill.

Ren has always been one of the most underappreciated forces behind N.W.A in my opinion & Osiris continues to show that because I think this is not only a great comeback from the Villain himself, but it’s also the best solo effort he’s made since Ruthless for Life. It makes me really happy to hear that him passionate on the mic again & Tha Chill’s production is incredibly consistent as well.

Score: 4/5