Krizz Kaliko – “Wrapped Up” review

This is the 3rd EP from Kansas City recording artist Krizz Kaliko. Coming up as one of the first acts to sign to Strange Music alongside Kutt Calhoun, he would go on to work very closely with the local independent powerhouse’s founder Tech N9ne for nearly 2 decades whether it be providing featured rap verses or simply providing background vocals for a number of albums & EPs that Tech has put out. As far as his own output goes, Krizz dropped a total 7 full-length albums & 2 EPs through the Snake & Bat before amicably departing over the spring to form his very own label Ear House Inc. alongside his wife Shoo Shoo. They’ve dropped a handful of singles throughout the year since & are now combining them into Wrapped Up.

“Gifted” is an energizing opener to the EP with Krizz & Shoo Shoo hopping on an aggressive trap beat from MIKE SUMMERS a.k.a. 7 to spit some hardcore braggadocio raps whereas “Snowfall” switches it up into a lighthearted Christmas ballad with some warm piano melodies throughout. “Somewhere” takes things into a more glossier route singing his ass off providing motivation for those who’re in a dark place this holiday season just before “Weight” comes through with an ode to body positivity fusing elements of gospel & trap pretty well.

The song “Feelin’ Good” is a decent summertime bop with an “All Night”-esque instrumental from Wyshmaster that’s all fine & dandy until Futuristic comes in sounding like a blatant Chance the Rapper clone while the penultimate track ”Pressure” goes into a darker direction talking about moving forward despite the struggles of everyday life. Then there’s “B.B. (Birthday Bitch)”, where Krizz & T-Pain deliver a hyphy-tinged banger for all the ladies out there that want to celebrate their special day.

Krizz has always been a man of many talents with Wrapped Up, we got a respectable kickoff to this new chapter of his career. Much like his Strange swan song L.I.F.E. (Legend Immortal Forever Eternal), the EP is a healthy mix of his lethal MCing skills & powerful singing voice except he’s proving that he can hold it all down without Tech N9ne.

Score: 3.5/5

Esham – “Psyops” review

Esham is a 48 year old MC/producer from Detroit, Michigan who is widely recognized as the godfather of horrorcore alongside his former Natas cohorts Mastamind & the late TNT. His run from 1989-2005 (particularly the albums KKKill the Fetus, Closed Casket & Doubelievengod?) would go on to lay out the groundwork for subsequent horrorcore acts such as the Insane Clown Posse & even Eminem. His output since then has incredibly inconsistent but after dropping an unbearable cover of “Rock ‘n’ Roll N****r” by the punk poet laureate Patti Smith herself over the spring, I was still morbidly curious going into The Unholy’s 22nd full-length offering given his impact on this reviewer’s hometown as well as the most underappreciated subgenre of hip hop culture.

“Off Duty” opens the album with some funky bass licks & a heavy guitar calling out the guy who filmed George Floyd’s murder rather than doing something whereas “Wildlife” keeps the rap rock vibes going detailing how it is in the jungles even though I don’t really like how muffled Esham’s voice is. “B.L.M. (Burn, Loot, Murder)” has a riff buried in the drums that sounds like it was taken from the 60’s calling to retaliate against Big Brother, but then “Ms. Information” weaves in a bare guitar riff to call out the uneducated with a garish hook.

Meanwhile on “Lone Wolf”, we have Esham on top of some punky drums advising to stay away from criminals just before “#NoGoZone” has a much more rawer aesthetic to it sonically talking about the hard times we’re in. “Scam Likely” weaves in a buzzing guitar lead tackling identity thief leading into “Silver Bullet”, which is an 83 second riot starter Down the heavier riff.

“Selling Dope” literally has nothing to do with such rather it’s yet another addition to the evergrowing list of boring Esham love songs whereas “SNAFU” gets back on the punk tip talking about partying 24/7 with some catchy whistling throughout. The distorted guitar on “A Love Song” is pretty badass even though the vocals & lyrics are just awful while the track “Unholies” has a more bluesy tone to it getting in hustler bag. The penultimate song “Reel Spill” seems like an off-the-cuff freestyle even though I do like the a bare guitar instrumental & the title track rounds it off with a badass revolutionary ballad.

I genuinely had no what idea to expect from Psyops, but it just so happens to be Esham’s best album since Dichotomy. Dude’s always been notorious for sampling rock music throughout his career, so it’s nice to hear him stick to that sound for the course of an entire project. Plus given that Reel Life Productions has been based in Minneapolis for quite some time now & the protests that took place over there a year & a half ago as a result of George Floyd’s murder, I like how he sticks to this political/conscious concept revolving around it. However, my only real complaint is that some of these songs could’ve been mixed better.

Score: 4/5

Roddy Ricch – “Live Life Fast” review

This is the highly anticipated sophomore album from Compton, California rapper Roddy Ricch. Coming up in the fall of 2017 off his debut mixtape Feed tha Streets, he would follow it up with a sequel almost a year later & signed to Atlantic Records shortly after. His full-length debut Please Excuse Me for Being Antisocial was a significant improvement over this early tapes & with the 2-year anniversary of that album passing by a couple weeks ago, Roddy is finally following it up with Live Life Fast.

After the titular intro, the first song “thailand” starts off the album excellently with a bassy instrumental from Southside & some catchy braggadocio whereas “all good” follows it up with a zestful Ronny J beat as well as Future tagging along to talk about everything being straight. “rollercoastin’” to me seems like a blatant Young Thug ripoff that goes over horribly, but then “hibachi” seems out of place since Roddy barely has any presence on it only handling the hook. Even though Kodak Black’s verse at the start is just vapid, 21 Savage manages to go off at the backend of it & I also like Wheezy’s twangy production.

Meanwhile on “paid my dues”, we have Roddy & Takeoff impressively going back & forth with each other on top of a spacious Boi-1da instrumental about earning everything they got just before “crash the party” follows it up with some keyboards & hi-hats pondering if this woman really loves him. “no way” follows it up by talking about how he can’t trust an ungrateful bitch on top of a tranquil Cardo beat & after the “slow it down” interlude, “man made” is a fantastic piano ballad about being proud of himself.

“murda 1” with Fivio Foreign has a more cloudier approach to it with the help of Kenny Beats as the 2 compliment each other well spitting that gangsta shit while “everything you need” comes off as a boring attempt at a moody, lovey dovey ballad. Lil Baby comes into the picture for “moved to miami” proclaiming themselves as champs with TM88 having the best instrumental on the album without question, but I can’t say the same for “don’t i” even though Roddy & Gunna both kill their verses.

After the “bibi’s interlude”, the song “more than a trend” reveals itself as a half baked attempt at being flirtatious down to the skeletal beat while the penultimate track “late at night” takes another jab at it except it’s MUCH much better from the DJ Mustard beat to the songwriting. “$25M” finishes it all off with a cavernous banger produced by Tarentino reflecting on a vow he made when he was younger to make more bread.

For the 2 year wait, I’d say Live Life Fast very much lived up to the hype & I’ll even go as far to say that it’s Roddy’s most impressive body of work yet. It’s more well-produced compared to his previous material & I appreciate that he’s showing a more vulnerable side to him lyrically

Score: 3.5/5

Jay Jules – “U.N.I.T.E.D. (U Neglected Intentions Together Enemies Different)” review

This is the 2nd EP from emcee Jay Jules. Coming up at the very beginning of 2019 off his debut EP 1 Shot, the man has continued to stay busy since then by dropping a handful of singles including “Bills Payed” & “3/4 Choppin’”. However for U.N.I.T.E.D., he’s enlisted Gabiga to produce the whole thing & has brought a wide range of MCs on board.

“U” kicks off the whole EP on some dusty boom bap shit talking about how the way we get it matters whereas the Ned-E assisted “Neglected” takes a mellower turn saying life can’t be easy. Possibility tags along for the summery “Intentions” clarifying that they’re both far from malicious, but then Rapture Boy hops on the piano-laced “Together” talking about love being supreme.

The song “Enemies” with Ms. C-Line somberly finds the 2 saying they have love for those who don’t feel the same towards them while the penultimate track “Different” enlists Mabreeze on top of some synthesizers encouraging listeners to not let people tell them they can’t do shit. “Unity” then ends the EP with a fresh 11-minute cypher showcasing talents from all over the world.

Compared to 1 Shot, I really dig how Jay went in a completely different direction. Gabiga hones it in with the lo-fi production, every MC involved has a style of their own & provide some unique perspectives to the range of themes presented throughout the half hour.

Score: 3.5/5

Pi’erre Bourne – “Yo88!” review

Pi’erre Bourne is a 28 year old producer, rapper, songwriter & engineer from South Carolina who became one of the most in demand beatsmiths in hip hop today off Playboi Carti’s “Magnolia”. He’s also made a name for himself on the mic by dropping 8 mixtapes as well as 2 EPs & 2 full-lengths albums, with the latest being The Life of Pi’erre 5 over the summer finishing the series. But to move on from it, Pi’erre’s enlisting TM88 to fully produce his 10th mixtape.

“O.M.S. (On My Shit)” is a futuristic opener talking about being in his bag whereas “Pop Out” takes the cloudier route paying homage to his bitch. “Homecoming” co-produced by Outtatown has a more uptempo sound talking about the hood showing love whenever he comes back around which gets me in a good mood when it comes on, but then “Stunt 102” almost has that Whole Lotta Red sound to it flexing his lavish lifestyle.

Meanwhile on “Chit Chat”, we have Wiz Khalifa joining Pi’erre on top of an atmospheric instrumental calling out those who be running their mouths for those who love moshpit starters leading into the synth-laced “Block Boy” talking about carrying his block with him wherever he goes which is admirable. “Yo!gurt” is basically a BJ anthem going into a more ethereal direction just before Young Nudy tags along for the spacious “Richer Dreams” talking about their wealth.

The song “Love Scam” is essentially him saying there ain’t no price on his girl’s love at all over an intoxicating beat while the penultimate track “Cullinan” explains that he gets better with time & the guitar licks on here are just stellar. “Run It” then ends the tape with some suspenseful synth melodies that really draw you in celebrating his success.

The Life of Pi’erre 5 showed many improvements in Pi’erre, so I was absolutely excited going into this tape. Lo & behold: I like it just as much if not more than his last album. Dude’s getting progressively better as a performer & I think it really goes to show that people need to give TM88 his flowers for helping lay the groundwork for modern trap production.

Score: 4/5

O.T. the Real – “Broken Glass” review

This is the 3rd album from Philadelphia emcee O.T. the Real. Coming up in 2016 after coming home from prison & dropping his debut single “Papercuts”., his profile began to grow from there after showcasing his skills on radio stations as well as dropping an eponymous full-length debut & 2 EPs. His sophomore album Evil Empire just came out at the beginning of the year & celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with the Heatmakerz-produced The Irishman, but is now finishing 2021 by enlisting DJ Green Lantern to produce Broken Glass from start to finish

The title track is a cold blooded opener talking about coming up from the mud whereas the piano laced “Coke & Guns” with Benny the Butcher perfectly gets in their mafioso bags. “4 Wheeler” has a more drearier sound talking about being remembered when he’s gone leading into Millyz tagging along for the combative “Go to War”.

Meanwhile on “The Wheels Fall Off”, we have O.T. delivering a powerful piano ballad about riding until the end just before “The Details” has a more chipmunk soul vibe spilling his come-up on wax. Eto & Uncle Murda come into the fold for the downhearted “So Foul” calling out the industry, but then “You Do It” goes into a more bluesy direction talking about how there’s rules to life even though it ain’t no game.

“Serious Shit” hauntingly advises listeners that this is as real as it gets even though SKNJ’s verse is a bit underwhelming & the “You Are Who You Eat With” sequel is arguably better than the predecessor down to the organ-laced beat. The song “Philly Streets” basically tells you how it is in O.T.’s hometown over a groovy instrumental while the penultimate track is a wig-flipping freestyle lasting 3 minutes. The album ends with the guitar-driven “I Got You”, where O.T. pretty much looks back on his life up to this point.

I know I said that The Irishman was O.T.’s best work thus far, but he really might outdone himself on this one. The lyricism is continuing to level up at mindblowing rate & DJ Green Lantern’s production on here is much more darker than The Heatmakerz’ even though I love their signature sound.

Score: 4/5

Juice WRLD – “Fighting Demons” review

Juice WRLD was a 21 year old rapper from Chicago, Illinois who quickly becoming a prominent face in the emo rap trend in the spring of 2018 off the strength of his commercial debut Goodbye & Good Riddance. This was followed up the next year with the sophomore album Death Race for Love but unfortunately, Juice passed away later that same year from a drug overdose. Now even though I personally found both of those albums to be average at best before his untimely death, they eventually grew on me & the kid was undeniably talented. Case in point: “Lucid Dreams” & his astonishing 1-hour Tim Westwood freestyle. Legends Never Die from last summer was a cool little tribute to Juice also but with the 2 year anniversary of his death passing by earlier this week, his estate is dropping his 2nd posthumous album albeit 4th overall.

“Burn” is an bittersweet opener produced by Metro Boomin’ opening up about Juice’s drug addiction whereas “Already Dead” finds Nick Mira of Internet Money Records working in some pianos & the dude is essentially foreshadowing his own death through the lyrics. Gezin keeps the heat going with “You Don’t Understand” talking about never giving a fuck about anything, but then the Justin Bieber-duet “Wandered to LA” just seems like a forced attempt at a radio hit & that’s not Juice’s fault at all.

After the “Eminem Speaks” interlude, we have T-Minus taking the album in a more cavernous direction on “Rockstar in His Prime” with Juice rightfully comparing himself as such leading into Take a Daytrip sampling “High School” by iON LIL GUT for “Doom” which speaks on looking for self destruction. “Go Hard” has one of the weaker instrumentals on the album even though I like that Juice’s basically paying tribute to Ally Lotti & after the “Juice Speaks” interlude, “Not Enough” is a badass rap rock tune about failed relationships.

Polo G & Trippie Redd tag along for “Feline” referencing the WWE’s 2nd flagship program Friday Night SmackDown on the Fox Corporation’s flagship property while “Relocate” almost has a country trap vibe to it talking about his success. After the “Juice Speaks 2” interlude, “From My Window” continues to fuse guitars with snares talking about living like Rambo whereas “Until the Plug Comes Back Around” has a more trippier sound once more detailing drug addiction.

The song “Girl of My Dreams” with SUGA is a pretty awkward romance ballad while the penultimate track “Feel Alone” sees Danny Wolf bringing in some somber guitar chords with Juice talking about depression. And to finish off the album, “My Life in a Nutshell” goes into a more cloudier route noting the fact that people knew him for his music & not his struggles before he passed.

I was honestly a bit worried about how this album was gonna turn out, but I ended up enjoying it quite a bit & it’s definitely one of the better posthumous outings I’ve heard all year. Only a couple of the joints on here seem cobbled together, but the rest is just fully fleshed out AND they’re actually enjoyable for the most part.

Score: 3.5/5

Endemic Emerald – “The Virux” review

Endemic Emerald is a 42 year old producer from New York City who started putting out projects of his own in 2009 with the full-length debut Terminal Illness. This was followed up with a sequel record nearly half a decade later & now coming fresh off fully producing Darkim Be Allah’s sophomore effort Antediluvian King last fall, Endemic is enlisting a lengthy list of underground MCs for his 3rd album.

After the titular intro, the first song “Militant Ethos” by Royal Flush, Ruste Juxx, Steele, Tragedy Khadafi sets the album off fantastically with a glistening boom bap instrumental comparing themselves to that of a militia whereas “Champion Sound” by Darkim Be Allah & Kasim Allah weaves in some organ melodies talking about being victorious. “The Awakening” by FRD FRLN, Lucky Tatt & Planet Asia sonically picks up where previous cut left off getting spiritual leading into the symphonic “Across 110th Street” by Revenge of the Truence flexing their lyrical abilities.

Meanwhile on “Critical Mae”, we have Rim alongside Innocent & Foul Monday over some more organ loops declaring themselves as that real hardcore just before “Actual Science” by Planet Asia, Sadat X & Darkim Be Allah is chockfull of insightful lyricism on top of some classy production. “They Live” by Chris Rivers & Revenge of the Truence goes into a more eerier direction paying homage to the WWE Hall of Famer Roddy Piper film of the same name.

The song “Battle Zone” by Ruste Juxx, Skanks & Supreme goes back into boom bap turf with some keyboards causing ruckus lyrically while the penultimate track “Yesterday’s Tomorrow by Innocent, Mic Handz & Dready Kruger weaves in a chipmunk soul sample paying homage to the fallen icons of our culture. “The Struggle” by Neek the Exotic & Darkim Be Allah is then a touching closer talking about making a respective hustle.

Coming away from this, I think it could very well be Endemic Emerald’s best solo outing thus far. I think the whole bioweapon concept is very well thought out & despite a few lackluster performances, the MCs manage to do their thing on the mic.

Score: 3.5/5

Rick Ross – “Richer Than I Ever Been” review

This is the 11th full-length album from Miami, Florida rapper, entrepreneur, record executive & Maybach Music Group Rick Ross. Making his debut on wax in 2000 on Erick Sermon’s 3rd album Erick Onasis he would eventually make his full-length debut 6 years later with Port of Miami & was followed up by Trilla. Both of which were just ok, but it wouldn’t be until 2009 that Rozay would really solidify himself as a legend in the game as Deeper Than Rap, Teflon Don, God Forgives, I Don’t & Mastermind are all rightfully regarded as his best bodies of work. Rather You Than Me & Port of Miami 2 were both impressive as well, so to see him come back in the form of Richer Than I Ever Been had me excited given the mediocrity of both Expensive Pain & Folarin II earlier this fall.

The-Dream tags along for the opener “Little Havana” advising listeners that you gotta learn to use your mind to help keep you out of certain situations on top of a Boi-1da instrumental whereas the Timbaland-produced “The Pulitzer”, which has a more ominous sound & boastful lyrics. Benny the Butcher comes into the fold for the lavish “Rapper Estates” talking about living big time, but then “Marathon” weaves in a glistening STREETRUNNER beat reminding that he’s more than rich.

Future accompanies Rozay on “Warm Words in a Cold World” alongside Wale coming fresh off performing during former WWE Champion, NXT Champion, 2-time WWE Intercontinental Champion & 8-time WWE tag team champion Big E’s entrance at WrestleMania XXXVII this past spring although his 2nd reign as WWE Intercontinental Champion came to an end by former WWE United States Champion Apollo Crews for an infectiously fun ballad about icing out their shawties leading into the DreamDoll-assisted “Wiggle” which is basically a failed attempt at strip club banger despite the Don Cannon instrumental.

“Can’t Be Broke” has an admirable concept on top of Johnny Shipes’ production being another notable factor, but Yungeen Ace & Major 9’s performances are both wack as fuck. “Made It Out Alive” has one of the weaker beats on the album even though Rozay kills it lyrically detailing him surviving the hood prior to Gordo, araabMUZIK & Infamous bringing in the horns for “Outlawz” with 21 Savage declaring themselves as such forever.

The song “Imperial High” has a grim DJ Toomp instrumental comparing himself to royalty while the Black Metaphor-produced title track has a more piano heavy sound talking about being at his wealthiest. To finish the album off, “Hella Smoke” with Wiz Khalifa for the glossy weed smoking theme.

Ross has always stayed consistent with his music, but I feel like Richer Than I Ever Been is one of his best albums thus far. The production is top notch as to be expected & lyrically, it’s nice to hear him take listeners through where he’s at currently.

Score: 3.5/5

Canibus – “Kaiju” review

Canibus is 47 year old MC from Kingston, Jamaica who came up as 1/2 of the duo T.H.E.M. alongside C.I. back in ‘92. They eventually split up a few years later & Bis would blow up in ‘97 after appearing on the LL Cool J song “4, 3, 2, 1” that later resulted in a beef between both parties. He would then go on to make a lengthy yet consistent discography with albums like Rip the Jacker being breathtaking at best & then Mind Control being unlistenable at worst. Last we heard from him was in 2015 with the incredible Time Flys, Life Dies…Phoenix Rise fully produced by Bronze Nazareth & is now enlisting Body Bag Ben for his 16th full-length outing.

“Curmudgeon” sets off the whole album with a symphonic boom bap instrumental killing it for 4-minute about how bad-tempered he is whereas the “Entameta” remix sounds better than the original although the DMX feature is pointless because he doesn’t have a verse at all. “Hydra” takes a more dustier route ripping his opposition to shreds just before the production on “Live Action Role Play” seems ripped out of a horror flick portraying a dystopian future.

I have no doubt in my mind that “Travis Scott Concert” with Body Bag Ben himself & Born Sun was recorded before the ASTROWORLD Fest crowd crush that took place last month, but for him to keep it on the album just seems a little too soon if that makes any sense. However, “Animal Husbandry” picks things back up by declaring not giving a duck about much other than well-prepared bars on top of a dire beat. “COVID Santa” paints some incredibly vivid imagery having a more occult sound to it just before the intimidating “Kaiju Karaoke” continuing to slit doubters’ throats.

Meanwhile on “The Long Road”, we have ‘Bis on top of some dusty drums & shrilling synth melodies to take a ride out to the country side while the song “Verzuz”. As for the last 2 tracks: They’re both unnecessary remixes of the MF DOOM/Kool Keith loosie “Notebook 04” & “Desperados”, which was one of my favorites off Hus Kingpin’s last album The Firm.

For the 6 year wait, this is a fantastic comeback for the rapping scientist & arguably one of the best albums of his career thus far. He sounds incredibly focused continuing to rap circles around cats like it’s nothing & Body Bag Ben knocks it out or the park behind the boards.

Score: 4/5