This is the 8th full-length album from Port Huron emcee/producer Substance810. Originally emerging in 2006 with his debut The Definition under his original moniker Tekneek, it wasn’t until last year when he dropped the fantastic sequel The Definition Of in the summer & then a debut EP Chess Pieces in the fall. But just 3 months after the release of his previous album Makin’ Waves, Substance810 is tapping in Hobgoblin for The Hanging Gardens.
“From a Seed” has some jazz undertones in the instrumental as the Michigander raps about growth before Josiah the Gift accompanies him to spit that pyrex shit on the gospel-sounding “Full Bloom”. The song “Marvel of Mankind” jumps on a flute to talk about being different from those around his way whereas “Pillars of Stone” goes into a more boom bap direction with lyrics about residing in the shadows of the underground.
Meanwhile, we have Jamil Honesty & Pure jumping on the horn-inflicted “Majestic” to come for their opposition’s throats before Substance810 brings in an orchestra for the Ma Dukes-tribute “Mother Earth”. Right after that, the minimal “From Darkness to Light” goes in about overcoming all obstacles & then E the Mad Assassin tags along to talk about wanting more on the grimy title track. “Harvest” is a victorious closer & the ambition in his lyrics is undeniable.
Substance810 is quickly becoming one of my favorite MCs that my home state has to offer & The Hanging Gardens is an absolute crown jewel in his discography. His lyricism is more introspective this time around & Hobgoblin brings in a wide range of sounds for him.
This is the 5th extended play from Nottingham, East Midlands, England, United Kingdom emcee Vandal Savage. A member of the trio VVV alongside Cappo & Juga-Naut, he would additionally drop a total of 4 EPs on his own throughout the 2010s from Savagery Over Everything to 1000th Prestige & the Bic Master duology. Stakes however were significantly raised upon learning Birmingham, West Midlands veteran Sonnyjim was gonna solely produce Sauvage being a fan of his for some time already.
After the “0.00” intro, “Prep the Shark” opens up with psychedelically funky vibes talking about fighting for peace & living rather gnarly than the average person whereas “From the Balcony” featuring Da Flyy Hooligan finds the pair over a vibraphone-driven instrumental reminding us of the golden rule: Sticking to the script. “Roll Safe” featuring Juga-Naut talks about coming a long way from their small towns while the funky “Pesci Poker” searches for peace in the midst of a piff cloud.
“Savvy” kicks off the 2nd half of Sauvage on some temporary orchestral vibes talking about his shrewdness just before “Holy Mackrel” featuring Sonnyjim himself teams up for a brief period of time to get boastful with each other. “The Dilly” has a funkier tone to it talking about these muhfuckas actin’ silly out here & l the “Run with It” remix preceding the “Unst” outro concludes the EP explaining all he’s done since he was a youngin’.
Out of everything Vandal Savage has done by himself between 2016 & Sauvage, the latter could most likely become my favorite EP of the 5 he’s dropped despite Cappo being the illest from VVV & putting Juga-Naut behind him. In no way am I trying to imply Vandal can’t spit because Sonnyjim’s production here is a vast improvement above Vandal’s previous output, the small handful of guest appearances including the producer himself all maintain his intensity regarding their performances.
ssgkobe is a 17 year old rapper from Louisiana emerging out of the SoundCloud scene just a few years back, but I was unfamiliar with him until earlier this month when he was featured on a bonus track off of BROCKHAMPTON’s new album ROADRUNNER: NEW LIGHT, NEW MACHINE. And with his profile continuously growing, of course he’s gonna ride the wave by dropping a 15 minute EP.
“listen before you indulge” is a bare acoustic opener with underwritten lyrics about being torn spiritually whereas the next “Capsules” sees right past the bluff on top of a plucky trap beat. “Condo” is an annoying cloud rap diatribe about how kobe & BoofPaxkMooky got money walking while the track “Angels” portrays his adventures in the sunshine state.
Then we have the rushjob of a breakup cut that is “why’re you scared?”, but then the WondaGurl-produced “Again” is basically the other side of the coin as he talks about moving on to a new chick. The song “Calabasas” featuring $not is a pretty drab way to end the EP, but I do enjoy the Crimson Chin reference in the hook quite a bit.
Yeah I ain’t got much else to say other that KO. is just another addition to the ever-growing pile of run of the mill trap projects. Despite being far from the worst thing I’ve listened to all year & maybe he’ll refine his style on the next project, it’s nothing that I haven’t heard already.
Jay-Ef is a 51 year old DJ from Tenafly, New Jersey notable for being a protege of DJ Rob Swift as well as the co-host of The Leschea Show. But after putting out a handful of stuff from different artists on his Mona Hip Hop record label, the east coast veteran is beginning to build a solo discography from himself by dropping a debut EP with J. Pedina on the boards from start to finish.
After the Rob Swift & DJ Total Eclipse-assisted turntablism intro “Back 2 the Basics”, the title track by Wordsworth encourages the listener to take a look around over a classy boom bap beat before going into jazz rap territory as Torae details what happens when the sun goes down on “Night Time”.
The song “Stages of Asia” by Planet Asia is a piano-tinged mafiosio ballad whereas the string-heavy “Still Friends” by Masta Ace details what friendship means to him. The closer “9 Lives” incorporates some saxophones as Pearl Gates spills out wisdom.
Now if Jay-Ef has plans to put out any more material like this down the road, then sign me up. The guests are well picked out with just about all of them giving fiery performances as J. Pedina’s production predominantly sticks to the traditional hip hop sound we’ve all come to love.
This is the latest EP from Bronx emcee Def Soulja. Emerging in 2015 off of the 3-pack Recognize a Soulja, the 37 year old wordsmith only continued to gain notoriety by dropping a handful of singles & small projects since then. But after finishing off the trilogy that got his name out there to begin with, Saint Michael is being brought in the picture for There’s a Soulja in Every Saint.
“Let Masses Begin” is a great opener as Def Soulja hops on a piano instrumental to describe everything he’s seen in the hood while things take a turn into the boom bap route so he can call out tough talkers on the short but deadly “Your Worth”. Jay Blue comes into the picture on the hair-raising “Stimmy” as the pair articulate what money can do & even though Def is saying ill shit on “Ripe Fruit”, the instrumental is obnoxious as Hell. The closer “New Day Same Agenda” is a classy way to finish the EP off by flipping the phrase “same shit, different day” on it’s head.
I gotta say, There’s a Soulja in Every Saint could very well be the best body of work that Def Soulja has put out to date. He doesn’t ham-fist the religious themes of the EP like other artists sometimes do & Saint Michael’s production is amongst the grimiest he’s ever whipped up.
This is the 6th full-length album from Philadelphia underground mainstay Vinnie Paz. Coming up as the MC for Jedi Mind Tricks & the leader of the Army of the Pharaohs collective, he also started building an impressive solo career off his 2010 debut Season of the Assassin & the 2012 sophomore effort God of the Serengeti. His previous album as above so below just came out last Valentine’s Day & a little over a year later, we’re already being treated to Burn Everything That Bears Your Name.
“Socrates Drinking the Hemlock” is a 2-minute opener with Boxcutter Pazzy spitting that disrespectful shit over an old west-sounding instrumental & then Billy Danze joins him for the horn/boom bap infused “Machine Gun Etiquette”, where both of them comparing their lyricism to that of LMGs. “Body Bag Philosopher” brings out the horror vibes from C-Lance’s piano instrumental to Vinnie’s lyrics about a rat going rogue whereas the Stu Bangas-produced “Papi Wardrobe” talks about letting the TEC spray over what I assume to be a 70’s sample.
We later have the Heavy Metal Kings & Lord Goathop on the orchestra-laced “Witches Teeth” courtesy of Illinformed while the song “Latka Bravas” talks about murder over some trumpets loops. Things go into a more jazzy direction on the Oh No-produced “Danger’s My Business” with lyrics detailing a war going on outside, but then Vinnie details his woman having an abortion on the track “I’m Thinking of Ending Things” & the way Farma G flips “Don’t You Ever Dare” by Dean Friedman is immaculate.
“Guilty Remnant Cigarettes” is a short yet effective cut about being out for blood over a more vintage instrumental from Esoteric & right after funny enough, The Czar-Keys cook up what could possibly be the darkest beat on the album as The Verbal Hologram 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 on the song “Don Eladio”.
Meanwhile on the overawing “Warhead”, we have Chino XL coming through to help detail how dirty people are referencing former KO-D無差別級チャンピオン, ECW World Heavyweight Champion, 2-time ECW World Tag Team Champion, 4-time FMWヘビー級チャンピオン, 3-time FMWタッグチャンピオン, 5-time FMW6人タッグチャンピオン, IWGPインターコンチネンタルチャンピオン, NEVER無差別級チャンピオン & GHCタッグチャンピオン 田中 将斗 before talking about bodies being stacked up on the sepulchral “Excuse All the Blood”.
The song “White on White Crime” kinda has some trap & rock undertones in the production as O.T. the Real & D-Boy Flowski come together with the Pazmanian Devil to talk about how they rap what they live, but D-Boy’s verse at the end doesn’t hit me like the first 2 did. This is followed up with the powerful Islamic ode “Battle of the Camel” featuring Willie the Kid & the sample Giallo Point uses is just so comely.
“Torch Bearer” takes shit back to boom bap territory thanks to Vic Grimes, which I think might be the Paz Man’s response to the diss tracks both King Magnetic & Doap Nixon put out towards him last year. The song “Affairs in Order” incorporates some synths as Jay Royale accompanies the mic to talk about how you don’t wanna be around when the feds start getting on your ass.
Lord Goat returns for “Tell Gold to Hold the Boneyard” alongside Crimeapple to deliver them gangsta bars over a guitar-driven instrumental from Hobgoblin before incorporating an organ & some sputtering drums tor the track “Duppy or Gunman”, where The Sicilian Shooter says anyone who wants it with him is out of their goddamn minds & rightfully so.
“Angels with Dirty Faces” is a gospel-like homage to everyone Vinnie’s family was enamored before he & Eto talk about acting right around them on “Murder Takes Time”. The penultimate track “Lloyds of London” is a bilious acknowledgement of telling when people don’t want the smoke, but the Boob Bronx verse is another low-point for me personally. Finally to round it off, M.A.V. tags along to get in battle rap mode for the flute-backed closer “Digital Veil”.
In comparison to as above so below, I actually happen to prefer Burn Everything That Bears Your Name a bit more. Did it need to be 22 songs? Not necessarily. However, the dude’s pen-game remains unmatched as does his ear for production almost a quarter of a century deep making music.
This is the 12th EP from Detroit duo & Astronomicon founders Twiztid. Consisting of Jamie Madrox & Monoxide, the pair originally started out as part of the House of Krazees alongside childhood friend The R.O.C. in 1992 before their initial disbandment 5 years later. Almost immediately after, the Insane Clown Posse took Jamie & Mono under their wings by signing them to Psychopathic Records as the demented duo they’re known as today. They would become the label’s 2nd biggest act being their mentors off projects like Mostasteless, Freek Show, Mirror Mirror, The Green Book, W.I.C.K.E.D. (Wish I Could Kill Every Day) & Abominationz. Shortly after the latter was released, Twiztid left Psychopathic to form Majik Ninja Entertainment in 2014. Since then they’ve released 5 albums, with my favorites being The Darkness at the top of 2015 & then /ˌrevəˈlāSH⁽ᵊ⁾n/ from this past Black Friday. But being big stoners for as long as they’ve been around, Jamie & Mono have decided to drop Electric Lettuce just 3 days after Alla Xul Elu’s new album Necronomichron 2: Dead by Bong.
After the “Safe Place” intro, the first song “We All Float” encourages the listeners to “come down here” with them since the weed hits harder than former UFC Heavyweight Champion Francis Ngannou & the trap instrumental Young Wicked cooks up is totally off the wall. After the “Get Matt Nipps” skit, the following song “Light It Up” goes into a more west coast direction I almost wanna say as they talk about “rollin’ rappers up”. After the “Get Blaze” skit, the song “No Smoke” is a MNE posse cut sans Lex the Hex Master & The R.O.C. threatening their opposition with a piano-instrumental from MIKE SUMMERS a.k.a. 7 that really helps kick up the grimy tone of it.
The track “High ‘Til I Die” goes back into that trap direction as they talk about always being lifted & Lee Carver just shows why he’s my favorite Alla Xul Elu member. Especially when he said “Breaking up weed on the case of The Green Book”. I’m kinda disappointed that “Right Here Ninja” makes no reference or homage to “Here I Am” off of Blaze’s classic debut 1 Less G n da Hood, but the futuristic sound is fresh. “Feeling Stuck” is a great way to finish the EP, as it’s a guitar-trap driven cut about how COVID has effected everyone.
“420 Premium Quality” rawly starts the deluxe run telling all y’all muthafuckas to sing along lighting that shit up while “Wasted 3” by the Samhain Witch Killaz featuring G-Mo Skee, King Gordy, Redd, Rittz & Young Wicked matches the caliber of “Wasted 2 featuring Chris Webby, Kung Fu Vampire, R.A. the Rugged Man, the Three 6 Mafia & Whitney Peyton off of Twiztid’s 8th EP Get Twiztid along with “Wasted 3” featuring Anybody Killa & the Axe Murder Boyz off of their 13th album Mad Season as the best installments of the “Wasted” series. “It’s Been a Long Time” serves as the final bonus track going rap rock to admit they haven’t been this high in forever.
Despite my expectations not being super high given that this is a holiday-themed EP, I actually like it more than that short Songs of Samhain compilation that MNE put out this past fall. It continues to stray away from the wicked shit in favor of a more traditional hardcore hip hop vibe much like /ˌrevəˈlāSH⁽ᵊ⁾n/, except most of the songs are weed-related.
Yelawolf is a 41 year old rapper, singer/songwriter, fashion designer & entrepreneur from Gassen, Alabama coming up on the scene as a contender on The Road to Stardom in 2005. His debut album Creekwater that same year, but didn’t catch the mainstream’s attention until New Year’s Day 2010 off the strength of his 4th mixtape Trunk Muzik. This caught the attention of Detroit icon Eminem, who signed Catfish Billy to his Interscope Records imprint Shady Records the following year. Yelawolf went on to release 4 albums under his contract with Slim, leaving in Spring 2019 to focus on continuing to build his own label Slumerican Records. Dude’s been staying busy all month by dropping a project damn near each week & to come fresh off his latest EP Slumafia produced entirely by DJ Paul, we’re being treated to another EP produced entirely by DJ Muggs of Cypress Hill fame.
“W.T.F. (What the Fuck?)” kicks the whole thing off by Yelawolf depicting his seriousness on top of an string-laced boom bap beat & the next song “Geeyat Damnit” featuring Jelly Roll recaptures that sound except with a piano being weaved in as he spits about how he’s “getting it”. B-Real hops aboard the cavernous, money-stacking anthem “Hand Over Fist” in a natural fashion before diving into the cinematic, rags-to-riches story “Harvest” featuring Struggle Jennings.
“The Catch” is a breezy, romantic boom bap track while Caskey of course joins Catfish Billy for the rich tribute to success that is “Matador”. The song “Flea Market” with Bub Styles is oxymoron giving that they’re rapping about keeping it g over a peaceful instrumental, but then longtime collaborator DJ Paul jumps on the mic accompanied by Del the Funky Homosapien of all people come together to talk about desired-reclusiveness for the spacey yet jazzy “Privacy”. As for the closer “Dust Broom”, I do appreciate it’s wretched tone despite Christian Rose & Sam Lee having the weakest features on the whole project.
Of all the projects Yelawolf has dropped in 2021 so far, I genuinely don’t know if anything can top Mile 0. Everything about it is a welcoming detour from what you’d expect from him in terms of his wise lyrics & the lo-fi sound DJ Muggs shoots for. Will I be proven wrong when Mud Mouth drops next Friday? Find out next time on Dragon Ball Z.
This is the 5th mixtape from Mableton rapper & songwriter Lil Yachty. Skyrocketing to fame in 2016 by bringing a unique sound & personality to the trap subgenre on his debut mixtape Lil Boat, his subsequent pretty much took a nosedive from there. Why? Because he made a song on that breakout tape about never switching up & that’s EXACTLY what he did. But to pay homage to this reviewer’s home state, Yachty has amassed together some of the hottest rappers Detroit has to offer currently for Michigan Boy Boat.
“Final Form” is a ruthless opener with a hyphy instrumental from Helluva, but then Tee Grizzley tags along for the airy “Dynamic Duo” to talk about how his chemistry with Yachty is unmatched. The harp on “Concrete Goonies” shortly after is pretty cool except the fact that it’s a tad bit offputting hearing him start it off by saying he wants to fuck Kali Uchis. Meanwhile, we have Veeze & Baby Smoove jumping on a piano instrumental to brush off those who wanna fight for a print on “Don’t Even Bother” referencing WWE Hall of Famer Mike Tyson whereas the song “G.I. Joe” with Louie Ray finds the 2 talking about being young cats who got it over a colorful beat from Buddah Bless.
“Never Did Coke” is one of my favorites on the project with it’s bongo & string-laced instrumental as well as Yachty’s chemistry with Swae Lee, but that same back-&-forth magic on the RMC Mike-featured “Ghetto Boy Shit” falls flat for me even though I like the grubby Carlo Anthony instrumental. Icewear Vezzo & Rio da Yung OG help him go into gangsta rap territory for “Plastic” while the track “Fight Night Round 3” with Babyface Ray & Veeze does it’s title justice by providing a lethal moshpit joint.
Sada Baby’s feature on the braggadocious “SB 2021” is cool, but his performances on the 30 Roc-produced “SB5” are much better if you ask me. Rio comes back into the fold for the glassily-produced “Stunt Double”, except his feature on here doesn’t stick the landing like it did on “Plastic”. The penultimate track “Hybrid” has these inauspicious keyboard melodies Yachty & Babytron both give flashy performances before bringing in some bells for the “This That One” cypher to finish things off with everyone except Slap Savage going off. YN Jay’s verse at the end referencing former 4-time TNA World Champion, TNA X Division Champion, 2-time WWE United States Champion, 2-time WWE Intercontinental Champion, 2-time ECW World Heavyweight Champion & the current WWE Champion Bobby Lashley was worth mentioning.
Coming from someone who’s lived in The Mitten his entire life, I’m a bit torn coming away from this. Even though Yachty doesn’t do the modern Detroit style all that much justice, I still admire the fact he took some of the hottest rappers the city currently has to offer & brought them all together.
This is the debut EP from North Carolina emcee Cordae. Emerging in 2014 as a member of the now defunct YBN collective, the 23 year old released a total of 3 mixtapes under his original moniker Entendre before catching mainstream attention 4 years later by dropping the J. Cole response “Old N****s”. After landing a spot in the 2019 XXL Freshman Class, the kid continued to turn heads by dropping a potential-filled debut album The Lost Boy & is returning after 2 years with a 4-track prelude to his sophomore effort.
“More Life” is a funky, boom bap opener produced by Q-Tip as Cordae proclaims life being an antidote while the next song “Dream in Color” talks about his boldest dreams over some vocal harmonizing hanging behind him from Terrace Martin & Raphael Saadiq. Young Thug hops on the Take a Daytrip-laced “Wassup” for a flashy party starter & then the EP rounds out with “Thornton Street”, which returns to that boom bap sound as Cordae recalls his childhood.
I know he said on Twitter that none of these joints will appear on the upcoming album, but it has me excited for it nonetheless. With his artistry continuing to grow at a rate like this, I geniunely think his potential is being fully realized & he could possibly top The Lost Boy.
