ApolloRed1 – “Demon Heart Radio” review

Atlanta, Georgia rapper ApolloRed1 releasing his debut mixtape under Opium Records & Interscope Records. Starting out a couple years ago off his full-length debut The Summer I Turned Red, his first few extended plays Villain as well as Vamp Diary & Tantrum were enough to have his blood cousin Playboi Carti make him the newest member of the Opium roster by dropping a Midnight Blassic. ApolloRed1 vs. the World in October continued to make some more artistic improvements & Demon Heart Radio has finally arrived after months of delays.

“#Demon” produced by Cardo made for an entertaining single that came out last weekend addressing someone he facilitated all his love for whereas “Where I’m @“ works in some heavy 808s from Bakkwoods admitting that he’s so high off the drugs that he doesn’t know his exact location. “Pink!” hops over an Ayelavish! instrumental I really enjoyed talking about pulling his Glock out like it’s a shiv while “#SRT” pulls from plugg courtesy of SOULJASPIRITS likening himself to Deadpool.

Trgc gets behind the boards for the EDM-inspired “More Time” talking about the only thing he wants is to be with this woman more just before “Love You > Myself” gives off a more hyper tone altogether pondering what to do when the drugs won’t help & speaking of someone he loves more than himself over a rage beat from Clayco & OPM BABI. “Shell” maintains the hypertrap vibes instrumentally depicting imagery of the gangsta life until putting dollar signs “OnYoHead!” over a sinister Bugz Ronin beat.

“Codeine Shower” featuring Destroy Lonely finds the 2 reuniting to end the 1st half of Demon Heart Radio talking about treating drugs like probiotics while “Can’t Go” runs it back over another Ayelavish! instrumental for a couple minutes or so assuring that shit being real life to him. “Caution” has a playful rage aura to it catching those speaking ill on his name on offense while “Geeked Up” featuring OsamaSon talks about both of them seeing red.

We have ApolloRed on the rage-inducing “ARP My Bitch” likening his AR-15 pistol to romantic lover while “Drive u” embraces more of a pluggier sound thanks to F1LTHY of Working on Dying to talk about him being on top of the hill of the Atlanta scene with the rest of his Opium squad. “Tight Pants” featuring the Homixide Gang joins forces to express their disdain for those fuckin’ with rats & while “Pullup##” winds down the last few moments of Demon Heart Radio turning up the hypertrap elements courtesy of Ayelavish! talking about going crazy soon as he hits the stage.

“Hood-Made” explains that the streets made him the person he is today over an instrumental Zodiac of Vanguard Music Group made while the outro “Set You Free” sends off Apollo’s major label debut suggesting he might let go of an ex if they weren’t meant for each other. “Machete” talks about having hundreds of dollars coming in & having a book bag for it while “NoCrash” samples “Put on a Smile” by Silk Sonic to detail his no fucks given attitude.

Midnight Blassic & ApolloRed1 vs. the World have both proven that ApolloRed1 could potentially be the most underrated signing on the Opium roster considering both of those were big step-ups from his earlier output, but his major label debut Demon Heart Radio tops both of those in unveiling a tape packed with the highest quality of rage & plugg music I could’ve expected from him. Whether it’s the consistently fun production or the guests & Apollo himself, the latter’s making it known that he’s arrived.

Score: 4/5

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Protect – “slimedude2003” review

This is the debut extended play from Buffalo, New York rapper Protect. Introducing himself to the trap & plugg subgenres of hip hop by releasing his full-length debut All on Me followed by the sophomore effort albeit major label debut Ball Hog of Life under Atlantic Records a couple years earlier, his previous LP 500 Days of Summer last August was my introduction to him & remains his strongest collection of material today. 10 months later, he’s dropping off slimedude2003.

“RAF Trench” starts us off with a plugg instrumental talking about shooting as if he’s Cade Cunningham whereas “Firearm” cloudily admits to constantly pouring lean like he’s awaiting his own death. “0s” could be a weaker moment here since he’s pretty much sandwiching an unacceptably underwritten verse in the middle of a chorus, but then “Makatussin” continues to express the love he has for consuming cough syrup over a bubbly beat from R8 of Vanguard Music Group

As for “Whole Crowd”, we have Protect talking about getting concertgoers turnt soon as he he hits the stage prior to the plugg-influenced “RE4” referencing one of my all-time favorite video games Resident Evil 4 & dissing N3on for seeking attention online. “What Doesn’t Kill U” begins the 2nd half talking about sending out convoys over a synth-driven trap beat just before “Reset” confesses to feeling overwhelmed by a handful of things.

“AC130” gets slimedude2003’s last let going talking about making opps bleed soon as he catches them while “Sk8r” samples “believe me” alyorra discussing the importance of finding yourself & getting it together. The highlight “Last of Us” produced by Cade makes a nod to another all-time favorite video game of mine & the outro “U da 1” finishes the EP with 1 last motivational anthem about the audience making an impact too by doing it.

500 Days of Summer stands tall as the most refined musical statement of Protect’s career & although I do acknowledge that slimedude2003 was meant to be a collection of “grails”, I felt that the final production turned out to be pretty average compared to his previous LP. You can definitely tell these were recorded sometime before or after All on Me & Ball Hog for Life when he was getting his footing in even if I wouldn’t call it some of my favorite material he’s done outside a couple joints.

Score: 3/5

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Krispylife Kidd – “Krisp Flair” review

Flint, Michigan rapper Krispylife Kidd is back with his 16th mixtape. Since 2019, his popularity in the local trap scene has been gradually increasing since 2019 going on to release a total of his previous 15 tapes & 4 EPs all in that span of time. Icewear Vezzo even signed him to Iced Up Records during the pandemic & Lil Yachty had him featured on Michigan Boy Boat. Now I’d start with Krispylife 2 & The Art of Spice Talk trilogy if you wanna dive into Krispylife’s music, although Juice& B.A.G. (Born A Goat) each had their own individual standouts a couple years ago. Coming off the Stunt Life EP & Why Me Worry? however, Krisp Flair has arrived following some delays.

“My Old Self” opens with a Flint sound intro talking about still being the same if he was hypothetically down to $2 whereas “Who U Talking To?” fires shots at all these shrimp ass cornballs trying to diss him. “My Time to Shyne” featuring Detwan Love was one of the weaker moments due to their melodic performances despite the messaging while “Walking in the Park” confidently talks about him only getting started.

We have Krispylife offering some “Self Motivation” to end the 1st half of Krisp Flair & an instrumental that tries to tug at the heartstrings a bit while “No New Members” featuring Clean Up Man made for a Detroit trap collaboration that wasn’t any better than the one earlier. The freestyle spends a minute & a half going off the dome over a woozy beat while “Do This Go Right?” talks about his feet aching from running up checks.

“Realest You Ever Met” winds down the last leg of the tape fusing pop rap & trap for north him & the woman that he’s been romantically involved with to realize that they were essentially made for each other but once “Talking Loose” switches back to an aggressive tone recklessly running his mouth like he used to do when he initially began making music, the outro “Do You FWM?” spends the last couple minutes telling his lover what about her he fucks with the most.

2-time WWE Hall of Famer, former 16-time WWE world champion, WWE Intercontinental Champion, 6-time WWE United States Champion, 6-time WWE tag team champion & 9-time NWA World’s Heavyweight Champion Ric Flair made himself the greatest shit-talker in the whole professional wrestling business & Krisp Flair improves above his previous mixtape last spring sending shots for nearly a half hour with no guest appearances.

Score: 4/5

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Cashus King – “Water to Wine” review

Here is the brand new studio LP & 13th overall from Los Angeles, California emcee Cashus King. Originally known under the monikers Co$$ & later Ca$hiu$ King until settling on his current name, most will recognize him for his long-standing affiliation with Blu & Exile in addition to him having 6 extended plays & 7 mixtapes aside from the previous dozen of full-lengths in his solo discography. 3 years have already passed since Lava Lamps & the London, England, United Kingdom producer Big O has been brought in to soundtrack a Water to Wine transformation.

After the “Barry Water” intro, “Likwid (Big Fish)” begins with this angelic boom bap opener talking about how both of them been floating through districts whereas “Precipitation” featuring Fashawn embraces a jazzier vibe instrumentally to spit streams of consciousness. “Cherry Cola” featuring L.O.U. & P-Rawb samples “Shake Your Booty” by Bunny Sigler to use it’s title as a metaphor for drinking water over soda prior to “Streams” featuring Blu, Frannie EL & Shari returning to a conscious approach to the lyrics.

“Drownin’” has a bright boom bap quality to it encouraging all to keep swimming forward when life throws you overboard just before “Hydration (Reign)” ends the 1st half talks about watering the plants of our imagination & tells the world to keep dreaming. “Drippin’ (Soakin’ Poems)” works in some synths so we can hear the Heaven in their skills to start the 2nd leg while “Potions” featuring G-Holy stylistically leans towards a more g-funk direction getting on their west coast shit.

Nearing the end of Water to Wine, the song “Swimmin’” brings a triumphant trap flare to the table talking about doing backstrokes while “Holy Water” hooks up some organs to make room for Cashus to get confessional on the mic. “Like Lava for Water” apologizes for having people fight their wars for the days they came up short & after “Dark Agua” featuring Big Tone offers food for thought, the outro “Wine” ends by asking who or what we’re living for.

Many including myself would consider Before I Awoke to be Cashus King’s finest collection of solo material, but this new one isn’t far behind it assuring the world we all have the ability to turn Water to Wine in the metaphorical sense of everyone having the capability of change. Big O cooks up some of the strongest production of his career & Co$$ lyrically takes audiences through an exploration of transformation at its deepest level with a handful of guests.

Score: 3.5/5

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Imani Imani – “Papercut” review

This is the full-length studio debut from Suriname-born albeit Amsterdam-raised singer/songwriter Imani Imani. Being introduced through her feature on the unreleased Kendrick Lamar track “I Feel Something” that was previewed at the beginning of 2024 in promotion of Chanel’s Spring-Summer Haute Couture Show a few months afterwards, she’s returning after almost 2 & a half years signing to pgLang & Interscope Records to surprise-drop Papercut in celebration of her new major label deal.

“Bet on Me” kicks things off with this passionate R&B intro singing about knowing what’s on her lover’s mind & feeling what he says without even knowing his name whereas “Come Together” peppily suggests that she & her lover need to make some improvements within their relationship. “Snatch” sings about a man who gets her high since she gives her dreams & lifestyle over pianos leading into “On Demand” leans towards a synth-funk direction assuring her partner she’ll be here waiting for him.

Moving on from there, “You’re Mine” delicately finishes the 1st leg of Imani’s debut singing about her preference of having men obsessed with her while the stripped-back “Mindgames” admits that she can’t lay her head down for too long when her romantic interest isn’t with her. “Slideee” gives off more of a dance-pop vibe yearning to put her waist on her soulmate’s body while “Chasing” incorporates more acoustics singing about trying to find peace regardless of rain never ceasing.

“1 of 1” nears closer towards the end of Imani’s debut embracing a more alternative R&B direction wanting to feel her muse’s love & pillow talk until the sunrise while the final song “Let Go (Wishes)” preceding the compositional “My Mistakes” outro croons about needing some time away from her own mind & asking if this individual would stay with her for a bit or run over an instrumental that had a bit of a minimalistic quality to it.

Considering that Baby Keem & Tanna Leone are both primarily rappers, I fully support the idea of Kendrick giving Imani Imani the right to call herself First Lady of pgLang & depart from the hip hop sound all 3 of the label’s other artists are primarily known for. The comparisons I’ve already seen made by Drake fans on social media to OVO Sound’s First Lady Naomi Sharon is stupid considering OVO’s been signing R&B acts in addition to Naomi being more rooted in the smooth soul side of things rather than Imani’s own style varying between contemporary & alternative R&B to dance-pop.

Score: 3.5/5

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Babystaydown – “Lil Yae” review

Here is the 3rd & potentially final studio LP from Athens, Georgia recording artist Babystaydown. Somebody who already has 16 EPs under his belt including PL Top Recruits, 1,350, Drugz Sex & Money and it’s sequel, 17, Genesis, his Cegular Records/Sony Music debut Hate da Way Um Livin, Saint, Pain Before Pleasure, Chief 13, Aimai, I.L.M.F. (I Love My Friends), ##Kool ##Kat & the Lost Files duology. Coming off his full-length debut album Born Anew as well as his sophomore effort Art of War & his most recent EP I.B.S.D.W.M.P. (I Been Still Dealing With My Pain) to drop the introspective Lil Yae.

“Mob Boss” opens up with this stunning plugg intro produced by Whyceg depicting imagery of the gangsta life whereas “Dirty Diana” works in this lovely woodwind from Traiqo talking about refusing to take his time because he’s gotta get it. “Free4nixkk” hops over another Whyceg instrumental admitting that he’s been doing everything he can lately leading into “Hate” talking about getting outside of the ghetto on top of a predominantly bare piano.

Whyceg sticks around behind the boards for “Magnolia” so Babystaydown can discuss being ready for his demise since he lives like a soldier while the atmospheric “That’s Just Life” talks about responding to those asking of his wellbeing that he’s been merely alright. “Van Cleef” concludes the 1st half expressing his confusion of being compared to other artists over more delightful Whyceg beats prior to “Energy” spaciously beginning the 2nd leg understanding his bitch not standing him because he’s fucked inside the head.

“Monogamy” finds Cade helping Whyceg carry over the cloudy elements detailing a relationship where an ex-girlfriend of staydown’s claimed to love no one else but him while “Baby Haitian” exuberantly talks about him schemin’ throughout the course of an entire night. “Strange” leans back towards the cloudier side of things stating they hate him now he’s rich while “2 Feet” talks about looking around & seeing a bunch of rich people in the same room he’s in.

The song “Bygones” winds down Lil Yae’s final moments with combining this dreamy backdrop & skittering hi-hats looking to bust shots at anyone who tries to jump him while “Fake Love” hits us with 1 last Whyceg instrumental talking about the Draco turning his opps into angel dust. The closing track “White Keys” officially sends off the album him spending $10K on made him realize how serious his career’s been starting to become.

Almost a couple weeks earlier, Babystaydown took to social media to say that 2026 will be his final year making music because of people spewing fuck shit out their mouths & I hope that isn’t the case considering Lil Yae would be placed on the same pedestal Art of War was 7 months earlier. He rocks the mic by himself similarly to I.B.S.D.W.M.P. (I Been Still Dealing With My Pain) & the production’s less rage-inducing than the last full-length although the 46% of it Whyceg handles provides the half hour’s most enjoyable collection of pop rap, plugg, cloud rap & trap.

Score: 4/5

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Jon Connor – “The Artist Yahn Freeman V” review

Flint, Michigan emcee/producer Jon Connor switching things up for this month’s entry in The Artist Yahn Freeman series. Someone who’s steadily been holding it down for the last 2 decades including The Calling, Vinnie Chase & S.O.S. trilogies along with the Best in the World series paying homage to some of Jon’s influences, Salvation, While You Were Sleeping & Unconscious State. He was even signed to Aftermath Entertainment for 6 years before departing after Vehicle City wound up being shelved, coming off Food for the Soul & 24 produced by KLC of the No Limit Records in-house production team Beats by the Pound to have iRockSays produce this guest-heavy installment.

“High Key” begins with a trap intro talking about hoes needing a streamer to tell them exactly what their mother & grandfather have been saying since their youth whereas “I Get’s Down” discusses being born in a system where they’re trying to fuck everyone over. Courtney Bell appears so he & Jon can take things back to “The Essence” over a soulful beat leading into Freeway joining to talk about both of them only having their balls & “My Word”.

Kicking off the 2nd half, “Stay Up” has a more motivational tone to the lyrics explaining that you’re always gonna lose pretending to be someone you’re not while “Glory” talks about everything being ok as long as he never quits. “Held High” featuring X-Raided unites both artist over another boom bap instrumental refusing to lose focus & fearing nobody while “At the Top” ends V encouraging everyone listening to enjoy the journey.

This whole saga has been divisively received by fans in general although I personally would tell you that last month’s chapter still has the strongest engineering compared to the rest, but I didn’t get the same enjoyment out of The Artist Yahn Freeman V compared to it’s predecessors produced by Smitti Boi. I commend him for bringing a new producer & more features on board, even if the amount of features are too many.

Score: 3/5

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38 Spesh – “8 Shots” review

Brand new LP & the 6th overall from Rochester, New York producer/emcee 38 Spesh. Known for being the leader of the Trust Army collective & founder of TCF Music Group, he’s been steadily busy throughout the last decade or so whether it be him producing projects for the likes of Planet Asia to Elcamino & Grafh or his own solo output. Last time we heard Spesh by himself as a penman was the intimate Mother & Gun nearly a couple summers ago, firing off 8 Shots to end the month of May.

“Free Game” hops over a drumless, crooning loop to spend the opening 105 seconds talking about rappers taking his life story & making competition out of it whereas “The Main Line” aggressively discusses the reaper being at one’s door with Jesus trying to call. “Used 2” featuring Rome Streetz finds the pair talking about how having 1 gun simply isn’t enough prior to “Be the Best” soulfully speaks against being a small-time individual.

Che Noir appears alongside Spesh to poignantly address some “Mental Health” struggles & I wouldn’t really consider the self-produced “Speshal” to be that much of an interlude, promising those who fuck with him that the’ll eat because of him. “Trust Us” featuring Ransom & Smooth Haynes gets the 2nd half going dropping verses of their own without the need of a hook over strings while “Heavy Burden” featuring Dave East turns up the soulfulness talking about carrying a weighty load for petty individuals.

“Great Wall” featuring Curtis Coke nears towards 8 Shots’ final moments responding to the crowd of people who were expecting Spesh to stay put even if Curtis’ verse left me on the fence while “Renovations” talks about selling everything from weed to shrooms back then. Busta Rhymes comes into the picture to help Spesh recall a “Cold War” survived 2 decades earlier & “Everything” sends off the album talking about his desire to have it all.

Carrying forward the tradition of street-certified storytelling & razor-sharp lyricism, 8 Shots further cements 38 Spesh’s place as one of hip hop’s most underappreciated multi-hyphenates pushing his evolution even further by showcasing ability to bridge generations of elite lyricists whilst continuing to sharpen his own voice from the standpoint of both an MC & a producer. The subject matter takes it back to the grit that made the other Shots installments so well received.

Score: 4/5

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The Bug Club – “Every Single Muscle” review

This is the 5th studio LP from Caldicot, Monmouthshire, Wales, United Kingdom duo The Bug Club. Consisting of guitarist/vocalist Sam Willmett & bassist/vocalist Tilly Harris, they emerged earlier in the decade off 3 extended plays & a couple albums preceding Sub Pop Records signing them a few years ago already. Their debut for the label On the Intricate Inner Workings of the System & the pairing previous full-length Very Human Features were both positively received, returning 12 months since the latter for Every Single Muscle.

“Miss Wales 2012” begins with this chugging garage punk intro referencing a competition both Tilly & Sam have actually won whereas “A Good Day for Dying” made for an apathetically humorous 3rd & final single. “Make It Count” finds the pair trading lines with each other over indie rock instrumentation depicting 2 lovers who have absolutely no idea what to do just before “Cut to Black” takes inspiration from both NEU! & Sparks for 90 seconds.

Meanwhile on “Full Range of Motion”, we have The Bug Club taking a page out of the Minutemen playbook for a post-punk revival tune with some occasional slacker rock undertones while “Pretty as a Magazine” bemoans the fact people don’t know what to do with their own bodies a lot similarly to what “Make It Count” did earlier. “Look Like Me” sings about each member’s own appearance while on “How Can We Be Friends” explains that both members are preoccupied with others.

The title track ends the 1st half of Every Single Muscle on some egg punk vibes singing about feeling strong in all ligaments of their bodies while “Shiny & Wet” experiments with a bit of a blues rock sound wanting to see one’s organs since apologies don’t mean shit to them. “Semi-Automatic” treads garage punk territory explaining that they only play guitars & give 0 fucks while “In My Short Life” sings about them using chart toes in times of distress.

“Watching the Omnibus” hits us with a a garage rock-tinged lead single filled with self-deprecating lyrics & after “It’s Our Manager David” shrugs off literally every single question their manager asks the band regarding what they’ve been doing with their day, the 2nd single “Yours (If You Want Me)” gives off a more introspectively tender & anxious approach singing about how neither one of them necessarily want to be adored.

The song “All My Clothes Fell Off” winds down the last moments of Every Single Muscle slowing down the pacing to build up towards a crescendo reminiscent of classic rock music while the penultimate track “3rd Best Friend” sings about an individual they loved like a close colleague. The outro “My Uncle Warren Drives a Passat” switches things up replacing the guitars with pianos singing about how if all of us were made for dying alone, then neither one of them belong here.

Looking at themselves more in a way an alien might probe a captive specimen on an intergalactic gurney instead of introspection, The Bug Club’s 3rd opus under the Sub Pop banner improves above both it’s predecessors sounding noticeably punkier than their previous output. The human form & condition are both prodded & inspected from every angle throughout the course of Every Single Muscle blending indie rock garage punk, garage rock revival, egg punk, post-punk revival & slacker rock.

Score: 4/5

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Chxrry – “U, Me & My Ego” review

Chxrry is a 29 year old singer/songwriter from Toronto, Ontario, Canada who made a wider musical introduction for herself in the fall of 2022 when she dropped her debut extended play The Other Side shortly after The Weeknd made her the First Lady of his Republic Records imprint X♥O Records. She would later follow it up 13 months later with her 2nd EP Siren & has since dropped a handful of singles building up anticipation for her full-length studio debut elevating beyond those early EPs.

“Blockstar” opens up with an intro clashing elements of industrial music & trap singing about her making this guy fall in love with her whereas the title track takes a more atmospheric approach instrumentally cautioning what’s gonna happen when she & her man tie the knot. “Hall of Fame” blends electropop, jook, synthpop, Atlanta bass & contemporary R&B to sing about being too sexy to go home while “Bible” likens this guy’s words to the gospel.

Reaching the halfway point of the album, “Call Security” comes through with an anthem dedicated to all the crazy women who’ve gone from being angels to criminals while “Boring” sings about her willingness of lowering her standards as long as her partner isn’t tedious. Cash Cobain makes the 1st of 2 guest appearances on “Badness” where he & Chxrry are detailing the possibility of finding love in the late night although Cash’s verse was the weakest of the 2.

“Bottles & Lights” featuring Mariah the Scientist winds down the last leg of U, Me & My Ego with an empowering alternative R&B duet looking back at previous relationships they were in where their exes constantly disrespected them while “Groupie” conceptually portrays the irrational obsession that hits when you begin to develop feelings for somebody. “Main Character” though ends with her breakout single fusing pop rap, contemporary R&B, trap, futuristic swag, trap soul & pluggnb.

Most people would say that The Other Side & Siren were both average at best which I can agree with despite the introspectively sultry approach made me understand why Abel signed Chxrry earlier this decade. U, Me & My Ego on the contrary achieved my expectations of outdoing herself embracing her more toxic alter-ego over production combining influences of pop, industrial music, trap, electropop, jook, synthpop, Atlanta bass, pop rap, futuristic swag, trap soul & pluggnb with her contemporary/alternative R&B style.

Score: 3.5/5

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