Serial Killers – “This Thing of Ours” review

The Serial Killers are a west coast supergroup consisting of B-Real, Demrick & Xzibit. Joining forces on Halloween 2013 by dropping an eponymous debut mixtape under Open Bar Entertainment, they would go on to follow it up a couple years later with The Murder Show & followed it up with the Day of the Dead extended play. Their debut album Summer of Sam would come out in the fall of 2020 despite its title getting more political than the trio’s earlier output, reuniting to have Scoop DeVille produce the sophomore effort.

“SK Anthem” sets the tone with this grisly boom bap intro spitting the kind of raps that’ll make you wanna punch someone in the face whereas the title track aggressively talks about the trio building a circle of trust together. “Call the Cops” gives off an old school hardcore vibe dropping bars that’ll make people snitch to the Feds leading into the horn-infused “Fired Up” advising against people trying their luck because each of them being vexed.

Moving on from there, “Levels” talks about improving oneself if anybody’s striving to reach the top just before “Hand Grenade” goes full rap rock so they can end the 1st leg boasting that they can walk through Hellfire & communicate with the dead. “High Energy” continues the 2nd leg of the album talking about life being this much of a trip & time being money while “Anarchy” encourages those listening to start promoting the strength we have instead of that other bullshit.

“Slippin’” nears This Thing of Ours’ conclusion incorporating some strings talking about keeping an eye out for the other side & not letting them catch you fuckin’ up while “By Any Means” speaks of constantly staying more solid than the concrete & representing the west coast. “We’re the Killers” finishes up the album with this ghostly boom bap outro talking about fearing no man & the lyricism of each member proving to be more deadly than fentanyl.

Summer of Sam to me was a lot enjoyable than The Murder Show or Day of the Dead were, but the Serial Killers return a little over halfway through the 2020s with Scoop DeVille behind the boards to make This Thing of Ours the greatest LP of their entire existence. Scoop’s production hits harder top to bottom as opposed to the predecessor having a couple lackluster moments instrumentally & I like that they refrained from having any guest appearances to focus more on their synergies.

Score: 4/5

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T.F. – “Don’t Call Me Lucky” review

Los Angeles, California emcee T.F. joining forces with local veteran DJ Muggs to produce his 7th LP. Initially hearing him on “Tookie Knows, Pt. II” off ScHoolboy Q’s magnum opus Blank Face LP, he subsequently dropped his debut EP No Hooks only 7 months later, which was followed up by his full-length debut ErThangSkanless & then a 2nd EP called OktoberFest. After appearing on Flee Lord’s 8th EP Hand Me My Flowers produced entirely by Buckwild & put out 2 more EPs on his own, T.F. eventually signed to Lord Mobb Music & put out Blame Kansas produced by both Mephux & Roc Marciano. Last we heard from him was when Khrysis produced The Green Bottle, returning 10 months later cautioning Don’t Call Me Lucky.

The title track opens up shop with an ominous boom bap beat wanting to know if his court-ordered therapy sessions was luck or faith whereas “Water Whip” featuring Rome Streetz aggressively talks about everything being scandalous with them. “Clap” featuring Ghostface Killah kinda has a vintage 70s vibe to it referencing the late アイアンマンヘビーメタル級チャンピオン, TNA World Tag Team Champion, WCW World Television Champion, 2-time WWE United States Champion, 7-time WCW World Tag Team Champion, 4-time WWE Intercontinental Champion & 2-time WWE Hall of Famer Scott Hall leading into “The Scorpion Sting” returns to the boom bap talking about the squad fitting into picture frames.

“Reese’s Pieces” featuring Meyhem Lauren & O.T. the Real brings the trio together so they can ruggedly make it clear that ain’t shit sweet with either of them while “Ya Heard” featuring Roc Marciano soulfully talks about people sticking you up for your diamonds & gold. “Cha Cha Chicken” gives off a spookier vibe instrumentally speaking of cooking up crack rocks just before the horn-infused “Pool Sports” reaches the halfway point talking about being top floor with the bars.

After an interlude, “Money in the Wall” featuring Heartbreak JC drumlessly make way for both of them discussing people dying every day over chains & social media posts while “Luchador” angrily talks about possibly crashing surface due to living so fast. “$100 Bill” rawly speaks of breaking bread interpolating the iconic Prodigy single “Keep It Thoro” during the hook while “Star Studded” talks about daydreaming over a sped-up soul sample.

“El Sancho” wraps up Don’t Call Me Lucky’s final moments likening himself to WWE Hall of Famer Snoop Dogg’s portrayal of Rodney in Baby Boy directed by the late John Singleton while the final song “Ride Out” featuring Boldy James preceding the outro makes great use of the album’s final minutes by having the 2 lyricists teaming up over a bluesy boom bap beat to talk about their respective experiences of living like gangstas from the west coast to the midwest.

I wasn’t sure if it was possible for T.F. to top Blame Kansas preceding The Green Bottle coming out last summer, but I was expecting Don’t Call Me Lucky to do the exact same thing based off the singles & it testifies him only getting better with time. There aren’t as many guest appearances than last time, which I’d say works in his favor considering how well Muggs’ signature production style fits his sharp streetwise lyricism like a glove.

Score: 4.5/5

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Snoop Dogg – “10 ‘Til Midnight” review

This is the 22nd studio LP from Long Beach, California emcee, songwriter, media personality, actor, entrepreneur, record executive & WWE Hall of Famer Snoop Dogg. His 1993 debut Doggystyle produced his mentor Dr. Dre is widely regarded as a west coast essential, but his output since has been hit or miss whether it be Tha Last Meal & Tha Blue Carpet Treatment almost reaching the same caliber of his debut or Da Game is to be Sold, Not to be Told & Bible of Love falling flat on their faces. He purchased Death Row Records from MNRK Music Group days ahead of the Super Bowl LVI halftime performance hence why he’s been B.o.D.R. (Bacc on Death Row) since & partnered with gamma. for their ongoing distribution deal. Missionary drew mixed reception because of some delusional fans expecting it to be another Doggystyle, coming off Iz It a Crime? to drop 10 ‘Til Midnight.

“Step” produced by Swizz Beatz kicks things off on a funky note looking to shut down every party he pulls up to whereas “Lied 2 U” goes for a melodic vibe thanks to Pharrell throwing it back to the BUSH era prior to my high school graduation singing about an unfaithful man. “Slid Off” gets back on his gangsta shit for a self-produced lead single & after the “Daddy Rich” interlude, “Stop Counting My Poccets” works in a summery west coast instrumental from Nottz to talk about having $100M in his bank account.

As for “O.G. to B.G.”, we have Uncle Snoop giving the world some game over a g-funk beat leading into “Dogg Wattup Doe?” solely letting Peezy handle the verses to represent the 313 instrumentally fusing elements of cloud rap & jazz rap. “Leave That Dogg Alone” gets the 2nd half going carrying over the cloudiness talking about peasants trying to knock down King Kong while “Pop My Shit” featuring Trinidad Jame$ teams up for a decent gangsta rap joint with a trunk-knocking Young Fyre beat.

“17 Rules” brings back the feel good atmosphere talking about a homie who done lost his mind while “Bread Under the Bed” jumps over a Rick Rock instrumental to tell us where he keeps his money. “No Ticcet Needed” smoothens things out courtesy of both Soopafly & Erick Sermon looking to have a good time but once “Long Beachin’” shouts out the city that made Snoop who he is, “Q.T.S.A.M.Y.A.H.” featuring October London soulfully ends with both of them clarifying that you gotta earn respect & the crown if anyone wants either of them.

There are a couple singles teased for 10 ‘Til Midnight that didn’t make the final version of it & I wanted to still go over them because I thought they were worth mentioning. “High Life” featuring Tha Twinz & Young Sagg was my favorite of the 2 although I would’ve liked it a lot more minus Young Sagg’s verse, continuing to put it down for the LBC decades later. “Heart in Need of a Hug”on the contrary has potential to become amongst the worst songs dude has ever made, which is more embarrassing of an R&B attempt than “Lied 2 U”.

B.o.D.R. (Bacc on Death Row) & Iz it a Crime? both reminded us that Snoop Dogg doesn’t need new tricks on songs breathing new life into vintage g-funk grooves so if you enjoyed those albums like I did, you’re kinda already know what you’re getting yourself into with 10 ‘Til Midnight. It’s admirably shorter than its predecessor last spring & there’s more consistency within the production than his last one, although hearing him over different sounds from beatsmiths he hasn’t worked with yet would be refreshing.

Score: 3.5/5

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Canibus & Chino XL – “Necksnapper” review

New collaborative extended play between the late East Orange, New Jersey emcee Chino XL & The Bronx, New York by way of Kingston, Jamaica lyricist Canibus. Both of whom have crossed paths several times prior including tracks like “Cypher of 5 Mics” & “Pendulum Swing” by Rakim, the latter of which was the very last song that came out prior to Chino’s untimely tragic passing a couple summers ago. However, they’re coming together to deliver a complete Necksnapper.

The title track breaks the gate down with this boom bap intro Johnny Slash cooked up looking to make human mean out of all competitors whereas “Abu La-Haab” continues with a 5-minute Canibus solo joint explaining that a work of art is actually a world of labor. Chino takes the mic from beyond the grave on “Always There” talking about the mental health struggles that took his life just before “God’z Wrath” featuring Rock finds all 3 of them coming correctly.

“Basquiat 2” starts the 2nd half with 1 more Chino XL solo track that surpasses it’s predecessor included on Prelude to The Mantis while “Celebration” by Canibus experiments with rapping over an EDM beat talking about still being here a quarter of a century later. “Bulletproof Metals” featuring Eto & Planet Asia returns to the boom bap calling for everyone to bow down to them while “Sick Mind” featuring Block McCloud, Joker & Poison Pen ends with them making bodies disappear in a flash.

Putting all of the previously released material like both the “Pendulum Swing” & “Champion” remixes and “Cypher of 5 Mics” aside, I think Necksnapper’s the best of the 2 posthumous offerings we’ve gotten from Chino XL in 2026 & it’s not too far from S.L.I.C.C. (Self Licking Ice Cream Cone) in becoming some of the most enjoyable material Canibus has put out in some time. When they’re not putting their chemistry to the test half the time, they’re spending the other portion of the EP holding it down themselves.

Score: 4/5

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Novatore – “Pale Horse of the Apocalypse” review

Yes, this is the 15th studio LP from Chicago, Illinois emcee Novatore. Breaking out as a member of the Infamous Crew, he’s also built up an impressive solo career over nearly a decade by dropping 4 EPs & an acclaimed collaborative effort with A.M. Early Morning produced by Stu Bangas called Kingdom of Criminality & it’s sequel produced by Johnny Slash. Other highlights include Louie, Louie II, Embrace the Darkness, Portrait of a Madman, Embrace the Darkness II: Explorers of Experience, Master of Morbid Creations, Living in the End Times, Alchemy & Black Magic, his Goon MuSick debut The 87 Arsonist & the Brenx-produced Agoraphobia. The last album Embrace the Darkness III became his greatest material since signing to the label & the Pale Horse of the Apocalypse now rises only 24 hours away from Mustafa Ali ending Trey Miguel’s reign as TNA International Champion.

After the “I Am Death” intro, the opener “Devil in the Flesh” finds Johnny Slash combining woodwinds with kicks & snares talking about a highly unfortunate situation with G-Mo Skee last spring whereas “Year of the Rabbit” featuring Lord Goat keeps the hardcore boom bap vibes from rollin’ thanks to C-Lance talking about time traveling 4 decades earlier. “Looking Back II” is a solid continuation of an Embrace the Darkness II highlight produced by Brenx just before “Mad Max on Acid” dismisses the nerds criticizing him when he knows his wordplay’s crazy.

“Hunt Fascists Not Antifa” gets the 2nd half going making a statement regarding the rise of fascism in the US since January of last year while “Whiplash” goes into full battle rap mode over a Young Bangas beat. “Apocalypse” featuring Blaq Poet & Nightwalker aggressively boasts their statuses within the underground while “Still Here” featuring Bullet Brak assures they ain’t leaving. After the penultimate track “Fuck You Pay Me” makes all the pussies hide, Lucid Death” wraps things up seeing his whole life flashing when the last horseman strikes over a Snowgoons instrumental.

This month will already be 2 whole years since Novatore joined the Goon MuSick roster & despite Embrace the Darkness III remaining the best thing he’s done on the label so far, Pale Horse of the Apocalypse still has it’s enjoyable moments much like The ‘87 Arsonist & Agoraphobia. A common theme across some of his recent output is that you’ll get top notch boom bap production & a cohesive concept, but some of the guests nail it with their contributions & others simply don’t do much for me whatsoever. If he were to do a solo project with either Johnny Slash or Young Bangas alongside his father Stu & have only a couple features on it, it could make for some of his best output.

Score: 3.5/5

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Finale – “The Good” review

Detroit, Michigan veteran Finale returns for his 4th studio LP & his first in over a decade. Making his debut in 2007 with Develop, the sophomore effort A Pipe Dream & A Promise would later result in him signing to Mello Music Group for Odds & Evens preceded by the Bits & Pieces mixtape the summer I graduated high school. This winter will mark 7 years since the 62 extended play & looking at some of the names involved with The Good gave me hope of it improving above that previous EP.

The titular intro starts things off on a soulful boom bap note talking about trying to make music people can enjoy & maintain a good name until sequencing into “Whatever’s Left” during the last 90 seconds or so incorporating a beat switch to give us the remaining amount in the tank. “Take the Time” continues from there talking about being remembered than simply existing prior to it’s final minute dubbed “Mirrors” speaks his mind without trying to offend.

“Thanks 2 Hip Hop” produced by Trox is a highlight for me personally from the instrumental to the lyrics about what the culture has done for him while “District 12” was my favorite single from the vocal sample Nottz brings to the table to Finale rapping his ass off without a hook. “Gunna’s Lament” sends a message to all the rappers tryna eat out here warning them to be careful just before “Self Checks & Balances” preceding “Roses” talks about looking within yourself to find the good.

Meanwhile on “Job’s Not Finished”, we’re getting hit a cinematic boom bap atmosphere throughout a great bulk of it clarifying that his mission’s far from complete until “Bread & Butter” humorously talks about taking labels to the bank instead of having them perceive him as a joke. “Honor the Code” featuring the Twin Towers pleads for artists to quit scheming & looking hard while “Patience” has a jazzier vibe thanks to yU talking about the very thing some lack.

“Wishing” brings the sampling back in effect courtesy of none other than Apollo Brown, soulfully explaining that he simply can’t sit back & chill while “Luther Stickell” makes a comparison to the Mission: Impossible character of the same name. “Enough” talks about being on & off for years when there’s no lies told there over a Jamil Honesty beat until linking up with Guilty Simpson, IAMGAWD & Phat Kat to fire off “4 Rounds” whilst maintaining the ruggedness.

The final 2-parter “D.W.M.B. (Drink Water, Mind Your Business) / Know It All” talks about having bigger fish to fry with a different plate to try & learning a lot albeit not enough to say he knows everything. DJ Jewels turns up the soulfulness on “A Good Time to Go” confessing he feels like he’s been in a head-on collision with reality while “Just Rap” featuring Homeboy Sandman & yU finishes up the album refusing to believe everyone walked away from the trap.

If you were to ask me who I consider to be amongst the most underrated hip hop artists to come out of the Motor City, I’d always throw out Finale’s name in there so for him to come back & drop The Good had me anticipating it all year & I’d have to put it behind A Pipe Dream & A Promise as his 2nd best full-length. I personally tend to prefer the production here more than 62’s, the guests all come correct with their performances & the man himself’s making his late grandfather proud.

Score: 4/5

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WTM Solid – “$uper Amazing $uper Rich” review

Detroit, Michigan rapper WTM Solid returning 3 months since his sophomore effort for his 3rd studio LP. A member of the WRLD Tour Mafia, he also embarked on a solo career of his own beginning a few years back with the debut EP Originatour followed by both Matter of Time & What’s the Difference?. Bigg as well as the full-length debut Imagine That at the start of this year elevated himself as an individual amongst the rest of WRLD Tour, following up Killa $eason as well as Touropean & Street Gospel to discuss being $uper Amazing $uper Rich.

“It’s a Life$tyle Tour” works in a cinematic Detroit trap instrumental talking about touring being a way of life the way he sees it whereas “Biggest Boss” incorporates some sampling techniques & interesting effects on his voice boasting his lifestyle. “Deadboylife” has a more eerier approach to the Detroit sound rapping his life over these beats leading into “Deadbeat” talking about making money in his city & in Atlanta, Georgia similarly to what his homegirl Rachel did.

Wrapping up the 1st half, “$olid Checkin’ In” produced by WTM Niketech gives a nod to the adlib his WRLD Tour brethren Rafa has become known for whenever he begins to spit verses while “Cross $tate Mafia” featuring Babytron has to be a top 3 track uniting the Cross $tate Boys & the Dog $hit Militia crews. “Livin’ in a Double Cup” was another favorite of mine from the cloudy Detroit trap vibe LulRose & WTM Miles give off instrumentally to the lyrics about his squad having the power of changing the government while “$ubway $urfer” references WWE Hall of Famer, 2-time WWE Intercontinental Champion & 3-time WWE Tag Team Champion Rikishi.

“IDK What Tour Wear” goes for a synth-heavy Detroit sound talking about his indecisiveness of picking out an outfit for the day while the timing of “$ora” makes me laugh considering the recent news regarding the AI app parodied by the Paramount Skydance Corporation subsidiary Comedy Central hit series South Park almost 5 months ago being shut down. He hops over this warmly uplifting beat to describe his position as the “Man with the Plan” & after “5 Stars*” boasts about making $25K in a quick manner, “Kendricky with Kapital” ends the album hitting the road without a driver.

$uper Awesome $uper Rich takes it’s name after a song from Killa $eason last summer baring it’s initials after the Slam A Slut Records label that the WRLD Tour Mafia built together as a family & it’s an exceptionally great follow-up to Street Gospel although I prefer the latter more. The cloudy Detroit trap production’s a little less plugg influenced than it was at the beginning to the year, handling a majority of the verses by himself other than Tron & further embracing the love he’s always had for The Walt Disney Company subsidiary Marvel Entertainment owned Spider-Man franchise. He also announced last night that he’s currently recording Touropean 2 over at the UK, which I’m interested in hearing that considering both “Kash Doll Skirt” & “Support > Hate” are some of his best songs.

Score: 4/5

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Sunn O))) – Self-Titled review

Sunn O))) is a drone metal duo from Los Angeles, California consisting of bassists/guitarists Greg Anderson & Stephen O’Malley. Their full-length debut ØØ Void & the sophomore effort Flight of the Behemoth respectively were both solid, dropping the latter under Southern Lord Records. White1 alongside its sequel White2 & more specifically Black One all increased their popularity, the latter being my favorite in the Sunn O))) catalog. Oracle was great too, following it up with their 2nd best in my opinion: Monoliths & Dimensions. 观世音 however might be the band’s worst, coming off the more positively received Life Metal & Pyroclasts to make their Sub Pop Records debut with their 11th studio LP.

“XXANN” epically kicks things off with this 18 & a half minute drone metal composition whereas the doom metal-influenced “Does Anyone Hear Like Venom?” comes through with an ode to the pioneering black metal band Venom. The hypnotically repetitive 2nd & final single “Butch’s Guns” ends the 1st leg containing some of the strongest riffs throughout the full-length prior to “Mindrolling” experimenting with nature recordings. “Everrett Moses” continues the other half blending doom metal & dark ambient while “Glory Black” ends with a fusion of drone metal, ambient, nature recordings & impressionism reminiscent of Earth 2: Special Low Frequency Version.

Life Metal was easily the most I’ve personally enjoyed a Sunn O))) album since Monoliths & Dimensions, but Pyroclasts was almost as great & this new eponymous offering from the drone metal veterans demonstrates Greg Anderson & Stephen O’Malley willingness to evolve their unmistakable sound into bold new forms. Their Sub Pop debut predominantly takes it back to their roots m outside of the dark ambient, nature recordings, drone, doom metal, ambient & impressionism undertones handling all of the instrumentation by themselves rather than bringing some outside collaborators in.

Score: 4.5/5

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Tory Lanez – “Slutty Bass” review

Another full-length studio LP & the 10th overall from Toronto, Ontario, Canada rapper Tory Lanez. Blowing up over a decade ago off The New Toronto mixtape, he ended up signing with Interscope Records the following year & releasing a total of 4 albums until departing at the beginning of 2020. Daystar that same fall gaslit everyone after shooting Megan Thee Stallion in the foot & coming off the dreadful sequel Peterson last spring that’re both considered to be the absolute worst music he’s ever made, he’s creating a new subgenre he’s been calling Slutty Bass.

“Slide” begins with him talking about pulling up your city with .40 & a Glock on him over an Atlanta bass instrumental when that’s not quite a good look for him whereas “Bulma’s Patience” disses Megan Thee Stallion by calling her bogus & blaming her for his incarceration. “Aggression from Saturn” mediocrely sings about being unsure whether or not he likes it that his partner’s aggressive just before “Planet Bass (NBLYB)” brings back the Atlanta bass vibes flexing that he has beat & millions of dollars.

We have Tory interpolating “Nokia” by Drake on “WongTong Soup” so he can tell this woman who says she wants to date him that she’s already with the wrong one leading into him bastardizing “Material Girl” by Madonna during “Pink Material” & falling completely flat. “Keyz to Vampa” assures his lover he’ll give her the guide on how to cherish him as long as she doesn’t judge while “The Hate of Friends” attacks this chick’s friends for disliking him.

“S.M.O. (Slut Me Out)” starts the 2nd half with me wanting to listen to Amaarae’s single of the same name considering that it’s far more superior while “Janne’s Cotton Candy” makes a bunch of trite references regarding being infatuated towards the very female he’s writing this about. “Krillin’s Fumble” confesses to an ex-girlfriend that he still has feelings for her when they’ve already broken up while “Fyne Shit Paradise” dedicates itself all to the fellas that got their heart broken & still can’t leave shorty alone.

Finally nears further towards Slutty Bass’ conclusion, “Nobody Land” vents the hatred he has for someone he used to love more than himself that was seeing somebody else while “Best Birthday Ever” tries to make his create his own version of tracks like “B.B. (Birthday Bitch)” by Krizz Kaliko & T-Pain or “Ratchet Happy Birthday”, the latter being one of Drake’s worst songs. “Party 4 Martians” uneventfully ends the album boasting he has 54 bitches on his dick, wanting to get naughty with all of them.

In no way am I trying to insinuate that I don’t like Atlanta or Miami bass because there’s a handful of music taking inspiration from both of those scenes that I enjoy, but Slutty Bass feels like Tory Lanez taking both of those styles & doing what artists like Cash Cobain or even Chow Lee have been doing with sexy drill for the past couple years. The lyrics are pretty much what I expected out of the 1 Umbrella Records founder this deep in his career & the production continues to top itself in terms of being uninteresting.

Score: 1/5

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Juicy J – “The Trippy Tapes” review

Memphis, Tennessee rapper, songwriter, producer & record executive Juicy J celebrating his birthday weekend with his 15th mixtape. Rising to stardom 3 decades earlier as the co-founder of the seminal Three 6 Mafia alongside his Tear Da Club Up Thugs cohorts DJ Paul & the late Lord Infamous, he’s also had the most successful solo career out of everyone in the Mafia whether it be the Taylor Gang Entertainment/Columbia Records-backed Stay Trippy & Rubba Band Business: The Album or more recently Crypto Business & Mental Trillness. The latter & it’s sequel noticeably taking on a more serious tone than some of Juicy’s latest material, taking a good chunk of it’s time coping with Gangsta Boo’s untimely passing. Coming off the mature Ravenite Social Club and the Logic-produced Live & in Color, we’re being treated to the inaugural entry of The Trippy Tapes.

Lex Luger combines some horns & hi-hats during the intro “I Don’t Shoot Dice” explaining that nothing’s nice regarding Juicy prior to “Cold Game” talking about everyone working with the feds these days. “Same Way” gives some advice in the fact that some of our Day 1s won’t be here when the money finally starts coming in leading into “Betta Not” featuring G9nstaB9by finds the 2 moderately talking about spending checks & referring to themselves as heavyweight.

“Trim the Circle” moves forward urging everyone to cut off all the bullshit energy surrounding them just before “Ain’t No Way” calls cap on someone claimin’ to still cop J’s when they can’t even afford their own car. “On da Low” gives off a heavy Memphis vibe talking about smoking dope out in California & keeping it lowkey while “Show Me” clarifies that he doesn’t give a fuck what people say, opting to watch what they be doing instead.

Lil Wyte joins Juicy for “I Smoke Earth” talking about their love of the dankest weed they get their hands on while “Backshots” takes a more sexual approach topically, which isn’t surprising considering the name. “A.D.B.F. (All Dese Bitches Fuckable)” keeps the raunchy subject matter going talking about the sexiness of all the women surrounding him while “Don’t Play With” angrily comes at the throats of those spewing craziness out their mouths.

“Victim” nears the end of the 1st leg talking about the unbelievability of those acting tough on social media only to flip the switch when shit hits the fan while “Speak in Gold” flexes that he manifests checks whenever he opens his mouth. “Day Walker” samples “The Rain” by Oran “Juice” Jonesso he can talk about a hoe his family nor TMZ will ever catch in public by his side while “I Wanna Baby” confesses he has no issues with women who act ratchet.

BeatKing & Wiz Khalifa both appear on “42” delivering an anthem to be played as part of their individual birthday celebrations prior to him trying to bring the “Real N***a Era” back over a Memphis-driven instrumental. “4 da Chat” encourages a stripper to bend it over & throw it back for everyone watching his livestream while “Yeah Dat Thur” talks about his lifestyle, including only blowing gas & carrying a Goyard bag full of money around.

“Last Time” keeps it rollin’ advising to keep a firearm on ya because of the streets being cold blooded while “You Not That” talks about having no one around him unless you’ve got ice in your veins. “Had to Do It” featuring Wiz Khalifa reunites the pair for a song I enjoyed more than “42”, explaining they had to cut their bitches off because they didn’t have a choice while “Shrooms” talks about consuming psilocybin although it’s not really my thing.

It was cool to hear Babyfxce E laying a verse out for Scotty” although I’m personally not the biggest fan of him on top of Juicy having the better performances of the 2 & after “Gofers” spends 110 seconds going at the throats of clout chasers who’ll literally go for anything to receive attention in return, “Like This” poses the question of what these cornballs will do when shit gets low & not having to make any complaints about the cars & house he owns.

“Sneaky” featuring RJtheWeirdo wraps up The Trippy Tapes’ encore turning up the Memphis influences telling a promiscuous woman who can’t keep her legs closed to meet them outside while “Stash” featuring G9ngstaB9by reunites both of them 1 last time letting everyone who wants to book them know that they wait to be paid in full first. The self-produced “Power” featuring La Reezy sends it all off shifting their focus from money to control.

Hearing that Lex Luger producing a vast majority of this inaugural entry of The Trippy Tapes raised my anticipation for it considering how well he & Juicy J have worked with each other in the past, but I wound up a bit divided towards the end result coming away from it. Granted the production’s an improvement over Head on Swivel, although there are some filler that should’ve been included on the sequel & some of the guests are underwhelming.

Score: 3/5

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