James Blake – “Assume Form” review

James Blake is a 30 year old singer/songwriter & producer Enfield, London, England United Kingdom who made his critically acclaimed eponymous debut in 2011 under A&M Records. He would move over to Republic Records for an equally praised sophomore effort Overgrown & The Colour in Anything has been considered to be the weakest entry in his whole discography although it’s merely average, coming off the latter with his 4th studio album ahead of his forthcoming North American tour.

The title track starts us off singing to his girlfriend Jameela Jamil over a piano & some strings whereas the cloudy alternative R&B/trap soul single “Mile High” featuring Travis Scott is all about having sex on a plane over a smooth Metro Boomin’ instrumental. “Tell Them” by Moses Sumney is about how he doesn’t plan on staying with this woman over a skeletal Metro beat while “Into the Red” talks about keeping this woman in her life.

“Barefoot in the Park” by Rosalía is a powerfully minimalist ballad sung in Spanish while “Can’t Believe the Way We Flow” seems to tackle loneliness over some background vocals.the song “Are You in Love?” sees James asking this woman if she’s attracted to him over an ambient instrumental with some synthesizers while “Where’s the Catch?” featuring André 3000 talks about how they can’t be deceived over a dark electropop instrumental.

The song “I’ll Come Too” might be my least favorite track here & it has more to do with the stalker-ish lyrics than the mellow beat while “Power On” discusses how he was wrong about this woman over a soothing beat. “Don’t Miss It” talks about his depression over a fusion alternative R&B, art pop, alt-pop, glitch pop, future garage, pop soul & post-dubstep while the album lastly finishes with “Lullaby for My Insomniac”, which is mostly this choral ambient pop piece.

It might not be on par with self-titled or Overgrown, but I can say that I enjoyed Assume Form a lot more than his previous LP. His production refines the fusions of alternative R&B, art pop, ambient pop, UK bass, trap soul, alt-pop, glitch pop, future garage, pop soul & post-dubstep that made The Colour of Anything so different compared to both it’s predecessors aside except it has an upbeat twist to it & he brings a few high profile guests to join him for a look at the way he’s been feeling as of late.

Score: 3.5/5

Gorilla Voltage – “Gods & Claws” review

Gorilla Voltage is a hip hop duo from San Jose, California consisting of Mr. Grey & ClockworC. They originally came up as The Damn Dirty Apes in 2015 & released their self-titled debut that same year, changing their name after Twiztid signed them to Majik Ninja Entertainment on Christmas Day that following year. Their sophomore album Ape-X was released a couple months later & now to kick off 2019, they’re delivering their 3rd full-length album after appearing at the first annual Astronomicon a year ago next month.

The album kicks off with “Handful of Matches”, which talks about arson over a bass heavy beat. The next track “Ape Shit, Pt. 2” serves as a menacing sequel to a highlight off their 2015 debut while the song “Let Go” with Dot Bundini reflects on their past over a boom bap beat with some sinister horns. The track “Good Die Young” talks about how ruthless they are over a boom bap beat with some strings while the song “War Zone Dome” talks about internal conflict over a chaotic beat. The track “Generation Fool” is an adrenaline pumping take on rap metal while the song “Westilence” is filled with vicious battle bars over an instrumental with a prominent tuba.

The track “Feeding Time” brags about them taking over the game over a sinister beat while the song “Rocks in My Socks” talks about drug dealing over a hyphy beat. The track “Spaz Out” is a flawless mosh pit anthem while the song “Doomsday” vividly describes an apocalypse over a booming instrumental with some 8-bit synths. The track “Mad Scientist” with Kung Fu Vampire is a lyrical onslaught over a thumping beat while the song “Pub Crawl” is a flawless display of the duo’s chemistry over a chaotic beat. The penultimate track “No Rivalry” tells the story of a robbery over a monstrous beat & then the closer “Hatefuck” is a beautifully slow, smooth & melodic love anthem.

Ringing in the new year for MNE by delivering their best work yet, Gods & Claws makes some great improvements above Gorilla Voltage’s debut a couple years earlier a while after securing their label deal & dethroning The Damn Dirty Apes. There are some occasional weak spots here & there, but the production & lyricism have both stepped up for the most part & I also love how ClockworC & Mr. Grey take on many different styles of hip hop on here.

Score: 4/5

Big K.R.I.T. – “T.D.T.” review

Big K.R.I.T. is a 32 year old MC & producer from Meridian, Mississippi who started out by releasing a total of 5 mixtapes from 2005 up until 2009. However, he signed to GoodTalk Records in 2010 & his 6th mixtape K.R.I.T. Wuz Here that same year landed him a joint venture with Def Jam Recordings & a spot in the 2011 XXL Freshman Class. He then released his first 2 studio albums Live from the Underground & Cadillactica in 2012 & 2014 respectively, but then he departed from both Cinematic & Def Jam shortly after to form his own label Multi Alumni. His first outing under the imprint being 4eva’s a Mighty Long Time in October 2017, which is EASILY the best double disc hip hop album of the decade. He dropped a handful of tracks at the tail end of last year but now to kick off 2019, he’s delivering his very 1st compilation.

Things kick off with “Energy”, which is a dedication to K.R.I.T.’s significant other over a smooth Danja instrumental. The next song “Learned from Texas” is an ode to chopped & screwed music over a video gamey beat from DJ Khalil while the track “Pick Yourself Up” is a motivational anthem with a bouncy beat. The song “Glorious” is a charismatic bragging anthem with a cloudy trap beat & while the track “1 Oh Oh” has a blissful beat, the content about how his ex is keeping it real even after the breakup doesn’t interest me.

The song “Higher (King Pt. 6)” gets intellectually spiritual referencing Amazon founders Jeff Bezos over a lovely settle yet spacey instrumental with some background vocals that literally sound like they were sampled from Kanye West’s 808s & Heartbreak & then the penultimate track “Look What I Got”, Big KR.I.T. vividly vents about all that he did before he got famous over an atmospheric beat Supah Mario co-produced. The comp then finishes with “4 tha 3”, which is a dedication to Meridian with a soulful beat.

Personally, I think it’s really smart that K.R.I.T.’s kicking off this new year by combining THRICE X, DOUBLE DOWN & TRIFECTA into 1. Mostly because hearing these cuts on their own (i.e. DOUBLE DOWN) were just alright & bringing them all together really makes them a lot more cohesive in my opinion. A couple features would’ve been nice too, but I think this is a nice short taste of something bigger to come as Krizzle’s lyricism is well thought out & the production is mostly on par with 4eva’s a Mighty Long Time.

Score: 3.5/5

Bang Belushi – “The Adventures of Bang Belushi” review

Bang Belushi is an MC from Detroit, Michigan who came up as 1/4 of the world famous Fat Killahz. Since the group’s hiatus beginning in 2011, he’s released a few EPs with 2 of them being under his own name & the other one being a collaborative effort with fellow Fat Killah King Gordy. But now with just a few days left in 2018, the newly founded Middle Finger Music is helping him in giving fans his long-awaited full-length debut with the label’s co-founder Foul Mouth producing it in it’s entirety.

After the intro, we go into the first song “Gotta Go”. Here, Bang gets boastful over a smooth boom bap beat. The track “That Loud” is a weed anthem with a prominent flute while the song “I Love Fast Food” pretty much speaks for itself over a grimy beat. The track “Do the Bang” is a charismatic party anthem while the song “DrinkSmokeWeedFuck” vividly describes his Saturday nights over a boom bap beat with some vibraphones. The track “Simple” with Nolan the Ninja sees the 2 getting on some fly shit over some funky guitar licking while the song “I Think I’m ODB” with A-Minus talks about how wreckless they are over a boom bap beat with some horns.

The track “For Years” talks about his place in the rap game over a soulful beat while the song “Rhyder Daddy” is a heartfelt tribute to Bang’s daughter complete with a settle beat. The track “Shooter” with King Gordy & Guilty Simpson sees the 3 getting vividly murderous over an organ-inflicted boom bap beat while “The Zone Out” with Isaac Castor sees the 2 talking about relaxation over a spacey yet jazzy beat. The song “Blowed Everyday” speaks for itself over a laidback beat while the track “Bloodsport” feels like a perfectly haunting sequel to “Bang & the Barfly” off of Aztek the Barfly’s latest magnum opus Line King. The album then finishes with “Middle Finger Rap”, where Bang fantastically sets the vibe complete with some eerie choir vocals.

It’s been a long time coming & at the end, Bang’s magnum opus is over here is a fantastic example of why I think Middle Finger Music is starting to become one of the most consistent labels in hip hop. There are a couple features that I personally didn’t care for but other than that, Foul Mouth continues to prove himself as one of the best producers in the game today & it suits the raw unfiltered lyricism that is displayed from beginning to end.

Score: 4.5/5

Cormega – “MEGA” review

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Cormega is a legendary 48 year old MC known for being an original member of The Firm. Since his departure from the group right after being signed to Aftermath Entertainment, he has gone onto release a handful of solo efforts including The Realness and Born & Raised. However, it’s been 4 years since the release of his Large Professor produced 5th album Mega Philosophy & now he’s finally returning alongside StreetRunner with his 1st EP.

The EP begins with “Say No More”, where Mega spits battle bars over a luscious beat. The next track “On Everything” talks about self esteem over a soulful beat while the song “Live Your Best Life” with Havoc pretty much speaks for itself over a vocal sample with some drums overpowering it. The penultimate track “Genuine Article” talks about his over a smooth piano-heavy instrumental & then the EP finishes with “Empty Promises”, which is a fitting sequel to the opener.

Overall, this was a pretty solid EP. Mega still has the passion & lyricism & the StreetRunner production was better than I had anticipated, but I was hoping that we got about 2 or 3 more tracks. That being said, I am looking forward to the album in 2019.

Score: 3.5/5

Pi’erre Bourne – “Pi’erre & Cardo’s Wild Adventure” review

Pi’erre Bourne is a 25 year old producer, rapper, songwriter & audio engineer from South Carolina who became one of the most in demand beatsmiths in hip hop today due to the viral success of Playboi Carti’s “Magnolia”. The year before though, he released a trilogy of mixtapes in 2016 called The Life of Pi’erre & is expected to make his full-length commercial debut by following these tapes up at the beginning of 2019. However, he’s giving fans his 8th mixtape to lead us up to the album & he has enlisted Cardo to produce it in it’s entirety.

The tape begins with “Ah Ah Ah”, where Pi’erre talks about how his life is great now over a chilled out trap beat. The next song “Home Improvement” talks about finding a better woman over some synthesizers & heavy bass while the track “Fiji” talks about a friend shooting up his own party over an spacey beat. The song “My Shooter” gets boastful over a cloudy beat while the track “Bearbrick” is filled with clever Justin Timberlake references over a druggy trap beat. The song “For the 2000” talks about blowing money over an atmospheric beat while the track “Death of a Funeral” charismatically brags over a laidback beat.

The song “Kevin Durant” is a moody love tune while the track “Quicksand” continues the vibes of the previous joint. The song “My Calendar” is an airy, unfinished boast while the track “Flex Washington” gets back to the sex themes over a dreamy beat. The song “Backseat” about living in the fast lane over a chilled out beat & while the penultimate track “Motorola” has a decent beat, the auto-tune is slathered to the point where it’s annoying. The tape ends with “Civil Rights”, where Pi’erre boasts over a sample from the previous cut itself.

Overall, this was a pretty solid prelude to The Life of Pi’erre 4. Even though Pi’erre himself is an immensely talented producer, he & Cardo chemistry is more on point than their loose singles in the past. However, I just wish it was longer than 34 minutes & the lack of features unfortunately make it monotonous after a while.

Score: 3.5/5

DJ Akademiks – “Clout Chaser” review

DJ Akademiks is a 27 year old media personality known for covering hip hop news on his YouTube channel & co-creating COMPLEX’s Everyday Struggle with Joe Budden in 2017, but I guess now he’s taking a jab at rapping by dropping this random ass EP on Christmas Day.

The opener “Chug Jug” is a response to “Fall” off of Eminem’s latest album KAMIKAZƎ, but it comes off as so plain & basic. The song “Durag” brags about a girlfriend of his who I’m not even sure exists over a trap beat with some prominent bells & while the penultimate track “Celina” is a dedication to Celina Powell, the delivery is awful & the beat is bland. The EP finally ends with “Super Lit”, which is a boring attempt at making a club banger.

Yeah, this was much worse than I expected. Ak’s commentary on both YouTube & Everyday Struggle has always made me feel like I’m losing brain cells, but he really takes it to the next level with dime a dozen production, flows & lyricism.

Score: 0/5

21 Savage – “i am > i was” review

21 Savage is a 26 year old rapper & producer born in London, England, United Kingdom & raised in Atlanta, Georgia who I first caught wind of on the 2016 XXL Freshman Class. Shortly after, he dropped his 2nd EP Savage Mode with Metro Boomin’ producing it in it’s entirety. I wasn’t a fan of the project at first admittedly because I thought it was boring, but it has grown on me overtime. He dropped a solid full-length debut with Issa Album last summer & then last Halloween, he teamed up with Offset & Metro to put out one of the best collab projects of the decade: Without Warning. Now after spending a bulk of 2018 killing it with features, he’s dropping his highly anticipated sophomore album.

Things kick off with “a lot”, where Savage & surprisingly teams up with J. Cole to talk about what they’re thankful for over a soulful trap beat from DJ Dahi. The next song “break da law” pretty much speaks for itself over an eerie beat from the So Icey Boyz while the track “a&t (ass & titties)” with Yung Miami is a strip club anthem that interpolates the Hypnotize Camp Posse song of the same name & it goes over very well. The song “out for the night” is an ode to his lady over an airy beat while the track “gun smoke” talks about being a 1-man army over a dreary trap beat. The song “1.5” with Offset sees the 2 getting charismatically boastful over a Wheezy instrumental that actually has kind of a mafioso vibe to it while the track “all my friends” with Post Malone sees the 2 talking about how their fame has resulted in falling outs with their homies over a druggy beat.

The song “can’t leave without it” feels like a mediocre leftover from Gunna & Lil Baby’s recent collab tape Drip Harder down to the dime a dozen Wheezy production while the track “asmr” if you couldn’t tell serves as an equally whisper-delivered, cold blooded sequel to “Don’t Come Out the House” off of Metro Boomin’s latest album NOT ALL HEROES WEAR CAPES. The song “ball w/o you” is a breakup tune with a piano-laced trap beat from TM88 & even though the Cardo & 30 Roc produced “good day” is gritty on all fronts, it sounds out of place as 21 only handles the hook while ScHoolboy Q & Project Pat handle the verses. The track “pad lock” recalls life before a deal with a dope reference to former 3-time WWE world champion Rey Mysterio over a spacey trap beat while the song “monster” with Childish Gambino discuss how fame has changed them over a luscious piano instrumental. The penultimate track “letter 2 my momma” is a heartwarming dedication to 21’s mother Heather Abraham-Joseph & then the closer “4L” with Young Nudy see the 2 getting murderous over an Old Western/trap fusion.

Honestly, this was a pretty solid way for 21 Savage to end his year. There are some lowpoints on here but for the most part, the album truly lives up to it’s title as it lyrically sounds like that 21’s been maturing quite a bit.

Score: 3.5/5

Kodak Black – “Dying to Live” review

Kodak Black is a 21 year old rapper who blew up with the release of his 4th mixtape Lil B.I.G. Pac in 2016. He then landed a spot in the 2016 XXL Freshman Class a few days after & released his debut album Painting Pictures the following year. But now 10 months after the release of his Valentine’s Day tape Heart Break Kodak as well as a series of legal troubles, he’s delivering his sophomore album before the year is done.

The album kicks off with “Testimony”, where Kodak talks about being God-sent over a somber trap beat. The next song “This Forever” talks about his place in the game over a bouncy London on de Track & Leon Thomas III beat while the track “Identity Thief” is an attempt at going hyphy & it surprisingly works pretty well. The song “Gnarly” with Lil Pump is a party anthem with a spacey beat while the track “ZEZE” with Offset is a catchy tropical banger d.a. got that dope produced.

The song “Take 1″ serves as a diss towards 6ix9ine over a gritty trap beat while the track “Moshpit” with Juice WRLD speaks for itself over a blissful trap beat that doesn’t suit the vibe at all. The song “Transgression” talks about being blessed over some keyboards while the track “Malcolm X.X.X.” is a touching dedication to XXXTENTACION over a synth-heavy instrumental. The track “Calling My Spirit” talks about his 3rd eye over an acoustic trap beat from Southside & Jake One while the song “In the Flesh” talks about resurrection over a cloudy beat.

The track “From the Cradle” gets boastful over a beautiful acoustic beat while the song “If I’m Lyin’, I’m Flyin’” talks about fame over a spacey trap beat. The penultimate track “Needing Something” is a piano ballad about inner peace. The album then finishes with “Could’ve Been Different”, where Kodak talks about a deceiving person he knew over a trap beat with some gloomy keys.

I’ve been curious to hear this given the singles & now with the finished product here, I think it’s his best work yet. However, it’s still average at best. I think he can work on trying to sound more coherent, but the production mostly knocks & a handful of the song topics are some of most mature to date.

Score: 3/5

Method Man – “The Meth Lab 2: The Lithium” review

Method Man is a 47 year old rapper known for being apart of the almighty Wu-Tang Clan. He only dropped 1 album this decade, which was The Meth Lab back in 2015. Personally, I found it to be his weakest effort yet due to the cut-rate production & packing damn near every track with features just for the sake of having features. However, he’s returning with his 6th full-length album & it serves as a sequel to that project.

After the “Pilot” intro, we go into the first song “Kill Different. Here, Meth & Raekwon talk about achieving success over a rap rock beat. The track “Eastside” with Intell & Snoop Dogg see the 3 paying tribute to their home coasts over a boom bap beat with some strings & after the “Thotti Gotti” skit, we go into the song “Grand Prix”. Where Meth compares himself to Ricky Bobby in getting money over a gloomy Dame Grease instrumental.

Then after the “Impractical Jokers Pranks” skit, the song “Drunk Tunes” with N.O.R.E. & Mall G perfectly lives up to it’s title over a bland beat. Following the “Emergency Forecast” skit, the song “Wild Cats” with Redman, Streetlife & Hanz On talks about how reckless all 4 of them are over a piano & a guitar. “The Lab” with Spank talks about the drug game over a minimalist beat while the song “Bridge Boys” with Kash Verrazano Talk about hood fame over an apocalyptic beat.

The track “Back Blockz” with Youngin’, Cardi Express & F.R.E.A.K. talks about doing shit by themselves over an eerie beat while the song “Ronins” with Cappadonna, Masta Killa & Hanz On is filled with battle bars over a gritty beat with an organ. After the “Impractical Jokers: Torture” skit, the song “2 More Minutes” talks about being underrated over a rap rock beat. Then after the “Pussy on SoundCloud” skit, the song “S.I. vs. Everybody” is a boring rendition of “Detroit vs. Everybody” off the 2014 Shady Records compilation SHADYXV.

The track “Lithium” with Hanz On & Sheek Louch reflects on their days in the streets over a boom bap beat with a wailing guitar while the “P.L.O.” remix is a lackluster sequel to the song off Meth’s classic 1994 debut Tical. The song “Killing the Game” with Pretty Blanco speaks for itself for a generic trap beat & before ending with the outro, the final song “Yo” tells the listener to respect them over a somber trap beat.

Yeah, I didn’t care for this. Method Man still has it lyrically & the production is slightly better than the predecessor but just like last time, I still feel like it’s packed with a lot of filler.

Score: 2/5