Vinnie Paz – “The Pain Collector” review

Vinnie Paz is an underground titan MC from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania known for being the MC of Jedi Mind Tricks & the leader of the Army of the Pharaohs collective. He put out his first 2 solo albums Season of the Assassin & God of the Serengeti in 2010 & 2012 respectively, but returned in 2016 with the disappointingly average The Cornerstone of the Corner Store. And now just 3 months after the release of the latest JMT album The Bridge & The Abyss, Boxcutter Pazzy isn’t stopping with his 4th full-length album.

The album begins with “Winter Soldier”, where Paz gets confrontational over some strings. The next song “Necklace of Hands” gets bloodthirsty over a gritty yet soulful instrumental from Oh No while the track “Gasmask” is a mix of street & conscious bars over an eerie beat. The song “Sundae Bloody Sundae” intellectually compares himself to an ice cream man as a metaphor for a drug dealer over an alluring soul sample while the track “Jail Cell Recipes” continues this theme albeit in a much menacing & straight forward tone to it. The song “Tongan Death Grip” with Reef the Lost Cauze sees the 2 spitting battle bars over some sinister horns while the track “God’s Shadow” reflects on his early days over a woodwind-inflicted boom bap beat with a cool Biggie sample on the hook.

“DualTow Night Eagle” sees Pazzy getting back in your face over a haunting beat while the track “Blood on My Hands” gets back on the murder tip over a somber boom bap beat. The song “Floating Goat” sounds like it was recorded for the latest Soul Assassins album Dia del Asesinato, but it works very well on here. The track “Byzantine Jewelry” brags about how hardcore he is over a laidback beat with a beautiful soul sample on the hook while I do find the beat switch on the song “Requiem for Black Benjy in 2 Parts” as well as the verses from both Vinnie & Crimeapple, I found Tha God Fahim‘s verse to be pretty bland.

The track “Pray for Sleep” goes into the mind of a insane murderer over a gloomy vocal sample while the song “HaShem on a Pentagram” with Non Phixion members Ill Bill & Lord Goat sees the 3 talking about criminal activity referencing former 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 & WWE Hall of Famer Scott Hall over an apocalyptic boom bap beat.

The track “Masked Stickups” talking about how he can have people disappear if he wants to over a piano & a funky bass-line while the song “Hollow Light Severed Sun” has a somber beat & I absolutely love how Paz experiments with his flow on here. The track “Cold in Philadelphia” tells the story of an immigrant coming to america over an acoustic instrumental while the penultimate track “Gracious” talks about all the things he’s grateful for over a vocal sample & some piano chords. The album then closes with “A Power Governments Cannot Suppress”, where Paz gets political & I absolutely love how the instrumental gets progressive throughout it’s 6 minute runtime.

Honestly, this is on par with Paz’s first 2 albums & I’ll even say it’s better than the latest Jedi Mind Tricks album. There are a couple weak spots & I feel like it 4 or 5 tracks could’ve been left out of the picture, but it’s just as rawly produced & angrily delivered than ever before.

Score: 4/5

Coops – “Life in the Flesh” review

This is the 5th studio LP from London, England, United Kingdom emcee/producer Coops. Introducing himself in 2013 off his full-length debut What Do You See? to mixed reception, the sophomore effort Lost Soul would be more positively received & the last album God Complexat the beginning of the previous year would be released to moderate feedback although it did catch the attention of High Focus Records. He made his debut for the UK’s most prominent hip hop label 5 months ago in the form of a No Brainer, following it up with Life in the Flesh.

The title track begins with a boom bap instrumental from Talos talking about living life to the fullest & getting his powers from above despite being skin, blood & bones whereas “Cold World” ruggedly breaks down how cruel people can be on this planet. “Rude Bwoi” talks about being immune to disrespect because he’s been on some rude shit from Day 1 & that being why bitches wanna chat with him just before “The Screen” eerily guarantees everyone they won’t hear anything this surreal.

“Guerillas” has to be one of my favorite Coops songs ever made from the summery beat to the lyrics about representing a whole different kind of breed leading into the drumless “Lift Off” portraying flashbacks of a previous life & slathering his vocals in auto-tune on the hook. “Free Up” gives off a militant vibe talking about bringing positivity being the only thing he’s trying to offer the world while “Sirens” tropically opens up to the criminal offenses he made during his youth.

After the “Irrelevant Material” skit, “Back to School” spends 88 seconds wittily putting himself inside the shoes of a teacher lecturing a classroom while “Place Called Home” has this luxurious boom bap aura instrumentally talking about being in the hood with his Gs. “Crowded” calmly vents over his search of a place where he can get a peace of mind but after “Fresh Air” talks about praying for a good day every morning, “If I Die” finishes Life in the Flesh wanting the world to know the way he would like his death to be handled when that day comes.

Thematically based around the cycle of life as well as death & reincarnation of the spirit/soul, Coops quickly follows up No Brainer starkly reminding the world of life being a test within itself in addition to some of the hardest & most important obstacles we have to overcome being the ones in our minds despite already facing many societal & worldly hurdles as it already is. The production’s more boom bap oriented than Life in the Flesh’s predecessor was, conveying the message of everything that happens in the middle makes us who we are & our decisions or choices shaping our futures both in this life & quite possibly the afterlife too.

Score: 3.5/5

Res 1 – “A Dog’s Dreams” review

This is the sophomore effort from Bristol, England, United Kingdom emcee & Green Brick Records founder Res 1. A member of the Split Prophets collective, he would team up with Datkid & Upfront MC for the respective collaborative Scribbled Thoughts and Drugs, Booze & Dental Issues respectively before making his solo debut Delph Efficiency in the summer of 2015 after I had graduated from high school. 3 years later, Illinformed has been brought in to fully produce A Dog’s Dreams & had high hopes for it based off both singles.

Datkid appears for the piano-driven boom bap intro “Funky Bag” so both of them can warn everyone to mind their mouths when speaking of the Prophets whereas “Blue Label” featuring Inja goes for a jazzier vibe instrumentally talking about trying to find their way out of the mist they grew up in. “No Your Business” hooks up a more soulful beat explaining that he doesn’t need to know what these other muhfuckas are doing until “Vertigo” featuring Datkid, Joey Paro & Smellington Piff lays their individually rough textured styles over a vocal sample.

“For the Love” reaches the halfway point talking about doing this music shit out of the passion he has for it over a funky instrumental just before “Too Ill” featuring Badhabitz & Bil Next kicks off the 2nd leg boasting how lyrically proficient they over a symphonic boom bap beat. “People You Know” featuring Joey Paro jazzily talks about their city being filled with a whole bunch of characters while “Living in a Snare” breaks down the circle of life over an orchestrally dusty instrumental.

The song “Mr. Contemptious” rounds out 3rd aggressively likening himself as a cross between dynamite & an open fire prior to Leaf Dog & Verb T accompanying Res to talk about life still being what they each make of it in the middle of the walls “Closing In” on all 3 of them. “84” spends the last couple minutes of the album sampling a drumless funk loop explaining that people better study up on the history of every mysterious thing that went down at the house he’s describing.

Being a fan of what Illinformed’s work with some of the biggest underground UK hip hop labels from High Focus Records to Real Life Drama Records & Lost Scroll Records, A Dog’s Dreams gave me confidence that it would surpass Delph Effiency to become the greatest entry of his entire solo career & I can verify that’s very much the case. The production’s a huge step above its predecessor a few years earlier, there’s more consistency regarding the guests’ performances & Res levels up his pen.

Score: 4/5

Young Thug – “On the Rvn” review

Young Thug is a 27 year old trap rapper who started out in 2011, but rose to popularity in 2014 with the release of the track “Stoner”. He has continued to constantly release music since, the most recent project of his being 1st EP “Hear No Evil” back in April & the Slime Language compilation from his 300 Entertainment imprint YSL Records last month. However, he’s dropping his 2nd EP in light of his recent arrest for 8 felonies.

The EP begins with the titular track, where Thugger talks about taking out cops over a moody trap beat from longtime collaborator London on da Track. The next song “Icey” of course boasts about the rich life over a bouncy trap beat with a quirky synth lead while the track “Climax” with 6lack is a decent love tune with a BEAUTIFUL instrumental. The song “Sin” is a club banger that gets constantly ruined by the Jaden Smith feature while the penultimate track “Real in My Veins” is a clap-back at his naysayers over a druggy trap beat. The closer “High” with Elton John of all people is a weed anthem with a piano, chilling background vocals & rattling hi-hats.

Even though it’s only 20 minutes, this is definitely an improvement over Slime Language. The first 2 features could’ve been much better & I wish he added 4 or 5 more tracks, but the production is a lot better as & Thugger’s vocal inflections continue to be one of a kind.

Score: 3.5/5

BROCKHAMPTON – “iridescence” review

BROCKHAMPTON is a hip hop “boyband” that originated in San Marcos, Texas in 2015. They dropped a flawed yet decent mixtape in 2016 called ALL-AMERICAN TRASH but in 2017, they completely reinvented themselves by dropping 3 near-perfectly creative albums with the SATURATION trilogy. However, things this year looked bleak for them in part of Ameer Vann (who was featured on the cover of all 3 SATURATION albums) was kicked out in May due to sexual misconduct. They then dropped 3 solid singles over the summer but now, they’re finally returning with their 4th full-length album.

Things start off with “NEW ORLEANS”, where they talk about how they’re calling their own shots over a gritty beat. The next track “THUG LIFE” sees the boyband’s de facto leader Kevin Abstract linking up with his older brother Dom McLennon alongside bearface to talk about depression over a beautiful piano instrumental while the song “BERLIN” sees Dom getting with Matt Champion & JOBA to talk shit over an abrasive beat. The “SOMETHING ABOUT HIM” interlude is an endearing tribute to Kevin’s husband Jaden Walker with a smooth instrumental from Romil Hemnani & Q3, but it sounds unfinished.

The track “WHERE THE CASH AT” sees Merlyn Wood & Matt Champion talks about their new rich life over a bouncy beat while the song “WEIGHT” is a heartfelt look into the boyband’s inner demons over some strings, but then it constantly switches from drum & bass with a piano to just simply punchy drums. The track “DISTRICT” is a club banger over a video gamey beat & after the “LOOPHOLE” interlude, we go into the song “TAPE”. Here, the boyband talks about their insecurities over a gloomy beat with skittering drums. The track “J’OUVERT” talks about success over a chaotic beat & while everyone’s performance on here was great, JOBA’s angry verse stood out to me the most.

The song “HONEY” gets braggadocious over an electro-funk beat while the track “VIVID” talks about how they’re making money now over an eerie electronic beat. The song “SAN MARCOS” is a guitar ballad about wanting more out of life while the penultimate track “TONYA” talks about unstable stardom over a prominent piano. The short switch up during Kevin’s verse & JOBA’s bridge was just ok, though. The album then finishes with “FABRIC”, where the boyband talks about still being depressed despite their newfound success & I absolutely love how the beat constantly switches throughout.

Being one of my most anticipated albums of the year, this did not disappoint. BROCKHAMPTON continues to be the most unique group in today’s hip hop landscape as their sound on here is refreshingly different than that of the SATURATION trilogy & I’ve also noticed that the chemistry between every member has improved.

Score: 4/5

Lupe Fiasco – “DROGAS Wave” review

Lupe Fiasco is a 36 year old rapper from Chicago, Illinois who blew up in 2005 after appearing on Touch the Sky off of Kanye West’s sophomore album Late Registration. He then released 2 classic albums Food & Liquor and The Cool in 2006 & 2007 respectively. However, his output since then has been very inconsistent. His next album Lasers in 2011 is easily his worst yet, Food & Liquor 2: The Great American Rap Album in 2013 was just ok but then Tetsuo & Youth in 2015 was a near perfect return to form for him. Given that, I was excited to see what he was going to do in the future. Then last year, his previous album DROGAS Light was a disappointing mixed bag. But randomly last week, he announced that he was finally putting out his 7th full-length album.

After the “In the Event If Typhoon”, we go into the first song “DROGAS”. Here, Lupe songs in Spanish over a guitar & a horn. The track “Manila” gets conscious over a fitting trap beat while the song “Gold vs. the Right Things to Do” insightfully talks about slavery in a fake patois over some choir vocals. After the “Slave Ship” interlude, we go into the song “WAV Files”. Here, Lupe talks about Babylon over a trap beat with some beautiful piano chords.

The track “Down” sees Lupe singing about Atlantis over a spacey beat while the 2014 “Haile Selassie” talks about inequality over a wavy trap beat. The track “Alan Forever” is a tribute to Alan Kurdi over a churchy beat & after the “Helter Skelter” interlude, we go into the song “Stronger” reflects on his past over a moody beat. The track “Sun God Sam & the California Drug Deals” talks about this drug addicted girl over an orchestral string-inflicted trap beat while the song “XO” sounds like an microwaved Lasers leftover.

After the “Don’t Mess Up the Children” interlude, we go into the 2013 song “Jonylah Forever”. Here, Lupe ponders what Jonylah Watkins’ life would’ve been like if she wasn’t murdered over an uplifting beat. The track “Kingdom” with Damian Marley talks about freedom over some synths with militant drums & after the “Baba Kwesi” interlude, we go into the song “Imagine”. Here, Lupe talks about how he wouldn’t change his past over a spacey boom bap beat. The track “Stack That Cheese” is a perfect sequel to “Hip Hop Saved My Life” while the song “Cripple” gets romantic over a jazzy boom bap beat.

The track “King Nas” talks about being the man over some punchy drums & luscious piano chords while the song “Questions from Chairman Fred” gets spiritual over a somber boom bap beat. The penultimate track “Happy Timbuck2 Day” references WWE Hall of Famer, former 2-time WWE Champion & 2-time WWE Tag Team Champion Yokozuna over a mellow beat & then the 2015 “Mural Jr.” ends things with fireworks as it’s a flawless sequel to the 9 minute-epic that kicked off Tetsuo & Youth.

I was worried about this given the 98 minute runtime as well as how disappointing DROGAS Light was, but this does NOT overstay it’s welcome. Despite a couple old tracks & some boring interludes, the production is rich & it really does Lupe’s smart lyricism justice as his topics are really well thought-out.

Score: 4/5

MGK – “Binge” review

MGK is a 27 year old rapper from Cleveland, Ohio who signed to Bad Boy Entertainment at the beginning of the decade. However, his style never really stuck with me. His 2012 debut Lace Up was just ok, but General Admission & bloom was one of the worst albums of last year. However, he’s returning with his 2nd EP just a week after Eminem ripped him apart with “Killshot”.

Things begin with “LONG TIME COMING”, which is a 1-minute cringed auto-crooner. The next track “LOCO” gets braggadocious over some heavy bass & a generic hook while the song “G.T.S. (Going Thru Shit)” sees MGK is a melodramatic story about what’s on his mind over a bland banger beat. The track “RAP DEVIL” is a corny & basic diss towards Eminem that’s carried by a solid Ronny J instrumental while the song “NYLON” is another boring brag over a nondescript beat.

The track “LATELY” talks about an ex, but his attempt at getting melodic just comes off as annoying. The song “SIGNS” with 24hrs sees the 2 talking about a bad bitch over a spacey trap beat while the penultimate track “GET THE BROOM” is the best track on the EP period. MGK’s sounds very animated & the Honorable C.N.O.T.E. production suits him perfectly as well. The EP then finishes with “LIVEFASTDIEYOUNG”, where he tells us he doesn’t give a fuck over a murky trap beat.

This should’ve been called Cringe because while it is slightly better than MGK’s last 2 albums, it’s still pretty bad. There are a few actual compelling moments compared to his last 2 albums, but the beats are mostly generic & MGK’s basic does nothing for me.

Score: 1/5

Roc Marciano – “Behold a Dark Horse” review

Roc Marciano is a legendary underground MC/producer from Long Island, New York who started out in the very late 90’s as a member of the Flipmode Squad. He then went solo in 2008 & has dropped 5 albums since, with his last one Rosebudd’s Revenge 2: The Bitter Dose being released in February of this year. However, he has decided to drop his 6th full-length album out of nowhere exclusively on his website.

Things start off with “The Horse’s Mouth”, where Roc brags about how dope he is over an eerie beat from Preservation. The next song “Congo” contains some gritty street bars over a Roc instrumental that contains some punchy drums & a guitar while the song “1,000 Deaths” gets confrontational over some strings. The song “Diamond Cutters” with Black Thought sees the 2 spitting battle bars over a middle eastern instrumental referencing Mayweather Promotions founder Floyd Mayweather while the track “Amethyst” talks about being a threat in the streets over a somber instrumental from Animoss, but the hook halfway through was awkward.

The song “Sampson & Delilah” gets back on the battle bar tip including a reference to WWE Hall of Famer Mike Tyson over a woodwind heavy instrumental from Doncee despite another wimpy hook while the track “No Love” with Knowledge the Pirate sees the 2 talking about trust over a beautiful soul sample from Roc himself.

“Trojan Horse” with Busta Rhymes sees the 2 getting mafioso over an instrumental that reminds of me “Wildflower” off of Ghostface Killah’s classic 1996 solo debut Ironman while the track “Fabio” goes at talentless rappers as well as bragging about himself over an instrumental from The Alchemist that starts off laidback, but then switches into something more eerie halfway through.

The song “Secrets” gets romantic over a spacey beat from Roc himself while the penultimate track “Whoolers” returns to the braggadocious tip over a soulful horn-induced beat from Animoss. The album then ends with “Consigliere”, where Roc gets into the lavish life once again as well as challenging his competition over an orchestral instrumental from Q-Tip.

As I expected, Roc didn’t disappoint at all. I don’t care for the parts where he’s singing at all, but the beats & the lyrical content are just as gritty as they’ve always been. If you wanna hear a horribly underrated vet sound rawer than ever before, then give this a listen.

Score: 4/5

Bhad Bhabie – “15” review

Danielle Bregoli is a 15 year old internet personality that quickly rose into stardom after an appearance she made on Dr. Phil in September of 2016. She then dropped a random “hip hop” song last year called “These Heaux” under the moniker Bhad Bhabie, which eventually landed her a contract with Atlantic Records. Fast forward to present day, she has decided to release her 1st mixtape.

The tape begins with the title track, where Danielle obnoxiously brags using the titular number over a generically eerie trap beat. The next track “Juice” has a sole YG verse with Danielle only handling the hook before & after. The ominous keyboard-inflicted trap beat as well as YG’s performance about clout are just ok, but that’s really it. The song “Gucci Flip Flops” talks about wealth, the somber trap production from 30 Roc & even the Lil Yachty verse pretty much carry it. The track “Affiliated” gets confrontational over a bouncy beat, but Asian Doll sounds a thousand times more animated than Danielle does. The song “Geek’d” gets braggadocious, but the somber trap beat & the charismatic Lil Baby verse make for it.

The track “No More Love” talks about being backstabbed & I actually find it funny that Danielle starts things off by saying she writes her life in these songs, despite the fact that Brittany B. ghostwrote the singles & I presume the rest of the mixtape too. Ghostwriting in hip hop is nothing new AT ALL, but don’t claim to be the sole writer of your material when you’re actually not. The song “Thot Opps (Clout Drop)” talks about staying in your lane over a spacey beat while the track “Yung & Bhad” is a shit-talking anthem, but Danielle sounds more goofy than in your face on both joints. The City Girls feature on the latter is alright, though. The song “Count It” with Jack $hirak is a run of the mill money making anthem while the song “Famous” reflects on the past 2 years. The beat is pretty decent & I have nothing wrong with it’s subject matter, but Danielle’s storytelling on here doesn’t interest me at all.

The song “Hi Bich” has a killer instrumental from Ronny J, it unfortunately goes to waste because it sounds half-written & the hook is tedious. The track “Shhh” is another boring braggadocious tune with a bass-heavy trap beat & the song “Trust Me” is a VERY uncomfortable love tune that I wanna know who was responsible for approving this, because the Ty$ verse could very well be the most embarrassing moment of his entire career. The penultimate track “Bout That” is basically Danielle assuring us that she lives the life that she’s rapping & honest to God: the instrumental sounds very similar to “Shhh”. The tape then finishes with the “Bhad Bhabie Story”, which is a 6 & a half minute diatribe about how people are jealous of her newfound fame over a piano.

There’s not much for me to say about it beyond that, this is truly one of the worst things I’ve heard all year. Almost all of the features sound more serious & captivating than Danielle does, as her personality is absolutely annoying. There are a couple decent instrumentals too but for the most part, it’s dime a dozen.

Score: 0.5/5

Noname – “Room 25” review

Noname is a 26 year old rapper & poet from Chicago, Illinois who broke out onto the scene with her amazing 1st mixtape Telefone. She’s been laying low ever since but just a couple days before her 27th birthday, she is finally following it up with her full-length debut.

Things open with “Self”, where Noname is talking about the people who doubted her over a mellow beat from Phoelix (who produces the entire album by himself). The next track “Blaxpoitation” talks about the stereotypes of African Americans over a funky beat while the “Prayer Song” intellectually breaks down the common issues in America over a spacey instrumental. The track “Window” vents about how nobody knows the real her over an orchestral instrumental with a vibraphone in the back while the song “Don’t Forget About Me” is of course about how she wants to be remembered over an instrumental kin to J Dilla.

The track “Regal” sees Noname getting spiritual over an instrumental with a beautiful atmosphere to it while the song “Montego Bay” with Ravyn Lenae is a love tune with some prominently jazzy piano chords. The track “Ace” by Ghetto Sage sees the trio talking about life on the road over some beautiful background vocals while the song “Part of Me” vents about Noname not pretending to be herself over an acoustic guitar & live drumming. The penultimate track “With You” poetically talks about a failed relationship over a prominent psychedelic guitar while the closer “No Name” talks about nonexistence over a bare piano.

Overall, this might be better than Telefone. There are couple features I were indifferent towards but outside of that, Noname’s lyricism is just as thoughtful as is the jazzy neo-soul based production. Also, Noname’s calm & relaxing flow continues to enhance the vibe of each track for the better.

Score: 4/5