Merlyn Wood – “Velvet” review

Merlyn Wood is a 29 year old Ghanaian-American rapper & songwriter born in Accra, Ghana, Africa & raised in Texas known for being a member of the now defunct BROCKHAMPTON collective. He also has a couple EPs under his belt with Teen Virgyn & Dirty Thunder, both of which where released to mixed reception as was Ameerlyn’s debut EP Slime in the Ice Machine under Blacksmith Recordings. Almost 23 months since Dirty Thunder, the Ol’ Dirty Bastard of the best boyband since 1 Direction is back by himself for his 3rd EP.

“Peace” was a stripped back choice of an intro singing over acoustics to ask when things are gonna get easier for him whereas “Ashes” embraces more of a pop rap/trap vibe talking about watching the crazy world we live in burn down. “Eater” pulls a bit of inspiration from rap rock for a description of those exact type of women & after “Nympho” continues to rap about lustful themes over a cloudy instrumental, “Backseat” finishes up with a trap outro getting down to business in the back of a car.

Dirty Thunder has gotta be my least favorite EP of the 3 that we have in the Merlyn Wood solo discography thus far, but Velvet’s the most versatile he’s sounded by himself since Teen Virgyn & a cut above that alongside it’s successor for his best solo material. The pop rap & cloud rap styles of that introductory EP are reincorporated fluidly except the secondary influences of wonky, alt-pop & alternative R&B are being replaced with the trap sounds of it’s follow-up along with rap rock & singer/songwriter.

Score: 3.5/5

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Blood Orange – “Essex Honey” review

Blood Orange is a 39 year old singer/songwriter, producer, composer & director from London, England, United Kingdom releasing his full-length debut Falling Off the Lavender Bridge & sophomore effort Life’s Sweet! Nice to Meet You under the Lightspeed Champion moniker. Coastal Grooves, Cupid Deluxe, Freetown Sound & Negro Swan have all became some of the greatest alternative R&B within the last decade & has signed to RCA Records to make his 7th album his major label debut.

“Look at You” begins with an alternative R&B intro seeking meaning in one’s grace only to find nothing & still searching for some sort of truth whereas “Thinking Clean” sings over some skittering drums & pianos pondering if everything was taken from beneath. Sophisti-pop, bedroom pop, dream pop & jangle pop get fused on “Somewhere in Between” pleading to have the vision of an adolescent again while “The Field” blends liquid drum & bass, art pop, alt-pop & sambass comes across the feeling of the sun keeping us warm daily.

Alt-pop, art pop, bedroom pop, singer/songwriter, indietronica & alternative R&B combine on “Mind Loaded” feeling like everything means nothing to him & unable to think straight leading into “Vivid Light” finding himself in rage & not wanting to be alone because the more you hide, the smaller you become. “Countryside” collides dream pop, alt-pop & sophisti-pop singing about wanting to be taken away from the broken lights & seeking comfort in Epping Forest while “The Last of England” melancholically remembers his late mother who passed away last winter.

“Life” expresses his desire for watch somebody he cares about making it on their own & gaining waves of daisies while “Westerberg” homages “Alex Chilton” by The Replacements alongside it’s former frontman Paul Westerberg, who embarked on a successful solo career following the band’s demise almost 35 years ago. We get hints of bedroom pop on “The Train (King’s Cross)” singing about feeling as if the worst has yet to come for the first time in his life while the somewhat jazzy “Scared of It” vents over the difficulties of always looking & in out of the end suggesting one’s likelihood of being better off on their own.

Nearing the final moments of Essex Honey, we have “I Listened (Every Night)” embracing a more smoother tone becoming unable to find anything soft in between accompanied by an alternative bedroom pop instrumental & “I Can Go” featuring Mustafa finishes to the LP with both of them singing about how what you know is something that they can hold during nights that flow into lows.

Conceived during a period of grief & reflection on his upbringing in Essex intertwined with the ways music has inspired & healed him throughout his life, Blood Orange takes the world on a personal exploration of grief & his roots by stylistically emphasizing an alt-pop & bedroom pop sound with secondary sophisti-pop, dream pop, art pop, singer/songwriter, indietronica, alternative R&B, liquid drum & bass, sambass and jangle pop influences.

Score: 4.5/5

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Tezzus – “I Phønk, U Phønk” review

Atlanta, Georgia rapper Tezzus ending August with his 3rd EP of the month & his 6th altogether. Introducing himself with his first few EPs Hard2Kill as well as Hellraiser & Everyday’s Halløween, his debut mixtape Tezzus Khrist last holiday season would significantly elevate his profile locally as did the handful of appearances he made on The XA Tape earlier this year. Coming off his new Søufside collaborative EP with Percaso as well as Backrooms & more recently King Phønk, he’s preluding his upcoming blues project by dropping I Phønk, U Phønk exclusively on SoundCloud.

“Who” featuring Baby Osama opens with a rage instrumental from tana talking about their partners calling them to come back home whereas “Woo” gives off an eerie trap vibe to assure that he’s coming for throats. “Lucid Dreams” fuses hypertrap & phonk so he can talk about the realistic dreams he’s been having of fucking this bitch leading into “Heartbreak King” rounds out the EP by dabbling with chopped & screwed.

Only less than 3 weeks away from his said blues project, Tezzus decides to experiment with sounds for a good 9 minutes venturing out from the both of rage & phonk styles he blew up off of to incorporate elements of standard trap along with chopped & screwed. For only 4 songs, it’s still a worthy testament to his bold artistry & knack for going outside of the box.

Score: 4/5

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Westside Gunn – “Heels Have Eyes II” review

This is the 13th mixtape from Buffalo, New York emcee, songwriter, entrepreneur, curator & now professional wrestling promoter after forming the 4th Rope independent circuit promotion Westside Gunn. Proving his legend status & that he’s to be a force to be reckoned with all in nearly a decade whether it be running one of the hottest hip hop labels in recent memory to his first 2 full-lengths FLYGOD & Supreme Blientele. The success of the 4th Rope promotion has included 2-time RoW Heavyweight Champion Zilla Fatu becoming the inaugural 4th Rope Heavyweight Champion carrying on the legacy of his late father in former AJPW世界タッグチャンピオン, FMWハードコアタッグチームチャンピオン and 2-time WWE Intercontinental Champion Umaga as well as former 2-time WWE Cruiserweight Champion Real1 becoming the inaugural 4th Rope Flyweight Champion and even the current 4-time TNA World Tag Team Champions The Hardy Boyz becoming the inaugural 4th Rope World Tag Team Champions, releasing a sequel to Heels Have Eyes.

“Heel Cena” after the “Bommes des Garçon” intro references 17-time WWE world champion, 4-time WWE tag team champion & 5-time WWE United States Champion John Cena’s short run as a heel over a vintage boom bap instrumental from CG whereas “Amira Kitchen” featuring Brother Tom Sos jazzily talking about everything working because God said it would. “Powerhouse Hobbs” featuring Benny the Butcher has to be one of the the grimiest moments here thanks to Denny LaFlare giving a nod to the current AEW World Trios Champion & former AEW TNT Champion alongside former 2-time AEW International Champion Will Ospreay leading into Conductor Williams sampling “Can You Lose by Following God” by Johnnie Frierson for “Mandela” & FLYGOD flowing all over it.

Stove God Cooks joins Westside Gunn on the Harry Fraud-produced “Brikolai Volkoff” referencing none other than the late WWE Hall of Famer & former WWE Tag Team Champion Nikolai Volkoff while “Aunt Gina” featuring Skyzoo dedicates itself to all type of people that they know from those in prison to brick movers. “Glowrealah” gives off a hypnotic boom bap vibe talking about possibly getting him a country chick just before “Prick” featuring Brother Tom Sos kicks the pianos back in effect talking about seeing dope fiends & broken dreams.

The song “Demna Left Balenci” begins the final leg of Heels Have Eyes II with DJ Muggs chopping up a soul sample & a bar referring to another current AEW World Trios Champion & former 2-time AEW TNT Champion Samoa Joe in addition to his reign as AEW World Champion while “Blow Hendry” featuring MIKE drumlessly references former TNA World Champion & the longest reigning TNA Digital Media Champion Joe Hendry, whom I had the pleasure of meeting at Astronomicon 8 this spring. The tape finishes with a sequel to the “Love U” interlude off Hitler Wears Hermes VII being used as an outro this time.

In no way am I trying to discredit the projects that followed Hitler Wears Hermes X because I enjoy And Then You Pray for Me for his attempt at experimenting with trap & Hitler Wears Hermes XI this past Valentine’s Day even if I still maintain that it felt more of a Peace FLYGOD sequel, but Heels Have Eyes II contains some of Westside Gunn’s greatest performances since what was originally the concluding chapter of his infamous mixtape series that continues today going back & forth between drumless & boom bap production with 5 other guests whose pen-games are individually unparalleled.

Score: 4.5/5

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D Smoke – “Wake Up Supa” review

This is the 4th studio LP & Death Row Records debut from Inglewood, California emcee/producer D Smoke. The older brother of R&B singer/Top Dawg Entertainment signee SiR, he made his full-length debut in almost 2 decades ago with Producer of the Year & re-emerged in 2019 off his debut EP Inglewood High & the Grammy nominated sophomore effort Black Habits. His last album Wars & Wonders broke down what it was like for him growing up in the City of Champions & has returned almost 4 years later for Wake Up Supa.

The title track with co-production from Terrace Martin drumlessly talks about people not listening to correction & shining when it comes to connection whereas “Na Na Na” featuring LaRussell finds the pair feeling like no one can tell them shit over an instrumental from both Larrance Dopson of 1500 or Nothin’ & Turbo. “No Passes” works in a heavy sample courtesy of Mike & Keys to drop some gas on these bitch asses leading into “Chin Up” talking about not letting anyone smaller than him outbox him.

“Fire” moves forward with a self-produced reflection on choosing a path different from the bloods & crips just before “Biscuits” featuring Nana & WWE Hall of Famer Snoop Dogg asking God for Him to bless their visions & carry them from insanity. “Count Cha Blessings” featuring Jane Handcock takes a smoother approach instrumentally talking about focusing on the Ws more than the Ls while “Energized” refuses to let anyone steal his energy & dismiss them in the coldest fashion.

Lucky Daye joins Smoke on the soulful “Frequency” talking about needing love, support & encouragement along with asking why they keep getting declined whilst seeking a silver lining while “Jackie’s Triumph” strips the drums again so he can tap into his storytelling abilities lyrically. “Stomp” featuring Miles Minnick continues the sampling to talk about stepping on Satan while “Proud of You” produced by DJ Battlecat tells the individual it was written towards that he’s been watching them & that he’s pleased of them.

“Good Morning” nears the conclusion of the LP by stating that he doesn’t think anything will get the attention of those sleeping on him if Wake Up Supa doesn’t & the final song “So Good” ends the Rhythm + Flow season 1 winner’s inaugural release through Tha Row with a funky drumless outro talking about looking around & refraining whenever he feels like complaining because he’s ok as long as he’s still alive.

If you preferred Black Habits over Wars & Wonders by a slight margin like the majority of people, you’re probably gonna like D Smoke’s highly anticipated debut under Death Row Records as much if not more coming exactly 2 years since he became the 4th artist to sign with the most controversial record label in history’s current incarnation. Primarily because I feel like the conscious hip hop & R&B fusions that made him break out a month prior to the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic are being purified as he opens a window to his self-aware perspective.

Score: 4/5

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untiljapan – “BornUnderPunches.” review

Here is the 6th EP from Atlanta, Georgia recording artist untiljapan. Putting out his last 5 EPs & landing a feature on “light ice” off Sk8star‘s 2nd mixtape whole new meaning, it wasn’t until his own full-length studio debut album Safe Travels where he established himself as an up-&-comer in trap, emo rap, cloud rap, alternative R&B & neo-psychedelia that landed him a contract with Interscope Records. His sophomore effort Trompe-L’oeil almost 3 months since it dropped has become one of the most beloved trap albums of the year, uploading BornUnderPunches. on SoundCloud without any warning.

“SoClose” starts with a rage beat talking about being here to take the throne & all the hoes whereas “NeverForget” doesn’t shy away from admitting he’s got lot of drugs running through his body & wanting money instead of rules over a CXO instrumental. “AcceptingMyFlaws” produced by Clayco & OPM BABI finds himself wanting this woman he’s been seeing to be truthful for once while “SayPlease” talks about feeling like he’s living every day the exact same.

To begin the 2nd half, “Showin’” samples “You’re Always on My Mind” by SWV keeping rounds of guns & sluts on him while “FuckedUpPeople” talks about the people he grew up around. “GunPowder” speaks on seeing somebody for who they really are while “PeopleNeverChange” talks about his gang going crazy in the back. “RealFunk” finishes BornUnderPunches. sampling “Cha Cha Slide” by the late DJ Casper cooking down those playing with fire.

Rather than sticking to the rich lusciousness than made Trompe-L’oeil the beloved major label debut it’s been rightfully hailed as being almost 90 days after if initially came out, the production on this EP sees untiljapan taking a more firm direction regarding the modern trap sounds that’s caused many heads to be turned these past 23 months although the usage of samples are equally impeccable as the predecessor earlier this summer.

Score: 4/5

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Mac DeMarco – “guitar” review

Mac DeMarco is a 35 year old singer/songwriter, multi-instrumentalist & producer from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada who I became a fan of during my adolescence off the debut EP Rock & Roll Night Club, his debut album 2, my personal favorite Salad Days & his 2nd EP Another One. I highly enjoyed This Old Dog too, although I can’t really say the same for either Here Comes the Cowboy or 5 Easy Hot Dogs with all respect to the guy. 1 Wayne G on the other hand was actually a pretty decent compilation despite it’s 9 hour runtime, clinging to the expectation of his 6th album surpassing both it’s predecessors in becoming his strongest material since forming his own record label.

“Shining” starts with a bedroom pop/indie folk crossover singing about his love possibly being broken & trying to figure out what’s going on whereas “Sweeter” acoustically observe that some things don’t ever change. “Phantom” continues to head down the prominent bedroom pop direction singing about the ghost of a person that he still lives sitting besides him when he’s by himself while “Nightmare” suggests maybe this individual would’ve stopped lying had they known they’d be in tears later.

Meanwhile on “Terror”, we have Mac singing about him being the type of person that reeks of annoyance or problems in addition to opening up regarding his fear of death while “Rock & Roll” breaks down the dichotomy of screaming in excessive joy & feeling down on himself mentally. “Home” finds himself preferring to be alone because of a dissolving friendship & his welcome with this former colleague becoming worn out leading into “Nothing at All” observing a spiraling relationship.

“Punishment” reaches the final leg of guitar by singing about his mother teaching him that those of us who don’t what we were made to do are gonna get what’s coming to them while “Knockin’” takes a more mature approach to his songwriting. “Holy” blends bedroom pop, slowcore & folk rock together so he can sing for a miracle to reveal itself to him while “Rooster” finishes off by optimistically rising up despite the future looking dimmer with each day.

Offering a close representation of where Mac DeMarco’s at in his life today, guitar feels like a step in the right direction for the jizz jazz pioneer & it’s easily the most I’ve enjoyed something from him since This Old Dog almost a decade earlier. His production is more minimal than 1 Wayne G’s taking the styles of bedroom pop, indie folk, folk rock, soft rock & slowcore to be more emotionally open than he has been in the past.

Score: 4/5

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Coast Contra – “The 5th” review

Here is the 3rd EP from Los Angeles, California jazz rap/trap group Coast Contra consisting of RioLoz, Eric Jamal & Ras Kass’ twin children Taj Austin & Ras Austin. Their debut album Apt. 505 in the spring of 2022 received significant acclaim & their debut EP The Old Way the next fall, coming off being featured on Masta Ace & Talib Kweli’s latest albums Richmond Hill & The Confidence of Knowing respectively followed by the Austin twins’ appearance on Kamasi Washington’s 5th album Fearless Movement a year ago. Marco Polo produced my favorite EP of theirs yet In Case You Forgot at the start of 2025 & The 5th has arrived on DSPs after being exclusive to EVEN for a month.

“Rulaz” produced by Dem Jointz aggressively opens up shop talking about having no weak links around them whereas “Don’t Worry” hooks up a piano instrumental from Tae Beast suggesting not to stress over money because it doesn’t make you rich. “N2G” dabbles with trap to talk about them runnin’ it up in the midst of their new beginning while the 5 & a half minute “Woman” finds themselves experiencing a love like no other. “God’s Grace” lastly caps off the EP by smoothly talking about everything being alright & today being a good day.

I wouldn’t put it above In Case You Forgot personally, but The 5th still marks a sharp evolution from Coast Contra’s viral freestyles to fully-formed songs by showcasing the group’s lyrical depth along with their commitment to legacy & the cinematic sound they’ve become known for. The production has more trap elements than its predecessor did almost 8 months ago & I don’t mean that as a con, it just further cements the quintet’s variety.

Score: 3.5/5

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The World’s a Beautiful Place & I’m No Longer Afraid to Die – “Dreams of Being Dust” review

The World’s a Beautiful Place & I’m No Longer Afraid to Die are a midwest emo band from Willimantic, Connecticut consisting of bassist/keyboardist Josh Cyr, drummer/percussionist Steven Buttery, guitarist/trumpeter Chris Teti, keyboardist Katie Dvorak, guitarist Anthony Gesa & frontman David Bello. These guys’ full-length debut If Ever & their Epitaph Records debut more specifically Harmlessness would both win me over as a fan of theirs in high school although Always Foreign was merely ok. Illusory Walls thankfully marked a step in the right direction & hoped they’d continue to head down that trajectory for their 5th studio album.

“Dimmed Sun” makes for an alternative metal intro talking about how it’s merely them in the rudderless world we’re living in whereas the melodic post-hardcore single “Se sufre pero se goza” pulls further inspiration from alternative rock & metalcore feeling as if their prayers for their souls & land have all gone to waste. The melodic elements get ditched on “No Pilgrim” to take on a politically charged approach to the songwriting while the hardcore punk single “Beware the Centrist” sings about biting their tongues until they can feel their teeth.

We get a response to the ongoing famine at the Gaza Strip on “Oubliette” from asking what kind of king uses widespread hunger in the poorest of children as a lesson to the blue tarp used to cover up the corpses of the casualties while “Captagon” embraces the alternative metal vibes once more singing about being high off fenethylline. Alternative rock, alt-metal & metalcore all collide during “Dissolving” taking us into the woods late at night noticing the fuzziness of the boundary between our protagonist & the rest of the outside world while “Reject All & Submit” shows off more influences of melodic hardcore singing for a plot to be sold to help them relax.

“December 4, 2024” conceptually takes it’s inspiration from the morning Luigi Mangione killed UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson last winter embracing the sounds of progressive metal while “Auguries of Guilt” fuses post-rock, alternative rock, post-hardcore, Emo & progressive rock talks about the villains being seen as the heroes. “For Those Who’ll Outlive Us” lastly concludes the LP by referring to themselves as bugs that can think of the most invasive game on Earth without trust.

Pulling no punches in addressing the crises that’ve developed as a result of the world as we know it becoming ravaged & devastated by late-stage capitalism alongside neo-liberalism & neo-fascism, Dreams of Being Dust provides the soundtrack to these harrowing times by having The World’s a Beautiful Place & I’m No Longer Afraid to Die focusing more around post-hardcore & progressive metal using alt-metal & metalcore as secondary influences for their most political work ever.

Score: 4.5/5

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2 Chainz – “Red Clay” review

Atlanta, Georgia rapper 2 Chainz finally releasing his 7th studio LP. Coming up as 1/2 of the duo Playaz Circle, they eventually signed to Disturbing tha Peace Records & Def Jam Recordings in the 2000s releasing only 2 albums. He eventually ventured off into a solo career, with the biggest standouts being Pretty Girls 👍 TRΛP MUSIC & Rap or Go to the League. He recently teamed up with Larry June for the collaborative effort Life is Beautiful produced by The Alchemist & has dropped a soundtrack to his new short film.

“Mutual Bonds” was a great drumles intro produced by STREETRUNNER talking about only fucking with people who fuck with him whereas “Not the Same” samples “Silly Love Song” by the late Enchantment explaining that some things have changed with him in his life. “Thought You Loved Me” fuses chipmunk soul & trap suggesting one would laugh if he was struggling at the moment just before “Sista Wives” featuring Lil Yachty talks about people not respecting them over a Buddah Bless instrumental, which in Yachty’s case is bad timing because of his recent PlaqueBoyMax stream.

YoungBoy Never Broke Again provides the weakest guest appearance on “I Wanna Win” despite the 30 Roc beat & the desire they express of wanting to catch Ws leading into the drumless chipmunk soul crossover “Flow Switcha” talking about his success invoking people. “Free” featuring Vory finds the pair calling for all their incarcerated homies to be let out & once “Deadbeat Moms” talks about those specific kind of mothers being at an all-time high, “The ATL Experience” ends with a tribute to his city sampling The Isley Brothers.

Some of the teasers that we got building up towards Red Clay had me hoping that it was gonna be an improvement from 2 Chainz’ final Def Jam offering Dope Don’t Sell Itself, but his inaugural solo release under The Real U Records’ new distribution deal with none other than EMPIRE honestly reached the same level of mediocrity. It actually starts off stronger than I would’ve thought & I’d like it a lot more if he condensed it down to the first half since those’re the most salvageable tracks of the bunch, the 2nd leg of it is really where the album starts to fall apart.

Score: 2.5/5

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