Atmosphere – “Jestures” review

Minneapolis, Minnesota duo Atmosphere are back for their 14th album. Consisting of Slug on the mic & Ant on the boards, they started as a trio from the beginning of their formation up to release of their critically acclaimed debut Overcast! building an independent empire with their Rhymesayers Entertainment label whether that be signing acts from Brother Ali to the late Eyedea or putting out their best bodies of work like God Loves Ugly or Sad Clown Bad Dub 9. So Many Other Realities Exist Simultaneously became their best in a while a couple years ago & Jestures looks to become more ambitious both thematically and it’s pacing sequenced in order of the alphabet.

“Asshole” begins by advising not to mistake his circle for repetition over a luxurious boom bap instrumental whereas “Baby” finds himself feeling drunk off a woman pleading for her not to play him. “Caddy” talks about personifying his cars in a personal way even though he’s not an enthusiast for motor vehicles just before “Daley” gives a daily dose of the Holy Ghost.

Evidence joins Atmosphere on “Effortless” talking about their fans wanting to see them do exactly what they do best as if they didn’t have to put any effort into it while “Furthermore” explains that people still have nightmares when they’re living in their dreams. “Grateful” brings a funkier vibe to the beat talking about the subject of gratitude while “Heavy Lifting” featuring Haphduzn suggests to let their legs do the hard work.

After the 127 second “Instrument” compositional interlude, “Jester” cloudily talks about the way Slug will possibly identify himself for all of eternity while “Kilowatts” featuring Kurious abstractly heads for the farthest limits together. “Locusts” talks about keeping his head up not trying to drown in the rain while “Mash” featuring Mike the Martyr, Musab & Muja Messiah brings the quintet together where the cops aren’t at.

“Neptune” starts the 2nd half of Jestures with some sampling to talk about nobody getting the message of Atmosphere’s music unless a connection is felt while the drumless “Ophidiophobia” dismisses the idea of a moral in favor of hope. “Past” talks about your future being nothing like the way it was previously while the experimental “Quicksand” admits to feeling like he’s sinking deeper the more he fights this trap.

We get a more tropical vibe on “Really” talking about having nothing better to do while the 78 second “Sean” reveals that Slug’s father named him after the late Sean Connery from the James Bond franchise. “Trying” soulfully sends a dedication to everyone who’re giving it all of their effort while the crooning “Used To” talks about moving like he’s driving on track these days.

“Velour” kicks off the final leg of the LP by recalling a series of conversations Slug has with a chick he can’t wait to see as soon as tour ends until traveling “Westbound” to go back in time over a rap rock instrumental. “XXX” talks about Rhymesayers being around for 3 decades already while the single “Yearning” tackles the universal ache for belonging. “Zorro” featuring Zoodeville finishes up with both parties confident of their own heartbeats making a mark.

Contemplating the way time shapes society & that even the dullest can be transformative, Atmosphere gets to the root of life’s complexities throughout Jestures capturing personal evolution without romanticizing the past or fearing the future. Ant’s rich production shifts from electro-glitch to somber drones & playful twang soundtracking Slug’s story of progress & building toward a future defined by resilience & creative clarity.

Score: 4/5

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Destroy Lonely – “</3³” review

The 3rd mixtape from Atlanta, Georgia recording artist Destroy Lonely finally arriving in time for fall. The son of former Disturbing tha Peace Records signee I-20, he’s released a total of 9 EPs & a couple mixtapes since originally breaking out through SoundCloud in 2019 prior to Playboi Carti signing alone to his Interscope Records imprint Opium Records to surprise drop his last tape No Stylist in light of his ongoing tour with fellow label-mate Ken Carson last summer followed by the full-length debut If Looks Could Kill. Love Lasts Forever was disappointing in comparison & See U Soon </3 would make great improvements paving the way for </3³.

“ain’t hard” starts the tape with Lone & Bugz Ronin telling us that it ain’t that hard to be a boss & that the rest of his crew is merely getting started whereas “risk” flexes that he doesn’t need a stylist to this very day, hence the project that made him popular amongst Opium fans alike. “see no evil” produced by Cxdy of Internet Money Records & Vanguard Music Group boasts of him living the Top Floor life while “no pressure” flexes that he keeps 2 hands on the steering wheel.

As for “stfu”, we have Lone advising everyone around to him to keep their mouths shut entirely leading into “show u how” askin’ if he’s putting up whatever he’s gonna put down. “top flo” reunites with Clayco for a successor to “ss” off of A Great Chaos leading into “kansas” talking about moving like a demon & sending anyone who tries to snatch his chain to God.

“screwed up” ends the first half of </3³ with a homage to the late DJ Screw while “party n get high” gets the 2nd act of the tape going by talking about wanting to do those 2 things. “leash” finds Lone trying to put his ego to the side for a woman who can’t be tamed over a Toom instrumental while the single “jumanji” talks about moving so quickly to the point where everyone else behind him finishes last.

Meanwhile on “not the mayor”, we have Destroy Lonely flexing that he’s counting up green as if he went to Yale prior to “blowin’ smoke” linking up with Rafmade to talk about smoking weed in a black & white Maybach in addition to being overly locked in with his team. “kool on ya” makes it known that he’s cool with anyone who’s cool with him while the 2-parter “soooo high” talks about the way his money makes him feel.

“open it up” featuring Ken Carson gives us a taste of what’s to come from their collaborative mixtape calling for the mosh pits to be opened whilst paying respects to the late Black Sabbath frontman & WWE Hall of Famer Ozzy Osbourne while “leave u out 2 dry” caps off the tape with Lone talking about being too good for this chick he’s been speaking to. Serving as an epilogue, “what’s it gon take?” samples “The Way That Wind Moves” by Sons of the Morning telling all his homies he misses them.

Starting the deluxe run, “with my bitch” talks about riding around the whip with his girl while “sipped too much” admits to consuming more lean than he should’ve. “hide it” talks about going days without eating & sleeping searching for peace & after “exorcist” with Nosaint compares his chick to Sexyy Red, the final bonus track “rose gold ice” once again gets back to the habit of sippin’ on some sizzurp.

For me: The biggest flaw Love Lasts Forever had going for it was easily the production was more lackluster than If Looks Could Kill & No Stylist. Fortunately for us, </3³ resolves that issue & lands behind Music for the best project we’ve gotten from the Opium camp all year. Mostly because it’s a return to the sound of Destroy Lonely’s earliest material & it’s topics take on an introspective tone.

Score: 4/5

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Johnathan Blake – “My Life Matters” review

Johnathan Blake is a 39 year old drummer from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania notable for being the son of the late John Blake. His full-length debut The 11th Hour & the sophomore effort But Not Forgotten in the early/mid 2010s would generate enough buzz to the point where the greatest jazz label of all-time Blue Note Records signed him to their historic roster in 2021. Making his debut for them that fall with Homeward Bound, he’s ready to follow up Passage in the form of his 5th full-length LP.

After the 96 second “Broken Drum Cycle for the Forsaken” intro, “Last Breath” recruits Fabian Almazan on piano alongside Jalen Baker to play the vibraphone for an ode to the late Eric Garner reverberating the Black Lives Matter message whereas “Requiem for Dreams Shattered” after the “A Prelude to An Unnecessary Yet Tragically Banal Oratorio” further displays Fabian’s talents with the keys remembers those whose dreams weren’t realized.

“In a Brown Study” feels like yet another interlude albeit the upright bassist talents of Dezron Douglas get a chance to shine just before Muna Blake provides the spoken word piece “I Still Have a Dream” with Dezron playing behind her. The title track combines post-bop with a small dosage of nu jazz enlisting Dayna Stephens to add a synthesizer into the fold until “Can You Hear Me? (The Talking Drums Have Not Stopped)” continues the 2nd half with a drum solo.

DJ Jahi Sundance jumps behind the turntables during “Always the Wrong Color” combining the art of DJing with vibraphones & synths but once “That Which Kills Us Makes Us What?” shifts it’s focus solely towards Dayna for a couple minutes, “Can Tomorrow Be Brighter?” has to be the most tense moment throughout My Life Matters expressing optimism regarding the future in spite of all the turmoil that’s unraveled within our country these past 8 months.

“Lullaby for An Eternal Rest” puts the spotlight on Jalen’s vibraphonist skills crafting a gentle anthem for those who’re no longer with us in the physical form while “We’ll Never Know (They Didn’t Even Get to Try)” finds John’s son Johna accompanying him for a somber 7 & a half minute instrumental. “Prayer for A Brighter Tomorrow” serves as more of an outro blending soothing piano melodies & vocal harmonizations from local neo-soul veteran Bilal.

Ditching the hard-bop undertones of Passage a couple summers ago, My Life Matters still maintains the post-bop & jazz fusion elements of Johnathan Blake’s predecessor for the most personal entry of his entire discography. A commentary on the importance of family values & the social imperative to stand up in the face of injustice, he takes the lesson his parents taught him growing up about being a part of the problem if they don’t stand up to the injustice African Americans have unfortunately dealt with for centuries.

Score: 4/5

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Chris Webby – “88 Milligrams” review

Norwalk, Connecticut emcee Chris Webby tapping in with The Roots’ original keyboardist & former Aftermath Entertainment in-house producer Scott Storch for his 4th EP. Getting introduced to him during my senior year of high school when his full-length studio debut album Chemically Imbalanced under his own label 80HD Music in tandem with MNRK Music Group, he would go on to spend the late 2010s & the 2020s up until last Christmas doing the Wednesday series of mixtapes. 88 Milligrams linking up with one of my personal favorite producers had me thinking it was gonna be his finest extended play of his career.

After the “ASMR” intro, “Perfect Storm” begins the EP by pushing the hands on the doomsday clock over an instrumental that Scott Storch would’ve made in the 2000s during & succeeding his time with Aftermath whereas “In My Baggie” works in some pianos to talk about taking pills off the shelf at 12. “Put ‘Em High” cinematically cautions that no one wants to be a hero tonight while the trap-influenced “Running Scared” talks about playing the cards until they hit.

“Pyro” nears the end of 88 Milligrams with a beat throwing it back to either “Candy Shop” or “Just a Lil Bit” off of 50 Cent’s sophomore effort The Massacre celebrating it’s 2 decade anniversary earlier this spring talking about coming up in the spot to burn the place down leading into the cloudy “Rollercoaster” sending off the EP with Chris comparing life to a ride the way it goes up & down for roughly 5 & a half minutes.

As somebody who got introduced to him over a decade ago, Chris Webby has come a long way from his frat rap days in the past 15 years & 88 Milligrams comes right off the conclusion of the 80HD Music founder’s prolific Wednesday tapes with the most I’ve enjoyed his music in a while & easily his most cohesive EP on my opinion. Scott Storch’s production takes a nostalgic turn to when he was all over the airwaves as an opposed to adapting to modern sounds or techniques like having a producer tag on Dummy Boy & Chris gets in his baggie lyrically.

Score: 4.5/5

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Locksmith – “Wine & Circus” review

Richmond, California emcee Locksmith teaming up with New York producers The Heatmakerz for his 7th studio LP. Getting introduced to him through his Ski Beatz-produced debut album Embedded as well as the sophomore effort 1,000 Cuts & later Lofty Goals during my adolescence, his 2nd EP No Question produced by Apollo Brown later came out under Mello Music Group after I turned 21 & have been wanting him to match the same caliber of all those projects since. And considering the singles building up towards Wine & Circus, I was certain we were finally gonna get it.

The chipmunk soul sound that made Rrsonist blow up with Thrilla in the early 2000s bleeds all over the intro as the former Frontline member welcomes the underground to “The Greatest Show on Earth” whereas “Death by Temptation” works in a boom bap instrumental with a gospel sample to talk about honest guys getting demonetized now. “Culture” featuring Styles P gives a middle finger to the 2-party system for being flawed, which is a conversation many don’t want to have unfortunately just before the optimistic “Beautiful Day” talks about how great it is to be alive.

Joell Ortiz joins Locksmith for the soulful boom bap single “Closed Caption” sending a message directly towards the people who’ve been capping on their names noting that it’s too late for any apologies & once the drumless “Cons & Prose” gets on the conscious side of things lyrically, the sequel to “America” takes it a step further recapping the political climate of this ongoing decade. Interesting timing too because of Charlie Kirk being fatally shot last Wednesday, who was parodied by Cartman in the newest season of the Paramount Skydance Corporation-owned Comedy Central hit series South Park last month.

“Under Pressure” delves deeper towards the final leg of Wine & Circus with some pianos taking shots at the type of people who’re scared to face their own issues because of power going to their heads & becoming increasingly arrogant while the title track talks about never being harmed once you understand your worth. Mysonne appears for the closing track “Culture 2” picks up right where the original highlight earlier during the first half with more drumless vibe than its predecessor retaining the politically charged lyricism.

For almost 15 years now, I’ve noticed that Locksmith is at his greatest form whenever he’s tapped in with a singular producer like he was on No Questions or even Embedded despite the latter’s generally mixed reception. As for Wine & Circus, there’s no question we’ll be speaking of it a long time from now when it’s all said & done ranking it amongst one of if not THE greatest album of his career. The Heatmakerz’ sample-heavy production is a breath of fresh air compared to some of Locksmith’s material since 2018 & the Bay Area lyricist’s words of wisdom hit much harder in light of recent events.

Score: 4.5/5

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Tezzus – “Tezzy Pendergrass” review

Here is the 7th EP from Atlanta, Georgia rapper Tezzus. 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, we’re finally being tested to Tezzy Pendergrass a couple weeks following the I Phønk, U Phønk prelude.

“Gøtham Løve Støry” gets the EP going with a cloudy pop rap/trap intro confessing that he wants this woman’s affection & continuously making the money whereas “Permanently Stained” talks about shedding tears when looking back at how far he’s come. “Cadillac Whipping” produced by Feardorian flexes that he switches lanes more than his homies switch bitches leading into “Cøme Øn”, which is one of the more lyrically repetitive moments.

Yung Fazo links up with Tezzus on “High Fashiøn” giving a middle finger to the pigs confident that they won’t ever catch the 2 slipping just before “Main Høe” featuring Sk8star & tana finds the trio coming together for a cloudy pop rap/trap crossover talking about the way fame goes. “I See” expresses a desire for all of his opps to drop dead & thanking his mom for raising a star while the pluggy “Gangsta” featuring Pz’ talks about people doing shit for tends.

“By Yøu” starts the final leg of Tezzy Pendergrass heading for an atmospheric direction once again admitting that love never felt so real until he stood by the woman he had in mind writing this while “2night” advises the female she has in mind to stay away from snitches & that he stays strapped in the streets. I Løve U” appropriately sends off the EP by longing for his partner to be right beside him in bed.

Eschewing the rage subgenre of trap from a lot of his earlier material & more specifically the other 3 extended plays that he’s given us in the past 6-7 weeks or so, Tezzus puts his artistic range in the forefront for 25 minutes so he can reveal a sensual side to himself. It was a no brainer Tezzy Pendergrass would embrace a heavier pop rap vibe stylistically & the same goes for the romantic subject matter, but it feels authentically sincere rather than coming off as forced.

Score: 4/5

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Forgiato Blow & Stitches – “Make America White Again” review

Miami, Florida rappers Forgiato Blow & Stitches teaming up for a new collaborative EP. One of whom has been getting the same attention that the far-right has been giving Tom MacDonald these past several years & the other gained notoriety for beefing with The Game almost a decade ago this upcoming winter. These guys have crossed paths with one another a few times & are linking back up for one of the most tasteless music offerings of the year.

The title track is a grating trap opener endorsing white supremacy whereas “Pink Tusie” takes on the Detroit sound with some heavy bells talking about bringing the illegal drug cocktail to the function. “Chop ‘Em Down” rehashes the themes of the previous song vapidly portraying themselves as drug dealers while “Casino 1724” spews more delusional gangsta raps about how they be serving fiends

“Cocaine Cowboys” starts the 2nd leg of the EP by repping their titular statuses even if “it may not mean nothing to y’all” when they couldn’t be more right while “Get Money” borrows from the Detroit trap scene again insipidly talking about making paper. “Fidel” gloats of themselves selling bricks in Miami throughout the whole summer & “Plug Cried Tears” ends the torture by talking about never folding through their struggles.

Forgiato Blow already has some of the worst singles of this ongoing decade under his belt from “Boycott Target” or the most recent example being “Good vs. Evil” earlier this month & Stitches was the only bad thing about that “8 Ways to Die” single the Insane Clown Posse put out in 2019, but the crossover between both parties results in shameless promotion of fascism along with nationalism & white supremacy. None of which are acceptable or tolerated in hip hop culture.

Score: 0/5

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Guerilla Toss – “You’re Weird Now” review

Guerilla Toss is an indie rock band from Boston, Massachusetts consisting of drummer Peter Negroponte, guitarist Arian Shafiee, keyboardist Jake Lichter, bassist Zach Lewellyn & frontwoman Kassie Carlson. Following their first couple full-lengths Gay Disco & Eraser Stargazer, they would sign to DFA Records for the well received GT Ultra & Twisted Crystal until making their Sub Pop Records debut Famously Alive in 2022 experimenting with a neo-psychedelic indietronic sound. Few years later, they’re following it up with their 6th album.

“Krystal Ball” starts with a neo-psychedelic indie rock/synth-punk hybrid apologizing for coming to party whereas “Psychosis is Just a Number” blends dance-punk, zolo, mutant disco, dance-punk revival, neo-psychedelia, progressive rock & funk rock singing about staying present in the chaos.

The final single “CEO of Personal & Pleasure” finds Kassie taking control of her own happiness taking some time to reclaim herself from all the pressure leading into “Life’s a Zoo” fusing experimental rock, zolo, sound collage & synth-punk to take on the theme of overstimulation, which I understand as an autistic person.

“Red Flag to an Angry Bull” was my least favorite single of the 4 culminating in neo-psychedelia, indie rock, indie pop, psychedelic pop, piano rock, synthpop & psychedelic rock singing about feeling as if a rubber tongue’s coming right for her just before “Panglossian Mannequin” conceptually takes heavy inspiration from the 1759 satire The Optimist written by Voltaire.

We get some more doses of dance-punk revival on “Deep Sight” to start the final leg of You’re Weird Now containing some of the most commanding vocal performances from Kassie especially towards the backend of it while “When Dogs Bark” sings about mutts wanting to be seen. “Crocodile Cloud” taps back into the synth-punk influences 1 last time with some occasional shouted vocals popping in building up ahead of the space punk outro “Favorite Sun”.

Encouraging for everyone brave enough to let their freak flag wave high & stay true to their artistic vision, You’re Weird Now marks a significant point for Guerilla Toss’ career bringing new clarity to their confidently high energy performances reaching the same pedestal as Famously Alive & both their DFA full-lengths. The neo-psychedelic production here puts a bigger emphasis on art punk, zolo & new wave although the secondary influences include indie rock, indie pop, psychedelic pop, piano rock, synthpop, psychedelic rock, experimental rock, zolo, sound collage & synth-punk.

Score: 4/5

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Tony Shhnow – “Self Portrait” review

Here is the 8th studio LP from Atlanta, Georgia plugg pioneer Tony Shhnow. Being introduced to his music after my younger brother J$zpiech showed me his 4th mixtape Black Billionaires Club & the song “Vet” off the full-length debut Da World’s Ours 3, he then continued to turn heads with his 8th mixtape Reflexions to critical acclaim & I honestly wish I covered it considering that some of his best songs are on there like “Finessin’” or “Forgive Don’t Forget”. He would return to his plugg roots on the BeatPluggzproduced Plug Motivation, Love Streak showed a more sensual side to him, Shadowbanned 2 dabbled with new sounds, the self-produced #NoOneElse was a step above Out the Woods & looks to paint a Self Portrait fresh off the 3rd chapter of the Shadowbanned series.

After the “Mr. Shhnow” intro, the first song “I Can’t” produced by Mike & Keys sets up shop with a ratchet instrumental talking about making money from making music & trappin’ whereas “Die 4 Me” poses the question if anyone would still ride for him if life took a turn. “Think Again” talks about there being plenty of people who’d kill for you & spending with your lifespan just before “Beat da Odds” flexes that he stays quiet even if his money don’t.

“Thank God That I’m a Real N***a” obviously gives his praises to the most high that He made the Shhnowman as legitimate as they come & after the “Ion Wanna Talk” skit, “Voicemails” talks about all the O.G.s saluting him like he’s in the service. “Devotion” flexes that he’s on the incline & not fucking with swine despite going H•A•M while “Tush Push” featuring Chrisnxtdoor talks about metaphorically being identical twins with money.

Luh Tyler joins Tony on “Bank Statements” to smoke competition while “Infest” talks about having so much work that he could possibly supervise. “Burnt Out” featuring Marco+ explains that they stay strapped because they don’t know what other people be on & once “Boss Up” dismisses the hate from lames because it’s not worth it, “Understand” ends the Self Portrait with a self-produced throwback to his plugg origins.

Starring the deluxe run, “Cobb to Cabo” talks about seeing past the fake through a blindfold & his bitch snapping harder than Thanos while “D.Y.T.A.M. (Did You Think About Me)?” featuring 03 Greedo poses that very question over some sampling from Bakkwoods. The final bonus track “Certified” however finished with these sinister 808 patterns talking about the inability to take his homies anywhere since they all sell drugs & keep handguns close to them.

Been waiting for Tony Shhnow to drop another album for a while now & Self Portrait will easily go down as some of his best material joining Black Billionaires Club, Reflexions or #NoOneElse as a more recent example. Mike & Keys’ production on almost the entirety of it is easily amongst their most experimentally cutting-edge & the Shhnowman paints a clever image of who he is generally.

Score: 4.5/5

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TR Dee – “Trapped in My Bag 4ever” review

Detroit rapper TR Dee hitting us with his 8th mixtape. Notable for being 1/3 of the ShittyBoyz alongside Babytron & Stanwill signing to Lando Bando’s own The Hip Hop Lab Records, he also began carving a path for himself as a solo artist off his first couple mixtapes Trapped in My Bag & Made for This ahead of his debut album M.I.P. (Most Improved Player). He has since given us 5 more tapes in Trapped in My Bag 2, Crunch Time, Ice Trae, Trapped in My Bag 3 & Early Mornings, Late Nights followed by the sophomore effort The Greatest. His Evolution revealed itself last September & the Dog $hit Militia member is finding himself Trapped in My Bag 4ever.

“In My Bag 4Ever” was the most aptly picked choice of an intro talking about popping bottles because he’s scratching off goals whereas “Generational Wealth” cautioning that the reaper will come for any person who chooses to cross him. “Jabbawockee” goes for a cloudier direction instrumentally flexing that he’s hot enough to burn people’s eyes while “Hypnotized” talks about a woman not leaving him alone.

Meanwhile on “Death Note”, we have TR Dee talking about his days looking sunnier than they were prior to his music career taking off leading into “Island Vibes” knowing if one’s really from the trenches based on whether or not they’ve stolen a bike. “Larry Byrd” by the Dookie Brothers finds the pair giving a nod to the hick from French Lick himself just before “Saiyan” talks about always being in his bag because he’s stuck in it.

“Woosah” featuring Sada Baby & Stanwill takes the lowend route thanks to Certified Trapper promising that they won’t take back anyone who winds up leaving them while “Hawaiian Punch” talks about ignoring anyone who brings negativity his way. “Overtime” produced by Danny G speaks of never going against the grain & being the one who does the stuntin’ while “Mona Lisa” talks about tracking his whip if it’s stolen.

The 2nd act of Trapped in My Bag 4Ever begins to wind down on “Missed My Flight” venting his frustrations of a plane he was supposed to get on taking off without him because he was up the entire evening previously grinding until taking aim at everybody that stays talking shit about him & the squad, suggesting they should “Back It Up” since their flips won’t stop flapping.

“Pork & Beans” hooks up some pianos & 808s advises to run the tape up in preparation for an upcoming tour & the closer “Stone Cold Stunner” references 2-time WWE Hall of Famer, former 6-time WWE Champion, 2-time WWE Intercontinental Champion, 2-time WWE United States Champion, 5-time WWE Tag Team Champion & NWA World Tag Team Champion Stone Cold Steve Austin.

Starting the deluxe run, “Not Gonna Learn” jumps over a Danny G & Jakesand instrumental talking about waking up those sleeping on him as if a thunderstorm’s occurring while “1 Man Army” featuring Org 6 suggests selling their catalog to prevent going broke. “Wake Up” hooks up some bells to talk about his jewelry dancing wherever he goes while “Icey Plunger” by the ShittyBoyz excitingly tosses the mic back-&-forth with each other.

“Durantula” was a welcoming attempt at Danny experimenting with lowend & TR Dee talking about D$M not being the ones to fuck with while “Let ‘Em Cook” compares himself to a chef the way he be cookin’. Roll Call” talks about possibly engaging in money fights even if it’ll last the entire evening while “Above the Rim” refuses to slide his mans let alone the people who gave him a hand when he needed it the most.

The song “Make It Quick” talks about not having any competition because they’ll all wind up getting lyrically slain by him & not going Hollywood because he isn’t done with music while the final bonus track “Kidz Bop” technically wraps things up wishing he had eyes in the back of his head to see who’s speaking ill of him when he’s not looking or who wouldn’t care if God forbid something happened to him.

You can’t go wrong with the first 3 installments of the Trapped in My Bag series although Crunch Time sticks out as my favorite TR Dee tape but anyway, I didn’t mind Evolution as others because his growth after 5 now 6 years in the game was right in front of us & that very much carries itself over onto Trapped in My Bag 4Ever. It’s like the same energy from the previous Trapped in My Bag entries is being recaptured with a different perspective.

Score: 4/5

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