vax – “Blue Dawn” review

vax is a 17 year old rapper & producer from West Palm Beach, Florida who began making music at the age of 12. He would eventually go on to drop 6 extended plays since 2023 including New Jazz as well as Forgive My Sins & Pyramid Schemes, with Is This You? following Throne being my personal favorite of the bunch. He recently dropped #B4BlueDawn last month preluding his full-length studio debut & it’s been turning tons of heads within the underground recently, getting a couple recommendations from people to give it a shot.

“So Good” brings a rage beat in the picture to get the ball rollin’ talking about most artists who end up in his position wind up foldin’ whereas “M&Ms” describes being better off without his ex since she fucked him over many times. “Hit Me Up” talks about a type of love that’s way too strong & after “Familia” featuring 7k makes a humorous reference to Charlie Kirk’s demise last fall, “Honest” reaches the halfway point taking a moment to be sincere with his partner.

We have “Crushed” sampling “sidekick” by 2hollis to talk about the way he prefers to have ice in his cup & smashing hoes while “Race” featuring slayr saves the best feature for last, speeding up their flows to break down each artists’ individual lifestyles. “Never Die Young” takes a few minutes to talk about dying with no regrets when his time comes & once “Best Friend” explains that nothing can stop the love he has for his soulmate, the final song “It’s Okay, Don’t Trip” ends on a more optimistic note assuring everything will be fine.

A majority of those early EPs vax have given us flashes of his true potential & it’s all beginning to realize itself on Blue Dawn even if he’s taking a backseat production-wise. His whole style amalgamating in digicore along with rage & pop rap has been completely refined other than the occasional electropop being sprinkled in, complimenting his knack for writing hooks by spitting 1 energetically hungry verse after another & selecting 2 of his most prominent affiliates to make the only guest appearances.

Score: 3.5/5

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Rosco P. Coldchain – “Play with Something Safe” review

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania emcee Rosco P. Coldchain enlisting Montréal, Québec, Canada producer Nicholas Craven for his sophomore effort. Blowing up in the 2000s when he signed to Star Trak Entertainment, he would leave the label without releasing anything & dropped a couple mixtapes preceding his full-length debut Almost Famous produced by Fatin Horton formerly of The Soul Council during my freshman year of high school. For the Mature on the contrary divided audiences last February & he’s looking to make up for the mixed reception of that extended play advising to Play with Something Safe.

“Benz Sprinter” comes out the gate with a drumless sample talking about moving coke & being a gangsta whereas “Hold My Hand” soulfully comes to the realizations that he brought these problems onto himself due to his heinous ways of living. “Frankenstein” co-produced by Mike Shabb works in some creepy organ melodies talking about being the lord of the underground leading into “The Future” speeding up his flow to boast his authenticity.

Malcolm Kamal’s appearance on “Magnesium Chloride” was alright even if I enjoyed the boom bap instrumental & Roscoe’s verse talking about having bad habits despite both of them looking after “Prayer Group” begins the 2nd half bringing back the chipmunk soul vibes so he can confess that his family is all he has left, “Die Slow” featuring Bruiser Wolf hooks up some tense sampling techniques talking about being the newest members on the rise to be respected by bosses.

The title track featuring Ab-Liva & Jimmie D finds the trio uniting over a drumless loop to explain that nether one of them have time for any bullshit while the funky “Boogie Nights” talks about how right it’s gonna feel when he puts the crown on after being away for over a decade. “Refined” featuring Malcolm Kamal wraps things up finding peace from these mean streets whenever they’re with their lovers.

Nicholas Craven himself has said that Play with Something Safe is the closest thing he’s ever done to making a horrorcore album & not only would I have to agree with that, but it wipes For the Mature & dethroned Almost Famous to further validate why Rosco P. Coldchain has been one of the most underrated MCs in the game. The sample-heavy production style Craven has become known for is a lot better than the previously mentioned EP, bringing an improved guest list compared to his debut on board for some entertainingly dark street lyricism.

Score: 4/5

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Gloom Unit – “House of Gloom” review

West coast horrorcore duo the Gloom Unit consisting of Acetone Boogie & Frankie Goldie finally making their full-length debut. One of whom comes straight out of Tucson, Arizona & the other representing Sin City Las Vegas, Nevada respectively as part of the Swamp Society collective. They would properly introduce themselves as a pairing on New Year’s Day 2024 with the debut extended play Come Heavy produced by Chapter 17/Psychopathic Records in-house producer Devereaux, who would also produce the sequel Mo Heavy. A little over a year later, they’re taking us inside the House of Gloom almost a week after J-Rod ended Alice Crowley’s record-breaking 2nd reign as JCW Women’s Champion.

After the intro, the title track produced by none other than Devereaux brings an organ-laced trap beat into the picture advising to say your prayers because of the demonic shit they’re about to do whereas “Murda Gloves” goes for a morbidly slower vibe to the beat discussing the topic of murder itself. “Gloomhauer” works in some strings to talk about giving 0 fucks regarding the repercussions of them constantly killing it while “DaEyes” acknowledges their imperfections although they’re very much trying.

“RedDedRedemption” continues from there talking about watching bodies burning in The Wraith’s exhibition of Hell’s Pit leading into “No Shoulders” incorporates some sampling techniques flexing that they’ll still be carrying firearms on them when winding up in Shangri-La in the end. “Stomp ‘Em Out” featuring Darby O’Trill joins forces for an angrily cutthroat hardcore hip hop banger while “All Dead” talks about not being the type who enjoy cheap thrills.

Ending the 1st half, “Bouncing Off da Concrete” hooks up some predominant horns during the hook boasting the credentials they’ve already had out in the streets & this being normal to them while “Daishin Folklore” gives a backstory behind the Unit’s mascot who can be seen on the artwork of all their projects. “Less Than Gold” talks about earning everything they have & none of it being handed out for free while “Headbussas” featuring Donnie Menace succeeding at going full trap metal.

“Zim Dem” featuring PERCYBONES finds the trio asking everyone who doubted them how they like them now & fighting for survival since Day 1 while “Taking Out the Trash at Night” talks about coming alive right when the sun goes down. “Disclaimer” featuring 8corpses links up to provide advice that you shouldn’t ever take & something they feel like everyone should know while “Selena” featuring Sagan Ummo brings out a fully loaded chopper over a trap instrumental with bells.

The sample right from the start of “Don’t Close Ya Eyes” immediately drew me in talking about not falling asleep for the purpose of demons who tend to watch us in the late night hours & view our souls as food prior to the outro, “Isolation” spends the last 3 & a half minutes sitting in the House of Gloom all alone admitting that they’ve been following darkness their whole entire lives as well as coming to terms that neither of them feel like anyone’s out there.

If you’ve ever wondered what would happen if our minds turned against us & the walls of what was initially designed to protect us isolates each other from the outside world, the House of Gloom will give the answer one seeks right when the doors lock shut to commence an evil dream hosted by demons constructed by our fears & whatever emotion it is we try to hide over some of Devereaux’s darkest production accompanied by a few of the underground wicked shit scene’s finest presently.

Score: 4.5/5

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Bake Lo – “Spirals” review

Bake Lo is a 32 year old rapper from Detroit, Michigan who made his solo debut Only the Beginning in the fall of 2011 when I was a freshman in high school. He would go on to follow it up with the sophomore effort Misunderstood Mindstate, but it wasn’t until Anybody Killa signed him to Native World Inc. & dropped A Step in the Wrong Direction under the label where I personally started catching onto him. Monster would be released independently as was the Chuck extended play, which was the last time we’ve heard him. Coming off the 9th annual Astronomicon however, he’s returning for his 5th studio LP in preparation for him touring with ABK.

After the “Into the Spiral” intro, the opener “Spiral Down” expresses confidence that we’ll all begin life again someday leading into Str8jaket joining him in letting the “Words of Violence” fade & going for a boom bap vibe instrumentally. “Jewel Thief” angrily fires back at the people who take him for a fool leading into “Golden Eye” featuring MVNDI & Skwynts finds the trio hopping over an apocalyptic trap beat cautioning not to wake the beast inside of them.

“Criminal” featuring Donnie Menace joins forces so both of them can talk about living like mobsters robbing people for cleats while “Dirt on My Face” featuring Insane E fiercely emerges out of the flames of Hell in an attempt to escape the cells both of them have been locked in. “Spek” featuring Lyte reaches the halfway point talking about carrying Glocks around their respective parts of Michigan while “Just Incase” dismisses any & all precautions.

Things take more introspective approach on “Note to Self” asking himself who he is if he isn’t becoming the person he wants to be while “Confrmula” featuring Ant G, Histio & the King of HorribleCore talks about no longer waiting since now’s the time to claim what’s theirs. “Benjamin” experiments with country rap a bit admitting the devil wants his soul & after “Bite Outta You” industrially depicts himself as a bloodthirsty creature, “Uzumaki” featuring Zitro finishes things up addressing those who don’t like them.

Spirals showcases Bake Lo’s signature lyrical depths as well as his raw storytelling & authentic voice delivering a fresh yet grounded perspective inspired by the 8 years of growth since the Monster for longtime fans & new listeners alike. Committed to quality & genuine expression, Bake Lo invites the underground & the world at large to experience the evolution of his artistry redefining his sound with a list of underground wicked shit titans joining him on the mic.

Score: 4/5

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Twiztid – “Herb n Legends” review

Detroit, Michigan’s demented duo & Astronomicon founders Twiztid hitting us with their 18th extended play. Consisting of Jamie Madrox & Monoxide, both of whom originally started out as part of the House of Krazees alongside childhood friend The R.O.C. in 1992 before their initial disbandment 5 years later. Almost immediately after, the Insane Clown Posse took Jamie & Mono under their wings by signing them to Psychopathic Records as who they’re known as today. They would become the label’s 2nd biggest act being their mentors off projects like Mostasteless, Freek Show, Mirror Mirror, The Green Book, W.I.C.K.E.D. (Wish I Could Kill Every Day) & Abominationz. Shortly after the latter was released, Twiztid left Psychopathic to form Majik Ninja Entertainment in 2014. Since then they’ve released 8 albums & 9 EPs on their own label, my favorites of which being /ˌrevəˈlāSH⁽ᵊ⁾n/ & even their last full-length Glyph. Their last full-length Welcome to Your Funeral produced by Rob Zombie’s engineer Zeuss was a superior Unlikely Prescription sequel & are unearthing the Herb n Legends.

After the intro, the opener “So Numb” sets things off talking about a feeling a fire burning inside of them whereas “My God” by Triple Threat describes a way they’ve never felt before. “Noid” featuring James Garcia or the artist formerly known as Young Wicked throws it back to the latter’s Axe Murder Boyz roots & “D.I.D.” ends the EP having both Triple Threat & Otis linking up to talk about smoking to escape the problems they face in the daily lives.

Conceptually inspired by a man disappearing in the forest of West Branch while getting away from friends only to be found 73 hours later carrying a 20 minute recording explaining where he had been & what had happened to him, Herb n Legends returns to Twiztid’s hip hop roots rather than continuing to expanding the rap/nu metal sounds of their previous full-length with a conceptual EP themed around their love of smoking kush with a horrorcore twizt.

Score: 4/5

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Nasaan – “Method Acting” review

This is the debut mixtape from Detroit, Michigan rapper, singer/songwriter & producer Nasaan. The son of the late D12 de facto leader & in my opinion the greatest Detroit emcee of all-time Proof, some of you may remember him for releasing the Def Jam-backed debut EP Kiss of Karma in July of 2019, which was followed up with the Error 404 extended play under Atlantic Records. Now that he’s no longer signed to a major label, he’s beginning a new chapter of his career with Method Acting.

“To My Name” made for a slick opener talking about having no reason to complain since he has $100K in his bank account whereas “All for Me” featuring Bruiser Wolf comes through with an ode for their homies who had bitches trying to play them before they were the real deal. “Calling Me” goes for a smoother vibe in general for a charming pop rap ballad leading into him admitting to not knowing how to solve his “Family Issues”.

We have Nasaan throwing it back to 80s with “Need That” playfully asking for his lover to save him to begin the 2nd half while “Man Again” soulfully talks about willing to go to war with stars. “This Close” might be my least favorite track here because of it’s distractingly heavy Drake influence but after the spacious “Sexy” admires the beauty of his significant other, “Stay Blessed” luxuriously ends the EP carrying his grandmother’s advice forward.

Celebrating what would’ve been his late girlfriend Mycah Lewis’ birthday, Nasaan spends a great deal of Method Acting getting more melodically sensual than a lot of his earlier output & finishes what she helped him start from selecting the beats to being his biggest judge critiquing the final product. It was a surprise to hear it was supposed to come out earlier within the month but nevertheless, I know Mycah’s looking down on him with his dad proud of the artist & person he’s become.

Score: 3.5/5

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Rafa – “Good Girls Don’t Exist 2” review

New surprise mixtape & the 3rd overall from Detroit, Michigan rapper Rafa. A member of the WRLD Tour Mafia, he would also begin a solo career of his own starting on Thanksgiving 2020 with his debut EP Not for Household Use & followed it up earlier this year in the form his debut tape Dog$hit & Ammunition. His eponymous mixtape was a pivotal point in his career & Good Girls Don’t Exist was a superior EP, coming off R.A.F.A. (Rockstars Are Fucking Awesome) as well as Madman & Lil Dogshit to drop Good Girls Don’t Exist 2.

“Toxic Lovers 4L” opens up with a pluggy intro talking about being a poisonous coupling until the end whereas “Love the Way” atmospherically boasts that this female’s ex is mad because of him stealing her. “The Game” continues the cloudy vibes talking about treating this shit like it’s a monopoly & people biting him while “All In” asks why some waited for him to reach the top to fuck with him.

Moving on from there, “Get Rich or Die Trying” has this peaceful trap instrumental with a guitar talking about his primary mission while “No Rules” produced by WTM Niketech admits that he’s been feeling someone out of place recently. “RAFA vs. RAFA” hops over a distorted beat to talk about scooping up a chick from Texas just before “Tell Me Lies” discusses him putting his whole life on the line for his music career to take off.

“Broke Bitch K / Seasick” comes through with a 2-parter that has a cloudy beginning & a pluggier 2nd half talking about not being the same ever since he lost a homie of a his until taking another shot at those who’re trying to ride off his coattails but after “Overlyyy” flows over a LulRose instrumental talking about never going back to his old life again, “Everyday is Valentine” incorporates some 808s promising to show his partner the world.

The song “Stuck in the Past” cloudily talks about taking his own path & not going anywhere since he’s constantly in the studio while “Ball Player” psychedelically observes the way some of these artists switch up on each other a lot similarly to NBA players who wind up being apart of several teams in the league. “Not Mad” however spends Good Girls Don’t Exist 2’s final 2 & a half minutes melodically talking about his love no longer being angry at him for always traveling.

Originally teased 7 months ago literally days preceding Lil Dogshit’s release, Good Girls Don’t Exist 2 revisits everything that made it’s predecessor so special a couple years ago from the plugg/cloud rap production to Rafa’s lyrics continuing to further explain the belief he initially expressed regarding there being no such thing as faithful women & pulls it off in a manner that I would consider to be superior to it’s predecessor along with the most I’ve enjoyed something from him since R.A.F.A. (Rockstars Are Fucking Awesome).

Score: 4.5/5

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Sonnyjim – “Rob Ford” review

2nd extended play of 2026 & the 19th overall from Birmingham, West Midlands, England, United Kingdom emcee/producer Sonnyjim. Making his debut in the summer of 2011 with The Psychonaut, he would go on to drop 8 more albums as well as his last 18 EPs & a mixtape. Most notably the No Vi$ible Means of Income trilogy produced by Giallo Point, the Buckwild-produced Coke Le Roc, the Illinformed-produced The Chemistry Must Be Respected, the Leaf Dog-produced How to Tame Lions, the Camoflauge Monk-produced Money Green Leather Sofa, White Girl Wasted and finally the Lee Scott-produced Ortolan & Armagnac. Coming off the Sumgii-produced Chinatown Chicken Tour a couple months ago, he’s reuniting with Lee for Rob Ford.

“Tuscan Pleather” starts by talking about his phenom status whereas the only single “Krayzie, Layzie, Flesh, Wish-N-Bizzy” featuring Shyheim gives Bone Thugs-n-Harmony their flowers. “Lump Sum” featuring Jehst & King Grubb 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 while “BOGOF” talks about being literature practitioner.

As Serious as Your Life 2 last month ago felt a lot more like a single with a b-side than an actual EP, so I was grateful to see that Rob Ford was somewhat longer. And despite not putting it in the same conversations like I would Chinatown Chicken or Ortolan & Armagnac, I’m sure a great deal of the fans who enjoyed the latter will still come away from this satisfied considering how well it recaptures the chemistry between Lee Scott’s production & Sonnyjim’s distinctive lyrical style.

Score: 3.5/5

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Kehlani – Self-Titled review

Kehlani is a 31 year old singer/songwriter & dancer from Oakland, California who introduced themself in 2014 off their debut extended play Cloud 19 followed by the debut mixtape You Should Be Here during my senior year of high school. They would later make their full-length debut SweetSexySavage under Atlantic Records & later appeared on RƎVIVAL, which is universally accepted as the shittiest thing Eminem’s ever made. It Was Good Until It Wasn’t, Blue Water Road, the While We Wait series & Crash were all moderately received too & it seemed like their eponymous 5th LP might change that.

After the intro, the opener “Anotha Luva” featuring Lil Wayne begins with both of them talking about not wanting to love anyone else than those they’re currently with whereas “No Such Thing” featuring Clipse samples “Runnin’” by The Pharcyde to let their soulmates know how special they are to each of them. “Folded” made for a great contemporary R&B/smooth neo-soul single singing about the end of a relationship while “I Need You” featuring Brandy produced by Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis surprisingly details the aftermath of a breakup.

“Oooh” moves on from there singing about nothing mattering when they & their romantic interest start fucking with the windows open while “Back & Forth”fuses contemporary R&B & pop rap although the interpolation of a song R. Kelly did of the same name with the late Aaliyah was ok. “Shoulda Never” featuring Usher links up over a Babyface instrumental Tom Levesque of Vanguard Music Group co-produced for a duet about wasting each other’s time until “You Got It” describes their partner as heaven sent.

Hip hop soul & contemporary R&B collide on the 2nd single “Out the Window” revisiting the themes of “Folded” pleading for their ex-girlfriend not to throw everything they had away while “Still” gets over a DJ Camper beat to sing about this person they’re addressing eventually apologizing for losing them. “Call Me Back” featuring T-Pain joins forces depicting a couple trying to contact each other cellularly while “Pocket” featuring Cardi B talks about needing someone to lift up them up.

“Lights On” featuring Big Sean goes for a smoother R&B/pop rap vibe thanks to both Jermaine Dupri & Allen Ritter getting sexual topically while “Sweet Nuthins” featuring Leon Thomas III continues the themes of lust together, wanting nothing but to make sweet love. “Cruise Control” sends a message to a partner who’s trying to go a bit too fast in a new relationship & “Unlearn” ends with them singing about the difficulty of loving an individual who’s still healing.

A lot of Kehlani’s previous output to come out in the past decade are average at best but looking at the list of guests appearing on their eponymous album, it’s an improvement above everything she’s done previously although there have been other full-lengths in the R&B genre in 2026 that’re significantly better. The production furthermore takes secondary influences from the hip hop soul, neo-soul & pop rap styles to provide a sweet glimpse of their artistic evolution.

Score: 3.5/5

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Billy Danze – “The Answer” review

Brooklyn, New York emcee Billy Danze dropping his highly anticipated sophomore effort. Known for being 1/2 of M.O.P alongside Lil’ Fame, he would put out a 6 Pack in 2019 & following it up with the full-length solo debut The Listening Session entirely produced by TooBusy & his 2nd extended play Top 5 respectively. All of which were moderately received, but each had songs that I appreciate. He’s been teasing The Answer for a couple years already & it’s finally arrived fresh off a handful of singles.

After the intro, the soulful title track sets it all off talking about showing y’all how to move when catching Ws whereas “Got Time” featuring Jadakiss finds the 2 teaming up to explain that they’re ready to give us what we need. “Brooklyn Confidential” goes for a luxurious trap vibe instrumentally talking representing what Gang Starr referred to as “The Planet” while “Let It Be” featuring B-Real shows off both of their O.G. statuses.

“Gotham 2” featuring Ghostface Killah links up for an ode to all the real believers of their home state just before “Beginnings” featuring Busta Rhymes talks about nothing changing with either of them other than the vision. “Blessing & Prayers” ends the 1st half explaining that things would be easier for people if they believed in themselves while “What If” featuring Conway the Machine passionately brings both of them to talk about their own individual family members who they obviously cherish.

Pharoahe Monch & Styles P both appear on the gospel-influenced “For You” passionately boasting that you can’t find anyone who’s lyrically better than either of them while “Hope” featuring Evidence soulfully dismisses the false narrative that hip hop’s dead when that correctly couldn’t be any further from the truth. I applaud the concept of “Maverick” featuring Inspectah Deck for talking about both of them showing independent thoughts & actions while “The Fix” makes it know that he’s done with the cookie cutter bullshit.

“In Case You Forgot” reunites M.O.P to wind down The Answer’s final moments responding to all the dumbasses who think they’ve broken up when by confirming that they’re still very much still friends to this very day & that not ever changing but once “Win or Lose” featuring Redman talks about putting in the work until the wheels fall off, “No Losses” finishes up the LP coming to the realization of there being no love lost when it didn’t even exist since the beginning.

It’s been said that Fizzy Womack’s long-awaited solo debut Walk of Fame is close to being done after being teased in 2018, so I completely understand why Billy Danze ran it back with TooBusy on The Answer in preparation for it & hopefully an M.O.P album entirely produced by DJ Premier now that he did Light-Years with Nas last winter. The guests all feel unparalleled to Billy’s mature subject matter & most importantly, I’d consider the production to be an improvement above it’s predecessor.

Score: 4/5

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