Lil Wayne – “Tha Carter VI” review

New Orleans, Louisiana emcee, singer/songwriter, record executive & entrepreneur Lil Wayne continuing one of his most beloved sagas on his 14th studio LP. Signing to Cash Money Records at the very age of 9, he would go on to become 1/2 of The B.G.’z as well as 1/4 of the Hot Boy$ & 1/6 of the Cash Money Millionaires. His first 3 solo albums Tha Block is Hot, Lights Out & 500 Degreez were average at best but we then found him improving in the mid 2000’s with Tha Carter, Tha Carter II, Dedication, Dedication 2, Da Drought 3 & my personal favorite Tha Carter III. He then started his own label Young Money Entertainment & followed his magnum opus up with a God awful “rock” album Rebirth along with the mediocre I Am Not a Human Being. He was able to bounce back in 2011 with Tha Carter IV, but things looked rough once again with the horrendous I Am Not a Human Being II in 2013 & then being entangled in legal issues with Cash Money from 2014-2018. Wayne eventually broke free from Birdman & was able to release Tha Carter V in 2018 to celebrate his 36th birthday returning to form. Funeral however was a step-down in comparison & Tha Carter VI has finally come over 5 years later.

After the “King Carter” intro, the first song “Welcome to Tha Carter” was a soulful boom bap intro eating rappers he’s already heard as if they’re appetizers whereas “Bells” samples “Rock the Bells” by LL Cool J to boast how hot he’s been on the mic for 2 decades almost. “Hip Hop” featuring Jay Jones works in a trap instrumental from Infamous & Einer Bankz with a vocal sample for a representation of the culture that I’d like more without Jay’s verse while “Sharks” featuring Big Sean & Jelly Roll finds the trio talking about snakes not always hiding in the grass over a guitar-based beat from Boi-1da.

“Banned from New Orleans” featuring Nicki Minaj on the remix gets in their dirty south bag flexing that they’re sellin’ chromes to bricks out here leading into “The Days” recalling being in a hospital bed after one of the countless epileptic seizures he’s had since childhood blending rap rock & boom bap together. “Cotton Candy” by ColleGrove interestingly fuses jazz, trap & pop rap all into 1 for a collab that’s primarily compared to most of what was on Welcome to ColleGrove even with the reference to former IWGPヘビー級チャンピオン as well as a 10-time WWE world champion & former UFC Heavyweight Champion in both TKO Group Holdings divisions Brock Lesnar just before “Flex Up” continues with a mildly boastful cloud rap cut.

One of my least favorites easily has to be “Island Holiday” & not because of the subject matter of getting away on vacation, but rather because of the performances heavily slathered in auto-tune. “Loki’s Theme” turns up the rap rock influences courtesy of DJ Clue? of all people to my surprise talking about getting it out the mud while the acoustic “If I Played Guitar” throws it back to “How to Love” down to the sung vocals a little except not as good.

“Peanuts 2 N Elephant” links up with Lin-Manuel Miranda of Hamilton fame for a spiritual successor to “6 Foot 7 Foot” featuring Cory Gunz with what sounds like a Crash Bandicoot level while “Rari” hops over a joyous trap instrumental from Wheezy talking about driving around Los Angeles in a sports car. “Maria” featuring Wyclef Jean hooks up an opera sample from the latter discussing a party girl waking up in the underworld while “Bein’ Myself” stays true to himself over a soulful Mannie Fresh beat.

The song “Mula Komin’ In” featuring Wayne’s son Lil Novi has little to no presence from Weezy F. Baby other than his verse at the backend of it although I very much appreciate what he was trying to do giving more exposure to Novi’s own music career while “Alone in the Studio with a Gun” featuring Kodak Black & MGK sticks out as the worst collab here since Young Money General washes both of the guests on it. “Written History” finishes C6 with spoken word passages from the late WWE Hall of Famer Muhammad Ali speaking on his legacy in hip hop while “Momma Don’t Worry” featuring Lil Baby advises their mothers not to stress out since they birthed real ones over an ATL Jacob instrumental.

Some will argue that him signing Drake & Nicki has tainted Wayne’s legacy considering “Big Foot” & “The Heart 6” have both been mocked equally as much as “Ghoulish”, to which I understand completely. Anyway, I went into Tha Carter VI with fingers crossed that it would reach the level of quality as Tha Carter V did 7 years ago & it makes me sad to call this the weakest installment of the series. Weezy can very much rap his ass off & I won’t deny that, my issues are more towards some of the guests & production choices.

Score: 1.5/5

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McKinley Dixon – “Magic, Alive!” review

McKinley Dixon is a 29 year old MC & singer from Richmond, Virginia introducing himself in the early mid-2010s off his first couple EPs Nappy Headed & Peter Truman followed by the full-length debut album Who Taught You to Hate Yourself? & The Importance of Self Belief. The spring of 2021 marked his breakthrough in the underground largely due to For My Mama & Anyone Who Look Like Her, which Beloved! Paradise! Jazz!? elevated a couple summers later & his 5th LP hopes to tie up some loose ends of it’s predecessors.

“Watch My Hands” was a brief 106 second drumless intro splittin’ through seasons hopin’ all parts eventually collide whereas “Sugar Water”featuring Quelle Chris heads for a jazz rap/neo soul approach instrumentally offering their souls so they can finally have peace. “Crooked Stick” featuring Ghais Guevara takes a bit of a boom bap direction with the beat flexing their legacies are eternal despite the envious wanting to sabotage until the experimental 2-parter “Recitatif” featuring Teller Bank$ dismisses the notion of being civilians.

The sequel to “Run, Run, Run” works in some pianos & live drumming confident he’ll be celebrated when his squad step back on the street & after “We’re Outside, Rejoice!” turns the jazz rap influences back up again hoisting up the child born under the sun advising they hide all cracks in their voice when yellin’ at the sky, “All the Loved Ones (What Would We Do???)” featuring ICECOLDBISHOP & Pink Siifu is this funky, cloudy hybrid talking about their mamas beating each other’s asses if they don’t stop playin’ with ‘em.

“F.F.O.L. (Fist Full of Light)” featuring Teller Bank$ blends these woodwinds & brass usin’ the generational words of their grandfathers just before “Listen Gentle” takes pennies from his thoughts & turns it into $100K. The title track suggests you get in the whip with him because of his plan to make it so his homies stay immortal & “Could’ve Been Different” featuring Blu finishes with them staring out the window, pray their wings can hold their frame.

Magic, Alive! feels the breathtakingly concluding trilogy chapter that For My Mama & Anyone Who Look Like Her began & Beloved! Paradise! Jazz!?bridged telling the story of 3 kids who lose their best friend & facing the subsequent turmoil. McKinley & his guests’ consciously abstract performances contemplate what constitutes magic in all forms meshing the sounds of jazz rap occasionally influenced by the lo-fi hip hop pioneer & one of my top 10 producers ヌジャベス, neo-soul, urban contemporary gospel, orchestral music, experimental hip hop, industrial hip hop, hardcore hip hop, rap rock, cool jazz, drumless & cloud rap.

Score: 4.5/5

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Destroy Lonely – “See U Soon </3” review

Atlanta, Georgia recording artist Destroy Lonely preluding his 2nd mixtape </3³ with his 12th EP. The son of former Disturbing tha Peace Records signee I-20, he’s released a total of 11 EPs 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 & hoped See U Soon </3 would at least surpass it.

“Nylon” produced by Clayco throws it back to Lone’s early days for an intro preluding his upcoming 3rd album Drop Dead Gorgeous whereas the cloudy “SDP” courtesy of Cade homages an interlude off Travis Scott’s sophomore effort Birds in the Trap Sing McKnight that I personally find the original version of being far superior to the shortened final version you can hear on whatever streaming platform you use.

The instrumental on “See Ur Face” kinda feels reminiscent of “Tryna Get Down” by Carti despite the themes of love while “Super Serum” keeps his head up after some personal stuff he dealt with in 2024 unbeknownst to the public. “SRTBBL” featuring Ken Carson finishes by showing a back-&-forth chemistry over a beat from F1LTHY of Working on Dying ahead of the 00pium Twins’ upcoming collab tape.

Some feel that Lone’s output since his label deal hasn’t really lived up to the hype </3 & most of those in his fanbase will find themselves satisfied with what See U Soon </3 has to offer giving a taste of what </3³ will sound like when he feels the time is right for him to put out the tape: A return to his roots musically except he has a new perspective of things since he’s gotten older & the popularity continually growing.

Score: 3.5/5

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Niko B – “people” review

Brand new EP from Newport Pagnell, Buckinghamshire, England, United Kingdom recording artist Niko B. Starting at the very beginning of this current decade off the strength of his debut single “Marry Berry”, he popularity began to grow exponentially a few months later after putting out his next track “Who’s That What’s That” & the full-length debut album dog eat dog food world last spring being well received enough where people were recommending it to me. A whole year later, Niko’s preluding an upcoming sophomore effort by holding fans off with people.

“Hairclips” was a tight hip house intro telling this woman he’s hitting on how much he loves her hair being able to tell she doesn’t give a fuck by the way she cuts it while “I Like the Way You Talk Looking at Me” fuses hip hop with house & funk music asking if his partner enjoys how he speaks when they’re making eye contact with one another. “What Am I to Do?” rounds out peoplewith 1 more hip house jam talking about optimism being amazing from his perspective.

You know? It’s actually pretty awesome that people dropped on the same day as Little Simz’ brand new album Lotus because Niko B a lot like Simz sticks out to me as one of my favorite UK hip hop artists of the current decade. The production on this one is prominently centered around the hip house sound & you get to see a more optimistic side of Niko.

Score: 4/5

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D2X – “Boy in the Blue Hoodie” review

Chicago, Illinois emcee D2X coming off his first EP The Hunger Era last summer to put out a 2nd one. Releasing his full-length studio debut album The Color Blue in the spring of 2021 & later the sophomore effort Hotel 1105 a couple summers later. Like I said earlier: The Hunger Era was essentially a love letter to the Windy City that made him sending bigger shockwaves in the underground than his first couple LPs did & was wondering if Boy in the Blue Hoodie could reach or surpass that same level.

The harps at the start of “‘Twas the Day” are pleasant to the ear until the chipmunk soul instrumental comes in full effect making way for the Chicago MC to tell the story of a young boy’s dream & finding his peace in mine for the next album whereas “Light Up the Lake” takes a jazzier approach with the horns & a soulful sample making a love letter to a better version of himself. After the spoken word jazz “Miles Away” interlude, “Blue Ocean Water” sends off the tale of the Boy in the Blue Hoodie with a beat kin reminiscent of The Heatmakerz calling himself a future hall of famer.

Understandably, D2X’s continuation of The Hunger Era goes from paying homage to the City that made him giving the world an idea of where he’s from to a more introspective side of himself letting people inside of who he is as a person & his background. One of the coolest things Boy in the Blue Hoodie is that he balances the jazz rap sound he’s always been known for with the chipmunk soul style of production that RZA, Ye or formerly Kanye West, Just Blaze & as I mentioned earlier The Heatmakerz have all pioneered & popularized retelling his life’s story.

Score: 4.5/5

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SK da King – “No More Mr. Nice Guy” review

Baltimore, Maryland emcee SK da King returning after almost 2 years for his 3rd EP. Emerging as a member of the Checkered Flag Boyz under the original moniker Paul Skola, it wasn’t until a few years ago where he signed to Conway the Machine’s very own Drumwork Music Group as a solo act as announced by his debut single “Actions” & would go on to introduce himself to the Drumwork fanbase that fall in the form of the debut EP Horus. His full-length debut studio album Made 4 This came after Before the Album & is back once again to put his foot down saying No More Mr. Guy.

“Fuck Being Humble” was exactly how I could’ve imagined it starting off from the boom bap instrumental to the confidentially boastful lyrics never selling out unless it’s weight whereas the title track goes for a darker atmosphere so he can take the gloves off on being generous. “Not at All” switches it up in favor of a trap direction talking about putting rubber bands on the cash like lobster claws while “Hustle or Starve” grittily takes on the familiar theme of survival of the fittest.

The drums get stripped on The New King” stepping up his rhyme schemes off the dome until SK drops dime on what he’s learned in the streets & the music industry in general during “The Game 101” giving advice from his own personal experiences. “They Don’t Love You” finishes No More Mr. Nice Guy with 1 last boom bap track talking about there being nothing worse than receiving fake love from fake thugs you for everything you’ve got.

Gearing up for an upcoming sophomore effort since last summer when SK da King’s last EP Guns N Butter came out, No More Mr. Nice Guy gives me a strong feeling it could surpass Made 4 This & hopefully get more attention from heads in the underground whenever the next LP is ready. Holding the fort by himself unlike the predecessor having a few features, the penmanship of the Checkered Flag Boyz’ strongest link feels notably sharpened from when he initially signed in 2021 & the boom bap production packs a bigger punch.

Score: 4/5

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Alan Sparhawk – “With Trampled by Turtles” review

Duluth, Minnesota singer/songwriter Alan Sparhawk recruiting local band Trampled by Turtles to produce his sophomore effort. One of whom was the lead singer of the slowcore band Low breaking up in 2022 & the other is a bluegrass folk sextet with 9 full-lengths under their belt already. Alan signed to Sub Pop Records for his solo effort White Roses, My God met with mixed reception due to its leanings towards alt-pop, indietronica, alternative R&B, trap, minimal wave & cloud rap compared to the ambient inspired Solo Guitar turning 20 next summer. With Trampled by Turtles based on the singles had me thinking it could outdo both of them & that’s why I dove right into it.

The lead single “Stranger” was a great Americana/indie folk intro further pulling from progressive bluegrass singing about having to go through some dangerous things than you thought you’d have to whereas “Too High” addressed a part of this person that nobody knows other than Alan acknowledging their blindness instead of imbecility. “Heaven” sings of the pearly gates being a lonely place if you’re alone prior to the alt-country/chamber folk hybrid “Not Broken”eventually learning something I’ve potentially heard.

“Screaming Song” works in some prominent acoustics feeling like he’d never stop screaming this individual’s name when they flew out the window & into the sunset but after a remixed version of “Get Still” from Alan’s debut, “Princess Road Surgery” asks what this girl see in adversity stripping back the sound further. “Don’t Take Your Light” tells God he can be patient & hopeful with an alt-country flare until “Torn & in Ashes” wants to know when the last word will be as the first because of getting the same answer repeatedly.

When you think of the fact Low had mentored Trampled by Turtles & had performed with each other several times, there’s no doubt in my mind Alan’s follow-up to his debut last fall feels like a more collective, communal, fraternal & empathetic entry in his catalog than it’s predecessor. His friends & loved ones who’ve always been beside him make his sentiments drenched in Americana, indie folk, progressive bluegrass, alt-country & chamber folk seem as if they aren’t his alone regardless of Alan being the primary vocalist.

Score: 4.5/5

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A-F-R-O – “Crimson Fury” review

Right here is the 12th EP from Los Angeles, California emcee/producer A-F-R-O. A protege of R.A. the Rugged Man after winning the Definition of a Rap Flow contest, his Duck Down Music Inc.-backed 5th EP A-F-R-O Polo produced by Marco Polo introduced himself as a promising up-&-comer within the underground. I got to cover his self-produced 9th EP The Drawing Board last spring & of course the Stu Bangas-produced The Bad & the Ugly: The Goods Always Die First surpassing it as his best material. Another spring later & Crimson Fury comes out on Bandcamp exclusively.

After a titular intro, The Cell” opens the EP with a villainously self-produced boom bap opener talking about the protagonist being trapped in a high security prison where the absolute worst occurs whereas “Brawl in Cell Block 29” keeps it in the basement instrumentally painting the image of a riot breaking out within the facility. “Shoot the Messenger” maintains a dusty vibe thanks to C-Lance talking about being ambushed right when he identifies as a free man leading into “Ricochet” featuring Percee P & Pulse Reaction bringing the trio together making their enemies sleep with the fishes.

“At All Costs” works in a jazz sample to point out the fact he sacrificed his freedom to get revenge on the very person who set him up while “The Gauntlet” featuring EYKM1536 & Motion+ over another boom bap instrumental so all 3 of them could sign up for an open challenge ready for any war when they get on their bloodsport. “No Escape” reunites with Stu Bangas evading captivity by switching uniforms safely making it out with the penitentiary exploding behind him & “Dinner with Death” marks a climactic point in the tale getting the vengeance he’s wanted.

Prominently conceptual than most of A-F-R-O’s earlier material, he portrays the role of a man named Archie who becomes incarcerated after killing the men who murdered his best friend when he was completely innocent. Once finding out another friend orchestrated the murder & framed Archie, he vows to break out of prison so he can finish the job himself & succeeding in the end. Every track ties into one another cohesively & the plot is exceptionally mapped out with the traditional boom bap sound backdropping the tale.

Score: 4/5

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Benji Blue Bills – “Out the Blue” review

Atlanta, Georgia gangsta rapper Benji Blue Bills recruiting Working on Dying member BNYX to produce his 3rd EP. Introducing himself in 2018 off his debut EP Before the Storm, his last EP Blue saw him taking 3 years off only to return for the full-length debut Campaign Blue & a sophomore effort 500k Degrees showing significant growth compared to his earlier material. BNYX has undeniably become an in-demand producer of this decade & hearing him behind the boards throughout the duration of Benji’s official Atlantic Records debut Out the Blue had a lot of promising potential.

“I Wonder” co-produced by BNYX’s brother BEAUTIFULMVN starts with a soulful trap vibe instrumentally talking about the hunger that’s always been inside him finally coming out whereas “1-2 Step” heavily samples “1, 2 Step” by Ciara & Missy Elliott explaining that murder dancing is legitimately the only thing he knows how to do. “Feels CoreCore” heads towards a calmer, cloudier trap direction relating to what it’s like to lose a bitch leading into the rage-inducing “Morgan” finding himself going crazy.

Moving on from there, “Taco Shells” has to be my least favorite track if I had to pick one mainly due to it being one of the more repetitive moments lyrically just before the futuristically bell-woven “All the Way” talks about everything falling in place. “Aye Rage” gives new jazz a shot so he can throw shade towards jace! & “Right Key” gets on his pluggnb bag for a brief minute keeping his heart in a safe. “Down Girl” featuring Duki rounds out the EP with a bilingual romance duet doing anything if one or the other is down.

His name has come up on my radar a few times in the current decade because of his ties with DJ Phat or singles like “I’m Right Here”, but BNYX really locks in with 3B on Out the Blue enough where I can call it the greatest body of work the latter has ever conceived. BNYX’s production backs 3B’s gangsta heavy themes channeling the sounds of chipmunk soul, trap, pluggnb, rage & new jazz elevating the Atlanta artist’s whole style to coincide with his major label deal.

Score: 4/5

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PlaqueBoyMax – “5 Forever” review

West Orange, New Jersey recording artist, producer, audio engineer, media personality & streamer PlaqueBoyMax following up his Atlanta EP from last weekend with a full-length studio debut album of his own. Catching on to him at the beginning of the year after calling out DJ Akademiks for being a child groomer, he has since stayed busy by churning out 4 EPs in the quick amount of time he’s been in the spotlight. Interestingly, he’s taking the mic all by himself in light of signing with Field Trip Recordings & Capitol Records.

“Yacht” blatantly rips off Lil Uzi Vert over a run-of-the-mill trap instrumental to start the tape whereas “Layflat” has a stronger trap vibe thanks to Internet Money Records in-house producer Synthetic even if the lyrics of falling asleep on a jet in the middle of an overseas flight are average. “Tank Davis” flexes that he’s fresh to death since every fit he puts on is fly in their own rights leading into “Sevan” talking about pouring up in a club at 2 a.m. in the morning.

Meanwhile on “Swag 2”, we have Max over a rage beat showing us the way he steppin’ out his new Bentayga just before “Rockstar” talks about the lifestyle he’s living on some Travis Scott psychedelic trap shit. “Dave” makes a decent reference to one of my all-time favorite comedians & the creator of the Paramount Skydance Corporation-owned Comedy Central series Chappelle’s Show creator Dave Chappelle, but then “Yacht 2” redundantly continues the aesthetics of the intro.

“Paid For” heads for a cloudier direction showing off his wealth & wanting to see what this chick can do on the dance floor while “Pink Moscato” talks about waking up in a $1M crib & likening using the stairs in it to a workout. “SOS” asks God to help save this metaphorical ship of his from sinking while “East Coast N***a” reflects on going from New Jersey to the sunshine state over a Rio Leyva instrumental. “Casper” lastly ends the tape by talking about going ghost because a bitch was doing too much.

Starting the deluxe run, “2016” samples “Escapee” by Architecture in Helsinki talking about dropping a bunch of money on the New York streetwear brand Supreme as if they were at their peak almost a decade ago while “Yellow Lamb Truck” produced by Maajins remembers trappin’ on a Samsung whilst rockin’ all Balenciaga & getting paid to be on camera. “Swag” has a bubblier trap sound compared to the sequel talking about throwing bands in the strip club & the final bonus track wastes another Maajins beat poppin’ tags the day after getting lit at the club.

Wasn’t too surprising to hear many call the cloudy trap & rage production on this tape the best thing it has going for it because as I had already imagined, PlaqueBoyMax’s own performances leave little to be desired leaning heavily on his contemporaries such as Uzi or Travis. Not to mention I don’t find neither his flows or the subject matter on a good majority of 5 Forever to stick out all much either, staying optimistic of him possibly improving.

Score: 2/5

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