Ibibio Sound Machine – “Chopping Mountain” review

This is the 6th studio LP from London, England, United Kingdom afro-funk band Ibibio Sound Machine comprised of frontwoman Eno Williams, guitarist Alfred Bannerman, percussionist Afla Sackey, drummer Joseph Amoako, bassist Philip Ambrose, trombonist/keyboardist Tony Hayden, trumpeter/keyboardist Scott Baylis & saxophonist/keyboardist Max Grunhard. Introducing themselves a decade ago on the eponymous debut, they would show some growth on the sophomore effort Uyai & Doko Mien was merely ok. Electricity couple years ago on the contrary surpassed Uyai as the band’s crowning achievement in their discography, coming off Pull the Rope to outdo themselves with Chopping Mountain.

“Burning in Lagos” kicks things off with this 7 minute intro singing about her head being filled with circles of sleeping whereas the title track goes for a synth funk vibe to emerge from the surface after being reborn underwater like a phoenix rising. “When You Want to Dance” sings about having to synchronize if one wants to get down on the dance floors & after the 2nd single “Concept of Love” treads the synth funk waters again ponders how others interpret affection, the lead single “Return to Sender” recalls a car accident Eno was involved in.

We have Dele Sosimi appearing on “Give Me Peace” singing about being granted freedom over laid-back instrumentation to open up the 2nd half while “Menso” embraces some makossa vibes asking in Ibibio what’s wrong using a call-&-response delivery. “Love” pleads if Eno & her partner can try being 1 over a funky beat but once “Kukuru” embraces a more tropical sound to sing about accumulation, the closing track “River Don’t Rush” ends the album wondering why people worry over things they can’t control.

Chopping Mountain could likely be the weakest entry in Ibibio Sound Machine’s discography since Doko Mien considering I enjoyed it less than Pull the Rope although I’m confident of them having the capability of making something that’ll stand the test of time like Electricity. The electro, Afro-funk, synth funk & Afrobeat production along with the prevalent themes of love, unity & resistance that’ve always defined the band remain unbothered despite there being some points where Eno Williams’ vocals don’t do much.

Score: 3/5

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Rio da Yung O.G. – “The World is Yours” review

M.I.N.E. Entertainment founder Rio da Yung O.G. straight outta Flint, Michigan back for a sophomore effort. Breaking through the local trap scene during the latter portion of the previous decade under the mentorship of Peezy signing to #Boyz Entertainment in tandem with EMPIRE Distribution, he has since put out his last 9 EPs as well as a full-length debut album & a handful of collaborative projects under his belt all over the duration of 7 years. Rio Circa 2020 was a solid EP celebrating his 30th birthday but coming off Rio Free & F.L.I.NT. (Feel Like I’m Not Through), he wants everyone to know The World is Yours.

“Be Like Me” sets the tone of what’s to come with this Flint trap intro talking about everyone else wanting to be inside of his shoes whereas “Superstar” featuring Veeze finds the pair over a Detroit tap instrumental depicting gangsta rap imagery in their own distinctive fashions. “Lemme Guess” makes a number of assumptions ranging from a woman getting sexually involved with another guy to helping a couple get rich while “Laced Blunts” featuring Trippie Redd poses the question of whether one’s slime or not.

F1LTHY of Working on Dying gets behind the boards for one of my favorite tracks here “Lost My Voice” flexing that he’s talked so much shit to there point where his voice gave out while “Canal St.” discusses having nothing but blue strips on him. “Easter Pink” featuring Rylo Rodriguez links up so they can decently talk about the lean in their cups while “100% Alcohol” vents over a woman getting drunk off some Mexican shit asking all sorts of stupid questions.

“Button Up” featuring RMC Mike reminds the world of what makes them amongst Flint’s most beloved duos spitting straight bars without the need of a hook while “Milwaukee Bucks” produced by Danny G was another highlight talking about chasing the cheese despite not being a snitch. “Finna Drop (Tour)” hits the midway point of the album remaining hood despite him leaving Flint years ago while “Rocks Off” featuring Judah Weston teams up so they can decent get sexual.

YN Jay appears on “New York Minute” running it back with F1LTHY boasting of being the wealthiest to ever come out of their city while “Work Different” warns that getting on his bad side would be stupid as fuck. “Crooked Elbow” featuring the current 2-time WWE United States Champion Trick Williams’ manager Lil Yachty & Tierra Whack finds all 3 of them getting hardcore while “Peach Nehi” over some pianos & bells talking about dudes being sweeter than licorice.

“Kinda Anxious” talks about how he smells like a scald weighing a brick while “Not the Best Liar” admits that he isn’t the greatest at lying. “Get It Back (Zoom Meeting)” chops up a vocal sample continuing to depict the gangsta lifestyle while “Who Did the Body?” featuring Monaleo talks about applying pressure. “Douchebag” makes a clear distinction of being a boss instead of someone contemptible while “Okay wit Dat” talks about never being broke as long as his phone’s functioning.

This guy’s steadily been on the most prolific run of his whole career ever since coming home a few years back & The World is Yours keeps Rio da Yung O.G.’s consistency streak alive recording a majority of it in the middle of an ongoing tour in promotion for the very album capturing his grind & artistic evolution in the middle of keeping the unfiltered style of lyricism he’s become known for as nasty as he’d prefer it to alongside a respectable cast of big names joining him.

Score: 3.5/5

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vax – “B4VXN” review

This is the 8th extended play from West Palm Beach, Florida rapper/producer vax. Someone who would eventually go on to drop his last 7 EPs since 2023 after beginning to make music at the age of 12 including New Jazz as well as Forgive My Sins & Pyramid Scheme, with Is This You? following my personal favorite of the bunch Throne. Coming off #B4BlueDawn along with the full-length debut Blue Dawn & more recently Steeze, a sophomore effort called Vaxination has begun being teased with B4VXN.

“Molly” incorporates this digicore instrumental to kick things off talking about stealing bitches & doing ecstasy with them prior to “Tony Montana” named after Scarface’s main character shouting out DC Studios CEO & Coyote vs. Acme producer/writer James Gunn. Hitting the midway point, “Sorry” hops over a rage beat so he can talk about knowing how to apologize while “AWOL”combines digicore & free car music admitting to being under the influence. “Dirty Ride” expresses his desires of becoming a wealthy corporate titan preceding “Trinity” featuring Westwood talks about wasting their time & ability on women who don’t love ‘em

Vaxination isn’t coming out until 2027 from what I understand so if this is the last time we’ll hear vax for the rest of the year, I’d say B4VXN gives us another brief dosage of decent rage/digicore similarly to the previous EP he put out earlier this summer. A large portion of the production other than the single was more uninteresting than Steeze a couple months ago but either way, I’ll give this the benefit of the doubt since I know he can make something that will turn more heads than Blue Dawn did this spring.

Score: 3/5

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Bronze Nazareth – “Elysian” review

Here is the 7th solo LP from Detroit, Michigan emcee/producer & Black Day in July Productions founder Bronze Nazareth. Known for his membership with the Wisemen alongside his late brother Kevlaar 7 & eventually the Wu-Tang Clan’s in-house production team the Wu-Elements, he made his solo debut The Great Migration almost 2 decades ago & then School for the Blindman only 5 years later. Bundle Raps & Ekphrasis produced entirely by Leaf Dog & Roc Marciano respectively became his strongest output since his debut, coming off his childhood friend Apollo Brown producing Funeral for a Dream in tandem with Escapism Recordings last summer to have his sibling behind the boards 1 last time for Elysian.

After the “Elysian Invocation” intro, the opening song “Soul Stirrer” hops over a boom bap instrumental talking about being next in line whereas “Adesanya” shows some love towards UFC Hall of Famer & former UFC Middleweight Champion Israel Adesanya. “All I Could Do (Open 2)” whips up a sequel to a track off Illah Dayz’ 3rx album Ponch’e leading into “Lupus” featuring Hollywood Dots the Oncelor talks about the disease that killed the late, great J Dilla over 2 decades ago.

“Jacob’s Ladder” combines elements of soul boom bap to hit us with a flow smoother than cologne & after the “Kevlaar 2” intermission, “Bad Boys ‘04” featuring Salute da Kidd finds the pair likening themselves to the Detroit Pistons back when they won their last NBA Championship to date. “You’ve Been There” continues the 2nd half of Elysian with another soulfully dusty crossover talking about superstition not having a place within the journal inside his head.

Kevlaar 7 himself appears posthumously on “So7o” so the Cross siblings can rock the mic together 1 last time while “House of Legends” runs it back with Salute da Kidd provides an audio visitation rather than performing verses talking about feeling alive again inside. The final song “My Dead Brother Superhero” featuring Lord Jessiah preceding the “Elysian Benediction” outro ends Elysian with a soulful boom bap closer remembering his brother.

Nearly a dozen years since Kevlaar 7 passed away around Christmas 2014 of a blood disorder, his younger brother Bronze Nazareth digs up some of the final batch of beats he made giving them everything it deserved from his perspective & I don’t see how anyone who’s been down with them since the Wisemen days would be disappointed with the results of Elysian if he were here. Bronze ambiguously tackles streetology, life in the Motor City, aspirations, the wins & the losses while simultaneously making it clear K7’s sound hasn’t left.

Score: 4.5/5

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Fuse – “Womanizer” review

New York producer Fuse of the 808 Mafia making his his official solo debut. Some may recognize him for producing the Spring Clean series for Curren$y although he’s additionally crossed paths with many notable names from Future & Rick Ross to Royce da 5’9” & Benny the Butcher. He was recently motivated by Southside following his full-length debut Break the Silence last summer to take a jab at rapping & has brought Providence, Rhode Island producer araabMUZIK behind the boards for Womanizer.

“She Not Mine” hops over an atmospheric boom bap instrumental explaining his preference in women specifically being the hood type whereas “New Bitch” talks about having all sorts of hoes & growing up listening to Too $hort instead of Biggie. The uncredited female rapper featured on “High Maintenance” wasn’t too bad if it caught me off guard passably admitting she & Fuse need a lot of work until the R&B-tinged “South Beach” talks about meeting a freaky chick in Florida.

K Camp joins Fuse on the moody pop rap track “Head Shots” cranking up the seductive subject matter to wrap up the 1st leg of Womanizer just before “Date Night” telling the story of him taking a woman out for dinner costing $100 each to get the 2nd half underway. “Unstable” continues from there talking about a chick who needs some serious healing while “Couples Therapy” admits to dating a female without having any intentions of committing.

“Always Around” featuring Landstrip Chip finds the pair linking up over a sample-driven trap beat speaking to the type of women they should ghost instead of fucking in luxurious vehicles while “Ring the Alarm” featuring Sy Ari da Kid joins forces so they can issue a warning regarding someone’s girl being unfaithful to him. “Burnt Out” spends the remaining 2 & a half minutes of Womanizer asking this thot who lost all her values sleeping with guys for nice things she won’t receive in return.

Taking an opportunity to focus on himself as a recording artist after producing for others for almost 2 decades, I do think there’s room for Fuse to grow as a performer & Womanizer as a whole makes for an average beginning to this new chapter of his career. araabMUZIK killing it the production was a given to me since I’ve been paying attention to him ever since the stuff he did with Slaughterhouse in my adolescence, but the romantic subject matter gets tiring after a bit & had expected more out of the guests.

Score: 3/5

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Sham Blak – “Man of My Word” review

This is a brand new extended play & the 4th overall from San Diego, California emcee Sham Blak. Releasing his full-length studio debut Money Well Spent all the way back in 2013 when I was teenager, he would follow it up with his debut EP ShamRock along with the D Day Project & The Evolution of Sham Blak: As Lucc Would Have It EPs respectively. He recently put the sophomore effort Gratuity as well as Something Out of Nothing & ShamRock 2, coming off last summer’s Red October to be a Man of My Word.

“Power & Capability” featuring K4NO finds the pair linking up to talk about no one being realer than them whereas “Deebo’s” shifts towards a boom bap vibe instrumentally so Sham can lyrically get in his conscious bag. “Principle, Loyalty, Legacy” featuring Destruct joins forces so they can discuss keeping a cyclops vision when carrying tradition & after “Ain’t Nothing Like San Diego” props up his hometown, “Out the Window” featuring Mischif talks about doing this for the kinfolk.

Lorde Sims appears during “Tap In”, kicking off the 2nd half shittin’ on everyone & everything regardless of who it is while “Intentions” featuring Navy Jonez LKR rawly confronts someone regarding their precise objectives. “Round the City” featuring Mischif gets to the cake together without anything derailing their path & after “Shadowboxing” featuring Mr. Brady aggressively treads the battle rap waters topically, the outro “Farewell” sends off Man of My Word talking about going to bed when the sun does.

Documenting the mindset required to stay authentic & building something meaningful on his own terms, Sham Blak blends gritty introspective lyricism with hard hitting production & collaborative energy for an EP built upon principle, loyalty & legacy. Man of My Word calls for the world to stand behind what he believes exploring ambition, self belief to loyalty, relationships, community, internal battles & ultimately letting go & moving forward.

Score: 3.5/5

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BigBabyGucci – “Temporary Fix” review

This is the 8th studio LP & from Charlotte, North Carolina recording artist BigBabyGucci. Starting almost a decade ago off his debut EP ART HOE Collection, he would continue to build a name for himself by putting out 19 more EPs as well as his last 7 full-lengths & his last 5 tapes along the way. When U Wake Up, When You Go to Sleep, Baby 5 & the heavily alternative ANTI have all become his strongest material of the 2020s although I can’t the same for Isolation 2.5 a month after the latter. Internet Explorer was a fun redemption for himself, following up And When I’m Alone as well as Serotonin & Asleep at the Wheel to drop Temporary Fix.

“Por Vida” opens up with a cloudy trap instrumental talking about being out here livin’ his life whereas “Trust Issues” expresses his refusal of trusting anyone who isn’t from his side of town & being in Miami feelin’ untouchable. “LeBron” featuring Benzeli finds the pair putting bands on the floor on some young shit over a rage beat leading into “Euphoria” admitting the Benjamins are his main focus & that he could give a fuck less about fame.

Meanwhile on “Backpainz”, we have BBG psychedelically talking about his back hurting from carrying the game just before “Paranoia” cautions against letting the drugs spill. My favorite track here would easily go to “Where in the World?” produced by Internet Money Records in-house producer Nico Baran reaching the midway point of Temporary Fix getting crossfaded so he can ask this woman where she wants to go for a night out she desperately needs.

“Face It” gets the 2nd half of Temporary Fix officially underway talking about his bitch being bad & pourin’ drinks in the back of the club he couldn’t even measure over a plugg instrumental while “Oceanz” discusses splitting racks with his team & sliding with tints so dark, he can’t even see outside. “I’m Him” issues a stern warning of splitting heads open as a repercussion for speaking ill against his team while the Indicud-inspired “Tolerance” talks about getting high & doing whatever he wants every night.

The song “Blackout” feels like a cross between rage & digicore discussing him curving a bitch off ecstasy & demanding to have someone tell him which body to drop since he’s off the pill while “Goin’ Steady” talks about him staying in the kitchen along with silencing every single last person who’s been playing with his name. “Fake Rich” concludes the album in the form of 1 last digicore cut admitting to eating steak when he only came for the gravy.

So it was brought to my attention a few weeks earlier that BigBabyGucci has been having some trouble with his distributor ONErpm, but Temporary Fix gives me hope of them sorting out their issues continuing to prelude these next couple albums he has ready to go Side Effects & 1 Long Trip by taking it back to 2018 making the funnest music he possibly can without having any pressure kicking his drug addiction in favor of drinking more.

Score: 3.5/5

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Valid – “The Bronko Tape 2” review

Detroit, Michigan emcee Valid surprise-dropping his 2nd mixtape. Introducing himself properly over a decade ago with Reach High, he would follow it up in 2019 getting more personal on the sophomore effort Mihajlo which I personally would recommend to anyone as the best place to start for anyone who wants to get up on Valid’s music & eventually the Plum Brandy EP only 9 months later. Coming off The Bronko Tape & Peach Brandy, he’s preluding this next chapter of his career with a Bronko Tape sequel.

“See It Twice” hops over a synth-driven boom bap beat Pig Pen cooked up talking about the rap game making him fatter than he’s ever been whereas “Gitchya Money” produced by Big Tone continues from there with a funky 2 & a half minute ode to making bread. “Riverwalk” embraces a smoother yet spacier vibe instrumentally talking about chillin’ close to the river staying fresh while “Debt Free” asks the world if anyone has the luxury of having no debts to pay off.

Huey 11 appears on “Champaign Knights” taking a more seductive approach from the subject matter to the Simple Cuts beat just before “Once in a Blue” featuring Kool Keith hits midway point admitting to smoking weed occasionally. “Live My Life” featuring eLZhi & Mikri Maus acknowledges those envious of the trio’s lifestyles while “Matter of Respect” featuring Jon Connor feels like the Michigan version of former NWA World Tag Team Champions, 2-time IWGPタッグチャンピオン, inaugural 2-time TNA World Tag Team Champions, WWE Hall of Famers & former 18-time WWE tag team champions The Dudley Boyz.

“The Town” begins off the 4th quarter of The Bronko Tape 2 combining kicks, snares & vibraphone taking through the Motor City where nothing’s unheard of while “Burying You” shows off Peace of Mind’s ear for sampling talking about a someone smacking up a hoe at 4 in the morning after learning she was fucking someone else until she slits his throat in self-defense. “Pašteta” featuring Noti Limun once again takes a few moments to show more love towards Valid’s Balkan heritage while “Passing Down” advises against being like him losing the ones you love the most.

Valid takes it back to what made The Bronko Tape such an exciting listen coming up almost 3 years ago in preparation for his upcoming European tour set to kick off at the end of the month making further comparisons to to Bronko Lubich who competed in the Billy Corgan owned National Wrestling Alliance (NWA), the Hart family-owned Stampede Wrestling, the WWE Hall of Famers Von Erich family-owned WCCW, the Crockett family-owned JCP & WWE Hall of Famer Verne Gagne-owned AWA from the early 50s to the early 70s considering their Serbian background & building their reputation behind the scenes.

Score: 4/5

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Mi$tuh G – “Bird’s Eye View” review

Here we have the 2nd extended play from Sacramento, California emcee/producer Mi$tuh G. Emerging within the underground at the beginning of this current ongoing decade off the strength of his full-length debut G Files, I myself was subsequently introduced to his music in the summer of 2020 back when the whole world shut down as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic through his debut EP G.W.O. (G-World Order) conceptually revolving around all the events that had transpired at that point. He & Mak7teen brought Your Worst Nightmare to life a year later & coming off Keep It G back in 2024, he’s looking at things from a Bird’s Eye View.

“Thought It Was Over” after the titular intro hops on top of this nervous instrumental talking about shutting down any & all opposition whereas “Hatin’ on My Name” continues from there firing back at everyone who’s been disrespecting him. “Go” featuring Rayven Justice links up to talk about their desires of parting with naughty women while “B.T.A. (Bounce That Ass)” properly concludes the 1st half of Bird’s Eye View cooking up a decent strip club ballad.

The self-produced “Krown Me King” could most likely be my personal favorite track on the entire EP talking about never slowing down & taking the throne that’s rightfully his while “The 7th Letter” continues the 2nd leg proclaiming himself to be the big boss & never fallin’ off. “Kold as Me” winds down the last several minutes talking about nobody in his city being able to touch him lyrically just before “Family 1st” featuring Illa Jay & Mak7teen finds the trio rising above the dirt together.

A great bulk of this was conceived following Mi$tuh G’s recent experiences of backstabbing as well as broken loyalties & people smiling in his face despite praying on his downfall when he isn’t looking, which is why I’d consider Bird’s Eye View to be some of the most personal music he’s ever made. He’s painting a dark depicting of the price of elevation after realizing some of the closest people in our lives are the very reason some distance themselves out of necessity instead of making it personal.

Behemoth – “I, Scvlptor” review

Behemoth is an extreme metal band from Gdańsk, Poland consisting of guitarist Seth, bassist Orion, drummer Inferno & frontman Nergal. Their 10th album The Satanist back in my junior year of high school under Nuclear Blast Records was my introduction to them despite being around for over 2 decades at that point & became a fan of theirs ever since, following it up with the positively received I Loved You at Your Darkest in 2018. The Shit ov God last spring was welcomed to more lukewarm responses, coming back only 16 months later for a new extended play.

The title track sets the tone with this black metal intro recorded for The Shit ov God only to be scrapped because Nergal felt like it outshine the rest of it declaring the sculptor of eons & worlds doesn’t rest for anything whereas “Lord ov the Horizons” interestingly dates all the way back to the Opvs Contra Natvram sessions, although it almost made The Shit ov God until being excluded for not suiting the concept. “Begotten” concludes the EP with 1 last Shit ov God outtake detailing being all but divine.

Excluding the 2 re-recordings of their early demo cuts “Rise of the Blackstorm of Evil” & “In Thy Pandemaeternum” as well as the covers of “In League with Satan” by Venom and “The Return of Darkness & Evil” by Bathory respectively, Nergal & company pretty much warm their fans up in preparation for their upcoming 14th studio LP by digging up 3 respectively solid black metal tacks that were recorded for the last couple of full-lengths they’ve done taking it back to their roots & honoring those who came before them.

Score: 3.5/5

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