YSL Records – “Slime Language III” review

Atlanta, Georgia record label YSL Records founded by Young Thug dropping their 3rd showcase compilation & their first since going independent. Releasing both Slime Language & it’s sequel in tandem with 300 Entertainment & Atlantic Records, the whole roster has since been revamped after Thug came home including the Tezzus as well as his Uy Scuti Bøyz cohort diamond* & more recently iyrus. However coming off The Resurrectiøn & Bling Slime this summer, Slime Language III looks to conclude the trilogy with a double disc chapter.

“Gotta Love Us” by Young Thug & diamond* featuring BSlime & Pz’ produced by Wheezy talks about laying out everyone going against them whereas “ØWAYSL” by Thug & Tezzus featuring BSlime, Rob49 & Sk8star references the greatest QB of all-time Tom Brady over a PROJECT4PLAY instrumental. “What’s Up Mami” by Thug featuring Biggs Money finds the pair hideously taking a more seductive approach in terms of subject matter while “Mob Guys” by Biggs Money, Lil Unky & Quavo talks about being gangstas.

Lil Unky sticks around with Young Thug on “Function” talking about pulling up to 10 hoes at the spot just before “Club Outside” by Thug featuring Lil Baby gets London on da Track with Southside discussing transforming the trap house into a studio since making music’s more fun anyway. “Wait for It” by BSlime & Papito El Franklins was a moment I could’ve done without delivering a boring pop rap/trap crossover talking about their success until “Eaters” by Thug & Tezzus featuring Future, Travis Scott & Yeat unites for an ode to sex.

“Grandma’s Baby” by Young Thug featuring Veeze links up so they can talk about their grandmothers’ raising them in the projects of the ATL & Detroit respectively over a sample-driven trap beat leading into “Black Friday” by Thug featuring Lito the Plug boasting that bitches love when they’re in their gangsta bags. “Myself” by Thug featuring Biggs Money talks about preferring being rich instead of not having food for a day over a Mike WiLL Made-It instrumental while “Ønly ØWay” by Tezzus featuring Skrilla quenches for blood whilst standing on business.

The Uy Scuti Bøyz accompany Young Thug for the single “Hood of Atlanta” representing their hometown over a Feardorian beat while “YSL” by Yume featuring Thug shifts towards a largely melodic direction for a trap soul duet repping their set. “Crocodile Skin” by BSlime brings a more playful aura to the table instrumentally only knowing these Ws they’re catching regardless of the average performances while “Tezzus & diamond*” by the Uy Scuti Bøyz featuring Cash Cobain & Quavo talks about all 4 artists living their lives like stoners.

“Shawty Shawty” by Young Thug featuring HittMan bogs the quality down again uneventfully calling for their goes to come to the spot & drop it for them while “Biggest Since Mike Jack” pairs Jorjiana, Lito the Plug & Sk8star talking about being the most popular Indiana celebrity since the late King of Pop when Tyrese Haliburton’s had that spot for some time. “We Dead” by Thug featuring Trippie Redd spends a couple minutes getting materialistic while “Bvlgari” by iyrus & Yung Kayo featuring Biggs Money, Lil Unky, Lito the Plug concludes Disc 1 chartering shit for 8 minutes with iyrus & Kayo each spitting the hardest verses.

iyrus & Young Thug kick off Disc 2 having Lil Unky & Pz’ joining them during the playful sounding “Believe That” talking about YSL being the hottest imprint out in the streets while “Cha Ney Ney” by Thug & the Uy Scuti Bøyz looks to go high top with the Balenciaga over a rage beat. Another single “Consummate” by Tezzus & Thug maintains the hypertrap elements talking about wanting to fuck their partners while “Tonight” by diamond* & 1300SAINT hops over an Honorable C.N.O.T.E. instrumental speaking of the team rockin’ red for an evening.

“NaNaNa” chiefly feels like a diamond* solo joint since he’s handling both the verses by himself other than Sk8star providing a few lines towards the 2nd & final one while “Say Dat” by iyrus, Young Thug & 1300SAINT talks about the trio originating in the belly of the beast. “Baddies” by Biggs Money & Cash Cobain got a chuckle outta me since it’s that bad of an attempt at going sexy drill while the 2-parter “Birthday” by Thug featuring Bay Swag & once again Cash Cobain was only a slight improvement in comparison.

Taurus gets behind the boards for “Switch Up” by Young Thug featuring BSlime talking about betrayal over some acoustics & hi-hats while “Weird” by Thug featuring Biggs Money & Lil Unky confronts individuals for acting stranger than usual around them. “Freaky Girl” by diamond* hooks up an iyrus beat that reminds me of GTA VI talking about being with a bad bitch who likes to get wild behind closed doors while “Bounce It” by Biggs Money & YKNIECE whips up a blandly redundant ass-shaker.

“Snakes on My Collar” by diamond* & the late Lil Keed was actually a profoundly bittersweet moment like having both of YSL’s past & present generations colliding while “Stole It from Us” by iyrus & the Uy Scuti Bøyz talks about people stealing their swag over a pluggy Pi’erre Bourne instrumental. “Fernando Mendoza” by Tezzus featuring Lil Unky & Sk8star shouts out the Las Vegas Raiders’ rookie QB of the same name while “Countin’ Up” by Young Thug featuring Lil Righteous talks about thumbin’ through stacks.

Tezzus & Yung Kayo have Lito the Plug joining them for the bell-woven “Skyami” boasting they kill shit similarly to a theatrical film whole “Lil Bruh” by Young Thug featuring Biggs Money talks about winding up dead if one even dares of testing them. “Losing Sleep” by diamond* & Yume goes full alternative R&B/trap soul promising to make each others’ dreams become reality while “What It Do” by Thug & his brother Unfoonk at last puts an end to Slime Language III with a conflicted country trap outro.

This Halloween will be 2 whole years since Young Thug came home & considering the amount of time he’s spent since to rebuild YSL Records now they’ve gone independent signing some of the biggest trap artists in recent memory, it gave me the impression of Slime Language III possibly surpassing both it’s predecessors to become the saga’s finest entry. There are several instances where I liked the performances & production, but it overstays it’s welcome after a bit as a result of being ridiculously bloated & would imagine myself revisiting it more if all the needless filler was removed.

Score: 2/5

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DJ Dahi – “Black Boy (Alternative)” review

DJ Dahi is a 43 year old DJ, producer & singer/songwriter from Inglewood, California who’s worked with likes of Dom Kennedy as well as Dr. Dre & Vince Staples to only name a few. He was also signed to ARTium Recordings in tandem with Def Jam Recordings for a period of time but over a decade into the game already, he felt like now was the time to make his independent solo debut bringing an interesting list of hip hop & R&B guests on board to perform over his beats catered to those styles.

“Who’re You?” by Channel Tres & Vince Staples mellowly encourages everyone to wake up & get serious about the lives we’re livin’ now whereas “Find Me” by Mez & Moses Sumney finds the pair linking up for a neo-soul single singing of getting stuck in the middle. “How to Pray” by Kendrick Lamar keeps the laidback vibes rollin’ responding to a bar Drake had on “Plot Twist” a little over 3 months ago while “Running” by Childish Gambino combines contemporary R&B, neo-soul, jazz fusion & psychedelic soul for an ode to Dahi’s heritage.

Obongjayar takes the microphone for “Love Me” singing for his partner to be gentle, easy & careful with him because we all eventually fall just before “They Don’t Know Me” by Mez has a repetitive kickoff preceding a beat switch & a verse reflecting on life & the pain he’s experienced to wrap up the midway point. “The Night” by Kurtis Wells sings about the latter’s preparation for the evening to kick off the 2nd half of Black Boy (Alternative) until the lead single“Rest of Your Life” assuring Dahi’s partner to take her time falling in love.

“Stand for Something” by Ant Clemons, Baby Rose & Jesse Boykins III finds the trio teaming up to sing of upholding a set of principles while the 4th & final single “Square Up” by Fousheé cautions the world will fuck you up with an uppercut if one’s searching for trouble they’re bound to find. “Drowning” by Elmiene & Ravyn Lenae finishes up Black Boy (Alternative) with a neo-soul duet about raising a child without care & sell the world a lie without fear.

Becoming a fan of his as a teenager, DJ Dahi created Black Boy (Alternative) as a love letter to his younger self obsessed with rock along with soul & West African music prior to knowing any of that would result in what he’s doing today after spending so much time pouring himself into everyone else’s visions. Fusing rock’s grittiness & soul’s heart with West African rhythms for 40 minutes, the extraordinaire gives the world a more honest yet playful look at the kind of music he grew up on & one that paves the way for an exciting solo career.

Score: 3.5/5

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Everlast – “Embers to Ashes” review

Everlast is a 57 year old rapper, singer/songwriter, & producer from Los Angeles, California by way of Long Island, New York who originally came up in the early 90s as the frontman of House of Pain & a founding member of La Coka Nostra. He would eventually go on to drop 8 solo efforts, with the Tommy Boy Records-backed sophomore effort Whitey Ford Sings the Blues being my personal favorite of the bunch. I was however excited to learn the Martyr Inc. Records founder 9th solo LP & first in a decade would be fully produced by Yelawolf.

“Losing Man’s Game” kicks things off with an Americana intro asking himself why he can’t walk away from this game he keeps playing where he never wins whereas “Never Coming Home” sings about being on the run over a country rock beat. “Mistaken Identity” takes a more somber approach instrumentally finding himself all alone in the streets of Los Angeles just before “My Hollywood” sings about being fed up with the small town life over some acoustics.

Meanwhile on “Broken Heart for Hire”, we have Whitey Ford detailing a kind of love that doesn’t work like it used to leading into “Stones” singing about the self-awareness of being fed up with & acknowledging it by claiming he’s sick of himself also. “Out of Your Way” kinda has this singer/songwriter flare to it putting us inside the shoes of a single, simple, lonely man who maintains a heart of gold & a broken soul while “Lies” sings about tightly holding his lover until the break of dawn.

“Rubber Bullets” gets the 2nd half of Embers to Ashes going making a country-flavored comparison between kinetic impact projectiles & real ammunition while the country rock-tinged “Every Dog Has It’s Day” sings about riding off in the sun because he was born to lose. “Ain’t Coming Home Tonight” finds himself callin’ a woman he argued with at 4 in the morning only for her to send him to voicemail while “Love Don’t Heal” sings about his heart being unfixable & trying to do so would be a waste of time.

The title track recalls going from champagne & crystal glasses to drinking cheap whiskey out of plastic while “1987” looks back at the times when nothing else mattered nearly 4 decades earlier going to house parties broke as fuck. “Happy it’s Can Cry” sings about every dark night meeting its dawn & after protecting his “Peace of Mind” instead of buying some time selling his soul, the outro “Young Man” ends Embers to Ashes singing of living this fast life getting old.

A large portion of Everlast’s material since the turn of the millennium already has either been average at best or underwhelming at worst, so Embers to Ashes seemed like it had all the right reasons of becoming his finest late-career statement & it’s certainly a comeback that makes the absolute most sense. Yelawolf’s production bases itself around Americana & bluesy roots-rock for passionate tales of glory grasped & lost, the sudden swerves that change a life’s trajectory & hard-earned wisdom & warnings. Listen to this instead of Stella Lefty’s awful debut Long Way Push.

Score: 4/5

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Night Lovell – “My Blood as the Ink” review

Here we have the 4th studio LP albeit his 3rd under the $uicideboy$‘ very own G*59 Record$ from Ottawa, Ontario, Canada rapper, songwriter & producer Night Lovell. Emerging in 2014 when he dropped his debut EP I’ll Be Back & then following it up 4 months later with his debut mixtape Concept Vague, heads continued to turn in 2016 off the sophomore tape Red Teenage Melody & the 2019 full-length debut Goodnight Lovell. His sophomore effort & G*59 debut Just Say You Don’t Care was a step above the album before that, coming off I Hope You’re Happy to use My Blood as the Ink for his return.

“Sick & Tired” was a simply modest 2nd & final single talking about being fed up with people acting like they fuck with him when they really don’t amongst other issues like haters waiting for him to fold whereas “This Ain’t K-Pop” bombastically claps back at the artists who weren’t build for this shit. “Stranger” goes for a murkier trap vibe instrumentally talking about a solid muhfucka being hard to come by until explaining he sheds a “Gangsta Tear” every time he looks at the mirror.

We have Lovell over another dark trap beat during “Pawn Shop” talking about turning fuckboys into ghosts & people tryna take his spot just before the slower “Cigarette” admits there have been several times he’s considered callin’ it quits from music. “Fight Night at Gitanes” kicks off the 2nd half frighteningly talking about waking up every day to a whole different side of himself while “Bleed” discusses being trained to kill over a cloudier instrumental.

“Flip the Switch” nears closer towards the conclusion of My Blood as the Ink talking about people not understanding what he’s been through & exactly what it does to him but the “Message to You” skit, “Piñata” further embraces the trillwave aesthetics confessing he’s been learning to better himself in addition to life occasionally having it’s duller moments. “Run” wraps it all up with a cloudy trap lead single talking about having no time to focus on his own life.

I Hope You’re Happy was more positively received than Just Say You Don’t Care despite my personally appreciating it for the G*59 debut it was, but I feel like My Blood as the Ink could be Night Lovell’s weakest offering since joining the label. His songwriting & performances are there except I find the production largely uninteresting. If he hunkered down with someone like $crim or Dynox & even Chetta, then I believe he could make some of the most important music of his decade-plus career.

Score: 3/5

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E-40 – “Turning My Money Over” review

New quadruple 20th solo LP from Vallejo, California emcee, songwriter, entrepreneur, actor, occasional producer & Sick Wid It Records founder E-40. However: It’s his 27th album if you count Revenue Retrievin’: Day Shift & Night Shift, Revenue Retrievin’: Overtime Shift & Graveyard Shift, The Block Brochure: Welcome to the Soil, Vols. 1-3 & subsequently Vols. 4-6, Sharp On All 4 Corners & The D-Boy Diaries all as individual albums. Anyway some heads like to disrespect him, but he’s been putting it down for the Bay Area for over 3 decades at this point. My favorites in his catalog include In a Major Way, The Mail Man, The Element of Surprise, Charlie Hu$tle: The Blueprint of a Self Made Millionaire, My Ghetto Report Card & The Block Brochure series to name a few. Coming off Rule of Thumb being his most focused statement since, he’s not wasting any time Turning My Money Over.

“Cuttin’ Up” featuring Jason Martin formerly known as Problem kicks things off talking about staying sharper than a blade all day whereas “Car Dance” produced by Rick Rock shifts towards a hyphy vibe instrumentally looking to make people’s whips jump. “She Just Wanna Party” continues from there talking about a woman who merely likes to stay lit just before “Game Been Missing” featuring Larry June links up so they can give us what they feel like hip hop’s been lacking.

The 2nd single “Sum’n Ain’t Right” goes for a trap vibe instrumentally getting the feeling that something’s off leading into “Over Came ‘Em” featuring Celly Cel finds the pair on some Mobb shit talking about overcoming every obstacle thrown at them. “On Here Trippin’” discusses livin’ it up to the max & his belief of family extending broader than merely kin while “Keep Runnin’” featuring Peezy treads the rap rock waters talking about maintaining the grind.

“Come with Me” hooks up a woodwind-infused beat from none other than 40’s son Droop-E speaking of needing to be protected at all cost & having only a crumb at the early stages of his career while “Quicksand” featuring Havoc talks about making it out the struggles they faced in their respective hometowns of Vallejo & Queens. “Blessed” takes the hyphy route to express his gratitude for the hustler lifestyle while “Must Be the Lingo” talks about his unique slang.

As for “Certified”, we have 40 Water over another hyphy beat so he can confess to being souped up while “Talkin’ Crazy” challenges anyone to say something slick to him. “Trunk’s Alive” featuring B-Legit & Too $hort teams up so the trio can talk about the speakers in their rides making it seem like the cars they’re driving are floating while “Paint Where It Ain’t” boasts his pockets being swollen up in addition to smoking the dankest weed & painting up the town.

“Play If You Want” featuring Busta Rhymes talks about being the greatest for their own separate reasons over an energetic Murda Beatz instrumental while “Night in the Bay” featuring Anderson .Paak takes a smoother approach yearning to drive around the Bay Area with their significant others. “Stand Down” featuring G Perico & Puablo15 gets on some gangsta shit together over a Hit-Boy beat while “Soul of Vallejo” featuring DaBoii, LaRussell, Nef the Pharaoh & NyNy ends the 1st half of Turning My Money Over with a posse cut repping their city.

Kicking off the 2nd half, “Make the Speakers Go” fuses elements of hyphy & g-funk talking about having to work all his way up to the top while “Mastermind” made for a decent lead single likening him to a genius & having the block jumpin’ similarly to the combine. The self-produced “On Top” featuring Kokane talks about their paper staying long after going from the bottom of the barrel to the highest point while “Show You How to Love Me” gets romantic over a Mike & Keys and Jason Martin beat.

“Baptized” featuring D-Shot talks about keeping heat by their sides since it gets cold around their parts with a slapping hyphy instrumental accompanying them while “You See It” moderately flexes his materialistic riches. “Need That” featuring Hitta Slim reassures they’ll talk back if one ever mentions money in a conversation while “The Woo Wop” turns up the hyphy influences promising all his haters they’ll eventually meet their fate.

AzChike appears during the Mobb-inspired “Dreams & Shadows” talking about being the kind to take everything only to ask for more over some sampling chops while one of the weaker tracks “High Kickin’ In” hooks up this goofy reggae beat for stoner raps I’d consider average at best. “Trenches” aggressively tells us stories of what the streets of Vallejo are like while “Double Back” featuring Cousin Fik returns to a Mobb sound talking about neither of them acting right.

“Gamed Up University” takes us to a fictional campus he claims to be spooky & murky maintaining the Mobb scene’s core components in tact while “The Work” talks about him knowing who’s gonna win or fail & merely playing for keeps. “Hope I Lose” sends an eerily Mobb-flavored message to all the people who want you to fail than succeed while “Look at That” was another skipper since it sounds like a bland strip club anthem.

DJ Daryl gets behind the boards for “Sucka Ducking” featuring P-Lo talking about avoiding any cornball who attempts approaching them while “What Would 40 Say?” brings some g-funk undertones in the picture responding to that very question. “Get High” featuring Killer Mike was a far more entertaining weed smokers’s theme than “High Kickin’ In” was while “Lift You Up” wraps up the 4-disc experience reminding the world they’re dealing with a pro.

I do remember E-40 saying a Rule of Thumb 2 was gonna happen but regardless of whether or not it’s been scrapped like Parts 3 & 4 of Sharp On All 4 Corners were, Turning My Money Over was less enjoyable than it’s predecessor although by a slight margin. There is a fair share of impressive production, guest performances & 40 Water verses although I felt like the songs containing weaker instrumental palettes or features would make me want to come back to it as much as I’d like.

Score: 3/5

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Alex Warren – “Wildchild” review

Alex Warren is a 25 year old singer/songwriter, YouTuber & influencer from Carlsbad, California known for co-founding the Hype House collective of TikTokers. He eventually signed to with Atlantic Records in 2022 & wouldn’t drop his double full-length studio debut You’ll Be Alright, Kid until last summer. One of the most unpleasant listening experiences I had the previous year despite the hit single “Ordinary” embodying what the Billboard charts have become, so him coming back 13 months later for a sophomore effort until the beginning of fall next month unsurprisingly doesn’t raise my expectations or had me expecting a whole lot outta it.

“Emerald Eyes” experiments with disco to kick things off singing about hopes of this woman never letting him go whereas “Same Stars” hooks up some pianos asking “How the same stars over my head are the same stars from the night that you left?”. The 3rd single “Passenger” falls flat at a pop rock, dance-pop & new wave cut describing the feeling of helplessness in a 1-sided relationship just before the final single “Rescuer” blends alt-pop & folk pop thanking this female for pulling him out of an emotional darkness.

We get hints of gospel on “Cry Wolf” singing about a fire igniting in his veins whenever he hears someone mentioning an ex-girlfriend who wound up hurting him while the 2nd single “Fine Place to Die” depicts the apocalypse mixing adult contemporary & pop soul. After the “Are You Having Fun, Alex?” skit, “I Miss You More” sings about an individual in his life who’s been away for some time & pondering the idea of fathering a girl while “Only Thing Left” assures his partner they’re out of fight instead of love.

“Fever Dream” weakly fuses pop rock, pop soul & stomp & holler for a lead single inspired by his wife while “Won’t Go Back Again” emphasizes the stomp & holler elements singing about being done with setting himself on fire for the sole purpose of keeping others up. “Last Time” has somewhat of an Americana flare to it wishing he would’ve sooner realized he’d see this person for the very last time & the title track ends Wildchild singing about not letting this cruel world take our light away.

In a way, I can actually commend Alex Warren for experimenting a lot more throughout his 2nd album than his debut did regardless of me liking it no better or worse than what he dropped 13 months earlier. The adult contemporary, pop rock, dance-pop, stomp & holler, new wave, disco, gospel, alt-pop & folk pop production’s somehow more uninteresting than You’ll Be Alright, Kid & the songwriting still doesn’t do much of captivating me despite him trying to turn up the intimacy in his music.

Score: 1/5

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長谷川白紙 – 「素直な気持ち」レビュー

Here is the 4th studio LP from Tokyo, Japan singer/songwriter Hakushi Hasegawa. Making their full-length studio debut in 2019 with Air Ni Ni following their first couple of extended plays iPhone 6+ & Sōmoku Hōdō, the sophomore effort I’m Dead! would come out in 2023 & impressed the Los Angeles, California producer Flying Lotus so much to the point where he signed them to Brainfeeder Records distributed by Ninja Tune. Mahōgakkō has since become some of the label’s greatest material ever recorded & have returned 25 months later to give their Honest Feeling.

“Little Briar Rose” takes inspiration from the fairy tale of the same name singing about a century-long dream being fun to have & after the 40 second “Gettinhereroute” intermission, “Nausea” continues the glitchy jazz vibes assuring the story will always stick with you no matter where one goes. “Boss-Moire-FS” takes a more chaotic approach for the musical equivalent of a panic attack layering these spoken word bits & saxophone while “We the Ominous Warriors” abstractly sings about being in a messy kiss state.

We have Hakushi on “Why the Hell Do I Have to Say Everything From 1 to 10 Each Time Each Time Each Time Each Time?” manically explaining that anyone who doesn’t have a thumb buddy is a nobody just before the lead single “The Owner of Sweetness” blends shimokita-kei, indie rock, glitch pop, deconstructed club, pop punk, noise rock, slacker rock & noise pop singing about hopes of returning to an ungastropodish place. “Grace” later combines glitch pop, art pop, electro-industrial, deconstructed club, avant-garde jazz, epic collage, electro-industrial, industrial rock, experimental rock & tearout brostop for an eclectic 3rd & final single.

“Thief Cat Thief” after “The-End-FS” intermission embraces a quirkier sound singing about Don Planta’s book not being here because they already replaced it while “Suffocation Diary” after the “Permanent-Trompe l’Oeil-FS” interlude fuses indietronica, alt-pop, alternative R&B, neo-psychedelia, glitch pop & alté shouting out the late SOPHIE amongst others including Arca. “Witchkeeper” dabbles with spoken word for a few minutes over these strumming acoustics & once “Vanilla Value” colorfully suggests their ending would be a suitable finale, “Never Lack Nothing” sends off Hakushi’s boldest statement yet singing about being the decorators of the blackout curtain.

Honest Feeling further validates Hakushi Hasegawa as one of the most exciting artists in on Brainfeeder & could very likely become the imprint’s strongest release this year. Their glitch pop, experimental, art pop, avant-garde jazz, glitch, deconstructed club, avant-prog, nu jazz, jazz-rock, indietronica, alt-pop, alternative r&b, neo-psychedelia, glitch pop, alté, shimokita-kei, indie rock, pop punk, noise rock, slacker rock, noise pop, electro-industrial, industrial rock, experimental rock & tearout brostop feels more expansive than Mahōgakkō in time for the season of flutter arriving thanks to her new live band Haha & the Hairpins.

Score: 4/5

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Majid Jordan – “2 Roads” review

Toronto, Ontario, Canada alternative R&B duo Majid Jordan consisting of singer Majid Al Maskati & producer Jordan Ullman are back for their 5th studio LP. Forming in 2011, it wasn’t until a couple years later when 40 signed them to OVO Sound & was featured on their mentor Drake’s hit single “Hold On, We’re Going Home”. Their 2nd extended play A Place Like This stood tall as the best project in their catalog until their previous full-length Good People dropped in the fall of 2023, finding them stuck between 2 Roads hours after former 2-time TNA Knockouts World Tag Team Champion Maggie Lee became the inaugural TNA Knockouts Television Champion in Brampton.

“Have I Gone Too Far?” made for a cloudy alternative R&B intro singing about a woman giving Majid a broken heart in exchange for more than love whereas “Cold” blends PBR&B with synthpop demanding an answer regarding why he feels so alone. “Strangers” moodily sings about a couple being newcomers to each other in an alternate universe “Rich Man” expresses the desire of living in a crazy world & being in this woman’s arms makes him feel wealthy.

Continuing from there, “Rather Be with You” sings about wanting to cancel his plans & become a better man with his soulmate by his side just before “See You Again” goes for a more standard alternative R&B vibe promising to do anything to see this woman smiling again. “Dream” sings about only wanting what’s best for him & his lover leading into “Best Behaviour” featuring Clementine Douglas kicking off the 2nd half with a duet depicting a couple surrounding each other.

“Things Just Feel Better” maintains an atmospheric tone singing about everything improving around Majid when his partner’s around him while “The Reason” dabbles with trap soul letting this female know she’s exactly why he popped out for the evening. “Look What You’ve Done” confronts a girl who he believes is the cause of making him lose his entire sense of self while “Island Time” sings about making love in the evening like it’s all they know although I was disappointed at Naomi Sharon doing background vocals instead of having a verse.

The song “Every Last Bit of My Love” pens an open letter to someone he’s missing more & more by the day sending her all the affection he has in his might to make her feel like he’s there with her while “Thank You” sings about the gratitude he has for this person cherishing him, realizing this relationship was eternally meant to be. The harmoniously stripped-back title track ends 2 Roads assuring the limits you can bear & how to persevere will be learned sooner rather than later.

If Good People was the album Majid Jordan needed to rival the extended play they put out prior to being signed, then 2 Roads returns to the averageness that has defined a great bulk of the material they’ve made since joining the OVO roster over a decade earlier. Jordan Ullman’s production incorporates secondary influences of synthpop along with new jack swing & soft rock into the pairing’s signature alternative R&B sound with Majid Al Maskati either relishing in infatuation or wallowing in heartache.

Score: 3/5

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Fat Joe – “Organized Rhyme” review

The Bronx, New York emcee, songwriter & actor Fat Joe back for his 12th studio LP. A member of D.I.T.C. & the Terror Squad, his first 3 albums Represent, J.O.E. (Jealous Ones Envy) & Don Cartagena are considered by many to be the best in his discography. However, much of his output since then has been either hit or miss from the underrated The Elephant in the Room to the horrendous J.O.S.E. 2 (Jealous Ones Still Envy 2). Cool & Dre produced the What Would Big Do? EP few years back & that was the most I’ve enjoyed Joey Crack’s music in a while, so them producing Organized Rhyme had me knowing I’d like it more than The World Changed on Me.

After the “Narcos” intro, “2 Plots” opens up on some soulful shit talking about never losing whereas “The Aroma” featuring Jadakiss & Stove God Cook$ finds the trio on some mobster shit having the ability to smell the product off the coast & referencing the late WWE Hall of Famer Muhammad Ali. After the “Coach Mike Brown” interlude, “Victory Lap (Him)” featuring Jadakiss & Yung Miami samples “Victory” by Puff Daddy & the late Notorious B.I.G. to get celebratory while “Back It Up” comes through with a mediocre strip club ode.

“Heavy Price to Pay (Chef’s Kiss)” co-produced by Mike Dean incorporates more sampling chops talking about the money coming with a tax while “Dead or Alive” featuring Remy Ma boasts top 5 status although the auto-tuned hook wasn’t good. “Not Goin’” produced by STREETRUNNER talks about not fallin’ for bullshit & after “Set of Keys” featuring Pusha T gets on some coke shit, “Feelin’ a Way” discusses having the world in his palms. “They Wanna Know” lastly ends Organized Rhyme answering some questions people have had.

Seems like Cool & Dre heard what many including myself had to say regarding them producing over half of The World Changed on Me because them handling Organized Rhyme’s beats gives us some of the most enjoyable music Fat Joe has made in years & that shouldn’t be a surprise considering their previous output in recent memory. The list of guests has been minimized to a respectably brief number, the production hits harder & Joey Crack takes it back to his roots for a little over a half hour.

Score: 4/5

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Prince – “Timeless” review

Prince was a 57 year old singer/songwriter, musician, producer, dancer, actor & filmmaker from Minneapolis, Minnesota known for pioneering the Minneapolis sound. Dirty Mind, 1999, the soundtrack to his theatrical debut Purple Rain, Around the World in a Day & Sign “☮︎” the Times under Warner Records would all become some of the 80’s most celebrated material although The Gold Experience through his own label NPG Records can certainly hang with them. This spring marked a whole decade already since his passing & his estate has dug up his 2nd posthumous solo LP albeit the 42nd in his deeply massive discography succeeding Welcome 2 America.

“I Am You” opens up with this soulfully funky intro interestingly dating back to the For You sessions pleading for his lover to stay whereas “Heaven” comes through with an Around the World in a Day outtake singing about the pearly gates coming to Earth itself. “I Wonder” was recorded around the same time as the soundtrack to Batman & the soundtrack to Graffiti Bridge respectively pondering if this woman really knows how much he loves her while “With This Tear” covers the Céline Dion track of the same name.

Kicking off the 2nd half, “Stone” keeps it funky asking who can say why he & this woman are cold with nothing left just before “Calabama” predates the n•e•w•s sessions for a disco/pop rap crossover having all the ladies clapping their hands. “The Guilty Ones” embraces a funk rock direction singing about winning people over without having to say a single word while “Bestest Friend” sends off Timeless addressing someone he once considered an extremely close ally, proclaiming every painter needs a muse.

Timeless retains the same lasting power Welcome 2 America had showcasing the extraordinary consistency, curiosity & creative ambition that defined Prince’s work throughout his life tracing his remarkable artistic evolution across nearly 4 decades from his teenage prodigy days to one of his last recorded performances. Neither Piano & a Microphone 1983 or Originals count as posthumous albums since both of those were comprised of demos, but this 2nd rare opportunity of hearing previously unheard chapters of his creative journey makes you miss him more varying between pop rock, contemporary R&B, funk rock, synth funk, dance-pop & none other than the Minneapolis sound.

Score: 3.5/5

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