Chetta – “highatus” review

New Orleans, Louisiana emcee/producer Chetta celebrating Valentine’s Day with his 23rd EP. Starting out a decade ago with his debut mixtape Nino White, this was followed up with 18 EPs as well as 11 more tapes & a full-length debut, but gained significant attention off his G*59 Record$ debut Been Here Forever a few summers back. Falling Off went on to be an equally dope prelude to the previous album Playboy, which also maintained the level of consistency as those previous projects since signing to G*59 as did Sick Bitch. $crim of the $uicideboy$ produced the overlooked Sacrifice & Sabotage a couple years ago, following that with Can’t Replace Me & Mix with Poison to say highatus.

“Plaza Drive” was a self-produced trap intro with a Memphis twist talking about grabbing the yellow tape after dropping bodies leading into “Messy Hoes” continuing to depict another day in the life of a gangsta. “Burn This City” combines a vocal sample & some 808s so he can talk about abusing drugs while “Downbad” kicks off the 2nd half speaking of partying inside a hearse. “Desert Storm” cloudily talks about many artists moving in circles these days & “Too Rich to Rot” concludes with him advising everyone to move aside when war breaks out.

If you’re like me & celebrating another year of being single this Valentine’s Day weekend, you’re probably gonna find yourself enjoying highatus a lot more than the divisive reception Mix with Poison got last summer although I’m in the minority of liking that previous extended play a lot more than most. His emo-tinged gangsta rap lyricism over his own production taking elements of Memphis rap, cloud rap & trap are still enough to satisfy who know what they’re getting themselves into.

Score: 3.5/5

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Sam R I – “Stained Glass” review

This is the 6th EP from San Diego, California emcee/producer Sam R I. Someone who emerged within the west coast underground off his first 4 EPs Purple Cashmere, Rush Hour, Nickz & Stax Payne. He would later have William Bostick fully produce his debut album 12 Monkeys towards backend of 2024 after Bostick heard Sam’s verse on “Rise in Winter Crime (Brrrrr)” & a couple months succeeding an eponymous EP, he’s enlisting Truelove to handle all of Stained Glass’ beats.

We get 93 seconds of drumless rap rock vibes talking about him walking down a “Cold Path” just before things lean towards a boom bap vibe instrumentally explaining that he can’t deal with “Tha Pressure” of setting for less. “Dice Kream Man” shifts into more soulful territory showing a sensual side to Sam topically leading into “Paint the Picture” ominously pointing out the observation of kids these days inhibiting our feet with clips in a piece instead of sitting on beaches.

“Turf War Kids” after the “Stained Side” interlude chops up a vocal sample to represent his turf now while “Words from an O.G.” ruggedly suggests to take off before he breaks off. Willie Marshall appears on “Fly Away” soulfully talking about seeing death at a young age in the slums & after “Cloud City” featuring Apoc Krysis finds the 2 teaming up for another hardcore boom bap joint, “What If?” soulfully ends the EP telling the love of his life that all he wants is her.

12 Monkeys was an excellent gateway for anyone who hadn’t heard of Sam R I since it still embodies who he is today & those who were impressed by that LP as much as I was will certainly have to give Stained Glass a spin whenever the chance comes this weekend. It’s more conceptual than Sam’s inaugural full-length, cohesively describing 3 journeys coming out of 3 different cities & the production is still boom bap-oriented although there are secondary influences of drumless, rap rock & chipmunk soul.

Score: 4/5

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Crimeapple – “War Cash” review

Pretty sure this is the 19th extended play from Hackensack, New Jersey lyricist Crimeapple. Becoming a fan of his nearly a decade ago with his 4th EP Sweet Dreams along with the Big Ghost Ltd. produced full-length debut Aguardiente that next spring, his profile in the underground grew exponentially from there. Discography standouts include the DJ Skizz-produced Wet Dirt, the DJ Muggs-produced Medallo, Cartagena, Breakfast in Hradec, Sin Cortar, the Preservation-produced El León, the official Aguardiente sequel Bazuko, the Mello Music Group-backed This, Is Not That produced by Apollo Brown, Rose Gold & more recently the V Don produced Bulletproof Chicken. Last we heard from him was Hanzai this past Black Friday & he’s back with the Evidence-produced War Cash.

“Last Day” hooks up a drumless piano loop to get us started talking about no diamond district having the capability of cooling him off now that the fire’s been lit leading into “Dr. Scholl’s” taking a slicker approach to the beat spraying the foot care product as if he’s graffiti writing. “Ventilation” goes for a wavier vibe assuring he retained his soul after updating his mind leading into “Karachi” embracing a boom bap direction to capture the aura of those who wound up falling flat.

Blu makes my favorite guest appearance of the 2 on “Pinto” likening their pens to pistols over a funky beat while “Roy” strips the drums again talking about God & the agencies being the only things he fears. “2 Left Feet” returns to the boom bap speaking of poppin’ in the jungle on a weekly basis while “Rio” featuring Monday Night talks about the possibility of showin’ up to the capital of Brazil at some point before 2026 ends. “Green Room” ends the War Cash exchange bodying 1 last instrumental recalling a time where he was chillin’ backstage killin’ time until his set.

Hanzai wasn’t my favorite album Crimeapple dropped last year per se & I definitely wouldn’t place it in the hierarchy of his lengthy discography by any means, but War Cash comes merely less than 24 hours since it was announced with the most I’ve enjoyed a new project from him since Bulletproof Chicken last fall. Evidence’s production is a huge step-up from Hanzai’s varying between boom bap or drumless, suiting Crime’s mafiosi tales a lot more consistently.

Score: 4.5/5

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Jon Connor – “II” review

Celebrating the Valentine’s Day weekend with the 2nd installment of a 12-part EP saga from Flint, Michigan emcee/producer Jon Connor. Someone who’s steadily been holding it down for the last 2 decades including The Calling, Vinnie Chase & S.O.S. trilogies along with the Best in the World series paying homage to some of Jon’s influences, Salvation, While You Were Sleeping & Unconscious State. He was even signed to Aftermath Entertainment for 6 years before departing after Vehicle City wound up being shelved, coming off Food for the Soul & 24 produced by KLC of the No Limit Records in-house production team Beats by the Pound to drop II almost a month after I.

Smitti Boi cooks up a victorious trap instrumental in the intro “Don’t Cry” talking about the shit God had prepared him for whereas “Random Thoughts” references current 8-time WWE world champion CM Punk claiming the Best in the World’s nickname for himself. “The Acknowledgment” jazzily confesses there’s no easier way to reach a higher version of ourselves unless admitting the bullshit won’t stop us just before “For Life For Real” featuring Mickey Factz finds the 2 talking about never letting anyone discredit you.

“Get It” starts the 2nd half of II suggesting for everyone he’s been watching on the grind to go out & take what’s theirs while “Completion” optimistically talks about it being proud of yourself for coming this far so we can remember who we are during any hard times. “The Party” takes a couple minutes to vent regarding all the kinds of people he’s been fed up with for a minute already while “Be Free” wraps things up talking about making peace from within & shit not changing 5 decades later.

Now I couldn’t tell you whether or not Smitti Boi intends to produce the other 10 extended plays Jon Connor has lined up for the rest of the year, but I did enjoy II almost as much as I even if the general reception towards the predecessor was divided. The production isn’t any different than last month’s EP regarding stylistic variety & Jon’s still using his God given talents to counter the negative energy our world experiences daily with positivity.

Score: 3.5/5

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RMC Mike – “Lover Boy Mike” review

Brand new EP & the 5th overall from Flint, Michigan recording artist RMC Mike. Signing a joint deal with Rio da Yung O.G. & Peezy’s own labels M.I.N.E. Entertainment & #Boyz Entertainment alongside EMPIRE Distribution, his first couple EPs Rookie Season & Sophomore Season established himself as in the Detroit trap scene until his full-length studio debut Junior Season elevated it further. Ghetto Season was a good debut & the sophomore effort Senior Season left me on the fence, boasting after a trip to The 6 that nobody can do it Like Mike & now introducing us to Lover Boy Mike.

“Clap Back” sets up shop with a lowend beat talking about smashing from behind & that he acts fat despite not being all that big whereas “Fine Shit” featuring Rio da Yung O.G. embraces the Flint sound fully so they can big up how beautiful the women beside them are. “S.T.A.B. (Shake That Ass Bitch)” comes through with a quirky Flint trap anthem catered towards the strip clubs while “Lil Booties Matter” talks about his appreciation for females who’s asses aren’t the biggest.

To get the 2nd half going, “Is We” featuring Louie Ray confronts the ladies in mind to ask if they’re officially in relationships or if they’re being played just before “Slow” featuring Jiggs Ent & Tiera Santoya cloudily finds the trio getting raunchy. “Where They At” instrumentally takes a more boisterous approach talking about him looking for hoes & after “Punch In” featuring Rio da Yung O.G. improves above “Fine Shit” to let their back-&-forth chemistry shine, “Kensington” combines pianos & 808s to end the EP so he can boast that he’s the one.

I don’t see myself coming back to Lover Boy Mike as much as The 6 or Like Mike considering both of those have quickly become amongst his most celebrated material as of late, but I have to give it up to RMC Mike for making an entire extended play themed around his sensual side in preparation for Valentine’s Day weekend. Even if a couple of the guests punched under their weight, Mike keeps his wild sense of humor in tact & the Flint/Detroit trap production’s more luscious than usual.

Score: 3/5

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RJ Payne – “Cinematic Payne” review

New surprise EP & the 20th overall from New York emcee & revered battle rapper RJ Payne formerly known as Reign Man. Building up an extensive solo catalogue for himself with 2 dozen mixtapes as well as well as his last 19 EPs & 4 full-length albums, Benny the Butcher even signed RJ to Black Soprano Family Records for a brief period of time & putting out some of best material like Leatherface & Square Root of a Kilounder Benny’s ever-growing indie label of his own. My Life’z a Movie produced by Stu Bangas quickly became my favorite LP in RJ’s discography & Enemy Soil Entertainment in-house producer C-Lance went on a trip with him to The Barbershop, reuniting with Drega33 for a sequel to Triangle D’or called Cinematic Payne.

“Cinematic” starts with a soulful boom bap instrumental talking about sending those who crash out on him straight to the hospital & killing everyone’s favorite rappers while “Bambino” swaps out the vocal sample in favor of some strings bringing a clip beside him to clear the whole block. “Effuse” talks about mastering the game of Russian roulette because he was born to play leading into “State of Mind” explains how great it is to make money even if his job isn’t the best.

The song “Jealous Pride” winds down Cinematic Payne’s final moments by talking about how sad it is muhfuckas will do anything for fame these days & that not changing anytime soon the way he sees it while the drumlessly crooning “Iran” looks to break whole crews apart since all these cornball artists have been teaming up. “Flying End” concludes the EP with 1 last boom bap beat talking about taking those who get way too close to him within seconds almost like a mini-date.

Granted I didn’t cover Leatherface 4 or It Feels Good 2 Win & Winning Ain’t Enough, I was fairly certain Cinematic Payne would become the most I’ve enjoyed RJ Payne’s music since Sinnerz produced by Cartune Beatz considering all those projects were received mixed-to-positively & it did live up to those expectations thankfully. If you’re a fan of the Beautiful Payne series in particular, RJ’s distinctly complex penmanship paired with Drega33’s production minimizing the drumless influences of Triangle D’Or will potentially satisfy you.

Score: 4/5

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Converge – “Love Is Not Enough” review

Converge is a metalcore band from Salem, Massachusetts consisting of drummer Ben Koller, bassist Nate Newton, guitarist Kurt Ballou and finally frontman & Deathwish Inc. co-founder Jacob Bannon. Although their 1994 debut Halo in a Haystack was moderately received, almost everything they’ve done since has cemented them as quite possibly the greatest metallic hardcore band of all-time. Petitioning the Empty Sky, When Forever Comes Crashing, my personal favorite Jane Doe, their Epitaph Records debut You Fail Me, No Heroes, Axe to Fall, All We Love We Leave Behind during my sophomore year of high school & The Dusk in Us have all been widely praised for the own individual reasons & they’re back after almost a decade for their 11th studio album.

The title track combines their signature metalcore sound with elements of both mathcore & thrash metal explaining that love won’t do much to fend off the scavengers whereas “Bad Faith” explores the concept of helplessness after witnessing a friend suffering in the midst of a horrible situation beyond his control. “Distract & Divide” takes 91 seconds to express Jacob’s frustrations regarding modern society while “To Feel Something” confesses to being overwhelmed by his own fears, insecurities & stressors to the point where he feels numb to everything.

“Beyond Repair” takes a more compositional approach to reach the halfway point of the LP although it might be the weakest track here, but “Amon Amok” continues the excitement by talking about taking what they deserve & life presently feeling like there’s a whole bunch of demons running around. “Force Meets Presence” explores the concept of 2 different things that forever expand without choosing a winner leading into “Gilded Cage” making some commentary towards the pharmaceutical industry, the opiate epidemic & how it’s tied to so many other things.

The song “Make Me Forget You” winds down Love Is Not Enough‘s last 10 minutes or so observing everything we’ve let slip by as well as silence persisting where memories used to live while the 2nd & final single “We Were Never the Same” blends metalcore with atmospheric sludge metal & post-hardcore to conclude the full-length expanding the previous track’s concept in the sense of Jacob becoming self aware of reaching at the end of the line & it’s too late, coming to terms with him trying to be a better person.

This fall will mark a quarter of a century since Jane Doe became the greatest metalcore ever recorded, so it’s only right Converge celebrates with an album I must confess to enjoying more than The Dusk in Us although I wouldn’t put it above You Fail Me or All We Love We Leave Behind & Axe to Fall. The production in terms of primary & secondary influences is almost similar to Love Is Not Enough‘s predecessor except the post-hardcore undertones are being swapped it in favor of hardcore punk & Jacob makes a clear statement about us needing more than positive relationships & emotional affirmation to survive humanity’s darkest forces closing in on us.

Score: 4.5/5

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Buddah Bless – “Buddah Bless the Streets” review

Buddah Bless is a 34 year old producer, songwriter & former rapper from Atlanta, Georgia who I began paying attention to in the late 2010s through his extensive collaborations with Quality Control Music when the label was at their prime. He would also go to produce for many other artists like the late Young Dolph or his cousin Key Glock & Megan Thee Stallion to name a few, following the footsteps of 808 Mafia co-founder TM88 a little over 2 months ago & kicking off a brand new series of albums by curating his very own solo debut.

“Same Soldier” by Hunxho & Skooly was a decent trap intro with both of them talking about remaining the same as they were when they finally made it out of poverty leading into “Owe Me” by Kodak Black being one of the latter’s better songs I’ve heard in a while speaking of controlling his anger & thumbin’ racks. “From the Trap” by Skooly & UFO Toon finds the pair talking about where they both come from while “I Feel Good” by 41 isn’t much better despite shifting towards a New York Drill sound.

I would’ve liked the single “See the World” a lot better if Bossman DLow was taken off of it since I don’t mind either Big Sean or 2 Chainz’ verses leading into “Toxic” by Big Fredo & Kodak Black taking a more raunchier approach topically than “Owe Me” do & Fredo’s verse was the weakest of them both honestly. “On Arrival” by Tre Loaded mediocrely talks about being the one to hop out the car & he isn’t even the driver while “Scared AF” by UFO Toon feels more off-the-cuff than his 1st appearance.

“Guinea Pig” by Smokepurpp was another song that I truthfully enjoyed more than others talking about being a big stepper while “Can’t Pretend” by Trinidad Jame$ dismisses the idea of playing it cool with weird hoes, corny A&Rs & these bitch ass dudes who have no money. “All She Got” by Skooly would be the best of the 3 contributions he makes personally talking about sex once more while “Buyers” surprisingly finishes the album with Buddah Bless himself rapping over his production suggesting he could retire off the money he made producing for other artists.

Sadly as much as I wanted to enjoy Buddah Bless the Streets because I’ve always considered him to be talented behind the boards, I found myself underwhelmed by a great majority of Buddah Bless’ full-length debut & it makes me hope that the next installment of installments depending on how long he plans to span this whole saga out will be much more enjoyable in my opinion. His beats aren’t the problem at all, it’s the inconsistency from the guests a great deal of the time if anything.

Score: 2/5

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Ouija Macc & 8corpses – “IN4NO” review

New collaborative extended play between Ouija Macc & 8corpses. The latter of whom has been making waves in the underground wicked shit scene straight outta Oakland, California since 2022 while the other hails from Las Vegas, Nevada putting it down for Psychopathic Records since the fall of 2017 & forming the Chapter 17 Records subsidiary of the label that runs beneath the streets in 2021. To celebrate Friday the 13th however, they’re teaming up to drop some IN4NO after previously crossing paths on “Hits”.

“Wicky Wicked” starts with both of them hopping over a cold-blooded trap instrumental from none other than Devereaux portraying themselves to be deluded maniacs while “Kinfolk” featuring Darby O’Trill finds all 3 of them teaming up so they can talk about being psychos going wherever the wind blows. “Puppeteer” blends industrial hip hop & boom bap refusing to put up with any more bullshit leading into the closer “Molotov Mobbin’” having fun using some incendiary weapons.

Haven’t heard a whole lot of 8corpses’ stuff truthfully, but listening to his performances throughout IN4NO gives me an understanding as to why Ouija Macc would work with him even if this isn’t one of my favorite collab projects or anything. The production primarily handled by Devereaux is an improvement above Ouija’s previous collaborative effort Came2kill! with Sinizter last summer & comes full circle after 8corpses opened for the C17 CEO numerous times over the years.

Score: 3.5/5

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Brent Faiyaz – “Icon” review

Brent Faiyaz is a 29 year old singer/songwriter, rapper & producer from Columbia, Maryland starting off in the DMV hip hop until shifting towards R&B & more specifically alternative R&B. He’s put out a couple full-lengths along with 6 EPs until forming his own label ISO Supremacy, releasing his debut mixtape Larger Than Life under his imprint & signing Tommy Richman. It’s been almost a couple years since the latter’s debut Coyote & Icon looks to recapture the magic of his debut for his 3rd album.

After the compositional “white noise.” intro, the first song “wrong faces.” begins with an acoustic instrumental telling this woman he’ll become the reason she’s not alone whereas “have to.” produced by Tommy Richman takes a much smoother approach singing about being in a race with time to get where he belongs. “butterflies.” splits itself in 2 halves thanks to benny blanco & Cashmere Cat asking his partner if she feels the way he does leading into “other side.” explores a dance pop vibe singing about a woman he saw in his dreams.

“strangers.” starts the other half of the album taking the alternative R&B route describing a relationship that has completely fallen apart just before “world is yours.” throws it back to the 90s with a synth-woven beat from Chad Hugo & singing about wanting his woman to have him her way. “4 seasons.” exuberantly describes a female who’s either hotter than a day in July or cold as the winter but once “pure fantasy.” atmospherically sings about his lover being all he needs, “vanilla sky.” wraps up Icon posing the question of whether one’s happiness lasts forever or if it’s short term.

The self-produced “full moon. (fall in tokyo)” starts the deluxe run sampling “mewtwo” by Ken Carson expressing his desire of staying in Japan with his soulmate for the rest of their lives while “1 for you. (spring in new york)” flips “If” by Destiny’s Child singing about being the one for this chick if she’d like him to be. “tony soprano.” moodily puts himself inside the shoes of the lead character from one of my top 3 shows The Sopranos & Beat Butcha samples “Chapel Hill Heist” by Father during the final bonus track “peter pan.” singing about flying to Neverland with his Wendy.

Initially set to come out on his birthday last fall until pushing it back, the extra 5 months Brent Faiyaz would spent ensuring Icon would outdo both it’s predecessors really paid off despite initially letting down many who were looking forward to it including myself & I’m thankful we got the most expansive entry in his discography out of it. The intimately cinematic production merges the foundations of classic soul music with elements of modern R&B depicting themes of growth, loss, renewal & his evolution from both an artistic & a personal standpoint.

Score: 4/5

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