fakemink – “The Boy Who Cried Terrified” review

fakemink is a 21 year old recording artist & producer from Basildon, Essex, England, United Kingdom who introduced himself in 2021 off his debut EP Dog Heater. He would go on to drop 7 more extended plays in 90,900, Real Hospitality, London’s Saviour, Wild One, Furever, Disco Biscuit & Galaxy Pavillion Club until getting co-signs from music’s biggest names like André 3000 & Clipse. “Music & Me” would also become one of my favorite singles of 2025, preluding his full-length debut Terrified by telling the story of The Boy Who Cried Terrified.

“Blow the Speaker” gets the ball rollin’ talking about turning the bass up to the highest volume it can go over a cloudy jerk instrumental whereas the self-produced “Young Millionaire” psychedelically compares himself to Lil Wayne after seeing an increase of wealth. “Dumb” might be the only song I dislike, going for a more rage-inducing vibe talking about loving it when baddies act stupid just before the adrenaline rushing “Mr. Chow” chaotically discusses working in his sleep.

We get more crossovers between cloud rap & jerk music throughout “The Mercer” flexing that he’s greater than everyone who’s washed up at this point in their careers while “Milk & Honey” talks about being aware of those wanting him to fall off when that isn’t gonna be the case anytime soon. “fml” samples “IGOR’S THEME” by Tyler, The Creator & “Rival Dealer” by Burial to end The Boy Who Cried Terrified feeling like he’s simultaneously losing it mentally & reaching his peak.

Known for taking an experimentally cloudier approach to the jerk subgenre of hip hop with a bit of a pop rap twist to it, fakemink comes off some of the biggest stamps of approval he’s ever received or other hits like “Under Your Skin” & “Easter Pink” giving us exceptionally brief dosages of what we can expect out of Terrified next month landing behind the likes of London’s Savior as well as Wild One & Furever amongst his greatest extended plays. The production also explores elements of lowend to a lesser degree, justifying his status amongst the most creative trap artists to look out for.

Score: 3.5/5

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Ari Lennox – “Vacancy” review

Ari Lennox is a 34 year old singer/songwriter from Washington, D.C. introducing herself off her debut mixtape 5 Finger Discount & the debut EP Ariography. The latter of which resulted in J. Cole signing her to his Interscope Records imprint Dreamville Records, where she would put out 2 more extended plays Pho & Away Message as well as the debut album Shea Butter Baby. Fulfilling her Dreamville obligations with her sophomore effort age/sex/location, she’s dropping off her 3rd studio LP to begin this new era of her career.

“Mobbin’ in D.C.” begins with this neo-soul intro produced by Elite singing that she’d cut off everybody around her for this guy she’s been talking to whereas the title track combines hip hop soul & contemporary R&B thanks to Jermaine Dupri & BoogzDaBeast wanting her partner to fill this gap in her heart. “Pretzel” goes for a laidback vibe courtesy of both Cardiak & Wu10 singing for her man to flip & fold her in bed just before “Under the Moon” fuses pop soul, neo-soul, doo woo & the Motown sound magnificently sampling “I Only Have Eyes for You” by The Flamingos.

Moving on from there, “High Key” gives off some trap soul undertones yearning to be this guy’s freaky lullaby leading into the contemporary R&B/trap crossover “Twin Flame” asking the person Ari’s with if he loves her the way she does him. JD flips “You’re What I’m All About” by New Birth during “Soft Girl Era” wanting to embrace the youth subculture aesthetics popularized that Ariana Grande popularized until singing about how “Deep Strokes” through her soul gets her high.

“24 Seconds” gets the 2nd half going luxuriously letting her romantic interest know he has that much time left to come get her ass while “Cool Down” heads for a more atmospheric direction instrumentally singing about showing her appreciation for whenever the person she’s been romantically involved with touches her patiently. “Horoscope” packs a bunch of clever zodiac sign wordplay into this tropical 4 & a half minute trap soul cut while “Wake Up” gets back on her bullshit after discovering her man has been seeing another woman behind her back, lying that he was alone when he’s been texting the other hoe.

The song “Company” featuring Buju Banton nears Vacancy’s final moments teaming up experimenting with reggae & R&B expressing a desire for their respective lovers to comfort them while “Dreaming” sings about seeing an ex of hers whenever she has dreams in the evening, wishing she could see him again so they can hold hands sitting on top of a roof & hitting a jacuzzi later. “Hocus Pocus” containing co-production from DJ Camper finishes the album confessing it’s too soon for her to want this man to be hers as much as she does.

I’m very happy Ari Lennox was finally able to get out of her Dreamville deal considering that she was constantly airing out her grievances towards them for shelving her music & Vacancy makes it’s case for being Ari’s greatest body of work yet, making it worth the 34 month gap between this & age/sex/location. The smooth contemporary R&B & neo-soul production feels reminiscent of Shea Butter Baby’s & the constant theme throughout Ari’s career of new beginnings or starting over takes on a whole new meaning of itself.

Score: 3.5/5

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DJ Camper – “Campilation” review

DJ Camper is a 35 year old producer, DJ, rapper & singer/songwriter from Atlantic City, New Jersey notable for being a close collaborator of Big K.R.I.T. & formerly an in-house producer for G.O.O.D. Music at 1 point within the past decade. He has since gotten the chance to collaborate with those from YG & Kehlani to Doja Cat & Doechii, notably producing the 2nd single “Boom Bap” off the latter’s Grammy winning 2nd mixtape Alligator Bites Never Heal. However, he’s been compiling a debut solo album where a cast of both well-known R&B singers are jumping over his beats to perform on top of them for some time now & he’s ready to proper introduce himself individually.

“Tonight” by Lucky Daye sets the tone of what’s to come telling his lover not to say things she doesn’t want to show him over a smooth instrumental whereas “War” by Ari Lennox & Jeremih teams up for this triumphant R&B duet singing about being ready to fight people for the love these 2 protagonists have for each other. “Oowee” by Jill Scott & Ty$ takes a more atmospheric approach stylistically for an ode to smoking weed leading into “I Need It” by Syd & Tank declaring this to be the soundtrack to making love.

Camper himself shows off his singing abilities on the minimally produced “Love Me” including Stevie Wonder playing the harmonica during the outro telling his partner she either loves him or not just before “Come Over” by WanMor yearns for the woman in mind to pull up at their place since she’s missing out. “16 Summers” by Alex Isley & Rose Gold recalls the time it’s been since either of them discovered their first loves while “Waiting on You” by Tone Stith incorporates some pianos at the start & strings from Angelina Barrett singing to her man that she’ll be there when he returns.

“Speak to Me” by Arin Ray & Terrace Martin instrumentally switches it up to get the clock going on Campilation’s final moments dabbling with jazz music depicting a couple trying to sort out the issues of their relationship while “Back & Forth” marks DJ Camper’s return to the mic featuring Brandy singing about having nowhere left to go now that he had broken up with a woman whom Brandy does a fine job of portraying. “Love You” by Victoria Monét might be the most lyrically repetitive moment here, although the flute behind her soothing vocals make up for it.

There are only a couple tracks where DJ Camper’s actually singing but as I expected, he spends a great deal of this Campilation getting in his R&B bag & it has me wondering if he’ll do a sequel where he gets a bunch of rappers over his production kinda like what he did here. His production doesn’t lose its smoothness top to bottom & the guest list is primarily consistent other than a few occasional moments that don’t do it for me whatsoever. That said: I can’t deny him amassing a whole cast of artists representing the R&B genre whether it’s the veterans, the ones who’re popular at this moment & those who have more to offer in due time.

Score: 3.5/5

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IDK – “Even the Devil Smiles” review

Bowie, Maryland by way of Clapham, London, England, United Kingdom rapper, singer/songwriter & producer IDK making his Rhymesayers Entertainment debut with his 5th mixtape. Beginning to make waves in the spring of 2014 off his first 3 mixtapes profile began to significantly increase in 2017 when he signed to Williams Street Records in order to put out a 4th tape IWasVeryBad to critical acclaim. He continued the grind by putting out a debut EP IDK & Friends as well as the full-length album Is He Real? & his 2nd EP IDK & Friends: Basketball County, but the sophomore effort USEE4YOURSELF was very underwhelming. Simple. however fully produced by KAYTRANADA wound up being his strongest body of work to date & F65 was a decent conceptual effort. Coming off BRAVADO + INTiMO a couple Halloweens ago, he’s reminding us all that Even the Devil Smiles.

After the JASON MiLLS” intro, the first song “HALO” produced by No I.D. hooks up some prominent synthesizers talking about how he keeps winning & stays running checks whereas “DEViL” jumps over a Madlib instrumental so he can warn everyone near him to run if they see him walking up to them. “P.O” featuring Black Thought takes the boom bap route thanks to KAYTRANDA beating up the block 24/7 leading into “CLOVER” featuring Joey Valence & Brae talking about the trio wanting to fall in love.

“C.O.P.” shifts back towards a boom bap vibe taking a more conscious approach to his songwriting giving middle fingers to the feds while “S.T.F (START TO FiNiSH)” aggressively sets out to make some paper because he’s a monster with it. “SCARY MERRi” keeps it dusty courtesy of Conductor Williams talking about every day being a holiday to him just before “Cell Block Freestyle (CD On)” drumlessly suggesting he’d make things heavier if his music career don’t take off.

As for “Flakka”, we have IDK talking about not resorting to violence & getting caught up in the wrong place at the wrong time while “MiSOYGNiSTiCAL” combines synths with kicks & snares explaining why he wants his first love to fail. “LiFE 4 A LiFE” featuring Pusha T grittily talks about everyone around their parts knowing neither of them fuck around but after “Everybody Knows :)” points out that we all know a fraud when we see one, “SCRAMBLED EGGS – TBC :(“ spends the last 3 minutes talking about being in situations others haven’t come back from.

Until I get to my closing thoughts regarding Even the Devil Smiles, I want to send my deepest thoughts & condolences to the people over at Rhymesayers Entertainment’s headquarters over at Minneapolis, Minnesota during these weird & scary times they’re experiencing right now. Regarding the music on here however, it’s easily the most I’ve enjoyed IDK’s music since Simple. & makes a great debut for a label that’s been on a run since 2025 that deserves the same respect Mass Appeal Records got. The production is a huge improvement over his last couple solo projects & the guests compliment him outstandingly.

Score: 4.5/5

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Roc Marciano – “656” review

This is the 13th studio LP from Long Island, New York emcee/producer Roc Marciano. Beginning in the very late 90’s as a member of the Flipmode Squad, he then went solo in 2008 to drop classic albums that would pave the way for those like Griselda such as Marcberg & Reloaded. He would begin focusing on producing projects for other artists like Flee Lord & Bronze Nazareth following Mt. Marci & of course returning to enlist The Alchemist to produce The Elephant Man’s Bones & The Skeleton Key couple years apart from each other, both of which I gave perfect scores to & the same goes with The Coldest Profession produced by DJ Premier. 5 months later, he’s continuing to prelude Criminal Jazz with 656.

“Trick Bag” begins by sampling funk & jazz commanding thou shall not trick no matter how thick your pockets wind up becoming whereas “Childish Things” hooks up some bare synthesizers talking about achieving the finer stuff in life. “Hate is Love” instrumentally takes a more soulful approach suggesting those who judge should clean their own yards up prior to “Yves St. Moron” talking about his greatness not happening haphazardly.

As for “Prince & Apollonia”, we have Marc carrying over the drumless vibes recalling a guy waiting for his girl in his whip blasting the Prince track “If I Was Your Girlfriend” just before the soulful “Vanity” continues to paint images of the Mafioso lifestyle Roc has become renown for. “Rain Dance” featuring Errol Holden teams up over some vibraphones talking about turning base metals into gold while “Tracey Morgan Vomit” explains you don’t have to be a barber to get your wig parted.

“Trapeze” featuring Errol Holden starts the last leg of 656 with a crooning beat talking about both of them moving perpetually while the chipmunk soul-flavored “Good for You” boasts of him having the ability to steal your aunt & make her his baby mama since he’s been smooth like that. “Easy Bake Oven” continues to sample soul music talking about being the modern day Frank Sinatra & finally, “Melo” sends it all off boasting he’s fucked the same amount of baddies retired NBA forward Carmelo Anthony has.

Not only are we said to be getting Criminal Jazz later on at some point in 2026, but it was also confirmed by Roc Marciano himself that he has another full-length planned for this year called Mt. Magneto & possibly an entire album fully produced by Animoss. And for him to get the new year started, 656. Despite Errol’s guest appearances being merely passable, Marc’s drumlessly jazzy production matched & the mafioso/gangsta themes over the course of a half hour are strong enough to make me want to keep it in rotate.

Score: 4.5/5

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Elcamino – “God is Love” review

Pretty sure this has to be the 21st EP from Buffalo, New York emcee & singer Elcamino. Blowing up almost a decade ago off his self-titled EP with Griselda Records, his profile increasingly grew after being followed up by Walking on Water mixtape in the summer of 2018 along with dropped 2 studio albums & a few EPs the year after that. They Spit on Jesus proved to be a well received Black Soprano Family Records debut becoming the first Camino project that I had covered since On the 3rd Day & that much like No Weapon Formed Against Me was an improvement over some of the material we’ve gotten from him in recent memory. 6 months after having Real Bad Man produce The Game is the Game followed by Ill Tone producing Built for Cuban Links named after Raekwon’s iconic solo debut Only Built 4 Cuban Linx… produced by RZA in addition to flexing his Millionaire status & Full Moon showing a heavy Future influence. Martyr’s Prayer III produced by 38 Spesh made for a gratifying conclusion to the beloved trilogy as did Mino, recruiting Ill Tone to produce God is Love

An uncredited feature pops up during the backend of the intro “L.L.D. (Long Live Dumpin’)” ruggedly dismissing anybody who ain’t fuckin’ with their music whereas the drumless, chipmunk soul-infused “Crazzzy” talks about being the last real ones left. “Hip Hop” continues the sampling of soul music working in some kicks & snares advising to move smarter & slicker leading into “Nose Ring” combining elements of rap rock & boom bap talking about wanting the whole pie instead of 1/2 of it.

“12-11” begins the 2nd half referencing my favorite show of all-time Breaking Bad on amc whom Mike Santana took the TNA World Championship back from Frankie Kazarian in Total Nonstop Action (TNA) Wrestling’s critically panned debut for the network last weekend while “Fuck wit Me” brings back the drumless chipmunk soul vibes promising anyone daring to mess with him they’ll level up. “Amazing” strips the drums once more giving out Hot Ones until the cops come & “Friend Indeed” finishes by talking about being the best in the game.

Ill Tone & Elcamino have already proven themselves to have a substantial chemistry during the latter’s tenure with B$F, so I had no problem with them linking back up during God is Love & I still came away from it enjoying although not as much as Mino almost 4 months prior. Ill Tone’s production maintains the grittiness his 46% share of Mino’s beats & putting the uncredited guest appearance on the intro aside, I gotta give it up to Meech for having much lesser features than the biggest opus of his career so far.

Score: 4/5

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42 Dugg – “Part 3” review

Detroit, Michigan rapper & singer/songwriter 42 Dugg back with his 5th mixtape. His breakout debut EP 11241 Wayburn in 2018 would catch the attention of both Yo Gotti & Lil Baby, who jointly signed him to their respective labels Collective Music Group & CBFW Records shortly after. Dugg’s profile continued to grow in a year later when he dropped his debut tape Young & Turnt, which was followed up last year by the sequel Young & Turnt 2& the mature Free Dem Boyz. He returned last summer dropping 4eva Us Never Them, closing out the 11241 Rayburn AND the Young & Turnt trilogies combining the final chapter of both throughout Part 3.

“I.D.B. (I Done Been)” moderately starts off talking about his experiences of previously being shot past muhfuckas whereas “Fake Friends” produced by 30 Roc taking shots at those specific type of people. “It Is What It Is” featuring Lil Baby & Rylo Rodriguez finds the trio talking about the real ones always catching Ws leading into “No Fakin’” featuring EST G reunites the 2 so they can give off more gangsta rap vibes lyrically although the Republican line at the end of EST G’s verse seems kinda tacky.

Reaching the halfway point, “Still on Dat” featuring G Herbo trades verses with one another without the need of a hook portraying the gangsta lifestyle once more just before “Thick One” featuring Skilla Baby joins forces over a Helluva beat talking about their preference in women. “We Not Done” makes it clear he’s still trapping’ even after his music career has taken off continuing to sell bricks & pints while “To the Side” featuring Glorilla employs a back-&-forth delivery again, except I like it more than “Still on Dat”.

“Going Through It” winds down the last few minutes of Part 3 taking a more introspective approach to his songwriting, talking about missing all of his friends & children admitting that he has no idea if he’ll get the chance of seeing a couple of them ever again while “It Get Deeper 3” featuring Doughboy Clay finishes with a Detroit trap cut where they’re sharing the microphone & trying to triple their bags since street money’s the only thing either one of them have come to know.

Being somebody who considers 42 Dugg to be amongst the greatest CMG signings alongside Glorilla & Mozzy, I have to admit Part 3 being the conclusion of the 11241 Rayburn and Young & Turnt series left me somewhat disappointed considering some of my favorite songs appear on those earlier installments although it’s very much average at best. I commend him for revisiting the concepts of that earlier material, but the overabundance of guests & some of the production choices can be somewhat spotty.

Score: 3/5

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S.O.S. – “Unloved by God, Unwanted by Satan” review

Horrorcore duo S.O.S. consisting of Denver, Colorado emcee & Lyrikal Snuff Productionz founder Scum alongside his New Mexico underwing Smallz 1 reuniting roughy 2 & a half year since their debut with a sophomore effort. Crossing paths with one another dozens of times over a couple decades almost, they would eventually form a group together in 2022 & drop Blame Us at the Gathering of Dreams of that year’s Gathering of the Juggalos festival. They’re looking to start 2026 by taking us through the minds of a pair who’re Unloved by God, Unwanted by Satan & I was anticipating it since I’ve liked their chemistry since initially familiarizing myself with LSP.

“I Found Out” begins tosses the mic back-&-forth with each other over an industrial boom bap fusion talking about being sinners until the end whereas “Look What I Did” continues to trade more wicked bars slaughtering the sheep & tearing their eyelids off. “Hit ‘Em” aggressively talks about unloading full clips at all the detractors & hoping to strike where it really hurts just before “Imbalance” tackles the subject of mental health, speaking of having missing screws in their heads.

Things go for a quirky boom bap vibe as S.O.S. explains how life’s “A Joke” that falls on everyone from their own perspectives depending on the way others see it leading into “Kick It” dabbling with trap so they can talk about punting muhfuckas in the dick. “Self Opp” explains they don’t need any enemies due to the fact Scum & Smallz can merely harm their own selves while “Don’t Listen” talks about cancelling out all the wack bullshit cornballs try to send their way.

“It’s a Shame” was a relatable way to get the 2nd half of Unloved by God, Unwanted by Satan going by wishing they could go back & undo all the things they’re ashamed of while “6°” blends some pianos & hi-hats trading gory bars with each other. “Backed into a Corner” angrily compares themselves to hungry wolves over more trap production while the trap metal-inspired “Woosah” dedicates itself to anyone who likes to start mosh pits.

The song “Ikarus Fall” produced by Godsynth winds down the last several minutes of S.O.S.’s 2nd album on some cloudy trap shit talking about Team Snuff being the gang & the rest needing to duck from the Gore Hop family while “U Disgust Me” eerily expresses disparaging feelings they have towards their victims prior to cutting them up. “It Don’t Matter” finishes the full-length with Smallz & Scum over pianos & hi-hats 1 last time talking about nobody caring if one of us dies or falls.

Scum & Smallz 1 elevate themselves throughout S.O.S.’ follow-up to their debut roughly 3 & a half years ago did an exciting job of bringing everything that made their previous collaborations so entertaining & Unloved by God, Unwanted by Satan puts itself right behind Blame Us enhancing all it’s perks. There are no issues with the prominent back-&-forth delivery nor the production, but I wouldn’t mind a feature or 2 whenever the underground’s equivalent to the current AAA Mundial Mixtas Parejas Campeons in the inaugural & current 2-time WWE Women’s United States Champion Chelsea Green & the current NXT North American Champion Ethan Page decides to make another body of work.

Score: 3.5/5

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Megadeth – Self-Titled review

Megadeth is a thrash metal band consisting of bassist James LoMenzo, drummer Dirk Verbeuren, guitarist Teemu Mäntysaari & frontman Dave Mustaine. Making their debut over 4 decades ago off Killing’s My Business…& Business is Good!, the sophomore effort Peace Sells…but Who’s Buying? would become a thrash landmark as would Rust in Peace. They’ve had some albums I’ve liked since such as Countdown to Extinction & The System Has Failed, but have dropped some unbearable stinkers too like Risk & Super Collider to name a couple. However, they’re commemorating a decade of Dystopiaby making the band’s 17th album their last.

“Tipping Point” was actually a solid technical thrash metal single singing about making people fear the sound of voices that aren’t even there until “I Don’t Care” fails at crossing over heavy metal, punk rock, thrash metal & crossover thrash making his point clear that he gives no fucks. “Hey God?!” continues to go for a traditional heavy metal sound feeling insecure as he walks these streets alone just before “Let There Be Shred” embraces some speed metal vibes singing about being born with a guitar in his hands.

Reaching the halfway point, “Puppet Parade” pulls from standard heavy metal once again describing a mundane lifestyle while a favorite of mine “Another Bad Day” puts ourselves inside the shoes of those in our country who’re down on their luck. “Made to Kill” taps back into the band’s thrash origins singing about profits growing where children die while the heavy metal-tinged “Obey the Call” discusses marching down the path where all reason dies. “I’m War” spends almost 4 minutes personifying themselves as an actual war itself & “The Last Note” concludes with an open letter to the public.

In my personal opinion: A great deal of Megadeth’s output since Endgame has been hit or miss, despite always acknowledging their status amongst the big 4 thrash metal bands nor can I take away the impact they’ve had over the course of several decades giving us a couple masterpieces along the way. That said: I can appreciate Dave Mustaine coming to his senses & calling it day after making 1 more studio LP although I’m a bit on the fence with it. Much like Dystopia: The heavy & thrash metal instrumentation’s fine for what it is, although Dave’s vocals aren’t as commanding like they once were.

Score: 2.5/5

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Julian Lage – “Scenes from Above” review

Here we have the 10th solo LP from Santa Rosa, California guitarist Julian Lage. Introducing himself in 2009 off his debut Sounding Point, he would go on to drop 8 more albums with the most notable being the sophomore effort Gladwell or Modern Lore & Squint. Making his debut under Blue Note Records a couple years ago off Speak to Me, he’s coming off Her Melodious Lay & Lamentations, he’s back on the greatest jazz label of all-time depicting Scenes from Above.

“Opal” recruits pianist John Medeski, double bassist Jorge Roeder & drummer Kenny Wollesen for a lead single that gives off a heavy summertime vibe whether it be the guitar or the Hammond B3 whereas the improvised “Red Elm” experiments with soul jazz starting with some bass licks preceding the guitar, drums & organ. “Talking Drum” appropriately takes inspiration from the avant-groove trio Medeski, Martin & Wood for a jazz-funk tinged 2nd single leading into “Havens” shining some light on Kenny & John for almost 5 minutes, feeling like the beginning of a Sunday service.

The 3rd & final single “Night Shade” gives us a rush of organ melodies & guitar solos during a great bulk of the longest composition here just before “Solid Air” takes a more atmospherically meditative approach than all the other tracks once again recapturing the mood of sitting in a church prior to the pastor starts an hour long sermon. “Ocala” primarily builds itself around John playing the Hammond B3 once more & some bluesy guitar riffs from Julian but after the loosely structured “Storyville” achieves his goal of having something to talk about once he gets together with his bandmates, “Something More” finished in the form of this 4-part prayer wishing brighter days ahead for us all.

Understandably opting against making a Speak to Me sequel, Julian Lage’s sophomore effort for Blue Note Records minimizes the prominent post-bop direction Scenes from Above’s predecessor took in favor of prioritizing it’s secondary influences of jazz fusion & chamber jazz with hints of soul jazz appearing occasionally. I can’t blame him for putting us inside the shoes of his experiences being a band member considering he already made his grandest statement regarding his capability of bandleading, creating a separate character of it’s own depicting themes of freedom & trust.

Score: /5

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