Stray – “Blink of an Eye” review

Stray is a 33 year old rapper & songwriter from New Haven, Connecticut who formed the Rogue Hollow collective during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic. His solo debut extended play Witherman would come out the next fall as did his full-length debut Cloudy Alibi in the summer of 2023 & more recently his previous EP Enjoy the View this past July, enlisting his crew’s newest in-house producer Charlie Beans to handle all of the beats for Stray’s 3rd EP coming off producing most of James Joyce the Squatch’s 4th album Discomfort Inn last month.

“Cicada” after the “Change of Plans” intro starts off with an aggressive boom bap instrumental pleading to dig up this world that’s been underground for too long while “Foul Ground” featuring James Joyce the Squatch talks about the difference between them & the rest. “Out Alive” depressively speaks of sleeping under a cypress tree forever & after “Frost Bite” assures it’s ok if one can’t keep up, the final song “Perfect Timing” preceding the “Epilogue” outro ends by explaining the very thing life has never had.

Gearing up for his upcoming sophomore effort Flinch also entirely produced by Charlie Beans later this fall, I’m getting a huge impression that it’ll top Cloudy Alibi to become Stray’s greatest LP yet since Blink of an Eye surpasses both Witherman & Enjoy the View as far as his EPs go. Between the Sky Swamp Orange frontman’s lyrics & Charlie’s dark production, it could also be looked at as Rogue Hollow’s continuation of making shockwaves across the underground.

Score: 4/5

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Ankhlejohn – “Everything Beautiful Died Early” review

Here we have the 8th mixtape from Washington, D.C. emcee/producer Ankhlejohn. Breaking out off his Big Ghost Ltd.-produced sophomore effort Van Ghost, he’s given the underground his last 7 tapes as well as 8 EPs & 7 full-lengths in almost a decade. Other favorites of mine in his discography include the Navy Blue-produced As Above, So Below, the Rome Streetz collaborative effort Genesis 1:27, the Cookin’ Soul-produced The Michelin Man & the August Fanon-produced Live! at the Disco last summer. A whole year later & V Don’s producing Everything Beautiful Died Early.

“Origins” gets things going with a 125 second intro talking about being paid to prove cases over a drumless orchestra backing him whereas “No Specifics” goes for a boom bap vibe instrumentally referencing The Sopranos, which is one of my top 3 shows. $ha Hef joins Lordy so they can talk about some “Monyun” over a sample & some drums while “Trauma or Tragedy” incorporates a more laidback beat to talk about being there when the powder was still stone.

Babymaine joins Ankhlejohn on “Inglorious” for a gangsta rap/boom bap crossover detailing their experiences living in The Bronx & the DMV just before “Stoneisland” wraps up the 1st half of Everything Beautiful Died Early looking back at when Juelz Santana was a big inspiration to him. “Vegan Goose Down Silence” kicks off the 2nd leg talking about making this tape because he felt like the game needed him leading into “King, Pawn & Rook” featuring Crimeapple breaking down the mafioso lifestyle.

“Solar Faxx!” aggressively talks about his desire of making educating ourselves more mainstream while “Laugh & Cry” once again touches base regarding the subject of the gangsta life, explaining that it’s pretty much a cycle. “Day 1” talks about his refusal of disrespecting the plates he came from & his knowledge of the game dating back since the beginning while “Packback” ends by observing the amount of love since his youth that’s faded.

Next fall will be a whole decade since Ankhlejohn introduced himself by taking the underground on a trip through The Red Room & for the past 14 months, he’s been dropping the greatest output of his entire career from The Michelin Man to Live! at the Disco & now Everything Beautiful Died Early. There are only a small handful of guests on this one rather than Lordy holding down the mic all by himself throughout the predecessor last spring, but they’re all carefully selected since everyone flows well over V Don’s distinct production style.

Score: 4.5/5

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Isaac Castor – “Lost in Transit” review

New surprise LP & the 4th altogether from Detroit, Michigan emcee Isaac Castor. Coming up in 2010 under the original moniker Gameboi, he would go on drop 4 mixtapes & 3 EPs prior to signing to the local underground hip hop powerhouse Middle Finger Music following its formation 8 years later. He then enlisted the label’s co-founder Foul Mouth behind the boards for his full-length debut The Rabbit Hole as well as the sequel & the final chapter Smoking Caterpillar, switching it up by having Machacha produce Lost in Transit.

“Bullet Train” begins with this 92 second drumless intro talking about needing a credit card replacement the way this game be scamming whereas “All Love” works him some bare guitars calling out the jokers faking to be tough when they ain’t. “Poet Dog” brings in some drums to talk about being made to reach the top just before “Canadian Wildfire” ditches them once again so he can explain the reason why the clouds have gotten so gloomy.

Things take a turn towards a boom bap vibe on “Get Serious” talking about staying mysterious in part of the sheep trying to follow the herd but after “Hopeless” featuring Miz Korona soulfully addresses an individual who’s so vain that they’ll consider this to be a diss directed at them, “What’s in the Box?” featuring Jalen Frazier continues the sample-driven boom bap instrumentation making people line up for this designer drug they’ve concocted.

“Candy Flip” featuring Aztek the Barfly, Fatboi Sharif & Foul Mouth brings the quartet together for a gritty hardcore hip hop anthem where each artist drops a cutthroat verse without the need of a hook while “Americano” jazzily talks about needing sativa & coffee soon as he gets up every single morning. “1 Way Ticket” takes up the last few minutes of Lost in Transit with a boom bap outro talking about people treating him like he’s normal until they realize he writes songs.

A great deal of the projects Machacha’s produced for other artists for at least 6 months following Eye of the Beholder have either been hit or miss, but Lost in Transit in my opinion ranks amongst Isaac Castor’s greatest material outside of The Rabbit Hole trilogy. You’re always gonna get quality production from Machacha & that’s no different here, the biggest difference however is the improved performances from both the main artist AND the guests.

Score: 4/5

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Law & Disorder – Self-Titled review

Law & Disorder is an east coast superduo consisting of Brooklyn, New York emcee/producer D-Dot alongside Philadelphia, Pennsylvania by way of Buffalo emcee & lawyer Tracey Lee. They’ve already crossed paths a few times already with D-Dot producing some tracks off Tracey’s slept-on solo debut Many Facez under Universal Music Group almost 3 decades ago, so hearing that they were joining forces for a full-length debut of their own at the beginning of the year peaked my curiosity.

After the “Court Day” intro, the opener “Be Warned” begins issuing a cautionary statement over a boom bap instrumental about them still being beasts with the pen whereas “Let’s Get It On” hooks up a quirkier beat to talk about their flows being hard to follow. “Like This” turns up the dustiness boasting the surgical abilities they have with the pen leading into “What’s Missin’?” talking about being the product of 2 turntables & a mic.

“The Bop” after the “Need a Lawyer?” skit nears closers to the halfway point bringing us the rawness some have been looking for just before the funky “Boss” comes through with some lyrical braggadocio. “Oooweee Owwweeee” featuring the late Black Rob finds the trio bringing it hardcore over a jazzy instrumental prior to D-Dot getting a solo joint of his own with “D-Dot Wins” for a couple minutes, turning up the aggressiveness.

Preceding the “Act Now!!!” skit, we have Law & Disorder talking about the “Brotherly Love” they have for each other while “King-Dome” keeps dissecting all opponents who dare to step up against them. “Seen It All” takes a few moments to look back at the pair’s individually historical careers & once “It’s a Flex” talks about being better than everyone else, “You Know Who We Are” ends the album by having both parties dropping battle bars 1 last time.

I initially went into Law & Disorder expecting it to be a Tracey Lee solo album fully produced by D-Dot, but I had no issue with The Madd Rapper himself joining Tracey on nearly every track since he began in the late 80s as 1/2 of 2 Kings in a Cipher. The boom bap production’s a huge upgrade compared to a great deal of the LLeft Entertainment founder’s output since returning to music after getting his bar admission & proves that neither of them are bound by the past.

Score: 4/5

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Jimmie D – “Birds Fly Yonder” review

Here we have the 5th extended play from Montréal, Québec, Canada rapper Jimmie D. Coming up off the Trout & Brussels Sprouts EP a decade ago already, he would later go on to put out a full-length debut alongside a mixtape & 3 more EPs since. The sophomore effort Good Music Hypnotizes entirely produced by Nicholas Craven around this time last year has quickly become the best thing he’s made yet & he’s coming back 12 months later for Birds Fly Yonder.

“Humble Beginnings” begins with this 97 second drumless intro discussing there being nothing nice regarding the struggle whereas “All Nighter”goes for a chipmunk soul vibe to describe learning from his failures & leaving them behind. “No Love” produced by Nicholas Craven was a favorite of mine from the drumless sampling to the lyrics about falling back to progress at times “Koi” featuring Pay$o boasts that no one’s on their level.

Mike Shabb gets behind the boards for another standout track “Peter Thiel” hooking up a psychedelic beat so Jimmie can get in his bag for a minute & a half but after “Rudimentary” reunites with Pay$o & brings Raz Fresco along for a boom bap heater Nicholas Craven cooked up to kick off the 2nd leg looking back at how far each of them have come, “Corporate Prophet” strips the drums again for a lesson of mastering the slow flow & the loop having a summertime aura to it.

“Chipping Away” winds down the last act of Birds Fly Wonder incorporating a drumless gospel sample from Nicholas Craven to dismantle the type of people who like to burn bridges until he talks about hitting “Downtown B.C.” with a homie from the Philippines & a bad bitch with him. The outro “Wasted Time” runs it back with Nicholas Craven for the EP’s remaining 2 & a half minutes chopping up soul samples 1 last time demanding not to fuck around when it comes to his pay.

I fully support the idea of Craven enlisting 3 other producers to help Jimmie D make Birds Fly Yonder& despite half of it containing some of my favorite songs he’s done yet, it wouldn’t necessarily be put in the same tier as Good Music Hypnotizes when ranking Jimmie’s discography although I think the upcoming project Shabbo’s producing for him will be superior whenever the time comes. The instrumentals are more drumless except we’re still getting hints of chipmunk soul & boom bap, although Jimmie’s wordplay & guests all come correctly.

Score: 3/5

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Action Bronson – “Planet Frog” review

Yes, we have a brand new LP & the 9th altogether from New York City emcee, songwriter, chef, wrestler & television host Action Bronson. Blowing up with release of his debut album Dr. Lecter in 2011, he then landed a joint venture with VICE Music & Atlantic Records while following up his debut with a couple EPs & mixtapes. The most notable being the Blue Chips duology, Saab Stories & my personal favorite: Rare Chandeliers. He then put out his major label debut Mr. Wonderful in 2015 & it has some of his best songs on there, but the end result would be a more glitzy mixed bag. He fulfilled his contracts by dropping Blue Chips 7000 & celebrated his freedom the next year in the form of White Bronco which were both solid, but didn’t reach the caliber of Lamb Over Rice the Thanksgiving after. Only for Dolphins though was pretty mid given that some of the production choices were questionable & Cocodrillo Turbo was a bounce back. Coming off having Daringer & The Alchemist producing Johan Sebastian Bachlava the Doctor in 2024, he’s taking us all to Planet Frog.

“LeBron Hennessy” after the titular intro begins with this soulfully drumless opener produced by Daringer calling out artists who go for the same old meal whereas “Olympic Vince Carter” has a funkier boom bap vibe talking about how to know when there’s trouble in the water. Harry Fraud blends & rap rock so Bronson can compare his life to a “VHS” flick while the lead single “Triceratops” featuring Lil Yachty & Paul Wall still feels like a fever dream.

Roc Marciano appears for the 2nd & final single “Peppers” so they can talk about taking it easy over a boom bap instrumental with a prominent woodwind prior to “Condor” kicking off the 2nd half stripping the drums again explaining that tomorrow’s another journey. “Mandem” featuring Meyhem Lauren emphasizes the rock influences a bit to get boastful with each other just before the 90 second “My Blue Heaven” heads towards jazz rap territory thanks to Kenny Beats referencing WWE Hall of Famers & former WWE Tag Team Champions The Natural Disasters.

“Iguana” references former AEW World Tag Team Champion, 2-time NWA World’s Heavyweight Champion, TNA Hall of Famer, 4-time TNA World Champion, TNA World Tag Team Champion, 8-time WCW world champion, WCW World Television Champion, 3-time WCW World Tag Team Champion, WWE Hall of Famer & 2-time WWE United States Champion Sting while “Mutations” hops over a guitar to talk about taking the sword out the stone. After the compositional “Chutney” intermission, “Simoné” featuring Clovis Ochin sends it all off realizing that love changes.

Despite being thankful that the original AI artwork Action Bronson had posted on social media weeks earlier wasn’t used, I still feel like Planet Frog could’ve been better than what we wound up getting because I’d say this is the most average thing I’ve heard from him since Only for Dolphins. I respect the concept of it being this deep sea odyssey set in a dystopian world, but some of the production doesn’t impress me compared to Johan Sebastian Bachlava the Doctor & Cocodrillo Turbo.

Score: 3/5

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Black Milk – “Ceremonial” review

Detroit producer, MC & songwriter Black Milk back for his 9th LP after leaving Mass Appeal Records. Making his presence known as a member of the B.R. Gunna production trio, he eventually went solo 2 decades ago with Sound of the City & followed up on 313 Day 2007 with Popular Demand. The following year, he would dabble with electronic music on Tronic & would later start incorporating live instrumentation on Album of the Year in 2010. His next album No Poison No Paradise eventually became Black Milk’s darkest work yet & it would see a solid sequel If There’s a Hell Below the year after. FEVER became some of his most politically charged material & he’s looking to follow up Everybody Good? with a Ceremonial return.

After the “Fazes” intro, the first song “Feel Sum’n Heal Sum’n” begins by talking about either paying the standard price or double without bargaining over a self-produced instrumental whereas “In the Sky” brings a funkier vibe to describe feeling like the furnace has gone from hot to frozen. “Crash Test Dummy” has this summery boom bap flare so he can talk about slowing down prior to hitting the ground running just before “Dreams Not Only Made at Night” strips things back for a story that ends in people getting arrested.

“Act Like” after the compositional “Lift Off” interlude takes a few minutes to confront a woman who’s switching up on him & after “Never Never” talks about being made for the moment in addition to living a good life being the only thing that he’s ever wanted, “Ceremony” continues the 2nd half of the full-length in the form of this 3 minute instrumental jam session that blending this breezy guitar & drums for the soundtrack to a warm summer day.

Saba appears on the 2nd & final single “Ok…Nah” sending a direct message towards the people who thought they were safe or trying to escape from either artist prior to some rap rock undertones being hooked up so he can talk about waiting for the “Right Time” to come explaining that this shit’s bigger than merely accomplishments from his perspective. “YOUIT (Truth Be Told)” ends the album drumlessly talking about going from sitting on porches to sitting inside of Porsches.

Gearing up to fully produce Fat Ray’s upcoming 6th album Food From the Gods II set to drop somewhere between the next 7 months, Black Milk rocks the mic for the first time in 3 years for a Ceremonial reflection of how far he’s come as an artist since Sound of the City. Not only does his production exemplify this through displaying his creative evolution, but his subject matter’s more introspective than it is political this time around.

Score: 4/5

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AZ – “Doe or Die III” review

Here we have the 11th studio LP & Mass Appeal Records debut from Brooklyn, New York veteran AZ. Most notable for his longtime association with Nas being the only feature on the latter’s iconic debut illmatic with the song “Life’s a Bitch”, he would later go to signing with EMI Records & drop a full-length of his own Doe or Die a little over a year later becoming one of the greatest mafioso hip hop albums of all-time. Other standouts in his discography include Pieces of a Man, Aziatic, A.W.O.L., The Format, Doe or Die II & the Buckwild-produced Truth Be Told. In light of Quiet Money Records’ new distribution deal with Mass Appeal however, Doe or Die III looks to complete the trilogy.

After the “Origin” intro, the opening track “No Need for Lactose” hooks up a boom bap instrumental from Ron Browz to get things going sending a shoutout to his hype homies & those serving 25 to life behind bars whereas “Gimme the World” demands what others can’t give back over a Large Professor instrumental. The 2nd & final single “Uniqueness” chops up a sample thanks to Mike & Keys questioning life while the lead single “So High” continues the reflective lyrics over a smooth Bink! beat.

“Still Jackie” after the “Hoe Happy” skit kicks off the 2nd half with a sequel to “Ho Happy Jackie” off the original Doe or Die accompanied by an exuberant Statik Selektah instrumental backing him but after “Surprise” featuring Nas teams up over a soulful Mike & Keys beat so they can talk about the mafioso shit they became known for 3 decades earlier, Bink! continues sampling soul music during “Fresh Water” for Sosa to preach some ghetto gospel.

The track “Winners Win” produced by Buckwild nears Doe or Die III’s backend cautioning for people not to get shit confused & simply do what you do over a laidback boom bap instrumental while “I Was Once There Too” jazzily talks about understanding the perspective of people who aren’t getting what’s due. The final song “Love My Life” preceding the “We Made It” outro takes up the album’s last couple minutes expressing the gratitude he has for the way his life turned out.

It’s surprising to me that AZ didn’t put anything out through Mass Appeal Records sooner considering the rich history between him & Nas, but Doe or Die III joins Truth Be Told & of course Doe or Die II in revitalizing his career 3 decades since his revolutionary debut as well as concluding one of hip hop’s most satisfying mafioso trilogies whether it be the cinematically polished boom bap production or the intricate storytelling.

Score: 4.5/5

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Royal Terms – Self-Titled review

Royal Terms is an east coast superduo consisting of Queens, New York emcee Royal Flush alongside Lawrence, Massachusetts emcee/producer Termanology. One of whom became the de facto leader of the ST. da Squad collective & the other’s debut Ghetto Millionaire became amongst the most underrated albums of the 90s. Neither of them have crossed paths with each other musically up until this point, so an eponymous full-length debut of their own as a fan of each artist only seemed fitting enough.

“Terms of Royalty” produced by Statik Selektah begins with this inspiring boom bap intro talking about the legendary statuses they’ve earned for themselves whereas “Baby Don’t Leave” soulfully explains how the trunk & rap games are both the same. “Legendary Blocks” featuring Tek & UFO Fev finds the quartet talking about growing up in their respective home states while “Crack Era Survivors” looks back at when cocaine flooded the streets in the 80s.

Dru Hoffa joins Royal Terms on “Angel Whispers” talking about them getting it out the gravel over an araabMUZIK beat leading into “Problem” describing hotel parties where the room gets turned upside down. “Bedtime” hops over a gritty Cartine Beatz instrumental to talk about protecting what’s theirs & the closing track “Impossible” takes up the last few minutes of the EP chopping up a soul sample discussing not needing a globe to show the world is theirs’.

Similarly to Teknology’s self-titled album a year & a half earlier, Royal Terms unites 2 veterans who’ve spent decades making names for themselves in their own separate lanes to make an introductory opus that’s guaranteed to satisfy fans of both Royal Flush & Termanology. Outside of a couple guests, they spend a majority of the EP trading hardcore verses over quality boom bap production & honing in on their artistic chemistry.

Score: 4/5

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Vstylez – “The Final Boss Pai Mei” review

Here is the 4th studio LP from Detroit, Michigan underground veteran Vstylez. Being introduced to him through his feature on “Clash of the Titans” off of eLZhi’s 3rd mixtape The Leftovers, he eventually put out a debut album of his own At Oddz ‘Til I’m Even in late 2014 & the sophomore effort Thornton Melon about 4 years later. The acclaim of the latter resulted in V temporarily signing to Middle Finger Music & returning in 2024 with Buddy Revell, coming back almost 2 years later for The Final Boss Pai Mei.

“Capricorn” after the intro begins with this angelic boom bap intro talking about his zodiac sign whereas “Fenkell Ave.” recalls his experiences growing up near that road leaning towards a much dustier & hardcore vibe. “Iron Sharps Iron” featuring The Bad Seed unites both of them over more boom bap instrumentation talking about both of them being forged for the fight while “My Prime” dabbles with rap rock feeling like he’s in his best possible quality.

The self-produced “YNz” sends a message to all the younger artists out there incorporating some prominent synthesizers leading into “The Raid 2” featuring eLZhi reuniting both MCs to talk about having the ability of putting holes through chests via rhyming. “Introvert” instrumentally brings a triumphant aura to the picture advising everyone to let him be while “Golden Arms” featuring Isaac Castor & Ruste Juxx brings all 3 of them together for a cutthroat hardcore hip hop anthem.

Black Milk gets behind the boards for a profound ode where V looks to stand for “The Fallen” ones in his life & having scars within his soul that no one can visibly see but once “Denmark Vesey” tells the audio story of the late Charleston abolitionist whom the Detroit emcee/producer was named after, Sadat X accompanies V on the mic during “Dumb” for all of these idiotic muhfuckas out here getting high off percocets to acknowledge what they’ve done for the culture.

“Changing My Ways” wraps up the last leg of The Final Boss Pai Mei talking about having liquor on his breath & leaving rumble all over the mess of regrets he’s made while “No One” puts a soulful twist on the traditional boom bap sound thanks to Bronze Nazareth detailing him becoming his own provider & every move being self condition. “Patricia” produced by Marv Won finishes up the full-length sampling gospel for a crushing boom bap tribute to his late mother.m of the same name.

The Final Boss Pai Mei carries over the ethos of both Thornton Melon & Buddy Revell in the sense of Vstylez naming his albums after characters from classic movies, with this one being Gordon Liu’s portrayal in Kill Bill 2 & dropping some of the greatest material of his career for nearly a decade. Even if I personally prefer the latter half, it’s already been confirmed that Walter Sobchak will finally arrive next & this will hold off fine until then.

Score: 3.5/5

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