Mathematics – “Black Samson 2: The Saga Continues” review

Mathematics is a 55 year old producer, DJ & graphic designer from Queens, New York known for being the turntablist for the almighty Wu-Tang Clan as well as the creator of their iconic logo. His solo debut Love, Hell or Right arrived in 2003, which was followed by the sophomore effort The Problem & Soul of a Man respectively. Prelude to the Answer & The Answer both came out when I was 16, coming off last spring’s Black Samson, The Bastard Swordsman to make a sequel outta his 6th studio LP.

After the intro, “God Body” by AZ & Method Man kicks things off with this boom bap intro talking about always being prepared for battle whereas “Knowledge My Wisdom” by Inspectah Deck, Masta Killa & Planet Asia soulfully finds sagacity in what all 3 of them have learned in their lives. “Choices” by Hue Hef hooks up a piano-driven boom bap instrumental to talk about gambling our future while “Dominant Confidence” by Che Noir & Ransom makes up for with their consciousness.

“Brolic” by Cormega & Rome Streetz begins the 2nd half talking about the strong penmanship both of them possess while “Hustle” by Cory Gunz & Grafh boasts they made movies in the backrooms of the kitchen. The organ-woven beat on “Hennessy Pure” by Chedda Bang, Nic Waves & Skyzoo was hard even if the latter had the best verse at the start while “730” by Illa Ghee, NEMS & U-God preceding the outro ends Black Samson 2: The Saga Continues on a more hardcore note.

I still believe Black Samson, The Bastard Swordsman felt like more of a Wu group album than The Saga Continues… did almost a decade ago, but Black Samson 2: The Saga Continues much like the previously mentioned full-length would fit in Mathematics’ own solo discography since the appearances of Wu-Tang members are kept to a minimum. Putting some of the lackluster performances to the side, I can’t dismiss him further demonstrate his growth behind the boards.

Score: 3/5

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Mozzy – “BMX” review

Sacramento, California emcee Mozzy back for his 5th extended play. Becoming a fan in the summer of 2017 off his debut 1 Up Top Akh & he went on to be featured on the soundtrack for Black Panther only 6 months later & drop 6 more full-lengths through his EMPIRE-backed Mozzy Records prior to Memphis veteran Yo Gotti landing him a contract with Collective Music Group/Interscope Records. His major label debut Survivor’s Guilt was more poignant than what Mozzy had done previously & Children of the Slums exemplified growth in his rap career & personal life, although Brash Dummies became a letdown. Last time I reviewed him was when some Intrusive Thoughts were revealed, enlisting Mr. Green to fully produce BMX.

The intro “Poppin’” kicks things off with this soulful beat talking about a conversation being cute if it doesn’t regard thousands of dollars whereas “Never Get Enough” takes the symphonic boom bap route instrumentally suggesting to give it all here. “Get Back” continues the sampling of soul music talks about having a couple bands on deck & after the crooning “Be Bool” tells a homie of his to chill, “Do the Business” ends the EP admitting he handles the work side of things.

Some of Mozzy’s output for the past year & a half hasn’t really caught my interest if I have to be truthful, so hearing Mr. Green was fully producing BMX raised my expectations & I’m firmly adamant of the possibly that it could become his greatest EP. The soulful boom bap production is a breath of fresh air compared to the trap/nervous sounds were used to hearing from him & that makes more than enough room to deliver 8 & a half minutes of hunger.

Score: 4/5

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Hatebreed – “Fatal Paradox” review

Hatebreed is a metalcore band from Bridgeport, Connecticut consisting of drummer Matt Bryne, rhythm guitarist Frank Novinec, lead guitarist Wayne Lozinak & frontman Jamey Jasta. Making their debut in 1997 with Satisfaction’s the Death of Desire & returning in 2002 for the Universal Music Group-backed sophomore effort Perseverance, having Rob Zombie’s engineer Zeuss produce The Rise of Brutality resulted in having him stay behind the boards for Supremacy, self-titled, The Divinity of Purpose, The Concrete Confessional & their previous full-length Weight of the False Self. 6 years later & they’re getting back together for their 9th studio LP.

“Kill Count Increase” fuses metalcore, crossover thrash, groove metal & beatdown hardcore to sing about anyone getting it once they’re in the crosshairs whereas “The Carrion Choir” leans towards a thrashier vibe calling for everyone to remember who they are. “Decisions Become Destinies” maintains the thrash elements so they can sing about what happens if one follows where the hunt leads just before “Total Invincible” explains what the code demands.

The title track combines groove metal & metallic hardcore singing about cowards doing everything to keep people on their knees leading into “Still a Threat” kicking off the 2nd half speaking of being counted out by some although they’re not done until they say they are. “Sacrifice Season” featuring Obituary frontman John Tardy brings us to a place where dreams die & prayers get silenced while “Truth’s a Lion” poses the question of how many times can we be told not to believe our eyes.

“Make the Demons Obey” nears towards the conclusion of Fatal Paradox balancing the elements of metalcore & crossover thrash angrily talking about not living to please anyone or have any fear while the final song if you exclude the cover of “Poison Planet” by Corrosion of Conformity spends the remaining 7 minutes of the album at it’s core conveying the observation of there having “None Left to Save” & everyone bleeding the same.

A lot of people generally feel like the material Hatebreed & Zeuss have done since The Rise of Brutality has been average at best but as someone who doesn’t mind their output in the last 2 decades other than the For the Lions collection of covers they did towards the end of 2000s, I wouldn’t place Fatal Paradox above The Weight of False Self & The Divinity of Purpose because of Jamey’s commentary analyzing the world around him & his place in it along with the secondary influences of crossover thrash, groove metal, beatdown hardcore & thrash metal being incorporated.

Score: 4/5

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Ciarán – “Ròisín” review

Ciarán is a 33 year old rapper, singer/songwriter & producer from Belfast, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom who originally formed a shoegaze outfit called NoWiFiii alongside HK as well as Romil Hemnani & Kevin Abstract. They would disband following their only extended play Memorial Day in 2015 & everyone would become members of the now defunct BROCKHAMPTON collective, signing with the renown London indie label Ninja Tune to make his long-awaited solo debut.

The self-produced “Crown” works in some bare orchestral arrangements singing about having this heavy burden whereas “Loom” hooks up a guitar instrumental assuring his partner that he won’t ever leave if they call him. The lead single “K-Bar” prior to the “Green Ave” interlude blends bedroom pop, alternative R&B, neo-soul, neo-psychedelia, indietronica & minimal wave expressing his desire for a youthful connection just before “Houston”combines neo-soul, psychedelic soul, bedroom pop, smooth soul & neo-psychedelia for an ode to the 713

“Chevy” brings a more nocturnal atmosphere to the table depicting a heavy type of love prior to the 124 second “Claddagh” letting Embaci handle the sole verse, singing about emotional attachment & uncertainty using the traditional Irish ring as a metaphor. “White Leather” advises to stay back if your palm gets sweaty on the weapon while the 2-parter “Galvarino” fuses neo-psychedelia, bedroom pop, indie rock, slacker rock, neo-soul, trip hop, alt-pop, indie folk & glitch pop takes inspiration from the Mapuche warrior who had his hands cut off.

The 4th & final single “RED 99” after the “Bashment” interlude mixes alternative R&B, singer/songwriter, bedroom pop, indie folk, slowcore, neo-psychedelia & neo-soul hoping for this person allow Ciarán to find the words to say for the rest of their life while “Dummy” sings about how he’ll keep lovin’ ’til it’s all l’ve got. The closing track “Waterslide” finishes the artist formerly known as bearface.’s debut with some bagpipes & a somewhat repetitive lyrical structure.

Róisín has been a long time coming for anyone who used to enjoy Ciarán’s outros almost a decade earlier when BROCKHAMPTON blew up off the SATURATION trilogy & it definitely ranks amongst the most versatile debuts I’ve heard come out of that camp in some time along with one of the eclectic listening experiences I’ve had in 2026. His bedroom pop, alternative R&B, neo-soul, neo-psychedelia, indietronica, minimal wave, indie rock, slacker rock, trip hop, psychedelic soul, smooth soul, alt-pop, indie folk, glitch pop, singer/songwriter & slowcore production testifies to the artistic freedom he’s achieved since BH disbanded as he honors his Irish roots.

Score: 4.5/5

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Shenseea – “Catalyst” review

Mandeville, Manchester, Jamaican singer/songwriter & deejay Shenseea back for a brand new extended play of material. Putting out a handful of singles since 2015 like the Vybz Kartel-assisted “Loodi” or “Run Run”, she then signed to Interscope Records prior to the pandemic & got her biggest push yet after appearing on the “Ok Ok” remix off Ye formerly known as Kanye West’s final Def Jam album DONDA. Her own debut Alpha under Interscope Records further solidified Shenyeng as dancehall’s most exciting new artist & looks to make up for the sophomore effort Never Gets Late Here’s lukewarm reception to drop Catalyst in celebration of her new contract with Columbia Records.

The 2nd & final single “Vulnerability” kicks things off with this dancehall intro seeking susceptibility whereas “Playtime” featuring Asake instrumentally embraces a more atmospheric vibe so they can sing about a situationship. “Danger” moves on from there telling this guy to push up on her enough to bring the wildness out of her prior to “Garden” singing about turning off the lights before she & her lover get down to business.

“Body Language” produced by London on da Track]m might be my favorite here from the beat to the lyrics cautioning things are on the verge of getting freakier while “Private” featuring Loe Shimmy sings & raps about staying up conversing online & layin’ up with each other in person. “2 Face Gyal” airs out a woman who she feels is envious towards her & the lead single “Talk to Me Nuh” featuring Vybz Kartel wraps up Catalyst reuniting with the icon who believed in her from the start.

The divisive reception Never Get Late Here got makes more sense to me now that it’s been confirmed that it was Shenseea’s last offering under Interscope, but Catalyst celebrates this new era of her career by reminding the world of her place amongst dancehall’s most dominant forces in recent memory & expanding her sound with secondary influences of R&B & Afrobeats now that her new label has granted her more freedom on the creative aspect of things.

Score: 3.5/5

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Skepta – “The Fork & The Knife” review

This is the 6th studio LP albeit Epic Records debut from Tottenham, London, England, United Kingdom rapper, songwriter & producer Skepta. A co-founder the Boy Better Know collective, a lot of people in the state including myself didn’t hop on board with him until a decade ago when he dropped his 4th album Konnichiwa to critical acclaim. This was followed up a couple years back with both Ignorance is Bliss & All In being welcomed to moderate reception, coming off the Fred again..-produced Skepta .. Fred extended play to drop The Fork & The Knife.

The self-produced “Secrets of Patriarchy” kicks things off talking about the weight men carry on their shoulders when they’re already providing for their families whereas “Outside” featuring Novelist finds the pair advising listeners to keep their eyes on those in the background. “Cold Shower” featuring Project Pat goes for a Memphis vibe talking about falling in love with the power while “Currency” produced by F1LTHTY of Working on Dying discusses turning his pain into cash.

“Pandora’s Box” takes a more conscious approach to his songwriting experimenting with both trip hop & chillwave leading into “Revenge” sampling “That’s Not Me” so he can talk about losing his way around the time his sophomore effort Microphone Champion was being recorded. “Magic” featuring Finessekid finds the pair telling us exactly where they come from just before “Gas Me Up (Diligent)” fuses trap, cloud rap & pluggnb thanks to Cardo talking about needing a card that doesn’t decline since every day’s a party.

Meanwhile on “Melody”, we have Skepta continuing the 2nd half of the album asking this woman where he’s been all his life while “Aloe Vera” treads the Afrobeats waters thanks to Lex Luger talking about this woman’s skin being softer than the natural supplement itself. “Chippie”featuring Aya Nakamura links up for a subpar French/English zouk duet breaking down a secretive type of romance while “Broken Hearts” featuring Central C responds to those sayin’ they got game when they’re not playing it properly.

“Innocent Smile” blends breakstep, grime, britcore & big beat to make some commentary regarding anti-immigration & political deception while “Belly” featuring Bossman Birdie, Frisco, Jme, Kibo, Kruz Leone, Mayhem NODB & Queenie finishes The Fork & The Knife with a 9 minute grime posse cut. However, he’s bringing together artists who represent that style past & present with only a couple of his BBK providing verses & everyone interpolating some of their own previous material for 16 bars each.

Exploring his immigrant identity & countering his early bombast with the wisdom of experience, The Fork & The Knife bares it’s name in honor of one of Skepta’s mother’s favorite sayings reckoning with his position as one of the most dominant forces in the grime scene & the fact he’s the British son of Nigerian immigrants in a post-Brexit cultural landscape. The trap & UK drill undertones that be heard throughout the production reveals a different side to him in the midst of him delivering the introspective subject matter.

Score: 3.5/5

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Statik Selektah – “Expensive Taste” review

This is the 11th studio LP from Boston, Massachusetts producer, DJ & radio personality Statik Selektah. Widely considered to be one of the most consistent & hard-working producers in all of hip hop for over a decade now whether it be his output as part of the producer/MC duo 1982 alongside fellow Boston native Termanology or entirely producing projects for the likes of Action Bronson & Paul Wall, even his 10 solo albums contain some outstanding material of their own ranging from Extended Play to #WhatGoesAround… & more recently Round Trip. He originally announced Expensive Taste to come out in January under his own label Showoff Records in tandem with Mass Appeal Records, but has finally dropped it 10 months later.

Ab-Soul, AZ, Boldy James & Bruiser Wolf all unite for the jazzy intro “Rose Tinted” talking about feeling like Hell despite Heaven being around the corner whereas “Generational” by Killer Mike, Styles P & 1982 kinda goes for a rap rock vibe so they can bring it hardcore. “Eye Shine” by Busta Rhymes, Nina Sky & Smif-n-Wessun brings everyone together to talk about glowing up prior to the 2nd single “Champagne Wishes” by Ab-Soul, Freddie Gibbs & Raekwon discussing their caviar dreams.

“No Time Soon” by 2 Chainz gives us another taste of what we can expect outta his upcoming 8th album Playaz Only Live Once arriving next month while the symphonic boom bap crossover “Growing Pains” by Joey Bada$$ talks about having no time to get caught up in the past. “Kings County” by M.O.P. & NEMS finds the trio aggressively representing the borough of Brooklyn just before “365” by Kai Ca$h, Paul Wall & Smoke DZA soulfully talks about what’s changed for them in the past year.

The Cool Kids, Jay Worthy & Rome Streetz all link up during “Real Player Baby” throwing jabs at those who can’t freestyle for shit while “Globetrotters” by Logic & Lørd Skø talks about their status traveling around the world over a soulful boom bap instrumental. “Good Vino” by Crimeapple & Monday Night kicks off the 2nd half detailing each of their luxurious preferences while “Choose Life” by G-Eazy talks knowing he had to flourish & grow.

“Is That You!” by Bruiser Wolf, Chris Crack & Wiki continues from there dissing the carbon copies of them for not being as fly as either of them while “Crown of Thorns” by Coyote & Dirty Sanchez ruggedly talks about people wanting their views now that they’ve climbed to the top. “Northside” by Northside Lord gives the Queens up-&-comer a couple minutes to show the world what he’s got over a piano-inflicted boom bap beat while “Tooth 4 Tooth” by Coyote, JFK, Lørd Skø, REKS, S.T.R.E.E.T. & UFO Fev references WWE Hall of Famer, former 3-time WWE Champion, 11-time WWE tag team champion, the inaugural WWE Hardcore Champion, CWA World Tag Team Champion & TNA World Champion Mick Foley.

Winding down the last leg of Expensive Taste, the song “I Tried” by Brother Tom Sos & Kota the Friend makes it clear how they’d rather sell dope in the streets instead of selling out while “Ain’t So Far” by Cordae jazzily talks about being up at 3am counting money & shooting shit in his backyard. “The Louvre” by Joey Bada$$, Rome Streetz & Westside Gunn speaks of flying their lovers out to Paris to hit the titular museum while “The Red Carpet” by Pharoahe Monch preceding the Hannibal Buress outro “Where Did the Shroom Guy Go?” ends the album connecting to what the culture says.

Thematically built around the idea where expensiveness doesn’t always deal in cost the quality of life you live, Statik Selektah makes up for the 10th month delay Expensive Taste suffered when the Legend Has It series was wrapping up with a full-length that feels as equally enjoyable as the one he put out a few years earlier. His soulful boom bap production gives room for every guest to provide their own perspective on the realities that come with success & ambition regardless of there being a few performers I could’ve done without.

Score: 4/5

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Curren$y – “Off to the Races” review

New Orleans, Louisiana rapper, songwriter & record executive Curren$y dropping his 25th LP a week after its announcement. Starting with No Limit Records in 2002, he would then hop over to Young Money Entertainment & Cash Money Records in 2006 & eventually branched out in 2008 with his own label Jet Life Recordings. The man has since made a name for himself by dropping a handful of projects every single year with my favorites including the Harry Fraud-produced Cigarette Boats, the Alchemist-produced Covert Coup, the prominently Ski Beatz produced Pilot Talk series, The Carrollton Heist, the Lex Luger produced Motivational Speech, the Statik Selektah-produced Gran Turismo & Continuance to name a small handful. Last time I covered Spitta was when he had So So Def Recordings founder Jermaine Dupri produce For Motivational Uses Only & Never Catch Us, heading Off to the Races over a year later.

“Colorblast” opens up with a smooth instrumental talking about having his passport & money on his fast car whereas the luxurious “White Linen Dinner” discusses people having their eye on everybody else’s bag. “The Telethon” featuring Rome Streetz works in an operatic vocal sample to put their foots on muhfuckas’ necks & after “Kamikaze Drive” admits to feeling alive again following the death of his friend, “Night Vision” featuring Wiz Khalifa talks about the the kind of scenery others dream of.

As for “Duffle 2 the Dealership”, we have Spitta discussing making a name for himself through his audio cocaine & the drug war while “Go So Fast” featuring Bruiser Wolf & Fendi P talks about their champagne being colder than the world. “Tightrope” moves on from there trying to take more than the average cut & once “Sound of the Rain” featuring Jazzy details their hunger for success, “Factory Settings” ends Off to the Races talking about people forgetting shit.

Coming off the Spiral Staircases & Roofless Records for Drop Tops collaborative projects he did with Larry June & Wiz Khalifa respectively, Curren$y runs it back with Harry Fraud to pick up exactly where they left off a year & a half ago flowing over the latter’s sample-heavy production enlisting only a select few guests in joining him to give us the typical stoner/luxury raps we’ve come to know him for clocking at almost a half hour.

Score: 3.5/5

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Young Chris – “Or a Bullet” review

This is the 4th extended play from North Philadelphia, Pennsylvania rapper Young Chris. A member of the State Property crew & 1/2 of the Young Gunz subunit, he has since dropped a total of 16 solo mixtapes as well as 3 extended plays & 2 collaborative projects within nearly 2 decades, with the Cardiak-produced The Revival being my personal favorite of the bunch. Coming off the drumless Made in Philly with MadeinTYO this spring & Catch a Vibe a couple weeks ago, Or a Bullet picks up right where the counterpart left off.

Wale appears for the intro “Fly Talk” so they can spit braggadocio together over a old school boom bap beat whereas “Foreigns in the Trenches” featuring Phil Adé finds the pair talking about driving expensive cars around their respective hoods. “On My Soul” featuring Dave East, Freeway & Ransom leans toward a chipmunk soul vibe instrumentally referencing the late WWE Hall of Famer Muhammad Ali just before “The Golden Chile” soulfully talks about people plottin’ on him.

“Try My Hand” moves on from there pleading for God to not let him be misunderstood leading into “Drama Occurred” featuring O.T. the Real & Reese Bangem painting imagery of the gangsta lifestyle with O.T. having the strongest guest verse of the 2. “N****s in the Joint” talks about the very people he took extras from whenever he has enough supply for the whole town at large while “Different Kind of Animal” spends the last minutes of Or a Bullet flexing his level of lyrical skill.

I’m kinda happy that Young Chris decided to split Catch a Vibe & Or a Bullet into 2 separate halves because as much as I found myself enjoying the predecessor 14 days ago, this new EP doesn’t really impress me as much because I feel like the production’s a bit of a step down outside of a few spots & a couple guests. If he’s able to get some fire beats from people like Hit-Boy or 9th Wonder & Nicholas Craven, I feel like that would bring the best outta him.

Score: 3/5

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Blaze Ya Dead Homie – “Last Rites” review

Physical exclusive 5th extended play from Mt. Clemens, Michigan rapper Blaze Ya Dead Homie. Originally 1/2 of the 2 Krazy Devils, the Insane Clown Posse eventually signed him to Psychopathic Records & his eponymous debut EP as well as his full-length debut 1 Less G n da Hood would become some of the hatchet’s most beloved material at the turn of the millennium. Colton Grundy: Tha Undying introduced us to his alter-ego & Clockwork Gray received the same praise as his earlier material, departing Psychopathic after the Mike E. Clark-produced Gang Rags to make the sequel Reborn the inaugural release for his childhood friends Twiztid’s label Majik Ninja Entertainment in tandem with his own imprint Grundy Entertainment. It’s already been a decade since The Casket Factory but coming off Cadaver & Dead Serious, his Last Rites are being read.

“Smoke” starts us off with Blaze talking about not being the one to provoke while “Armed & Dangerous” instrumentally embraces a rap rock vibe cautioning that he has a gun on him. “Sold” experiments with trap metal airing out the people who’ve sold their souls to the Devil & once “In Between” awkwardly talks about there being no one to blame other than ourselves, the outro “No Tomorrow” ends Last Rites explaining shit ain’t been the same since he came to the game although I much prefer the Stir Crazy remix.

If you’re going into Last Rites expecting it to be a bunch of leftovers from the Dead Serious sessions kinda like what The Casket Maker was to The Casket Factory, you’ll be surprised to hear that a great deal of this EP doesn’t have as much of a Jelly Roll influence as Blaze Ya Dead Homie’s most recent album we got over the summer since the production fluctuates between rap rock along with trap metal & regular trap music to compliment the wicked gangsta performances he solely handles contrasting his longtime associates making appearances throughout Dead Serious.

Score: 3.5/5

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