Kardinal Offishall – “Firestarter 2: everyday, sometimes…” review

Kardinal Offishall is a 50 year old rapper, songwriter, producer, DJ & record executive from Toronto, Ontario, Canada who made his debut in late ‘97 with Eye & I. The sophomore effort Firestarter: Quest for Fire albeit major label debut under MCA Records would make him the ambassador of the Canadian hip hop scene even if Fire & Glory, Not 4 Sale, the Nottz-produced A.M.T.R.I.M. (Allow Me to Re-Introduce Myself) mixtape & Kardi Gras: The Clash were all welcomed to mixed reception. Over a decade later & he’s returned for his 6th studio LP.

“Heavy’s the Head” triumphantly opens up talking about the weight of the crown he’s wearing whereas “40 Acres & a Ferrari” featuring Black Thought & Stove God Cook$ finds the trio discussing it not being too late for them to receive those 2 things over a boom bap instrumental. “All Nighter” featuring Konshens & T-Pain goes for a pop rap vibe talking about staying up for an evening with their partners but once “Kiss Me When I” admits he hates it when his lover leaves, “Top 3” featuring Buju Banton & Idris Elba ends the 1st leg with a boastful reggae anthem.

Nesta appears for the remix of “My Brother’s Keeper” to kick off the 2nd half continuing showing more love towards Jamaican culture while “When You’re in Love” once again confronts themes of romance over a more subdued beat. “Bombay Sunsets” featuring Idris Elba returns to the boom bap so they can bring it hardcore & after “When There’s Smoke” aggressively talks about the consequences of any beef poppin’ off, the title track ends Firestarter 2: everyday, sometimes… telling us the way he’s been feeling since the previous full-length.

Admittedly: I wasn’t so sure whether or not Firestarter 2: everyday, sometimes… would live up to the expectations set out by the predecessor considering almost everything he’s done since has left audiences divided. And contrasting the previous installment capturing Kardinal Offishall at the height of his career, this sequel provides a glimpse of where he’s at a quarter of a century later as the ambassador of Canadian hip hop maintaining his signature dancehall style outside of some boom bap & pop rap detours. I can respect that.

Score: 3.5/5

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Adult DVD – Self-Titled review

Adult DVD are a dance-punk band from Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, United Kingdom consisting of bassist George Manson, drummer Jonathan Newell, guitarist Danny Blackburn, backup synthesist Jake Williams, co-founding synthesist Greg Lonsdale & frontman Harry Hanson. Forming in the middle of the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic when Harry & Greg were sending music to each other on the internet, they would eventually drop their debut extended play Fountain of Youth in 2023 & the follow-up Next Day Shipping arrived a year later. Signing to Fat Possum Records back in January, they’re ready for an eponymous full-length studio debut.

“Do As I Please” begins with this dance punk intro singing about nonconformity whereas “Coffin Dodger” keeps the dance punk revival vibes in tact so Harry can describe avoiding death. “Cold Caller” goes for a synth-punk direction suggesting that one can really get what they want just before Adult DVD treads the dance punk waters once more singing about waking up one day feeling serious & becoming what they call a “Minimal Criminal”.

The new rave-inspired 4th & final single “Jesus Christ Supercar” sings about feeling like the son of God under the influence of drugs while the 2nd single “Cowboy on Aisle 3” gets humorous with the songwriting to end the 1st leg of the band’s self-titled offering, embracing the dance punk aesthetics once more. “The Steaks are High” maintains the dance punk revivalism so Harry can observe the increasing pricing of beef while “World’s Best Boss” sings about only shaking this guy’s hand because he’s in charge of his job.

“All I Need” reaches the backend of Adult DVD’s inaugural LP with some of the most carefree dance punk throughout the entire half hour while “Ghillie Suit” would make one think of the late Prodigy frontman Keith Flint right when it instantly plays & I have no doubts that would’ve made him proud. “Real Tree Lee” introduced these guys as part of the Fat Possum roster with a lead single reminiscent of Fontaines D.C. mocking a secluded right-winger & the 3rd single “Rolling Face” ends in the form of this synth-punk outro singing about there once being comfort in sound & pleasure in the peace when time passed.

Citing The Prodigy amongst their biggest inspirations alongside LCD Soundsystem, this debut album elevates the potential we initially saw in Adult DVD when they initially formed & make a broader introduction to the dance punk revival, synth-punk, big beat, electroclash & new rave ideas of their early EPs introducing a handful of different characters with massive egos for the purpose of thinking people would consider them assholes if they wrote from their own perspectives.

Score: 4/5

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Action Figure 973 – “Dark Side of the Ring 4” review

Another extended play & the 15th overall from Belleville, New Jersey emcee/producer Action Figure 973. For a while at this point, his first couple mixtapes followed by his last 14 EPs & the full-length debut DOOM Was Right over a year ago giving flowers to one of my all-time personal favorite albums Madvillainy have each established himself as a promisingly skilled luchador who so happens to rap. The Most Interesting Man in the World got with Machacha for his sophomore effort last October, coming off What Would Harley Race Do? as well as & the baseball-themed Polo Grounds produced by DiMaggio & Souled Out for a 4th installment of the Dark Side of the Ring series only 48 hours after Vince Russo announced his departure from Juggalo Championship Wrestling (JCW).

The intro “Know You Role” references the current AEW World Tag Team Champion Adam Copeland shooting it with former AEW World Tag Team Champion, FTW Champion, DEFY World Champion, the inaugural NWA World Television Champion, NXT Champion & NXT North American Champion Ricky Starks whereas “Rap Is Still Crap” continues from there giving a nod to former WCW World Tag Team Champions the West Texas Rednecks.

“Going to Kill You” gives a nod to a chant originated by current AEW commentator, former 2-time ECW World Heavyweight Champion, 2-time ECW World Television Champion, the inaugural 2-time FTW Champion & 4-time WWE tag team champion Taz just before “R.I.P. Vince Steel” pays tribute to the late New York performer. “Junkyard Dog” however ends the 1st half remembering the late WWE Hall of Famer & former WCW World 6-Man Tag Team Champion.

We get a lo-fi boom bap instrumental on “20 Minute Blowjob” so Act-Lo can keep it hardcore until “3rd Man” includes a reference to the WWE Hall of Famers nWo’s debut 3 decades earlier. “Main Event of Thunder” calls back to WCW’s secondary program Thunder & the outro “Macho’s Elbow Drop” wraps up Dark Side of the Ring 4shouting out the late the late WWE Hall of Famer, former 6-time WWE world champion & WWE Intercontinental Champion Randy Savage.

From the Polo Grounds theming itself around America’s favorite past time to Souled Out celebrating his birthday describing some trips he took overseas, Dark Side of the Ring 4 mainly takes it back to what made Action Figure 973 one of the most interesting figures in the underground whether it be the raw production or the witty lyricism including gems that only professional wrestling fans would understand better than most.

Score: 4/5

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Kiefer Shackleford – “Memory Bomb” review

Kiefer Shackleford is a 34 year old pianist & producer from Los Angeles, California who properly introduced himself nearly a decade earlier off his full-length studio debut Kickin’ It Alone & the sophomore effort Happysad respectively. When There’s Love Around as well as It’s Ok, B U & Something Real would all follow to similar reception but coming off FATHERS’ eponymous debut a couple months ago, Kiefer’s signing to the great jazz label of all-time Blue Note Records for his 6th studio LP.

“Daydreaming” by Cisco Swank & Relyae opens up with both of them lusciously singing about a romantic fantasy with CARRTOONS playing bass & Luke Titus handling drums whereas “Nowhere Fast” by Rae Khalil takes a funkier approach refusing to give up her heart that she’s keeping safe. “Overture” hits us with the first actual compositional piece playing keys with Nate Smith on the drums & Shibo on bass giving heavy instrumental hip hop vibes for a few minutes until “NewLevels NewDevils” by Erick the Architect & Tony Stone goes full-blown jazz rap.

Relyae takes the microphone once again during “Get to the Moon” except Amber Navran’s accompanying her for this glamorous R&B duet letting CARRTOONS play bass once more leading into the title track enlisting tenor saxophonist Walter Smith III, guitarist Flanafi & bassist Shibo to make the core of Memory Bomb amongst it’s most exquisite moments. “Entr’acte” feels like more of an 89 second interlude to end the 1st half that could play in the middle of an [adult swim] bumper while “BusyForYa” by Planet Giza sings about not having time for this individual.

“Won’t Be Long” by Amber Navran & Phil Beaudreau with Shibo playing the synthesizers & bass depicting a couple assuring each other that none of them are ungrateful for the lessons learned preceding a breakup while “Don’t Fail Me Now” pulls inspiration from instrumental hip hop again, letting CARRTOONS program the drums behind these synths. “Can’t Let a Good Thing Go” by Gareth Donkin sings about refusing to move past something in life going correctly & after the exuberant “As She Was”, the closing track “I Let My Hair Grow” ends Memory Bomb handling all the instruments by himself.

Known for honing his own style that he refers to as “Over the Breaks”, the FATHERS album made me even more interested in what Kiefer Shackleford was artistically capable of doing from an individual standpoint & would say Memory Bomb joins DOMi & JD Beck’s recent sophomore effort WHO ASKED? in being one of Blue Note’s more average releases on 2026. His distinctive blend of jazz improvisation & hip hop production more richly textured than his earlier output regardless of the guest vocalists being a mixed bag.

Score: 3/5

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Remy Ma – “Alimony” review

Remy Ma is a 46 year old rapper from The Bronx, New York City who Big Pun brought into the Terror Squad some time before his death. Her full-length debut there’s something about remy: based on a true storycame out 2 decades earlier to positive reception following her debut mixtape Most Anticipated although BX Files, BlasRemy & I’m Around weren’t as great. Coming off her divorce from Papoose, she’s preluding a sophomore effort with a brand new extended play of material.

“Rem the Pen” actually wasn’t bad of an intro hopping over an apocalyptic boom bap instrumental from Ron Browz to talk about the possibility of her never speaking to Nicki Minaj again, but then “Cry in the Wraith” featuring Tink & produced by Hitmaka continues the enjoyability levels getting in their feelings a bit. “Who Raised You?” however reaches the halfway point with the exact moment where things begin to decline, wanting to know who raised these new bitches over a bland beat.

Kicking off the 2nd leg, “Why I Get Married?” gives us a response to Papoose’s “Jezebel” that just feels absolutely embarrassing both instrumentally & in terms of Remy’s own performances while “Altar” throws more shots at Pap’s way returning to the boom bap accusing him of dumbing herself down for the only purpose of building himself up. “W.Y.F.L.” spends the remaining minutes of this Alimony declaring herself to be a mogul over a generic trap beat.

Soon as Remy Ma & Papoose began trading disses towards each other, I joked that it’s Kendrick Lamar vs. Drake for people who enjoyed watching Love & Hip Hop because I personally was never a fan of that whole series of reality shows & Alimony pretty much prove my point outside the first couple tracks. It starts off hot until losing steam right when the halfway point because of some inconsistencies regarding the production that I hope are resolved when the next album arrives.

Score: 2/5

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Zukenee – “Blunts & Blades” review

Brand new mixtape & the 3rd overall from Atlanta, Georgia rapper/producer Zukenee. Starting in the spring of 2021 off his debut EP Undiscovered, he would continue to make a name for himself in the underground by putting out a couple more EPs in Castle & Playful alongside the debut mixtape Stop Playing. Subsequent exclusive singles like “OJAYS” & “Chest” would later become amongst his best singles since both of them were released in the span of a year & a half preceding Player Slayer. Guillotine, Birth of St. Slay, Slaytanic, Knight Shift, Eye Love U, Zuminati & the Trapped in the Dungeon series have all followed since. B4BB came out over a week ago & the main course Blunts & Blades is here sooner than anticipated.

“Kelly Chanelly” opens up talking about feeling like a monster soon as he hops out of the Jeep over a minimally dark Cade beat whereas “Mixinggg” goes for more of a standard trap vibe instrumentally speaking of combining lean & xanax in his cup. “Break My Scale” talks about exposing all these bitch-ass wannabe thugs for who they are leading into “Calibrated” runs it back with Cade to flex he’s gotten so dirty, that his cleanliness has become an urgency.

As for “50+50”, we have Zukenee talking about spending hundreds of dollars on guns & drugs while “Walked Out” calls for all his young shooters to continue robbing all these pussy ass rappers. “Who DF” ends the 1st leg of Blunts & Blades talking about how it took him a long time to get to where he’s at in his career presently just before “Funky Monkey / Characteristics” kicks off the 2nd half with a 2-parter boasting of being the type to drop a bag & get it back.

“Kisses of Molly” keeps the tape going talking about all of his bitches keeping it solid & staying on some slick shit while the trap/pop rap single “?” asks what he’s supposed to do with his chopper. “Skreet Bitch” incorporates some chaotic synth melodies to break down his preference in women who got a little hood in them while “Face in Pillow” advises not to take it personally if he leaves & leads one one because he’s a youngin’ increasing his revenue.

The song “Jeffrey” talks about making deposits into his bank account every single morning when he wakes up & slimin’ muhfuckas like Young Thug while “French Tip” goes for a crunk sound so he can keep showing off his wealth. “Rags to Rick” produced by BNYX of Working on Dying was a great way to end Blunts & Blades, talking about going from not having shit to wearing Rick Owens & hoping this chick he considers the one doesn’t wind up lying to him.

Trapped in the Dungeon & it’s sequel each have some of Zukenee’s craziest songs yet like “Qooler” or “Start the Day”, but the disappointment I had for B4BB over a week earlier gets put to rest since I enjoyed a great deal of Blunts & Blades. It’s probably the most experimental thing he’s done so far with Cade’s 40% share of the production & the outro being the most enjoyable moments of the bunch, coming off the feature he did for KARRAHBOOO’s newest EP Not da 2 for his most gratifying 2026 offering & only drawing closer to the Cardo-produced Zudo.

Score: 3.5/5

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Beck – “Ride Lonesome” review

Beck is a 56 year old musician, singer/songwriter & producer from Los Angeles, California who released his full-length studio debut Golden Feelings & Stereopathetic Soulmanure independently until signing to DGC Records for his most celebrated opus Mellow Gold preceding 1 Foot in the Grave. Odelay, Mutations, Midnite Vultures, the Geffen Records-backed Sea Change, his Interscope Records debut Guero, The Information & the Danger Mouse-produced Modern Guilt were all equally praised although his ongoing Capitol Records tenure has been hit or miss. Coming off Morning Phase as well as Colors & the Pharrell-produced ハイパースペース, the Fonograf Records founder’s back for a self-produced 15th studio LP.

The title track combines singer/songwriter, contemporary folk, Americana & alt-country for a melancholic take on loneliness whereas “Run Away” pleads for this individual not to leave, assuring there won’t be anything left to say whenever the apocalypse comes. “In the Night” explores chamber folk, singer/songwriter, art pop, Americana, chamber pop & folk rock so he can sing about lost love while “Failed Words” yearns to turn the world back to be with this individual 1 last time.

“Disappearing Act” blends singer/songwriter, chamber folk & art pop for the 3rd & final single tackling the unknown just before “For Your Love” kicks off the 2nd half of the album incorporating some strings to sing about wandering ruins only because of the affection Beck has for this person waiting down in the lowlands. “Slow Canyon” acoustically continues from there yearning to meet his lover inside a hurricane while “It Ends Right Here” sings about putting a stop to the search for this person he’s addressing.

Winding down the last leg of Ride Lonesome, the song “Falling Through My Hands” gently describes this lover who Beck met at a point in his life where he felt like he was sinking considering her a martyr of the battle while the piano-driven “If You Don’t Know What Love Is” sings about not knowing anything at all in response to the idea of not understanding the concept of love itself. The closer “Beyond the Light” spends the last 5 & a half minutes taking inspiration from Americana again asking if his partner remembers the dying of the light when the sun set on their love.

Some people didn’t think Beck would make anything as great as Modern Guilt ever again considering the mixed reception of his output in the last 2 decades, but he finally did it with Ride Lonesome. His production ditches the synthpop, alt-pop, dream pop, neo-psychedelia & electropop experimentations of it’s predecessor in favor of embracing the sounds of alt-country, singer/songwriter, art pop, chamber folk, contemporary folk, Americana, chamber pop & folk rock reminiscent of Morning Phase & Sea Change’s rich atmospherics for a reflective return.

Score: 4.5/5

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Anthrax – “Cursum Perficio” review

Anthrax is a thrash metal band from Queens, New York consisting of rhythm guitarist Scott Ian, drummer Charlie Benante, bassist Frank Bello, lead guitarist Jon Donais & frontman Joey Belladonna. Making their full-length debut in 1984 with Fistful of Metal under Megaforce Records, the Island Records-backed sophomore effort Spread the Disease & Among the Living would both cement themselves as one of thrash’s Big 4 pioneers. State of Euphoria & Persistence of Time were both solid too although I can’t say the same for their Elektra Records debut Sound of White Noise or Stomp 442 & Volume 8: The Threat is Real. We’ve Come for You All was a tight return to form for them but coming off the superior Worship Music & For All Kings through Megaforce in tandem with Nuclear Blast Records, they’re reuniting for their 12th studio LP.

After the “Persistence of Memory” intro, “The Long Goodbye” opens up with an ode to Charlie’s father battling Alzheimer’s whereas “It’s For the Kids”combines thrash & groove metal so Joey can sing about always sticking to the plan without having to make any improvisations. “Everybody’s Got a Plan”swaps out the thrash elements in favor of a traditional heavy metal sound with a groove metal twist quoting WWE Hall of Famer Mike Tyson while “The Edge of Perfection” masterfully blends heavy metal, groove metal, thrash metal, progressive metal, blackgaze, black metal.

“NYC 93” enjoyably throws it back to the Sound of White Noise Days days which is widely accepted as the best of the 3 offerings to come outta the John Bush-era as someone who personally wasn’t a fan of that point in the band’s career while the title track sings about reaching the end of a journey. “T.O.M.B.” poses the question of what could go wrong after stealing silver from the eyes of a dead man & after the thrashy “Watch It Go” sings about bartering evil as necessary by any means, “My Victory” concludes Cursum Perficiopondering if one can win the hearts & minds with or without them.

There were some concerns whether or not Anthrax was gonna hang it up after Cursum Perficio until Charlie Benante confirmed that wasn’t the case but nevertheless, I can confidently place this decade-long comeback above Worship to hold the bragging rights of being the finest material they’ve made this century. They threw out a bunch of old tunes they’ve already had since at least 2023 & made some new ones inspired by thrash metal, groove metal, heavy metal, progressive metal, blackgaze & black metal documenting their entire journey to stardom.

Score: 4/5

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Jake Xerxes Fussell – “The Old Beloved Path” review

Jake Xerxes Fussell is a 44 year old singer/songwriter from Columbus, Georgia who made his eponymous full-length debut over a decade. He would go onto follow it up with What in the Natural as well as Out of Sight and Good & Green Again preceding him signing to Fat Possum Records. His debut for the label When I Called arrived only a couple years & coming off the soundtrack to Rebuilding last fall, he’s making a secular comeback for his 6th studio LP.

“#1” has producer Ben Whiteley playing bass & organ as well as Wayne Horvitz on harmonica for a compositional intro whereas “Rock Island Line” embraces an Americana vibe covering an old traditional folk standard. “Every Time I Go to Town” acoustically sings about what occurs whenever he revisits his neck of the woods but after “Rosin Some” declaring today to be the day to chew on some resinous pine tree material, “Boney” hits us with another rendition of a traditional work song.

We have Jake pairing Ben & Dominic Billett for synthesizer duties so he can cover the British folk standard “Early, Early in the Spring” to further commence the 2nd half of The Old Beloved Path while “Boll Weevil” gives us his own take on a track Lead Belly recorded nearly a century ago including parts where Isa Burke’s playing a fiddle & mandolin. “Sandy Land” covers a traditional folk song dating back to the 19th century & “Of All the Beast-est in the World” sends it all off with this acoustic 114 second closer singing about how he’d rather be a painter.

Creatively stemming from Jake Xerxes Fussell’s perception of traditional music becoming increasingly intense as he gets older, The Old Beloved Path achieves the goal Ben Whiteley had set out in the studio documenting a handful of musicians providing live instrumentation for a half hour’s worth of folk music reimagined that further. If anyone else has heard the Minyo Crusaders’ 3rd album From Japan with Love earlier this summer, you’re probably gonna like this as much since it additionally captures his growth as an artist rather than sounding vaguely similar to those who came before him.

Score: 3.5/5

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AzChike – “No Rest for the Wicked” review

AzChike is a 31 year old rapper from Los Angeles, California who dropped his first couple extended plays Cult Up & Chike the Greatest almost a decade earlier preceding the My World mixtape & his full-length studio debut Rich & Ratchet under Atlantic Records. G Oh D, Chike Different, I.S.W.I.L.L. (It Sound What It Look Like), Chizzle Chizzle & Spooky Summer were all decent too but his 7th studio LP albeit Warner Records debut looks earn more respect following a couple teasers that were highly praised.

“Mercy” begins with Chike talking about not needing dirt to bury anyone & not popping out unless summoned because he’s west coast royalty whereas “Lamb Truck Keys” produced by Pharrell tells his partner to give it to him & to put her hands up if she wants a Lamborghini over a cumbia sample. “Sky Rockets” goes for a boom bap vibe thanks to Terrace Martin finding love through the smoke & fire while “God’s Favorite” talks about being too up.

Bongo gets behind the boards for the romantic “Need Your Love” yearning for his partner’s affection just before “Look Like My Mama” featuring Tyler, The Creator finds the pair trading bars with each other over a hyphy/ratchet instrumental from the latter. After the “Are You Tired Yet?” interlude, “Wonder” kicks off the 2nd half flowing over a Sounwave beat talking about all the things he thinks of whenever going to sleep while “Negative” hits us with a GNX outtake he kept for himself.

“Packed Up” embraces a trap vibe thanks to Hit-Boy talking ’bout his watch as long as time’s ticking while “Uncomfortable Conversations” maintaining his patience to get some shit off his chest. “The World is Ours” instrumentally reminds me of the Bastard era talking about throwing bands & after “Rock Bottom” talks about struggling to get his mind right, “Hateful + Ungrateful” ends No Rest for the Wicked spitting a lengthy verse regarding him feeling unappreciative.

ScHoolboy Q, Kendrick Lamar & more recently E-40 have all given AzChike the stamp of approval when they got him to make appearances for their latest full-lengths Blue Lips as well as GNX & Turning My Money Over respectively within the past 2 & a half years, but No Rest for the Wicked really elevates himself with the most consistent statement of his entire career. The nervous, trap & hyphy production has made some huge upgrades compared to Chike’s earlier output so he can paint vivid street imagery with only a few guests.

Score: 3.5/5

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