Nduduzo Makhathini – “The Myth We Choose” review

Nduduzo Makhathini is a 42 year old pianist & philosopher from Umgungundlovu, Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa who dropped his first 7 studio LPs through his own imprint Gundu Entertainment prior to the greatest jazz label of all-time Blue Note Records signing him for Modes of Communication: Letters From the Underworlds as well as In the Spirit of Ntu & uNomkhubulwane. All of which have elevated his spiritual afro-jazz sound & went into his 11th album expecting him to do the same.

“Kuzodlula” by Robin Fassie kicks things off with a vocal jazz intro encouraging everyone to relax for the reason of everything eventually passing whereas “Imvunge KaNtu” recruits bassist Dalisu Ndlazi & drummer Lukmil Pérez for a hard bop tribute to the Bantu philosophy. “Kwamabili” lets Lukmil take a backseat so Nduduzo & Dalisu can instrumentally shine together for a few minutes just before the 4th & final single “Unembeza” combines elements of gospel & South African music.

The 3rd single “Liyoze Line Nangakith” has flautist Shabaka Hutchings joining the pianist & bassist for a hymn to the blessings that accompany rain while “What People Say” by Nduduzo’s wife Omagugu takes the vocal jazz route once more mediating on the creation of myths. “Primordial Egg” enlists Ayanda Sikade on the cymbals for a rubato jam complimenting the keys & bass leading into “Ekuqaleni” reaching the halfway point with a composition themed around the Zulu creation using synths & a vocoder.

Muneyi takes the microphone for “Ḽiṅwalo ḽa Mubebi” embracing a vocal jazz vibe again describing fatherly love while “Umbono” brings guitarist Keenan Ahrends on board so Nduduzo himself can sing about our 6th senses. “Tethered” by Thando Zide succeeding the “Ḽiṅwalo ḽa Mubebi” reprise experiments with neo-soul pitting the inevitability of love against the inability to gauge our emotional entanglement when somebody’s deeply in love.

“Ongaphesheya” gets the 4th quarter of The Myth We Choose going by having these calming piano chords predominantly taking the spotlight with some bass licks from Dalisu backing them but after Black Coffee’s stunning remix of “What People Say” that I’d consider equal to the original & the “Kuzodlula” reprise, “Zimthilili” sends off the album by bringing Ayanda Sikade back on drums so Nduduzo can vocally perform 1 last time singing about love over hypnotically rich instrumentation.

All 3 of Nduduzo Makhathini’s previous full-lengths that he’s dropped under Blue Note Records over the course of this decade have individually elevated his spiritual jazz sound & although I’d consider In the Spirit of Ntu to be his magnum opus, The Myth We Choose wouldn’t be too far behind for a close 2nd. He’s challenging the world to examine our individual background taking further inspiration from afro-jazz, spiritual jazz, cape jazz, vocal jazz, hard bop & neo-soul with the help of his son Thingo even if I could’ve done without a couple of the reprises.

Score: 4/5

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FlyG – “MENNBLVCK III” review

Washington, D.C. emcee of Nigerian descent FlyG is back for his 10th EP. Properly introducing himself to the underground a couple years ago off his inaugural extended play Soulful Journey, SPCL_CHRCTRS would fully produce the next one Serenade Symphony at the end of last February & rising French producer Drega33 helped him turn more heads with MENNBLVCK a couple months later. MENNBLVCK II followed on Black Friday, reuniting with Drega so they can finally drop MENNBLVCK III coming off both Soundscape Cinema & FlyBlackmanExperience respectively.

“Du$ty Roads” opens with a funky homage to former 3-time NWA World’s Heavyweight Champion, NWA National Heavyweight Champion, WWE Hall of Famer, WWE United States Champion, 2-time WCW World Tag Team Champion & 3-time WCW World Television Champion Dusty Rhodes whereas “F.T.$ho” takes a more soulfully approach instrumentally stripping the drums this time showing off his wordplay.

We get more soul samples coming our way on “B@rry Bonds at Luger $teaks” recalling a dining experience he had where they fucked up his order & he had to give them his business card leading into “Luxurious Abilitie$” embracing a drumless vibe once again talking about him learning that the pathways of success are narrow. After an interlude, “Eye$ Closed” gets the 2nd half of the EP going with more soulful atmosphere discussing how much times have changed.

“MENNBLVCK on “Bro@dway” nears closer towards the conclusion of the trilogy with a soulfully drumless talking about the large amount of free agents who’ve laid out the blueprint while “Keep Tryin’” discusses that it wasn’t ever hard for him to master the pen & a lover who gives him a hard time even when he’s washing dishes. “$un Mediation Methods” concludes MENNBLVCK III with a drumless closer talking about one having to develop their own tricks.

I’ve always considered both installments of the MENNBLVCK series to be some of FlyG’s greatest material & thankfully he’s already been confirmed that the series will keep going since he’s planning to drop MENNBLVCK 4EVER at some point during the 2nd half of 2026 because MENNBLVCK III carries over every satisfactory aspect of it’s predecessors from Drega33’s soulfully drumless production to the DMV artists’ songwriting.

Score: 4/5

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Downtown Boys – “Public Luxury” review

The Downtown Boys are a hardcore punk rock band from Providence, Rhode Island consisting of alto saxophonist Will Cioffi, guitarist Joey DeFrancesco, tenor saxophonist Emmett Fitzgerald, drummer Norlan Olivo, bassist Dan Schleifer & lead singer Victoria Ruiz. Making their eponymous full-length debut back in 2012, they went on to follow it up with the sophomore effort Full Communism as well as the Sub Pop Records debut Cost of Living. Almost a decade later, they’re returning for their 4th studio LP.

“No More Jodas” begins with an urgent lead single singing in Spanish about this person being the disaster Victoria wants prior to her stating that “The City Begins” where many assumed it would end over some punk rock riffs. The 3rd single “Sirena” uses a handful of metaphors to symbolize empowerment singing in Spanish once again dabbling with new wave just before the 4th & final “Yellow Sun” addresses Israel occupying Lebanon for the past couple years giving a shot at goth pop.

Meanwhile on “Viva La Rosa”, we have Victoria & Joey breathing new life into a song that was initially conceived during their Malportado Kids days take inspiration from skate punk leading into “Enemy Without” throwing the it back to the Downtown Boys’ earlier material stylistically. The 2nd single “You’re a Ghost” combines dance-punk & industrial rock so they can critique the rise of fascism in the United States while “Albuterol” treads the synth-punk waters singing about smoking in bed.

“Mi Concha” wraps up the final moments of Public Luxury with another Malportado Kids rendition singing about Victoria’s shell not being white enough for others amplifying the new wave elements while “Public Works” starts with some galloping punk riffs & commanding vocal performances preceding the synthesizers & even an occasional saxophone. The title track spends the album’s last couple minutes blending more synths with a piano for a delicately electronic outro.

Amplifying the primary post-punk influences of their 2017 debut for Sub Pop, the Downtown Boys make their return after 9 long years with the most expansive entry in the band’s entire catalog & definitely the strongest since getting signed. They also incorporate influences of hardcore punk, garage punk, art punk, dance-punk, industrial rock, new wave, synth-punk & skate punk to make some bilingual political commentary regarding the people having it all in the end.

Score: 4/5

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Wrekonize – “Edited for Reality” review

Here we have the long-awaited 5th studio LP from Miami, Florida emcee/producer Wrekonize. Starting out in the battle circuit, he eventually put out a total of 3 mixtapes throughout the 2000s until coming out with his full-length debut A Soiree for Skeptics in 2010. However, the following year when he signed to Strange Music as a solo artist & as a member of the group ¡MAYDAY! the following year. His 2013 sophomore effort The War Withinwould go onto receive critical acclaim & was followed up in 2017 with Into the Further. This fall will be 6 years since Pressure Point & he’s enlisted MIKE SUMMERS a.k.a. 7 to produce Edited for Reality.

After the “Ángel de la Guarda” intro, “Alpha (The Beginning)” made for a tense opener talking about him having to change his state of mind whereas “Ain’t Backing Down” encouraging people to find him if they’re looking for a fight. “Free Way” had a more laidback sound to it talking about living life freely prior to “Can’t Stay, I’m Gone” featuring Lex Bratcher joining forces so they can cavernously talk about their refusal of standing still.

“Snowfall” instrumentally shifts towards a predominant trap vibe confessing that his heart’s been getting colder by the second leading into “No Words” talking about being speechless at all the evil things this person he’s addressing has done. “You Should Get Slapped” by ¡MAYDAY! featuring Stunnaman02 & 1 Ton finds everybody enjoying the sun & staying out the way of bullshit just before “Cinder Blocks” featuring Stevie Stone talks about bracing for the fall when they land.

Continuing the 2nd half of Edited for Reality, we have Wrek taking a more melodic approach on “If Anything” singing that he’ll be there for this person whenever they need him while “For Peace” talks about not finding tranquility if one doesn’t actively seek for it. “Line in the Sand” lividly airs out his frustrations of potentially dying at the hands of a coward while “Twisted” hops over a boom bap beat talking about the state of the world.

“Planet Worth” winds down the last several minutes of the album speaking of living for the moment as a nobody on a rock full of superstars while the penultimate song “No One Else (Be Myself)” talks about wanting to be himself instead of another because he could give a fuck less what they have. The closing track “Perfection 2026” wraps up Edited for Reality explaining the realization that he’s come to regarding nobody completing the path of gaining perfection.

Containing every single he’s dropped since forming ¡MAYDAY! Music distributed by It Goes Up Entertainment & Strange Music with his ¡MAYDAY! bandmates a few years earlier, Edited for Reality egins this new chapter of Wrekonize’s career with a full-length that I’d have to put on the same pedestal as The War Within & Pressure Point. I could’ve done without a couple guests, but the chemistry between 7’s production & Wrek’s penmanship hasn’t changed.

Score: 4/5

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Naomi Sharon – “No Sleep in Paradise” review

This is the sophomore effort from Rotterdam, Zuid-Holland, Netherlands singer/songwriter Naomi Sharon. Starting in 2018 with her debut single “Breeze”, she would go on to release 4 more singles until Toronto, Ontario, Canada superstar Drake signed her to OVO Sound for an impressive debut Obsidian giving a refreshing take on the way the label delivers alternative R&B going beyond that in favor of neo-soul, afrobeats, afro house, downtempo, sophisti-pop, deep house, ambient pop & smooth soul. Coming off The Only Love We Know however, she’s been getting No Sleep in Paradise.

“I Know” blends deep house & alternative R&B to kick things off singing about being built from broken time & stitched with 2nd chances whereas “Miss That” experiments with Afropiano admitting that she’ll miss the way her ex used to pull her in & kiss her back. “Weak” fuses alternative R&B with Afrobeats asking if this person even realizes that she’s hurting her while “Try” produced by KAYTRANADA & Jordan Ullman sings about having the whole night to reach the sun.

Moving on from there, “If You Wanted to You Would” brings the deep house elements back in the picture demanding to know why this person said they need her in their life just before the spacious “Starting Fires” encourages her partner not to hesitate with her heart. “Was It Ever Love?” finds herself questioning if her ex truly loved her since all he never showed that he sincerely cared while “Better Days” sings about her praying & waiting for things in her life to improve.

“Celebration” gets the 2nd half of No Sleep in Paradise going pleading to be drowned in the truth without any hesitation while “Pink City” sings about rivers & skies collide when stars surround you over a moody beat from Noel Cadastre. “Untitled” addresses an individual who waits & lets her bleed rather than chasing & pleading while “Half a Lie” sings about her always having to fake her peace along with desiring truth instead of perfection.

The song “Leaving” winds down the album’s final moments explaining to her partner that she can’t carry the weight of their paradise & getting out of their presiding town while “Light My Soul” sings for her lover to elevate her & kiss the fire in the middle of him lighting her soul over an Afropiano instrumental. The title track appropriately concludes No Sleep in Paradise confessing to her carrying love similarly to baggage she forgot to claim.

In only less than 3 years, Naomi Sharon has quickly risen above the ranks to become the most talented signee on the OVO roster & her 2nd album No Sleep in Paradise continues to validate that even if I’d put Obsidian above it. She might be the best songwriter on the label even if the neo-soul influences are being decreased compared to her last couple projects in favor of the production taking it’s inspiration from alternative R&B, alt-pop, sophisti-pop, Afropiano & deep house.

Score: 3.5/5

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Diorvsyou – “Pre Gamé 2” review

Atlanta, Georgia recording artist Diorvsyou continuing to prelude his debut album Soirée with his 7th EP. Coming up in 2021 off his inaugural extended play Scoreboard, it wasn’t until I saw him open up for southsidesilhouette in Brooklyn the following November where I was personally introduced to his music & I was actually impressed with his set. w.t.f.i.dvy? (who the fuck is diorvsyou?) marked a bigger breakthrough for him artistically & returned up from the Ashes almost a year since Diorvsrxlvnd’s eponymous debut. The last several EPs Untitled EP.9 as well as So Cunt. & Paussus.99 have all been received positively, coming off Pre Gamé to drop a sequel under Geffen Records.

“Walk the Plank” produced by n9ck begins with Dior talking about taking both of his double cups on a date & every day being a party for him whereas “Praise the Lorde” gives off a more rage-inducing vibe speaking of buying a bitch & slutting her out. “Marilyn Monroe” hops over a thr6x instrumental talking about coming for the cash but after “Magnolia” detailing him mixing lean with percocets & dismissing copycats for imposters, “Fashion Week” brings some more rage beats in the picture talking about trying to make something rain

As for “Sick”, we’re being treated to a pluggier sound so Dior can discuss the possibility of shooting up a party off beans while “With da Munyun” talks about him acting a fool with all this money he’s earned & using it to break some rules. “Twin” finds himself getting psyched out for a couple minutes & “HoustonCaliLantaVegas” shows his gratitude towards all those cities over a LulRose beat, the closing track “Woke Up Like Dis” ends Pre Gamé 2 referencing the inaugural 4th Rope World Tag Team Champion & 2-time HoG Tag Team Champion Jeff Hardy.

Excluding a few songs that were previously released making their way onto here, Diorvsyou continues to prepare for Soirée by dropping what I’d consider to be Pre Gamé 2 containing some newly recorded material & some older stuff. I can only assume that’s because Pre Gamé 1.5 back in January was a SoundCloud exclusive & Geffen wanted to get paid for the streams, but it doesn’t wane any anticipation I have for the LP whether it comes out this year or not.

Score: 3.5/5

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2slimey – “TotalBass” review

2slimey is a 20 year old rapper from Midwest City, Oklahoma who came up under the original moniker GGS making more traditional hip hop music until switching up his style. His debut extended play SsoMe wouldn’t come out until 19 months earlier & follow this up with his full-length studio debut High Anxiety. He has since been getting co-signs from North West to PlaqueBoyMax & Lil Uzi Vert, preluding a forthcoming sophomore effort with a 2nd EP & just in time for summer to officially commence.

“Left Right” made for an underwhelming intro talking about pulling up with a Glock whereas “Wine” discusses rolling at the top. “lobby” tediously talks about unloading an entire clip just before one of the few tracks I enjoyed “Bentleys & Lambs” disses ily2erk over a Noah Mejia instrumental. “Ballout” vapidly talks about doubling his revenue & after “Money Dumb” co-produced by Internet Money Records in-house producer Synthetic makes up for it with my favorite single, “Why You Wanna Hate on Meh?” ends with a response to his detractors.

For the past 4 months ever since I heard his UG Cypher verse, I’ve been saying that 2slimey in my personal opinion could likely be the most overhyped rapper today & TotalBass pretty much confirms that for me anyway since it’s less more enjoyable than his debut. The experimental trap production including secondary influences of rage & terror plugg are actually pretty decent, but I can’t say the same regarding his hardcore performances.

Score: 2/5

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Jungle Brothers – “Concrete Jungle” review

The Jungle Brothers are a golden age hip hop duo from Brooklyn, New York consisting of Afrika Baby Bam & Mike G. Originally a trio alongside DJ Sammy B, their 1988 debut Straight Out the Jungle & the sophomore effort Done by the Forces of Nature under Warner Records are considered to be some of the most important hip house albums ever created, although their music since then has generally been hit or miss. However, I still had interest for the Native Tongues subgroup’s 2nd extended play.

“Make the Party Rock” featuring TdiMuzik begins with a fun intro talking about 2-steppin’ on muhfuckas even if the TdiMuzik verse was alright whereas “Check This Out” takes it back to the group’s signature hip house sound calling for everyone on the dance floor to put their backs into it. “Special Request (Dancin’)” kicks off the 2nd half with a carefree party anthem while “Rocket” concludes the EP talking about them continuing to rock stages.

A great deal of the Jungle Brothers’ output for the past 3 decades has mostly been average at worst & I might not have Concrete Jungle on the very same pedestal as their first couple of LPs that were so groundbreaking, but I think it’s a decent return for them overall. The production shifts between the hip house sound that made them so unique & boom bap, although I wouldn’t go as far to say that they don’t really push either those styles forward.

Score: 3/5

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Shakewell – “Slugeater” review

Los Angeles, California emcee Shakewell has returned for his 4th extended play. Coming up almost a decade ago off his debut EP Keystone Prince, he followed it up a year later with his 2nd EP Big Juice tha Sip resulting in the $uicideboy$ signing him to G*59 Record$ right when the pandemic started & releasing the full-length studio debut Pray 4 Shakewell. It’s already been a couple years since Dangerously Close & the Slugeater’s continuing to tease a sophomore effort.

“Smoke (I Want It All)” after “Tha Prologue” intro experiments with metal music to open up the EP talking about looking for trouble whereas “It Happened Again” featuring the Regional Justice Center heavily confronts someone who betrayed all of his dogs. “Year of tha Worm” featuring Raygunn Ethan has a cloudier Memphis sound to it talking about being the chosen one & after “Shameless Money Drain” featuring Drain brings the guitars back in so he can rip shit up, Slugeater finishes up with a 3 minute punk rock outro where he’s “Talkin’ My Shit” with Alpha & Omega.

It might come as a surprise to people that Shakewell was in a metalcore band called Betrayal before switched his style in for the Memphis-inspired trap sound G*59 has collectively become synonymous with, but that doesn’t necessarily excuse Slugeater for being as such of a mixed bag it is. Don’t get me wrong: I appreciate him taking it back to where it all began drawing inspiration from punk to metal & beatdown hardcore. Even if the features leave little to be desired.

Score: 2.5/5

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Benny the Butcher – “The Plugs I Met 2.5” review

Buffalo, New York emcee Benny the Butcher preluding The Plugs I Met III with his 10th extended play. Being in the game for 2 decades already, it wouldn’t be until the previous one where he alongside his cousins Westside Gunn & Conway the Machine would take the culture by storm off projects like Tana Talk 3 & The Plugs I Met. Harry Fraud came in for a sequel to the latter following the mature Burden of Proof & finally, Tana Talk 4 took it back to the basement a few years back. Coming off the Summertime Butch duology & Excelsior however, The Plugs I Met 2.5 has come 48 hours succeeding its announcement.

“Rise & Fall” featuring Elcamino & 38 Spesh after “The Dog & The Wolf” intro hops over a soulful instrumental from Harry Fraud explaining that there’s a certain price of the game that we haven’t accept even if we don’t want to leading into “Big Difference” featuring Bruiser Wolf & Fuego Base produced by the late DJ Shay works in a symphonic boom bap beat so the trio can respond to all of the haters criticizing them for their recent acquisitions.

Daringer & Beat Butcha get behind the boards on “Once Upon a Time” to kick off the 2nd half of The Plugs I Met 2.5, replacing the strings with a more sinister backdrop explaining that every leader was a good soldier at a certain point in their lives just before “Talk Shows” featuring Raekwon reunites with Harry Fraud to discuss having no respect for those who buy their runs since they hustled to earn theirs. The closing track “Can’t Be Much” sends off the EP with a symphonic trap outro getting in his coke rap bag lyrically.

Many will presumably say that The Plugs I Met 2.5 is the best thing Benny the Butcher has made since Tana Talk 4 or Everybody Can’t Go, but I did enjoy it a lot more than Summertime Butch 2 almost a year earlier as much of a huge improvement it was over it’s predecessor & has me anticipating a forthcoming trilogy chapter. The production feels like a mix between both installments of The Plugs I Met series letting Harry Fraud handle most of it outside of Daringer & DJ Shay’s contributions, bringing a stellar guest list on board for all but 2 tracks excluding the intro to break down the mafioso life.

Score: 4.5/5

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