The Strokes – “Reality Awaits” review

The Strokes are an indie rock band from New York City consisting of guitarists/keyboardists Nick Valensi & Albert Hammond Jr., bassist Nikolai Fraiture, drummer Fabrizio Moretti & frontman Julian Casablancas. Their 2001 debut Is This It under RCA Records has been widely considered by many to be amongst the greatest garage rock-revival ever recorded & followed it up with the equally acclaimed sophomore effort Room on Fire, although 1st Impressions of Earth as well as Angles & Comedown Machine generally left audiences torn. The New Abnormal produced by Rick Rubin has already become the quintet’s 2nd greatest statement since their debut & are getting back together 6 years later for their 7th studio LP.

“Psycho Shit” gets things going singing about the Gaza genocide & looking at the teacher’s pet label as another form of death within itself while “Dine N’Dash” embraces a new wave vibe instrumentally detailing the consumption of something without paying it’s exact cost. “Lonely in the Future” interestingly suggests Anthony Fantano to focus on the technical side of music more often until the hideous soft rock, indie rock, countrypolitan & neo-psychedelia crossover “Falling Out of Love”.

We have The Strokes endorsing Maya Wiley on “Starting Again” to kick off the 2nd half just before the self-explanatory “Going Shopping” mediocrely blends new wave, indie rock, jangle pop & indie surf for the lead single. “Liar’s Remorse” addresses an individual who doesn’t want love because they can’t take the pain & after “The Fruits of Conquest” takes a moment for a rebellious middle finger towards authoritarianism, “Tyrants of the Mellow Moon” concludes Reality Awaits with a Radiohead-inspired closer waiting for another chance to take everything he can.

The New Abnormal had me thinking maybe Rick Rubin wasn’t entirely washed since that’s the first time in years where I can recall an album he produced receiving that much praise but unfortunately, Reality Awaits found a way to beat 1st Impressions of Earth or Angles & Comedown Machine in becoming The Strokes’ weakest entry in their discography. Rick’s production is fine recapturing indie rock, neo-psychedelia, new wave & post-punk revival sounds although I can’t say the same for Julian’s effect-heavy vocals.

Score: 2.5/5

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NEMS & Ron Browz – “I Should Boom You Too” review

New collaborative extended play from New York recording artists NEMS & Ron Browz. One of whom is an underground veteran hailing from Coney Island, Brooklyn emerging in the battle rap circuit back in the early 2000s & the other’s a Harlem native gaining widespread recognition for producing Nas’ iconic JAY-Z diss “Ether”. They’ve crossed paths a couple times on tracks like “The Bar Exam” & “Count It Out” prior to I Should Boom You this past spring, linking back up for a sequel 3 months later.

“Glocktalk” opens up with both MCs over a boom bap instrumental from none other than Ron Browz himself spitting that gangsta shit together whereas “Yams” switches it up in the form of a 109 second tune catered strictly for the clubs. “Unbelievable” brings back the dustiness talking about the money they’re making coming in surreal amounts just before “Work It Out” featuring Will Traxx finds the trio telling those looking to party to merely follow the bassline.

Kicking off the 2nd half, the uptempo “Losing Control” admits to the chat that they wanna fuck leading into “The Greatest” takes the trap route instrumentally talking about their legacies. High Regards” featuring A$AP Ferg joins forces so everyone can get in their Fuck Ya Lyfe bag while “D.E.D.M. (Don’t Ever Disrespect Me)” spends the final moments of I Should Boom You Too advising the world that dissing them would be their biggest downfall.

I still maintain that the original I Should Boom You back in April contains some of the best rapping of Ron Browz’ career & despite not enjoying I Should Boom You Too as much, it’s still worth listening if you’re a fan of either him or NEMS. Its production is still prominently rooted in the traditional boom bap sound except there are more trap undertones this time around & the original material excluding both remixes feel more like outtakes left off the original album.

Score: 3/5

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Rico Nasty – “RX” review

Here we have the 4th extended play from Maryland recording artist Rico Nasty. Turning heads in 2018 off her 6th mixtape Nasty, I was impressed by her unique personality & her eclecticism although it was just ok. However the next spring, she got Kenny Beats to produce her debut EP Anger Management in its entirety & that ended up being my favorite body of work of hers even to this day. Nightmare Vacation was a bit of a step down from Anger Management even though it has a good share of bangers like “iPhone” & “10Fo”, but Las Ruinas showed a more experimental side to her & A Nasty Summer was kinda mediocre truthfully. The sophomore effort Lethal last spring expanded her musical palette & she’s reuniting with Kenny to finally drop RX independently after Atlantic tried to shelve it.

“CDG Foams” hops over an industrial trap instrumental to talk about never forgetting where she came from whereas “Frenzy” turns up the rage beats flexing that she makes all the hoes panic. “Rotation” aggressively talks about hitting the road with all this motion she has but once “Cupcake” blends hypertrap with pop rap & digicore to discuss looking cunt, “Blow Your Nose” kicks off the 2nd half advising to either send a drone or bring out the drums.

Continuing from there with “Runway”, we have Rico addressing a bitch she doesn’t even know hating from afar is over a digicore beat while “Butthead” co-produced by Dylan Brady hit us with some of the fiercest wordplay throughout the entire EP. “Kiss N Make Up” cautions not to push her since she’s always on edge while “Rituals” spends the concluding minutes of RX talking about having legitimate artistry compared to the talentless petty hoes detracting her.

Rather than further exploring her versatility like a Lethal did last spring, RX takes it back to basics by showing the world that Rico Nasty’s chemistry with Kenny Beats almost a decade since Nasty hasn’t changed a bit & that winding up being the best thing she’s made this decade. Kenny’s evolution as a producer should still be noted even if he retains the rage elements of his previous output with Rico & mixing them with trap, jerk, pop rap, digicore, free car music & industrial hip hop.

Score: 4/5

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Cypress Hill – “Dios Bendiga” review

South Gate, California veterans Cypress Hill going full Spanish for their 11th studio LP. Consisting of B-Real & Sen Dog on the mic as well as DJ Muggs on the boards & Eric Bobo on percussion, the quartet would take the west coast by storm a little over 3 decades back off their eponymous debut under Ruffhouse Records in tandem with Columbia Records because of Muggs’ unique production style & their pro-marijuana legalization themes. Other standouts in the group’s discography include Black Sunday, my personal favorite Cypress Hill III: Temples of Boom, the criminally underappreciated Cypress Hill IV, Elephants on Acid & the Black Milk-produced Back in Black through MNRK Music Group. Considering they’ve made Spanish songs in the past, Dios Bendiga seemed like a long time coming & the HYBE Corporation getting involved was even more of a shock.

“Wacha Trucha” featuring Alemán begins talking about staying alert & preparing for what’s to come whereas my favorite single “Campeones” reunites with O.G. member Mellow Man Ace so the discussing the new style that the team’s employing. “Rosas Verdes” continues from there talking about having only the greenest roses in their garden while “Run” featuring Poe Leos cautions against getting away from them if they pull up on you.

Coyote teams up with B-Real & Sen Dog on “Sueños” to deliver one of the strongest guest appearances explaining that the days of their dreams are anything but small while “Estamos Listos” ends the 1st half talking about how they always stay ready. “Voló” featuring Sick Jacken kicks off the 2nd leg discussing the war & everyone smoking what they grew up with in the streets leading into “Saca La Bolsita” featuring Trueno talking about there being trouble if someone crosses the line with them.

“No Tengo Miedo” featuring Sick Jacken admits to them not being afraid of death & leaving slowly whenever their time comes while “Barrios Prendidos” featuring La Santa Grifa talks about Mexican bandits turning against neighborhoods. “El Perro Y El Coyote” featuring LadiesLoveGuapo pleads for their guardian angels to let them rest & a long live burdening them while the reggae-influenced closing track “Otra” sends off Dios Bendiga talking about their love of smoking weed.

It’s a bit surprising to me that Cypress Hill waited a quarter of a century after the Los Grandes Exitos En Español compilation came out to make their full Latin debut but as much as I wanna like it, there are some flaws unfortunately. The rapping’s on point from both B-Real & Sen Dog including a majority of the guest appearances, my biggest issue with Dios Bendiga lies more with the production lacking the same consistency Back in Black had earlier this decade.

Score: 3/5

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Point 5ve – “Take a Look at Me Now” review

Point 5ve formerly known as Lil’ ½ Dead is a 51 year old singer/songwriter & former rapper from Los Angeles, California who dropped his full-length debut The Dead Has Arisen & the sophomore effort Steel on a Mission under Priority Records back in the mid-90s. He returned in 2012 for his 3rd album Dead Serious to generally more mixed reception compared to his major label output & over a decade later, WWE Hall of Famer Snoop Dogg has signed him to Death Row Records distributed by gamma. to reinvent himself for a new extended play stylistically departing from the g-funk sound in favor of an R&B direction.

“Grown Man Business” featuring October London on the remix finds the pair singing about maturity while the funky “Unseen Life” produced by Uncle Snoop explains half of his life is nothing more than a film to him. The title track ends the 1st half singing about not being the same as he was while “Now or Never” encourages to wing it & not look back. “Finish Line” describes a relationship falling apart & “Keep It Warm” featuring Kanobby finishes with a duet about companionship.

Dead Serious came out back when I was in high school & regardless of that still not holding up compared to Point 5ve’s earlier material back in the day, Take a Look at Me Now marks a welcoming celebration of this new era in his career. The production’s obviously much smoother than his earlier material & I’m sure some will find themselves disappointed with the lack of rapping on here, but I was pleasantly surprised to hear how well he could sing.

Score: 3.5/5

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Tash – “Attention is a Drug” review

Tash is a 54 year old MC from Columbus, Ohio who would relocate to Los Angeles, California to form Tha Alkaholiks. He would eventually drop his underappreciated solo debut Rap Life in the fall of 1999 under Loud Records & Columbia Records, which was followed up with the poorly received sophomore effort Control Freak a decade later. This new extended play on the contrary has already been teased for some time already & the Catashtraphe has signed with Fat Beats Records to finally put it out.

“Day 2 Day Basis” featuring Styliztik Jones produced by E-Swift finds the pair smashing on suckas daily whereas the funky title track featuring the entire Likwit Crew along with Q-Tip & will.i.am on the remix talks about the effects social media. “Shoe Fits” kicks off the 2nd half of the EP sharply reminding the world of the fact that the truth always comes around in the end while the closing track “Smokin’ Session” sends it all off entrancingly talking about smoking weed.

Widely considered to be the most lyrically proficient member of Tha Alkaholiks, I’m fairly confident that anyone who was disappointed with Control Freak will come away enjoying Addiction is a Drug more than Tash’s previous LP over a decade ago & hopefully it won’t be as long for him to go solo again. The production’s consistently better than it was back in ‘09 & I’m really happy he’s found the inspiration to continue making music.

Score: 3.5/5

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Roughneck Jihad – “Methanol” review

This is the 11th studio LP from the South Bay Area, Northern California emcee Roughneck Jihad. A member of the trio 3rd Sight, he would go on to drop his last 10 full-lengths along with 10 extended plays & a mixtape in over a decade. The most notable being his 2nd EP The Little Assassination Handbook produced by Brussels, Belgium producer Senz Beats under Boot Records. The sequel Lobespierre came out in 2023 to mixed reception & have gone back to the Manchester, England, United Kingdom indie label 3 years later for the trilogy chapter Methanol.

“Great Like Gonzo” hops over a psychedelic rap boom bap intro with a fuzzy guitar sample talking about keeping his enemies close whereas “PCP Flow” instrumentally gives off a shimmery yet dusty vibe likening his cadence to angel dust. “Tongue Toast” embraces a jazzier sound talking about the karma police needing an injunction of some sorts just before “Circle of Life” incorporates some pianos cautioning that he ain’t the guy one should pester.

As for “Magnetar”, we have the Roughneck Jihad over an groovy beat talking about having the capability of smackin’ styles up similarly to a misogynistic pimp while “Life in the City” reaches the midway point giving us his understanding of living in a metropolis. “New Eugenics” kicks off the 2nd half of Methanol on the bloodthirsty boom bap tip cuttin’ muhfuckas off like weeds while the horn-driven “Barbarella” talks about keeping the tech ready & others needing to catch up to him.

“Doo Doo” gets the 4th quarter going with a shrilling instrumental ripping apart any wack rapper who can’t keep up with him lyrically while “Methanal Flame” talks about executing anything that moves in his vicinity & Hell smelling like napalm in the morning. “Rap in Québéc” discusses there being no artist that can do what he does without paying dues & the outro “Your Favorite” wraps things up getting on his Bay shit, advising to keep ya mouth shut after runnin’ up in cribs.

Both of these guys have each been around for nearly 3 decades but regardless of how some people feel about Lobespierre or even the Def Boys EP that recently came out near this past January’s conclusion, Methanol certainly makes for Jihad the Roughneck MC’s most enjoyable collection of material coincidentally since Boot Records signed him 5 years earlier. He & Senz are pretty much distilling their chemistry rather than providing a weird revolution of the mind, making another great case for the Disgruntled Sound Recordings founder ranking amongst the west coast’s most underrated.

Score: 4/5

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MC Serch – “Millions of 0s” review

MC Serch is a 59 year old MC, songwriter & record executive from Queens, New York who rose to prominence as 1/3 of 3rd Bass. He would also drop a solo LP following their disbandment under Def Jam Recordings called Return of the Product, where Nas made one of his very 1st guest appearances. It’s been over 3 decades since then & to my surprise, he had enlisted Apathy from the Army of the Pharaohs & Demigodz collectives to fully produce a new extended play of material.

“Thanks Serch” begins with a groovy instrumental expressing gratitude towards those he’s come across over the course of his illustrious career whereas “The Builder” boasts his wealth over a funky beat. “Air It Out” featuring NEMS finds the duo linking up for a playful club anthem & after “Questions in My Mind” responds to those wondering about his longevity, “The Playbook” preceding the outro comes through with some soulful grown man shit.

Return of the Product isn’t necessarily amongst my favorite things to come out Def Jam in the early 90s despite some of MC Serch’s greatest songs being on it like “Back to the Grill” & “Scenes from the Mind” to name a couple, but Millions of 0s for an EP surpasses that album by returning with a newfound creative urgency over a consistent batch of Apathy production approaching these tracks from a place of reflective honesty.

Score: 4/5

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Aaron Lewis – “Give My Country Back” review

Aaron Lewis is a 54 year old singer/songwriter from Longmeadow, Massachusetts notable for being the frontman of Staind. Although his 2011 solo debut extended play Town Line was divisively received, the eponymous EP as well as the full-length debut The Road & the sophomore effort Sinner were all moderately received in comparison. State I’m In & Frayed at Both Ends marked a decline in quality, coming off the worst entry of his solo catalog The Hill to say “hold my beer” & record his 6th LP.

“The Door” begins with a tiring country intro singing about being judged by the world when he inflicted that upon himself by becoming a bootlicker whereas “Bad Thing to Be Good At” promises to let freedom ring whenever he makes music when the authoritarianism he supports suggests otherwise. “Too High for This” sings about heading down the lowest road he can find & I guess you can use that in a literal sense while the crooning “List of Things to Quit” lets the whiskey consume him after imagining someone who isn’t real.

We have Aaron spending a great deal of the sickening title track telling anyone who doesn’t like the rise of fascism to pack their shit & leave to reach the midway point of Give My Country Back. Right after “People I’ve Known” kicks off the 2nd half singing about the world changing in front of his very eyes for half his life however, “Let Go Like the Rain” continues from there crooning dabbling with a country rock sound to address familiar themes of moving on.

The song “A Showman’s Life” winds down the last leg stylistically stripping things back so he can observe the parts of being famous that no one has ever told him about while “Keeping Up with the Jonesin’” leaning towards a country rock vibe again singing it wouldn’t be so hard if he didn’t knew what he was missing. “Duct Tape & Baling Wire” sends off what could likely be the worst country album I’ve heard all year singing about using those 2 things for a patch up.

“It’s Been a While” ranks amongst the most overrated post-grunge singles of all-time & it’s unfortunate watching him go from that being such a hit to embracing a fascist heel turn to keep his name relevant. And unfortunately, it’s bleeding a lot heavier into Give My Country Back basically making the album equivalent of the “Where My Country Gone?” episode of the Paramount Skydance Corporation subsidiary Comedy Central’s flagship animated series South Park.

Score: 0/5

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Dave Blunts – “I’ll Believe It When I See It” review

This is the 4th studio LP from Davenport, Iowa by way of Salt Lake City, Utah rapper, singer/songwriter & internet personality Dave Blunts. Dropping a total of 16 EPs & a few full-length albums since 2018 or so, I’ve even mentioned a couple guest appearances he made for Babytron & D. Savage on Tronicles & We Love D. Savage a couple years earlier respectively. You Can’t Say That last spring got some rightful backlash for the transphobia & dissing artists who have stronger discographies than him, not expecting anything different out of I’ll Believe It When I See It.

“Shuey Gets a Job” opens up talking about his friend Ethan Shutak’s being hired for a minimum wage occupation whereas “Burning Spoons” tells the story of Jordan’s baby momma being a meth addict. “Vbucks” hits us with a corny KanKan diss although it’s not as disgusting as it was on You Can’t Say That until “1 More Day” finds himself crying about wanting to be with his ex-girlfriend Solar again for 24 hours if he had that opportunity.

We unfortunately have Dave Blunts getting transphobic again on “Cupcake” dissing KanKan again & throwing at jab at one of my top 10 producers of all-time Ye formerly known as Kanye West prior to the single “World Champ” throwing out a homophobic slur during the hook. “Rollie” talks about people thinking he was gay for writing “Cousins” for Ye when I’ve literally never heard anyone say that while “Scale” expresses his love for codeine & sleeping with a semi-automatic by his side.

“Unnecessary” after a redundant remix of “Back on Oxygen” jabs at KanKan & Dax, with the latter being the only one that’s deserved because his music’s not any better than Dave’s at all. The penultimate track “Ciara Come Home” nears the end of I’ll Believe It When I See It bitching & moaning for a woman he’s known for 6 years to take him back while “Drown” finally sends off the album wasting a plugg beat on some horrifically performed vocals talking about his life being exciting.

Now before anyone asks me why I subjected myself to I’ll Believe It When I See It when Dave Blunts has been throwing shots at Ye or even 50 Cent of all people for the past year? I don’t know. What I can say that he’s retaining his usual gimmick of lyrics using dark humor, introducing characters, dissing more prominent artists even if there’s always 1 who’s justified & his hatred for transgender people when they literally haven’t done anything to him.

Score: 1/5

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