Paradime – “L” review

This is the 2nd EP from Detroit emcee, producer, DJ & hype man Paradime. Discovered by WWE Hall of Famer Kid Rock in 1996 signing to Bobby’s very own Top Dog Records, he eventually made his full-length debut few years later with Paragraphs & the sophomore effort Vices in the fall of 2001 would go on to become his most celebrated body of work yet. Following 11 Steps Down & Spill at Will however, Dime returned by signing to Mello Music Group for his acclaimed 5th album Period. & is back again a year & a half later on L.

After the intro, the first song “Come Back” produced by Middle Finger Music in-house producer Blizzard jumps over this boom bap instrumental returning after he keeps leaving whereas “Whadda Life” soulfully looks back on the 5 decades of life he’s experienced. “So Long” chops up a soul sample thanks to Alpha Howse signee Astray paining him he never got to say goodbye to those who can’t be with us today while “The Sound of Music” enlists Cadillac Dale on the mic with him & Charlie Beans behind the boards to show y’all where the truth lives. “Old” ruggedly claps back at him being too old for this rap shit & “Deja Vu” has a reoccurring dream dabbling with trap.

Celebrating his 50th birthday back in November, the Detroit veteran comes off the most mature LP of his discography introducing himself as part of the Mello Music Group roster continuing to give us the grown man lyricism that was so prominent throughout Period. & getting even more personal than he did over a year ago already, except this time he reflects on his life experiences in the past 5 decades & further succeeding in his comeback mission as amongst the most underrated in the Motor City hip hop scene.

Score: 4/5

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Smif-n-Wessun – “Infinity” review

Brooklyn, New York duo Smif-n-Wessun consisting of Tek & Steele of the Boot Camp Clik returning with Jamla Records’ in-house production team The Soul Council for their 8th studio LP. Their 1995 debut Dah Shinin’ is widely regarded as an East Coast classic & the Pete Rock produced Monumental, I enjoy almost as much. The All maintain the high quality consistency of Monumental by teaming with The Soul Council for the first time, looking to do it again 6 years later on Infinity.

The title track produced by Khrysis begins The All sequel by promising that they’ll be here for eternity whereas “Moses Promise” takes the soulful boom bap route instrumentally needing the whole team to be straight in order to catch wins. “Namaste” romantically tells their partners they ain’t in a rush tonight with the help of Ka$h behind the boards leading into “Medina” featuring Pharoahe Monch bringing it hardcore over a vocal sample from Sndtrak.

“Black Eminence” featuring the late Prodigy exuberantly turns it up after being asked to tone it down some while “Chuuch” works in a gospel flip talking about keeping it rolling whether it be better or worse. “Beautiful Trip” keeps the sampling chops going flexing that the reach they have has been global for 3 decades, but then “Enjoy Ya Life” brings these pianos in the fold courtesy of 9th Wonder talking about making the best of the short time we have here on Earth.

As for “Shine”, we have Tek & Steele heading for a groovier approach explaining that they value those they battle for while “Just Stay!” featuring Conway the Machine hops over this crooning vocal sample to talk about running through whole entire squads. “On My Soul” featuring Buckshot finds the trio tackling the theme of loyalty & camaraderie while “Heard About Me” featuring the late Sean Price soulfully asks if you heard everything said regarding them lately.

“Elephant in the Room” hits the final moments of Infinity with the 2nd & final single talking about never being traitors because they find those type of people to be worse than bitches & the Nottz-laced closer “Bad Guy” rounds it all out by making everyone listening choose between whether they want to hear the ugly truth or a pretty lie being told to them when most would rather pick the pretty lies since honesty hurts sometimes.

Several years after The Soul Council first got with Smif-n-Wessun, the Jamla in-house production team ensures that Infinity didn’t sound dated it all by giving the duo the classic sound they’re known for & making it feel new in the process. They reflect of their life experiences after all these decades refusing to curve to conformity & staying true to their roots with a great list of guests in addition to the stellar production.

Score: 4.5/5

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Killswitch Engage – “This Consequence” review

Killswitch Engage are a metalcore band consisting of bassist Mike D’Antonio, lead guitarist Adam Dutkiewicz, rhythm guitarist Joel Stroetzel, drummer Justin Foley & frontman Jesse Leach. A dominant force in the subgenre spanning 25 years off their eponymous debut, Alive or Just Breathing, The End of Heartache, As Daylight Dies which was my favorite of the Howard Jones era, their 2nd eponymous album produced by Brendan O’Brien, Disarm the Desccent, Incarnate & more recently their Metal Blade Records debut Atonement. The band who wrote “This Fire Burns” for Monday Night RAW superstar, former 6-time WWE world champion, WWE Intercontinental Champion, WWE tag team champion, 2-time AEW World Champion, inaugural ROH Hall of Fame inductee, ROH World Champion, 2-time ROH World Tag Team Champion & 5-time IWA World Champion CM Punk who later albeit unsuccessfully competed in the UFC division of the WME Group-owned TKO Group Holdings took 6 years off & are finally returning for their 9th studio LP.

“Abandon Us” sets the tone with this melodic metalcore intro airing out every single last person who turned their backs on them whereas “Discordant Nation” infuses more elements of melodic death metal into their sound so they can create a more metallic & melodic style of the metal/hardcore punk hybrid subgenre they’re known for suggesting to yield & bend a knee. “Aftermath” promises to give Jesse’s life to save this individual although it’s too late while the single “Forever Aligned” sings about connection & the spiritual energy that bonds us as humans.

Meanwhile on “I Believe”, we have Killswitch Engage mixing alt-metal influences with melodic metalcore confident of not being led astray & brighter days ahead just before “Where It Dies” singing about it being too late for one’s repentance & suffering Jesse’s vengeance because of it. “Collusion” observes the whole world being a conspiracy these days leading into “The Fall of Us” singing about bitterness overtaking an individual they knew. “Broken Glass” tells those who speaks in shards of shattered glass that they’ll suffer the consequences & “Requiem” ends by promising this isn’t the end.

Instead of making something contrasting from anything the band has previously done, This Consequence encapsulates of the things that fans have come to love from Killswitch Engage throwing it back to the Alive of Just Breathing era albeit making it feel modern. The energy is noticeably different from any of their recent material & they prominently address the topic of societal division in light of Donald Trump’s 2nd presidential inauguration last month cautioning the repercussions of our actions will come back to bite us in the ass in due time.

Score: 3.5/5

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Youth Lagoon – “Rarely Do I Dream” review

Youth Lagoon is the pseudonym of Boise, Idaho dream pop musician Trevor Powers. He debuted in 2011 off The Year of Hibernation under Fat Possum Records & has since put out Wondrous Bughouse, Savage Hills Ballroom, Capricorn albeit under his own name & Heaven’s a Junkyard through the label aside from Mulberry Violence being released independently. 2 years after what’s considered to be his best work since the debut, Trevor’s looking to level up on his 7th LP.

“Neighborhood Scene” ponders if he even belongs in a country house to get us started whereas “Speed Freak” works in elements from alternative dance, synthpop & new rave music singing about his problems disappearing through every mountain he can steer. “Football” fuses indie pop, soft rock, neo-psychedelia, psychedelic pop & dream pop observing Mary’s faith wearin’ thin like an old shoe sole while “Gumshoe” blends indie rock & baggy to sing that the summer taught him life is a baseball bat to the jaw.

Moving forward with “Seersucker”, we have Trevor letting everyone out there know he’s doing alright leading into “Lucy Takes a Picture” bringing indie pop, chamber pop & neo-psychedelia singing about walking the cold night Earth & catching a breeze. “Perfect World” suggests to ignore the call since the roulette ball was out of grace just before the indie/chamber pop hybrid “My Beautiful Girl” serves as an ode to the woman in his life.

“Canary” truly sets off the encore of Rarely Do I Dream by offering a blissfully calming atmosphere to the table instrumentally with his friends living in his head these days while “Parking Lot” sings about letting him cruise for the spot rather than letting him lose. “Saturday Cowboy Manitee” prior to the “Home Movies (1989-1993)” outro finishes the album refusing to fake his love.

Maybe the most comprehensive & audacious album that Trevor has crafted to date, Rather Do I Dream primarily composes itself as a treasure trove of home movies, twangy fuzz guitars, sun-bleached synths, classical pianos, blown-out drums & his spellbinding melodies feeling like an old photograph that’s been reanimated in a strange & distant future showing influences of indie pop, dream pop, bedroom pop, alternative dance, synthpop, new rave, soft rock, neo-psychedelia, psychedelic pop, indie rock, baggy & chamber pop.

Score: 4.5/5

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Klokwerk E – “Anubis” review

Klokwerk E are a horrorcore duo from Columbus, Ohio consisting of Billy D & Kyle Kombs. Introducing themselves a couple years ago off their debut EP Will Boof 4 Rent & later the full-length debut The Emerald Tablets, these guys would form the Mighty Morphin’ Wackness supergroup with the Super Famous Fun Time Guys last summer & put out the Santa Claus Fukked My Dog EP in the midst of last Black Friday weekend. Few months later, their sophomore effort is finally in front of us.

The title tracks properly introduces juggalos to the dog of death over this dark trap instrumental whereas the grungy boom bap crossover “Walk with the Dead” talks about putting people to sleep in their new beds that happen to be coffins. “Put a Spell on You” homages the late Screamin’ Jay Hawkins to discuss every single one of us being in Hell when you think of it while “Suicidal Fun” talks about the concept of depression.

“Intergalactic Radio 2” is basically them jackin’ for beats similarly to what they did on it’s predecessor while the groovily slow “You Got a Nice Ass” talks about the love they have for cake. “Catfish” featuring S.O.N. shows the trio’s storytelling abilities discussing the possible outcomes of online dating leading into “Temu Sex Toy” displays a comedically vulgar side to Billy & Kyle.

Brandon Buckingham joins Klokwerk E for the trap-driven “Dirty Dirt Bag” to talk about all 3 of them being scrubs are just before “10 Plagues” brings an occult atmosphere to the beat so they kick the wicked shit. After the “Chewing” interlude, “Night of the Living Meth Heads” gives their flowers to the seminal political hip hop outfit Public Enemy while “Everything’s Dead” talks about waking up surrounded by death itself.

“Help Me Hide the Body” conceptually feels reminiscent to the iconic Necro track “Dead Body Disposal” except they borrow it & put their own unique take on it while the final song “Take What’s Mine” ahead of the “Dog” outro finishes up Anubis with what easily sticks out as the most controversial track on the entire thing with it’s lyrical content of runnin’ with an axe in their hands on the east side & keepin’ at least 5 bitches in the back of my van only for them to meet a brutally unspeakable demise.

Significantly darker than The Emerald Tablets was, Anubis embarks on a descent into ancient Egypt’s darkest corners fusing a batch of sinister beats along with a twisted blend of horror & humor to guide you through tombs where the dead don’t rest & the dog of death itself eagerly waiting to judge your soul. It’s kinda like the scene in Scream where 1 guy gets hit with the TV in the sense of it being the musical equivalent to certain parts in horror films that makes you laugh.

Score: 3.5/5

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Eem Triplin’ – “Melody of a Memory” review

Eem Triplin’ is a 23 year old recording artist & producer from Johnstown, Pennsylvania beginning his music career over a decade ago as a result of his older brother introducing him to the FL Studio program. His first 3 EPs N0WH3R3 as well as No More Tears & Still Pretty caught the attention of RCA Records, signing him after appearing on the deluxe version of Camila Cabello’s most recent album C,XOXO for a full-length debut studio album showing everyone what he’s capable of doing.

“Came In It” produced by DJ Dahi is this cloudy intro talking about pulling up to the spot with the gang & all guns blazing whereas “If We’re Being Honest” works in some prominent synthesizers to admits to wanting his romantic interest to want him back refusing to trick in the current economic climate. “Fiji” featuring Cruza finds the pair drinking Hennessy as if it’s the titular brand of water crossing over alternative R&B, plugg & pop rap leading into “23” showing off the player in him even if he’s in his early 20s.

Meanwhile on “Duya”, we have Eem rapping over this delicate pop rap instrumental asking if this woman wants to love him or not homaging “ELEMENT.” by Kendrick Lamar during the outro just before “Out Miami” featuring Ty$ sees the 2 talking about being unable to keep up with their partners who’re out in Florida enjoying it there. “IYKTYK” tells his ex that he ain’t mad for her cancelling her subscription while “Feyoncé” talks about wanting to pull a woman as bad as Beyoncé of The Carters.

“Miss Me?” mixes pop rap as well as alternative R&B & plugg wanting to know if anyone still cares for him in the midst of his career taking off, but then “Crazy Hoes” talks about a hoe stalkin’ him following an on-&-off relationship. “Tall Tales” serves as a 2-parter asking his main chick if she would ride or die for him while “On & On” talks about this woman refusing to admit her needing him. “Kingdom of Hearts” finishes with an R&B joint singing that he wants to keep his woman as if she’s a secret.

The Pennsylvania recording artist’s major label debut reveals parts of himself that he’s never shared before & furthermore reveals a side of his sound that he hasn’t shown folks yet. Showing his evolution as an artist, he steers away from the sample drill undertones of Still Pretty in favor of DJ Dahi giving him an east coast pop rap/trap flare with additional elements of alternative R&B & plugg.

Score: 3.5/5

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Brigid Bites – “Hot Honey” review

Here is the 3rd EP from Davenport, Iowa rapper & dancer Brigid Bites. Creating the juggalette burlesque troupe in 2017 called Juggalesque, they’ve have since become a drawing attraction at the Gathering since then with her eventually joining Chapter 17 Records CEO/Psychopathic Records recording artist Ouija Macc on stage quite a few times since. However, she made a pretty solid introduction into the music world with Hatchet Girl & Pumpkin Spice respectively. Coinciding with Juggalo Weekend wrapping up, she’s returning by serving Hot Honey almost 2 years since Hatchet Girl.

The title track made for a hip house intro talking about having what you need & others not handling her spicy heat whereas the rage-inducing “Reap Wut U Sow” featuring Kasuke finds the pair reminding us of karma’s legitimacy. “My Money” expresses the love she has for her bread & the affection money has for her while “Loved 2 Death” somberly tells her younger self she’ll fly one day. “Beat ‘Em” finally ends with a sample of the Riddle Box intro tackling the idiom “if you can’t beat ’em, join ’em”.

Those wanting to get into Brigid Bites’ music are gonna wanna listen to Hatchet Girl & Pumpkin Spice since I still feel like both of them musically present her to us in peak form but nevertheless, it’s still exciting to hear the Daughter of the Wicked Shit coming back with a body of work after doing a couple guest appearances & releasing a single or 2 only a year earlier. Production-wise, the trap/electronic sounds of Hot Honey’s predecessors are being recaptured & she’s hooking the underground up with the flavor they need.

Score: 3.5/5

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Jane Remover – “Ghostholding” review

Newark, New Jersey musician Jane Remover preluding their upcoming 3rd studio LP Revengeseekerz with their 5th mixtape. Aside from the 2 full-lengths under deadAir Records including Frailty & Census Designated, they’ve also released the Dariacore trilogy of mixtapes pioneering the EDM microgenre & hyperpop subgenre & the Grave Robbing tape. To coincide with Valentine’s Day however, Jane’s making a stylistic detour with Ghostholding & having deadAir help him get it out there.

“Play My Guitar” begins with this indie rock/emo opener singing about their struggles with stardom & enduring the pain of a strained relationship whereas “No Sleep” describes the feeling of experiencing insomnia due to the love Jane has for their lover. “Believe” comes through with some Christian imagery bringing some shoegaze undertones into the picture leading into “Guesthouse” interpolating “Good Days” by SZA to sing about a toxic relationship.

Meanwhile on “Spider”, we have Jane likening the love they have for this person to 1,000 waves & him crashing like those 1,000 waves just before “Recoil” shifts towards a Midwest emo vibe instrumentally assuring their partner that they’re not insane. “Something Has to Change” asks for God to save them merely because Jane wants to party & the inclusion of a “Recoil” callback while “Dead Forever” made for a stellar shoegaze, noise pop, post-grunge, slacker rock, dream pop & power pop single.

“We Don’t Exist” sings about Jane being the type to rewrite history & responding to people calling her a psychopath by asking who’re them for knowing that specific information while “Sick (Relapse)” opens up regarding their troubles regarding Jane finding happiness between alcohol & intimacy. “Famous Girl” on the other hand blends Indie rock, dream pop, art rock, midwest emo, slacker rock, math pop, neo-psychedelia, post-rock & noise pop for a confession that they never thought they’d be this prolific.

The penultimate song “Halloween” fuses shoegaze, slowcore, noise rock, dream pop, alternative metal, slacker rock & emo to directly tackles the themes of hesitation & reluctance on Census Designated while the closer “Sister” ends Ghostholding combines slacker rock, slowcore, dream pop, singer-songwriter & shoegaze singing about the only person who’s supportive of their alcohol addiction. That said: I do think “In the Dark” makes for a sentimentally envious indie rock, dream pop, slacker rock, bedroom pop, contemporary R&B & slowcore bonus track.

Ghostholding if anything feels like a continuation of the Arizona extended play back in 2023 & I mean considering how much of a refinement it is of the slacker rock direction Jane Remover went for on it except there’s a more predominantly indie rock influence this time around & the slacker rock characteristics are used to a lesser extent. Jane’s production additionally explores dream pop, emo, noise pop, shoegaze, slowcore & singer/songwriter for deep dive into their longtime obsession with long roads & empty spaces.

Score: 4.5/5

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Napoleon da Legend – “F.L.A.W. (Following Lies Always Wounds)” review

French-American veteran Napoleon da Legend wasting no time on his 30th studio LP. Heads in the underground should already be familiar with him due to the lengthy discography that he’s built up for himself for nearly the past decade including Coup D’État, it’s sequel, Street Universe, Dragon Ball G, the Sicknature-produced Colossus of GOATs, Buckets or the DJ D-Styles-produced Invincibl Rap Mislz & the DJ Rhettmatic-produced Legmatic. He & JR Swiftz came together on the outstanding Great Minds last month, bringing Giallo in the fold again on F.L.A.W. (Following Lies Always Wounds).

“Chasing Shadows” ominously kicks off Napoleon’s 2nd body of work this year by talking about being on the verge of doing something drastic whereas “Life or Death” featuring Jay Royale finds the pair talking about this being survival of the fittest. “That Ain’t It” keeps it in the basement to break down the concept of hustling on the daily prior to “Welcome 2 the Theater” featuring Ghost Machine working in some strings referencing WWE Hall of Famer, former 3-time WWE world champion, 3-time WWE United States Champion, 2-time WWE Intercontinental Champion, 9-time WWE tag team champion, 8-time WWE Cruiserweight Champion, アイアンマンヘビーメタル級チャンピオン & The Crash’s inaugural Mundial Pesocompleto Campeon Rey Mysterio.

Invisible Handz joins Napoleon for the drumless “Unforgiving” talking about the game never being fair from what they understand & their former opps ain’t breathing no more leading into “No Morals” returning to the boom bap suggesting that conscious hip hop & gangsta rap are the same other than being packaged differently. “Doing What I Gotta Do” speaks of one doing what has to be done in order to get by, but then “Nesquik” eerily talks about making everyone take Ls quickly.

“Solar Opposites” featuring Eloh Kush finds the 2 including a reference to SpaceX founded by Tesla CEO, Neuralink founder & Nazi Elon Musk while “Motivation” hollowly talks about everyone having it if it was much easier. Sunez Allah teams up with Napoleon on the title track so they can explain one always being wounded by following lies while the piano-driven “Peace” talks sitting back & counting his stacks.

Nejma Nefertiti appears for “Presume the Unpredictable” to get the final moments of F.L.A.W. (Following Lies Always Wounds) calling themselves the deadliest you’ve ever seen on the mic from the womb to the tomb & the closing track “Marathon” completes the 2nd consecutive classic in Napoleon’s catalog within 2 months tackling the Japanese philosophy of having 3 faces.

Exactly 4 weeks after Great Minds marked the halfway point of the first month of this year, Napoleon gets back with another album maintaining the high quality underground hip hop that it’s predecessor & even Legmatic achieved. Giallo Point’s production is on par with JR Swiftz’ & although I will say I wasn’t as big on the features since I preferred the couplet of guests last time, I appreciate Napoleon warning everyone of the consequences that come with following lies.

Score: 4.5/5

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LaRussell – “Rent Paid” review

Vallejo, California emcee & the leader of the Good Compenny collective LaRussell linking up with Surf Club Inc. founder Hit-Boy once again to put out his 27th EP & the sequel to Rent Due. For the past 7 years, the man originally known under the moniker Tota has been steadily hustlin’ in the west coast underground by putting out over 2 dozen EPs along with 3 full-length albums & 7 mixtapes as of me writing this. The 1-year anniversary of Rent Due happens to be next weekend, so Hit-Boy’s getting back with him on Rent Due.

Lefty Gunplay joins LaRussell on the intro “I Thought I Told Y’all” to tell everyone listening that they can get it on their own & do everything in their raps over a west coast trap instrumental whereas “Let Me Know Sum” featuring E-40, Mistah F.A.B. & Richie Rich puts it down for both Vallejo & Oakland respectively. “Rollin’” featuring Malachi cloudily talks about shit being bigger than a moment to both of them, but then “50 Broke N****s” shows confidence of him not being one of the 50 broke people that’s in the room.

“Oprah” goes for a morbid trap atmosphere wanting to know who’s stopping everyone from being interviews from the OWN network majorily owned by Discovery Global while “Life of a Star” featuring Tierra doing a spoken word bit talks about how things been since his popularity is growing. “Mass Appeal” featuring Malachi & Michael Prince suggests they should’ve signed to Nas’ label of the same name while “Sacrifices” talks the things he had to give up to get to where he is today. “Leeches” featuring Malachi lastly ends the EP by discussing burning those type of people since you can’t fuck off them.

The mixed reception of Rent Due & Rent Paid are both pretty surprisingly to me since I enjoyed his features on DJ Drama’s 6th album I’m Really Like That, E-40’s previous album Rule of Thumb, Courtney Bell’s sophomore effort Microdose & Tech N9ne’s most recent Collabos joint C.o.S.M. (Class of Strange Music). The successor of Rent Due itself, I like more than the previous one whether it be the guests or Hit-Boy’s production & LaRussell’s own performances.

Score: 4/5

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