Hieroglyphics – “All Said & Done” review

The Hierogylphics are an alternative hip hop collective from Oakland, California comprised of de facto leader Del the Funky Homosapien, Casual, Pep Love, the Souls of Mischief, DJ Toure & producer/manager Domino. Making their full-length studio debut in 1998 with 3rd Eye Vision independently through Hieroglyphics Imperium Recordings to widespread praise, their 2003 sophomore effort Full Circle was also welcomed positively although their follow-up a decade later The Kitchen generally left audiences divided. 13 years later & they’re warming up for the crew’s annual Hiero Day festival this weekend with their 4th studio LP.

“Mosaico: Suite 1” by Casual, Del the Funky Homosapien, Opio & Tajai produced by Domino talks about hip hop respecting liars in 2026 & having no expecting of their albums becoming fire whereas “Eyes Wide Shut” by A-Plus, Del & Pep Love finds the trio confronting all the fraudulent hate over an A-Plus instrumental. “Hieroglyphics Faction” by A-Plus, Del & Opio representing their crew over a boom bap beat from DJ Toure while “Hard Numbers” by Casual, Del, Opio, Pep Love & Phesto expresses hope of having their numbers correctly.

A-Plus & Pep Love team up for the summery “Something in the Air” talking about wanting their legacies to reflect integrity when the time comes for them to hang it up leading into “Drum Talk” by Casual, Del the Funky Homosapien, Phesto & Tajai discusses letting the drums do the speaking in preparation for their slick rhymes being laid out. “The Way That It Be” by Casual, Phesto & Tajai talks about being stuck in their ways that pay ‘em leading into “Gods & Goats” by A-Plus, Opio & Pep Love ending the 1st leg likening themselves to bishops making proclamations.

The title track kicks off the 2nd half uniting A-Plus, Pep Love & Phesto expressing that they’d rather have a small piece of something in the end instead of absolutely nothing while “Uplifted” by A-Plus, Casual, Del the Funky Homosapien, Opio & Tajai tackles the subject of optimism. “Helicopter Barrel Roll” by A-Plus, Opio & Pep Love regroups so they can explain themselves as hip hop’s gasoline & every mic being a matchstick while “3rd Eye Robot (Kill ‘Em All)” by A-Plus, Pep Love, Phesto & Tajai talks about the rise of AI within the past couple years.

“Hiero on the Scrolls” by Casual, Del the Funky Homosapien & Tajai opens the 4th quarter suggests seeing past the streets & the meager mouths while the groovy “Mosaico: Suite 2” by A-Plus, Pep Love & Phesto dismisses all theatrics coming around them. “Everyday Shit” by Casual, Opio, Pep Love & Tajai talks about kickin’ it with each other all the way back to their childhood whole “Crescent Moon, Velvet Sky” by Casual & the Souls of Mischief sends off All Said & Done taking their play amongst hip hop excellence.

It’s not very often where all 9 members of the Hieroglyphics get together in the studio for an entire project but if I had to rank the 4 LPs in their catalog, All Said & Done would be placed above The Kitchen & Full Circle as my 2nd favorite of theirs collectively behind none other than 3rd Eye Vision. The boom bap production’s less receptive than The Kitchen’s was back when I had finished my sophomore year of high school & the consciously abstract bars from the Bay Area’s finest MCs feel more memorable, pretty much looking back at the legacy they’ve left behind.

Score: 4/5

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Novatore – “Machines” review

2nd studio LP of 2026 & the 16th overall from Chicago, Illinois emcee Novatore. Breaking out as a member of the Infamous Crew, he’s also built up an impressive solo career over nearly a decade by dropping 4 EPs & an acclaimed collaborative effort with A.M. Early Morning produced by Stu Bangas called Kingdom of Criminality & it’s recent sequel produced by Johnny Slash. Other highlights include Louie, Louie II, Embrace the Darkness, Portrait of a Madman, Embrace the Darkness II: Explorers of Experience, Master of Morbid Creations, Living in the End Times, Alchemy & Black Magic, his Goon MuSick debut The 87 Arsonist & the Brenx-produced Agoraphobia. Embrace the Darkness III became his greatest material since signing to the label, coming off Pale Horse of the Apocalypse to run it back with C-Lance on Machines.

After the intro, “Metal Hands” flows over a boom bap instrumental to kick things off talking about being the man whereas the 2nd single “Apple Pie” featuring Copywrite finds the 2 linking up so they can get in their battle rap bags lyrically. “Casket” talked about considering death a beautiful escape in a paranoid state of mind & once the title track featuring Merkules joins forces to wipe out any team threatening them, “Terminator ‘91” ends the 1st half discussing his love for horror films.

“Devil in the Pale Moon” begins the 2nd half pulling the curtain back on artists who claim murder rap when it’s nothing more than suburban rap leading into “Action Stars” featuring A.M. Early Morning talks about neither one of them needing a stunt double. “Lords of Chaos” featuring Lord Goat provides the pinnacle of hardcore hip hop for only a couple minutes while the 3rd & final single “Message from Beyond” appropriately concludes Machines talking about the end being nearer than initially believed.

Retaining the dark tradition of Novatore’s whole sound, C-Lance runs it back with him to further reveal how much he’s evolved artistically since Louie II & the Embrace the Darkness trilogy Pale Horse of the Apocalypse in becoming my favorite of the 2 full-lengths the Chi-Town artist has dropped this year. His hardcore lyricism & C-Lance’s production have come a long way since the turn of the decade, but I was happy to see a condensed guest list.

Score: 4.5/5

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Fuego Base – “Still the Biggest” review

Hartford, Connecticut emcee Fuego Base releasing a sequel to his full-length studio debut in the form of a sophomore effort. Getting his start a few years ago off his debut EP Tell My Momma Imma Rapper, he would continue to build up his catalog by going on to drop another EP called Tell My Momma Imma Rapper Still & the Say Dat mixtape trilogy prior to Buffalo’s very own Benny the Butcher signed Fuego to Black Soprano Family Records. Coming off Biggest Since Camby as well as Say Dat 4: Proof of What God Do & Tell My Momma I’m Still a Rapper, he wants the world to know he’s Still the Biggest.

“Barbour St” strips the drums to open up shop talking about being in the hood because he’s a product of it instead of being poverty stricken whereas “Hartford” takes the boom bap route instrumentally for an ode to his hometown. The title track featuring Benny the Butcher finds the pair linking up to talk about how Fuego’s spot as the hottest prospect in his city hasn’t changed while ‘“93” discusses not knowing who one is until life tests you.

Sule appears for “T.E.I.O.” (To Each Is Own)” talking about making the bail & running along with rappers being 40 not doing shit with their careers leading into “Open Book” kicks off the 2nd half explaining the very reason he gives fans all of himself in his music. “Getting Out” talks about death, prison or copping a bigger house being the only choices possible of escaping the streets while “Rejoice” preaches hymns for his kinfolk somehow emerging where throats stay slit.

“Thank God 2” talks about touching people whenever he opens his mouth to speak & having an addiction to the game as bad as the junkies he served dope to while “Honda 2 Rari” cavernously admits he wouldn’t know where his mental state would’ve been if his squad wasn’t there for him when his mother passed away. The outro “Survivor’s Remorse 2” sends off Still the Biggest talking about not changing anything if he had the opportunity of rewriting his story.

3 & a half years since Fuego Base declared himself the Biggest Since Camby after signing to B$F, he’s continuing to let the work he’s putting in speak for itself several months since he & Benny linked up for their Ashes in the $afe collaborative extended play to deliver an exceptional sequel to his full-length studio debut. Was somewhat disappointed with the production lacking the same heavy hitters that made Still the Biggest’s counterpart so impressive, but there’s no denying his status within Hartford hasn’t changed since.

Score: 3.5/5

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Skaiwater – “femme fatale” review

Nottingham, England, United Kingdom rapper & producer Skaiwater celebrating their birthday with their 4th studio LP. Beginning in 2019 off their debut EP After God Fear Eve, the 4ersona member would go on to put out 7 more EPs along with a mixtape & a couple albums, the most notable being their 2024 sophomore effort #Gigi under GoodTalk Records & Capitol Records fully realizing on the potential that was shown on their earlier material. wonderful was the most rage-inducing entry of their catalog & they’re ending the month giving fans what they’ve wanted for a long time: femme fatale.

The self-produced “vampires, zombies” drumlessly kicks things off confessing to their astrological girlfriend that they feel like their relationship’s beginning to move backwards whereas the single “Hitunes” blends plugg & Asian rock thanks to BenjiCold making attempts at fucking the lights outta this Texas woman. “delilah” co-produced by Internet Money Records in-house producer Nico Baran vibrantly talks about getting drunk on the weekends prior to “ella” hooking up this pitched vocal sample so they can get their girl anything she wants.

“WEVERSE” talks about him sobering up from alcohol as a result of a hangover that fucked their whole entire life up while “nana” concludes the 1st leg confronting a chick for playing them like some kinda fool. “angels” begins the 2nd half asking his baby girl if she forgot where she came from & needing her by their side because their love doesn’t go to waste just before “sophia” featuring Sophie Gray comes through with a duet about a couple feeling better around each other.

Meanwhile with “BAITFACE”, we have the tiger lily running it back with BenjiCold telling a hoe to cut off her friends & acknowledging her love for cocaine while “radar, radar” talks about having their eyes locked on this wealthy baddie in a club. “foreigner” winds down the last few moments of femme fatale flexing they’ve been rich since 19 & being with someone whose father doesn’t mind them being British over a dancehall beat while the closing track “JUMP” concludes the half hour wearing Rick Owens boots when servin’ pack.

Originally set to come out at last Christmas following the artwork being unveiled nearly 12 months ago until getting scraped in favor of wonderful back in February, I couldn’t think of a better way for Skaiwater to commemorate their day than to finish the most anticipated album of their entire career largely handling the pop rap, Afroswing, pop reggae, dancehall, zouk, coupé-décalé, trap, plugg & Asian rock production by themself other than BenjiCold & Nico Baran making some unparalleled contributions of their own expressing their appreciation for the female divine energy.

Score: 4/5

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DaeMoney – “Good N***a + Bad Habits” review

New extended play & the 3rd overall from Detroit, Michigan trap star DaeMoney. Coming up as the nephew of one of the 2 biggest artists in the city right now Babyface Ray as well as a now former member of the WRLD Tour Mafia collective, he broke out on his own by dropping his debut mixtape Young Sexual Misconduct & his debut EP Slae Season accompanied by his 2nd EP Rockstar Lifestyle & then his previous tape Slae Season 2. Slae went on to sign to EMPIRE Distribution couple summers ago & celebrated in the form of his most recent EP Slayer’s Coming fully produced by Trees shortly after as well as a 3rd installment of the Slae Season series & a sequel to Rockstar Lifestyle. He was surprisingly dismissed from WRLD Tour in 2024 due to a brief falling out until recently reconciling, coming off the 4th installment of the Slae Season saga this past February to drop Good N***a + Bad Habits.

The title track kicks things off this cloudy trap intro using auto-tune to discuss having the greatest intentions despite having some poor practices whereas “Crazy World” already hits the midway point of the EP talking about cleaning up his act, which explains why he was in the studio with both Rafa & WTM Scoob recently. “True Story” begins the 2nd half discussing him chasing his dreams & taking risks preceding the outro “Stuck in My Ways” talking about his inability of change.

Seeing him & Scoob squashing their issues with Rafa & working on new music on social media earlier this month was awesome considering all 3 of those guys were apart of WRLD Tour since Day 1 but whatever DaeMoney has planned going forward, Good N***a + Bad Habits preludes this new era with a 10 minute EP containing some of the most ear-grabbing production in Pwillvolair’s career & Slae handling the verses by himself breaking down the kind of person he is.

Score: 3.5/5

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YSL Records – “Slime Language III” review

Atlanta, Georgia record label YSL Records founded by Young Thug dropping their 3rd showcase compilation & their first since going independent. Releasing both Slime Language & it’s sequel in tandem with 300 Entertainment & Atlantic Records, the whole roster has since been revamped after Thug came home including the Tezzus as well as his Uy Scuti Bøyz cohort diamond* & more recently iyrus. However coming off The Resurrectiøn & Bling Slime this summer, Slime Language III looks to conclude the trilogy with a double disc chapter.

“Gotta Love Us” by Young Thug & diamond* featuring BSlime & Pz’ produced by Wheezy talks about laying out everyone going against them whereas “ØWAYSL” by Thug & Tezzus featuring BSlime, Rob49 & Sk8star references the greatest QB of all-time Tom Brady over a PROJECT4PLAY instrumental. “What’s Up Mami” by Thug featuring Biggs Money finds the pair hideously taking a more seductive approach in terms of subject matter while “Mob Guys” by Biggs Money, Lil Unky & Quavo talks about being gangstas.

Lil Unky sticks around with Young Thug on “Function” talking about pulling up to 10 hoes at the spot just before “Club Outside” by Thug featuring Lil Baby gets London on da Track with Southside discussing transforming the trap house into a studio since making music’s more fun anyway. “Wait for It” by BSlime & Papito El Franklins was a moment I could’ve done without delivering a boring pop rap/trap crossover talking about their success until “Eaters” by Thug & Tezzus featuring Future, Travis Scott & Yeat unites for an ode to sex.

“Grandma’s Baby” by Young Thug featuring Veeze links up so they can talk about their grandmothers’ raising them in the projects of the ATL & Detroit respectively over a sample-driven trap beat leading into “Black Friday” by Thug featuring Lito the Plug boasting that bitches love when they’re in their gangsta bags. “Myself” by Thug featuring Biggs Money talks about preferring being rich instead of not having food for a day over a Mike WiLL Made-It instrumental while “Ønly ØWay” by Tezzus featuring Skrilla quenches for blood whilst standing on business.

The Uy Scuti Bøyz accompany Young Thug for the single “Hood of Atlanta” representing their hometown over a Feardorian beat while “YSL” by Yume featuring Thug shifts towards a largely melodic direction for a trap soul duet repping their set. “Crocodile Skin” by BSlime brings a more playful aura to the table instrumentally only knowing these Ws they’re catching regardless of the average performances while “Tezzus & diamond*” by the Uy Scuti Bøyz featuring Cash Cobain & Quavo talks about all 4 artists living their lives like stoners.

“Shawty Shawty” by Young Thug featuring HittMan bogs the quality down again uneventfully calling for their goes to come to the spot & drop it for them while “Biggest Since Mike Jack” pairs Jorjiana, Lito the Plug & Sk8star talking about being the most popular Indiana celebrity since the late King of Pop when Tyrese Haliburton’s had that spot for some time. “We Dead” by Thug featuring Trippie Redd spends a couple minutes getting materialistic while “Bvlgari” by iyrus & Yung Kayo featuring Biggs Money, Lil Unky, Lito the Plug concludes Disc 1 chartering shit for 8 minutes with iyrus & Kayo each spitting the hardest verses.

iyrus & Young Thug kick off Disc 2 having Lil Unky & Pz’ joining them during the playful sounding “Believe That” talking about YSL being the hottest imprint out in the streets while “Cha Ney Ney” by Thug & the Uy Scuti Bøyz looks to go high top with the Balenciaga over a rage beat. Another single “Consummate” by Tezzus & Thug maintains the hypertrap elements talking about wanting to fuck their partners while “Tonight” by diamond* & 1300SAINT hops over an Honorable C.N.O.T.E. instrumental speaking of the team rockin’ red for an evening.

“NaNaNa” chiefly feels like a diamond* solo joint since he’s handling both the verses by himself other than Sk8star providing a few lines towards the 2nd & final one while “Say Dat” by iyrus, Young Thug & 1300SAINT talks about the trio originating in the belly of the beast. “Baddies” by Biggs Money & Cash Cobain got a chuckle outta me since it’s that bad of an attempt at going sexy drill while the 2-parter “Birthday” by Thug featuring Bay Swag & once again Cash Cobain was only a slight improvement in comparison.

Taurus gets behind the boards for “Switch Up” by Young Thug featuring BSlime talking about betrayal over some acoustics & hi-hats while “Weird” by Thug featuring Biggs Money & Lil Unky confronts individuals for acting stranger than usual around them. “Freaky Girl” by diamond* hooks up an iyrus beat that reminds me of GTA VI talking about being with a bad bitch who likes to get wild behind closed doors while “Bounce It” by Biggs Money & YKNIECE whips up a blandly redundant ass-shaker.

“Snakes on My Collar” by diamond* & the late Lil Keed was actually a profoundly bittersweet moment like having both of YSL’s past & present generations colliding while “Stole It from Us” by iyrus & the Uy Scuti Bøyz talks about people stealing their swag over a pluggy Pi’erre Bourne instrumental. “Fernando Mendoza” by Tezzus featuring Lil Unky & Sk8star shouts out the Las Vegas Raiders’ rookie QB of the same name while “Countin’ Up” by Young Thug featuring Lil Righteous talks about thumbin’ through stacks.

Tezzus & Yung Kayo have Lito the Plug joining them for the bell-woven “Skyami” boasting they kill shit similarly to a theatrical film whole “Lil Bruh” by Young Thug featuring Biggs Money talks about winding up dead if one even dares of testing them. “Losing Sleep” by diamond* & Yume goes full alternative R&B/trap soul promising to make each others’ dreams become reality while “What It Do” by Thug & his brother Unfoonk at last puts an end to Slime Language III with a conflicted country trap outro.

This Halloween will be 2 whole years since Young Thug came home & considering the amount of time he’s spent since to rebuild YSL Records now they’ve gone independent signing some of the biggest trap artists in recent memory, it gave me the impression of Slime Language III possibly surpassing both it’s predecessors to become the saga’s finest entry. There are several instances where I liked the performances & production, but it overstays it’s welcome after a bit as a result of being ridiculously bloated & would imagine myself revisiting it more if all the needless filler was removed.

Score: 2/5

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Night Lovell – “My Blood as the Ink” review

Here we have the 4th studio LP albeit his 3rd under the $uicideboy$‘ very own G*59 Record$ from Ottawa, Ontario, Canada rapper, songwriter & producer Night Lovell. Emerging in 2014 when he dropped his debut EP I’ll Be Back & then following it up 4 months later with his debut mixtape Concept Vague, heads continued to turn in 2016 off the sophomore tape Red Teenage Melody & the 2019 full-length debut Goodnight Lovell. His sophomore effort & G*59 debut Just Say You Don’t Care was a step above the album before that, coming off I Hope You’re Happy to use My Blood as the Ink for his return.

“Sick & Tired” was a simply modest 2nd & final single talking about being fed up with people acting like they fuck with him when they really don’t amongst other issues like haters waiting for him to fold whereas “This Ain’t K-Pop” bombastically claps back at the artists who weren’t build for this shit. “Stranger” goes for a murkier trap vibe instrumentally talking about a solid muhfucka being hard to come by until explaining he sheds a “Gangsta Tear” every time he looks at the mirror.

We have Lovell over another dark trap beat during “Pawn Shop” talking about turning fuckboys into ghosts & people tryna take his spot just before the slower “Cigarette” admits there have been several times he’s considered callin’ it quits from music. “Fight Night at Gitanes” kicks off the 2nd half frighteningly talking about waking up every day to a whole different side of himself while “Bleed” discusses being trained to kill over a cloudier instrumental.

“Flip the Switch” nears closer towards the conclusion of My Blood as the Ink talking about people not understanding what he’s been through & exactly what it does to him but the “Message to You” skit, “Piñata” further embraces the trillwave aesthetics confessing he’s been learning to better himself in addition to life occasionally having it’s duller moments. “Run” wraps it all up with a cloudy trap lead single talking about having no time to focus on his own life.

I Hope You’re Happy was more positively received than Just Say You Don’t Care despite my personally appreciating it for the G*59 debut it was, but I feel like My Blood as the Ink could be Night Lovell’s weakest offering since joining the label. His songwriting & performances are there except I find the production largely uninteresting. If he hunkered down with someone like $crim or Dynox & even Chetta, then I believe he could make some of the most important music of his decade-plus career.

Score: 3/5

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E-40 – “Turning My Money Over” review

New quadruple 20th solo LP from Vallejo, California emcee, songwriter, entrepreneur, actor, occasional producer & Sick Wid It Records founder E-40. However: It’s his 27th album if you count Revenue Retrievin’: Day Shift & Night Shift, Revenue Retrievin’: Overtime Shift & Graveyard Shift, The Block Brochure: Welcome to the Soil, Vols. 1-3 & subsequently Vols. 4-6, Sharp On All 4 Corners & The D-Boy Diaries all as individual albums. Anyway some heads like to disrespect him, but he’s been putting it down for the Bay Area for over 3 decades at this point. My favorites in his catalog include In a Major Way, The Mail Man, The Element of Surprise, Charlie Hu$tle: The Blueprint of a Self Made Millionaire, My Ghetto Report Card & The Block Brochure series to name a few. Coming off Rule of Thumb being his most focused statement since, he’s not wasting any time Turning My Money Over.

“Cuttin’ Up” featuring Jason Martin formerly known as Problem kicks things off talking about staying sharper than a blade all day whereas “Car Dance” produced by Rick Rock shifts towards a hyphy vibe instrumentally looking to make people’s whips jump. “She Just Wanna Party” continues from there talking about a woman who merely likes to stay lit just before “Game Been Missing” featuring Larry June links up so they can give us what they feel like hip hop’s been lacking.

The 2nd single “Sum’n Ain’t Right” goes for a trap vibe instrumentally getting the feeling that something’s off leading into “Over Came ‘Em” featuring Celly Cel finds the pair on some Mobb shit talking about overcoming every obstacle thrown at them. “On Here Trippin’” discusses livin’ it up to the max & his belief of family extending broader than merely kin while “Keep Runnin’” featuring Peezy treads the rap rock waters talking about maintaining the grind.

“Come with Me” hooks up a woodwind-infused beat from none other than 40’s son Droop-E speaking of needing to be protected at all cost & having only a crumb at the early stages of his career while “Quicksand” featuring Havoc talks about making it out the struggles they faced in their respective hometowns of Vallejo & Queens. “Blessed” takes the hyphy route to express his gratitude for the hustler lifestyle while “Must Be the Lingo” talks about his unique slang.

As for “Certified”, we have 40 Water over another hyphy beat so he can confess to being souped up while “Talkin’ Crazy” challenges anyone to say something slick to him. “Trunk’s Alive” featuring B-Legit & Too $hort teams up so the trio can talk about the speakers in their rides making it seem like the cars they’re driving are floating while “Paint Where It Ain’t” boasts his pockets being swollen up in addition to smoking the dankest weed & painting up the town.

“Play If You Want” featuring Busta Rhymes talks about being the greatest for their own separate reasons over an energetic Murda Beatz instrumental while “Night in the Bay” featuring Anderson .Paak takes a smoother approach yearning to drive around the Bay Area with their significant others. “Stand Down” featuring G Perico & Puablo15 gets on some gangsta shit together over a Hit-Boy beat while “Soul of Vallejo” featuring DaBoii, LaRussell, Nef the Pharaoh & NyNy ends the 1st half of Turning My Money Over with a posse cut repping their city.

Kicking off the 2nd half, “Make the Speakers Go” fuses elements of hyphy & g-funk talking about having to work all his way up to the top while “Mastermind” made for a decent lead single likening him to a genius & having the block jumpin’ similarly to the combine. The self-produced “On Top” featuring Kokane talks about their paper staying long after going from the bottom of the barrel to the highest point while “Show You How to Love Me” gets romantic over a Mike & Keys and Jason Martin beat.

“Baptized” featuring D-Shot talks about keeping heat by their sides since it gets cold around their parts with a slapping hyphy instrumental accompanying them while “You See It” moderately flexes his materialistic riches. “Need That” featuring Hitta Slim reassures they’ll talk back if one ever mentions money in a conversation while “The Woo Wop” turns up the hyphy influences promising all his haters they’ll eventually meet their fate.

AzChike appears during the Mobb-inspired “Dreams & Shadows” talking about being the kind to take everything only to ask for more over some sampling chops while one of the weaker tracks “High Kickin’ In” hooks up this goofy reggae beat for stoner raps I’d consider average at best. “Trenches” aggressively tells us stories of what the streets of Vallejo are like while “Double Back” featuring Cousin Fik returns to a Mobb sound talking about neither of them acting right.

“Gamed Up University” takes us to a fictional campus he claims to be spooky & murky maintaining the Mobb scene’s core components in tact while “The Work” talks about him knowing who’s gonna win or fail & merely playing for keeps. “Hope I Lose” sends an eerily Mobb-flavored message to all the people who want you to fail than succeed while “Look at That” was another skipper since it sounds like a bland strip club anthem.

DJ Daryl gets behind the boards for “Sucka Ducking” featuring P-Lo talking about avoiding any cornball who attempts approaching them while “What Would 40 Say?” brings some g-funk undertones in the picture responding to that very question. “Get High” featuring Killer Mike was a far more entertaining weed smokers’s theme than “High Kickin’ In” was while “Lift You Up” wraps up the 4-disc experience reminding the world they’re dealing with a pro.

I do remember E-40 saying a Rule of Thumb 2 was gonna happen but regardless of whether or not it’s been scrapped like Parts 3 & 4 of Sharp On All 4 Corners were, Turning My Money Over was less enjoyable than it’s predecessor although by a slight margin. There is a fair share of impressive production, guest performances & 40 Water verses although I felt like the songs containing weaker instrumental palettes or features would make me want to come back to it as much as I’d like.

Score: 3/5

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Alex Warren – “Wildchild” review

Alex Warren is a 25 year old singer/songwriter, YouTuber & influencer from Carlsbad, California known for co-founding the Hype House collective of TikTokers. He eventually signed to with Atlantic Records in 2022 & wouldn’t drop his double full-length studio debut You’ll Be Alright, Kid until last summer. One of the most unpleasant listening experiences I had the previous year despite the hit single “Ordinary” embodying what the Billboard charts have become, so him coming back 13 months later for a sophomore effort until the beginning of fall next month unsurprisingly doesn’t raise my expectations or had me expecting a whole lot outta it.

“Emerald Eyes” experiments with disco to kick things off singing about hopes of this woman never letting him go whereas “Same Stars” hooks up some pianos asking “How the same stars over my head are the same stars from the night that you left?”. The 3rd single “Passenger” falls flat at a pop rock, dance-pop & new wave cut describing the feeling of helplessness in a 1-sided relationship just before the final single “Rescuer” blends alt-pop & folk pop thanking this female for pulling him out of an emotional darkness.

We get hints of gospel on “Cry Wolf” singing about a fire igniting in his veins whenever he hears someone mentioning an ex-girlfriend who wound up hurting him while the 2nd single “Fine Place to Die” depicts the apocalypse mixing adult contemporary & pop soul. After the “Are You Having Fun, Alex?” skit, “I Miss You More” sings about an individual in his life who’s been away for some time & pondering the idea of fathering a girl while “Only Thing Left” assures his partner they’re out of fight instead of love.

“Fever Dream” weakly fuses pop rock, pop soul & stomp & holler for a lead single inspired by his wife while “Won’t Go Back Again” emphasizes the stomp & holler elements singing about being done with setting himself on fire for the sole purpose of keeping others up. “Last Time” has somewhat of an Americana flare to it wishing he would’ve sooner realized he’d see this person for the very last time & the title track ends Wildchild singing about not letting this cruel world take our light away.

In a way, I can actually commend Alex Warren for experimenting a lot more throughout his 2nd album than his debut did regardless of me liking it no better or worse than what he dropped 13 months earlier. The adult contemporary, pop rock, dance-pop, stomp & holler, new wave, disco, gospel, alt-pop & folk pop production’s somehow more uninteresting than You’ll Be Alright, Kid & the songwriting still doesn’t do much of captivating me despite him trying to turn up the intimacy in his music.

Score: 1/5

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長谷川白紙 – 「素直な気持ち」レビュー

Here is the 4th studio LP from Tokyo, Japan singer/songwriter Hakushi Hasegawa. Making their full-length studio debut in 2019 with Air Ni Ni following their first couple of extended plays iPhone 6+ & Sōmoku Hōdō, the sophomore effort I’m Dead! would come out in 2023 & impressed the Los Angeles, California producer Flying Lotus so much to the point where he signed them to Brainfeeder Records distributed by Ninja Tune. Mahōgakkō has since become some of the label’s greatest material ever recorded & have returned 25 months later to give their Honest Feeling.

“Little Briar Rose” takes inspiration from the fairy tale of the same name singing about a century-long dream being fun to have & after the 40 second “Gettinhereroute” intermission, “Nausea” continues the glitchy jazz vibes assuring the story will always stick with you no matter where one goes. “Boss-Moire-FS” takes a more chaotic approach for the musical equivalent of a panic attack layering these spoken word bits & saxophone while “We the Ominous Warriors” abstractly sings about being in a messy kiss state.

We have Hakushi on “Why the Hell Do I Have to Say Everything From 1 to 10 Each Time Each Time Each Time Each Time?” manically explaining that anyone who doesn’t have a thumb buddy is a nobody just before the lead single “The Owner of Sweetness” blends shimokita-kei, indie rock, glitch pop, deconstructed club, pop punk, noise rock, slacker rock & noise pop singing about hopes of returning to an ungastropodish place. “Grace” later combines glitch pop, art pop, electro-industrial, deconstructed club, avant-garde jazz, epic collage, electro-industrial, industrial rock, experimental rock & tearout brostop for an eclectic 3rd & final single.

“Thief Cat Thief” after “The-End-FS” intermission embraces a quirkier sound singing about Don Planta’s book not being here because they already replaced it while “Suffocation Diary” after the “Permanent-Trompe l’Oeil-FS” interlude fuses indietronica, alt-pop, alternative R&B, neo-psychedelia, glitch pop & alté shouting out the late SOPHIE amongst others including Arca. “Witchkeeper” dabbles with spoken word for a few minutes over these strumming acoustics & once “Vanilla Value” colorfully suggests their ending would be a suitable finale, “Never Lack Nothing” sends off Hakushi’s boldest statement yet singing about being the decorators of the blackout curtain.

Honest Feeling further validates Hakushi Hasegawa as one of the most exciting artists in on Brainfeeder & could very likely become the imprint’s strongest release this year. Their glitch pop, experimental, art pop, avant-garde jazz, glitch, deconstructed club, avant-prog, nu jazz, jazz-rock, indietronica, alt-pop, alternative r&b, neo-psychedelia, glitch pop, alté, shimokita-kei, indie rock, pop punk, noise rock, slacker rock, noise pop, electro-industrial, industrial rock, experimental rock & tearout brostop feels more expansive than Mahōgakkō in time for the season of flutter arriving thanks to her new live band Haha & the Hairpins.

Score: 4/5

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