Gordo – “Diamante” review

Gordo or formerly known as Carnage is a 33 year old Guatemalan American DJ, producer & former rapper breaking through the mainstream in the fall of 2015 off the strength of the festival trap full-length debut Papi Gordo. He further established himself forming the duo Young Martha with Young Thug, putting out an eponymous EP nearly 23 months later. Battered, Bruised & Bloody mainly explored trap music as a subgenre to mixed reception & Carnage subsequently became Gordo after transitioning from trap to techno & house. Further cementing his artistic reinvention, he’s coming back 6 years following the sophomore effort for his 3rd album.

“Guard Down” co-produced by &ME & featuring additional vocals from Alice Aera begins by venturing out into the latter’s signature deep/tech house sound for nearly 6 minutes whereas “Sideways” by Drake is one of 2 leftovers from the Honestly, Nevermind sessions admitting to this woman that he used to love her when she was never hers to begin with. “Honeyland” featuring additional vocals from Afshin Momadi moves on from there with a cool afro house detour for nearly 4 minutes, but then “Easier” puts a bigger emphasis on the tech house side of things instrumentally with the help of Rampa.

T-Pain on “Target” has to be one of the best guest performers during the entire LP singing over a house beat with the pitch of his vocals being slowed down that he got a big target on his back even when he’s in motion that is until the out-of-body experience “Lake Como” disappointingly doesn’t have Larry June rapping at all, instead providing additional vocals throughout the playful instrumental. “Candid Zone” by Leon Bridges has a funkier house flare feeling quite rather frank him just before “Nene” by Fuerza Regida gives the corrido tumbado band shine showcasing their sierreño/trap style in front of a wider audience.

“Cafecito” by Nicki Nicole & Sech decently blends Latin pop & reggaeton with house music all together professing their love for one another dating back to when they were children starting the 2nd half of Diamante while the 2nd single “Parcera” by Maluma unpleasantly mutates tech house, balearic beat & tropical house talking requesting that the light be turned off. “Hombres Y Mujeres” by Feid was a superior tech hip house choice of a lead single in comparison to the previous cut talking about the rich smelling if there are men & women while “Kill for This Shit” featuring additional vocals from the late Young Dolph couldn’t have been a better Memphis/house crossover.

The tech house influences make their way back in the spotlight for “Take Control” advising one on the verge of leaving to do literally that on the way out while “W.D.Y.M. (What Do You Mean?)” by Karolina Falk sings about being the same as previously over a guitar/house hybrid. “Aura” by NTO clashes elements of house & techno telling people to take a 2nd look inside themselves & the inspirational “Healing” by Drake has to be my favorite appearance of the 2 that he makes singing that he doesn’t want to hurt himself anymore.

Of the 3 solo efforts that Gordo has given the world under his belt in the span of almost a decade, Diamante consistently celebrates his heritage significantly more than the previous couple LPs did. So much that I can say what we have here unquestionably stands out as his most personal album in his discography yet. He mainly keeps it in afro house/amapiano turf occasionally pulling from contemporary R&B, tech house, hip house, balearic beat, tropical house, deep house, hip hop, pop, reggaeton, corrido tumbado, jazz & indie music for a dedication to his grandmother narratively centering it around his Nicaraguan-American roots.

Score: 3.5/5

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Coyote – “L.Aliens” review

This is the sophomore full-length studio LP from Los Angeles, California duo Coyote. Consisting of the Morales brothers LadiesLoveGuapo & Ricky Blanco, they went on to gain traction in late 2022 off their debut album Thicker than Water noted for its witty punchlines & East coast influences. However, their official follow up a year & a half later L.Aliens is quickly becoming their breakout project to the point where people were recommending that I give it a shot & I was more than willing to since the tracklist looked promising.

“Pop the Trunk” kicks the door down as hard as possible with it’s boom bap production & hardcore lyricism reminiscent to the 90s whereas “3 Lokos” featuring fucking Shaquille O’Neal works in more kicks & snares feeling reminiscent to Havoc’s production throughout Mobb Deep’s timeless sophomore effort The Infamous… talking about all 3 of them being psychos. The instrumental on “Pocho” featuring MC Magic feels like something Tyler, The Creator would’ve made during the Odd Future days & I mean that as a compliment as someone who’s been down with him since that era showing off their Mexican heritage & “Tryna Get High Foo?” featuring B-Real is a boom bap-heavy smoker’s theme.

Moving forward with “LA LA Land”, we have LadiesLoveGuapo & Ricky Blanco venturing out in trap territory telling us what it was like for them going up in the City of Angels prior to “D.U.I” featuring SUCKERFREE104 hooking up bells as well as kicks & snares to talk about having too much to drink & pullin’ up on your bitch with the roof off under the influence. “Buck 50” swaps the bells out in favor of sampling asking if you really walk it like you talk it with your chest out while “Do You” puts a psychedelic spin on trap dropping flexing on everyone else in the underground.

Shady Records signee Westside Boogie coming fresh off opening for Kendrick Lamar during his Pop Out concert at the Kia Forum last night uniting the west coast since the deaths of Kobe Bryant & Nipsey Hu$$le joins Coyote for the syrupy “House Party” further exemplified by the chopped & screwed hook repping Los Angeles & Compton respectively leading into the soulful “Pushin’” featuring Doeman keeping it playa & positive. The trap-flavored “Wadadabang” featuring The Game & Lefty Gunplay gets on their gangsta shit, but then “Devil’s Contract” fuses g-funk & boom bap going horrorcore.

“Letter to God” sees the Morales brothers hopping over an apocalyptic drill beat sending a message to the Higher Power just before “Drugs Bunny” returns to the boom bap drawing inspiration from Daringer instrumentally hilariously dissing Bad Boy Entertainment founder Puff Daddy a.k.a. P. Diddy or Diddy for assaulting Cassie & being a grown man acting like a bitch. “Note to Self” embraces the trap sound once more assuring that the repercussions will be worth it while “Cheers” takes the cloudier route explaining that you either in it or you ain’t.

Meanwhile, the bouncy “Splash” talks about how they’ll treat you like the rest determining your value by who you think you are elevating instead of staying down while “Blanco the Blizzard” marks a return of the Griselda boom bap vibes discussing fame & attention being the cons of popping off dressed in a whole Gucci fit. “Hunger Flow” featuring Justin Credible keeps the kicks & snares tightened getting murderous while “Quema Quema” goes full-blown Latin trap.

“Rings” enlists Shaq on the mic 1 last time nearing the conclusion of L.Aliens providing a jazzy trap fusion treating hip hop like a sport when it really ain’t no game & “Busca La Muerte” serves as a 2-minute Latin closer talking those that seek death. “I Swear to God” begins the deluxe run drumlessly guiding lost souls while the cloudy trap joint “Chingasu” shows off a more carefree attitude from the duo.

The aggressiveness of “This Ain’t What You Want” fits the horn heavy sound as they caution everyone who wants smoke with them that they really don’t while “Poplock” featuring Hoodlum experiments with the Memphis scene painting imagery of the gangsta lifestyle while “Brown Boys Rollin’” finds them rollin’ through the hood & being misunderstood as Mexican-Americans.

“Rest of Yo Life” smoothly refuses to wife up any woman who’ll give them children & no wedding rings while the boom bap “Onyx” talks trying to live & drugs ruling everything around them. “New Era Cypher” featuring Rowdy Racks continues to show some Mobb Deep inspiration from the beat to the aggressive lyricism from all 3 of them while the sample-heavy “1 More Time” looks to spin the block if they don’t get ‘em. The final bonus track “Afraid of Losing You” ends the deluxe with a shot at R&B & showing vulnerability in the process.

In comparison to Thicker than Water, the Morales brothers’ sophomore effort here takes them to a whole new level as one of the hottest up-&-coming groups in the west coast hip hop scene. The production goes from boom bap to trap, jazz rap, cloud rap, Latin music, southern hip hop, soul music & even psychedelia turning the punchlines up to 11 & invite a pretty tight list of guests along with them for the ride. It’s also cool that they show their influences & put their own spin on the styles they culminate in a melting pot.

Score: 4/5

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Ty Fontaine – “Ascension 2” review

This is the sophomore full-length LP from Maryland recording artist Ty Fontaine. Coming up in 2019 off the strength of his debut EP Waiting on Ascension, he would go on to follow this up with the full-length debut We Ain’t the Same alongside a couple of mixtapes & 3 more EPs, the previous being The Revive preluding a sequel to his Internet Money Records-backed debut mixtape Ascension & more recently Black Truck Life last spring. He signed to MNRK Music Group for his 7th EP 264 the previous winter & is back for a follow-up to the tape that got him where he is today.

“spotlight” spaciously starts Ascension 2 addressing a woman he’s addicted to but not committed to whereas “ash kash” keeps the synths in the fold treating every diamond on his body as if they’re trophies. “gotham” calls himself a Martian looking at every experience being priceless like it came from an auction over a rage-inducing beat from Devstacks leading into the trap-flavored “computer s3x” talking about having the same crew as he did when he first emerged on the scene.

Things take a cloudier turn instrumentally on “what’s life, to waste it?” explaining that his dreams are way too big just before “Adventure Time (racks on my body)” hooks the synths back up to talk about being unable to worry about shit since he loves the finer things in life. “alleviate depression” describes the jadedness of the land where everybody’s somebody over an psychedelic trap beat that Cubeatz & SADPONY co-produced, but then “parlay” has a moodier sound overall telling his partner she knows what it is.

“doin’ damage” flexes the Ben Franks in his pocket over more synthesizers & hi-hats accompanying him while the woozy “studio junkie” talks about being unable to sleep for 3 days straight since he’s been in the lab cooking nonstop. “only 1” tells this chick he’s the guy she should be spending time with a peaceful instrumental backing him while “it gets better” intoxicatingly discusses brighter days. Vendr provides “don’t give up on me” a rich backdrop pleading for his lover to stay & the heavenly “rolling” ends the LP not wanting to feel his face.

To begin the deluxe run or Act II officially, “lift your head up” encourages everyone listening to keep their guard on some euphoric trap shit while “raw dawg dippin’” mixes these horns & hi-hats together talking about thuggin’ as of late. “downer” has a peaceful trap approach generally reassuring everyone that he’s still doing his thing out here even if they gon’ try him every time while the bubbly trap joint “knee high” that FNZ & Cade laced admitting her love feels like everything is anything.

“rave girl” is a cloudy start to the other half of Ascension 2’s subsequent act talking about getting romantically involved with the titular kind of women while the trap-rock flavored “dead or alive” promises that they’ll remember him making it out. “I Never Wanna Wake Up” expresses his desire to stay in his dreams & Rio Leyva helping him stick to a cloudy trap sound while the synth-trap hybrid “i say, you say.” let’s this woman feel his energy. “Imagine 2” is a sequel to a highlight track off Ty’s debut EP Waiting on Ascension & the final bonus track “Save Me” featuring tana ends by addressing those who envy him making it.

Ascension has to be my favorite thing that Ty has ever done & frankly, the sequel here lives up to the bar that the predecessor set 3 years ago surpassing every single thing he’s done since. The production is just as fun as Internet Money’s was when they helped introduce Ty a few summers back & he manages to deliver some of his strongest performances & songwriting in quite a while. Maybe even of his entire career.

Score: 4/5

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BandGang Lonnie Bands – “Creature Thoughts” review

Here we have the 12th EP from Detroit rapper BandGang Lonnie Bands. A member of the BandGang collective, he has since solidified himself as my personal favorite member of the group by putting out a total of his last 9 EPs as well as 3 full-length studio albums & 6 mixtapes. It’s been over a month since we last heard from Lonnie on his previous EP Antimedia 2: Reloaded & is returning 5-6 weeks later celebrating his 29th birthday weekend by letting out some Creature Thoughts.

“Kill the Goat” puts a Detroit trap spin on the same sample used in “Quiet Storm” by the late Prodigy assuring the Devil is a lie because his throat slit whereas “Creature Thoughts 2.5” cloudily continues the series of loose singles that came out in the summer of 2022 & last winter respectively talking about getting back focused. “Heartflow” discusses divinely experiencing the highs & lows over more Detroit trap production that is until the symphonic trap crossover “Detroit River” talks about rapping his life.

Moving forward with “Tarzan”, we have Lonnie over a slick Detroit trap beat explaining that he made it out the jungle just fine leading into the cold-blooded “Jack of All Trades” talking about being able to do many different types of work in the streets. “Shapeshifter” has the most dynamic beat on the entire EP getting in his gangsta bag lyrically, but then the acoustic trap hybrid “Lion Kingdom” warning that they done let the lion out.

“Live Fast Die Old” pushes further towards the encore of Creature Thoughts talking about hopes of of his music career taking off since he doesn’t want to be out in the streets hustlin’ much longer cautioning that people don’t really wanna walk up in his shoes because they won’t even fit at the end of the day & “Creature Speaking” finishes the EP with a soothing Detroit trap vibe putting mind over matter talking about the streets being as deceptive as they are.

Starting the deluxe run, “All in 1” fuses cloud rap & trap wanting to see this woman smile while “UKnowIKnow” maintains both elements from earlier advising to let him give her what she wants. “Big Dog” shows off his titular status for a couple minutes while the atmospheric “Praying for a Wife” talks about wanting to get married. “Risk It All” dynamically discusses the possibility of risking everything & the final bonus track “Reap What You Sow” talks about your present actions shaping your future consequences.

Lonnie couldn’t have celebrated entering the final year of his 20s any better than releasing Creature Thoughts, which is a 10 track/23 minute offering dedicated to the real ones that’re by his side & definitely the most that I’ve enjoyed a project from him in quite a while. It’s more well produced than his last few efforts especially in this particular style of trap music that people complain for being repetitively 1-dimensional taking us through the creaturous mindset of the BandGang’s most prolific member.

Score: 3.5/5

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chelmico – “ati natu” review | チェルミコ – 「アティ・ナトゥ」レビュー

chelmico is a duo from Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan consisting of Mamiko Suzuki & Rachel Watashiga. Introducing themselves with their self-titled debut album & an EP, their next 2 albums Power & Fishing as well as the 2nd EP Cozy drew further acclaim up until Maze quickly became the crown jewel of their entire discography. gokigen matched the same caliber as Maze & Fishing but looking to come off I just wanna dance with you- period, Mamiko & Rachel are nearing the end of summer dropping off ati natu.

チェルミコは、鈴木麻美子とレイチェル・ワタシガからなる東京・渋谷出身のデュオ。セルフ・タイトルのデビュー・アルバムとEPで自己紹介をし、続く2枚のアルバム『Power』と『Fishing』、そして2nd EP『Cozy』は、『Maze』が彼らの全ディスコグラフィーの頂点に立つまで、さらなる賞賛を集めた。ゴキゲンは、『Maze』と『Fishing』と同レベルの作品に仕上がったが、『I just wanna dance with you-ピリオド』からの脱却を目指し、マミコとレイチェルは夏の終わりに近づき、『ati natu』をドロップする。

“Sunburn” hits us with a refreshingly playful & lightly rhythmic Japanese pop rap summertime bop to start the 3 track run of the EP whereas “Summer Course” featuring Neibiss links up with hyunis1000 & ratiff so the quartet can hop over this bright yet fast-paced beat ripping up the mic together. “Watermelon” concludes ati natu by going for a tropical vibe instrumentally bringing a catchy hook to the table & some of the craziest flows that the EP has to offer during the verses.

「Neibissをフィーチャーした “Summer Course “では、hyunis1000とratiffが参加し、この明るくもテンポの速いビートの上で一緒にマイクを握る。”Watermelon “では、トロピカルなヴァイブスをインストゥルメンタルで表現し、キャッチーなフックとEPで最もクレイジーなヴァース・フローを聴かせる。

Come to think that it’s already been a decade since chelmico went from forming after meeting through a mutual friend bonding over their appreciation for RIP SLYME now consisting of both Ryo-Z & Ilmari of the Teriyaki Boyz alongside DJ Fumiya to becoming one of the most popular acts emerging from the j-rap scene in recent memory following their recent output & reaffirmed once more. All 3 tracks on ati natu are summer-themed, but each one has their own different vibe to them.

共通の友人を通じて出会ったRIP SLYME好きが高じて結成されたchelmicoが、テリヤキボーイズのRyo-ZとILMARIにDJ FUMIYAを加えた編成になってから早10年。ati natuに収録されている3曲はどれも夏をテーマにしたものだが、それぞれ違った雰囲気を持つ。

Score: 3.5/5

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長谷川白紙 – 「魔法学校」レビュー

Hakushi Hasegawa is a 25 year old singer/songwriter from Tokyo, Japan who made 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. Coming off a handful of teasers, they’re ready to make their official debut as part of the Brainfeeder roster with their 3rd album.

“Departed” begins fusing glitch pop, nu jazz, art pop, speedcore, breakcore, jazzstep & breakbeat singing about wanting to think that she’s gone whereas “Gone” featuring Kid Fresino goes full Japanese hip hop taking inspiration from experimental hip hop, experimental rock, glitch pop, math rock, industrial hip hop, abstract hip hop, flashcore, brutal prog, speedcore, avant-garde jazz & breakcore so they can compare themselves to ninjas in broad daylight.

Glitch pop, nu jazz, art pop, batucada & hard drum all collide on the lead single “Mouth Flash (Kuchinohanabi)” wanting a tricky person to confess their ways to them while “The Blossom & The Thunder” after the “Repeal (Tekkai)” interlude remixes KAF’s most popular single “Thunder in Bud”, which Hakushi was featured on. The 5th & final single “Kyōfunohoshi” ends the 1st half combining glitch pop, avant-garde jazz, nu jazz, art pop, deconstructed club, jazz fusion, breakcore & jazzstep singing about showing this person the light if they do the same.

After the “NENNEKOKOROMI” interlude, “Forbidden Thing (Kimmotsu)” gives off a neo-psychedelic chamber folktronica vibe explaining that the best season of sleep has come because it’s dark while “Boy’s Texture” after the “MAHO-Interview” skit explores folktronica, neo-psychedelia, freak folk, sound collage, indietronica & trip hop heavily relying on the usage of adlibs. The final song “Outside (Soto)” succeeding the “Enbami” interlude finishes the LP taking elements of deconstructed club, glitch & sound collage expressing a desire to explore the spacious outsides because they love the way the colors change during seasons.

Air Ni Ni still remains Hakushi Hasegawa’s most acclaimed body of work to date, but Mahōgakkō lands right behind it without a shadow of a doubt & I’m confident of their future under Brainfeeder Records will help give them wider exposure to the American independent music audience in the long run. Their production predominantly has a glitchy art pop vibe to it secondarily taking inspiration from nu jazz, deconstructed club, folktronica, neo-psychedelia, hardcore EDM, experimental music & progressive pop.

Score: 4/5

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Trizz – “Cavi En Cursive” review

This is the 6th full-length LP from Los Angeles, California emcee Trizz. Picked up a microphone at the age of 9, it wasn’t until his late teens where he properly introduced himself to a wider audience in the form of his debut mixtape Suicide with No Note followed by New West & The Right to Bear Arms before being taken under the wing of Sacramento horrorcore veteran Brotha Lynch Hung by signing to Madesicc Muzicc for a brief period of time. He would later go on to drop 5 more tapes, 5 full-lengths, 5 EPs, 5 collab projects with Chuuwee, 1 with Flashy B, another with Sahtyre & another with Ouija Macc all within the last decade. Much like the critically acclaimed Baseline Cavi, he & former Strange Music in-house producer MIKE SUMMERS a.k.a. 7 are sticking together for Cavi En Cursive.

“Calligraphy” starts up the Baseline Cavi sequel on some jazzy boom bap shit talking about seeing the road clear as day before even mapping it whereas “Baseline” featuring T.F takes the eerier route instrumentally reminding everyone that both of them be running shit in the west coast. “Givin’ It Up” goes full-blown g-funk to talk about how he feels like soaking it all in or livin’ it up, but then “Alpine” hooks the kicks & snares up again to portray the gangsta lifestyle.

Pomona Drey & Traffic join Trizz for the funky, boom bap hybrid “Curb Service” serving music to the fiends like crack addicts leading into the smooth “Figure 8z” talking about cruisin’ down Baseline bangin’ his own music in the whip. “Type Shit” featuring 2-11 emphasizes a darker atmosphere further keeping the kicks & snares in tact talking about the shit they be on just before “Broken En 2” samples “Walk on By” by the late Isaac Hayes assuring he’s still getting it even though he ain’t rich.

“Arrogant” switches gears into trap territory with some g-funk undertones so he can talk about wearing his arrogance with pride starts the 2nd leg of Cavi En Cursive while “Moonlight” jumps over drumless jazz loop expressing how good it feels to be high in the sky. “Cream” featuring Blu returns to the boom bap once again to be all about the bread like the almighty Wu-Tang Clan while “O & a Half” featuring Flee Lord breaks down the lives they live on top of a mellow beat.

Brotha Lynch Hung reconnects with his protégé for “Truth Sells” brings the kicks & snares back as both of them talk about their imperfections having to study & learn the game while the syrupy “Fighting Temptations” details the depression that he goes through time to time. “Free Fall” nears the end of the LP with another jazzy boom bap instrumental looking to mediate since he be overthinking & “Die for Something” featuring T.F soulfully closes Cavi En Cursive trying to get money & profiting.

It’s already to the point now where I can say that Baseline Cavi has already cemented itself as my favorite album that Trizz has put out & the sequel here is almost as great from top to bottom. Even if it has a bit more features than the predecessor did couple years back, 7’s production has a heavier west coast vibe in the midst of demonstrating his range from boom bap & trap to drumless & jazz rap excellently suiting Trizz’ west coast gangsta lyricism no differently than last time.

Score: 4.5/5

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Childish Gambino – “Bando Stone & the New World” review

California actor, writer, rapper, comedian, singer, DJ, director, producer & former FX hit series Atlanta creator Donald Glover or Childish Gambino finally following up Atavista with his 5th & final full-length LP. In only 2 decades, he’s also put out a couple EPs & 7 mixtapes in addition to all his other albums. The 2 that stand out the most are the sophomore effort Because the Internet released on my 17th birthday & the 2016 follow-up “Awaken, My Love” pulling heavy influence from the Parliament-Funkadelic collective. 3.15.20 was randomly released during the beginning of the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic in an unfinished state only to be finalized & reissued as Atavista recently, which most people including myself decided they’d rather wait for Bando Stone & the New World.

“H3@RT$ W3RE M3@NT T0 F7¥” featuring Amaarae is a self-produced industrial hip hop opener dissing those who did him greasy & still being on whereas the lead single “Lithonia” works in elements of alternative rock, pop rock, post-grunge, art rock & glam rock telling the story of Cody LeRae. “Survive” featuring Chlöe is a beautiful hip hop/neo-soul crossover tryna save their lives since summer’s always coming leading into “Steps Beach” singing over a stripped back instrumental from Steve Lacy talking about wanting to walk the beach on a Saturday.

Amaarae & Flo Milli join Gambino to the trap joint “Talk My Shit” so all 3 of them can boast on the lyrical side of things just before “Got to Be” turns the industrial influences all the way back up talking about 2020 being his time. “Real Love” takes a electropop/dance-pop route to the beat hoping that everyone listening gets to feel genuine love at some point in their lives, but then “In the Night” featuring Amaarae & Jorja Smith fuses alternative R&B with alté as well as gqom & alt-pop singing about needing each other at night.

“Yoshinoya” concludes the first half of Bando Stone & the New World with a 2-parter showing a bit of a Ye formerly known as Kanye West influence sticking around similarly to the titular Japanese multinational fast food chain while “Can You Feel Me?” featuring Legend Glover is a heartwarming moment on the album where father & son singing together referencing the alphabet in every verse. The 8-minute rollercoaster ride “No Excuses” goes neo-soul singing about receiving cold love while “Cruisin’” featuring Yeat produced by DJ Dahi, Ludwig Göransson, Michael Uzowuru & Donald himself brings a synth-trap vibe to the table living their dreams since this dreamin’ ain’t enough.

Meanwhile on the atmospheric “We Are God”, we have Gambino singing about being inseparable flying through the dark while “Running Around” featuring Fousheé blends soul & rock going crazy during the weekend. The track “Dadvocate” goes for another stripped back approach tackling fatherhood & after the “Happy Survival” interlude, “A Place Where Love Goes” concludes the Childish Gambino chapter of Donald’s life with 1 more EDM joint going wherever love does.

In contrast to a lot of artists saying they’re gonna retire from music & later coming back, it really does feel like the end of Childish Gambino since it’s not fun for him anymore & what a way for him to go out. We get a concept album revolving around a singer named Bando Stone stumbling into a post-apocalyptic world before teaming up with a woman & her son to fight prehistoric creatures & try to escape from an unexplained phenomenon that seems to delete “chunks” of the world blending experimental hip hop, neo-soul, psychedelic soul, neo-psychedelia, rock music, electronic dance music, alternative R&B, alté, gqom & alt-pop.

Score: 4.5/5

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JT – “City Cinderella” review

JT is a 31 year old rapper from Miami, Florida who rose to mainstream attention in 2017 as 1/2 of the City Girls with Yung Miami. They put out 3 full-length albums & a mixtape together under Quality Control Music, disbanding after R.A.W. (Real Ass Whores)completely wiped everything else they did in the past & an actually good note for them to end on. Even if both parties think it underperformed due to poor management & bad timing. It still makes sense that the duo split off after it was announced they were featured on “Dade County Dreaming” off Camila Cabello’s latest Geffen/Interscope debut C,XOXO since their solo careers have already been getting more attention as it is & Lil Uzi Vert’s partner since 2019 seems to be stepping up to the plate first.

Take a Daytrip get JT’s official solo debut rolling by cooking up a gospel trap instrumental on the standout opener “Hope” explaining that she’s still the same bitch & ain’t shit changed after the City Girls’ breakup whereas “Brick Talk” has more an hypnotizing flare to the beat talking about the drug game. “Oh” vibrantly tells all the hoes how they want it & that her time is finally here prior to “Servin’” working in some pianos & hi-hats telling y’all to look at how she be working it.

“D.O.D. (Dance on the Dick)” goes for a Middle Eastern groove instrumentally thanks to Cubeatz talking about how she’s never ran away from some good sex just before “Lemon Pepper” featuring Stunna Girl returns to the piano trap route allowing both of them to show out. “Swang” samples “Stay a Little While, Child” by Loose Ends telling everyone who has a problem with her to swing on her if they cross paths leading into “90s Baby” produced by Buddah Bless talking about being born in early December of 1992 which I can relate to since I myself was born 4 years after.

OG Parker, G. Ry & Rogét Chahayed bring some synthesizers & hi-hats to the table on another favorite track “Uncle Al” providing an anthem that all the bad bitches can vibe to in the midst of partying while “Sideways” fuses Detroit trap & mobb music talking about the fact that she isn’t as friendly as it seems. “Okay” featuring Jeezy on the remix blends crunk & bop assuring they’re both doing better these days, but then “JT Coming” jumps over a vigorous beat to talk about being in the gym doin’ squats in her YeezyPods which is awesome since I myself have a pair & they’re comfortable as Hell.

The song “All Stars” featuring one of the biggest up-&-comers in the cloud rap scene Clip nears the end of City Cinderella embracing the latter’s sound with the help of none other than Clams Casino since he’s generally known for that expressing their love for high fashion while the penultimate track “Red Flowers” flexes about scamming a bitch near Trump Towers in New York over horns. Last but not least, “Star of the Show” ends the LP going chipmunk soul talking about the fake hoes hating & the real bitches loving it.

If City Cinderella proves anything to me, it’s that the torch for fly girls everywhere is still being carried even though the City Girls as a duo are no more. The album provides listeners with insights into how JT became the artist that she is presently with flows that reflect the influence of some of the South’s biggest personalities from one of the big 3 trap pioneers Gucci Mane to Miami’s very own Rick Ross & prominent trap production backing her with additional elements of Detroit trap, mobb music, crunk, bop, cloud rap & chipmunk soul.

Score: 3.5/5

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Astray – “Made It Out Alive” review

This is the 5th full-length LP from Detroit emcee/producer Astray. Making a name for himself at the beginning of the current millennium off a self-titled debut, he continued to follow this up with Hungry as well as Who’s Coming with Me? & my personal favorite Daydreaming at a Green Light. From there, local veteran Eminem signed him to his Interscope Records imprint Shady Records for a publishing deal up until his official departure earlier on in the year. Whitney Peyton launched her own indie label Alpha Howse after leaving Suburban Noize Records a while back & after making him one of the first 2 signees, Astray’s happy as anyone he Made It Out Alive.

“Avalanche” is a self-produced boom bap opener advising to put your eyes where they can see to put on a show for you whereas the title track has a grimier tone working in more kicks & snares expressing his gratitude for still being here today. “1 Eye Open” gives off a desponding boom bap vibe instrumentally talking about a keeping with 1 eye closed & the other open prior to “Kimbo Slice” ruggedly likening himself to the late MMA figure who fought in the both Cage Fury Fighting Championships (CFFC) & temporarily in the UFC division of the WME Group-owned TKO Group Holdings

Meanwhile on “Pack of Wolves”, we have the entire Alpha Howse roster coming together for a raw posse cut showcasing what they’re capable of just before “Cut Throat” returns to the boom bap thanks to Pig Pen talking about being here with a vengeance. “Breaking the Law” featuring Willy Northpole & Bag of Tricks Cat experiments with cloudy trap looking to commit some crimes leading into “Art of War” hooks the kicks & snares back up bringing it hardcore. “Lift the Sorrow” featuring Blumoon ends the album speaking from the heart about gun violence.

Being someone that’s been following Astray since the Shady publishing deal, it makes me happy to see Whitney expanding her new indie label & Made It Out Alive certainly makes the case for the Alpha Howse label growing stronger on top of looking forward to Willy Northpole’s upcoming Alpha Howse debut Broadway Theatre next month. The production’s mostly boom bap centered & the Detroit emcee expresses his gratitude for still being here today.

Score: 4/5

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