Yelawolf – “War Story” review

Alabama rapper, singer/songwriter, producer, fashion designer & entrepreneur Yelawolf returning for a double disc 9th LP. Coming up as a contestant on The Road to Stardom in 2005, his full-length debut album Creekwater that same year & didn’t catch the mainstream’s attention until New Year’s Day 2010 off the strength of his 4th mixtape Trunk Muzik. This caught the attention of Detroit icon Eminem, who signed Catfish Billy to his Interscope Records imprint Shady Records the following year. Yelawolf went on to release 4 albums under his contract with Slim, leaving in Spring 2019 to focus on continuing to build his own label Slumerican Records. Shooter Jennings helped him go country rock on Sometimes Y last time we heard from the Slumerican Shitizen couple years ago & is showing his artistic range altogether for War Story, a sequel to Love Story.

“Trailer in the Sky” featuring Jelly Roll on the hook begins Disc 1: Michael Wayne with a moody rap cut produced by Malay hoping to get high one day whereas “Glasses Up” kinda has a syrupy tone instrumentally talking about never stepping away from music anytime soon. “Make You Love Me” has a funkier flare to the beat this time around, singing about a romantic interest that caught his eye while “Juliana” solemnly tells the titular character who bites like a piranha that she needs to get a grip & looking to get ahead of her.

On the other hand, “Marijuana” works in some hair-raising piano chords likening his life as an artist being the war of a soldier leading into “Goodbye Mornin’” taking the dark boom bap route welcoming the evening & talking about LSD being a Hell of a drug as it is. “Cars” works in some militant drums expressing his desire for fancier whips prior to “Lookin’ Over” featuring DJ Paul going country rap to talk about being watched over when times get rough.

“Farewell” featuring Struggle Jennings goes for a triumphant trap vibe advising to tell the truth when you speak of them promising to return home with dinner on their backs ahead of the fierily passionate “Talkin’” addressing those who only listen when they’re speaking themselves. “Cookin’ Cocaine” psychedelically makes magic over holy water & “Legend” ends the Michael Wayne portion explaining how legends are made.

To start Disc 2: Trunk Muzik 4ever, the first song “New Me” has this bouncy trap vibe to it thanks to WLPWR going back to his old ways just before “Bad News” featuring Caskey menacingly cautions that going against them won’t end well. “Box Chevy VIII” featuring Bub Styles & Killer Mike is the 8th installment of Yelawolf’s well-known series of tracks showing his love for Chevrolets, but then “Another Drink” goes rap rock to talk about consuming alcohol.

“Barn Fire” embraces the trap metal sound to get in his Catfish Billy bag while “Flashlight” takes on a more haunting atmosphere in favor of turning pain into art illuminating his heart similarly to the titular object. “Bang Bang Bobby” jumps over pianos explaining that everyone has an uncle, cousin or a wild ass friend you can’t do shit with while the synth-driven “Tonight” talks about being a traveling spirit.

Meanwhile on “Everything”, we have Yelawolf returning to the boom bap boasting that he has it all while the electronic-infused “Bad Motherfucker” talks about this woman having a perfect body & knowing how to wear it. The synth-trap banger “Work” tackles his genius while the distorted country rap “Ticket” nears the end of War Story forever chasing the dream. “Put ‘Em Up” rowdily ends the LP explaining Trunk Muzik don’t quit.

Regardless of what heads think of the guy, Yelawolf surely has more than enough versatility to pull off a double album & gave us a worthy sequel to his Shady Records sophomore effort celebrating it’s 10-year anniversary next spring. The first disc Michael Wayne has to be amongst the most introspectively intimate music of his career yet & the other Trunk Muzik 4ever continues the legacy of the Trunk Muzik series that resonate with the signature style that fans have come to love.

Score: 4/5

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Ski Mask the Slump God – “11th Dimension” review

Orlando, Florida rapper Ski Mask the Slump God returning for a sophomore LP. Coming up as the co-founder of Members Only alongside the late XXXTENTACION, he then dropped a couple EPs & a great mixtape called Drown in Designer in 2016 before signing to Republic Records the following year with his 2nd tape called YouWillRegret being his first outing on a major label. This was followed up with Beware the Book of Eli, the full-length debut Stokeley in 2018 & Sin City about 3 years later. Fast forward another 3 years, Ski’s returning to take us to the 11th Dimension almost 5 months since Moose became a 3-time TNA World Champion at Hard to Kill V.

“DragonTooth” opens up the LP with rage beats from Trgc only needing 1 shot whereas “Monsters Inc.” featuring Future named after the classic Pixar film works in a bassy trap instrumental from ATL Jacob putting their gang over everything else referencing the National Geographic subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company. “By Myself” talks about moving in stealth with Synthetic of Internet Money Records returning to the hypertrap sound just before “Earwax” works in a vocal sample, a rubbery bass-line & hi-hats provided by Swaggyono of Working on Dying feelin’ like he’s going to lose control.

Things take the chaotic trap route for “Full Moon” likening himself to a werewolf when the clock strikes midnight leading into “Part the Sea” talks about dying in a mosh pit over a monstrous rage beat from BEAUTIFULMVN. After “Jah’s Interlude” reusing X’s verse from the “Hope” freestyle off the ? deluxe, “WDYM” picks up from there calmly asking his romantic interest to stay for a bit longer while “Tuk-Tuk” produced by DJ Scheme is this fun braggadocious banger.

“Wake Up!” featuring the late Juice WRLD demonstrates speedier flows from both of them accompanied by minimal trap production talking about being mutants, but then “Hulk” ends the first half of 11th Dimension with ilykimchi & Oogie Mane of Working on Dying going for a hypertrap direction once more drawing comparisons to the iconic Marvel hero. “Headrush” is this skull-smashing trap metal banger to start the 2nd leg of the album to talk about being up prior to the rubbery albeit cloudy “Frozen One” talking about being chosen.

Meanwhile on “Killstreak”, we have Ski boasting that he’s hard to find over a quirky trap instrumental with bells while “From Yard” featuring Skillibeng comes through with a decently blaring anthem paying homage to his Jamaican background. “Him Jung Un” mixes the sounds of pots & pans with hi-hats so he can pop tags while “Let It Breathe” psychedelically talks about being cerebral.

“Mandalorian” takes it back to his roots thanks to Ronny J going huntin’ on the mic while the cacophonous “Jump” feels like a modern homage to “Pass the Courvoisier Part II” by Busta Rhymes & Puff Daddy, which as good of a song is bad timing since P. Diddy & later Diddy has gone down quicker than TKO Group Holdings co-founder Vince McMahon. Especially after the security footage of him assaulting Cassie premiered on national television & subsequently got arrested. The penultimate track “Shibuya” is this rage/pop rap hybrid showing his appreciation for the titular city in Japan & finally, “Go!” featuring Corbin ends 11th Dimension awkwardly singing over synthesizers.

I’ll still maintain that I was unsure of where Ski was gonna take it after Sin City when you think about the hardships he’s faced in the last 6 years, but 11th Dimension officially marks his return in the form of his most ambitious project to date. It revolves around a loose concept centering multiple characters that he created himself representing the man in each dimension & the production ranging from rage to even alternative rock.

Score: 3/5

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Charli XCX – “brat” review

Charli XCX is a 31 year old singer/songwriter from Cambridge, England, United Kingdom who one might remember for her feature on Iggy Azalea’s biggest hit “Fancy” a decade ago. Her solo material would go on to step leaps & bounds beyond hers with highlights including her 3rd & 4th mixtapes #1 Angel & Pop 2 respectively alongside her 4th & 5th LPs Charli & How I’m Feeling Now. Her previous full-length Crash was the last to be released through Asylum Records about 27 months ago & a decent one at that, so I most certainly had high hopes for Charli’s 7th album backed by Atlantic Records.

PC Music co-founder A.G. Cook mixes bubblegum bass, electropop, pop rap, Atlanta bass & dance-pop into 1 on “360” starting us off singing about going her own way whereas “Club Classics” maintains the primary bubblegum bass sound of the opener with additional elements of bassline, new beat, Jersey Club, fidget house & acid house talking about that being all she wants to hear. “Sympathy is a Knife” takes the hyerpop route instrumentally to tackle themes of self-doubt ahead of “I Might Say Something Stupid” singing over bare pianos thanks to Gesaffelstein about being unsure if she belongs here anymore. Former G.O.O.D. Music in-house producer Hudson Mohawke of TNGHT jumps behind the boards for the undeniably catchy electropop jam “Talk Talk” asking for this man to talk to her that is until the electro house, electropop, dance-pop, Dutch house & electroclash-flavored “Von Dutch” later becoming the official theme song for WWE Royal Rumble XXXVIIII assures that it’s ok to simply admit of one’s jealousy/envy of her.

“Everything’s Romantic” continues to go for an EDM vibe for the beat discussing endlessly falling in love prior to “Rewind” goes electropop once more wishing that she could turn back certain moments of her life. “So I” continues the 2nd half of Brat in the form of a profound dedication to Charli’s late collaborator SOPHIE just before “Girl, So Confusing” featuring Lorde on the remix turns the electronic dance music influences back up opening up about the confusion it is to be a woman at points. “Apple” keeps the upbeat grooves going reminding that the apple certainly doesn’t fall far from the tree whatsoever, but then “B2B” futuristically talks about going back to back.

The hyperpop song “Mean Girls” takes inspiration from Dasha Nekrasova exploring societies’ fascination with mean women worshipping Lana Del Rey in her wireless Apple Inc. Bluetooth earbuds AirPods while the penultimate track “I Think About It All the Time” brings a dance-pop flare to the instrumental fearing that she’s running out of time. Finally, the closer “365” ends Brat hypnotically alluding to the never ending cycle of partying. “Hello goodbye” begins the deluxe embarrassing herself in the midst of introducing herself to a potential partner sticking to the PC Music sound while “Guess” featuring Billie Eilish on the remix has that signature electroclash style The Dare is known for expressing Charli’s sexual desires. “Spring breakers” concludes the bonus track run sampling “Everytime” by Britney Spears chockfull of references to the 2012 film of the same name.

Crash was an average way for Charli to fulfill her Asylum contract couple years back & as we enter further into the summer, Brat reveals to be the most aggressive & confrontational yet most vulnerable album in her discography so far. The production is mainly club-centered evoking & channeling the illegal London rave scene through electropop, EDM, bubblegum bass, electro house, dance-pop, electroclash, pop rap, Atlanta bass, bassline, new beat, Jersey Club, fidget house, acid house & hyperpop providing introspection that might come to you in the midst of a party or the insurmountable dread of the morning after.

Score: 4.5/5

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Homixide Gang – “I5U5WE5” review

These guys are a duo from Atlanta, Georgia consisting of Homixide Beno! & Homixide Meechie who began to turn heads a couple years ago after dropping their debut EP Snotty World to the point where trap trailblazer/rage pioneer Playboi Carti made them the 3rd act to sign to his Interscope Records imprint Opium Records following Ken Carson & Destroy Lonely respectively. Homixide Lifestyle was a solid debut, Snot or Not wound up being a mixed bag of a sophomore effort & their debut mixtape 5th AMNDMNT proved to be significantly rawer. Now that we’re nearing closer to the beginning of summer, Homixide’s stepping up first for Opium in 2024 to release I5U5WE5.

“Sharp Sh00ter” is a horn-inflicted opener homaging former 7-time WWE world champion, 3-time WWE tag team champion, 5-time WWE United States Champion, 2-time WWE Intercontinental Champion & 2-time WWE Hall of Famer Bret Hart’s finisher whereas “VersionF!VE” works in the rage beats pulling up in all black with fat ass racks. Lil Yachty makes I5U5WE5’s only guest appearance on “SIDE EFFExT” has one of the best instrumentals on the album from F1LTHY of Working on Dying as the trio talk about their bitches being rockstars & “FA5EBUSTER” mixes a guitar with hi-hats looking to breaking faces.

Meanwhile on “SRT”, we have Homixide over more atmospheric trap production talking about being undefeated referencing WWE’s 2nd flagship program Friday Night SmackDown just before “SwanTon BOMB” is this insane 2-parter named after Jeff Hardy’s iconic finisher. “FiGure5” experiments with a quirky drill beat talking about how they can’t be making the wrong moves out here leading into “R50” going trap metal with Cxdy help boasting that you can’t see them. “DeathLOK” fuses rock & trap together courtesy of Galactic Records signee tana so they can talk about having nightmares with the demons while “2xTREME” finds Vendr of Internet Money Records, Toom of Vanguard Music Group & Dreamr keeping the guitars & hi-hats into the fold boasting their levels of extremity.

“00-MEGA” brings an ominous trap flare to the table admitting they have no feelings & can’t show love while “Hi-Voltage” showcases elements of gangsta rap & hypertrap with the help of Cxdy swerving through traffic with their foot on the gas. The bassy penultimate track “SMAKDWN” turns the rage back up to 11 talking about being as lit as they are & “TABLESandLATTER5” finishes the LP in favor of being on a whole different wave than everyone else in their field is over ethereal production that Census, Spaceman & Zodiac provide.

Have to clarify that although Beno & Meechie was already signed to Opium for a year & a half now, their 4th offering under Carti’s imprint also happens to be their major label debut as their last 3 didn’t have Interscope Records handling distribution like they’re doing here this time. The end result being in Homixide growing beyond the raging gangsta rap sound they artistically became known for keeping it in the wheelhouse on the occasions of venturing out into cloud rap, trap metal & rap rock.

Score: 3.5/5

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Nasaan – “Error 404” review

Nasaan is a 25 year old MC/producer from Atltanta, Georgia by way of Detroit, Michigan notable for being the son of the late D12 de facto leader & in my opinion the greatest Detroit emcee of all-time Proof. Some of you may remember him for releasing the Def Jam-backed debut EP Kiss of Karma in July of 2019, which gave listeners a taste of what was to come from the promising Motor City up-&-comer. Now that he’s been signed to Atlantic Records since last summer, Nasaan’s further establishing himself by returning with a 2nd EP.

After the “ERROR” intro, the first song “Goated” featuring Royce da 5’9” on the intro is this off the wall trap banger talking about his greatness whereas “Devil to Atlanta” takes the futuristically bassy route instrumentally talking about bringing Satan himself to the ATL. “Top N****r” featuring Daniel Hex starts off melodically until aggressively transitioning & boasting his top dog status, but then the dynamic “It’s Giving…Leo” produced with mR. pOrTeR encouraging a bitch to tell him about himself.

“Key Up!” gives off a cloudy trap vibe thanks to Turbo & Pooh Beatz lifting the seat in his Maybach up prior to “Stepping on Shit” featuring SWAVAY taking a vibrant approach generally spitting braggadocio. “Lunchroom Freestyle” featuring Babytron shows off their charisma for a couple minutes while the atmospheric “Land of Cap” dedicates itself to his father. “Cullinan Gang” featuring Icewear Vezzo ends the EP smoothly exclaiming they don’t believe in relaxation.

On his Atlantic debut, Nasaan returns after 5 years telling listeners what it was like to grow up & live in Atlanta with every track stemming from an experience of his & bring it back home. He even invites guests from Detroit to this world in a successful attempt to blend the 2 worlds, continuing to build upon the trap sounds of Kiss of Karma & establishing an indentity of his own detailing the personal growth he’s gone through since.

Score: 3.5/5

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Dave East – “APT 6E” review

Harlem, New York emcee Dave East joining forces with Mike & Keys for his 4th LP. Breaking out in 2014 off his 8th mixtape Black Rose, this resulted in the man signing a joint deal with Def Jam Recordings & even Nas’ independently owned Mass Appeal Recordsas well as a spot in the iconic 2016 XXL Freshman Class. However, his full-length debut Survival wouldn’t come out until 3 years later & was very disappointing in the sense that he tried appealing to a more mainstream audience that just didn’t exist. The Harry Fraud produced sophomore effort Hoffa proved to be better as did his final Def Jam offering Fortune Favors the Bold, so I was already intrigued to hear him take it back to his independent roots on APT 6E.

After the intro, the first song “Doin’ Great” starts off with pianos & hi-hats explaining the ways to get out of this life whereas “God Produced It” hooks up a sample-laced trap instrumental talking about telling himself he could do it time & time again. “Snow White” discusses the largest gang takedown in the history of the Queens borough over a psychedelically rattling beat prior to “I.D.R.N. (I Don’t Regret Nothing)” goes into a ratchet direction so he can talk about not regretting anything.

“Me vs. Me” jumps on top of organs & soulful guest vocals from Stacy Barthe making it clear that the toughest fight of his life was within himself just before “This Lifestyle” featuring Kurupt mixes hi-hats & synthesizers as they break down the way they both living currently. “Ballin’” featuring Buddy finds the 2 cloudily smoking good & poppin’ another bottle while “Dangerous Riddim” featuring Shaggy comes through with summertime vibes top to bottom generally.

Stacy returns on the whimsically rugged “So Much Changed” getting on his grown man shit topically, but then “Intervention” talks about going through it over pianos & hi-hats. “Can’t Even Know” hops over a soul sample making it clear that he ain’t concerned unless it’s over the guap & that he has a lot more to learn. “Out the Way” passionately explains his passion outlasted doubters & critics while the final song “I Remember” ahead of the outro ends APT 6E in the form of a profound ballad dedicated to all sorts of people.

Dave’s R&B EP For the Love produced by Scram Jones from the beginning of the year was disappointing as intrigued as I was about the idea going into it from the beginning, but APT 6E finds him reclaiming his independent spirit & has me highly anticipating Hoffa 2 since it was hinted at a while ago. Mike & Keys bring their west coast sound & mix it with Dave’s hardcore East coast lyricism.

Score: 3.5/5

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Brotha Lynch Hung – “Season of da Siccness 2: Kevlar” review

This is the long-awaited 9th full-length studio LP from Sacramento horrorcore pioneer Brotha Lynch Hung. Establishing himself with the debut EP 24 Deep & debut album Season of da Siccness, he would later regain popularity in the early 2010s after signing to Strange Music for Dinner & a Movie alongside Coathanga Strangla & of course Mannibalector an acclaimed trilogy. Bullet Maker proved to be a disappointment in 2016, so it only makes sense for him to make a comeback with Season of da Siccness 2: Kevlar & not miss the mark considering it’s importance to his discography.

After the “Yaw Ready?” intro, the first song “I Can Be a Killa” is this spine-tingling opener talking about his murderous tendencies whereas “I’ve Changed” works in some strings to explain how much he’s changed in the last decade since we last heard from him. “Get ‘Em” grisly talks about a man who was trying to commit suicide jumping off a building & a bullet striking him in the midst of him falling, but then “Gangsta” featuring G-Macc turns the symphonic elements back up getting on their g shit.

After the “Start the Car” skit, “Smoke” featuring Phonk Beta & V8 brings the trio together for a west coast flavored smoking anthem just before “Ill” featuring Swifty McVay of D12 following the “Born In It” skit eerily finding both MCs boasting how ill they are lyrically all these years later. “Viral” featuring TA has a tenser vibe to the beat as they set out to become extremely popular & spread across the internet leading into “Eyes Wide Open” dropping bodies backed by guitars & hi-hats.

“Bang Bang” morbidly talks about being strapped while “Da Siccness” ominously brings gets on his wicked shit once again. “Blocc Monsta” has a dark, funky tone instrumentally explaining how much of a monster he is around his block while “Grrr” menacingly talks about cooking without the deep dish. After the “Grinding” skit, the final song “Southside” ends Season of da Siccness 2: Kevlar ends the sequel to Brotha Lynch’s debut profoundly getting introspective.

Over a decade in the making, it’s as if that Brotha Lynch Hung never took all that time off focusing on recapturing the essence of what made his first LP a west coast horrorcore classic & refining it in a modern fashion. His own production is as consistent as the Coathanga Strangla trilogy back during the Strange Music days & most importantly, he sounds recharged on the mic breaking down where he started & where he’s at in his life currently whilst keeping it ripgut.

Score: 4.5/5

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Big Trip – “Honestly Filthy” review

This is the 3rd EP from Detroit, Michigan emcee Big Trip. A member of The Umbrella collective, he introduced himself in 2021 off his first EP Bullet Tooth Tony followed by another one Crasseux of course the full-length debut album Filth Be Thy Name. All of which showed the underground what Big Trip was capable of doing on his own, but felt Honestly Filthy would elevate since Maryland emcee/producer Jamil Honesty was hopping behind the boards for it.

“And Now You Know” starts off ruggedly introducing y’all to his sound refined whereas “Death Wish” takes the boom bap route instrumentally talking about everyone out there who want him dead. “Serenade” works in a pleasant soul sample encouraging to get rich by being real ones doing real shit prior to “Underplays & Overlays” featuring Ty Farris hooking the kicks & snares back up talking about making plays.

Starting the EP’s latter half, “Major League” gives it to them ice cold over a jazzy boom bap beat while “Gillie & Wallo” featuring Jamil Honesty likens themselves to the $1M Worth of Game hosts of the same names. “Filthy Cabaray” gives a middle finger to the fame & the imposters only wanting the money & finally, “Life’s a Gamble” ends Honestly Filthy talking about on some cutthroat shit likening his squad to gorillas & whipping up in the tank like Master P.

Being the 4th project that Big Trip has released of his own in the span of 3 years since beginning to make waves in the underground, it now zips past everything that he’s done previously to quickly take the #1 spot as the crown jewel of his entire discography so far. The production that Jamil Honesty’s cooks up is an excellent refinement of what you’ve heard from Trip in the past & the Detroit emcee jots down some of the hardest bars of his career yet.

Score: 4.5/5

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Willie Nelson – “The Border” review

Willie Nelson is a 91 year old musician, singer/songwriter, actor & activist from Abbott, Texas known for being one of the main figures of the outlaw country subgenre & being 1/4 of The Highwaymen. Standouts in his vast discography include Shotgun Willie, Phases & Stages, Red Headed Stranger, Stardust, Spirit & Teatro. Looking to celebrate a month after his birthday though, Buddy Cannon is producing the 75th full-length solo LP of material from country music’s favorite stoner.

The title track that starts us off with a decent cover of “The Border” by Rodney Crowell whereas “Once Upon a Yesterday” works in some acoustics, pianos so Willie can passionately sing about getting older reminiscing that we were all children working hard at play at one point in our lives. “What If I’m Out of My Mind” has a peppier country flare to it finding the girl of his dreams & after “When I Wrote This Song for You” covering Larry Cordle, the harmonica/guitar laced “Kiss Me When You’re Through” addressing a woman who told him she wouldn’t want him if he was the last person on Earth.

“Many a Long & Lonesome Highway” covers Rodney Crowell once again to start the 2nd leg of the album, this time the lead single off his 6th album Keys to the Highway leading into “Hank’s Guitar” telling a story from the perspective of the late great Hank Williams’ very own guitar. “Made in Texas” was a solid choice of a lead single paying tribute to his home state, but then the bluesy/country hybrid “Nobody Knows Me Like You” sings about Annie D’Angelo being the only person who knows him best. “How Much Does It Cost” ends the album with a powerful country ballad asking the cost of freedom.

As I stated when I reviewed Beyoncé’s new album Cowboy Carter couple months ago: Country music one of those genres that I’m not the biggest fan of altogether with some exceptions & Willie who did an interlude for B on the 2nd act of her ongoing trilogy is most certainly one of them. Nearly 7 decades in the game & The Border elevates everything that made A Beautiful Time his best album since Teatro to new levels. Buddy improves his production from Blueglass’ to help efficiently tell the inner struggles & outer life stories of a border guard.

Score: 4/5

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Tha Dogg Pound – “W.A.W.G. (We All We Got)” review

Long Beach, California emcee/producer Daz Dillinger & Philadelphia, Pennsylvania emcee Kurupt together known as Tha Dogg Pound returning to Death Row Records now distributed by gamma. for their 9th LP. I really shouldn’t have to say much about their 1995 full-length debut Dogg Food since it’s widely recognized as one of the last great albums that Death Row ever put out, but their comeback effort DPG 4 Life from a few years ago was easily their worst due to being plagued by tacky pop rap tunes. Nevertheless, I was certain W.A.W.G. (We All We Got) had to be the duo’s true return to form.

After the intro, the first song “Smoke Up” featuring WWE Hall of Famer Snoop Dogg produced by Rick Rock is this banging g-funk opener for all the west coast heads to light one up to whereas the title track featuring Tha Eastsidaz unites both groups together for the first time talking about having only each other. “Imma Dogg” takes the g-funk route once again thanks to DJ Battlecat reminding themselves of the Doggs they are leading into “Need Some Space” talking about needing their space over a cloudy Mike & Keys instrumental.

“Favorite Color Blue” is this playful club banger dedicated to their roots as Crips while “Inside of Her” picks up from there with a chilled out pop rap jam. “House Party” featuring Snoop Dogg pulls inspiration from Zapp a bit talking about going to the clubs, but then “After Hours” featuring DaBaby & Snoop Dogg warmly expresses their desire for it all even though my only complaint about it being DaBaby’s unnecessary verse at the beginning.

The electronic influences on “LA Kind of Love” featuring will.i.am on the remix feel outdated despite the west coast lyricism while “Grown Up” featuring Snoop Dogg heading for a delicate trap direction to the beat talking about everyone wanting to be grown. “The Weekend” featuring Jane Jane Handcock & October London turns the g-funk influences back up courtesy of Soopafly making time for their partners while “Always on My Mind” featuring Snoop Dogg bouncily refuses to give up. “Who da Hardest?” by the N’Matez & Snoop Dogg ends the album jumping over a DJ Premier instrumental flexing their prowesses.

Dogg Pound really couldn’t fumble on W.A.W.G. (We All We Got) much like they did with DPG 4 Life a few years ago especially since it’s their first album of newly recorded material to be released through Death Row in almost 3 decades & thankfully, Snoop helps give Daz & Kurupt their best offering in a while. They return to their roots stylistically on top of demonstrating their growth after being in the game so long, only having each other at the end of the day.

Score: 4/5

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