Dillon – “What We Have Done” review

Atlanta, Georgia based emcee, producer & engineer Dillon is back with his 7th full-length album. Coming up under the original moniker Intellekt, he would properly introduce himself in ‘07 with his debut mixtape Uncut & enlist Paten Locke for the debut Studies in Hunger a couple years later. Dillon would go on to follow this up with a sophomore effort Food Chain alongside On Their Way & The Tails of Lobsterdamus respectively. Coming off the J57-produced ‘83 Kids & unearthing some Uncut Gems with Diamond D of D.I.T.C. behind the boards, Batsauce is now returning to show What We Have Done.

After the titular intro, the first song “Mind Made” is an 100 second boom bap opener telling people to get off the internet whereas “Quiet as a Library” works in some vibraphones along with kicks & snares to talk about crews rolling up sleeves if a false move is made. “Eddie Farah” jazzily discusses having to find a way to bring the bag in prior to “Make History” grandly talking about continuing to do exactly that nearly 2 decades in the game.

“Cannonball” featuring Grand Puba brings the pair together for a fun ballad that the party people can get themselves loose with just before “Banana Peels” ruggedly declares that any problem with him is a vendetta of it’s own. “Accolades” featuring Jay Myztroh & Reef the Lost Cauze soulfully talks about making sacrifices to have Heaven now, but then “Wakin’ Up Hungry” featuring Headkrack ends the first half on some rugged hardcore shit.

To start the other leg, “Goin’ Viral” dreamily talks about coming from an era where the internet was all dial-up while “Ready on the Left” featuring Kool Keith sees the 2 over boom bap production boasting their wordplay. After the titular interlude, the trippy “Watercolors” featuring Quelle Chris shows y’all what both of their minds be sounding like while “Speak Easy” strips the drums to promise he’ll keep doing this until he can’t no more.

“Isiah Thomas” tells the story of Dillon meeting the titular Detroit Pistons player known during the Bad Boys era which I find really cool as someone from Detroit himself while “Rock Bottom” psychedelically talks about those wanting to watch him to slip up & fall. “Yoga Flame” concludes the LP groovily explaining that he was looking for a sign as opposed to seeking for love.

Over 6 years since Batsauce produced On Their Way, its successor What We Have Done lives up to the standards set by both ’83 Kids & Uncut Gems. In contrast to the latter serving as a willingness to run around the world together, they return for an open invitation to experience the trials & tribulations alongside the small wins & the big losses of being aging independent artists in an increasingly cut-throat world for music makers.

Score: 4/5

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Stoney Point – “Stoney Point 4” review

Stoney Point is an MC/producer duo from Los Angeles, California consisting of Demrick & DJ Hoppa. One of whom came to my attention after linking up with Ca$his who was on Shady Records at the time for a collab mixtape called Homeland Security & the other for being a former in-house producer for Funk Volume up until the label tragically imploded on itself. They first teamed up as Stoney Point for a self-titled debut in 2015 followed by the 2018 sequel & the 2021 trilogy chapter. Another 3 years later, they’re continuing the tradition releasing their 4th album together almost a decade after the eponymous debut.

Starting us off, “Keep Moving” hops over a piano/boom bap instrumental to admit that a lot’s changed in Demrick’s life over the course of the last year & striving to push forward whereas the psychedelic “Golden” works in more kicks & snares to talk about doing just fine these days. “Look for the Smoke” has a jazzier flare to the beat knowing it’s time to re-up when the bag’s starting to feel light just before “Taking Chances” lavishly talks about being careful for what he wishes for reflecting on simpler days.

“Nothing Stays the Same” picks up further from there with it’s symphonic boom bap production discussing that change is always constant leading into “That’s How It Goes” featuring Kail Problems with co-production from Moo Latte fuses acoustics with kicks & snares so they can set the trends instead of following them. “What’s Left of Me” soulfully talks about being giving a duck less what they think of him after going through a lot, but then “Safety Pins & Soda Cans” jazzily admits to doing drugs as much as the common man.

“Hotbox the Room” marks an eerier approach to the beat asking who got the weed & shrooms while the piano-driven “Keep Building” talks about taking it day by day & brick by brick so you can build up to what you want in life stacking higher than the ceiling. “Forever Faded” brings the keys, kicks & snares back to stay lifted all day every day while “The Recipe” has the LP’s best feature from K.A.A.N. over a soul sample never letting the game get the best of them.

Beginning the 4th quarter, “About a Bag” instrumentally feels reminiscent to Zapp explaining that’s exactly what it’s gotta be this day in age while “MVP” refers to himself as the Most Valuable Poet” over an orchestral boom bap beat. The penultimate track “Purple Peak in the Air” has a classy trap vibe generally getting higher than a bitch up in the slot & lastly, “The Plan” ends the album doing everything he can while he’s still here.

DJ Hoppa’s just produced Kail Problems & Marley B.’s latest collab EP Shot Clock from a few weeks ago, but the 4th installment of the Stoney Point saga sure enough joins Delusions of Grandeur back from May in being another consistently great project in the Broken Complex canon this year. The production varies from boom bap to trap, jazz rap, soul music, classical, pianos & acoustics providing the soundscape for De to put a current twist to the duo’s titular lifestyle.

Score: 4/5

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Uncle Kracker – “Coffee & Beer” review

Mt. Clemens, Michigan singer/songwriter, musician, rapper & DJ Uncle Kracker dropping his 6th studio LP under his own label Sturgeon General Records. The former turntablist for WWE Hall of Famer Kid Rock’s backing band Twisted Brown Trucker until Paradime took over that spot. His full-length solo debut Double Wide, the sophomore effort No Stranger to Shame, 72 & Sunny and Happy Hour would all come out through Top Dog Records with distribution from Atlantic Records over the course of the 2000s, coming off Midnight Special to write some Coffee & Beer tunes.

“High on My Horse” awkwardly bites the rhythm of “Greatest Show on Earth” off Sweet Southern Sugar for his verses making comparisons to a cowboy even though he isn’t one whereas the title track feels reminiscent of “Me & Bobby McGee” by Janis Joplin singing about love preserving. “Reason to Drink” instrumentally goes for a country rock vibe yearning to feel the best he’s been all day after getting drunk while the title track sings about hearts growing colder & beer warming up.

We get more elements of country rock seeping throughout “Just Like That” for a romance anthem that I feel comes off as corny just before the pop country-flavored “Cruising Altitude” ends the 1st half singing about his desires of getting this woman high. “Beach Chair” kicks off the 2nd half of Coffee & Beer singing about having no job & blasting Kid Rock’s music on his way to a party all the way out in Cocomo while “Get Back Home” incorporates a banjo looking to kill time until he’s returned to his residence.

“Lonely Lets You Down” feels heavily influenced by Old Dominion singing about love being nothing but a dirty word while “You Should’ve Loved Me” whines over someone texting him at 2 a.m. regarding her uncertainties. After the country-tinged “Rockabye” sings about getting sleep, “Sweet 16” looks back at his rebellious youth in contrast to becoming 50 only a couple years after Bob did while the closer “Mark on Me” ends Coffee & Beer singing about covering up old tattoos.

Outside of his 15 year affiliation with Kid Rock between the mid-90s & late 2000s, Uncle Kracker’s career has panned out similarly to Bobby’s in the sense of them originally making hip hop music in the earlier stages only to go full country rock once they saw mainstream success. Coffee & Beer however dethrones Midnight Special back when I was a sophomore in high school to become the worst album he’s ever made from the tasteless production recapturing the aesthetics of his contemporaries to his unimpressive vocals.

Score: 1/5

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Mi$tuh G – “Keep It G” review

This is the sophomore effort from Sacramento, California emcee/producer Mi$tuh G. Emerging within the underground at the beginning of this current ongoing decade off the strength of his full-length debut G Files, I myself subsequently found myself being introduced to his music in the summer of 2020 back when the whole world shut down as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic through his debut EP G.W.O. (G-World Order) conceptually revolving around all the events that had transpired at that point. He & Mak7teen brought Your Worst Nightmare to life a year later & is returning over 4 years later to Keep It G.

After the “Brandon Voicemail” intro, the first song “Flow” is this off-the-trap opener having y’all begging for another dose whereas “G’s Back” featuring Mak7teen works in more hi-hats continuing to take an eerier route atmospherically talking about coming back after 3 years. “Slide Out” brings a symphonic trap flare to the instrumental encouraging to send him the addy just before “The Best” featuring Lil Sicx & T Nutty brings the trio together sampling “The Message” by Grandmaster Flash & the Furious 5 except it has a g-funk twist entering a whole nother dimension.

“Not At All” moves on from there by taking it to the Bay cussing a bitch our on her cap leading into “Hangin’ Out the Window” keeps the pianos & hi-hats in tact getting in his braggadocio bag. Oakland veteran & the Crown Prince of Hyphy Mistah F.A.B. provides Keep It G’s best feature on the misty trap cut “Payin’ Dues” gettin’ their hustle on & after the “KM Radio” skit, “Remember the Name” gives off a vibrant yet soulful approach to the beat looking to separate himself from evil ties.

The ominous trap approach throughout “Revenue” is pretty cool making it clear he’s all about the income & after the “E-Moe Voicemail” skit, “That’s Mi$tuh G” charismatically retains his championship by the end of the song forever staying on the grind the penultimate track “Better Dayz” featuring Lace Leno nears the conclusion of the album looking for brighter days ahead of them. YFN Lucci surprisingly alongside YFN Traepound join G for the trap closer “Mafia” to live high so they ain’t gotta deal with lowlives.

Even I myself was curious as to what’s been going on with Mi$tuh G as of late & to hear that he’s back after so long with an entire LP of new material was just what I needed. Quite possibly better than the EP that put me onto his music few years ago. He’s most certainly grown from both an artistic & a personal perspective since then G makes that apparent, staying true to himself & having a tighter guest-list in comparison to G.W.O. (G-World Order).

Score: 3.5/5

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Daniel Son – “Bushman Bodega” review

Toronto, Ontario, Canada emcee Daniel Son has returned for his 7th LP. A member of the Brown Bag Money collective, his profile began to rapidly increase in the underground off projects like the Giallo Point-produced debut mixtape The Gunners or the Futurewave-produced sophomore album Yenaldooshi. He just teamed up with Raz Fresco a few months ago for the spectacular collab album Northside paying homage to the roots of the Toronto hip hop scene & is reuniting with Futurewave for the first time since Son Tzu & the Wav.God on Bushman Bodega.

“Symbiote Suit” couldn’t start off any better from the organ-laced boom bap instrumental to the hardcore lyricism keeping Toronto on lock whereas “Stone Cold works in some eerie pianos, kicks & snares looking to get them all out. “Line Busy” featuring Estee Nack menacingly advises to call them back later since they already busy on the phone as it is just before “No Man’s Land” dustily talks about everything being ugly.

Moving on from there, “Musashi” keeps the keys as well as the kicks & snares in tact providing a theme for those who need more leading into the jazzy boom bap crossover “30 Odd 6” featuring 36 Cypher telling y’all to get a plate since they in the hunting fields. “Trail Blazers” featuring Rome Streetz finds the 2 wordsmiths over a magically raw beat dropping lyrical pressure for 2 & a half minutes, but then “Seymour Stems” drumlessly advises to watch your mouth.

“Underground Parking” feat. Raz Fresco recaptures everything that made Northside the incredible collab effort it was & Futurewave elevating it while “Cleaning Staff” hops over vibraphones to fish for sharks through a storm. “Booger Sugar” featuring al.divino nears the conclusion of Bushman Bodega getting in their hardcore bag together over a haunting instrumental while “Owe Loot” ruggedly stands on his own. “Good on My Ones” closes shop on a psychedelic boom bap note having to get lost to find his way.

It’s been quite a while since we’ve gotten a solo project from Daniel Son that & his latest album here lands a cut above the same pedestal that Northsideset couple months ago. He & Futurewave have always had the type of chemistry where they’ve constantly brought the best out of each other over time, which is further exemplified by a near-perfect list of guests that match Daniel’s skill of lyricism along with killer beats & superb engineering.

Score: 4.5/5

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Autumn! – “You Never Was Mine” review

Here we have the 21st EP from Louisiana rapper, singer/songwriter & producer Autumn!. Gaining traction off all 20 of his previous EPs & a full-length debut on SoundCloud since 2018 prior to signing to Victor Victor Worldwide & Republic Records succeeding the Not Much Left EP, he made his major label debut nearly 2 years ago with his sophomore effort Antagonist! as well as following it up with the last 2 installments of the Golden Child trilogy & Midnight Club. Wick just delivered a sequel to Solitary in the spring & is back for You Never Was Mine.

“Now They Shocked!” is a vibrant plugg opener telling y’all to best believe whereas “F My Wrist!” keeps working synthesizers & hi-hats talking about what happens when your pockets start getting heftier. “Take Her Phone!” takes the cloudier route instrumentally brushing off the bullshit & going in at those who thought it was over for him, but then the synth-driven “Force His Hand!” addresses everyone that lost their minds.

The rage-inducing “Scammers Jackboys Robbers!” rounds out the first half of the EP discussing the type of people he hangs around while the beat on “Rose Gold Patek!” kinda gives me Detroit trap vibes showing off his new luxury watch you can’t find anywhere else. “Passionfruit Lemonade!” talks about being rich forever over synths & hi-hats just before the piano/trap hybrid “How You Mad!” shows off 30 bitches in his crib.

“Undercover!” nears the conclusion of You Never Was Mine blending a psychedelic loop with his-hats bragging that he made a total of $200K in only the span of 11 days & finally, “Backcourt!” officially ends the 2nd EP that Wick’s given us this year talking about knowing someone that chose the wrong side asking God for only bad bitches & fast cars explaining that at least he got his bread up regardless if he might not be happy yet at this point in his life.

What was supposed to be R5 and Pretty Girls & Fast Cars wound up becoming the first installment of a trilogy that makes me curious as to where he’ll go from here on the other 2 installments later once that time comes. His production maintains the trap/pop rap sounds of Solitary 2 except Autumn!’s swapping out the Chicago drill undertones of that previous EP in favor of rage & pairing it with additional elements of plugg.

Score: 3.5/5

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Blu – “Los Angeles” review

I believe this is the 12th proper full-length solo LP from Los Angeles veteran Blu. Becoming notorious in the underground in 2007 when he & Exile dropped their debut album Below the Heavens: In Hell Happy with Your New Imaginary Friend, he’s managed to put out a handful of collab projects & solo efforts of his own. The most notable being: Her Favorite Colo(u)r, the M.E.D.-assisted Bad Neighbor produced by Madlib, the Gods in the Spirit/Titans in the Flesh duology, the Oh No-produced A Long Red Hot Los Angeles Summer Night, the Damu the Fudgemunk-produced Ground & Water, The Color Blu(e), the Fatlip-assisted Live from the End of the World & the Real Bad Man-produced Bad News. Afrika & Out of the Blue produced by Nottz & Shafiq Husayn respectively were both disappointing due to the overabundance of guests, so I went into Los Angeles hoping it would be better. Especially since Evidence would be behind the boards for it.

“54th” strips the drums to properly begin shouting out everyone in the section whereas “The Land” works in a boom bap instrumental so he can describe what it’s like where he & Ev are both from. The title track keeps the kicks & snares in tact further explaining what goes down in the City of Angels leading into “3 Wheel Motion” featuring Kokane on the hook coastin’ over a syrupy beat & one I can find myself calming down to after smoking of the finest weed the state has.

“L.A. Tourists” featuring M.E.D. is this piano/boom bap crossover with a psychedelic switchup during the 2nd half talking about taking tourists on a ride through Los Angeles just before “L.A. Traffic” feat. Cashus King & Self Jupiter finds the trio acknowledging the crazy traffic that the city is known for over horns. “The Cold” hooks up woodwinds as Blu sums up where it blows rather than ever raining or snowing, but then grittily “Hell” talks about residents not letting you live.

The gospel sample throughout the boom bap-laced “Heaven” makes perfect sense recalling a letter he got from someone he knew who’s up in the pearly gates now explaining what it’s like while the crooning “Wish You Were Here” featuring Evidence himself passionately talks about standing tall for every hour you’re supposed to. “Lights at Night” featuring Domo Genesis & Navy Blue lavishly unites the trio to describe the city view during the evening while “Wild Wild West” soulfully speaks of his upbringings. “The LA” ends Los Angeles by mixing soul & jazz continuing the introspective lyricism.

In contrast to some of Blu’s latest stuff in the last few years, Los Angeles surpasses The Color Blu(e) as his strongest body of work in this current decade & even one of the best solo albums he’s ever done. Evidence’s production teeters between drumless, boom bap, jazz rap & chipmunk soul serving as the excellent backdrop for the man who Vince Staplesgave props to on the highlight track “Radio” off his latest album Dark Times to conceptually open up more around the part of the west coast they’re all from.

Score: 4.5/5

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Common – “The Auditorium” review

Here we have the highly anticipated 14th studio LP from Chicago, Illinois veteran Common. Emerging 3 decades back after being featured in the Unsigned Hype column of The Source back in the publication’s heyday, this resulted in a 3-album deal with Relativity Records shortly after & Can I Borrow a Dollar? was a solid debut even though you can tell that he still hadn’t come into his own yet. Com embraced the conscious hip hop that became universally known for with his next 2 albums Resurrection & One Day It’ll All Make Sense. Once we entered the new millennium, Common ended up signing to MCA Records for 2 albums: his magnum opus Like Water for Chocolate & the experimental Electric Circus. The label then dissolved at the beginning of 2003 & he jumped ship to G.O.O.D. Music/Geffen Records. Common’s debut under Ye formerly known as Kanye West’s then-newly formed label Be received universal acclaim, but Finding Forever was a respectable follow-up & I can’t really say the same for the hip house-centered Universal Mind Control. After his contract with G.O.O.D./Geffen was fulfilled, he decided to reunite with No I.D. & drop The Dreamer/The Believer under Warner Records before Immenslope was granted his own Def Jam Recordings imprint ARTium Recordings. Nobody’s Smiling was a great response to the ever-increasing crime rate in his hometown & the Karriem Riggins-produced Black America Again was even greater given that it was revolves around the 2016 presidential election. But it’s safe to say that Common has been making himself home at Loma Vista Recordings & sticking with Karriem on the production end of things these last couple years, as proven on Let Love alongside his debut EP A Beautiful Revolution & it’s sequel. Now, one of my top 5 producers of all-time Pete Rock is being brought in to produce The Auditorium looking to become the best we’ve heard from the executive producer of The Chi on the Paramount Skydance Corporation-owned Showtime network in nearly 2 decades.

“Dreamin’” samples “Day Dreaming” by the late Aretha Franklin & “People Moving” by Azar Lawrenceto get the ball rollin’ namedropping his influences whereas “Chi-Town Does It” smoothly represents his hometown of Chicago topped by the Ye single “All Falls Down” during the scratch hook, which was an excellent touch. “This Man” is a horn/boom bap hybrid explaining that the game is safe in his very arms leading into the groovy “We’re On Our Way” talking about the destination being constant elevation.

Pete’s sampling of “Guarde nos Olhos” by Ivan Lins throughout “Fortunate” kinda gives me J Dilla vibes which we already know Pete was a huge influence to the Detroit producer & Com’s lyricism expressing his gratitude for being alive to this day feels heartwarming just before “So Many People” soulfully talks about the fact that a lot seek him especially. “Wise Up” heads for a hardcore boom bap direction so he can show everyone in the place his philosophical prowess, but then the gospel rap inspired “A GOD (There Is)” makes tons of religious references that don’t come off tacky or forced.

“Stellar” starts the 2nd leg of The Auditorium on a summery boom bap note talking about shining & rising simultaneously while “Lonesome” mixes a vocal sample with kicks & snares asking if one is feeling rather lonely. “All Kind of Ideas” featuring Pete Rock himself keeps it in the basement instrumentally flipping “Last Night Changed It All (I Really Had a Ball)” by Esther Williams as they rip up the mic together while “When the Sun Shines Again” featuring Pete Rock once again accompanied by Posdnuos of De La Soul luxuriously talks about everyone shining. “Everything’s So Grand” fuses jazz with soul & boom bap assuring the listeners that everything will be good in the end while the final song “Now & Then” prior to the outro ending the LP with fireworks still stepping to the mound occasionally.

His 4th project with Loma Vista in the last 5 years & the Chicago veteran Common returns with the best one yet legitimately ranking in the S tier with Like Water for Chocolate, Be & Resurrection. Pete Rock’s production makes him & everyone else feel the spirit of what he always loved in hip hop & soul music, taking us to a place where he could just MC freely like he & the audience are home. They blend the past, present & future into a cohesively timeless & amazing musical journey being true to themselves doing what they love. If these 2 keep working with one another going forward, it would be more than welcoming.

Score: 4.5/5

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Tech N9ne – “C.O.S.M. (Class of Strange Music)” review

Kansas City, Missouri’s very own Tech N9ne returning for his 25th full-length studio album although the 9th in his Collabos series & the first since Strange Reign roughly 7 years ago. Starting out 3 decades back as a member of the groups Black Mafia as well as the 57th Street Rogue Dog Villians & the Nnutthowze, his profile began to increase in the late 90’s after landing a spot on the Gang Related soundtrack & becoming among the first to join Yukmouth’s then-newly formed collective The Regime. But after having issues with Interscope Records & Universal Music Group following the release of his iconic 3rd album Anghellic, that’s when Tech decided to form his own label with the help of a man at Paradise Originals named Travis O’Guin. Together, they would call it Strange Music & solidified itself as one of if not the biggest indie label in the world. Tech has made it a tradition to drop a project or 2 every year since Everready (The Religion) back in ‘06 except for 2022, returning last summer Bliss to mixed reception. C.O.S.M. (Class of Strange Music) on the other hand had me hoping it would be the best Collabos entry since my personal favorite Welcome to Strangeland.

After the “Greetings” introductory skit, the first song “No Popcorn” hops over a fun old school instrumental so he can get everyone rockin’ on whereas “Bigger” featuring King Iso & Zkeircrow works in strings & hi-hats to talk about their desire for growth ever since they were children. “ZOD (I Win I Always Win)” featuring Joey Cool, Kevin Gates & Snow Tha Product kinda has a trap metal vibe to the beat with plinky keys thanks to Mario Casalini forever catching Ws while the ghostly “Disgusted” featuring Hopsin & Killer Mike brings the trio together to catch bodies with Tech & Killer Mike both going harder than Hop.

“Roll Call” featuring JL, Joey Cool, King Iso, Lex Bratcher, Rittz & X-Raided was a wicked fresh Strange posse cut produced by Wyshmaster allowing the alumni to come out to play like The Warriors just before “Let It Bang” featuring Y8$ having a futuristic trap flare instrumentally to hop in the whip & the bass go. “Sour Dough” featuring Keak da Sneak & LaRussell comes through with a hyphy banger despite an awkwardly unintelligible hook from Stunnaman02 leading into “I’m Just Tryna Get” featuring KC Young Boss, Miss Kush, Roblo Dastar & Shay Lyriq being another posse cut this time revolving around Kansas City over a guitar & fingersnaps.

X-Raided returns accompanied by The Popper for “Walter Sobchak (Am I Wrong?)” hooking up a gospel sample asking if they wrong for letting the gat off of anyone who breaks into their homes, but then “P.O.W. (Prisoners of War)” featuring Marley Young is a decently cloudy trap cut with Freek van Workum formerly N4 behind the boards talking about being saluted when they come around their parts. After the “Bathroom” skit, “Drippy Drop” featuring Skatterman & Snug Brim feels like an aquatic club banger reuniting the first duo to sign with the Snake & Bat while “The Ghost of Rosetta Tharpe” featuring Ako Mack & Lajon Witherspoon goes trap metal again delivering politically conscious subject matter.

“Sin Miedo” by the Nnutthowze featuring G-Mo Skeewas one of the most anticipated tracks here that lived up to my expectations since the 6688846993 & the filthiest Majik Ninja Entertainment artist talk about making mean fellas including a reference to TKO Group Holdings co-founder Vince McMahon being under federal probe for human trafficking & sexual battery over grisly boom bap production while “I Got Time Today” featuring ¡MAYDAY! serves as a colorful ballad simply about having the time today that NonMS cooked up. “Take That L9ve Back” featuring Marcus Yates formerly known as Oobergeek explaining what they should’ve said on top of his-hats & vibraphones while “Boomer Rang” featuring K.A.A.N., Stevie Stone & Ubiquitous formerly of the CES Cru atmospherically warns that they don’t fuck around.

After the “L.9.V.E. 4EVA” skit, “I Know the Real” featuring C-Mob somberly disses those who ain’t walkin’ it like they talkin’ it out here while “Sniper’s Remorse” featuring King Iso & Trae tha Truth has a heartbreaking tone aesthetically talking about not being unable to fight anymore & being caught up the guilt of a sniper. “Underdog” featuring Head da Don & X-Raided nears the conclusion of the first Collabos offering in 7 years with a trap metal cut tackling the theme of being misunderstood & “Ain’t Gon’ Be Another” featuring Jehry Robinson ends on an acoustic trap note discussing uniqueness.

Wasn’t sure if Tech was ever gonna give us another Collabos album again considering the gap between this & Strange Reign, I have to admit that I found myself enjoying C.o.S.M. (Class of Strange Music) more than the last couple albums of his own Asin9ne & Bliss. This new one has much more consistent production than the other 2 & as a Strange Music fan since my adolescence, it’s amazing that he got a bunch of artists from the label’s history past & present alongside some notable artists outside of Strangeland.

Score: 3.5/5

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Action Bronson – “Johan Sebastian Bachlava the Doctor” review

New York City emcee, songwriter, chef, wrestler & television host Action Bronson enlisting Daringer & The Alchemist to produce his 8th full-length studio LP. Blowing up with release of his debut album Dr. Lecter in 2011, he then landed a joint venture with VICE Music & Atlantic Records while following up his debut with a couple EPs & mixtapes. The most notable being the Blue Chips duology, Saab Stories & my personal favorite: Rare Chandeliers. He then put out his major label debut Mr. Wonderful in 2015 & it has some of his best songs on there, but the end result would be a more glitzy mixed bag. He fulfilled his contracts by dropping Blue Chips 7000 & celebrated his freedom the next year in the form of White Bronco which were both solid, but didn’t reach the caliber of Lamb Over Rice the Thanksgiving after. Only for Dolphins though was pretty mid given that some of the production choices were questionable & Cocodrillo Turbo was a bounce back. As for Johan Sebastian Bachlava the Doctor, I went into it hoping it would be Bronson’s best album yet.

“Splash (Provocativ)” is this relaxing, jazzy opener showcasing a new fragrance from Bachlava when it’s all said & done whereas “SEGA” works in some haunting organ melodies from Uncle Al referring to himself as that muthafucka you don’t wanna rump with since he’ll moonsault off the top of a boat like WWE Hall of Famer, 6-time WWE world champion, WWE Intercontinental Champion, WWE United States Champion, WWE Tag Team Champion, WWE Hardcore Champion, IWGPヘビー級チャンピオン, the inaugural 6-time TNA World Champion, TNA X Division Champion & 2-time TNA World Tag Team Champion Kurt Angle. “Nourish a Thug” hooks up pianos as well as kicks & snares from Daringer talking about taking temperatures the old fashioned way just before “Hideo Nomo” strips the drums explaining that his horoscope told him to get more cake out here.

Meanwhile on “Salvaje”, we have Bronson over more laidback production looking to smash guitars over heads like the 2nd longest reigning WWE Intercontinental Champion & WWE Hall of Famer The Honky Tonk Man did to current AEW manager, WWE Hall of Famer & former SMW Heavyweight Champion Jake “The Snake” Roberts on top of comparing a battle to one between the late WWE Hall of Famer “Rowdy” Roddy Piper who had his last match in Juggalo Championship Wrestling (JCW) leading into Meyhem Lauren joining him for the rock-influenced “Hogan” humorously talking about bitches who look like the inaugural IWGPヘビー級チャンピオン, former 12-time WWE world champion, WWE tag team champion, 2-time WWE Hall of Famer & Real American Beer founder Hulk Hogan.

“Citrus Wahoo” featuring Meyhem once again lecturing you for what you did wrong only to get stomped out with Bronson comparing himself to WWE Hall of Famer as well as their current Senior Vice President of Talent Development Creative & NXT Head of Creative Shawn Michaels, but then “Kompressor” featuring Larry June charmingly talks about always coming through.

“NBA Leather on NBC” featuring The Alchemist himself jumps over keys & a harmonica pairing up the New York Knicks & the Chicago Bulls while the song “Shadow Realm” pours his heart off talks about trying to take off for so long in the midst of everyone hanging from land again. “Doctor” ends the LP drumlessly comparing his life to a scene from the 1979 masterpiece Apocalypse Now.

I’m really proud to see where Action Bronson has come in over a decade from his initial rise to the top over a decade ago to Fuck, That’s Delicious’ increasing popularity & even his brief AEW appearances in at All Out IV & Grand Slam II. Now over 13 years since his debut tape, he celebrates his mom’s born day by releasing my new favorite full-length of his. For only a half hour, we get a heart-to-heart dedication to all the Day 1s & even the newest members in Bachlava’s coalition.

Score: 4.5/5

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