Brooklyn emcee Meechy Darko is returning with a brand new EP of solo material. Starting as 1/3 of the trio Flatbush ZOMBiES with his childhood friends Zombie Juice & Erick the Architect, they would go on to release a couple mixtapes & albums together throughout the previous decade all to critical acclaim before focusing on solo careers since their debut EP now, more than ɘver… came out a few summers back. Meech was the first up at bat with a full-length executive produced by Dot da Genius last summer called Gothic Luxury which es solid in it’s own right, but is looking to hold fans off until an upcoming sophomore effort with Doses.
“This is Doses” starts off the EP by promising to never overdose over a cloudy trap instrumental whereas “360° Resurrection” keeps things atmospheric stripping the hi-hats talking about trippin’ with drugs all in his system. “Falling…” gives off a psychedelic vibe instrumentally explaining that the good keeps dyin’ younger & all these evil motherfuckers continuing to live just before “No, Thyself (Paranoia)” featuring Nyck Caution finds the 2 over a drumless loop talking about how they know the message once the acid hits & Nyck hooking dude up with what could possibly be my favorite guest appearance on the project personally.
“The Slaughter” details calling Meechy’s grandma clutchin’ on the Bible over a jazzy ass beat leading into “HELLalujah” talking about being unable to serve money & God over an excellently crafted trap instrumental from Kirk Knight. “LASTNITE (Confessions of a Pussyholic)” featuring Anthony Flammia goes for a tranquil vibe thanks to Erick the Architect tackling the themes of sex while “That, I Could Live Wit” woozily talks about being different following his father’s passing. “TheWorldAlreadyEnded.” though happens to be a piano-driven closer burning money in the apocalypse.
I still prefer Gothic Luxury by a hair but regardless, Doses holds off finely until Meech is ready to unleash his sophomore effort into the world presumably another year from now. Yes the production on that previous LP is a bit stronger, it’s that the honesty Meechy showed throughout the predecessor which made it so enjoyable makes its way over here
Boston underground producer Stu Bangas is back again for a sophomore full-length LP solely under his own name. For over the last 15 years, the dude’s résumé is an ever-growing list of veterans ranging from members of the Army of the Pharaohs collective to the late Sean Price. But since 2019, he’s been steadily grinding his ass off producing projects for the likes of Ill Bill & Recognize Ali. However with the 2-year anniversary of his official full-length debut Death Wish approaches next month, Stu’s returning for a sequel.
After the intro, the first song “Inhumans” by Apathy couldn’t have started off the album any better with it’s to boom bap instrumental the lyrics that take everyone who’s tuning in on a trip through the underground whereas “Sus” by Ras Kass works in some twinkling chimes as well as kicks & snares to talk about hating it when people act suspect. “Of Course It’s Me” by Ty Farris happens to be synthesizer/boom bap crossover boasting that both of them be unstoppable leading into “Hooligan Music” by Da Flyy Hooligan hooks up a flute over kicks & snares providing a theme song for the hoodlums.
“Y’all Clowns” by Celph Titled & Psycho Les after an interlude finds the 2 getting in their hardcore bags over a quirky boom bap beat just before “Gracious” by SmooVth cooking up more synths with kicks & snares explaining that his state of mind is hurtful. “The Garden” by Timbo King keeps it rugged clarifying this that different taste but after another interlude, “Feeling Brolic” by Recognize Ali & Vangarde takes the symphonic boom bap route feeling like they have a extremely muscular physique. The final “Deity” by Raze the Ratchet prior to the outro ends the album heinously calls for him rappers to face scrutiny.
Almost 2 years later & Death Wish is still one of my favorite producer curated LPs that I’ve heard in recent memory, so that was more than enough to have me anticipate hearing what Stu was gonna do with the sequel & I enjoy it as much as the predecessor. Only a couple weak guest performances like last time, but the boom bap production still hits hard & a majority of those who take the mic rip it up.
The City Girls are a duo from Miami, Florida consisting of Yung Miami & JT. Both of whom have put out 2 full-lengths & a mixtape under Quality Control Music throughout the past 6 years to mixed reception. JT would go on to become Lil Uzi Vert’s girlfriend with Yung Miami having a child with Southside & recently breaking up with Puff Daddy a.k.a. P. Diddy or Diddy at the beginning of 2023. Nonetheless, the singles they’ve releasing leading up to their 3rd & final LP have actually been some of their best songs ever namely the improved production choices that their previous material lacked.
After the intro, the first song “Piñata” is a industrial no melody trap opener produced by Southsidetalking about how their significant others wanna hit it whereas “Static” featuring Lil Durk works in some pianos & hi-hats thanks to Tay Keith telling dirty bitches not to worry about them at all. “No Bars” by JT fuses hyphy with crunk & mobb music kickin’ it off top solo dolo just before “Line Up” pulls from ratchet music getting raunchy of course.
“Show Me the Money” gives me a bit of a Miami bass vibe instrumentally talking about the dollars leading into the pop rap ballad “Emotions” featuring Muni Long pleading not to let them fall in love for nothing when it’s all said & done. “Fancy Ass Bitch” featuring Juicy J samples “Int’l Players Anthem (I Choose You)” by UGK & OutKast showing off how fancy both of them are, but then “Good Love”featuring Usher draws inspiration from Atlanta bass detailing being freaked in the city.
The “Drop It Like It’s Hot” sample throughout the pointlessly minute & a half “Work for It” is ok even though the braggadocious lyrics are cool while “I Need a Thug” picks things back up from the bounce undertones that 30 Roc cooks up to the “I Need Love” interpolation looking to get with thugs. “Flashy” featuring Kim Petras dabbles with nu disco describing their ostentatious lifestyles while “Wigs” is a decent ode to the amount of wigs they own.
“Face Down” finds Mike WiLL Made-It cooking up an off-the-wall beat blending hyphy & ratchet music so Miami & JT look to be slutted out while the rubbery “What You Want” produced by Hitmaka & OG Parker talking about their lovers always getting them what they want. “Tonight” goes for a futuristic approach looking to do it all night while “Survive” hooks up a soul sample & hi-hats getting more personal. To close the album however, “Fuck the D to the A” ends things with a Detroit trap instrumental from Helluva bringing it hardcore.
You know I’ve never been big into the City Girls’ past material, but I gotta say that R.A.W. (Real Ass Whores) lived up to my expectations as the most well-crafted body of work in their discography. It’s refreshing to hear their production choices being stepped up with a variety of different sounds, the feature-list is tight & both of them delivering solid performances of their own. Pretty good note to end on for them as they embark on their solo careers.
Anarchy is a 42 year old MC from Kyoto, Japan getting his start in 2006 off his full-length debut Rob the World followed by Dream & Drama and Diggin’ Anarchy respectively. Following his debut mixtape D.G.K.A. (Dirty Ghetto King Anarchy) alongside his next couple LPs New Yankee & The King, it wasn’t until Anarchy’s very first EP Noise Cancel celebrating it’s 2-year anniversary of the summer being the last time we heard from him. But for his 2nd EP, we’re being treated to Statik Selektah producing the whole thing.
“Light Up” sets the tone of what’s to come by weaving a rock-inspired boom bap instrumental into the fold so Anarchy can kick some flows in Japanese rockin’ it with Statik once more from start to finish whereas “Reach featuring C.O.S.A. finds the 2 over a cloudy backdrop with kicks & snares talking about the city of dreams. “Brooklyn” pushes near the end of the EP keeps it dusty with a heavenly sample flip paying homage to the titular city in Kings County, New York & “Pass the Mic” ending My Mind on a warm boom bap note encouraging to have the microphone given to him.
Although Nujabes & the Teriyaki Boyz have always stood as my favorite acts within the Japanese hip hop scene throughout my life, Anarchy’s been putting it down for nearly 2 decades & this new EP with Statik Selektah has to be one of the best I’ve heard this year. Statik’s boom bap production matched with Anarchy’s improved performances compared to Noise Cancel makes a great introduction to anyone who hasn’t heard of him in America.
Hardcore super-duo H.A.R.D. returning for their 3rd full-length LP. Consisting of Joell Ortiz & KXNG CROOKED, both of whom have had notorious label issues at the start of their careers, but would go on to see success as members of the supergroup Slaughterhouse along with Royce da 5’9” & Joe Budden from the late 2000s up until the mid-2010s. The quartet had quietly disbanded in 2016 after Joe’s retirement from making music even though it wasn’t confirmed until 2 years later, but the other 3 members have been keeping themselves busy ever since. H.A.R.D. introduced themselves a couple months after the pandemic hit with an incredible eponymous debut EP along with 2 full-lengths last year: The Rise & Fall of Slaughterhouse and Harbor City. But coming off JFKLAX, they’re now looking to Prosper.
“The Tale of 2 Cities” is a groovy boom bap opener talking about coming from Brooklyn & Long Beach respectively whereas “Still” smoothly makes it known that both parties are out here grinding. “Dodgers 2” works in a sample, kicks & snares for a sequel to “Dodgers” off their latest EP just before & “War Outside” blends these strings with hi-hats to describing the harsh realities of the streets.
Moving on from there, “Sunroof” hooks up this alluring vocal chops from The Heatmakerz explaining why be so calm in the booth leading into the soulful title track as Crook & Yaowa come from a more introspective side of things looking live on & live long. “Wife Her (Snipe Her)” groovily gets romantic promising that no man could compete with them while “W.I.F.E.” blends these jazzy horns & crooning samples talking about having no one to grow with ‘cause they don’t know shit.
“Black Tie Affair” continues to push towards the end of the Housing Authority Rap District’s 3rd album returning to the boom bap boasting their top dog mentalities sipping champagne & lighting a cigar up until the soulful “No More” ends the album no longer staying humble paying homage to “Back in the Day” by Ahmed during the hook.
Harbor City & JFKLAX are still both enjoyable projects, but I know both of these guys can put out another body of work that’s on par with self-titled or Rise & Fall of Slaughterhouse because they continue to show it a year & a half later. They’re both veterans & still have chemistry that’s no question, I just think they need more consistent production much like how Signature was better than Autograph itself.
Sophomore full-length LP from 18 year old Rochester up-&-comer Slump6s. Ever since the pandemic, he’s built a name for himself in the rage/drill scenes by releasing a total of 10 EPs & a debut album up to this point. However, he’s returning over a year later after Genesis by taking us through his Exodus.
The intro is a futuristic trap opener dropping braggadocio whereas “Habits” featuring Dvertigo finds the 2 keeps things cloudy so both of them can talk about how every day is a new mannerism to them. “Sex” takes a more atmospheric approach instrumentally from CXO & che struggling with the problem of too many hoes to pick from as far as the one he wants to smash, but then the riot-inducing “Often” talks about falling in love with the crosshairs & hanging with the dogs.
“Solid” blends these finger snaps & a UFO-like backdrop keeping it exactly that just before “Tags” hooks up these synths & hi-hats to talk about how he didn’t come this far for no reason. “YSL” wavily detailing a chick that wants all of him & debating on whether or not he should go for the kill leading into quasi-quirky “Frontline” talking about turning up in the AM.
Meanwhile, “Karma” spaciously acknowledges that destiny be watching everything he does prior to “Nicki” shooting for a playful sound comparing this hoe that he with to Nicki Minaj herself. “Flu” featuring OsamaSon is a favorite of mine as both of them energetically boast while the cavernous “Issey” talking about going global.
“Gotchu” nears the end of the LP by singing with heavy auto-tune over an electronic beat & the closer “Amore” rounds out the album by vigorously talking about being the king of the hill. The booming bonus cut “$$$” however truly saves things for last telling a bitch straight up that she doesn’t have a clue of exactly what the fuck he’s been on.
Genesis & even some of the features that I’ve heard Slump on up to this point have shown me that there is in fact potential in him even though that & his EPs are more moderately received compared to his debut tape Origin, but I think we get a look from him on a new level with this sophomore effort. The production’s better & he’s displaying his versatility more.
Naomi Sharon is a 28 year old singer/songwriter from Rotterdam, Zuid-Holland, Netherlands who started out in 2018 with her debut single “Breeze”. She would go on to release 4 more singles until Toronto superstar Drake made her the newest signee to OVO Sound this past summer. So after building up some hype for this full-length debut LP over here in the form of a couple singles, we’re getting a proper introduction to her a couple weeks after For All the Dogs became the best thing Drizzy has done since 2015.
“Definition of Love” is a great opener drawing from sophisti-pop, alternative R&B, afrobeats & UK bass singing that her partner is exactly that whereas “If This Is Love” works in a smooth soul instrumental singing about this man’s beauty becoming strange to her. “Another Life” fuses alternative R&B with ambient house, ambient pop, downtempo & afro house confessing that her heart is aching even though she promised herself that she wouldn’t break it leading into the acoustic “Myrrh” passionately sings about an anciеnt love filling the room.
40’s production on maybe my favorite track here “Celestial” is absolutely dreamy with Naomi on top of it telling the person that she’s no longer seeing that she actually still adores him just before the moody, afro house infused “Time & Trust” advises that the 2 things don’t mix. “Push” featuring Omah Lay is an afrobeats duet with both singers tackling themes of intimacy, but then “Holding in Place” has a bit of a wavy chilled out EDM influence to the beat singing about times like this not lasting forever & doing the best she can to keep the most important person in her life with her.
“Extacy” discusses losing empathy & parts of her are already starting to move on over a luscious instrumental while the cavernously produced “Lucid Dreamer” explains that there’s no luxury worth living. “Regardless” assures this guy that she’ll stick around even if she’s brokenhearted accompanied by some acoustics & after the “If This Is Love” outro, the bonus track “Hills” truly ends Naomi’s debut album with a tropical vibe singing about having a dude loving love that wasn’t for them.
Starting the deluxe run officially, “Nothing Sweeter” balances between contemporary R&B & neo-soul with a hint of singer/songwriter explaining that nothing else hits different for her than the first kiss from the love of her live while “Goodbyes (Myrrh)” experiments with deep house & garage house with the help of DJ Snake for a reimagined successor to “Myrrh” & one that I find myself enjoying significantly compared to the original version of it.
OVO as a label generally tends to be mid in what they have to offer alternative R&B alongside trap & pop rap, but I can definitely see why Drake signed Naomi Sharon to begin & am interested in hearing her blossom artistically going forward. She incorporates elements of afrobeats, downtempo, sophisti-pop & afro house into the PBR&B sound that October’s Very Own specializes in with an additionally clear Sade influence.
Gucci Mane is a 43 year old rapper, record executive & entrepreneur from Atlanta, Georgia emerging in the mid-2000s becoming one of the Big 3 pioneers in trap music alongside T.I. & Jeezy as well as having one of if not the largest discography throughout the entire subgenre that continues to grow today. He spent a good bulk of this decade signing acts to 1017 Global putting out a number of showcase compilations that successfully gave these newer cats more exposure. Wop’s last solo effort Ice Daddy in 2021 was a solid commemoration to fatherhood & he’s looking to return in the form of his 16th album following former 5-time NWA World’s Heavyweight Champion, former PWG World Champion & WWE’s Director of Live Events Adam Pearce’s first night as the GM of the Monday Night RAW brand on USA Network.
“Must Be Me” is a soulful, jazzy trap opener talking about how he’s seeing something that everyone else doesn’t whereas “Bluffin’” featuring Lil Baby hooks up these synthesizers & hi-hats together so both of them can call for some of these people out here to throw their hand in & stop all that cap. “Thank Me” featuring the late Young Dolph gives off a manic atmosphere musically boasting they got blue cheese in their pockets leading into “Trap Money” with underwhelming features from Li Rye & Sett hopping over a classy sample & more hi-hats flexing that they still got paper from their hustling days.
Dolph returns for the rubbery “Pretty Girls” produced by Mike WiLL Made-It showing off all the baddies that they have surrounding them just before “Glizock & Wizop” featuring Key Glock happens to be a decent introduction to the titular trio of the same name from the synth-woven trap beat to the boastfully icy lyrics. “Internet Chatter” makes it known that he isn’t phased by all the things they say about him online accompanied by a minimal trap sound that Dez Wright & Murda Beatz cooked up just before the shimmery “Talkin to the Streets” featuring Mac Critter drops off decent braggadocio.
“There I Go” featuring J. Cole has these cavernous undertones to the beat that Mike WiLL brings to the table here knowing that the hoes jump out the gym for both of them while “Mr. & Ms. Perfect” feels like a spiritual successor to a highlight off Wop’s 8th mixtape Mr. Perfect over 15 years ago. “I Know” vigorously produced by Tay Keith declares his awareness off how much it hurts people knowing he’s doing well while the piano-driven “Stomach Grumbling” ends the first half of the LP explaining that they want to be him despite the difficulty of doing so.
To start the 2nd leg, “Business Not Personal” gives off a theatrical edge instrumentally advising not to get emotional over any business matters as it has nothing to do with you personally while the cloudy “King Snipe”featuring Kodak Black & Richie Souf talks about being real from the jump. “06 Gucci” featuring DaBaby & 21 Savage finds the trio paying homage to Chicken Talk/Hard to Kill-era Gucci delving into the gangsta lifestyle accompanied by strings & hi-hats while the spacious “Pissy” featuring Nardo Wick & Roddy Ricch shows off their yellow gold.
The organ/trap hybrid that Zaytoven gives “Say No Mo” is interestingly distinct talking about not wanting to hear another word from anyone that doesn’t want to talk money while the fittingly lavish “Married with Millions” details the life of having a family as a millionaire. “Woppenheimer” goes for a suspenseful vibe pointing out that people like bringin’ up the past talkin’ recently while “Now It’s Real” talks about life being as beautiful as Pharrell & WWE Hall of Famer Snoop Dogg over keys & hi-hats.
“Broken Hearted” airily asks if anyone can cure the heartbreak that he’s experiencing while “Hurt People” remains in trillwave turf once more uniquely examining why everyone likes to cause harm to one another in our daily lives. “By the Water” sees Zaytoven lacing Wop with a synth-trap beat expressing for his desire to cop a house that has an ocean view & the closer “Big Boy Diamonds” is taken from WOPTOBER II. Better than “King Snipe” but much like “Mr. & Mrs. Perfect”, it’s an older cut that has no purpose of reappearing here.
I was interested in hearing that Breath of Fresh Air was going to be a double-disc LP considering the World War 3 mixtape that celebrated it’s 10-year anniversary over the summer happens to be one of my favorite projects from the trap pioneer. With that said: It’s not as solid as Ice Daddy was over 2 & a half years ago. Although I like that he took a different direction with it after the deaths & incarcerations of some of his friends, the production is a mixed bag & a few features punch under their weight other than a couple older tracks being rehashed.
This is the 7th full-length LP from one of Detroit’s greatest MCs: Guilty Simpson. Coming up as a member of the Almighty Dreadnaughtz collective & a frequent collaborator of the late J Dilla, it wasn’t until late March of 2008 where he officially branched out on a solo career by having Stones Throw Records back his incredible full-length debut Ode to the Ghetto. He has since followed it up with a handful of equally great projects including his Madlib-produced sophomore album O.J. Simpson, the Apollo Brown-produced Dice Game; the Oh No-produced Simpson Tape & more recently the Gensu Dean-produced EGO just to name a few. But coming off the Guilt EP the previous summer, we’re looking at an Escalation assisted by Staten Island producer Uncommon Nasa.
“Spillage” is a dusty synth-laced opener with Guilty talking about how it’s like the realest shit ever to him when he’s poolin’ in a chill setup whereas “Fast Talk Maturity” takes a more cavernous approach instrumentally refusing to pit stop whilst in the middle of being in a paper race. “Smoker’s Guilt” works in a vocal sample boasting that he’s in the corner with the bud lit just before “The Devil” returns to the boom bap reminding everyone that Satan’s a lie.
Meanwhile, Guillotine Crowns & Short Fuze join Guilt for “The Era That Doesn’t Know” over mind-altering beat with some kicks & snares talking about how it’s like a trip to his city with his verse planned leading into the grim “S.T.F.U. (Shut The Fuck Up)” telling everyone that revenge is a heavy load. “Easy” is a synth/boom bap crossover talking about how he makes it look simple as Hell, but then the groovy “Can’t Trust Them” featuring Shortrock discussing people that he’s unable to trust.
To start the final leg of the album, Quelle Chris has it’s best feature on the morbidly produced “Stakeouts” getting in their storytelling bag vividly painting the imagery of a stakeout in place while “Ratz” gives off an electro influence to the beat talking about snitches. The woodwind/boom bap hybrid “Rumble” flexing that the formula was perfected in a matter of seconds & “Storm’s Coming” rounds out the LP by thunderously cautioning that something bigger’s coming on the horizon.
Now whatever it is that Guilt has for us in the pipeline has me highly anticipating it & Escalation shows a significant elevation in sound for this reviewer’s hometown veteran. The production draws inspiration from Guilt’s past collaborators Jaylib, Apollo Brown, Gensu Dean, Black Milk & Katalyst with the Detroit emcee himself pulling from his late friend Dilla also & even the late Sean Price of the Boot Camp Clik.
This is a brand new collaborative EP between Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada born albeit Compton, California raised emcee Jay Worthy alongside Oakland recording artist Kamaiyah. Both of whom have crossed paths with one another on previous singles like “Bullshit” & “Good Lookin’” throughout the duration of these last 3 years, but both west coast spitters are now looking to take things to the next level by enlisting Brooklyn beatsmith Harry Fraud behind the boards to fully produce THE AM3RICAN DREAM.
“9AM” is a triumphantly soulful kickstarter talking about the pigs knocking on their doors at 9am pacific time or noon eastern since both emcees are out in Cali whereas “Money in the Bag” has a jazzier boom bap flare talking about making that bread. “Pressure” featuring Buddy & Guapdad 4000 finds the quartet joining forces takes a groovier route admitting freaks they type, but then “Good Shit” featuring Max B flips another soul sample talking about smoking that good weed.
To start the 2nd half of the EP, “Pull Up” brings in the funk for an irresistibly fun party-starter just before “Entrepreneur” goes for a cloudier approach cautioning that shit’s gonna be getting real scary. “Figueroa Fortunes” references the luxuries of the major north-south street in Los Angeles County while “Ragtop Riches” gives me a bit of a summer feeling talking about being the highway dippin’. “Streetlights” lastly closes out this EP by asking what you would do for the spotlight over a chopped up soul flip.
It’s no 2 P’z in a Pod, but what we got here is more than worthy of further solidifying THE AM3RICAN DREAM as the 2nd best collab effort in Jay Worthy’s discography as of me writing this & the strongest I’ve heard Kamaiyah in a while. They build off one another impressively considering they’re both westside representers, the features are all well picked out & Harry Fraud’s production elevates both lyricists’ chemistry.
Legends Will Never Die 