The Cool Kids – “Hi Top Fade” review

The Cool Kids are a midwestern duo from consisting of Chicago, Illinois rapper & songwriter Sir Michael Rocks and Mount Clemens, Michigan rapper, producer & songwriter Chuck Inglish. Releasing 6 mixtapes between the mid-late 2000s, they made their full length debut in the summer of 2011 with When Fish Ride Bicycles & reunited for the 2017 sophomore effort Special Edition Grand Master Deluxe. Last we heard from them was the Before Shit Got Weird & Baby Oil Staircase / Chillout triple disc trilogy in 2022, returning to Fools Gold Records for their 4th studio LP.

“Cigarello Helmets” is a 61 second Mobb intro produced by Chuck Inglish to flex that they’ve re-up’d whereas “We Got Clips” takes the psychedelic boom bap route instrumentally getting in their battle rap bags lyrically. “Dang!” talks about how other rappers want rain & start complaining soon as they get clout while “Rockbox” throws it back to the mid-school thanks to none other than A-Trak styling on everybody.

As for the single “Foil Bass”, we have Chuck & Sir Michael hopping over a Neptunes-inspired beat to talk about the pair poppin’ like they got jalapeños on ‘em just before “95 South” throws it back to when Atlanta bass was becoming popular 3 decades ago to boast the motion they still got. “Banana in the Tailpipe” featuring Seafood Sam unites the trio to pay their respects to the late Drakeo the Ruler while “Blade Runner” featuring Radamiz asks who’ll be seeing heaven first.

“Crunch Rap Supreme” returns to the boom bap with some of the hungriest performances on the entire album (no pun intended) prior to “Don’t Say My Name” wanting to know why some call them by their governments when out in public. Pink Siifu saves the best feature for “Clean Linen Satin Pillow” tackling the theme of betrayal while the silky “Tryin’ to Get Like You” talks about there being a lot to being fresh that nobody really tells us.

The song “Cinnamon Part 2” kicks off Hi Top Fade’s final act with a sequel to a standout from their Gone Fishing mixtape & once “Live Wire” hooks up some prominent synthesizers for a more romantic vibe talking about keeping each other up all night dancing until dawn, the closer “Back Up Off Me” nostalgically feels reminiscent of 80s R&B with a hip hop spin being put on in.

Special Edition Grand Master Deluxe along with the Before Shit Got Weird & Baby Oil Staircase / Chillout series all had songs that I liked, but Hi Top Fade has gotta be the most consistent full-length that I’ve heard from these guys in almost 15 years right when I had finished middle school & probably outdoing it in terms of quality. Even with When Fish Ride Bicycles having better guests, the main focus of both Chuck Inglish’s production & his chemistry with Sir Michael Rocks are the most exciting it’s been in a while ahead of when or if Mannie Fresh produces their next album.

Score: 4.5/5

Keep up with @legendswill_never_die on Instagram & @LegendsllLiveOn on Twitter for the best music reviews weekly!

Mobb Deep – “Infinite” review

Queens, New York duo Mobb Deep consisting of Havoc & the late Prodigy teaming up with Mass Appeal Records for their 9th & final album. Releasing their debut Juvenile Hell under Island Records to mixed reception, The Infamous… & Hell on Earth through Loud Records & RCA Records would both become amongst the greatest east coast LPs ever. Murda Muzik distributed by Columbia Records would also be well received, but their final Loud offering Infamy as well as the Jive Records-backed Amerika’z Nightmare & of course Blood Money during a polarizing tenure on G-Unit Records/Interscope Records all left fans divided in the 2000s. Over a decade since The Infamous…Mobb Deep however, the 4th entry of Mass Appeal’s ongoing Legend Has It saga is now here preserving the Mobb’s Infinite legacy.

“Against the World” starts with Havoc sampling jazz & soul echoing the sentiments of former rival 2Pac’s magnum Me Against the World ending with Hav telling Bandana P that he’ll see him on the other side during the outro whereas “Gunfire” produced by The Alchemist takes the boom bap route to spit lyrical bullets at their competition. “Easy Bruh” stays in the basement instrumentally suggests to take things smoothly while “Look at Me” featuring Clipse unites 2 of the greatest gangsta rap duos of all-time.

Big Noyd joins forces with “The M. The O. The B. The B.” for a sinister dedication to the group itself leading into “Down for You” featuring Nas works in a string sample for the trio to show a romantic side to all 3 of them individually. “Taj Mahal” was another great single choice even if it’s pretty much Uncle Al remixing the 2011 leaked Prodigy track “Night Life” by flipping “[The Infamous Prelude]” & Havoc adding his own verse, but then “Mr. Magik” vividly compares themselves to magicians.

“Score Points” locks in with Alchemist for the 2nd to last time taking a luxurious approach to the beat trusting the process promising to make y’all disappear like rabbits in hat tricks referring to the previous song & “My Era” marks Uncle Al’s final contribution to Infinite, reminding that Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) & The Infamous… defined the east coast 3 decades ago. “Pour My Henny” featuring Nas links back up with each other for an ode to whiskey while “Clear Black Nights” featuring Ghostface Killah & Raekwon talks about being either with them or against them.

The song “Discontinued” winds down the LP’s final act by flexing that they don’t make ‘em like the Mobb anymore over a raw boom bap instrumental & unfortunately, “Love the Way” featuring Nas is a blatant remix of the final single “Down for You” that dropped yesterday. “We the Real Thing” however makes it up for it with them giving a middle finger to the idea of rap beef since they got real drama going on such as having people out in the streets plotting to put bounties on their heads.

Infinite thus far surpasses Victory, The Emperor’s New Clothes & Supreme Clientele 2 as the greatest entry of the Legend Has It series by making a full circle moment out of the batch of unreleased Prodigy verses Havoc & The Alchemist used all over Infinite. It additionally recaptures the classically raw, dark & genuine Mobb Deep energy & sound that shaped the beloved Queensbridge duo I was thankful to see live a decade ago whilst addressing the current state of the culture.

Score: 4.5/5

Keep up with @legendswill_never_die on Instagram & @LegendsllLiveOn on Twitter for the best music reviews weekly!

Rich Amiri – “Grit & Grace” review

Here is the 5th studio LP from Boston, Massachusetts rapper & singer/songwriter Rich Amiri. Turning heads for 4 years now off the strength of his debut EP Ethereal, the 4ersona member would go on to follow it up with 6 more EPs before signing to Internet Money Records & introducing himself to a wider audience on the aptly titled Evolution followed by the sophomore effort Ghetto Fabulous. He landed a spot in last year’s XXL Freshman Class, coming off War Ready last winter to spread Grit & Grace.

“So Long” kick things off with Amiri talking about having to cut a few people off in order for him to blow up & having no regrets whereas “Lights Out” apologizes in advance if he’s been too serious since he dislikes young hoes until the buzzkill outro. “I Don’t Mind” assures that this chick will wish she picked him in a matter of time prior to “Flex N Finesse” talking about the 2 things that he likes to do.

The beat switch on “See Us Now” was enjoyable living like a player until he waits for karma gets him for all the bad he’s done in his life while the lead single “Paranoid” asks if the world’s against him or if Amiri’s buggin’. “Twin Flame” talks about feeling like he’s back in 2016 wondering how he lost his sauce when he’s the one who made it just before “Hoes Mad” turns up 1 time out of spite of these bitches.

“Homesick” starts the 2nd half with another highlight moment minimally diving into his spirituality while the final single “In & Out”responds to 9 Vicious wanting to beef with him, assuring that it had nothing to do with a woman. “Moving Dumb” talks about not fucking around with his payroll since he’s a $1M man & being made for this while “In That Mode” compares himself to a punk rockstar, cautioning that you don’t want smoke with him.

We have some cool sampling chops for the couple minutes “Never Had I” has to offer talking about focusing on stacking his cheddar & keeping his head to when his homie died since it always gets better while the rage-inducing “Brick Brick” confidently assures he’ll be fine. “Party Rock” produced by Synthetic could easily be my favorite track here dismissing a female calling him her Romeo while the closer “Code Red” talks about not coming to fuck around.

In no way am I trying to discredit Rich Amiri’s passion to expand by taking a different approach to Grit & Grace as well as taking heavy inspiration from one of my top 10 producers of all-time Ye or formerly Kanye West regardless of having to take a step back from the fandom because of his inexcusable behavior during the first half of the year, but I didn’t enjoy it as much as Evolution & Ghetto Fabulous or even War Ready mostly because the production isn’t as interesting.

Score: 3/5

Keep up with @legendswill_never_die on Instagram & @LegendsllLiveOn on Twitter for the best music reviews weekly!

Jason Martin – “A Hit Dog Gonna Holla” review

Compton, California emcee, songwriter & producer Jason Martin reuniting with Mike & Keys for his 4th EP. Originally known as Problem, he would go on to release over a dozen mixtapes as well as 4 full-length studio albums & a couple EPs. I can’t forget to mention both collaborative efforts DJ Quik, the first being Rosecrans back in 2017 & the follow-up Chupacabra days before Kendrick Lamar’s now historic 1-off Pop Out concert at the Kia Forum. Almost a whole year since Repack, they’re reuniting so A Hit Dog Gon Holla.

After the “Guns & Sandwiches” intro, “Let Me Roll My J” chops up a soul sample talking about looking to party until the sunrise whereas “Things You Learn While on the Grind” soulfully reflects on what he’s learned since hustling. “Docusign” gives off a drumless chipmunk soul vibe talking about not tripping over any obstacles while “Flu Game Jordan” continues to strip the drums so he can progress through extortion.

“We Know the Truth” continued with a hazy boom bap route talking about hearing nonstop cap spewing out these muhfuckas mouths while “Tee’d” drumlessly reminds us that everything comes with a fee instead of simply being granted to us. “Laugh Now Laugh Later” talks about how everybody be lying but after the “Goofy” skit, “Thang’s Just Ain’t the Same for Gangsters” calls back to “The Watcher”by Dr. Dre & sends off the EP being “Above the Noise”.

There was a lot of mixed reception towards the Repack last fall because of all the features on it & I’m pretty sure Jason Martin heard those criticisms since he takes up all of A Hit Dog’s Gonna Holla’s vocal performances by himself & results in an extended play that I prefer a lot more than the last 1 we got from him. Mike & Keys’ production returns to a traditional west coast sound coming off Tony Shhnow’s 8th album Self Portrait last month & Jason singlehandedly silences those who thought he had become reliant towards guests.

Score: 4.5/5

Keep up with @legendswill_never_die on Instagram & @LegendsllLiveOn on Twitter for the best music reviews weekly!

3200 Tre – “Real Mitten Baby” review

Lansing, Michigan rapper 3200 Tre surprise-releasing his 3rd studio LP. Introducing himself on wax during the fall of 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic had completely shut the world down, he has since built up his last dozen EPs along with the full-length debut Michigan Music & of course the sophomore effort 30ville all during the first half of this ongoing decade. Signing to Rio da Yung O.G.’s very own EMPIRE Distribution imprint M.I.N.E. Entertainment last summer, coming off the Spin the Block EP to tell the story of a Real Mitten Baby.

“Thug n Savage” was a cloudy trap intro suggesting to keep a switch on you at all times since a lot of people have betrayed him & knowing they’ll do it again to others whereas “Chrome Case” taps into the Detroit sound responding to those saying he ain’t rich. “GTA VI” makes witty references to Rockstar Games’ flagship franchise while “Bounce Back” confesses he’s nowhere near where he’s supposed to be.

Jakesand produces my personal favorite track here “Snapchat” talking about flying to the paper regardless of how far it is leading into “Pamper” ignoring any incoming calls unless money’s involved. Project X” featuring Babyfxce E moderately finds the pair spitting gangsta-themed lyrics over a Detroit trap instrumental while the superiorly entertaining “Pep Rally” featuring RMC Mike trades verses with each other for 2 & a half minutes.

“4 Weeks” featuring Head Osama marks the my the only guest appearance I could’ve done without despite wanting to change the whole game by pressing 1 button just before “Good Day” featuring Rio da Yung O.G. makes up for it with both of them talking about making $1M in a single day. “New Number” discusses standing on business because he’s well-known gun tucker while “The People’s Champ” heavily samples “The Sweet Escape” by Gwen Stefani.

The penultimate track “Left 4 Dead” gives a nod to the cooperative first-person shooter survival horror video game franchise that the Valve Corporation publishes, which put a smile in my face because the 2009 sequel’s amongst the greatest games of all-time. Of course I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention “Hold the Cheers”, which is the official Real Mitten Baby outro posing the question of how the fuck this cornball got motion when Tre’s nowhere near it & taking Ws.

Spin the Block was a fun Flint/Detroit sound EP to officially ring in the summer & now with Halloween approaching at the end of the month, 3200 Tre once again makes another example as to why he & his Real Money Counters brethren RMC Mike or fellow labelmates Scatz & the incarcerated Baby Ghost make M.I.N.E. Entertainment an interesting label telling the story of what it’s been like for Tre growing up as a Real Mitten Baby.

Score: 3.5/5

Keep up with @legendswill_never_die on Instagram & @LegendsllLiveOn on Twitter for the best music reviews weekly!

Flock of Dimes – “The Life You Save” review

Baltimore, Maryland singer/songwriter Flock of Dimes a.k.a. Jenn Wasner returning for her 3rd studio LP. Releasing her full-length debut If You See Me, Say Yes almost a decade ago & the debut EP Like So Much Desire during the summer of 2020, she would go to sign with Sub Pop Records debut & make her debut in the label with her sophomore effort Head of Roses the next spring. 4 & a half years later, she’s looking to outdo herself artistically with The Life You Save.

The stripped-back 2nd single “Afraid” begins the album with Jenn passionately accepting everything that’s happened & refusing to let it dictate the outcome of her & all of our lives whereas “Keep Me in the Dark” goes for an indie folk vibe asking if her body will catch up to her mind if she acts like she’s above it. “Long After Midnight” made for a bittersweet lead single carrying over the sound of the previous track & a compelling video with Jenn interacting with her inner-child while the final single “Defeat” sings about total surrender going Americana.

“Close to Home” moves from there giving off a secondary influence of electronic music feeling like it won’t be a happy ending if she’s the last one standing leading into “The Enemy” embracing a country rock vibe seeking a vision of the dark from within her. “Not Free Yet” opens up about her night terrors coming over her yet she won’t let them take her over bringing the Americana sound back into the fold while “Pride” returns to a country rock direction promising that her self-esteem won’t break her.

To begin The Life You Save’s final leg, “Theo” crosses elements of both indie folk & country advising the character who calls on her instead of God to take their heartache to the one who loved her first while “Instead of Calling” easily sticks out as the most mournful moment on the entire record hiding from her truth as she hides in her song. “River in My Arms” tells her partner she can only hold them like a tree holds to it’s leaves & “I Think I’m God” sends it all off continuing to keep going until she’s slowing.

Taking the themes of heartbreak from a dualistic perspective a few steps further, The Life You Save at it’s core is the most honestly intimate music opus in the Flock of Dimes canon story of how it feels to be trapped between the world one originally came from & the one they’ve escaped to. The production here focuses heavier around Americana, singer/songwriter & indie folk with some indie pop, indie rock, indietronica, alt-country, folktronica & dream pop hoping to provide comfort for the people still learning to live with & love themselves.

Score: 4/5

Keep up with @legendswill_never_die on Instagram & @LegendsllLiveOn on Twitter for the best music reviews weekly!

BIA – “Bianca” review

BIA is a 34 year old rapper & singer/songwriter from Medford, Massachusetts whom Pharrell signed to i am OTHER Entertainment & RCA Records when I was in high school. Her debut mixtape & her debut EP #CholaSeason & Nice Girls Finish Last: Cuidado marked her only releases for the labels, signing to Epic Records for For Certain & Really Her. Cardi B dissed her on her sophomore effort Am I the Problem? couple weeks ago & BIA’s responding with her full-length studio debut.

“October” sings for 106 seconds over some humming background vocals about refusing to make herself believe she doesn’t feel a thing at all whereas “Dade” featuring Key Glock finds the 2 teaming up to declare themselves as shapeshifters. A$AP Ferg & Denzel Curry both appear for a sequel of “We On Go” that’s energetic as the original version produced by Honorable C.N.O.T.E. while “Sad Party” talks about how people want to see each other party with someone else.

Moving on from there, “1 Thing” pays homage to Lauryn Hill with a breezily tropical hip hop single making it known that she doesn’t trust any man with 0 experience leading into “Pray for You” featuring Khalil Harrison makes for a decent attempt at ampiano. “Hard Way” featuring Becky G teams up for a bilingual Latin trap crossover looking to party tonight while “Bad Guy” seemingly responds to Cardi B’s jabs directed at her over a Turbo instrumental.

“+44” starts the 2nd half of Bianca taking the sample drill route talking about seeing face that’s unlike any other person she’s ever met while the Afrobeats-inflicted “Ready Set” runs the paper up until everyone else keeps pace with her. “Birthday Behavior” featuring Young Miko samples “Hips Don’t Lie” by Shakira talking about what they be doing on their birthdays while “Guava” hops over some horns to get unruly.

The song “N.W.F.A. (N****s Will Fuck Anything)” sets off the 4th quarter playfully talking about men being overly horny while “Awake” blends pop rap & boom bap to ask who told them that life would be easy when that’s a clear lie. “Crazy” featuring Ty$ puts a bigger emphasis on the pop rap style talking about going crazy for one another & “Trifling” was a surprisingly lush outro warning that the next bitch her man finds won’t be his next problem.

Starting the deluxe run, we’re treated to the original “We On Go” justifying the inclusion of a follow-up during the 1st half while the TiaCorine/Young Thug- inspired no melody pop rap single “Pissed Off” featuring Lil Yachty talks about being disrespected. The final bonus track “Lights Out” featuring J.I.D swaps out the no melody undertones in favor of electropop continuing to shine with the lights are dimmed.

Contrasting the question of anyone can name 5 songs in BIA’s whole discography: I’ve been paying attention to her since my adolescence when the Billionaire Boys Club/Icecream founder & future Louis Vuitton’s men’s creative director brought her on board to a major label hoping that she’d release a whole body of work that exemplified the potential of singles like “Whip It” or more recently “We On It”. And even though I do appreciate the guests & the fact that she tried to give us the clearest version of herself, some of the production lacks in my opinion.

Score: 2.5/5

Keep up with @legendswill_never_die on Instagram & @LegendsllLiveOn on Twitter for the best music reviews weekly!

TiaCorine – “Corinian” review

Winston-Salem, North Carolina rapper & songwriter TiaCorine coming off some of her biggest singles with an official sophomore effort. Blowing up earlier this decade with her debut mixtape The Saga of 34Corine as well as the debut EP & full-length debut I Can’t Wait, her last EP Almost There marked Tia’s major label debut after signing to Interscope Records & is looking to make her biggest waves yet with Corinian following a couple successful teasers.

Saweetie appears for the decent pop rap/trap intro “Pretty” talking about their bank accounts saying heavy as well as having too many men & bitches wanting to end them because of it whereas the 3rd & my favorite single “Ironic” makes up for it from the pluggy Kenny Beats instrumental to the more deadly lyricism. “Buttercup” crosses over some synthesizers & guitars from Kenny talking about being a pop star prior to “Lotion” featuring Flo Milli letting those who don’t know how shit goes around their parts.

“Fall in Love” was probably my least favorite single of the 3 although I do appreciate the funk-soul sample approaching the concept of love the same way she always has in the past while “Cutting Ties” cloudily talks about switching sides like it’s a remix severing all associations with the person she has in mind. “High Demand” featuring Smino trades verses with each other for a romantic pop rap duet leading into “Was Hannin’?” featuring Wiz Khalifa advise us to put your money where your mouth is.

Meanwhile on “Booty”, we have Tia taking aim at a bitch who stays doing anything except minding her own business while the lead single “Different Color Stones” produced by Pooh Beatz talks about being stacked up nowadays & for anyone broke to back the fuck up. “La La La” attempts at pulling influences from Latin trap & resulting in one of Corinian’s weaker moments while the 2nd single “Ate” boisterously talks about nobody being able to take her spot.

“Backyard” featuring J.I.D was another single that I was highly impressed with whether it be Hit-Boy experimenting with trap metal or the sexually energetic chemistry between both MCs while the cloudy trap fusion “Crush” refuses to put anyone before her money. “Iced Out Kirby” minimally paints images of her materialistic lifestyle & once “Damn Right” featuring Pouya shuts down those who ain’t about it, “Impossible Girl” closes with her giving it all she’s got.

Finishing a trilogy that I Can’t Wait began & Almost There bridged, Corinian lets the world inside of TiaCorine’s very own metropolitan utopia balancing grit & vulnerability to realize her full-potential almost halfway through the decade. Showcasing her sharp lyricism & capturing her evolution since signing to a major label, she playfully yet powerfully steps fully into the artist she’s always envisioned herself to be amassing some notable guests & producers along the way.

Score: 4/5

Keep up with @legendswill_never_die on Instagram & @LegendsllLiveOn on Twitter for the best music reviews weekly!

Charles Lloyd – “Figure in Blue” review

Charles Lloyd is an 87 year old tenor saxophonist & flautist from Memphis, Tennessee with over 2 dozen full-lengths under his belt already since the late 50s. He has spent the last decade with my favorite jazz label of all-time Blue Note Records dropping exemplary late career material that includes I Long to See You as well as Tone Poem & The Sky Will Still Be There Tomorrow. However, he’s following up the latter with his 32nd full-length comprised of 2 discs containing 7 songs each.

“Abide with Me” begins with this calming intro working in a saxophone & Jason Moran playing piano whereas “Hina Hanta, The Way of Peace” moves forward by delivering a nearly 8 minute post-bop composition keeping the keys & sax in tact. “Figure in Blue, Memories of Duke” remembers the late Duke Ellington letting Jason shine more instrumentally just before “Desolation Sound” lets Charles take the spotlight with his saxophone once more.

Meanwhile on “Ruminations”, we have guitarist Marvin Sewell accompanying Charles Lloyd & Jason Moran for 10 & a half more minutes of peacefully improvisational post-bop leading into “Chulahoma” focusing more around the saxophone & guitar. Reaching the halfway point, “Song My Lady Sings” brings all 3 instrumentalists together for a serene 8 & a half minute post-bop jam while “The Ghost of Lady Day” starts the 2nd act with a Billie Holiday rendition.

“Blues for Langston” gives his flowers to the late Langston Hughes” until we’re treated to a couplet of Duke Ellington covers: “Heaven” & “Black Butterfly”. The song “Ancient Rain” takes up 111 seconds with a tenor saxophone while “Hymn to the Mother, for Zakir” takes a moment to remember the late Zakir Hussain. The closer “Somewhere” finishes Figure in Blue with Charles & Jason playing piano & tenor sax for the LP’s final 4 & a half minutes.

Spaciously travels wide expanses of musical terrain from beautiful ballads to raw Delta blues, the 4th full-length Charles Lloyd has created since signing to Blue Note Records could be the most heartfelt entry in his entire discography reflecting everything that’s defined his entire life. Combining original & re-recorded material for an autumnal double album, he salutes those who inspired him over 6 decades ago with an hour & a half long memoir.

Score: 3.5/5

Keep up with @legendswill_never_die on Instagram & @LegendsllLiveOn on Twitter for the best music reviews weekly!

Pradabagshawty – “Red Flags & Roses” review

Columbia, South Carolina born albeit Atlanta, Georgia up-&-comer Pradabagshawty back with his 2nd mixtape. Introducing himself in the spring of 2023 off Bloxk Addiktion, his popularity within the plugg subgenre of trap continued to grow last year by putting out 3 more EPs in 1 Love as well as the Cegular Records/Sony Music debut 10 Freak Ho’s and of course Forever & After. His most recent extended play B What You B & the Home Invasions tape have both become his most popular musical statements so far, returning 5 months since the latter to drop Red Flags & Roses.

“Right 1” kicks off the tape by flexing over a cloudy trap instrumental from Whyceg that his Off-White fit got him feeling like the Pope whereas the pluggy “100 Months” talks about pulling dead people out the bank on the daily. “Good Times” brings some synths & hi-hats together to drop the dub the second he pulls up at the mall while “No Hulu” featuring ImSoMarcus talks about delusional women.

As for the Four3va co-produced “Bloodhound”, we have Pradabagshawty getting back on a plugg vibe to admit that he feels like he done lost his mind leading into the chilled out “Marni” produced by mxrt4lity & SOULJASPIRITS talking about lifestyle for a couple minutes. “Perky Nap” featuring Babystaydown finds the 2 speaking of the percocets knocking them out over a Dstarkel beat just before “Houdini” starts the 2nd half talking about doing too much drugs.

“Whoa” observes the handful of artists who’ve been biting his swag & riding his wave while he stays chopping shit up but once “Striker Box” featuring Ealuhri telling the hoes they can’t love them forever because of their hearts being frozen, Trgc has a standout beat of his own with the single “Raincoat” talks about blowing shit up since his Glock stays fully loaded keeping an ARP inside his coat whenever it’s pouring outside.

Nearing the end of Red Flags & Roses, “Figure It Aht” despite the plugg instrumental feels a lot more like a Baby Auto song since he’s handling the sole verse by himself talking about a bitch wanting to say with him for a while while “Ready 4 Love” defensibly talks about being on a newer level this whole entire year. “Hold Hand” finishes up the tape with a 2-parter & “From the Start” featuring Babystaydown starts the deluxe run talking about seeing the shots coming their way prior to hitting back.

“Judo” heads further down a pluggier direction explaining that things in his life have been more steadier than smoother while “Think He Slime” talks about an individual who‘s convinced himself that he’s part of the gang when he really ain’t. “Dat Fllaattt” featuring ImSoMarcus cloudily sees the pair getting materialistic while “Yaaan” talks about still being the same young muhfuckas. The self-produced “Franklin” takes inspiration from plugg again poppin’ out the block if he’s betrayed & the final bonus track “Help” ends with a confessional approach to songwriting.

5SOULJAS earlier this summer felt like a batch of mostly average leftovers from the Home Invasions sessions hence why I wasn’t that much in a hurry to break it down a few months ago with all due respect to SOULJASPIRITS especially since I prefer his sole contribution to Red Flags & Roses, but the newest entry in Pradabagshawty’s discography makes another example as to why he’s become one of the most interesting names in the plugg/gangsta rap styles to be paying attention to with stronger production & a similarly decent list of guests.

Score: 4/5

Keep up with @legendswill_never_die on Instagram & @LegendsllLiveOn on Twitter for the best music reviews weekly!