Boldy James – “Trapper’s Alley 3: Hell or High Water” review

Brand new mixtape & the 7th overall from Detroit, Michigan veteran Boldy James. Breaking out in the fall of 2013 off his Alchemist produced debut M.1.C.S. (My 1st Chemistry Set), there was a point where Nas’ independent label Mass Appeal Records had them on their roster for a little while before getting locked up. Once coming home, Uncle Al would help get his name back out there once getting out by dropping the Boldface EP around Christmas 2019 & then the sophomore album The Price of Tea in China. Manger on McNichols produced by Sterling Toles was as equally fantastic & the Griselda Records-backed Versace Tape EP was a tad bit disappointing given how rushed it was. Bo Jackson though would become his most critically acclaimed work to date & Super Tecmo Bo was almost as great for an EP. Fair Exchange No Robbery produced by Nicholas Craven, Penalty of Leadership, Mr. 10-08 produced by Futurewave, the Conductor Williams-produced Across the Tracks the Harry Fraud-produced The Bricktionary & the Carlo Anthony-produced Hidden in Plain Sight were all welcomed to warm reception additionally. Token of Appreciation produced by Chuck Strangers was much better than both Murder During Drug Traffic & Permanent Ink, the Antt Beatz produced Hommage left people divided although I didn’t mind it, although the V Don-produced Alphabet Highway along with the Killing Nothing sequel Conversational Pieces & Late to His Own Funeral were more positively received. Coming off his Roc Nation Records debut Criminally Attached, he & Craven are running it back for Trapper’s Alley 3: Hell or High Water.

The 2nd & final single “Summer’s Eve” kicks things off with a soul sample talking about seeing so many leave to the point where he no longer fears death whereas “Mama Maxine” featuring 218bojay keeps the drumless vibes going ensuring anyone who fucks with them will end up in the trauma unit. “My Last Try” blends chipmunk soul & boom bap talks about trying to put wings on a brick to make the glass fly prior to “Beautiful Snow” featuring Chip$ & Dave Hill getting in their coke rap bags.

“False Accusations” reaches the halfway point of the tape soulfully recalling a point in his life where he was incarcerated for a crime he didn’t even commit & once “Hamburger Helper” featuring Chip$ reunites the pair to kick off the 2nd leg opulently talking about counting up all the extra money they have laying around, “Powerhouse” featuring Chip$ & Lethalias Grain finds the trio asking if having green thumbs makes them gardeners & the cocaine hitting harder than powerpunches.

Wrapping up Trapper’s Alley 3: Hell or High Water’s final moments, the song “Grinding My Gears” soulfully talks about how he wouldn’t have ever imagined making a career out of his criminal experiences while “Don’t Tell Me (Trinidadian James)” flexes that his whole entire squad’s in the heavyweight division. The lead single “Death & Taxes” finishes up with this drumless gangsta rap outro explaining there being only 2 things in this world that we can’t escape.

Boldy James never disappoints whenever he locks in with Nicholas Craven for an entire project & that’s the main reason I’m usually very praiseful of their material, but I would necessarily put Trapper’s Alley 3: Hell or High Water on the same pedestal as Fair Exchange No Robbery & Penalty of Leadership or Late to My Own Funeral if you wanna include a more recent example. Craven’s drumlessly jazzy yet soulful production & Boldy’s gangsta/coke raps are like Michael Jordan & Scottie Pippen although the guest list can be somewhat spotty.

Score: 3.5/5

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tana – “Me” review

Here is the sophomore effort from Atlanta, Georgia rapper & producer tana. Starting in 2018 as a member of the plu2o9 collective under the original moniker BabySantana, he would go on to drop his first 2 EPs Recreation! & Planet Sosaalongside his debut mixtape Quan before signing to Lil Tecca’s very own Republic Records imprint Galactic Records the next fall. tana later preluded his full-length debut bana by putting out Gaultier as well as London & Dale, celebrating his independence by dropping Me.

“keep rollin’” begins with a self-produced 2-parter talking about nobody being on his level artistically whereas “me & my gun” takes a more psychedelic trap approach instrumentally so he can get in his gangsta rap bag. “Insane (For Your Love)” swaps out the psychedelia in favor of pop rap elements expressing how obsessed he is with a woman he’s in love with leading into “i like her” talking about his girl chiefing blunts & the beat reminds me of KiD CuDi’s early material at points.

As for “take u there”, we have tana over a druggier instrumentally explaining that he likes to count up his bread & mind his own business just before “pray for my mama” talks about making sure his people are good where they’re rising. “Everything Will Be Fine” dismisses acting right since he credits his selfishness to being the main reason he became wealthy while “control” provides words of encouragement, telling the audience he believes in them.

“nsfw (the prelude)” kicks off the 2nd leg of Me on some 808s & Heartbreak vibes singing about being from the future while “again” returns to a trap sound dissing 9 Vicious & admitting that his days have been getting somewhat darker. “laptopnotebook” mixes some hi-hats with sampling techniques talking about not needing anything else other than those 2 specific items while “PMD” details being in love with the way she sits on his ambition.

Cardo gets behind the boards for the song “show it off” talking about wanting to link up with his shawty because he finds their relationship to be nothing short of gorgeous while “dear jodie” produced by Zodiac of Vanguard Music Group pens an open letter to a woman he knew wanting her to know that he’s a changed man. The outro “philly” spends Me’s final minutes talking about coming to fuck shit up & arriving to the function throwing bands.

Despite being happy for tana no longer being held back by a major label, I wouldn’t put Me above Bana or even Gaultier although I’m adamant of him putting something out of that caliber regardless of whether he signs somewhere else or not. The cloudy yet poppy trap production could’ve been better especially during the 2nd half of it other than a few occasional highlights & would’ve loved a guest appearance or 2.

Score: 3/5

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The Alchemist – “Liquid Form” review

New surprise EP & the 13th overall from Beverly Hills producer, DJ & rapper The Alchemist. Beginning as 1/2 of the duo The Whooliganz in 1993 with Scott Caan, they would only disband a year later after recording a debut album that eventually got shelved & Scott went onto acting like his father. Mudfoot on other end quickly established himself as one of the greatest producers in hip hop history with a resume including ranging names from Mobb Deep & Eminem to Travis Scott & even Drake. The Genuine Articulate found himself rapping more & he’s returning behind the boards once again to drop Liquid Form in celebration of the New York Knicks winning the NBA Finals.

“Gutter Pain” by Kool G Rap begins with a boom bap intro telling hood stories others aren’t his parts weren’t able to whereas “Beat Like a Key” by 2 Chainz maintains the dustiness talking about blowing shit down right when he pulls up. “Streets Don’t Change” by Conway the Machine kicks off the 2nd half on some more dark boom bap shit & Con explaining that the streets will always be the same, but “On the Spectrum” by Boldy James gives us a prelude of an upcoming Boldy LP produced by Uncle Al himself.

This has been a long time coming for the Knicks since their last championship was over half a century ago, so I completely understand why The Alchemist said “fuck it” & hit us with a 4-pack returning behind the boards in preparation of the upcoming self-titled debuts from the Forensics and Abi & Alan. Rather than continuing the abstractly drumless vibes The Genuine Articulate went for, the guests comprised of individually established veterans depict the life of gangstas & there are significantly more drums.

Score: 4/5

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Pz’ – “B4NTB” review

This is a brand new extended play of solo material from Atlanta, Georgia rapper & fashion model Pz’. Emerging a couple years ago off the strength of his debut single “Sun”, he would eventually blow up last summer when “Hedis Bussin’” came out & has since collaborated with the likes of billi0n for his debut mixtape Revenge as well as the Uy Scuti Bøyz’ eponymous tape earlier this spring. Only a few days away from No Turnin’ Back however, he’s dropping off B4NTB.

“Track Meet” hops over this colorful trap beat making it known to anyone who ain’t makin’ a profit that they can’t hang with him whereas “Seals & Tags” acknowledges the ØWay collective’s increasing popularity to end the 1st half. My favorite track here “Tamagochi” embraces a cloudier vibe instrumentally talking about puttin’ muhfuckas on dinner plates & “Keep It Tucked” produced by Noah Mejia finishes with an outro that I’d consider a close 2nd compared to the previous track.

It was already known since the very beginning of the month that Pz’ would finally begin building a discography for himself following his standout guest appearances & singles, but him dropping B4NTB literally 24 hours in advance increases what anticipation I’ve had for No Turnin’ Back tomorrow with an impressively brief collection of trap songs taking additional inspiration from rage, cloud rap, pop rap & futuristic swag in only under 10 minutes.

Score: 3.5/5

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Fimiguerrero – “The Statue of a Fool” review

Greenwich, London, England, United Kingdom rapper & producer Fimiguerrero preluding his upcoming 3rd album Lost City with his 7th extended play. Releasing his debut EP Human Anatomy in 2019, he would continue to build up a catalog for himself with his next EP Fuck Brex!t as well as the eponymous full-length debut & the No Way Out EP. kvnt, Black, the sophomore effort Immigrant & New World Order all followed & he’s decided to shock the world after unveiling The Statue of a Fool without any prior announcement.

“Me Again” opens up with a jerk intro talking about his appetite being suppressed by taking some ecstasy whereas “Loser” keeps the hoodtrap vibes going clapping back at his haters doing the shit they wish they could do. “Good Girl” blends trap, emo rap & jerk so he can talk about his own struggles struggles with fame & trusting women leading into the self-produced “Cocaina” ending the 1st half touching on the subject of escapism & describing a kinda love that‘s addicting.

Kicking off the 2nd half, the song “Dutty” featuring Bassvictim takes an atmospherically darker approach instrumentally admitting to still feeling some sort of disconnect even after he started to gain popularity while “Skywalker” samples “Throw It In” by Lil Wayne addressing individuals who constantly have issues with him although I wish fakemink had a verse. “Mind the Gap” talks about repeating the same mistakes his own father had made & the cons of living in London while “Don’t Leave Me” ends the EP detailing a breakup.

Impressed by the guest appearances he had on both EsDeeKid’s debut EP Rebel & Jim Legxacy’s debut mixtape Black British Music last summer, Fimiguerrero gives us a glimpse of what we can expect out of Lost City in the guise of The Statue of a Fool which is a salvageable appetizer until the main course. I wouldn’t necessarily call it my favorite EP he’s done, but I do appreciate him experimenting a bit more outside of his signature jerk/rage sounds.

Score: 3.5/5

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Olivia Rodrigo – “you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love” review

Olivia Rodrigo is a 23 year old singer/songwriter & actress from Murrieta, California who began acting for The Walt Disney Company in the late 2010s prior to focusing on a musical career & signing to Geffen Records. Her full-length debut Sour solidly explored the perils & discoveries she made when she was 17 & the sophomore effort Guts reflect the process of maturity she experienced toward the end of her adolescence, looking to make a departure with her 3rd album compared to both of it’s predecessors.

The intro “Drop Dead” fuses pop rock, synthpop, new wave, big music & indie pop daydreaming over someone she’s crushing on whereas “stupid song” takes inspiration from Simple Passion by Annie Ernaux singing about wanting this guy more than anything she could write. “honeybee” continues from there assuring she has love for this person even if she can’t quite describe it while the rock-driven “maggots for brains” thematically bases itself around Miranda from Sex & the City.

“u + me = <3” nears the conclusion of you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love singing about being optimistic of a new relationship beginning leading into “my way” gives off some Gwen Stefani vibes furiously calling out a woman for crossing her relationship boundaries. “purple” marks a turning point where things start to unravel just before my favorite single “the cure” experiments with pop rock, singer/songwriter, acoustic rock, post-Britpop, big music & chamber pop coming to terms with her flaws.

Meanwhile on “begged”, we have Olivia giving a more nuanced take of wanting more affection from her boyfriend “what’s wrong with me” featuring Robert Smith finds pair joining forces to help her realizes that this guy she’s dating is the cause of her sadness. “less” makes her last attempts at saving their relationship from collapsing & after “expectations” refuses to settle for someone with a fake job, she spends the final minutes likening her ex to “cigarette smoke” regretting the time she spent with him.

Guts was a huge improvement above Sour & you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love completely embraces Olivia Rodrigo’s full artistic potential by dropping the best music I’ve heard from her. Dan Nigro’s production almost perfects her pop rock sound incorporating some additional elements of singer/songwriter, new wave, alternative rock, indie rock, acoustic rock, post-Britpop, big music, jangle pop, chamber pop, adult contemporary & traditional pop portaging a relationship from beginning to end.

Score: 4.5/5

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Sublime – “Until the Sun Explodes” review

Sublime is a ska punk band from Long Beach, California now comprised of drummer Bud Gagh, bassist Eric Wilson & frontman Jakob Nowell. The trio’s 1992 debut 40oz. to Freedom & their eponymous 3rd LP under MCA Records would become some of the greatest material to come out of the fusion genre between 3rd wave ska & punk rock music although their sophomore effort Robbin’ the Hood wasn’t as positively received. 3 decades since the death of Jakob’s father Brad, they’re signing to Atlantic Records for their 4th & final album.

“Ensenada” begins with a reggae rock intro where Jakob’s singing about wanting to make love to a whore whereas “Wizard” instrumentally takes it back to their ska punk origins describing 7 years of darkness. “Can’t Miss You” pulls further inspiration from the reggae rock style cautioning not to trust his love because it’ll only go just before “Backwards” featuring FIDLAR makes a turn into ska punk turf once more addresses the problem with their friends.

After the “Maybe Partying Will Help…” interlude, “Favorite Song” featuring Skegss unites both parties so they can sing about the music they love the most sounding like shit to them now leading into “Personal Hell” fusing ska punk & hip hop recalls a man Jakob knew in a previous life. “F.T.R.” not to be confused with the record-tying 3-time AEW World Tag Team Champions & former ROH World Tag Team Champions of the same name sings about having a good feeling & keeping the positive vibes rolling.

“Evil Men” hooks up some bright guitar tones & some drums yearning to make love while “Trey’s Song” featuring Bad Brains frontman/guitarist H.R. finds the pair describing a situation where they’re in love with women who don’t feel the same way. “Casino Toarmina” has a more stripped-back feeling singing about wanting to take a Costa Rican woman home over some acoustics while “The Problem with That Is It Makes Me Stoked…” hits us with another interlude.

Kicking off the 2nd half of Until the Sun Explodes properly, “Gangstalker” gives off a more standard punk flare putting us inside the shoes of somebody experiencing paranoia while “Figueroa” treads the reggae rock waters once more singing about breakin’ his back doin’ the best Jakob can. “Froggy” tells the story of someone who everyone wanted to become friends with carrying over the reggae elements while “Come Correct” featuring G. Love & Special Sauce sings about acting accordingly around them.

“What For” makes it clear that Jakob only wants to be around this woman for 24 hours while “247-369” with my favorite feature Pennywise brings both SRH Productions representatives together for a punk rock headbanger. After the last 2 installments of the “Maybe Partying Will Help…” trilogy, the title track sings about Jakob owing his deceased father Brad his life & “Thanx Again” finishes Until the Sun Explodes showing gratitude for the band’s supporters.

I wouldn’t consider Until the Sun Explodes to be on the same tier as 40oz. to Freedom or self-titled by any means, but I’d put it above Robbin’ the Hood as the 3rd best in Sublime’s brief yet impactful discography without hesitation even if plans of blink-182 drummer Travis Barker originally producing it fell through. The production entertainingly combines alternative rock, 3rd wave ska, reggae rock, punk rock, ska punk, hip hop, dub & rap rock for a satisfactory epilogue to their illustrious career.

Score: 4/5

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Ruby da Cherry – “Daily Reminders to Repent from Sin” review

Brand new extended play & the 4th overall from New Orleans, Louisiana emcee/producer Ruby da Cherry. Blowing up as 1/2 of the $uicideboy$ alongside his cousin $crim, they’ve built up an impressively extensive discography over the last decade & even have their own label G*59 Record$ with an ever-growing roster of artists. Tragic Love Songs to Study to & Existential Hymns for the Average Sigma were both enjoyably carefree punk EPs from Ruby, coming off last spring’s Coping Strategies to Combat the Algorithm to give Daily Reminders to Repent from Sin.

“Away from Me, Satan!” after the “¯\_(ツ)_/¯” intro screams over some speedy guitars & drumming about people pissing the day away when they could’ve done significantly more with it whereas “when there’s no more room in hell, the dead will walk the earth” after the “where y’at, duckboy?” skit made for an exciting single blending easycore, post-hardcore, metalcore & emo-pop asking for the Holy Ghost to show him hope & the end being near.

After the “where y’at, duckboy??” skit, “the inevitable fall & decline of myself” starts the 2nd half of Daily Reminders to Repent from Sin dissing Moloch just before the post-hardcore “a love as strong as death” after the “where y’at, duckboy???” skit encourages a love interest to hold his hand so they can stay for as long as they can. After the “where y’at, duckboy????” skit, the final song “high tide in the snake’s nest” finishes things off with a metalcore outro.

I still believe Runaway a couple weeks earlier would’ve been a lot more enjoyable if $crim had removed all the unnecessary filler on there & despite enjoying Daily Reminders to Repent from Sin a tad more, it’s my least favorite punk EP that Ruby da Cherry has done. The songs itself are fine since he’s going beyond easycore to dabble with metalcore, post-hardcore & emo pop. However, the voicemails in-between every single track are starting to get annoying.

Score: 3/5

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Wiki – “Ancient History” review

Here is the 6th studio LP from New York City emcee, songwriter & producer Wiki. Formerly a member of the Ratking trio, he would go on to drop his solo debut No Mountains in Manhattan in 2017 under XL Recordings not too long after their disbandment followed by the sophomore effort OOFIE that next fall & Telephonebooth through his own label Wikset Enterprises. Coming off the Navy Blue-produced Half God & the Tony Seltzer-produced 14K Figaro however, he’s looking to dig up some Ancient History.

“G.T.F.O.H. (Get The Fuck Outta Here)” begins with this drumlessly soulful intro admitting that he feels like he isn’t missing out in 2026 whereas “Right Away” gets a little more optimistic over sample-based trap instrumental catching himself on a good day. “1 Time” chefs towards a boom bap direction talking about people not knowing how much power he truly has while “Park” psychedelically spends the early hours of the day sitting in the grass.

Navy Blue gets behind the boards for one of my personal favorite tracks “I.H.N.Y. (I Hate New York)” from the opulent boom bap beat to the lyrics detailing the love/hate relationship Wiki has with the city that made him the very person who he’s become but after “Bloom” featuring duendita & produced by Lil Ugly Mane raps & sings about people knowing where to find them right when the sun rises every morning, “Old Gods” reaches the halfway point solely spitting heat over a Tony Seltzer instrumental.

“Bourbon” kicks off the 2nd half of the album talking about being the cornerstore’s biggest clientele while “All in the Lining” featuring Your Old Droog finds the pair joining forces for another abstract boom bap standout Navy Blue cooked up once again. “Marm Era” soulfully describes memories he can recall like they happened yesterday while “Had Your Fun” continues the sampling to let everyone who thought he was done know that he’s still here.

Salimata joins Wiki for the romantic “Something New” talking about giving up their bullshit for each other over a MIKE beat to wind down the last few moments of Ancient History while the song “7 Deadly Sins” gives us a moody description of Christianity’s capital vices. The title track spends the last 5 minutes of the full-length with a symphonic instrumental from one of my top 10 producers of all-time The Alchemist talking about his shorty being sick of him.

Although I’d still consider Half God to be the most essential statement in Wiki’s solo catalog with 14K Figaro likely becoming a close 2nd at this point & of course placing the spectacular Faith is a Rock collaborative album he did with MIKE a few years ago on that same pedestal, I still liked a good chunk of Ancient History for it’s departure from the predominant trap production & conscious subject matter of it’s 2023 predecessor for a more drumless sound & getting more cryptic with his songwriting.

Score: 3.5/5

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Lee Carver – “A Night 2 Dismember” review

This is a brand new extended play from Dayton, Ohio emcee Lee Carver. Following his 2015 solo debut Massacre Mask, he later became the 3rd & final member to join the almighty Alla Xul Elu & the Long Live Evil founders have been sending shockwaves across the underground wicked shit scene since 2018 known for combining sharp horrorcore lyrics with boom bap & industrial hip hop instrumentation. His sophomore effort Meathead: Satanic Steakhouse came out this past winter & he’s back once more for A Night 2 Dismember.

After the “New Release” intro, “The House Demands a Host” opens up welcoming everyone back to the hellhole over a boom bap instrumental whereas “Serrated” expresses the hatred he has for humanity. “Mr. Meathook” has a quirkier vibe to the beat describing an individual who takes your wishes as his command while “Bump in the Night” featuring Mutanoid Underground Dwellers dedicate itself to the sickos who don’t give a fuck.

“Rotting Flesh Rewind” begins the 2nd half of the EP spitting some bloodcurdling wicked shit filled with gruesome imagery & after “Blood Shed” takes a slower yet morbid approach instrumentally so Carver can continue talking about murder, the final song Corpse Funnel” preceding the “Satanic Steakhouse Theme” outro takes it back to the traditional boom bap sound combining that with more horrorcore lyricism for 4 & a half minutes.

In preparation LLE’s medley set at the 26th annual Gathering of the Juggalos later this summer & the Skinner Family’s next member being introduced, my personal favorite Alla Xul Elu member Lee Carver continues the story of Meathead: Satanic Steakhouse titular character whom we were intended to 6 months earlier through A Night 2 Dismember as well as using it as an opportunity to flesh out his story & give it more context over dark production with a decent guest appearance.

Score: 4/5

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