This is the 20th EP from New York emcee & songwriter Smoke DZA. Starting out over 2 decades ago as 1/2 of Smoke & Numbers, he would eventually go on to achieve a cult following of his own by dropping 7 albums as well as 10 mixtapes & a plethora of EPs along the way. My personal favorites include the sophomore tape George Kush da Button, the Pete Rock-produced 4th album Don’t Smoke Rock & the whole 183rd-produced Ringside EP saga. But when it was announced that Flying Lotus was being brought in behind the boards throughout Flying Objects, I just knew it was destined to be the best thing DZA has done in a while.
“Spiritual” is a psychedelically futuristic opener to the EP talking about faith in the man upstairs whereas “Painted Houses” featuring Conway the Machine takes the eerie boom bap route with both of them coming together excellently cautioning to treat lightly since their respective teams the Smoker’s Club alongside Drumwork & Griselda stay strong. The latter 2 in particular. “Zelle Transfers” takes a calmer route instrumentally spitting a charismatic, 1-minute freestyle & “Drug Trade” featuring Black Thought & later Conway the Machine on the remix was a phenomenal choice for a lead single to the EP with the woodwinds, kicks, snares & mafioso lyricism.
The closer “Harlem World ‘97” featuring Estelle on the hook rounds it all out with elements of deep house & synth-funk trying to school the apple of his eye professing their love for one another. The first of 2 bonus tracks “Beyond Spiritual” featuring Big K.R.I.T. & Wiz Khalifa happens to be a sequel to the opener with the longest reigning AEW World Champion, former CZW Wired Champion, CZW World Heavyweight Champion,アイアンマンヘビーメタル級チャンピオン, MLW World Tag Team Champion, the inaugural MLW World Middleweight Championship & the current reigning ROH World Tag Team Champion MJF on the intro & the other finishes the deluxe run with a “Zelle Transfers” sequel.
I went into Flying Objects under the impression that it was gonna be a full LP, but I still came away from it looking at it as one of the best EPs I’ve heard this year. One of if not the strongest in his whole entire discography other than the Statue of Limitations collab EP with Benny the Butcher & Pete Rock obviously. FlyLo’s production is magnificently diverse in sound from boom bap to deep hip house & I really can’t remember the last time I heard DZA himself as focused as he is on here.
Maajins is an up-&-coming 15 year old producer & recording artist who since the pandemic has been turning heads by lacing singles for the likes of tana & Pasto Flocco to Autumn! & even Yeat. However since February of last year, he’s been branching out into a solo career & has already put out a total of 10 EPs in just that short amount it time. And only 3 months after his last one Retaliation Tapes & then !@ another 3 months before that, we’re already kicking off September by delivering an 11th EP.
“jesus piece” is a self-produce woozy trap kickstarter to the EP talking about always having to catch his ice before going out on stage every single night alongside a syrupy outro whereas “stop me” instrumentally reminds me a lot of a calming retro video game boasting the fact that he always be going off the way he does. “outlaw” has a spacey, trap/rock groove to it calling himself a fugitive without y’all that is until “malibu” moves forward by cooking up a psychedelic tribute to the titular city in Los Angeles.
Meanwhile, “your fault” blends some synthesizers patterns & hi-hats telling his ex off that he has a new woman in his house with him now prior to “phase” confesses that he ain’t in the mood over a tropical beat. “x6” probably has the most peaceful instrumental on the EP flexing that he’s been on the move just before “hold tht” dabbles with some rage undertones thanks to Paulo making this the only track here Maajins wasn’t behind the boards for talking about needing more cash & that your girl is throwing it back for him. Those hypertrap elements come full effect on the closer “meds” featuring Bandanna$aint confessing that they high out of their minds.
I‘ve been familiar with his production work for a couple years now, but have yet to cover a solo EP from him out of nearly a dozen in the span of almost 2 years up to this point & I can say that teenage feelings could very well be my favorite one of the batch yet. His songwriting & deliveries are on point yet sonically, one could say it’s a lot more versatile than previous efforts from rage beats to some elements of plugg or even the rock influences on “outlaw”.
Madd Maxxx is a 38 year old MC from Brockton, Massachusetts notable for being a member of the Mission: Infect collective. He’s also released a couple full-lengths along with a mixtape & 5 EPs on his own, with the last LP being Where thx Wxld Thxngs Are back in 2016 & more recently the Halloween’s Over EP celebrating it’s 1-year anniversary this past spring. But when it was announced that Crossworm had signed Maxxx to Dirtcore Music, I was highly looking forward to hearing what was in store for his debut for the label & 3rd album overall.
After the intro, “The Culmination” is a ghostly trap opener to the LP speaking to the congregation whereas “Hell Yeah” has a more energizing atmosphere to it this time around talking about how there ain’t no limits until the finish. “Fuck Around & Find Out” dives into boom bap territory with a message directed at all of his detractors out there just before the woozy trap cut “I’m Still Here” acknowledges that he’s still rockin’ it in the underground wicked shit scene to this very day.
“B.L.G.B. (Bad Little Goth Bitch)” continues forward with a cool ode to all the goth bitches in the haughhh that is until “2Gunz” featuring Sleep Lyrical gives off more of a somber trap vibe instrumentally asking if anyone knows who they really dealing with. “IDK?” hooks up this unsettling loop & hi-hats talking about not caring or really giving any fucks leading into “Lovecraftian featuring Doc Gruesome, Lo Key & Samson Samson finds the quartet showing their appreciation for the titular horror subgenre over an occult beat.
Problemattik & 9 Millz both join Maxxx to tell everyone what “Life on Stage” is really like for them backed by a boom bap instrumental while “The Merry Go Round Broke Down” featuring Crossworm on the remix ruggedly points out the fact that he’s putting his life into this music shit for 2 decades at this point. “She Doesn’t Love Me Anymore” tugs at the heartstrings a bit on all fronts by discussing a breakup while the dusty “No Umbrella” tackles the themes of depression metaphorically standing in bad weather without an umbrella.
The song “Single Dad” profoundly starts the final leg of Maxxx’s debut on Dirtcore with a piano & a melodic vocal sample giving us a look to what it’s like for him to raise a son by himself while the penultimate track “The Only Life I Know” blends these rich chords & hi-hats together talking about how those who ain’t a part of his life already are all the targets. “1 More Show” featuring Reverend Television rounds out the LP in the form of a inspiring trap closer dedicated to all their homies that couldn’t be here with them today.
Of the 3 full-lengths that Madd Maxxx has dropped thus far, Kaleidoscope stands as my favorite in his whole entire catalog & it has me ecstatic for his future with Dirtcore in general. The skits with his son throughout are ironic if anyone couldn’t tell but it’s well-produced, the feature list is pretty tight & you get a more personal look at one of my favorite Mission: Infect members.
Michigan rapper $weet-T quickly following up his full-length studio debut Sweet Talk with a sophomore effort. Introducing himself alongside $kid for the collaborative EPs Monkey Business & Fancy Off Fiends respectively, it wasn’t too long thereafter when Lando Bando signed him to The Hip Hop Lab Records & properly introduced himself with a debut album earlier this spring. Exactly 90 days have passed & the newest ShittyBoyz affiliate is looking to Sweeten the Pot up a little bit.
“Sweet Chaka” starts by peakin’ off the boomers in contrast to those wasting their lives on on the Meta Platforms-owned Instagram whereas “The Whole Pie” featuring Babytron & Brezden finds the trio excitingly trading the microphone back-&-forth with each other. “Peep the Receipts” produced by Danny G & Jakesand cautions that he’ll make anyone obsolete if he & the gang pop out while “Federal Offenses” featuring Certified Trapper makes another attempt at a back-&-forth chemistry although not as great.
$kid reunites with his partner in rhyme on “Otis” throwing it back to the Fancy Off Fiends era a little dismantling their competition leading into “Spot Test” talking about making the pot burst with all the pressure he has on him. “7 Horses” brings $kid back in the fold for 1 more collaboration that I like less than the first one just before “Nebuchadnezzar” references the Discovery Global subsidiary Cartoon Network owned [adult swim] hit series Rick & Morty.
“Seasick” featuring BandGang Biggs links the 2 up to talk about ballin’ in contrast to others barely gettin’ by while “Hot Potato” dismisses those with puny vocabs & making people think he went to a university the way he articulates himself. “Callin’” taps in with Carlo Anthony to talk about the money hitting his line while “Cape Cod” speaks of plugging people in with God & airing out a whole team of broads.
ScrumbleMan’s appearance on “Dionysus” is one of the weaker guest performances on the LP even with them trading verses with one another while “Money Mission” featuring J1Hunnit makes up for it with both labelmates talking about their assignment of getting the bread. “Merlin” boasts that he keeps a 45 auto tucked like he was fightin’ the fascists while “Knockin’” makes reference to both Flynn White & Huell Babineaux from my favorite shows Breaking Bad & Better Call Saul.
“Good Run” pushes towards the conclusion of Sweeten the Pot by referencing future WWE Hall of Famer, former 6-time WWE world champion & 4-time WWE Tag Team Champion Dave Bautista while “Filthy” featuring GlockBoyz TeeJaee kicks off with a nod to EMPIRE Distribution founder Ghazi Shami & later the 2004 NBA Finals MVP Chauncey Billups. Couldn’t forget to mention the line about the Paramount Skydance Corporation subsidiary Nickelodeon hit series SpongeBob SquarePants almost halfway.
J1Hunnit comes back 1 last time for “Block Party” with a bar out the gate referring to former 3-time WWE world champion, 5-time WWE Intercontinental Champion, WWE United States Champion, 3-time WWE Hardcore Champion, 3-time TNA World Champion, ΩCW Heavyweight Champion, 9-time WWE Tag Team Champion, ROH World Tag Team Champion, HoG Tag Team Champion, 2-time ΩCW Tag Team Champion, 2-time TNA World Tag Team Champion & The Crash Mundial Parejas Campeon Jeff Hardy.
If you’ve ever wanted a spiritual successor to Fancy Off Fiends in the sense that Danny G’s handling most of the production, Sweeten the Pot would be it except it’s the most exciting that $weet-T has sounded by himself. Jakesand & Carlo Anthony’s contributions behind the boards are all on par with Danny’s beats since they’re amongst the best in Detroit sound & even if the guests are a little 50/50, the flows that $weet-T hits us with still makes up for it.
Bristol, England, United Kingdom emcee/producer Axel Holy self-producing his 10th extended play. Originally known under the moniker Baileys Brown producing for several local underground hip hop artists, he would eventually make his full-length solo debut in the spring of 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic with WonderWorld followed by his last 9 EPs. My favorite of which are the Micall Parknsun-produced Got It Down & the Badhabitz-produced Persian Grillz, hoping Extra Sauce would be more enjoyable than On My Life & Ancient Rhythm respectively.
“Ferris Bueller” hits us with a soulfully drumless intro talking about how anything can happen on a rad day prior to the title track reaching the midway point of Extra Sauce going for a boom bap sound making something outta nothing. “Sunset Over Okinawa” kicks off the 2nd half talking about being in front of those who doubted him even if it took as long as it did & “All I Do” takes up the final minutes admitting that he’s been trying to maintain lately.
It was only a matter of time until Axel Holy gave us something that was entirely self-produced, so I went into Extra Sauce thinking I’d enjoy it more than On My Life & Ancient Rhythm much like how Persian Grillz was a significant improvement above Welcome Back & Chess. Sure enough: That’s exactly the case. He goes significantly harder than his last couple EPs saving himself a stellar collection of boom bap, drumless & chipmunk soul beats he made.
This is the 7th mixtape from Detroit, Michigan rapper/producer Prince Jefe. Known for his affiliation with the ShittyBoyz, I can’t forget to mention the 9 EPs & his previous 6 tapes he’s already put out since 2023 to establish himself as a solo artist. Personal favorites of mine gotta be Jefe, 12/19, On the Run & more recently Lab Talk a couple months earlier. For his 3rd & final offering of the year, he’s looking to do it Jefe’s Way under Lando Bando’s own The Hip Hop Lab Records.
“Angel” opens with some strings & bells talking about hearing Envy next to him as if he’s on The Breakfast Club with Charlamagne tha God leading into “Handle It Right” venting over seeing people he knew in life changing all because of some money. “Tryna Tell U” embraces the Detroit trap vibes heavier talking about living more on the right side of things these days prior to “50 Boy” boasting that he cooks better than his own mother.
As for “Jealous”, we have Jefe going for a cloudier approach to the Detroit trap aesthetics comes clean of his daughter catching a body recently & feeling that exact way about it just before “Math Ain’t Mathin’” warning that he got hitmen who’ll send out hits with the blicks if you piss him off over a Jakesand instrumental. “Single Again” has a cloudier Detroit sound to it talking about a breakup while “L.L.$. (Long Live $camaurion)” featuring Fordio of the Dog $hit Militia pays tribute to $camaurion, who was killed in a fatal car accident last fall.
“Voodoo” admits it’s been hard to switch from the streets to rap while the self-produced “On the East” featuring Certified Trapper boasts of everyone in their hoods knowing about them. “J Reed” references Green Bay Packers WR Jayden Reed while “Another Deuce” produced by Danny G talks about having junkies knocking on his door in the early morning. “Heel Toe” featuring Babytron ends Jefe’s Way with them entertainingly going back-&-forth with each other.
Familiarizing myself with his appearances on Lando Bando’s 4th album New Era & of course Babytron’s 8th mixtape Bin Reaper 3: New Testament, the most underrated artist in the Detroit trap scene puts out a new tape under Lando’s steadily growing label & it easily surpasses a lot of what I’ve heard regarding Jefe’s earlier material. Including his work when his original moniker used the same name as Rap-A-Lot Records founder J. Prince because he’s doing it how he wants to.
This is the sophomore full-length album from horrorcore supergroup Cabal. Consisting of Bukshotas well as Lo Key & Mr. Grey, the trio have all worked with one another individually up until a couple summers ago when MIKE SUMMERS a.k.a. 7 got behind the boards throughout the duration of their debut The Watchers. This would send shockwaves within the underground wicked shit scene & would really be the beginning of Mobstyle Music’s takeover, so for them to return 3 years later to take us into The Pitwas something I was looking toward to.
After the titular intro, the first song “Eidolon” is a dementedly uncanny trap opener about the trio waiting in the darkness whereas the piano-driven “1 Dark Night” recalls the events of a fatefully dark evening that occurred long ago. “Diamond” goes for a more uncanny atmosphere boasting that they went from horrorcore artists to being Gods within the subgenre prior to the sonically uneasy “Obey” advising to succumb to them.
“We Come in Peace” goes for a cavernous trap vibe explaining that they come with the message to be taken to the leader of this world they’ve stumbled upon & after the “Chamber” interlude, “All Rise” morbidly calls for everyone to demand their gratitude to the trio. “Philistine” delves deeper into the most misunderstood people in the ancient world over a ghostly trap beat just before the atmospherically ghoulish “Nightmar3” talks about declaring themselves as nightmares personified.
However, “Coming with Me” looks to take every last person with them showing no mercy & a beat that makes you feel like you’re listening to a horror movie on wax leading into “The Signal” pulling from trap once more talking about being world eaters. After the “Swallow” interlude, “Fire from Beyond” hooks up an apocalyptic loop & hi-hats promising that everyone will fall while “Forest Lights” draws inspiration from boom bap talks about the end creeping towards them.
“The Curse” bleakly details the curses that chase them explaining they don’t see a reason why to fight for their souls back anymore, but then the final song “Wizard of Saws” preludes the “Skulls” outro & finishes Cabal’s sophomore effort in the form of 1 last horror-inducing trap cut pointing out how their hearts be as cold as the winter season justifying that the trio’s reign of having the wicked shit in a headlock is only growing stronger.
The Watchers quickly became a modern day horrorcore classic when it was unleashed to the world a couple years ago so it was announced on the Berzerkers’ eponymous debut EP last summer, I was excited for all 3 of them to take it to the next level & that’s sure enough what they do here. 7’s masterfully dark production is being taken to a new level as is the chemistry between the members of Cabal themselves & the hardcore, gritty lyricism.
This is the 5th full-length album from Santa Monica emcee, producer & singer/songwriter Earl Sweatshirt. Beginning his career in 2008 under the name Sly Tendencies as the son of Cheryl Harris & late poet Keorapetse Kgositsile, he posted a handful of tracks for a mixtape called Kitchen Cutlery on MySpace, but the tape would never be released to this day. Then he formed a rap trio with 2 of his friends called The Backpackerz & planned to release a mixtape together titled World Playground, but they disbanded sometime in 2009. Shortly after, he joined Odd Future & appeared on their 2nd & final mixtape Radical that May. 10 months later, he put out his only mixtape to date Earl with OF’s de facto leader Tyler, The Creator producing a bulk of it. The tape received a lot of buzz, but Earl’s mother would send him to a therapeutic retreat school for at-risk boys in Samoa sometime after until February of 2012. He was then granted his own Columbia Records imprint Tan Cressida Records & released his full-length debut Doris a decade ago to critical acclaim right before I started my junior year of high school for his clever rhyme schemes & the gritty production from The Neptunes to even the RZA. He then formed the duo Hog Slaughta Boyz with OF affiliate Na’kel at the beginning of 2015 & released his sophomore album I Don’t Like Shit, I Don’t Go Outside. a couple months after. Many of which consider to be better than Doris for it’s darker aesthetic. Some Rap Songs not only wound up being my favorite album of 2018, but also the best work of Earl’s career as I look at it as the bastard child of one of my all-time favorites album: Madvillainy. But after dropping a small handful of SRS leftovers in the form of Feet of Clay through a new distribution deal Tan Cressida signed with Warner Records & then his full-length debut on the label Sick! about 2 & a half years ago, Earl’s enlisting one of my top 10 producers of all-time The Alchemist to speak the truth hence the Voir Dire title after a decade of working together. Especially since Earl coined the Uncle Al nickname.
“100 High Street” opens the album with some strings, kicks & snares so Earl can talk about how it wasn’t easy even though he’s a grown man now reaping everything he’s sowed in whereas “Vin Skully” goes for a more sample based groove remembering the cold & shrugging ’til he was sore inside the crib with a better understanding. “Sentry” featuring MIKE works in a crooning loop dropping bars like “Freddie Hubbard sing through the acts, chop another piece off the branch. “Memories careen out the past, halt me to a screech in they tracks” or “You remember I’m feelin’ like Aubrey. There ain’t real n***a higher involved than me, I was there on a small façade. No need actin’ surprised when you call me”, but then “All the Small Things” has a more delicate sound talking about holding your breath.
The mellower vibes of “My Brother, The Wind” from the synths & melodic sample are incredibly soothing dropping wig-flipping bars like “My brother, like Sun Ra, we all need you. Godspeed You! Black Emperor” leading into the bluesy boom bap hybrid “27 Braids” showing off exactly how many brains he’s rocking nowadays & referencing becoming a father himself couple summers ago. “Mac Deuce” gives off a more lusciously shimmery edge instrumentally filling all the vacancies like the brightest star just before blissfully drumless “Sirius Blac” comes out swinging with “Roc Marciano told you it don’t last, get you a snack. Photocopies of my shit hittin’ the net, n****s is ass. I nicked my hand on a backboard glass, shattered it like Shaq” explaining that only big fish surround their pond.
The song “Geb” talks about being the man over a heavenly beat with the standout bar to me personally being “It’s on tuck like Doubtfire, close as a secret. My mouth shut ’til the bag wired then I release” while the penultimate track “Dead Zone” flirts with death to curve em & watch him work bringing in these lavish piano chords starting his verse perfectly with “Have the pull-out like a flatbed, get it cracking like cueballs. Plastered on the wall like a fathead in a pool hall”. “Free the Ruler” couldn’t have been a better choice for a closer from the soulful chops to the lyrics talking about how “it’s not normal, but I swear this shit is regular”.
The streaming version of this LP contains 3 bonus cuts & I’ll go over them right now. “Heat Check” starts things off with heavy synthesizers admitting that he couldn’t cope with the dope fiend shit looking to leave on the highest note, but the remaining 2 both feature Vince Staples interestingly. The first of which “The Caliphate” goes for a cloudier sound getting on their abstract shit lyrically & the other “Mancala” concludes the bonus track portion of the album with pianos as Earl confesses he’d be remiss to try & go at least without a blick ’round him.
Despite the fact that Sick! is widely considered to be the uknowhatimsayin¿ of Earl’s discography, my expectations were already very high going into Voir Dire as someone who’s been listening to him since the Odd Future days & it is without a shadow of a doubt that it’s the best thing he’s done since Some Rap Songs. It will also go down as one of the best albums of his career & the strongest of the 3 projects we’ve gotten from him since the Warner deal. I literally have no complaints about it whatsoever from Al’s drumless jazzy production to the intricately abstract wordplay that Earl is known for.
This is the full-length debut album from Atlanta, Georgia up-&-comer Bermuda Yae. Making his presence known by dropping 3 EPs & a couple mixtapes, this would all lead up to the immensely talented South Carolina producer/recording artist Pi’erre Bourne signing Yae to his own Interscope Records imprint SossHouse Records. And considering that Pi’erre’s began a run producing albums for the artists he’s signed after putting out his critically acclaimed Grails EP this past spring, but Bermuda Yae is pleading The 5th & becoming the 3rd SossHouse artist to introduce himself on an LP of his own after both J Billz & Kura respectively.
“Tomato” starts off Yae’s very first album with a spacious trap instrumental thinking of a masterplan whereas “Back in Dis Bitch” takes a bass-heavier approach talking about his return to the scene of course. “One of Dem” confesses to being one of those dudes with a wavy, booming quality to the beat just before “Reminisce” gives off a more delicate vibe sonically in order for him to reflect on the lyrical side of things.
Meanwhile, “South Dekalb” works in a rubbery bass-line describing the southern party of the titular county in Georgia leading into the airy trap cut “Boosie” paying homage to the titular Pimp C protege from Baton Rogue. “Einstein” on the other hand keeps the rattling bass & hi-hats in tact to talk about having a lightbulb go off in his head, but then “So Fly” gives off a lively feeling this time around obviously lacing his lyrics with braggadocio if you couldn’t tell by the title.
“Big 4” almost had a rage-inducing quality instrumentally looking to beat the block while “4 Life & Kites” shoots for a woozier aesthetic acknowledging that he’s already known about people not saying shit in their lyrics or copying him blatantly. “Freak Nik” has one of the quirkier instrumentals on the album & more sexually charged subject matter while “Fuckumean” can talk about him going crazy over these paired set of strings & hi-hats.
Pi’erre cooks up a more suspenseful vibe on “Wild Wild East” painting a picture of what it’s like to grow up in the Eastside of Atlanta, Georgia while the inebriating “John Deere” talks about rolling with no one but by his lonely. “Headphones” should’ve been combined into 1 instead of being split in half with the beat starting with some cheerful synthesizer melodies & hi-hats prior to swapping the synths out in favor of a shimmery backdrop advising to put on headphones for this particular cut, but “Preciate Y’all” is a cloudy finisher thanking everyone for sticking by him up to this point.
It makes me happy to see Pi’erre finally giving Bermuda Yae a chance to shine much like how when he produced both Streetz Hottest Young’n & Born Seditionary only a couple months ago. Similar to both of those debut albums, we get a closer look as to who Yae is both artistically & personally except each of the 3 introductory LPs have their own story & the production from his mentor is leagues better than those early EPs/mixtapes.
This is the 5th full-length album from West Coast-based hip hop collective the Soul Assassins. Founded in 1992 by DJ Muggs, their debut Chapter Iwould become a bonafide classic & would follow it up with the equally solid II. This was followed up almost a decade later with Intermission & another 9 years later when they got back together on Dia del Asesinato. But coming fresh off producing a plethora of albums for a wide range of different artists, Muggs is looking to close out the trilogy that began Chapter I & pick up where II left off by taking everyone to Death Valley.
After the “Time Has Come” instrumental intro, the first song “It’s On” by Boldy James sets it all off talking about how he & the Concreatures bleed the block over a lusciously groovy beat whereas “Check In” by Jay Worthy gives off a more blaxploitation inspired sound as he flexes the chess moves he’s been making. “Sicilian Gold” by Ghostface Killah & Westside Gunn gives off a more triumphant vibe so Starks & the FLYGOD can brag about their drip, but then the piano-heavy “67 Keys” by Meyhem Laurenas well as Roc Marciano & Rome Streetz finds the trio getting in their coke rap bag.
After the “Mr. Cartoon” interlude, “Joker’s Wild” by CeeLo Green shifts into boom bap turf taking pride in being Chicano just before “Shell Casings” by T.F goes for a darker atmosphere advising that those who try to play hero will get shot. “Street Made” by Freddie Gibbs & Scarface weaves more kicks & snares into the fold talking about being made by their respective hoods that is until “Where We At” by Boldy James gives off a drumless edge this time basing the subject matter around one of his most famous adlibs.
“We Ain’t Playin’” by Jay Worthy, T.F & 2Eleven returns to the boom bap declaring that they ain’t fuckin’ around whatsoever while “Burn the Playbook” by Domo Genesis & Evidence sees the pair over more kicks & snares with a cloudy backdrop promising to never run slow. After the “Majik” interlude, “Crazy Horse” by Crimeapple & Roc Marciano strips the drums once more spitting their signature gangsta raps while the lead single “Metropolis” by Method Man & Slick Rick hooks the kicks & snares back up reminding that they can’t be touched lyrically all these decades later.
To start the final leg of the album, “We Coming for the Safe” by Boldy James is an eerie way to do it of course talking about breaking into safes while the track “Skeleton Bones” by Rome Streetz further demonstrating himself to be gave of the most skilled pens in the game currently by dropping lyrical acrobatics. And prior to the outro, the final song “Dump on’ Em” by Cypress Hill alongside former N.W.A members Ice Cube & MC Ren ends the 26 year trilogy with a beat kin to Cypress Hill IV repping the west coast.
Already over 3 decades since the Assassins have been around albeit over a quarter of a century since they started dropping music & 5 years after returning from a near decade-long hiatus with Dia del Asesinato, there’s not a single shadow of doubt in my mind that Soul Assassins III: Death Valley couldn’t have closed out the trilogy any better. The guests are well-balanced between hip hop veterans & of the biggest names in the underground currently as they all come together to destroy mics in their own fashion backed by Muggs’ distinctly raw production.
Legends Will Never Die 