Bryson Tiller – “S O L A C E & The Vices” review

Louisville, Kentucky singer/songwriter & rapper Bryson Tiller dropping off a double 5th full-length album. Beginning over a decade ago off his debut mixtape Killer Instinct, he would eventually sign to RCA Records & release the ground breaking debut T R A P S O U Lcelebrating it’s 9-year anniversary this fall. The sophomore effort True to Self was underwhelming & A N N I V E R S A R Y proved to be a step in the right direction but coming off 4 more tapes & EP since (more recently the Slum Tiller trilogy, Bryson’s coming off a divisively received eponymous LP to put out S O L A C E & The Vices.

“Strife” opens the 2-disc experience singing over a trap soul instrumental with some synthesizers about a toxic relationship whereas “No Contest” blends R&B & drill to apologize for cheating in the past. “Workaholic” produced by Charlie Heat is a favorite of mine singing about being afraid of going broke in 2018 & the same can be said regarding “I Need Her” from Charlie handling the drums, synths & bass to the yearning lyrics.

Boi-1da brings a woozier R&B vibe to “Autumn Drive” singing about having to take a leave from the city while “Crocodile Tears” has a bit of a cloudy pop rap approach to it looking back at the fun times of when he was down financially during the late 2010s. Charlie Heat kills it with the instrumentation once more on “Genuine” singing about having a hitlist prior to “Uncertainty” calling someone out for false pretense.

“Damn” once again combines cloud rap & pop rap figuring out how this dude stole his chick while “Sick” feels less of an interlude, singing for 100 seconds about being fed up with all the judgement around him. “Star Signs” embraces a contemporary R&B sound feeling like his lover’s heart belongs in his home & after “Harley’s Outro”, we have “On My Way” setting the tone of Disc 2 with an average attempt at sample drill talking about his global travels.

Charlie Heat’s sampling of “I’ll Give All My Love to You” by Keith Sweat throughout “1st Place” was done tastefully finding Bryson running up $25M while “Cut Ties” featuring Bossman DLow talks about turning off their phones for the evening to hang with friends, except I could’ve done without DLow’s verse. “Mini Kelly” featuring Rick Ross flips one of my favorite Kanye songs “Flashing Lights” to ask why try finding solace through their vices when they’ve split up while “200 Bands” featuring Plies & T-Pain throws it back to the late 2000s.

“Money Shower” a lot like “Sick” comes off as an actual song of it’s one from the ghostly trap beat to directly tackling the topic of his wealth while “More Than Money” sings about giving all the fame & paper for the woman he’s seeing currently over another Charlie Heat instrumental. “Make Life Easy” featuring BabyDrill team up for a moderate take on Chicago drill while “No Sharing” featuring Luh Tyler shows the hoes who they really cherish.

The song “Last Call” asks what it’ll take to have the female in mind drunk call him over synthesizers & fingersnaps from Hitmaka referencing the iconic Ginuwine single “Pony” while “Burnout” featuring Bun B gives a nod to H-Town down to the chopped & screwed undertones of it. “Finished” ends the album with a trap closer rapping about the criticism he got for his association with OVO Sound when Drake almost signed him to the label at 1 time.

S O L A C E & The Vices in 1 hand comes across as a somberly vulnerable R&B/trap soul therapy session considering Bryson Tiller says some things he wouldn’t normally say out loud inspired by the fall season that has only recently begun & in another, he’s leaning heavier towards his hip hop influences although the guest list is a bit of a mixed bag. I’d also consider Charlie Heat’s bulk of the production to be stronger than self-titled’s.

Score: 3.5/5

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Elcamino – “Mino” review

Buffalo, New York emcee & singer Elcamino celebrating his birthday last week to drop his 6th studio LP. Blowing up in 2017 off his self-titled EP with Griselda Records, his profile increasingly grew after being followed up by Walking on Water mixtape in the summer of 2018 along with dropped 2 studio albums & a few EPs the year after that. They Spit on Jesus proved to be a well received Black Soprano Family Records debut becoming the first Camino project that I had covered since On the 3rd Day & that much like No Weapon Formed Against Me was an improvement over some of the material we’ve gotten from him in recent memory. 6 months after having Real Bad Man produce The Game is the Game followed by Ill Tone producing Built for Cuban Links named after Raekwon’s iconic solo debut Only Built 4 Cuban Linx… produced by RZA in addition to flexing his Millionaire status & Full Moon showing a heavy Future influence. Martyr’s Prayer III produced by 38 Spesh made for a gratifying conclusion to the beloved trilogy & has released Mino a couple months after the Gold Bricks 2extended play.

“Think About It” produced by Ill Tone was a triumphant intro flexing the stripes of putting on young lords since Griselda’s time with Shady Records whereas “Bobby Knight” featuring Benny the Butcher & French Montana references the late General over a Hitmaka instrumental, although I would’ve preferred it more without French Montana’s verse. “Godson” takes a more soulful approach making money off shit he’s been doing since he was a kid while “We Shall Overcome” featuring 38 Spesh finds beauty in the struggle.

Benny reunites with Elcamino over synthesizers & hi-hats for “N.I.A. (N****s is Art)” talking about only coming out when it’s dark outside just before “London Gatwick” returns to the boom bap for some of the hungriest performances on the entire project. “Salvation” featuring Cory Gunz & Inspectah Deck jazzily brings redemption to the way they drop their verses while “Magic” featuring Boldy James & Double D gives a nod to the Magic City strip club named after Jermaine Dupri’s comeback album.

“Ahead of Themselves” wraps up the final moments of Mino turning the jazz rap influences back up talking about a group of individuals he gave game to taking action without proper preparation & “Been Thru It All” featuring Kenyada Nikile properly concludes on an soulfully introspective note reflecting on everything that both Meechy & Kenyada have experienced in their lives trying to live another day improving their conditions. More specifically what was seen in the streets.

Starting the deluxe run, “Superior” hops over an exuberant trap beat to put his bitch in all kinds of shit while “King” talk about still pledging allegiance to crack & it’s customers. “Don’t Change” works in some sampling to describe himself as a mogul in the making & succeeding the soulful “Bruv’s Coming” talking about lampin’ for almost a week, the final bonus track “Prime Ministers” featuring Estee Nack finds the 2 hittin’ finishers.

When discussing Elcamino’s output under the Black Soprano Family umbrella, Mino‘s production mostly handled by Ill Tone harks back to They Spit on Jesus when he made his official debut for the label firmly stands with Spesh’s all over the recent Martyr’s Prayer entry. Unquestionably the most consistent he’s been on B$F since The Game is the Game, it captures Ill Tone’s sonic evolution these past 24 months & prominently personal concept.

Score: 4/5

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Doggystyleeee – “Music with Substance” review

San Bernardino, California emcee Doggystyleeee reemerging for his 6th EP. Coming up 6 years ago off his full-length debut Into Somethin’, he would go on to put out his last 5 EPs as well as 5 mixtapes & a couple more albums garnering interest to the point where WWE Hall of Famer Snoop Dogg almost signed him to Death Row Records not too long after purchasing the label from MNRK Music Group to revive it. Blame It on My Crippin’ produced by AC3Beats was a tight way to start off his 2025 & is whipping up Music with Substance following a breakdown of his Split Personality.

“Money Motivated” samples “Foe tha Love of $” by Bone Thugs-n-Harmony featuring Eazy-E talking about the bread keeping him inspired whereas “Men Shouldn’t Cry” tells the story of a strong man who went through Hell & back to tie up the first half properly. “In My Bag” starts the 2nd half of the keeping money in his thoughts giving off a modern g-funk vibe while “2004 Flow” throws it back to the crunk days. “Energized” works in sampling to keep his 9 by his side while the closer takes the final 4 minutes & 20 seconds to get “A Few Questions” off his mind.

AC3Beats could very well be my personal favorite producer Doggystyleeee’s worked with because their chemistry is so distinctive, but I do appreciate him giving Peso Talks a chance to shine behind the boards since Music with Substance’s production acceptably meshes modern & classic west coast sounds taking a significantly meaningful approach to the songwriting capturing the gangsta themes that made the San Bernardino lyricist so popular near the end of the previous decade.

Score: 4/5

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ApolloRed1 – “ApolloRed1 vs. the World” review

Atlanta, Georgia rapper ApolloRed1 preluding his debut mixtape with his 3rd EP. Starting out a year ago off his full-length debut The Summer I Turned Red along with his first couple EPs Villain & Vamp Diary, his last EP Tantrum in March was enough to have his cousin Playboi Carti make him the newest member of the Opium Records roster & dropping a Midnight Blassic this spring. In preparation for his debut mixtape Demon Heart Radio, he’s preluding it with ApolloRed1 vs. the World.

“No Running” is a rage-inducing opener produced by Clayco talking about having whole rounds for their opps whereas “Benz Muhfucka” featuring Protect with co-production from OPM BABI & n9ck finds the pair assuring you won’t catch them leaving the house strapped. “Riot” continues to rep the hypertrap influences thanks to Goxan for an ode to the New York stop of Opium’s upcoming Antagonist Tour while “Contraband” talks about putting it this shit on command over a 16yrold, Bakkwoods & Rafmade instrumental.

Meanwhile on “Loaded Diper”, we have ApolloRed1 over more rage beats to discuss him still poppin’ pills & hopping out the van leading into “ARP” talks about the rifle doing exactly what he tells it to do over an Ayelavish! beat. “Profit” uses a flow reminiscent to Future’s confessing to fucking up the financial gain just before “Bad Bitch Fetish” featuring 9 Vicious teases their upcoming collab tape YVLFN.

“10:03” starts the final leg of ApolloRed1 vs. the World by talking about not wasting his money at the Magic City strip club Jermaine Dupri named his comeback album from last month after prior to “headed2thesky” promising to put the world in his girl’s hands over a Trgc instrumental. “Vamp Language” featuring Destroy Lonely was the perfect choice of a last minute guest appearance as they get on top this Bugz Ronin beat to talk about speaking in vampire.

Putting a bigger emphasis on the Chicago drill & plugg styles than Midnight Blassic did earlier this spring, ApolloRed1 vs. the World might seem like a homage of Lil Uzi Vert’s greatest tape on the surface only to get a collection of trap & rage tracks that rival ApolloRed1’s inaugural release under Opium several months ago. The production expands on the artistic potential that began flourishing post-Tantrum giving more reasons to validate his signing.

Score: 4/5

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LIFEOFTHOM – “Driving Blind” review

New York emcee LIFEOFTHOM enlisting seasoned talent manager, producer, DJ, songwriter, audio engineer & record executive Plain Pat to produce his debut mixtape. Introducing himself off his first couple EPs Thomas & Robot Jesus, he would go on to release 3 more in Floor 11 as well as Room 44 & Cocotaso respectively. However, the singles that we got teasing Driving Blind & learning that the former KIDS SEE GHOSTS manager was solely handling all of the production.

“Wasted” was a passionate choice of an opener talking about risking it all for a plate & wanting a lot of stacks whereas the highlight “42nd St.” featuring Lørd Skø takes a jazzier yet soulful approach instrumentally representing the uptown. “Hands” featuring Wiki proves to be another favorite clllaboration of the 4 working in more sampling stripping the drums to talk about being the boss type while “Overthinking” tackles the theme of analysis paralysis.

Meanwhile on “Hittas”, we have THOM over a soulfully cloudy beat talking about the lesson that every journey has to have the kind of people who’ll stick knives in our backs just before “Night” hooks up a drumless guitar so he can get married to the game. “Cadillac” featuring jev. & Wiseboy Jeremy pairs the trio for a funky ode to luxury vehicle division of the General Motors Company while “Jeep” takes a more cavernous approach to the beat talking about his obnoxiousness.

“G.T.F.O. (Get the Fuck Out)” starts the final leg of the tape by addressing the people who want to see him out of bounds while “Lost in Vegas” featuring Swavay talking about being the type to snatch phones & log into finstas. “XO Tour Life” jumps over a boom bap instrumental with pianos speaking of money always coming his way & “Jumpin’ In” finishes the most important entry of LIFEOFTHOM’s discography leaping up out the edge of his seat for $100.

Reinventing the classic New York sound by blending classic boom bap rhyme schemes together with genre blurring melodies, Plain Pat helps take the meticulously thoughtful pen & use of experimental cadences/flows that’s skyrocketed LIFEOFTHOM’s popularity to a completely different stratosphere with no shade intended towards those early extended plays. Driving Blind’s refreshing production is unlike any of Thomas’ earlier work & firmly stands behind the homie Lørd Skø in helping pave a bright future for east coast lyricists.

Score: 4.5/5

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WTM Scoob – “Life’s the Baddest Bitch” review

No sign of Detroit, Michigan rapper WTM Scoob slowing down with his 4th EP of the week & his 12th overall. Formerly a member of the WRLD Tour Mafia, his solo career started in 2019 with his first few EPs Good Kid as well as When You Coming Home & A Beautiful Drug. Couple more EPs Euphoric Effects & Don’t Be Proud came out ahead of his acclaimed debut album I Went to Plu2o, which was later followed by his first couple mixtapes Scoob & Sydney Tour the World and Unreleased Wav alongside Big Heart Small World. I’ll Neva Sell My Soul alongside Yellow Willow & Sydney have all dropped this week, explaining why Life is the Baddest Bitch.

“2 Brothers” works in a flute sample & some 808s talking about having a way to make it out the streets alive whereas “Finger Bowls” replies to those asking where he’s been by answering “in another Benz” bringing a more boisterous vibe. “Let’s Do It” hold up some pianos & hi-hats being down to break bread & shop all day but once “I Got New Money Go Get Sum” flexes his fresh loaf over a cloudy trap instrumental, “Photo” finishes with a Detroit sound outro talking about his life being ferocious.

Sydney remains my favorite extended play of the small handful WTM Scoob has released on SoundCloud this week, but Life is the Baddest Bitch would be a close 2nd without hesitation. Nolo 2000’s production sticks out amongst some of the finest batch of beats compared to it’s predecessors meshing the Detroit sound, cloud rap, trap & some instrument samples for Scoob to warm up for a release party he’s playing in less than 3 weeks as a birthday gift to fans.

Score: 4/5

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WTM Scoob – “Sydney” review

Already got the 11th EP from Detroit, Michigan rapper WTM Scoob. Formerly a member of the WRLD Tour Mafia, his solo career started in 2019 with his first few EPs Good Kid as well as When You Coming Home & A Beautiful Drug. Couple more EPs Euphoric Effects & Don’t Be Proud came out ahead of his acclaimed debut album I Went to Plu2o, which was later followed by his first couple mixtapes Scoob & Sydney Tour the World and Unreleased Wav alongside Big Heart Small World. Yellow Willow dropped literally an hour ago & he’s already turning up the pressure with Sydney.

“WYA? I Wanna See U RN!” opens with a cloudy, 108 seconds trap intro talking about wanting to see his lover while the pluggy “U Know U Important to Me” reminds her of how much she means to him. “Girl Ask God 4 Forgiveness” quirkily advises the woman he’s addressing to seek redemption from the higher power & “mo ho’s than santa :(“ talks about having too many hoes.

For those of you who loved the way WTM Scoob heavily embraced the cloud rap/plugg styles all over Peach Wolf almost a year ago, it’s highly plausible that you’re gonna enjoy Sydney the most out of all 3 extended plays we’ve gotten from him these past 60 hours. Production-wise, it’s a lot similar to the previously mentioned EP from last Thanksgiving & the subject matter has a stronger focus around love.

Score: 4/5

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WTM Scoob – “Yellow Willow” review

Another day & another EP from Detroit, Michigan rapper WTM Scoob marking the 10th in his discography. Formerly a member of the WRLD Tour Mafia, his solo career started in 2019 with his first few EPs Good Kid as well as When You Coming Home & A Beautiful Drug. Couple more EPs Euphoric Effects & Don’t Be Proud came out ahead of his acclaimed debut album I Went to Plu2o, which was later followed by his first couple mixtapes Scoob & Sydney Tour the World and Unreleased Wav alongside Big Heart Small World. I covered Peach Wolf around Thanksgiving time last year & 10 months later, Yellow Willow has arrived in time for fall.

“Grimace Shake” was a tropical choice of an intro talking about chopping it up with God to wash away all of his sins while “She Called Me Weird About a Year Ago” takes 39 seconds to recall a woman referring to him as a weirdo 12 months ago. “Tom Izzo” references the iconic Michigan State Spartans basketball coach of the same name over a reversed sample & “Fly Ass Kid Puffing w/ an Angel” experiments with sample drill for almost a minute talks about smoking weed with messengers of God.

Only 48 hours since I’ll Never Sell My Soul dropped, WTM Scoob celebrates the fall by releasing an extended play that’s almost 10 minutes shorter than the predecessor from the end of the weekend coming close to the LP he dropped the summer. The production’s a bit more experimental than I had expected since most of his music’s catered to the Detroit sound, but he nevertheless uses the salix lutea as a briefly enjoyable metaphor for vitality.

Score: 3.5/5

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Detroit Ché – “Chizzy” review

This is the 2nd EP from Detroit, Michigan rapper, singer/songwriter, producer, actress, model & creative director Detroit Ché. Releasing her debut single “Talk My Shit” over a decade ago, she released her debut EP Chénges in the summer of 2017 & returned last spring with a new single followed by another one couple months later. Both of which make the final cut of Chizzy, which has been getting co-signs from local veteran Miz Korona currently working on her forthcoming EP Travel in Peace dedicated to her mother.

After the intro, the self-produced “Lambo (Go Get It)” is a Detroit trap opener with some bells & pianos talking about nobody doing it like here whereas “Hugsz” takes an eerier approach instrumentally chilling in the corner where the love at dissing the frauds. “Hit Different (Money Phone)” sticks to the Detroit sound advising against calling the phone she uses to make money with back & after the “Mama Chizzy” interlude, “Super Ché” reaches the halfway point of the EP talking about charging up.

“Toobi” starts the 2nd act of the EP with a cutthroat Detroit trap beat cautioning that her crew don’t know how to act just before “1234567 (Too Feddy)” talks about people asking her suspicious questions. “Detroit Chizzy” blends strings & 808s to show the city who the real boss is while “Koi” asks why would she stop when she has more to say. “Pretty from the D” closes Chizzy by talking about not being anything like these other bitches rapping.

It’s been 8 years since Detroit Ché had to make some Chénges in her life & her comeback effort Chizzy stylistically adapts to the Detroit sound as opposed to the mellowness of that debut EP. It’s similar to what Boldy James did with Hommage earlier this spring in terms of a seasoned local MC proving that they can do what they best over that incarnation of trap & succeeding to end the 3rd quarter of the year.

Score: 4/5

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jev. – “LONERWRLD 2” review

Ontario, Canada emcee jev. returning 15 months since his full-length debut to release his 4th EP. Introducing himself off The Color Grey. as well as LONERWRLD & The Samurai’s Monologue., he received his biggest breakthrough yet last summer off the studio LP when angels cry. emphasizing the jazzy boom bap portions of his style ditching the underlying trap influences throughout a portion of his early material. Preparing for 2nd album, we’re getting a sequel to LONERWRLD.

“Annie.” featuring Hillari soulfully opens the EP with both of them rapping about a violent kind of love while “I Love You, jev.” spits acid over a boom bap instrumental. “Jamaican Cuisine.” produced by Conductor Williams of the Griselda Records in-house production trio The Heartbreakers is my favorite track here getting automatic with the flow while “Megatron.” goes for an industrial hip hop going at the asses of his competition.

The song “God, My Big Homie.” begins the final leg of LONERWRLD 2 talking about the Lord above being a good friend to him over the course of his entire life while “Runitup.” admits that something in his cups causing his words to slur a little. “Truth.” finishes the extended play with sampling soul music throwing some kicks & snares into the picture going on a mission for the team.

Assuming that we’ll get jev.’s sophomore effort in 2026, the continuation of LONERWRLD slickly takes both sounds that it’s predecessor employed couple years ago this month & substitutes the consciously abstract lyricism for secondary influences of neo-soul & trap in addition to experimenting with newer flows that he successfully tries out.

Score: 4/5

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