Eva Lazarus – “Brandy Kisses” review

This is the sophomore effort from Birmingham, West Midlands, England, United Kingdom singer/songwriter & rapper Eva Lazarus. Introducing herself in the summer of 2017 off a 3-track reggae/dub extended play called Amsterdam, she would follow this up with her full-length debut More Fyah& looks to take it’s solid reception even further by making Brandy Kisses the inaugural LP in the London imprint Melonskin Records’ catalog as well as having it’s co-founder producing it.

Dirty Dike of Contact Play blends some crooning vocals, finger snaps & pianos on the intro “Define Me By My Love” to get us started singing about feeling alive whereas “Empty Pockets” leans towards a soulful funk rock vibe instrumentally passionately letting this person know that they got plenty on her mind. “Mixed Messages” goes full neo-soul not to waste any of her valueable time just before “How Am I Looking?” embraces a moodier atmosphere confidently singing about feeling good.

“No Limits” makes a turn into a jazzier direction & even spits a quick rap verse at the backend of it always striving to aim higher prior to “I Prayed for You” stylistically stripping things back to address the very person she loves the most. “Lioness” someone has this g-funk quality to the beat ready to show everyone what she’s really been about while “I’m On My Way” ends the 1st leg of Brandy Kisses with an uplifting gospel-like ballad dedicated to loyalty.

The title track gets the 2nd half going singing about living the high life with no plans of slowing down instrumentally putting a tropical spin to things while “If You Ever Leave Your Girl” takes inspiration from neo-soul again, more specifically Erykah Badu in this case & hints of Zapp via Melonskin co-founder Pete Cannon using a talkbox. “Secrets” sings about a kind of love that’ll cause trouble over a synthesizer with some kicks & snares sprinkled in while “On God” much like “No Limits” explores her range as an MC a bit.

“Lessons” featuring Kofi Stone begins the 4th quarter with both of them teaming up for a marriage between R&B & hip hop expressing their desire to not fall down or go under while “Royalty” fiercely sings about all of her worries being cancelled & the sun shining on her got her feeling like a queen. “Flashing Lights” fuses elements of soul & jazz again professing that she’s been feeling happy in her skin while “The Party’s Over” cap off with this orchestrally soulful 5 minute outro singing that it’s too late for her.

It’s a great thing to me that Dirty Dike has started up his own label after being on High Focus Records for almost a decade, already signing Skuff & even Sleazy F Baby from the Cult of the Damned. That said: Brandy Kisses marks the beginning of a new era for both him & especially Eva Lazarus. The production’s more net-soul/contemporary R&B-inspired than anything Dirty Dike has done in the past, capturing his growth behind the boards whilst distilling Eva’s artistic versatility.

Score: 4.5/5

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Sonnyjim – “White Girl Wasted” review

Birmingham, West Midlands, England, United Kingdom emcee/producer Sonnyjim enlisting The Purist to produce 75% of his 14th EP. Making his debut in the summer of 2011 with The Psychonaut, he would go on to drop 4 more albums as well as his last 13 EPs & a mixtape, most notably the No Vi$ible Means of Incomeduology produced by Giallo Point or the Buckwild-produced Coke Le Roc & the Illinformed produced The Chemistry Must Be Respected. Looking at some of the names involved with White Girl Wasted however, it’s not hard to see why it’s been getting a lot of attention.

“Paris Hilton” is a slickly luxurious intro clocking in at 64 seconds spitting a quick verse off the top referencing WWE Hall of Famer, former WWE Champion & WWE Tag Team Champion The Iron Sheik but after “Barz Simpson” featuring Jay Electronica & the late MF DOOM finds the trio spitting 1 head-spinning verse after another over a woodwind instrumental, “Doc Ellis” produced by one of my top 5 producers of all-time DJ Premier references 10-time WWE world champion, 2-time WWE Intercontinental Champion, 5-time WWE Tag Team Champion & $7 Productions co-founder The Rock.

Reaching the halfway point of the EP, “No Case No Face” works in some sampling to talk about life being a bitch that he’s fucking while “Does Mushrooms Once” returns to the boom bap Thais to another one of my top 10 producers Madlib boasting how nice Sonny is when he rocks the mic. “Lemon 714” brings the flutes back so he can talk about the holy grail of quaaludes while the final song “999” featuring the Mcabre Brothers preceding the “Buy Cocaine Not Art” outro finds the trio sending us off with them dropping hardcore verses on top of a blissful boom bap beat.

Almost 15 years since Trading Standards & this dude has already given us what might go down as the greatest extended play of his entire career, surpassing the Camoflauge Monk-produced Money Green Leather Sofa or the Leaf Dog-produced How to Tame Lions & the rest of those previous standouts I mentioned earlier. Joined by only a couple of elite lyricists, Sonnyjim’s abstract lyrics of braggadocio & using drugs over jazzy boom bap production makes for some of the most important songs he’s ever written.

Score: 4.5/5

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LMD – “Flying High” review

LMD is a supergroup from California consisting of LMNO, M.E.D. & Declaime. One of whom initially saw success as a member of the Visionaries & the other 2 being childhood friends/longtime collaborators with Oxnard DJ/producer/emcee Madlib. The trio initially formed in the fall of 2010 but now a little over a decade later, they’re finally coming together for a full-length debut with The Beat Konducta behind the boards from top to bottom.

After the intro, the title track with some upbeat synthesizers & the trio delivering that feel good shit lyrically whereas “Advice” takes a dreamier route instrumentally as they send a heartfelt message about the fucked up music industry. “Pop Fly” is a rugged boom bap infused battle rap cut for all the battle rap heads out there, but then Fly Anakin tags along for the jazzy yet soulful “Kool” boasting how fly they all are.

“The Cypher” has a bit of a Bollywood influence to the beat as LMD giving us a fitting jam for weed smokers like myself & after the first skit, “Super” returns to a more dreamier aesthetic to spit some braggadocio just before the 80-second “Steppers” delivers a groovy dance anthem with some phenomenal back & forth delivery from the trio. The song “Birthday” has a funkier flare to it vividly describing having shitty born days & after the final skit, the penultimate track “High Skates” embraces a more electronic sound encouraging to get the bread. “Duwop” though is a grand closer to the album expressing their passion for music.

Even though the album got pushed back a handful of delays throughout the summer, Flying High was much worth it as a fan of all 3 members of LMD & someone who ranks Madlib as one their top 10 producers of all-time. The Bad Kid himself sticks to his uniquely signature sound behind the boards with LMNO, M.E.D. & Declaime coming through with an interesting chemistry.

Score: 4/5

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Pi’erre Bourne – “Good Movie” review

This is the 3rd full-length album from South Carolina producer, rapper & engineer Pi’erre Bourne. Becoming one of the most in demand beatsmiths in hip hop today off Playboi Carti’’s “Magnolia”, he’s also made a name for himself on the mic by dropping 9 mixtapes along with a couple EPs & LPs within the last dozen years or so. He just dropped the 5th & final installment of The Life of Pi’erre series last summer & then the TM88-produced Yo88! in the winter, but is coming fresh off the Space Age Pimpin’ collab album with Juicy J by dropping Good Movie.

The first song “Shorty Diary” following the “Opening Scene” intro kicks off the album with some synths & a rattling bass-line detailing a relationship that’s beyond repair & after the “Logline” interlude, “Ex Factor” takes a more calmer route talking about not wanting sloppy seconds. After the “Intro to Love” interlude, “Love Drill” comes through with a catchy yet atmospheric banger confessing that he wants something real whereas “Hop in My Bed” goes into peppier territory talking about a bitch that wants to fall in love with him a little.

“Superstar” works in these incredible string harmonies to tell his girl who she fucking with even though the hook’s trash leading into “Where You Going?” shooting for a moodier aesthetic talking about the love he has with this woman being priceless. “What I Gotta Do” vigorously asks his girl why she likes him to begin with, but then “DJ in the Car” dives into futuristic territory calling his girl a DJ in the Uber.

Don Toliver tags along for the cloudy “Psane” to get raunchy & after the “Kingdom Hall” skit, the actual “Kingdom Hall” song itself has a more sensual vibe to it comparing to his girl popping up at his place to that of a Jehovah’s Witness believer. Also, the guitar near the end was unexpected yet interesting. After the “Witty” skit, “Kevin Heart” brings some delicate synths into the fold talking about putting all his problems in a blunt just before “SossHouse Party” dives into bop turf to rep SossHouse Records.

Meanwhile on “Safe Haven”, we have Pi’erre talking about chilling in his hideout with some rage undertones while “Rounds” jumps on top of an airy backdrop & some finger-snaps to describe a bitch wanting to get fucked up off the alcohol & dropping a corny Star Wars reference during the first verse. “System” weaves some synths along with hi-hats more finger-snaps explaining to his lover that she got a real one with her while Young Nudy comes into the picture for the heavenly-produced “Moving Too Fast” to talk about sex. The title track however was a great choice of a single with it’s up-tempo instrumental referencing Tesla CEO, SpaceX founder, Neuralink founder & Twitter owner Elon Musk with the closer “Heart Say” bringing some unexpected rock undertones to the beat telling his girl to speak from the heart.

As much as I respect Pi’erre for both his talents behind the boards & on the mic, I’m pretty indifferent on Good Movie to be quite honest & would personally prefer Yo88! over this. The production is dope don’t get me wrong on that whatsoever & I’m not against romantic subject matter in hip hop songs in any way shape or form, but it’s so excessive to the point where it gets annoying & at some moments cringey for me personally.

Score: 2.5/5

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Roc Marciano – “The Elephant Man’s Bones” review

This is the 10th full-length album from Long Island emcee/producer Roc Marciano. Starting out in the very late 90’s as a member of the Flipmode Squad, he then went solo in 2008 to drop classic albums that would pave the way for those like Griselda such as Marcberg & Reloaded. However after focusing on producing projects for other artists like Flee Lord & Bronze Nazareth following Mt. Marci a couple years ago, Marci’s enlisting The Alchemist to produce The Elephant Man’s Bones.

“Rubber Band Grip” is a spaciously suspenseful opener talking about having the pump on him whereas the Action Bronson-assisted “Daddy Kane” works in synths to deliver bars like ”I been gettin’ off that soft white long before shorties was rockin’ Off-White. Water color ice, I call it Walter White” or “Know the in and outs, they want dinner? We get ’em In-N-Out”. The lead single “Deja Vu” takes a more drumless route with it’s bare piano instrumental confessing he had a breakthrough, but then “Quantum Leap” has some jazzy undertones to it talking about how your favorite rapper send him fan mail & your album ain’t worth 12 pennies to him.

Meanwhile on the title track, we have Marci brings back the luxurious keyboards providing food for the spirit just before “Bubble Bath” has a more glistening yet dusty quality to it talking about being rich for real. “Liquid Coke” shoots for a more symphonic aesthetic saying that’s exactly what he’ll leave when he slits ya throat leading into Boldy James tagging along for “Trillion Cut” getting in their hustle bag on top of a flute & some pianos. Stand-out bars being “Me & G on Stockwell, filthy as Rockwell. Turn an eye on high fresh out a dry spell” & ”My pops had tracks in his arms from heroin, this is rap meets Gil Scott-Heron”.

“The Horns of Abraxas” however has these chilling organ harmonies throughout talking about the road to success being Hell sandwiched in the middle of a great spoken word intro/outro from the O.G. himself Ice-T while “JJ Flash” returns to soulful territory spitting that kingpin shit. “Zig Zag Zig” is dramatic boom bap ballad about his life being a fantasy & you getting no pussy while “Stigmata” takes it back to the soul samples as Marci gives free game referencing WWE Hall of Famer & former WWE tag team champion Ivan Putski. Favorite bar is definitely “Like 2 teens playin’ Call of Duty, but all of these is real toolies”.

Following that, the sinister” Zip Guns” with Knowledge the Pirate intimidatingly paints some vivid gangsta rap imagery while the song “Think Big” has a more summery vibe to it talking about taking destiny in his own hands. The penultimate track “Macaroni” returns to a synth-based sound encouraging his competition to hang up the mic & get a job finding them odder than disgraced former IWGPジュニアヘビー級チャンピオン, 2-time WWE world champion, 4-time WWE Intercontinental Champion, 5-time WWE United States Champion, 7-time WWE tag team champion & 3-time WCW World Television Champion Chris Benoit while “Momma Love” sends it off with fireworks as Marci hops on top of a on operatic loop putting it all on Ma Dukes.

From the moment I first heard “Flash Gordon” alongside “Pistolier” & “Paradise Pimps” during my sophomore year of high school a decade ago, I’ve been screaming for Marci & Uncle Al to do an album together. Now that it’s here, it’s the masterpiece that I could’ve ever dreamed from them. There is not a single moment from the beginning of The Elephant Man’s Bones to the end that I genuinely dislike from the smooth & witty gangsta rap lyricism from the New York veteran to the perfectly crafted production pulling from drumless, boom bap & jazz rap.

Score: 5/5

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DJ Khaled – “God Did” review

This is the 13th full-length album from New Orleans DJ, record executive, producer & media personality DJ Khaled. Most people know him as a living meme pretty much & for the hilariously embarrassing temper tantrum he threw when IGOR outsold Father of Asahd, but many forget that that he actually came up as a tour DJ for the Terror Squad. As for his solo output, he already has a dozen LPs under his belt with Major 🔑 being the most enjoyable of the bunch & has decided to tell the world that the man upstairs believed in him when no one else would on God Did.

“No Secret” by Drake is a gospel-inspired 48 second intro talking about how he spills all his feelings unashamedly whereas the title track by JAY-Z, Lil Wayne & Rick Ross is an uplifting ballad about God believing in them when no one else would with Hov steals the show without a slightest bit of doubt. The highly anticipated “Use This Gospel, Pt. 2” by Eminem pops up on here somehow someway although I absolutely love the rock/boom bap infused production from Dr. Dre & the subject matter from Em refusing to break suits the original, but then “Big Time” by Future & Lil Baby delivers a lavish trap banger produced by TM88 talking about their statuses in the rap game.

Meanwhile on “Keep Goin’”, we have Lil Durk & 21 Savage over some horns & hi-hats to boast just before “Party All the Time” by Unc & Phew feels more like a Takeoff solo cut given that Quavo only does the hook & the painfully underwritten first verse accompanied by a weakly flipped sample of the Eddie Murphy joint of the same name from STREETRUNNER disappointingly. “Staying Alive” by Drake & Baby pretty much bastardizes the iconic single by the BGs, but then “Beautiful” by Future comes through with a sensual ode to toxic love.

“It Ain’t Safe” by Kodak Black & Nardo Wickbrings some pianos & bells together provided by Tay Keith quenching for blood while “Ley’s Pray” by Don Toliver & Travis Scott shoots for a more apocalyptic aesthetic talking about how nobody’s on their level. “Fam Good, We Good” by Gunna & Roddy Ricch basically feels like a parody of “Hot” by Young Thug down the horn-heavy beat while “Bills Paid” by the City Girls & Latto is an obnoxiously funky ode to boss bitches.

Continuing from there, “Way Past Luck” by 21 blends chipmunk soul with trap talking about going from the mud to a millionaire while “These Streets Know My Name” by Bounty Killer, Buju Banton, Capleton, Sizzla & Skillibeng is the typical dancehall cut guaranteed every time Khaled drops. The song “Juice WRLD Did” by the late Juice WRLD stands out to me as a bittersweet ode from Nick Mira of Internet Money Records’ production to the references that Juice drops throughout while the “Jadakiss Interlude” starts off with an audio clip from the obvious battle where Verzuz peaked & an aggressive beat with Kiss spitting hardcore shit. After the “Asahd & Alaam Cloth Talk” skit, “Grateful” by Vory ends the album with a full-blown gospel ballad talking about letting his blessings glow.

Everyone going into God Did should know what they’re getting themselves into at this point in my personal opinion & the reason why I say that is because how formulaic Khaled’s albums have always been. Is this an exception? Absolutely not. I can appreciate that he tried to give it more of a spiritual concept & the production even pulling from gospel music, but it’s just so unfocused & all over the goddamn place.

Score: 1.5/5

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Autumn! – “Golden Child 2” review

Autumn! is a 24 year old rapper, singer/songwriter & producer from Lafayette, Louisiana who made he got his start by dropping 17 EPs & a full-length debut on SoundCloud since 2018 prior to signing to Victor Victor Worldwide & Republic Records following Not Much Left this past fall. He put out his sophomore effort albeit major label debut Antagonist! few months back to positive reception & returned to his plugg roots a month ago with ##B4GC2, but is steadily grinding by putting out his 18th EP.

The intro sets it off with a glistening instrumental talking about being up now whereas “Inside My Head!” takes a more atmospheric route thanks to Goyxrd refusing to let the industry take his soul. “Can We Talk!” goes pluggnb responding to everyone who said he fell off prior to “Golden Child!” confessing about lying that he’s fine when he’s really not over a tranquil instrumental. The song “Jay n Bey!” works in a guitar comparing his love for his partner to that of The Carters while the penultimate track “Should Know Me Better!” spaciously talks about needing to relax after moving too fast & that he’ll always be here in the scene. “Myself!” though is a fun send-off to the EP telling this hoe not to deny that she’s like the rest.

As a sequel to one of the best projects in Autumn!’s ever-growing discography, it certainly lived up to my expectations. Much like the prequel & the predecessor, the actual follow-up itself picks up where things left off with it’s well-crafted pluggnb production that helped blow him up & the subject matter all comes from a unique perspective that he continues to bring to the table. He & Weiland are definitely holding it down for Victor Victor right now.

Score: 3.5/5

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Drego & Beno – “Sorry We Was Trapping” review

Drego & Beno are a duo from Detroit, Michigan who started to blow up in the summer of 2018 through the #GetOffRecords founders’ debut mixtape Sorry for the Get Off followed by both Meet Us Outer Space & Sorry for the Auto-Tune after signing to EMPIRE Distribution. But coming off a 3-year break they took in order to focus on further establishing themselves as solo artists, the pair are getting back together for a full-length debut a year & a half already since Drego put out his 1st solo effort Krazy Man.

The title track is a hyphy-laced opened apologizing for disappearing from the scene whereas the 5th installment of the “Slatt Season” series works in some strings & a rubbery bass-line tossing the mic back & forth with one another talking about getting the money. “Provolone” takes a more suspenseful route to spit some gangsta raps, but then “RTA” returns to a more Bay Area sound talking about running through anything with their new straps.

We get some synths & bells for the “Tuck & Duck” sequel basically continuing the themes of the predecessor while “Palm Angels” is Drego solo cut over some woodwinds paying tribute to the titular brand. Lil Yachty, Sada Baby & Tee Grizzley all tag along for the heinous “Wit It” talking about thuggin’ in public just before “Dope Game” shoots for a more tenser aesthetic to describe life as hustlers.

“Xelinage” is the bombastic Beno solo cut talking about having hoes on the weekend while one of the 2 biggest rappers in the city right now Babytron comes into the picture for the song “Vaxuum Seal” brings some Hi-NRG to admit they ain’t shit without such. The penultimate track “You Hip?” almost has a tropical quality to it asking listeners know what the deal is & “Bhrome Hearts” is a rich closer to the album getting materialistic.

I was genuinely curious to hear where both these dudes would go after 3 years off & I think that they gave us a worthy debut LP. Both halves never lost their step as far as their chemistry goes & the production stays true to the Detroit trap sound even though there are points where they don’t come off as repetitive like most artists in that style do.

Score: 3.5/5

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Declaime – “In the Beginning 2” review

This is the 13th full-length album from Oxnard veteran Declaime. Debuting on “WLIX” off Tha Alkaholiks’ sophomore album Coast II Coast in 1995, it wouldn’t be until 2001 when Dudley Perkins started putting out albums under his own name by dropping Andsoitisaid. But ahead of LMD’s long-awaited debut Flying High next weekend, he’s linking back up with childhood friend/longtime collaborator Madlib for a sequel to last summer’s In the Beginning.

“2MC ornot 2MC?” is an orchestral boom bap opener asking the titular question whereas “Bandwagon” takes a dustier route talking about how there’s more to him on the mic. The demo version of “WLIX” is something fresh for all the hardcore fans who’ve never heard it before & after the “Sensei Sound” interlude, “WunTwo” returns to the boom bap so he can flex his pen-game.

Meanwhile on “As I Get Wild”, we have Declaime taking a rawer route challenging anyone to step up to him lyrically just before “Temporary Rhyme Speech” comes through with a low-fi Crate Diggas Palace posse cut. “Scarce Compliments” weaves some piano embellishments into the fold talking about knowing what he’s grateful for, but then “Enjoy Your Stay” ruggedly calling God’s revelation his only source of inspiration. And prior to the outro, Wildchild tags along for the hypnotic closer “Signs” talking about how it’s all in the mind.

Although I prefer the predecessor a tad bit more, I’d still say that this whole In the Beginning series is very intriguing & are must-listens for any hardcore fan. Hearing the vintage production & cutthroat lyricism presented throughout even in 2022 continues to show how far both Declaime & Madlib have come in the last 3 decades or so. Could we get a 3rd installment next summer? Only time will tell.

Score: 3.5/5

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Meyhem Lauren – “Black Vladimir” review

This is the 5th full-length album from Queens emcee Meyhem Lauren. Coming up as the leader of the Smart Crew graffiti team. He eventually started rapping in the mid-2000s, it wouldn’t be until the 2010s decade that he saw success. Most notably with Mandatory Brunch Meetings, the Buckwild produced Silk Pyramids, Piatto D’oro & of course the DJ Muggs produced Gems from the Equinox. Last we heard from him was Juneteenth 2020 when he dropped the Harry Fraud-produced Glass 2 & is now enlisting Daringer for Black Vladimir.

“Black Pinot” opens up the album with some dusty drums & plinky keys as Meyhem & Action Bronsoncharismatically flexing how smooth they both are whereas “Broken Rubberbands” keeps the piano boom bap vibes going talking about moving weight. “Airplane Mode” grimly detests those who claim to be on the same page leading into the dramatic “Conflict Resolution” talking about cops ducking the feds.

Meanwhile on “Red Pesto”, we have Conway the Machine tagging along over some eerie boom bap production addressing self-trust just before “Valedictorians” comes through with a rugged ode to Queens. “Chicken Chinese” takes it back to the basement talking about how his boys had the weight & everyone else has to wait, but then “Nigerian Vegetables” brings some organs to the fold to brag that he moves officially.

Westside Gunn comes into the picture for “Trigger Point Therapy” works in a glistening boom bap instrumental referencing former 4-time WWE world champion, WWE United States Champion & CWA Heavyweight Champion Sid Eudy prior to switching into the “Eric B.” beat off my favorite HWH mixtape Hitler Wears Hermes II for the final verse. “Raspberry Crush” has this incredibly ghostly sample through as Meyhem & Hologram deliver some battle taps while “Lavish Vision” has a more demented sound to it belittling a rival block.

Continuing from there, “Oversized Luggage” with Elcamino throws some strings into the fold talking about how they still wildin’ while the song “Top Grain Leather” with Flee Lord shoots for a classier aesthetic to rep for the real ones. The penultimate “G Talk” is a jazzy ode to street terminology & “Ridin’ Dirty” ends the album with a vocal loop with the title saying it all as far as subject matter goes.

Coming from someone who’s been listening to this dude since high school, he just gave us one of his best albums of his career with Black Vladimir. Daringer’s signature style production goes hand-in-hand with the gritty gangsta rap that Meyhem & all the features vividly paint in their own ways.

Score: 4.5/5

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