Darby O’Trill – “Gully” review

Darby O’Trill is a 29 year old MC from Key Largo, Florida who came up in the fall of 2018 off his full-length debut Blood, Guts & a Whole Lotta Love. This was followed up with Fester almost a year later, but it wasn’t until a few months after the pandemic hit where Darby enlisted Chapter 17/Psychopathic in-house producer Devereaux to fully produce his 3rd album Piecemeal to critical acclaim & I’ll forever be grateful that he gave yours truly a shoutout on the closer. But in light of him signing to Lyrikal Snuff Productionz over the fall, Darby & Devereaux are back at it again for his 4th full-length outing.

“Enter the Swamps” is a bass-heavy opener talking about a spot in the swamps where the bodies rot whereas “Terrorizer” gets on his murderous shit over a morbid instrumental. Shaggytheairhead & Yung Strife tag along for the cold “Mac Meaties Burgers” talking about giving no fucks just before the bombastic “Down by the Lake” details how it’s been a long day digging graves.

Meanwhile on “Casey Becker’s Dead”, we have Darby warning everyone that you can’t escape him over an instrumental with an incredibly morbid atmosphere to it leading into “Your God’s an Awesome Fraud” going into more trap territory advising that praying isn’t gonna save you from being killed. Damien Quinn comes into the picture for the piano/bass infused “Bonechillers” returning to their serial killer bag, but then “Forget the Pigs, Feed ‘Em to the Fish” comes through with an outstanding sequel to “I Think You’d Make Excellent Pigfeed” off his last album Piecemeal.

“Puddlemane” details how disgusting he is over an unsettling beat while “Sack Full of Rotting Heads” works in some bells & pianos talking about making his victims suffer. “Sunderland’s Wunderland” has a more suspenseful tone to the production as he twists the lid off the chemicals while “Big Idiot Shit” with Cody Manson finds the 2 over some heavy bass yet again talking about breaking jaws before their balls dropped.

Following that, “Welcome to Primetime” tells the story of Darby falling asleep & seeing a man in a chair who’s been waiting for him over an occult instrumental while “3 Skulls with Blood” goes full blown trap metal talking about all his desires hurting him. “In the Kingdom of the Possums” takes a more murky trap route asking to bury him while “Swampicide” with Scum describes the voices in their head accompanied by a slow yet foggy beat.

Jigsaw Killa’s verse on “The Kirsten Dunst Experiment” has to be my least favorite feature on the entire album even though I love the concept of the problems they have as well as the rugged production while “Tainted Blood Courses Through My Veins” has an icier sound proclaiming the wicked shit will never die. Yung Strife returns for the song “Christ of the Blockheads” to get ready for combat over a blaring instrumental while the penultimate track “Body in a Void” with Insane Poetry sees the 2 talking about laying asses down in a hole over a bloodcurdling trap beat. “When Dust Becomes 1 with the Dirt” ends the album with a guitar & some hi-hats expressing his desire for the pin to be taken away.

I’ve been looking forward to this album for a little over a year now & in the end, Darby gave us his magnum opus with Gully because this is a modern horrorcore classic & further cements him as the future of the wicked shit. Devereaux’s production is a lot more darker than his more recent work with Ouija Macc & as far as Darby’s lyricism goes, he’s at his most macabre.

Score: 4.5/5

Tha God Fahim – “Dump Gawd: Shot Clock King 3” review

Tha God Fahim is a 25 year old MC/producer from Atlanta, Georgia notable for his affiliation with Griselda Records as well as being 1/3 of the Dump Gawds alongside Mach-Hommy & Your Old Droog. We also can’t ignore the massive discography that he’s managed to build for himself, some of the standouts include Breaking Through tha Van Allen Belts & Dump Assassins. He just dropped his 19th album Dump Gawd: 6 Ring Champ last month & now, he’s re-enlisting Nicholas Craven to close out the Dump Gawd: Shot Clock King trilogy.

“Mr. Microphone Menace” kicks off the EP with some astounding guitar riffs declaring himself as such whereas “World Upside Down” goes into soulful territory talking about those who tried to make his life hell on earth. “Non Stop” has more jazzier flare to it saying he’s back cooking again, but then “Will’z Hand” works in some synths talking about fucking with the wrong one.

The song “Love n Hate 2” is a stellar sequel to a 6 Ring Champ highlight from the “it’s just possible” vocal sample to the lyrics expanding on the predecessor’s concept of how people act towards him while the penultimate track “Flex Brolic” follows it up with a passionate ode to those still striving. “From the Ground Up” ends the EP by victoriously bragging about his success.

Despite being an EP, I happen to like this a tad bit more than 6 Ring Champ because I find it to be a worthy conclusion to Shot Clock King trilogy. Nicholas Craven continues to expand on the sounds that be brought to the table on the predecessors & Fahim lyrically is coming for throats for a good portion of it.

Score: 4.5/5

Twiztid – “Nickel Bag” review

Twiztid is a hip hop duo from Detroit, Michigan consisting of Jamie Madrox & Monoxide, both of whom originally started out as part of the House of Krazees alongside childhood friend The R.O.C. in 1992 before their initial disbandment 5 years later. Almost immediately after, the Insane Clown Posse took Jamie & Mono under their wings by signing them to Psychopathic Records as the demented duo they’re known as today. They would become the label’s 2nd biggest act being their mentors off projects like Mostasteless, Freek Show, Mirror Mirror, The Green Book, W.I.C.K.E.D. (Wish I Could Kill Every Day) & Abominationz. Shortly after the latter was released, Twiztid left Psychopathic to form Majik Ninja Entertainment in 2014. Since then they’ve released 6 albums & 6 EPs on their own label, my favorite of which being /ˌrevəˈlāSH⁽ᵊ⁾n/. But with the 5th annual Astronomicon going down this weekend, they’re celebrating by dropping their 14th EP limited to only 420 copies.

After the melodic yet chilled out “Smoke” intro which only has Jamie on it, the first song “High Life” starts off the EP with a fun little ode to that good kush whereas the “Hydro” remix is alright even though the main version with Layzie Bone is a highlight off The Green Book & hearing it without the latter’s verse feels kinda weird to me personally. “The Clouds Outside” goes into hazier territory talking about being higher than such & as for the remix of “Come On Let’s Get High” off of The Continuous Evilutions of Life’s ?’s, I actually prefer it over the original. Especially with the horns throughout.

Even though it’s only an intro with 2 new songs & 2 remixes, I still look at Nickel Bag as an acceptable way to hold everyone over until the Unlikely Prescription follow-up Welcome to Your Funeral produced entirely by Zeuss & their “straight up wicked” album. I can do without the “Hydro” remix but other than that, Twiztid & Fritz reunite to deliver something fresh for all the smokers out there.

Score: 3.5/5

Pusha T – “It’s Almost Dry” review

This is the 4th full-length album from Virginia Beach, Virginia emcee, songwriter & record executive Pusha T. Coming up as 1/2 of the duo Clipse alongside his older brother No Malice about 3 decades ago, their debut Lord Willin’ & their sophomore effort Hell Hath No Fury would go on to become some of the best of the 2000s & essentials in the coke rap scene. But following the brothers’ final album together ‘Til the Casket Drops, they would disband after No Malice became a born again Christian & resulted in Push signing to Kanye West’s very own Def Jam Recordings imprint G.O.O.D. Music as a solo act. He has since made himself home under Ye’s wing by dropping 3 solo efforts, with the last one being the Kanye-produced DAYTONA in the spring of 2018 & one of the greatest diss tracks of all-time “The Story of Adidon” merely days later. But after 4 long years, Push is returning with It’s Almost Dry.

“Brambleton” opens up the album with a cloudy yet rubbery instrumental from longtime collaborator Pharrell & lyrics addressing Pusha’s relationship with his former manager Geesy whereas “Let the Smokers Shine the Coups” has a more triumphant tone to it saying he’s just here to find the truth. Kanye tags along for “Dreamin’ of the Past” sampling “Jealous Guy” by Donny Hathaway to belittle their competition referencing Amblin Partners which the Comcast Corporation subsidiary NBCUniversal has a minority stake in, but then JAY-Z comes into the picture for “Neck & Wrist” working in some experimental undertones talking about the rapstar life.

Meanwhile on “Just So You Remember”, we have Push reminding the whole world who they’re fucking with over a sample of “6 Day War” by Colonel Bagshot that Ye alongside BoogzDaBeast & FNZ bring to the table just before “Diet Coke” flips “Take the Time to Tell Her” by Jerry Butler taking jabs at those who be selling impure shit. KIDS SEE GHOSTS reunite 1 last time for “Rock n Roll” due to KiD CuDi & Kanye’s falling out talking about how this is their story over a sample of “1+1” by Beyoncé leading into the eerie “Call My Bluff” telling listeners that everything don’t need to be addressed.

“Scrape It Off the Top” has a more playful sound to it as Lil Uzi Vert helps Push spit them coke bars & “Hear Me Clearly” was one of my favorites off Nigo’s recent solo debut I Know Nigo, so I’m happy he put it on here. The penultimate track “Open Air” incorporates some flutes talking about slanging powder in an unenclosed space outdoors & “Labyrinth” ends the album with an organ-heavy Clipse reunion talking about all the people they pray for.

This has been one of my most anticipated albums of 2022 for a minute now & boy it did not disappoint. He continues to spit the gangsta rap we all know & love, except Kanye & Pharrell’s production is like yin & yang with the Chicago genius’ signature chipmunk soul sound that he came up on or the some of the pop rap undertones coming from some of the cuts that the Virginia visionary has to offer.

Score: 4.5/5

7xvethegenius – “Self 7xve 2” review

This is the 5th EP from Buffalo emcee 7xvethegenius. Breaking out a couple years ago off her first 2 EPs The Calm Before & Self 7xve as well as the full-length debut 7xve is Love, it wasn’t until she & Jae Skeese both became the first artists to sign with Conway the Machine’s very own EMPIRE Distribution imprint Drumwork Music Group where 7xve got her biggest break yet. Last we heard from her was over the summer when he dropped Thy Will Be Done during my first night at last year’s Gathering of the Juggalos & now in light of Skeese dropping his Big Ghost Ltd.-produced magnum opus Authenticity Check a little over a week ago, 7xve is stepping up to the plate with Self 7xve 2.

“Waves” kicks off the EP by cinematically talking about how crazy her life’s been up to this point whereas the bassy, yet flute-tinged “Affluence” follows it up by declaring that she’s cut from a different cloth. Trae tha Truth tags along for the wavy “Always Thank God” encouraging listeners to give their praise to the higher power, but then “Fluidity” brings back to the woodwinds thanks to EYEKETYSON to bring the smoke.

The song “Forecast” with Flee Lord sees the pair over some boom bap production from JR Swiftz advising to stay true to the game while the penultimate track “Back End” works in some jazzy undertones talking about fucking shit up with her partner. “Moxie” then ends the EP with a somber piano ballad putting her life up to this point on wax.

Of all the sequel projects in hip hop that have lived up to the hype set by the predecessor or even surpassed it, you can definitely add Self 7xve 2 onto that list. I really admire how she decided take it back to basics & enhance everything that I liked about the first one. Most notably also, the inclusion of features was actually a really nice move as they bring their on flavor to the tracklist.

Score: 3.5/5

SosMula – “2 High 2 Die” review

This is the 2nd solo album from Manhattan’s very own SosMula. Coming up as 1/3 of the trio City Morgue alongside fellow emcee ZillaKami & producer Thraxx, they’ve released 2 full-length albums & an EP together up before branching out on their own for a little bit. Sos was the first to step up to the plate last summer by dropping 13 Songs 2 Die 2, which was a bit of a disappointment in my opinion due to the features & production. ZillaKami followed it up a month later with HIS solo debut Dogboy & the duo reunited to drop Bottom of the Barrel the month after that, both of those I found much more tolerable. Nonetheless, I still went into 2 High 2 Die with an open mind as I’m still very much a fan of City Morgue’s work.

“PARTY ON MY BLOCK” opens the album up with a hypertrap banger talking about partying of course whereas “GIMMIE DAT” keeps the rage beats going thanks to F1LTHY of Working on Dying talking about getting slumped as fuck. “HEAD TAP” follows it up with an obnoxious hook going further down the hypertrap rabbit hole spitting gang imagery just before “GET OUT” picks the energy back up with an off-the-wall bone breaker.

Meanwhile on “RICH BOI”, we have Mula over a heavy bass-line to flex his wealth leading into the manic “PULL UP” talking about how he already told us he was a star. “SNAP” returns to rage turf asking where his bands at, but then “BIG GUCCI” has a glitchier aesthetic to it talking about catching a body much like Gucci Mane.

“BIG NARCO” incorporates some crazy synth melodies providing an anthem for the heavy users while “WE SO UP!” energetically boasts his success. “SIERRA LEONE” throws some organs in the mix getting his murder bag while “MOLLY WATER” awkwardly describes getting his head knocked off by a bitch despite the futuristic production.

Following that, “PRESS A BUTTON” with Lil Tracy has to be the biggest mess of a song on the entire album talking about a hoe named Trish while “S.T.I.C.K.” follows it up with an unhinged ode to being strapped. “MAKK BALLA” has a more a rubbery tone to it talking about calling the shots while “MIX N MATCH” fuses some haunting piano melodies saying he can’t shop outside cause he’s too rich.

“YAZUKA 2000” goes into more ghostly turf talking about his body being different while the song “BODY PARTS” is a distorted horrorcore gorefest. The penultimate track “BITE DOWN” talks about getting fucked up off that syrup over a rattling instrumental & “CUTTIN’ SHIT” ends the album with 1 final ode to his shooters.

Now in comparison to Sos’ last album, 2 High 2 Die is definitely more tolerable. I once again appreciate him trying to stray away from the trap metal sound that City Morgue is known for, except this time he got rid of all the redundant features & it’ll be interesting to see him continuing to dabble into hypertrap alongside Kami at some point because it suits him fine here.

Score: 2.5/5

Bukshot – “Never Safe” review

Bukshot is a 47 year old MC from Louisville, Kentucky who’s been around for a quarter of a century at this point whether it be his lengthy solo discography or groups/duos with some of the biggest names that the underground has to offer. The last we heard from him on his own was Night of the Zombie back in the fall & in light of his appearances at Astronomicon this weekend, he’s enlisting former Strange Music in-house producer MIKE SUMMERS a.k.a. 7 behind the boards for his 17th EP.

After the “Under the Surface” intro, the title track kicks off the EP in his wicked shit bag down the thrilling instrumental whereas “Asleep” works in some pianos to diss the woke. “Role Mode” goes into cloudier territory getting more vulnerable lyrically just before “Molotov” mixes keys with guitars showing motherfuckers that he’s a problem. The song “Hog-Tied” has a more dramatic aesthetic to it declaring his lack of respect for anyone who plots against him while the penultimate track “Round Here” ghoulishly cautions everyone not to stop coming around his turf. “Alright” then closes out the EP by incorporating elements of orchestral brushing off his haters.

Now 2021 had to be one of if not the biggest year in Mobstyle Music’s history & for this to be the label’s way of keeping the ball rollin’, I’m highly impressed. Buk sounds incredibly ferocious on the mic & on top of that, 7’s production is absolutely chilling & compliments the aggressive bars very well.

Score: 4/5

Weiland – “Vices” review

Weiland is a 21 year old rapper, singer/songwriter, producer & audio engineer from Tampa, Florida who came up in 2016 off his debut EP Insomnia. He would follow it up with his first 2 mixtapes Packrunner & Grimey Life but at the beginning of this current decade, Weiland wound up signing Victor Victor Worldwide & they backed his eponymous full-length debut that same fall. But for his sophomore effort over here, he’s decided to experiment with some new sounds & it immediately drew me in.

“Slipping Into the Void” opens up the album with a synthpop banger produced by Mike Dean asking why he’s still alive whereas “Can’t Save Her” tells the story of a hoe pretty much over some new wave production. “Broken Ego” works in some fast drumming with some synthesizers talking about suffering from such leading into “Dangerous Woman”, which has more of a Tame Impala influence to it describing the devil in designer clothes.

Meanwhile on “All the Same”, we have Weiland wishing for a change over some synthwave production just before “Still Chasing After Happiness” goes into coldwave territory asking his ex if she still thinks about him. “Better Place” keeps the synthpop going showing a side of him that’s never been shown before, but then “Hard Time” goes full-blown post-punk confessing that he’s been dealing with a breakup poorly. That being said, it is very catchy & you can hear the pain in his voice.

“Blaming Myself” fuses neo-psychedelia & hypnagogic pop together confessing his emotional dependence on a toxic relationship while the song “Wanted More” talks about the falling out of a relationship over some more synthwave beats. The penultimate track “Mellotron” perfectly lives up to it’s name with it’s colorful production expressing his love for the instrument of the same name & “Farewell” ends the album with 1-last coldwave cut detailing his drug abuse.

Given that his earlier work is deeply rooted into the trap/plugg sound, this wasn’t what I was expecting going into it. That being said, I’m blown away with what I heard & I’ll even go as far to say it’s Dawn FM on Steroids. No disrespect to Abel at all because I thought it was a great follow-up to After Hours, but Mike Dean was the perfect person to help Weiland go into that synthpop territory given the progressive electronic style of his 3 latest solo efforts only to go above & beyond in nearly every aspect.

Score: 4.5/5

Stanwill – “Big $hitter” review

Detroit, Michigan rapper Stanwill making his full-length studio debut. Coming up as 1/3 of the ShittyBoyz with Babytron & TR Dee signing to Lando Bando’s own The Hip Hop Lab Records, he eventually branched out on his own during the COVID-19 pandemic as did the rest of the group off the debut EP $camwill as well as it’s successor Gifted & the debut mixtape Van Gundy. However, the Big $hitter of the Dog $hit Militia collective has revealed himself after going Full Auto.

“When You Dropping?” gets the ball rollin’ with him & the rest of his crew making it seem like they’re working out the way they be flexing whereas “Sandlot” talks about how his lil’ bro been swinging the sticks lately. “Rick Grimes” references the main character of the amc series The Walking Dead’s early seasons while “OMG” finds him & the rest of the squad trippin’ out at the Ritz-Carlton.

4-time WWE world champion, 2-time WWE Intercontinental Champion, WWE United States Champion, 6-time WWE Tag Team Champion, PWG World Tag Team Champion, ROH World Champion & 2-time ROH World Tag Team Champion Seth Rollins gets referenced during “On i94” produced by Danny G leading into “Crash the Whip” talks about shopping with no limits, buying an outfit that cost as much as a whole pint.

“GoldenEye” named after the timeless Nintendo 64 game of the same name flexes that he’ll turn his entire opps into Ronald McDonald the way he be hittin’ ‘em with the Mac-10 leading into “Chemistry” talking about stealing bitches solely off his chain referencing the WME Group-owned UFC president Dana White. “Forever Active” featuring TR Dee finds the pair shit-talking over a Danny G beat while “Real Me” shows the most synthetic version of himself.

Meanwhile on “Tag Popper”, we have Stan describing the type of people he & the rest of the D$M are while “Glock on Stage” talks that he be hanging with the killers staying strapped when performing at shows. “Effortless” boasts that he doesn’t have to box because he keeps the Glock by his side daily prior to “Why the Fuck?” asking for the reason people think they’re part of the Dog $hit Militia.

“Fr Doe” featuring TRL trades the mic back-&-forth with each other decently over a Danny G instrumental while “Poetry” references the New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick the way he draws plays up for bills. “Cooper Kupp” gives a nod to the Los Angeles Rams WR of the same name while “No Lie” talks about him & his crew being sticked up at every single function they pop out at.

We get a cleverly chopped up string sample all over “Violin” looking back on coming from the dirt to the position that he’s in currently with the rest of his D$M family while “Limitless” by Lewis & Clark takes a couple minutes to trade brief verses with one another. “Shit Show” talks about chasing bags being the only thing he knows while “1st Class” explains that he keeps an X on him because he’s an Off-White enthusiast.

“Gladys Knight” winds down the last few minutes of Big $hitter by talking about the idea of becoming broke being exactly like a fish sinking & making the chopper sing while “No Way” featuring Tae Retro wraps up the LP with both parties breaking down the rebel mindset each of them have, refusing to work with anyone who doesn’t have anything to say to them from a financial position.

With 3 EPs & a mixtape under his belt already, Stanwill’s debut album Big $hitter will certainly appeal more tho those who got into him as a solo artist through $camwill or Van Gundy in comparison to the moderate reception of Full Auto although I certainly enjoyed it last fall for what it was. The secondary influences within the production puts an emphasis on more standard trap in addition to the Detroit sound we all know & it’s the most lyrically gangsta he’s been since Gifted.

Score: 4/5

Nelson Dialect – “Ever Since” review

Adelaide, Australia emcee Nelson Dialect enlisting Brighton, East Sussex, England, United Kingdom producer Mr. Slipz to fully produce his 5th solo LP. Known for being 1/2 of Dialect & Despair, he would make his debut in 2008 off Rugged Uncut Project & follow it up with The Isolated Papers as well as the Ray West-produced Time Means Nothing & most recently Glorious Definitely a couple months ago. High Focus Records recently signed Nelson to their roster individually & he’s telling us how he’s been feeling Ever Since.

After the “Nobody Knows” intro, the 3rd & final single “Seance” begins wanting to communicate with the dead over a jazzy boom bap instrumental whereas “Smooth Ride” featuring Confucius MC & Jehst finds the trio starkly reminds the world that living life ain’t easy as it may seem. The 2nd single “Only Just Begun” goes for a laidback boom bap vibe to the beat achieving what others told him was unfeasible while the lead single “Oxford Scholars” featuring Verbz & Vitamin G finds the trio coming together for a 4 & a half minute barfest.

Cazeaux O.S.L.O. appears on the drumless “Myself” talking about both of them not feeling like their usual selves as of late while “Star of Sirius” speaks of his instinct telling him a close encounter’s lying down & following his heart these days. “Figure Out What’s Right” blends elements of soul & boom bap asking for God to not sell because he has a lot of stuff he’s gotta take care of personally & each moment being the only thing we get for free while “Open Book” smoothly talks about the familiar theme of romance.

“Association” suggests keeping it humble until his hindsight changes when he decides to become a father & after the “Lion’s Gate” interlude, “Trembling the Marrow” featuring A.G. links up for a conscious attack directed at corporal giants. “1st Date” tackles the subject of love once again using a beat reminiscent of Slum Village’s sophomore effort Fantastic Vol. 2 while “Row Your Boat” offers the advice of moving gently to pursue your dreams. The final song “The Revealer” featuring SickInTheHead preceding the “Portal” outro ends with both of them talking about the angel of death.

A great deal of Nelson Dialect’s solo material in the past decade plus so far has been pretty average to me personally other than Time Means Nothing, but I didn’t think we’d get another album from him almost 8 weeks succeeding his last one & I’d have to put his inaugural High Focus project Ever Since above Time Means Nothing for it being my favorite thing he’s ever made by himself. Mr. Slipz’ boom bap production hits a lot harder than Glorious Definitely’s & Nelson makes an urgently refreshing statement regarding the endless quest for a timeless sound whilst amassing a slew of guests.

Score: 3.5/5

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