Chill Rob G – “Survival of the Better” review

Chill Rob G is a 62 year old MC from Jersey City, New Jersey who became notable for being a part of the Flavor Unit collective. His full-length debut Ride the Rhythm produced by the late 45 King would come out in 1989 under Wild Pitch Records & EMI Records, which would subsequently be followed up with the sophomore effort Black Gold & No Running. He also had C-Doc fully produce his SpitSLAM Records debut Empires Crumble in the spring of 2022 & here we are 50 months later picking up where the latter left off for Rob’s 4th album.

“Level Up Season” begins with this jazzy boom bap intro promising that shit won’t ever be even as long as Rob’s still alive whereas “Never Ready” featuring Copywrite finds the 2 linking up over a bass-line advising not to call yourself the best when you can’t prove it. “Ridiculous” featuring R.A. the Rugged Man & Sadat X brings the trio together to talk about sending wack rappers back to irrelevance while “I Am” reminds us all who he is over a jazzy drum & bass instrumental.

Treach joins Rob so both of them can let out some “Intrusive Thoughts” they’ve been having on top of a piano mixed with kicks & snares just before “Shots Fired” takes a funkier boom bap approach for some raw battle raps. “Let’s Go” featuring Chuck D hops over another bass guitar talking about trusting your instinct & actually think while “Higher Level” featuring Lakim Shabazz & Wise Intelligent continues the conscious lyricism hooking up a crooning beat behind them.

“G.T.F.O. (Get the Fuck Out)” winds down Survival of the Better’s last leg turning up the jazz rap influences for a message directed at those who might get it confused with him when they shouldn’t while “Dream Big” featuring Thrilla aka Shardcore brings back the funk encouraging their younger selves to listen to their hearts. The closing track “Choose Life” earned off the LP on a jazzier note talking about being motivated if anyone wants to achieve their goals like they say they do.

Empires Crumble to me was the most that I’ve enjoyed a Chill Rob G album since his debut, but Survival of the Better inserts itself in the middle right above it’s predecessor & behind Ride the Rhythm for a top 3 spot if I had to rank Rob’s discography. C-Doc’s production feels noticeably jazzier than Empires Crumble’s & the Flavor Unit member elevates his pen midway through this 5th act of his storied career alongside a murderer’s row of guests.

Score: 4/5

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Lucki – “dr*gs r bad” review

Chicago, Illinois rapper & occasional producer Lucki’s highly anticipated 4th LP has finally arrived. Beginning to turn heads in the summer of 2013 when he released his debut mixtape Alternative Trap to critical acclaim, he would later go on to give his fans 6 more tapes & a dozen EPs with the last one being the F1LTHY-produced Wake Up Lucki a week before my 25th birthday in December 2021. The full-length debut Flawless Like Me saw Lucki finding his style & the sophomore effort s*x mon*y dr*gs was the most I enjoyed Tune’s music in a while, coming off Gemini & the divisively received Daysb4bad* to deliver the main course that the latter preluded.

The “Nuppy” intro opens up the first couple of minutes talking about a woman who he feels like is the right one for him whereas “Picky Demons :)” talks about him not being the fastidious type & shit not being for show with him. “No Stars in Maybachs” featuring Rylo Rodriguez & Veeze finds the trio joining forces to trade verses with each other although I think Veeze was the better guest of the 2 while “Stupid Prizes” cloudily talks about what happens when one plays stupid games.

“Supertune!!” gives off a heavier psychedelic trap vibe instrumentally courtesy of Noah Mejia boasting that he feels like a superhero whenever he pops pills leading into “rookie 2 barbie” talks about how far he’s come since his Lucki Eck$ days over a decade ago back when I was in high school. “AllWay2Space” embraces a pluggier sound thanks to Taurus discussing his eagerness of going to the moon just before the “mdnt series” talks about going on a midnight roll driving around in his Maybach.

Lil Baby appears for “Snake Pit Flow” to describe the feeling they have of being made for this music shit over a LulRose instrumental while “(madness)!” shifts towards a more futuristic trap direction stylistically talking about there being hoes with no voices out here. “a theme atp…” expresses his willingness to have his people call him whenever their day’s been rough while “Keep It 1,000, Plz” talks about his desire to have everyone keep it legitimate when speaking to him.

“Brazy” reached the halfway point of dr*gs r bad with what I’d consider more of a brief freestyle than an interlude while “WAYBetter Dayz” featuring the late Chynna talks about being geeked up so much to the point where today could be his last day alive. “Loyal Snake” keeps the synthesizers coming to ask this woman if she could love him the way he loves her while the Detroit trap-tinged “Roundtripski” encourages someone who went rogue on him to do it again because he fucks with it.

Veeze returns again for the “Twin Flow” sequel “Twin FlowGodfather II”, going back-&-forth with each other to save my favorite guest appearance for last while “Ur a Vet!” talks about being on 3 different diamonds every single day & most being unable to keep up. “Gemini Dramatic” wraps up dr*gs r bad’s final moments describing a relationship where he’s got it out the mud & has a hoe who’s for the streets beside him while the outro “Yesterday On My Face” talks about being unable to trust this person.

“Not So Virgo of You” starts the deluxe run with a cloudy trap 2-parter that I’d say is one of the best songs he’s done this decade & once “I Don’t Care…” featuring the current WWE United States Champion Trick Williams’ manager Lil Yachty teams up for a atmospheric jerk single that I liked more than the other one they did at the beginning of the month, “Diamond Stitching” fuses the Detroit sound & tread so he can talk about his newfound wealth.

The single “Free Mr. Banks” combines trap & plugg to call for Lil Durk’s freedom in addition to remind us all of the code of the streets while “Overth!nking” experiments with vaportrap a bit to vent about his internal struggles including experiences of betrayal. The final bonus track “Tuff Luver” is what truly sends off the album, confessing that he’s been feeling somewhat nervous of becoming a superstar & shrugging it off suggesting maybe that’s the Chiraq in him.

Considering that one of the deluxe cuts stirred up controversy when Lucki dropped it through Steve Stoute’s independent distributor UnitedMasters & it’s competitor EMPIRE filing a lawsuit against Tune, some including myself would have to presume that dr*gs r bad fulfills the Chicago artist’s contract with them & I wish him nothing but the best if that’s in fact the case. However, it’s still an impressive trap/Detroit sound album even if it’s an undeniable improvement above Daysb4bad*.

Score: 3.5/5

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Drake – “Habibti” review

Toronto, Ontario, Canada rapper, singer/songwriter, actor, producer & entrepreneur Drake going solo for the first time in 3 years with his 9th studio LP. Skyrocketing to fame in 2009 off his 3rd mixtape So Far Gone, the success of this groundbreaking project resulted in a contract with both Young Money Entertainment/Cash Money Records & they helped put out the man’s underrated full-length debut Thank Me Later the next summer. His sophomore effort Take Care the year after would be even better & I enjoyed Nothing Was the Same too but after If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late & then What a Time to Be Alive with Future (both of which came out in 2015), that’s when the quality in Drake’s music really began to take a nosedive. VIEWS was a terrible foray into dancehall, More Life was mediocre despite being stylistically eclectic, his YM/CM swan song Scorpion was a disappointingly failed attempt at making a double disc album showcasing the hip hop/R&B sides of the OVO Sound founder’s music respectively, Care Package is decent collection of 17 loosies from 2010-2016 that we’ve all heard before, Dark Lane Demo Tapes tried to experiment with new sounds only to miss the landing & Certified Lover Boy just felt like the same old shit we’ve heard from him before. Honestly, Nevermind was basically Drake’s own version of Renaissance by foraying into house music a month ahead to mixed reception until Her Loss with 21 Savage was a 6/10 at best because 21 felt like a featured artist on there. For All the Dogs was the most I’ve enjoyed Drake’s music since If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late$ome $exy $ongs 4 U with PARTYNEXTDOOR last Valentine’s Day would become his worst collaborative project yet, coming off getting destroyed by Kendrick Lamar in a rap beef to drop HabibtiMaid of Honour & Iceman.

The “Rusty” intro awfully begins with him singing over some acoustics for 62 seconds sending a message to the sweethearts & those he’s dated whereas “WNBA” produced by Gordo mediocrely details a long-distance relationship that’s effected by travel. “Slap the City” might be my favorite track here from the Noel Cadastre beat to Drizzy’s hedonistic lyrics, but then “High 5s” finds himself getting in his petty bag over a 40 instrumental.

“Hurrr Nor Thurrr” featuring Sexyy Red could be my 2nd least favorite track here because of the way they describe an addictively messy relationship ruining a sample of “MORAL” by Avenoir, but “I’m Spent” featuring Loe Shimmy tops it as the worst song here wasting a moody beat to talk about both emotional instability & luxury. “Classic” continues with this grating alternative R&B ballad encouraging a woman to leave the man she’s with until the minimally cold “Gen 5” makes a tacky statement regarding him getting a Glock for last Christmas.

The song “White Bone” was another moment that I was fine with instrumentally even if Drake ruins it by singing about a relationship on the verge of collapsing that he thinks is a real connection while “Fortsworth” featuring PARTYNEXTDOOR feels like an $$$4U leftover from the slow beat to them singing about being with long-distance partners. “Prioritizing” finally ends Habibti attempting to strip his confidence & replace it with the feeling of uncertainty.

Some people would say either Honestly, Nevermind or Certified Lover Boy are Drake’s worst solo efforts, but I feel like he managed to outdo both of those & have Habibti take the cake. It’s more on the R&B side of things stylistically compared to Maid of Honour & Iceman although the production’s decent explorations of alternative R&B, pop rap, trap soul, downtempo, contemporary R&B & pop rap are ruined by the songwriting.

Score: 1/5

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Chip Fu – “Invisible Footsteps” review

This is the 2nd solo extended play from Brooklyn, New York veteran Chip Fu. A member of the Fu-Schnickens, he would eventually put out a solo mixtape of his own 16 years earlier called Stop Playing & the sequel arrived roughly 32 months later. The Beginning of the Reckoning under Blaq Ink Entertainment in tandem with Fat Beats Records was a solid EP last summer & the highlights it had made me eager of where Invisible Footsteps would go next.

After the intro, we have the man himself welcoming us to the “Shell Down” except I feel like the trap instrumental is merely ok compared to the enjoyable lyricism whereas “Double Dutch” hooks up a more thunderous beat & flows that would make the heads of those unfamiliar with start spinning. Busta Rhymes later appears on “Have Mercy”, where both lyricists join forces over a boom bap instrumental so they can ask God to grant them lenience.

“MI-JOI” might be my least favorite track on Invisible Footsteps & that’s disappointing because I appreciate the positive messaging despite the execution of the dancehall sound while “Warning” featuring Shaquille O’Neal finds the 2 linking up to talk about those thinking they can fuck with them, assuring them they’re all sorely mistaken. “More Amor (Love)” finishes the EP fusing jazz rap, boom bap & pop rap for an ode to affection.

With all due respect to Chip Fu because I did enjoy his previous EP alongside his output with the Fu-Schnickens or guest appearances, Invisible Footsteps does have moments that I can see myself going back to since the verses as well as the flows & both guest appearances are on point. My main criticism I have towards this newer batch of material is that the production’s somewhat more inconsistent at times, which I find disappointing.

Score: 2.5/5

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ShittyBoyz – “Back to the Basics” review

Here we have the 5th studio LP from Detroit trap trio the ShittyBoyz. Consisting of BabyTron alongside Stanwill & TR Dee, they emerged off their debut mixtape 3-Peat under the mentorship of Lando Bando in the summer of 2019 taking the motor city by storm & following it up with another tape. They even have 4 full-lengths in Trifecta as well as the the sequel & of course the trilogy chapter. Last time we heard the 3 Man Weave was in 2024 & they’re taking it Back to the Basics.

The title track produced by Danny G fuses the Detroit sound & techno talking about the food they’re cooking not being for plates whereas “Killian Hayes” shrugs off this crazy bitch for proclaiming themself to be a demon when that isn’t the case. “Timeout” talks about their motion being unstoppable over a Detroit trap instrumental leading into “Heist” explains that they can’t let the phone ring twice if there’s any money involved.

“Rocket Science” by Stanwill gives off somewhat of a mafioso atmosphere talking about blasting off in UFOs just before the 2nd & final single “Geek Squad” finds the trio trading verses with each other for a few minutes. “Fetty, Mula, Gwalla” continues the 2nd half of the album hopping over a darker beat with some bells talking about money while “Pumpkinhead” lets Babytron shine for a solo joint of his own hittin’ hoes with the sidestep.

We have Danny G running it back with the ShittyBoyz on “Kudos” assuring that anyone can do it too if they’ve already done it while “Lord Sidious” talks about the possibility of becoming rich if one makes the right choices. TR Dee gets a track of his own with “Work” suggesting that any competition has been confused with ghosts over a Jakesand instrumental & once “Mojo” talks about using door codes instead of keys, “Outta Town” ends with them ignoring advice from those who’ve never been in their position.

These guys have been saying in recent interviews that Back to the Basics is their most refined material yet & I would have to agree with that sentiment in the sense that it’s a lot shorter than the longer projects they’ve been known for, linking back up after taking a year off to focus on their solo endeavors without having any guest appearances to either trade verses each other or letting each member putting their individual growth on display for the world.

Score: 3.5/5

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Lil Shine – “Get Rich or Die Sippin’” review

Lil Shine is a 21 year old recording artist from Minneapolis, Minnesota who introduced himself off his first couple of extended plays Sh!ne & Heavenly Ascension respectively. He would go on to follow these up with the full-length debut Losing Myself as well as the Lovesick & Tearscape EPs. Coming off the sophomore effort Shine Forever though, his 3rd album here has been clamored to be superior to his debut & I had to see for myself whether or not that’s the case.

“Nobody” gives us a taste of what’s to come from the pluggnb instrumental to the lyrics about the inability to feel love or the drugs he consumes whereas “Way 2 Up” tells his bitch his infatuation with the drank & her showing him tough love. “Got Down” has a more standard plugg vibe in general talking about his girl wanting to fight prior to “Dam, Dam” compares the strength of the lean in his cup to mace & telling anyone who wants to live like him to take risks.

As for “Like What”, we have Shine making it clear that you can’t ask him for drugs because he’s not the plug & bringing a firearm inside of a store while “Still Sippin’” featuring Summrs finds the 2 entertainingly linking up to talk about codeine once again. “Forever” admits to the thoughts of this woman keeping him up at night sampling the iconic single by Drake, Eminem, Lil Wayne & Ye just before the self-produced “I Can’t Go 4 Dat” talks about a hoe wanting drunk love.

“So High” wraps up the 1st leg of Get Rich or Die Sippin’ describing the rush he feels whenever he doubles his cup while “Just Me N’ My Cup” kicks off the 2nd half continuing to talk about his love for lean & Perc 10s, the latter of which he calls his favorite drug. “You + Me” hops on top of this blissful pluggnb beat being upfront regarding a chick telling him they’ve been over while “Aye Malice, Where the Bass @?” combines pop rap & pluggnb talking about being outside.

Moving on from there, “Jump Back In” details a scenario where he put everything to the side for someone he liked until she fucked it up & it’s all for her while “Loud” issues a warning to anyone trying to fuck with him that they’ll each wind up in caskets carrying over the plugg elements instrumentally. “All Love” on the other hand talks about having bitches outside of the trap house & doing things legitimately instead of merely doing it for social media reels.

“Red Dot” featuring KanKan joins forces for an outstanding 2-parter where both of them are trading verses keeping that same energy when the beat switches while “5 Star” talks about heading out to a luxurious hotel for the weekend & making his time out there count. The closing track “Finally (The End)” finishes Shine’s most defining material of his career giving it all for this individual to trust him & asking if he can call them back 1 last time.

Unfortunately because of Lil Shine’s being convicted on 5 federal charges, Get Rich or Die Sippin’ has the possibility of becoming the last time we could hear new music from him for the next 3 years & this couldn’t have been a higher note to end on if this is it until then. The pluggnb, Asian rock, pop rap & plugg production is all tastefully textured & he provides what I’d say ranks amongst the most versatile performances of his career so far joined by a couple high profile guests.

Score: 4.5/5

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Nick Grant – “Smile” review

This is the 5th studio LP from Atlanta, Georgia emcee Nick Grant. Blowing up a decade ago off his debut mixtape ’88 along with the Epic Records-backed full-length debut Return of the Cool, his next tape Dreamin’ Out Loud would prelude the acclaimed God Bless the Child produced by Tae Beast of the Top Dawg Entertainment in-house production team Digi+Phonics followed by Carolina Diaries & Welcome to Loveland. I did like Sunday Dinner & I Took It Personal was a great perspective on the industry itself, but he’s returning with a Smile on his face.

“Another Classic” hops over an orchestral boom bap beat from the Trackmasters to talk about the realest stepping on business for as long as he lives whereas “Money Problems” works in a chipmunk soul sample so he can break down his experiences with financial issues. “The Algorhythm” featuring Punch incorporates a flute so they can talk about some of these people dancing to the same song over & over leading into the gospel-influenced “Back Up” sending a warning to those who want to put him down.

Westside Gunn & Young Chris join Nick on “Price Tag” sampling “Love (I Guess That’s the Fool in Me)” by City Limits so they can talk about nothing being free in this world to end the 1st leg while “Bullsh!t” featuring CyHi the Prynce & Ransom references the late アイアンマンヘビーメタル級チャンピオン, TNA World Tag Team Champion, WCW World Television Champion, 2-time WWE United States Champion, 7-time WCW World Tag Team Champion, 4-time WWE Intercontinental Champion & 2-time WWE Hall of Famer Scott Hall.

“Generational Runs / No Shortcuts” kicks off the last leg of Smile with a 2-parter expressing his desire or being placed amongst the greatest when his run’s up just before “Dope Bitch” talks about the girl he’s with being awesome in her own ways. “Sensitive Gangsta” spends a couple minutes poking fun at these so-called street dudes who’re overly in their feelings & “Everyday I Wake” concludes Smile by spitting pain some wouldn’t understand over a soul sample.

Agreeably considered to be one of the most slept-on lyricists of this decade, Nick Grant continues to validate those claims with Smile striving to become a timeless artist. He’s trying prove to his audience that anything’s possible now that he’s at a place where he doesn’t want people to forget who he is & learning that our experiences are the true meaning of life, bringing a handful of guests who’re all on their own plateaus of potency rather than continuing to spit verses by himself over a varied batch of production.

Score: 3.5/5

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bleood – “Protagonist” review

bleood is a 21 year old recording artist from Florida whose debut EP Seal of Memories came out in the fall of 2023 followed by a handful of a-side/b-side singles preceding the Rascal 51 as well as Pain & How Bleood Stole Xmas EPs respectively. Case in point: You Don’t Need Your Skin or the divisively received IDK I Can’t Say. Coming off the Kill of B Killd EP last month however, he’s dropping his 5th extended play out of nowhere ahead of the 1c member’s full-length debut album Kill Ur Idols coming in October.

“maybach key fob” talks about popping out while he pops xanax & having as many pills as Pouya does leading into “chrome dinosaur” dissing both che & Tana along with him mentioning his beef with rexv2. “codeine tears” talks about his cup being more pink than the main character of the classic Cartoon Network series Courage the Cowardly Dog leading into “rub my belly” produced by Patrick Garza making it clear to either che or rexv2 that neither of them are in the same lane as him.

As for “on E”, we have bleood going hard at those who have no money in their pockets whatsoever just before “push” talks about punching any cornball who comes around his parts. “i aint start making money till i started doing drugs” pretty much says it all there & after “ding dong” talks about a whole Seal Team 6 running a train on a hoe who belongs to the streets, “friend or foe” concludes Protagonist airs out a bitch who treats him like a coupon.

Making up for all the delays Kill Ur Idols has gone through recently, I completely understand why bleood proceeded to drop protagonist out of nowhere almost a week since former AEW World Trios Champion Mark Davis ended Jack Perry’s reign as AEW National Champion & the lasting impression I have of it would be that I’m expecting his debut album to take himself farther from here. The experimental production has some interesting ideas built upon the sounds of rage, digicore, drill & free car music although I feel like there’s a decline in quality towards the 2nd half.

Score: 3.5/5

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TopOppGen – “Peace Doesn’t Reside on My End” review

TopOppGen is a 20 year old rapper from Charlotte, North Carolina who dropped his debut mixtape Mind of a Menace in the summer of 2021. He would go on to follow this up with 3 extended plays & 6 mixtapes including TopOppBusinessAll I Know is 6?6orry for the WaitHouse Arrest TingzThe Last 6ixer…love, topoppimperfections until signing to Columbia Records. The full-length debut fake pills & real scars along with the sophomore effort kalon have both been making waves & the singles building up towards his 3rd album made it seem like it could be his most defining statement thus far only hours after Cedric Alexander ended Leon Slater’s reign as TNA X Division Champion.

“purple fluid” opens things up talking about falling in love with drugs after having his heart broken whereas “don’t cry” fuses rap rock, trap & emo rap assuring his partner that she doesn’t have to do him wrong if he does it initially. “chemistry” talks about love not meaning anything to him until “scrimmage” for some reason admits to stalking this woman’s page when he knows he has better stuff to do.

The 2nd & final single “love war” suggests maybe he’s better off in his deathbed when most would consider it to be the worst case scenario while “don’t wanna do that” talks about being on drugs that his homies have never heard of previously. “emo girl” wraps up the 1st leg of the LP proclaiming the chick he’s been with to be dumber than Patrick Star leading into “everything” talks about remembering all he & an ex have done together.

“I hate relationships” kicks off the 2nd half warns everyone who wants to kill him that he has guns of his own at the crib while “features” talks about being mesmerized by the beauty of this pretty girl with a cold heart. “rampaging” touches base regarding him being on lean for 3 straight weeks & pondering if he’s been losing his feelings while “heartfelt message” blends a guitar & hi-hats expresses hope of him never seeing a hoe’s face again because of their love dissolving.

The song “blow me away” winds down Peace Don’t Reside on My End’s final moments advising to let him be if someone finds him bleeding out all over the ground & his partner’s absence causing him to begin hallucinating while “cavity” talks about making it out the hood even if he couldn’t take the hood with him. The closing track “way past 10” spends the full-length’s last couple minutes taking inspiration from the late XXXTENTACION’s emo-folk stuff, primarily 17.

Proving himself to be one of emo rap’s most prominent forces within the past year, TopOppGen extends the back-to-back streak he’s been on since signing to a major label & making it a 3-peat considering how much Peace Doesn’t Reside on My End feels like a continuation of both it’s predecessors. The production refines his style by maintaining the secondary influences of gangsta rap, pop rap, rap rock & trap and he refrains from having any guests join him in expressing his pain.

Score: 3.5/5

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Genesis Owusu – “Redstar Wu & the Worldwide Scourge” review

Genesis Owusu is a 28 year old rapper & singer/songwriter from Canberra, Australia by way of Koforidua, Ghana who broke out in 2021 off the widely praised full-length debut Smiling with No Teeth. He would on to follow this up in the form of a sophomore called Struggler, which was still great although not as much as it’s predecessor. His 3rd studio album however has been shaping up to be more defining than the one that introduced us to him at the earlier portions of this decade based off the teasers & I had to give it a chance.

“Pirate Radio” begins with him dissing Tesla CEO, SpaceX founder, Neuralink founder & Nazi Elon Musk for a politically experimental hip hop, synth punk, hardcore hip hop, new beat, conscious hip hop, dance-punk revival, electro-industrial & industrial hip hop intro whereas “Stampede” blends dance-punk revival, alternative dance, coldwave, synth punk, chillwave & synthpop to explain that we’re all in this together. 

DUCKWRTH appears on “Hellstar” so they can search for love in a hateful place leading into “Falling Both Ways” featuring Ladyhawke finds the pair singing about wanting to know the difference between the 2 places one goes in the afterlife. “The Worldwide Scourge” explains how the US voted for a Nazi sympathizer during the previous election when the fascism backs it up just before “Blessed Are the Meek” references WWE Hall of Famer Mike Tyson & talks about now not being the time to hide.

“Life Keeps Going” combines experimental hip hop, neo-soul, synth punk, neo-grime & alternative dance for the final single revisiting a theme the late 2Pac had once explored 3 decades earlier on the track “Life Goes On” until we get a depiction of the “Most Normal American Voter:” being misinformed, which is also factual. “Death Cult Zombie” later collides the styles of post-punk revival, new wave, rap rock, dance-punk revival, garage rock revival & pub rock to push the 2nd half forward calling out FOX News.

Meanwhile on “Situations”, we have Genesis talking about being prepared in case of any scenario where his life’s at risk while “4Life” depressively looks back at the life he & his friends once had. “Runnin’ Outta Time” talks about him following his gut instinct after seeing guts on his timeline & once “Big Dog” dismisses those trying to start beef with him ahead of summer, “One4all” ends the album assuring everyone things will work out in the end.

Channeling his frustrations after watching everything unfold for the last year & a half, Genesis Owusu has finally outdone himself by making Redstar Wu & the Worldwide Scourge the greatest achievement in his musical career surpassing both Struggler & especially Smiling with No Teeth. The production is a tasteful melting pot of experimental hip hop, synth punk, dance-punk revival, post-punk revival, alternative dance, neo-soul, deep funk & Brit rock and the lyrics are far more political than anything Genesis has done previously.

Score: 4.5/5

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