Ras Ceylon – “Scrollz of Lion Rock” review

Here is the 9th studio LP from Oakland, California recording artist & educator Ras Ceylon. Widely accepted for being the very first Sri Lankan emcee to emerge within the western hip hop canon by making his 1999 debut, he would later go on to join the Wu-Tang Killa Beez collective & drop 7 more full-lengths. However, he enlisted the late Oli “Power” Grant to executive producer Scrollz of Lion Rock prior to his passing with Holy Toledo Productions founder M-80 handling the A&R duties.

After the compositional “Grand Entrance (Sigriya)” intro, “Word is Bond” featuring Cappadonna & Timbo King finds the trio over a boom bap instrumental reminding the world who they are whereas “Dis.Info.Age” samples “Gazzillion Ear” by the late MF DOOM to talk about the rise of misinformation. “Ancestors” featuring Ras Kassjoins forces to discuss the fearless of black people while “Buzzsaw” featuring Timbo King & 9th Prince dismantles all industry plants.

“Uprising” switches things up with a trap beat talking about how he doesn’t hide from shit leading into “Duality” featuring Timbo King produced by Mathematics reaching the halfway point with my favorite song here explaining that people either put the work in for glory or they merely don’t. “International Flex” featuring Tuff Like Iron & Yung Shanty brings everything together to go worldwide with it just before “Heart Muscle” soulfully breaks down his belief in love.

Timbo King appears once again on “Free the World” talking about fighting to win while “Land Grab” dabbled with trap again, maintaining the conscious subject matter. “River 2 Sea” featuring Solomon Childs calls for an end to the Gaza genocide & all apartheid but after “Sword Swingin’” featuring Planet Asia & Timbo King tries to see who’s pen cuts the deepest, the outro “Blessingz” featuring Prodigal Sunn ends the album advising not to take life for granted.

Built on the creative foundation of Jacket Fulla Medalz a couple years ago, Scrollz of Lion Rock elevates Ras Ceylon’s partnership with Timbo King into a fully realized long-form statement that cements him within the Wu-Tang Killa Beez lineage while highlighting his unique globally grassroots voice enlisting guests who help extended the narratives pushed. The production’s mainly rooted in the traditional boom bap sound confronting themes of power, resistance, survival & cultural memory with precision & weight.

Tierra Whack – “Whack’s Museum” review

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania rapper & singer/songwriter Tierra Whack has returned for her 2nd mixtape in time for the summer. Breaking out in 2018 off the strength of her debut tape Whack World after signing to Interscope Records, she would go on to drop a trilogy of EPs showcasing her artistry: Rap? as well as Pop? & R&B?. Her full-length debut Worldwide Whack was more moderately received compared to Whack World although I appreciated it for what it was, taking us through Whack’s Museum a couple years later.

“Whack Job” produced by Chris Keys & Conductor Williams breaks the door down responding to the people saying she should rap more whereas “Wax Paper” takes the boom bap route instrumentally talking about feeling too generous at times. “Brazilian Wax” soulfully asks herself why some are intimidated by her presence until “Wiggidy Whack” runs it back with Conductor talking about leaving any & all competitors scorched.

As for “Totem”, we have Tierra embracing some trap vibes so she can discuss getting what she wants leading into “Godda” ending the 1st half returning to the boom bap courtesy of Swaggyono from Working on Dying talking about making some money. “Siren” kicks off the 2nd leg of Whack’s Museum so she can let get a bit more goofier & joyous with her wordplay while “Candle Wax” strips the drums to talk about her going out being herself: Amongst the greatest to ever do it musically.

“Queen’s Crown” retains her signature sense of humor dropping 4 straight verses without a hook over a soul sample while “Earwax” talks about choosing not to play the game despite her knowledge of it over another drumless loop. “215” shouts out the city that made her the person she’s becoming once again getting humorous with her pen & the outro “Flowers” ends Whack’s Museum demanding her props from those who ain’t giving ‘em to her.

Starting the deluxe run, “Bet Her” includes a dope bar shouting out one of WWE Hall of Famer Snoop Dogg’s greatest singles “Beautiful” promising things will improve while “Recognition” talks about now being the time to recognize her greatness. “Strawberry” represents the Strawberry Mansion neighborhood out in Northern Philadelphia while “?” asks if she’s the only one counting blessings & telling the world to live their lives.

“Payday” poses the question of how someone counted her out when they knew she’d eventually make her way in & seeking revenge upon them while “Scarecrow” talks about being a fashion killa who got employed at the cemetery burying those who’re fresh to death. The final bonus track “Liar Liar” samples the unreleased “Keep On Driving Down That Funky Road” by the late James Brown figuring out whether or not anyone will ride or die for her.

Little Simz & Doechii have been widely regarded as some of the greatest women to touch a microphone in recent memory, but Tierra Whack has already proven herself to be in that same category from her Lil Boat 3 feature to her recent appearance on Jill Scott’s latest album To Whom This May Concern several months earlier. Her lyrics are more abstract & occasionally conscious than usual with the production varying between boom bap, jazz rap & pop rap.

Score: 4/5

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vax – “Steeze” review

West Palm Beach, Florida rapper/producer vax staying busy with his 7th extended play. Someone who’s eventually go on to drop his last 6 EPs since 2023 after beginning to make music at the age of 12 including New Jazz as well as Forgive My Sins & Pyramid Scheme, with Is This You? following my personal favorite of the bunch Throne. Coming off #B4BlueDawn & the full-length debut Blue Dawn merely 8 weeks earlier & he’s applying more pressure by releasing Steeze.

“Parade” kicks things off with a rage-inducing intro talking about being with slayr in his hometown & looking for all the hoes back in the South shaking ass at a local parade while “Hetereo” bridges Steeze boasting that nobody can do this music shit the way he does it. “Screamer” spends the final minutes of the EP with 1 last hypertrap instrumental talking about going dumb whenever he’s on stage & making sure his bitch can’t walk for a week after sex.

Ditching the primary digicore influences of Blue Dawn along with the cloud/pop rap undertones, vax gets ready for the next era of his career dropping of a 6 minute 3-pack that I find to be average in comparison. The rage production doesn’t make a lasting impression on me as much as the debut a couple months ago & maybe a track or 2 could’ve been more fully fleshed out, but you can definitely still hear the hunger in his performances.

Score: 3/5

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Key Glock – “Project X” review

Here is the 5th studio LP although his 2nd for a major label from Memphis, Tennessee rapper Key Glock. Notable for being the cousin of the late Young Dolph, he signed to Paper Route Empire in 2017 after his debut mixtape Whole Lotta Errthang & has since released 4 more tapes in addition to an EP & his last 4 full-lengths. The most notable being Glockoma 2 & his previous one Glockaveli. Over a year later since making his debut for Republic Records, Project X has arrived in time for summer.

“Mannish” produced by the late Tay Keith who unexpectedly passed yesterday afternoon opens up with a cloudy trap intro talking about having too many hoes whereas “50 Hoes” flexes that he has bitches in every state over some pianos & hi-hats. “Hardknock” talks about embracing the rockstar lifestyle now that he’s been blowing up over an eerier instrumental while “Face Down” runs it back with Tay Keith again for an effective club anthem.

As for “Big 5”, we have Glock slowing the pace for a groove-heavy cut talking about standing on business every single time leading into “6AM” discusses waking up early in the morning so he can make some bread. “Dummy” acknowledges his continued success over a boisterous Tay Keith beat with co-production from Cubeatz looking to add more commas to his bank account just before “Drug Luv” talks about women being in love with drugs & guys staying bitter.

“Work It” hits us with another club anthem although I don’t think it’s better than “Face Down”, but then “Faded” ends the 1st half of Project Xexperimenting with plugg to talk about getting fucked up. “Sick” kicks off the 2nd leg flexin’ without having to go to the gym over an Honorable C.N.O.T.E. instrumental & making it clear that he ain’t nothing like these bitches while “SRT Muzik” talks about nobody being able to compete with him musically.

Tay Keith returns behind the boards once again for “Benzo” showing off this new Benz that he copped while “Cash Money” pays tribute to Mannie Fresh, who’s certainly underappreciated for architecting the titular Republic imprint’s signature sound 3 decades earlier. “Cherry on Top” talks about poppin’ his shit with confidence over a more psychedelic trap instrumental while “Loco” wasn’t that impressive of a single in my opinion.

“Go” winds down the last few moments of Project X talking about still being the same as he was prior to the fame while “Seeing Red” luxuriously becomes self-aware of needing his medication after fucking around & waking up on the wrong side of the bed. “Houston Flow” nears closer towards the end of the album showing his appreciation for the 713 & the outro “Reminiscing” couldn’t have finished off on a more introspectively reflective note.

Looking to further push himself artistically, Key Glock explores a broader range of southern hip hop styles without abandoning his trap roots & that’s what makes Project X my 2nd favorite entry in the Paper Route Empire’s flagship delegate’s whole discography. Tay Keith’s many contributions are bittersweet to hear considering his tragic death only 24 hours earlier & although I’d like to hear some guests who’re on his level lyrically, I appreciate him continuing to hold the fort down individually.

Score: 4/5

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Pz’ – “B4NTB” review

This is a brand new extended play of solo material from Atlanta, Georgia rapper & fashion model Pz’. Emerging a couple years ago off the strength of his debut single “Sun”, he would eventually blow up last summer when “Hedis Bussin’” came out & has since collaborated with the likes of billi0n for his debut mixtape Revenge as well as the Uy Scuti Bøyz’ eponymous tape earlier this spring. Only a few days away from No Turnin’ Back however, he’s dropping off B4NTB.

“Track Meet” hops over this colorful trap beat making it known to anyone who ain’t makin’ a profit that they can’t hang with him whereas “Seals & Tags” acknowledges the ØWay collective’s increasing popularity to end the 1st half. My favorite track here “Tamagochi” embraces a cloudier vibe instrumentally talking about puttin’ muhfuckas on dinner plates & “Keep It Tucked” produced by Noah Mejia finishes with an outro that I’d consider a close 2nd compared to the previous track.

It was already known since the very beginning of the month that Pz’ would finally begin building a discography for himself following his standout guest appearances & singles, but him dropping B4NTB literally 24 hours in advance increases what anticipation I’ve had for No Turnin’ Back tomorrow with an impressively brief collection of trap songs taking additional inspiration from rage, cloud rap, pop rap & futuristic swag in only under 10 minutes.

Score: 3.5/5

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Fimiguerrero – “The Statue of a Fool” review

Greenwich, London, England, United Kingdom rapper & producer Fimiguerrero preluding his upcoming 3rd album Lost City with his 7th extended play. Releasing his debut EP Human Anatomy in 2019, he would continue to build up a catalog for himself with his next EP Fuck Brex!t as well as the eponymous full-length debut & the No Way Out EP. kvnt, Black, the sophomore effort Immigrant & New World Order all followed & he’s decided to shock the world after unveiling The Statue of a Fool without any prior announcement.

“Me Again” opens up with a jerk intro talking about his appetite being suppressed by taking some ecstasy whereas “Loser” keeps the hoodtrap vibes going clapping back at his haters doing the shit they wish they could do. “Good Girl” blends trap, emo rap & jerk so he can talk about his own struggles struggles with fame & trusting women leading into the self-produced “Cocaina” ending the 1st half touching on the subject of escapism & describing a kinda love that‘s addicting.

Kicking off the 2nd half, the song “Dutty” featuring Bassvictim takes an atmospherically darker approach instrumentally admitting to still feeling some sort of disconnect even after he started to gain popularity while “Skywalker” samples “Throw It In” by Lil Wayne addressing individuals who constantly have issues with him although I wish fakemink had a verse. “Mind the Gap” talks about repeating the same mistakes his own father had made & the cons of living in London while “Don’t Leave Me” ends the EP detailing a breakup.

Impressed by the guest appearances he had on both EsDeeKid’s debut EP Rebel & Jim Legxacy’s debut mixtape Black British Music last summer, Fimiguerrero gives us a glimpse of what we can expect out of Lost City in the guise of The Statue of a Fool which is a salvageable appetizer until the main course. I wouldn’t necessarily call it my favorite EP he’s done, but I do appreciate him experimenting a bit more outside of his signature jerk/rage sounds.

Score: 3.5/5

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Kain Cole – “Khronicles of Kain” review

This is the sophomore effort from Belleville, Michigan emcee Kain Cole. Coming up artistically as a teenager, he would unfortunately wind up incarcerated for 8 years until signing to Detroit independent powerhouse Middle Finger Music almost immediately after coming home & showed us how much he perfected his craft by having the label’s co-founder Foul Mouth producing his 2022 debut album S.U.M.P. (Surviving Under Major Pressure). Following a string of guest appearances for his fellow MFM alumni Bizarre & Isaac Castor, the time for the Khronicles of Kain to be told as finally come.

“Gotta Have It” begins with this soulfully jazzy intro thanking all of his haters whether it be past or present whereas “It’s Up to You” embraces more jazzier vibes taking a more motivational approach to his songwriting for a couple minutes. “Heavyweight” switches things up with a boom bap instrumental & the gritty penmanship leading into “I.Y.K.Y.K. (If You Know You Know)” reminds the world that he’s been doing this prior to his incarceration.

Meanwhile on “Uno”, we have Kain over some strings mixed with kicks & snares flexing that he kills muhfuckas in silence despite him constantly smoking loud while “Blue Check” chops up more soul samples talking about how some will literally sell themselves out for money. “Foolish” ends the 1st half on some chipmunk soul shit admitting that it’s been hard for him to change because he loves this shit while “I Know” talks about people being inept of telling him what he’s already aware of.

“Bebe’s Kid” continues the 2nd leg of the LP taking a jazzy boom bap route instrumentally making it clear that he actually lives what he writes instead of merely yapping & after “Break a Leg” swaps out the jazz elements in favor of some orchestral undertones getting in his shit-talking bag for a bit, “We Get It In” featuring Bang Belushi finds the pair boasting that they’re so raw to the point where their intensities are felt across 10 different cities.

The song “Pesto” winds down the Khronicles of Kain coasting a piano-driven boom bap beat asking who the fuck these cornballs think they’re talking crazy to & rollin’ 100 deep with his squad while “Seasoned” featuring Bad News Brown joins forces with the MC/producer duo named after the late WWE Hall of Famer to discuss their own experience in the game. “How Did I Survive?” lastly finishes things up explaining his way of escaping the terror he’s seen.

Almost 4 & a half years since his debut, Kain Cole makes it clear to anyone that he didn’t go anywhere which I think his feature run justifies that & I might have to put Khronicles of Kain above S.U.M.P. (Surviving Under Major Pressure) because of the growth shown compared to it’s predecessor. Foul Mouth’s production varies between drumless, boom bap, jazz rap & chipmunk soul backing Kain’s introspective lyrics & a couple appearances from his MFM brethren.

Score: 4/5

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Mr. Green – “F.U. S.M.D. (For U, Some Musical Distraction)” review

Highland Park, New Jersey born producer Mr. Green now based out of New York City surprisingly taking the microphone for a new extended play of solo material. For nearly 2 decades already, this guy has produced for some of the most prolific artists across the entire underground hip hop spectrum from the Army of the Pharaohs to R.A. the Rugged Man & Westside Gunn. He also has multiple beat tapes under his belt & was interested in hearing what sort of directions he’d try taking for F.U. S.M.D. (For U, Some Musical Distraction).

After the soulful “ooo ooo ooo” intro, the first song “think about u” works in some pianos to sing about him not being able to get enough of a woman he’s fallen in love with whereas “make money” takes a mainly repetitive approach to his songwriting wanting to increase his revenue over more keys. “g thang” eventually reaches the halfway point soulfully covering WWE Hall of Famer Snoop Dogg’s opening verse of “Nuthin’ But a G Thang”.

“u known me for years” kicks off the 2nd leg of F.U. S.M.D. (For U, Some Musical Distraction) hooking up a boom bap instrumental to spit an off-the-cuff freestyle talking about some wanting him to stay & others hoping he calls it quits but after a 21 second skit, the closing track beautiful life” preceding a Bandcamp exclusive outro spanning almost a minute spends the last 76 seconds of the EP repetitively singing about the beauty of existing.

Wouldn’t have ever imagined Mr. Green taking the risk of vocally performing over his own production for the duration of an entire project & although I appreciate gin doing so, I found a great deal of F.U. S.M.D. (For U, Some Musical Distraction) to be pretty average. There is some artistic range pulling inspiration from singer/songwriter as well as R&B & of course hip hop, but I was expecting more out of the songwriting considering the repetitiveness of multiple tracks & firmly believe he can make a few improvements.

Score: 2.5/5

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ZelooperZ – “Pin Breakers” review

This is the 2nd extended play from Detroit, Michigan emcee ZelooperZ. A member of the Bruiser Brigade collective & 1/2 of ZGTO, he has spent the last 15 years building up a solo catalog comprised of a dozen LPs along with another EP & a couple mixtapes. My personal favorites of which being the Black Noi$e-produced Dyn-o-mite & more recently, ZelooperZ’ most recent full-length Dalí Ain’t Dead, digging up all 11 of Pin Breakers’ tracks 9 months later & putting it up exclusively on his Bandcamp.

“Listen” starts us off with a 90 second intro talking about never dropping the ball similarly to Blake Griffin over some sampling in the background whereas “Pain T Wayne” hops over a psychedelic trap beat saying that he reminds himself of T-Pain & shit not changing. “Beautician” goes for a jazzier boom bap vibe instrumentally talking about working in any weather while “Mason’s Dispatch” feels like a minute & a half freestyle.

My least favorite track here might be “The Music” mostly because it sounds underdeveloped & so short where having it on here seems rather pointless while “Nostradamus” featuring Danny Brown makes up for it by giving us a boom bap banger that would’ve fit perfectly on Dyn-o-mite. “My Momma” continues the 2nd half of the EP showing gratitude towards his mother while “River Rogue” continues to chop up more samples talking about having this shit laced.

“Baby Bruisin’” nears closer towards the conclusion of Pin Breakers blending some strings & hi-hats discussing him spending a long time not having shit while “Sailing Seas” further elaborates on that recalling the days where he used to eat a bunch of Spam & sleep in the studio over a piano instrumental. The outro “Aha Aha” soulfully concludes the EP looking back at when he couldn’t walk around the hood because of a bounty placed on his stepfather’s head.

Considering that Pin Breakers was recorded in 2019 around the same time as Dyn-o-mite, it wouldn’t surprise me of these collection of previously unreleased tracks were meant to be on that album since ZelooperZ’ primarily abstract lyrics combined with Black Noi$e’s experimentally jazzy production were all key factors in making Dyn-o-mite so special to me even if there are some occasionally incomplete ideas floating around here & there.

Score: 4/5

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Olivia Rodrigo – “you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love” review

Olivia Rodrigo is a 23 year old singer/songwriter & actress from Murrieta, California who began acting for The Walt Disney Company in the late 2010s prior to focusing on a musical career & signing to Geffen Records. Her full-length debut Sour solidly explored the perils & discoveries she made when she was 17 & the sophomore effort Guts reflect the process of maturity she experienced toward the end of her adolescence, looking to make a departure with her 3rd album compared to both of it’s predecessors.

The intro “Drop Dead” fuses pop rock, synthpop, new wave, big music & indie pop daydreaming over someone she’s crushing on whereas “stupid song” takes inspiration from Simple Passion by Annie Ernaux singing about wanting this guy more than anything she could write. “honeybee” continues from there assuring she has love for this person even if she can’t quite describe it while the rock-driven “maggots for brains” thematically bases itself around Miranda from Sex & the City.

“u + me = <3” nears the conclusion of you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love singing about being optimistic of a new relationship beginning leading into “my way” gives off some Gwen Stefani vibes furiously calling out a woman for crossing her relationship boundaries. “purple” marks a turning point where things start to unravel just before my favorite single “the cure” experiments with pop rock, singer/songwriter, acoustic rock, post-Britpop, big music & chamber pop coming to terms with her flaws.

Meanwhile on “begged”, we have Olivia giving a more nuanced take of wanting more affection from her boyfriend “what’s wrong with me” featuring Robert Smith finds pair joining forces to help her realizes that this guy she’s dating is the cause of her sadness. “less” makes her last attempts at saving their relationship from collapsing & after “expectations” refuses to settle for someone with a fake job, she spends the final minutes likening her ex to “cigarette smoke” regretting the time she spent with him.

Guts was a huge improvement above Sour & you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love completely embraces Olivia Rodrigo’s full artistic potential by dropping the best music I’ve heard from her. Dan Nigro’s production almost perfects her pop rock sound incorporating some additional elements of singer/songwriter, new wave, alternative rock, indie rock, acoustic rock, post-Britpop, big music, jangle pop, chamber pop, adult contemporary & traditional pop portaging a relationship from beginning to end.

Score: 4.5/5

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