King Von – “What It Means to Be King” review

King Von was a 26 year old rapper from Chicago, Illinois who came up as a Lil Durk protege. Now I wasn’t big on his mixtapes Grandson: The Mixtape or LeVon James at first, but he really blew me away once his full-length debut Welcome to O’Block came out a little over a year ago on Devil’s Night. But as soon as he finally won me over, he was tragically murdered a week later in broad daylight. So it was only a matter of time before Only the Family Entertainment put out a posthumous album albeit Von’s 2nd overall.

“Where I’m From” opens up the album with Chopsquad DJ mixing some pianos & snares as Von addresses Patoon’s death whereas “War” has a more dramatic tone sonically talking about his mob ties. G Herbo tags along for “FaceTime” to spit that gun talk on top of a rubbery bass-line & some murky choir vocals provided by Hitmaka leading into the 21 Savage-assisted “Don’t Play That” taking a more cloudier route talking about what they usually do with their day.

Meanwhile on “Straight to It”, we have Fivio Foreign assisting Von in cooking up a combative drill banger just before “Trust Nothing” with MoneyBagg Yo finds the 2 talking about bitches tripping about shit that has nothing to do with them over a thunderous trap beat with some piano chords. “Evil Twins” showcases some amazing back & forth chemistry with Lil Durk accompanied by an atmospheric backdrop, but then “Too Real” goes into a hazier direction talking about how legit he was.

“Rich Gangsta” with Tee Grizzley pretty much speaks for itself as far as the content goes even though it has one of the weaker instrumentals on the album until the synth-laced “Mad” picks things back up with Von angrily calling out those who envied him prior to his murder. “My Fault” incorporates some rich keyboard melodies as A Boogie wit da Hoodie assists Von in a decent romance ballad & the electronic undertones of “Change My Life” are a nice change of pace addressing a lover who thinks she was his wife.

Following that, “Hard to Trust” is an Asian Doll tribute that goes well down to TM88’s production until Dreezy’s verse comes in towards the backend of it while “Get Back” with Boss Top & DQFrmDaO fails at it’s attempt at a Chicago drill anthem. “Get It Done” with OMB Peezy kinda has a Detroit trap vibe to the instrumental with the pair delivering some mediocre gangsta raps while “Chase the Bag” references the WWE’s 2nd flagship program Friday Night SmackDown on the Fox Corporation’s flagship property.

The track “Go N Get Em” sees Boss Top returning for a chilling look at how murderous they can be while the final song “Grandson for President” is pretty much a remix of the classic Crime Mob single “Knuck If You Buck”. The outro “Family Dedication” though ends the album with a moving spoken word bit paying tribute to all of Von’s loved ones.

For a posthumous album, I’m actually kinda torn on it. There’s nothing really wrong with King Von’s verses or a good portion of the production, but the feature-list is just so oddly picked out with their contributions ranging from focused at best to pointless & phoned in at worst.

Score: 2.5/5

EveryWhere – “OmniPresent” review

EveryWhere is an MC from Reno, Nevada who came up a couple years ago off his debut EP Where 2 Now, which was later followed up with So Here We Ar3 & Not Here 4 Long shortly after. Last year alone he dropped Youniverse & At Most Fear back to back but to kick off his 2022, the dude’s enlisting Ill Melley to produce his full-length debut in it’s entirety.

“Solid” starts it all off with a spacey trap banger declaring himself as such whereas “Promise” follows it up by assuring that people are gonna love him for his talents & the instrumental on here has more darker aesthetic to it. “Praises to the Most High” goes back into cloudier territory getting spiritual, but then “Just Another Day” goes into boom bap territory talking about how the struggle remains

Meanwhile on “Exhibit”, we have EveryWhere on top of some synths & hi-hats getting on that new shit leading into the atmospheric “This is What I’m Made For” talking about how making music is his purpose. “On & On & On”goes back into boom bap turf to spit some battle raps just before “Give Me My Flowers” takes it back to the trap route talking about wanting his respect.

The song “With or Without” with Fashawn finds the 2 vibrantly explaining how it’s just them in this shit & ain’t nothing else while the penultimate track “Crabs in a Barrel” comes through with a worthy sequel to “On & On & On” except it’s more trap-flavored. “Shake ‘Em Up” with VRSA finishes off the album with 1 last boom bap cut taking about aiming for the top spot.

Now if you’re looking for a new fresh face in the conscious hip hop scene, then EveryWhere is your guy because I think this is his best work right here. I really admire that he’s willing to step up & address some controversial subjects in our world today while Ill Melley’s production comes through with a great blend of boom bap & trap.

Score: 4/5

Da Flyy Hooligan – “Ben Kingsley” review

This is the 4th studio LP from Harlesden, London, England, United Kingdom emcee Da Flyy Hooligan. Dropping the full-length debut Ray Winstone as well as the debut extended play F.Y.L.P.M. (Fucc Ya Life Praise Mine) & the sophomore effort S.C.U.M. (Supreme Cut Untouched Magnificence) in 2017 respectively, he would go on to follow it up with 3 more EPs including his previous full-length being a sequel to F.Y.L.P.M. (Fucc Ya Life Praise Mine). Coming off Flyyghost’s eponymous debut however, local veteran Micall Parknsun has been brought in to fully produce Ben Kingsley.

After the “Don Logan” intro, the opener “Da Nyycest” begins with a gritty boom bap instrumental boasting his lyrical proficiency whereas “Bar of Soap” continues to talk about his place in the game as a verbal architect. “Gourmet Trap” gives off a drumlessly soulful vibe to discuss making money & watching it grow prior to “Ian McShane” telling those who wanna be like him to keep dreaming over some synthesizers mixed with kicks & snares.

“M.C.K. (My Cousin’s Keeper)” featuring Hooliyo Iglaciers finds both cousins trading the microphone back-&-forth over a piano-driven boom bap beat while “Model 500” symphonically talks about people not seeing him since he’s amongst the greats. “Pile Driver” co-produced by Beat Butcha references the maneuver innovated by the late 3-time NWA World’s Heavyweight Champion Wild Bill Longson prior to Dom Pachino appearing for the 3rd & final installment of the “Wu Baby” trilogy.

The track “Tape Decc” rawly talks about pouring champagne in celebration of WWE Hall of Famer Mike Tyson returning over a boom bap instrumental reminiscent to some of Griselda’s output & the final song “Royal Oak” preceding the “Jacky Tig Bitts” outro concludes the final moments of this 2nd installment in the Ray Winstone saga recalling the time he spent wasted away wishing death on others & seeing right through bullshit instantly.

Considering that Micall Parknsun produced nearly half of Ray Winstone, I was completely on board with the idea of him solely handling the production throughout it’s successor Ben Kingsley & we get an album that displays Da Flyy Hooligan’s evolution as a storyteller over prominent boom bap production giving his flowers to one of his all-time favorite actors hailing from Snainton who played the titular role in the 1982 biopic Gandhi.

Score: 4/5

Conway the Machine – “God Don’t Make Mistakes” review

This is the long-awaited Shady Records album from Buffalo emcee/entrepreneur Conway the Machine. Blowing up in late 2015 as part of the 3 OGs of Griselda Records alongside his brother Westside Gunn & their cousin Benny the Butcher, the trio have had hip hop on lock by their constant work ethic balancing quality & quality as well as vividly detailing their lives in the streets on top of boom bap production kin to that of RZA & Havoc in their music. Con’s full-length debut From King to a God was my Album of the Year for 2020 & last year, we were treated to his 8th EP If It Bleeds It Can Be Killed produced entirely by Big Ghost Ltd. & his 11th mixtape La Maquina. But in light of Conway announcing earlier this week that he’ll be amicably departing Shady & Griselda to focus on his very own label Drumwork Music Group, what better way to fulfill his contracts than to drop God Don’t Make Mistakes?

“Lock Load” starts off the album with Beanie Sigel & Conway talking about always carrying a strap on them on top of a spooky Daringer instrumental whereas “Tear Gas” with Lil Wayne & Rick Ross works in a high-pitched vocal sample calling out those who weren’t there for them when they needed them most. “Piano Love” of course brings in a dreary piano instrumental from The Alchemist talking about being the richest in Buffalo, but then “Drumwork” is pretty much “Crack in the 90s” & “Sister Abigail” on steroids.

Meanwhile on “Wild Chapters”, we have T.I. joining Conway on top of a dispirited boom bap beat from Hit-Boy talking about the story of their lives just before the Bink!-produced “Guilty” goes into soulful turf encouraging to focus on his lyricism than his appearance. “John Woo Flick” follows it up with a disgusting Griselda posse cut in the same vein as “Spurs 3” leading into the spacious boom bap banger “Stressed” pondering if anyone cares about his mental well being.

“So Much More” encourages listeners not to “let ’em tell you 1 side of the story” on top of angelic vocal loop provided by the J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League while the Jill Scott-duet “Chanel Pearls” gets on some smooth Bonnie & Clyde shit. The penultimate song “Babas” incorporates some organs talking about going from king to a god (no pun intended) & the title track finishes the album off by airing out all these questions he has with The Alchemist providing a lush musical backdrop.

Conway’s been hyping this up for a good minute now & for it to be his final Griselda project as well as the only one on Shady, we got ourselves an early album of the year contender & some of the best work of his career. The production is superb, the features are all well picked out & it’s amazing how personal he’s getting on here. I wish him all the best on his own.

Score: 4.5/5

Jynx716 – “Careful What You Wish For” review

Jynx716 is a 33 year old MC from Niagara Falls, New York who came to my attention in 2020 off his debut mixtape The Green Album. This was followed up last spring with his debut EP The 33 & now just a month after killing a verse on Che Noir’s sophomore album Food for Thought, he’s enlisting Che to produce his 2nd EP from top to bottom & it definitely had me curious to check it out.

“Focus” kicks off the EP with some bells & a high-pitched vocal sample talking about avoiding trouble whereas the Ransom-assisted “Legacy” finds the 2 proclaiming themselves as legends on top of a captivating instrumental. “Electrifying” encourages listeners to stash more & stay in the moment over some fresh ass guitar licks while Stove God Cook$ tags along for the soulful “Lava Lamp” talking about going from broke to where they are now. Jamal Gasol’s verse on the penultimate track “Bitcoin” is a little underwhelming even though I like the chipmunk soul inspired production & “Wake Up” ends the EP on a cinematic note talking about how it’s his turn.

Dude’s been raising this for a few months now & to finally hear it, I can say Careful What You Wish For is the best thing he’s has done yet. Che Noir’s production is incredibly consistent & Jynx is just bringing his A-game rapping his ass off. If he keeps it up at this rate, I feel like he’ll be getting even better over time

Score: 4/5

T.F. – “Blame Kansas” review

T.F. is a 36 year old MC from Los Angeles, California who I first heard after he was featured on “Tookie Knows, Pt. II” off ScHoolboy Q’s magnum opus Blank Face LP. He then dropped his debut EP No Hooks only 7 months later, which was followed up by his full-length debut ErThangSkanless & then a 2nd EP called OktoberFest. Then after appearing on Flee Lord’s 8th EP Hand Me My Flowers produced entirely by Buckwild & put out 2 more EPs on his own, T.F. eventually signed to Lord Mobb Music & dropped his sophomore effort Skanless Summer last spring. But now after releasing Big Moon a few months back, T.F. is back in effect for his 3rd album produced by Mephux & Roc Marciano.

The title track sets off the album with a pillowy boom bap cut talking about violence coming from everyday arguments whereas “Olathe” with Conway the Machine & Roc Marciano finds the trio on top of a narcocorrido sample getting in their mafioso bag. BVNGS tags along for “Death Wish” to talk about needing to be killed if you ain’t loyal to the game on top of a despondent beat just before “Crash Bandicoot” goes into a jazzier direction saying he’s been focused lately as well as doing it for the dead ones.

After the “Intermission” interlude, we have Crimeapple coming into the picture for “Friend of God” working in a Spanish vocal loop spitting that g shit leading into the Lil Bunko-assisted “Cuban Links” taking a more climatic route as far as Marci’s production goes saying you gotta talk to God instead of them. The song “Betty Crocker” of courses gets back on the drug dealer tip over an eerie sample while the penultimate track “Long Way Home” with Zoo jumps into drumless territory talking about the rate they’re going. “Fuck the Rest” with Flee Lord then ends the album with an orchestral loop talking not fucking with anyone but his homies.

If you’ve enjoyed T.F.’s features in the past & are looking to get into his solo work, then Blame Kansas would be a great introduction in my personal opinion. There are a couple of lackluster features, but a good majority do a good job at breaking up any monotony & the dude himself sounds hungrier than ever. On top of that, both Mephux & Roc absolutely SCHOOL it behind the boards.

Score: 4/5

Choirboy Dank – “The Road to Demon City” review

This is the full-length solo debut from Dodge City’s very own Choirboy Dank. Coming up as 1/2 of Swag Toof alongside Ouija Macc, the duo saw quite some success in the early/mid-2010s to the point where they were supposed to sign with Psychopathic Records in 2017, but disbanded due to a falling out between both members & Ouija ended up under the Insane Clown Posse’s wings as a solo act. Choirboy has since kept himself busy by dropping some singles & EPs of his own, the most notable of them all being his 2nd EP Must Warn Øthers produced entirely by Blockhead. However, all of those singles have been leading up to The Road to Demon City over here.

“Theatre School Dropout” starts off the album with a guitar-laced trap beat confessing that he’s been unable to relax lately whereas “Stir Up the Pot” follows it up with a more nocturnal tone talking down to his competition. “Get Your Guns” takes a more minimal route encouraging to bring the gats if you wanna have some fun just before “Call Your Mom” expresses his desire to tell his mother that he made it on top of a twangy trap instrumental.

Meanwhile on “Water & Bread”, we have Choirboy admitting that he’s never been this low or poor over a dejecting beat leading into the bombastic “No Favors” talking not needing any handouts. “O.K.” works in a glistening trap instrumental expressing optimism that he’ll be so much more than that, but then “Take Me Home” is yet another guitar ballad talking about dying alone.

“Hood Angel Baby” goes into a cloudier direction proclaiming he’ll take whatever he wants while “Song for My Son” of course is a touching ballad about fatherhood. “Deranged” incorporates some acoustic addressing those who’ve called him crazy while “Sunday 3X” has a more intoxicating feel talking about taking it easy.

Following that, “Domestic Violence” returns to a gloomier sound comparing how hard his music hits to such while “Spark Something” sepulchrally talks about the shit he’s seen. “Code Names” has a more playful tone advising not to get attached while the song “Ms. Fortunate” brings back the acoustics getting romantic. The penultimate track “Jack’s Idle Hands” is a bassy-trap jam talking about being a bully on his shit & “The Rain (Broken)” ends the album with a powerful look at depression.

Even though I’d have to say Must Warn Øthersis my favorite thing Choirboy has done on his own, The Road to Demon City is absolutely behind it. Some of the production could’ve been a little better in my opinion, but I really admire how the dude has nothing to hide lyrically & confesses about his life as much as he can.

Score: 3.5/5

Pasto Flocco – “R.O.A.M. (Rich Off A Mic)” review

This is the 2nd mixtape from Queens rapper Pasto Flocco. Originally a Lil Tecca associate, he’s been seeing quite the success off his own with the Surf Gang collective since their falling out dropping his first 2 albums March Madness & Dreams 2 Reality as well as a debut mixtape Surf to Kill (SGBSTK). This was all followed up over the fall when Pasto put out his 3rd album Disturbing the Peace while opening up for Lucki on the Wake Up Lucki Tour but after dropping a couple singles earlier this month, Pasto is returning in the form of R.O.A.M. (Rich Off A Mic).

“Warning” is a cloudy opener produced by J6 talking about how he’s too drippy whereas “Wizard” follows it up on a more suspenseful note spitting that gun talk. “4dagram” works in some synthesizers from J6 & Pasto himself talking about having to call a whip after a bitch tried to play him just before “Bands Up (B.V.P.)” takes a more futuristic route to flex his wealth.

Meanwhile on “Life I Chose”, we have Pasto over an psychedelic instrumental from Cade talking about keeping a blick on him because the streets is cold leading into the cloudy “T.M.U. (Turn Me Up)” that Feardorian laced calling out his haters. “Better Clone Me (Lifestyle Chosen)” has a more euphoric sound venting about how he ain’t gotta pop shit ‘cause cats know it, but then “B.S.A. (Money or Fame)” returns to cloud rap turf encouraging to look back & see how much he’s changed since 2018.

“GLE Freestyle” goes into a pluggier direction talking about refusing to let a thot finesse him of his profits while “Mercy (Just Woke Up)” is absolutely perfect for moshpits during future shows in every way. “Out of the Mix” follows it up with an atmospheric ballad declaring himself an underground legend while the song “Buckz Up (ADHD)” comes through with some braggadocio even though CCC’s production ain’t it. The penultimate track “Melly” picks it up with a repetitive bop produced by Zaytoven & lastly, “30Bandz” is a chilled out closer talking about moving like a vampire.

I’ve been a fan of Pasto ever since my little brother Jake introduced me to his music a couple years back & I gotta say: This tape is a little disappointing. I like how’s he doing all this fast-tempo shit & a decent amount of his performances are infectious, but I wish it was a little fully fleshed out.

Score: 3/5

EARTHGANG – “Ghetto Gods” review

This is the 4th full-length album from Atlanta, Georgia duo EARTHGANG. Consisting of Olu & WowGr8, the pair started out a little over a decade ago dropping 3 mixtapes along with 2 albums & an EP independently before J. Cole signed them to his Interscope Records imprint Dreamville Records in 2017. This resulted in a trilogy of EPs leading up to their major label debut Mirrorland, which revealed themselves to be one of the best artists that the label has to offer. They went on to give their Spillage Village collective some shine by dropping their 4th album Spilligion on Dreamville the next year but now, they’re back in effect with the long-awaited Ghetto Gods.

After the “GLOW” intro, the title track opens the album with the duo talking about how anyone who thinks they can fuck with them are crazy on top of a symphonic trap instrumental whereas the Future-assisted “BILLI” is pretty much their own “Life is Good” down to the way it’s structured except this is way more exciting. [J.I.D] & J. Cole tag along for the funky “WATERBOYZ” talking about getting this money & fucking the fame leading into the “HEY BOO” interlude.

Meanwhile on “AMEN”, we have EARTHGANG coming through with a decent R&B flavored slow jam just before “ALL EYES ON ME” takes a cloudier route with the help of JetsonMade talking about wanting their homies free. “LIE TO ME” follows it up with some intoxicating synth melodies asking to be true but then after the “JEANS” interlude, the duo bring Baby Tate into the picture for “BLACK PEARLS” trying to brag about their women getting new bodies & falling flat on their faces.

After the “NEEZY’S WALK” interlude, the lead single “American Horror Story” returns to funk turf expressing their desire to be free while “POWER” comes off as an passionate pro-black anthem. After the “ZAZA” skit, the song “SMOKE SUM” goes into boom bap territory to talk about blazing some trees while the penultimate track “STRONG FRIENDS” is a fiery ode to being mentally healthy. “RUN TOO” ends the album with a spacey banger talking about what a life it’s been for them.

It took them a little over 2 years to finally give Ghetto Gods to us & at the end of the day, I like it a little bit more than Mirrorland. Few songs I could’ve done without, but the whole concept of finding God in you is very well thought out & their production game is continuing to progressively improve.

Score: 4/5

Truth – “For All Intents & Purposes” review

This is the 3rd full-length album from Queens emcee Truth. Coming up as 1/3 of Gods’Illa, it wouldn’t be until the year after the group’s full-length debut Believe in Gods’Illa where he would start to build up a solo discography for himself with From Ashes to Kingdom Come. He then followed it up 3 years later by dropping the sophomore effort The Fight for Survival & now with the 3 year anniversary of that coming up next month, Truth is enlisting Da Beatminerz to produce For All Intents & Purposes in it’s entirety.

After the “Power of Truth” intro, the first song “Let’s Do It” is a dusty boom bap opener encouraging those who want problems to pursue it whereas “Duck Dodge Hide” takes a more blood-curdling route talking about watching your step around him. “Where You At?” goes into a more orchestral direction getting on his Queens shit just before “Listen Up” sends a chilling warning to anyone who wants to step to him in a battle referencing WWE Hall of Famer, former WWE Champion & WWE Tag Team Champion The Iron Sheik.

Meanwhile on “Aim to Kill”, we have Truth delivering some deadly battle raps leading into “Fistory in the Making” following it up with a full-blown fight anthem. “Stomped Out” picks up where the previous cut left off topically except it works in some pretty cool horns, but then “Brutality” samples “I’m Alive” by Johnny Thunder to talk about his rapping prowess. “Attack” has some funky undertones into the production to rap circles around his opposition once more while “Take ‘Em Down” goes into bluesier turf talking about never letting up.

The penultimate song “Entourage” with Joe Fatal, Large Professor, Ras Kass, Tragedy Khadafi & Treach is an absolutely stellar posse cut with a haunting yet relaying vocal loop & after the “Pardon the Disruption” interlude, “The Eternal Forces” ends the album with a beautiful ode to those in his life who couldn’t be here today.

If you ask me, this is easily the best thing that Truth has put out yet & it exemplifies why he could be the illest of the Gods’illa camp. He & Da Beatminerz all take it back to the essence on here from the rugged lyrical content to the raw boom bap sound that the production duo blew up off of 3 decades ago & even the scratch hooks.

Score: 4/5