Mach-Hommy is a 39 year old MC from Newark, New Jersey breaking out in 2017 when he dropped his sophomore album H.B.O. (Haitian Body Odor) under Griselda Records. However, he & Tha God Fahim fell out with them shortly after only to reconcile a little over a year ago & then Mach returned to the label over the spring with one of best albums of last year: Pray for Haiti. Then he followed it up a couple months back with Balens Cho but given the significance of yesterday, Mach is enlisting Conductor Williams to produce his 12th EP from top to bottom.
“Fernet-Branca” sets off the EP with Jay NiCE & Tha God Fahim accompanying Mach on top of a slowed down piano instrumental asking what you know about them while the song “Eskimo Bros.” with Your Old Droog showing an incredible back & forth chemistry over a hallucinogenic beat. The penultimate track “D’Paramountcy” works in a bass guitar as Mach goes back & forth with Fahim as well as he did with Droog, but then both MCs stick around for “Leisure Earned” which is a lavish boom bap closure bragging that they got all the styles.
I’ve been wanting Mach to drop a full project with Fahim & Droog for a minute now, but I think this is the closest thing we’ll get to that for now. Conductor Williams’ production is abstract as fuck, Mach continues to reign as the current King of New Jersey as far as lyricists from that region go & the guests mesh really well with him also.
This is the highly anticipated 5th full-length album from Mississippi emcee/producer Big K.R.I.T., who started out by releasing a few mixtapes from the mid to late 2000s. He eventually signed to GoodTalk Records in 2010 & his 6th mixtape K.R.I.T. Wuz Here that same year landed him a joint venture with Def Jam Recordings & a spot in the XXL Freshman Class in 2011. His first 2 studio albums Live from the Underground & Cadillactica in 2012 & 2014 respectively continued to show his potential, but then he went on to form his own label Multi Alumni some time after. His first outing under the new independent label was his previous album 4eva’s a Mighty Long Time in October 2017, which is the best double disc hip hop album of the 2010s without question. Following that was the T.D.T. compilation & even K.R.I.T. Iz Here, which was an underwhelming sequel to K.R.I.T. Wuz Here given how excessively commercial it was in comparison to the rawness of the predecessor. That being said, I was still excited for D.R.D.D. (Digital Roses Don’t Die) considering the fact that the singles he’s been dropping as of late haven’t been continuing to cater to a radio market that doesn’t exist.
After the “Fire” intro, the first song “Southside of the Moon” kicks off the album by talking about a woman from New York over soulful instrumental from DJ Camper whereas “Show U Right” is a spacious ode to chivalry. “Rhode Clean” takes a funkier route asking listeners if they’ve ever done such & after the “Earth” interlude, “Cum Out to Play” goes into a more sensual direction except it’s underwritten as fuck.
Meanwhile on “Just 4 You”, we have K.R.I.T. mixing R&B with trap talking about doing anything for the love of his life leading into the jazzy “So Cool” flexing how hot he is. After the “Water” interlude, “Boring” brings back the funk letting his lover know he’s aware that she loves him that way just before “Would It Matter” reinforces some jazzy undertones asking his lover if she would have a problem with him having a 9-5 & not being able to afford her a Birkin bag.
“Generational – Weighed Down” mixes some pianos & saxophones tackling fatherhood & after the “Wind”, interlude, “It’s Over Now” is an acoustic ballad detailing a breakup. The song “Wet Lashes & Shot Glasses” talks about wiping tears while drinking & smoking over a silky instrumental while the penultimate track “All the Time” comes through with some synths & bass-licks calling out those who’ve never been in love before. “More Than Roses” ends the album with a pillowy yet drumless ode to his partner.
I will say that D.R.D.D. (Digital Roses Don’t Die) is better than K.R.I.T. Iz Here was, but not by much. The production has significantly improved due to Krizzle handling a good portion of it himself & that makes me happy because I felt like him stepping away behind the boards could’ve been done a bit better on the last album, but I find this whole romance concept to be decent at best.
This is the sophomore album from Detroit trio ShittyBoyz. Consisting of Babytron alongside Stanwill & TR Dee, the group dropped off their debut mixtape 3-Peat under Lando Bando’s own The Hip Hop Lab Records in the summer of 2019 & quickly became one of the city’s biggest acts in recent memory. Their full-length debut New Year, Same Scams came out 7 months later & the last we heard from them as a unit was almost a year ago with their 2nd tape 4-Peat. However after taking some short time focusing on their solo careers, the founding Dog $hit Militia members are back in town in the form of Trifecta.
“Red Wings” opens the album with a mystic trap beat from Jakesand talking about shining from out the dark whereas “Gotham City” follows it up with a more darker tone saying they don’t lane switch referencing both 14-time WWE world champion, 4-time WWE tag team champion, WWE Intercontinental Champion & WWE United States Champion Randy Orton followed by 3-time WWE world champion, 5-time WWE Intercontinental Champion, WWE United States Champion, 9-time WWE tag team champion, 3-time WWE Hardcore Champion, 3-time TNA World Champion, 2-time TNA World Tag Team Champion, ROH World Tag Team Champion, HOG Tag Team Champion, ΩCW Heavyweight Champion, ΩCW New Frontiers Champion, 2-time ΩCW Tag Team Champion & The Crash Mundial Parejas Campeon Jeff Hardy. “Big 3” takes a more vibrant route to talk about their star power just before “Soul Bleed” mixes chipmunk soul with trap continuing to flex.
Meanwhile on “Taliban Ties”, we have the ShittyBoyz picking up where the previous cut left off sonically talking about their connections to the mob leading into the flute-laced “Visa Magicians” getting back in their scamming bag. “Red Light, Green Light” is pretty much their own take on the Squid Game concept down to the sample Danny G chops up, but then the instrumental that “Sly Cooper” brings to the table of course pays homage to one of my favorite video game series growing up talking about taking computer’s from internet thugs & dissing the weirdos with no money.
“Night on Collins Ave” almost has a bit of an orchestral quality to it detailing how it is on the titular street here in Detroit while “Ghetto Elegance” returns to chipmunk soul territory to show off their wealth. “Payday” works in some catchy vocal melodies hanging in the background painting pictures of the lives they live while “TMZ” incorporates a sitar to talk about being married to the paper.
Following that, “Bill Nye” goes into a more synth-heavy direction calling out those who ain’t never chased a bag prior to “Blizzard Mode” throwing some bells in the mix talking about how nothing they achieved was luck. “Triple Dog Dare” comes in with a more entrancing tone challenging a fed after pulling up to right & TR Dee making a reference to 16-time WWE world champion, 4-time WWE tag team champion & 5-time WWE United States Champion John Cena while “Supervillain” sinisterly compares themselves to that of.
The amount of beat switches on “Time Travelin’” are completely fuckin’ insane as they let their competition know they ain’t scared of them while “Rob Dyrdek” addresses their hustle referencing UFC Hall of Famer & former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Forrest Griffin alongside the Justice League franchise owned by the Warner Bros.-owned DC Entertainment. “NFL” of course samples the Twilight Trio’s theme tune for the titular company making a bunch of clever sports references while the song “Kung Fu” over a weepy instrumental talking about being bound to blow. The penultimate track “Pedal Pushin’” has some cloudy undertones to the beat talking about pulling up when the money calls & “On 1” ends the album with an opera sample & talking about working magic.
Between this & the new Babyface Ray album Face, I feel like this is gonna be a great year for the city as far as rising talent goes. It’s always amazing to me how each member of the trio stands out in their own way & their style remains unmatched in comparison to some Detroit trap artists painting themselves in a corner stylistically.
Runcorn, Cheshire, England, United Kingdom veteran Lee Scott solely producing Manchester emcee Black Josh & London emcee Milkavelli’s collaborative studio LP. The latter of whom was a member of the Children of the Damned & the other joined its succeeding collective the Cult of the Damned. So considering the intertwining history both of these guys have with the Blah Records founder comprising 1/2 as the B-Movie Millionaires & the Mcabre Brothers respectively, I can understand the intention behind Swegasus.
“Fisher Price” opens up with a boom bap instrumental assuming life’s a joke until we all die from laughter whereas “La La La” mellowly references Jamiroquai’s 3rd album Traveling Without Moving containing their biggest hit “Virtual Insanity”. Anyway, the song “Doin’ Bits” continues from there dippin’ to the crib in a whip that eventually flipped just before “Sherbert” dustily reaches the halfway point talking about being 6 feet in their graves with weed in their papers.
Meanwhile on “Golden”, we have Josh & Milk flowing on top of a boom bap beat with synths talking about things being far from over for either one of them musically leading into “Proper” shifts towards a west coast vibe a bit boasting their lyrical proficiency combined. “Take a Chance” shows off Lee Scott’s ear for sampling to talk about life being a fat joke other than keeping their heads to see the sun in the clouds & “Die to This” wraps up Swegasus sends it off with a boom bap outro.
Blah Records would unfortunately drop Milkavelli only months after Swegasus came out when it was revealed he was scamming fans, making Swegasus the last time the prominent UK hip hop label would release anything that had his creative input. It’s a shame too because not only did he & Black Josh really had someone beginning to develop in terms of abstract chemistry, but Lee Scott’s lo-fi boom bap production was the most suiting musical soundscape conceivable.
Year is a 21 year old rapper from Portland, Oregon who out in 2018 off his debut EP Deep Blue $trips. This was followed up with 2 mixtapes & 3 more EPs, but he began dominating the mainstream in 2021 whether it be him dropping a total of 4 projects (2 mixtapes, an EP & a full-length debut) or cosigns from the likes of Drake & Earl Sweatshirt. But now with “U Could Tëll” appearing on one of latest Euphoria episodes & signing to Geffen Records, we’re finally being treated to Yeat’s long-awaited sophomore album.
“Poppin’” sets off the whole thing off on a cloudy note courtesy of BenjiCold boasting whereas “Outsidë” with Young Thug finds the 2 detailing the many benefits that come alongside their position as artists referencing 2-time WWE Hall of Famer, former 16-time WWE world champion, WWE Intercontinental Champion, 6-time WWE United States Champion, 6-time WWE tag team champion & 9-time NWA World’s Heavyweight Champion Ric Flair over an upbeat Supah Mario instrumental. “Rëal 6” takes a more atmospheric yet bass-heavy route with a clever homage to Nipsey Hu$$le in the hook, but then Trgc makes “Nvr again” sound something out of a retro video game as far as production goes & talking about his drug addiction.
Meanwhile on “Luh gëek”, we have Yeat over some prominent bass getting in his shit-talking bag leading into the Gunna assisted “Rackz got 2 më” talking about money consuming them over some somber bells. “Doublë” has a more futuristic feel to it detailing being “geeked out his mind” just before “On tha timë” talks about being the big dog & the instrumental reminds me a lot of Super Mario.
“Jus better” reincorporates some bells into an electronic backdrop speaking down on his competition while “Jump” reveals itself to be a vigorous moshpit anthem. “Dnt lië” follows it up by talking about going up on the list over a quirky instrumental whereas “Rollin’” shoots for a more chilled out vibe to flex.
Continuing from there, “Taliban” comes in with a more playful sound saying he’s always a geek while “Narcoticz” brings in Yung Kayo for a synth-laced drug theme. “Call më” follows that up with a decent love ballad & “Kan’t dië” picks brings back the synthesizers to brag.
Ken Carson tags along for the triumphant “Gëek high” talking about pulling up with the team while the song “Luh m” with SeptembersRich is a cool little sequel to “Insidë out”. The penultimate track “Smooktobër” finds Yeat talking about fucking up the game over a spooky beat from F1LTHY of Working on Dying & “Still countin’” ends with the album with a hedonistic trap banger that Internet Money Records in-house producer Synthetic laced detailing the rich life.
“Big tonka” with Lil Uzi Vert starts the deluxe run with a euphoric, bell-heavy ode to Lamborghinis teasing a potential collaborative tape if that actually happens while “Kant rëlax” follows it up with a hypertrap banger about how ready he is. “No commënt” takes a more vibrant direction dissing Autumn! in the hook leading into Uzi returning for the futuristic yet uncanny “3G” talking about being the only ones outer space.
Meanwhile on “Nëw turban”, we have Yeat returning to hypertrap territory reincorporating some bells to spit some braggadocio just before “Hatër” claps back at those who don’t like him over a rubbery instrumental. The song “Way back” comes through with a more anthemic ballad talking about getting the cash while the penultimate track “Luv monëy” with Lancey Foux speaks for itself accompanied by a bass-heavy beat. “Dub” finishes the EP with an electrifying instrumental talking about his wins.
To see how far this dude has come within the last year has been incredible to watch because 2 Alivë has to be his best full-length yet in my eyes. It’s not as cloudy or pluggy as his early work, but he still displays a unique take on modern trap even on a major label.
This is the 18th full-length album from New Orleans veteran Curren$y. Getting his start with No Limit Records as a later member of the 504 Boyz in 2002, he would then hop over to Young Money Entertainment & Cash Money Records in ‘06 before branched out a couple years later with his own label Jet Life Recordings. Since then, the man made a name for himself by dropping a handful of projects every single year with the latest being the Ski Beatz-produced 4th installment of the Pilot Talk series. However, he’s reuniting with The Alchemist for Continuance which I was actually fiendin’ for because Covert Coup & The Carrollton Heist have always been some of the standouts in Spitta’s ever-growing discography.
“Half Morning Moons” starts off the album on a spacious note telling this woman she can kick it with him as long as she can keep a secret whereas “Reese’s Cup” is a piano ballad taking aim at his competition. Boldy James tags along for the soulful “No Yacht” talking about having an acquired taste for the finer things leading into “Obsession” talking about his being infatuated by how much money he can make over a glossy boom bap beat.
Meanwhile on “Corvette Rally Stripes”, we have Havoc & Wiz Khalifa joining Spitta on top of a grim instrumental to flaunt just before the Styles P-assisted takes a more stripped back route as the 2 talk about what it all sounds like to them. “The Tonight Show” almost has this jazzy quality to proclaiming himself as a living legend, but then “Signature Move” goes into a hazier direction talking about getting everything he wants
Detroit’s very own Babyface Ray comes into the picture for the bluesy “Louis Baggage” speaking on reaching underground king status prior to “The Final Board” going full-blown rock turf talking about getting paid in full. The song “JoDeCi Tape” gets in his romantic bag over a synth-heavy beat while the penultimate track “Endurance Runners” with Larry June returning to jazz territory declaring themselves as such. “Kool & the Gang” ends the album with a touching tribute to his son.
For this to be Spitta’s way to kick off his 2022, it absolutely lived up to my expectations & I’ll even say it’s on the exact same caliber as it’s predecessors Covert Coup & The Carrollton Heist. Alchemist’s production is superb as to be expected, the features all come correct & the man himself sounds like he’s in element lyrically.
Nicholas Craven is a 29 year old producer from Montréal, Québec, Canada who gained notoriety in the underground by doing tracks for Griselda, the Dump Gawds, Hus Kingpin, Planet Asia & Ransom just to name a few. He’s also released a handful of beat tapes on his own & even 2 solo EPs: Craven N & Craven N 2. However to warm the fans up for his upcoming projects with Mike Shabb & Your Old Droog dropping later this year, Nicholas is closing out the Craven N trilogy by dropping his 3rd EP.
“Opulence” by Stove God Cook$ is a symphonic opener proclaiming that they’ve won whereas “Yzerman” by Boldy James named after the greatest Detroit Red Wings captain Steve Yzerman takes a glossier route talking about being tied in. “Breaking Atoms” by Evidence works in a soul sample to discuss righting wrongs & needing the pressure present, but then “Anchor” by Navy Blue follows it up with a piano ballad talking about how he ain’t trying to boast.
Meanwhile on “50 Wings”, we have Elucid on top of some killer guitars to discuss grace, peace, prosperity, fortune & wisdom just before “Serotonin” by Pink Siifu brings in some brass talking about seeing & showing it all. The track “YOD Body” incorporates an alluring vocal sample with Your Old Droog delivering some fiery bars & prior to the “Sud Wes Craven” outro, the final song “Nouvelle Religion” by Connaisseur Ticaso educates listeners on some French over a soul loop & it’s really admirable.
You can’t go wrong with either of the previous installments of the Craven N series, but this has gotta be my favorite installment so far. The guests all bring their A-Game lyrically & Nicholas continues to propel himself as one of the best hip hop producers in recent memory. If he keeps it up, 2022 might be his biggest year yet.
The Insane Clown Posse are a horrorcore duo, the founders of Juggalo Championship Wrestling & the longest reigning JCW World Juggalo Tag Team Champions from Detroit, Michigan consisting of Violent J & Shaggy 2 Dope. They originally started as a quartet alongside John Kickjazz & Kid Villain, but both of them left before their full-length debut Carnival of Carnage dropped 3 decades ago & Greez-E only stuck around their best EP in my personal opinion: Beverly Kills 50187. Not only would The Duke of the Wicked & the Southside Strangla go on to create seminal wicked shit albums like The First 6, but they gained an extremely loyal fanbase in the process & their self-owned Psychopathic Records became an independent hip hop powerhouse as the label’s roster continued to grow. I was a bit worried about their latest album Yum Yum Bedlam given that the prelude EP Yum Yum’s Lure was panned by fans when it came out last Juggalo Day but when Halloween came around, they proved me wrong with what I believe to be my 3rd favorite card in the 2nd deck. Here we are 365 days later & they’re actually kicking off The Seeds of Yum Yum trilogy by letting Wicked Vic the Weed be the first in season.
After the repetitive “Wicked Vic” intro, the first actual song “Send in the Clowns” starts off the EP pretty well with J & Shaggs talking about “When makin’ sense makes no sense at all is when you hold the grease paint stick & draw that smile” on top of a playful trap beat whereas “Clown Bounce” is a boom bap-flavored dance tune reminiscent to “Clown Walk” off Forgotten Freshness 4 or even the cringey “Cha Cha Slide” cover “Chop Chop Slide off my 2nd favorite card of the 2nd deck: Bang! Pow! Boom!.
“Mutilator” has a bit of a rock feel to it with the wicked clowns letting listeners in on what it is to be such while the song “Hyde Park Pedaler” goes back to quasi-boom bap turf as Violent J tells the story of the titular serial killer. The actual closer is a cover of the Duran Duran track “Hungry Like the Wolf” except it’s inferior to the rendition that Twiztid happened to do for their 13th album Mad Season a couple years back as for Brian Kuma’s remix of “Ain’t No Time”, it’s alright.
To start off the trilogy, it’s pretty decent. In comparison to the more personal subject matter that the album had to offer, this EP finds J & Shaggs mixing that old school carnival sound with the new sounds they’ve been dabbling in & there’s even some wicked shit laced in as well. Let’s just see how Pug Ugly the Stink Bud & WOH the Weepin’ Weirdo play out.
Elevated Focusion is a producer from Queens, New York who’s been on a roll by dropping a beat tape every week throughout February with the first being a self-titled effort on the first Friday of the month & that was followed up last Thursday with Let’s Get All Silly & Weird. Here we are at the 3rd week & we’re already being treated to his 3rd consecutive tape.
“All That Glitters Ain’t Gold” is a luxurious opener with it’s wonderful keyboard & string arrangements whereas “Hypnotic Space Groove” lives up to it’s name as the synthesizer throughout just makes you wanna light one up. “Behind Door #2” follows it up with something that sounds like a climatic moment in a sci-fi flick leading into “Earth Bound”, where these synths are laced with some drums that just thump you in the chest.
Meanwhile on “A Funky Little Collision”, we have Jonny providing the soundtrack for what I can imagine to be a futuristic party just before the style of “3rd Stone from the Pizzaria” kinda reminds me of Daft Punk’s 3rd album Human After All. “Just Here to Roll” follows this up with a more minimal yet electronic tone, but then “Force of Nature” almost has a bit of a Neptunes influence to it which I love because that’s my favorite production duo of all-time.
“Galactic Crime Syndicate” takes the boom bap route throwing in some dramatic keyboards & synth-horns while “They Call Me Pebblestone” goes full blown electro taking it back to the 80’s. “Hit Hard & Get Loose” follows it up with a singular piano note & some synths while “Victory Dance” almost has a bit of a techno flare that I really admire.
Following that, “Have Some D.M.T. on Me” does in fact sound like a drug trip as the synth melody throughout is very wavy while “The Come Down” returns to the boom bap except this instrumental is string-heavy. “Mutiny” has to be one of the weaker beats on here as it just seems a little clunky to me, but “Blood in the Streets” follows it up by paying homage to Eminem’s production back in the 2000’s.
“Collateral Damage” makes me feel like I’m playing a space mission in a Crash Bandicoot game while “The Horror” follows it up with a more atmospheric tune. The penultimate track “Another Story Told” preludes the closer with a more laidback cut & finally, “Farewell” sends the tape off with yet another Neptunes homage.
Compared to the other 2 tapes that he’s dropped prior, I think Slow & Steady has to be my favorite one thus far. The whole concept of it will draw you in from the start & my favorite thing about it has to be the wide range of influences that he draws from.
Snoop Dogg is a 50 year old rapper, songwriter, media personality, actor, entrepreneur & WWE Hall of Famer from Long Beach, California that any hip hop head should be familiar with. His 1993 debut album Doggystyle is widely regarded as a west coast essential, but his output since has been hit or miss whether it be Tha Last Meal & Tha Blue Carpet Treatment almost reaching the same caliber of his debut or Da Game is to be Sold, Not to be Told & Bible of Love falling flat on their faces. The last we heard from Uncle Snoop was last 4/20 when he took it back to basics for From tha Streets 2 tha Suites but in light of his Super Bowl LVI halftime show performance this weekend & him purchasing Death Row Records from MNRK Music Group a couple days ago, he’s celebrating by dropping his 19th full-length album ahead of Mount Westmore’s debut in the winter.
“Still Smokin’” is a short but sweet g-funk opener produced by DJ Battlecat talking about being back up in this motherfucker whereas “Gun Smoke” follows it up with Hi-Tek mixing that vintage west coast sound with some trap undertones kicking it off top for nearly 2-minutes. “Coming Back” featuring October London has a bit of a Parliament-Funkadelic/Zapp influence to it continuing to elaborate on his return just before “Sandwich Bag” speaks on his hustler life over a stripped-back back beat from Bink!.
Meanwhile on “Conflicted”, we have Nas joining Snoop on top of a weary Hit-Boy instrumental pondering who’s against them if God’s for them leading into “Bad Bitch” which has a rubbery bass-line & pays tribute to all the bad bitches. “Doggystylin’” finds Soopafly works in some dramatic choir vocals flexing like the old days, but then “Crip Ya Enthusiasm” awkwardly samples the Curb Ya Enthusiasm” theme song with the help of DJ Green Lantern spitting that street life.
T.I. comes into the picture for the powerful “Gotta Keep Pushing” encouraging to move forward despite all setbacks while “House I Built” jumps on top of an spacious instrumental talking about doing shit his way. “Outside the Box” returns to the g-funk sound down to the Nate Dogg hook shouting out their Day Oners & as for “Jersey in the Rafters”, he & The Game go into boom bap turf thanks to Trevor Lawrence Jr. taking shots at those who say they lost it.
I like the chipmunk soul feel of “Pop Pop” even though DaBaby’s performances are just garish in comparison to Snoop’s, but then “Catch a Vibe” comes through with a cloudy summertime anthem. “It’s in the Air” finds Nottz weaving in some gospel influences as he & Uncle Murda detail the gangsta lives while the track “We Don’t Gotta Worry No More” with Wiz Khalifa mixes a vocal sample with some hi-hats provided by Don Cannon talking about the pain they come from. The final song “Get This Dick” of course serves as a forced sex tune with some R&B undertones & “Snoopy Don’t Go” ends the album with a melodic outro.
If anyone else enjoyed From tha Streets 2 tha Suites as much as I did, then you’re gonna love B.o.D.R. (Bacc on Death Row) just as much if not even more. Much like the previous album, it’s basically Snoop taking it all back to his roots except this time he’s really getting deeper in it. Looking forward to his halftime show performance this weekend.
Legends Will Never Die 