Elevated Focusion – “The Sinthmeister” review

This is the 9th beat tape from Queens, New York producer Elevated Focusion. Throughout the whole year so far, the dude has been staying busy by dropping 1 tape after another whether it be Elevated Focusion or Slow & Steady. However to ring in the 2nd quarter, he’s continuing to apply pressure with The Sinthmeister.

“The Sinthtro” pretty much sets the tone for the whole project my mixing some bare strings & synthesizers whatsoever whereas “Just Your Local Weatherman” works in some actual drums & I like the electronic vibes it gives off. The drums that “Funky Brainstorm” bring to the table are more thunderous in comparison to previous cut leading into “Speedball Blast Off”, which I can imagine being played at EDM festivals to no objection.

Meanwhile on “Galaxy Gangbangin’”, we have Jonny incorporating some bare synthesizers much like the opener just before “Do the Codeine Lean” takes a more quicker route in terms of structure. “The Addicted Children of the Stars” returns to rave territory pretty well, but then “Parental Blurry Vision” is a more atmospheric cut that is just straight up pleasant to the ear.

“March of the Martians” fuses together these phenomenal vocal chops with some drums & strings while “Moshin’ with Marvin” has a bit of a boom bap quality to it & it’s futuristic as Hell. “The Martian’s Reprise” is a fresh little sequel to the “March of the Martians” that I mentioned just seconds ago while “Lost in a K Hole” kinda reminds me of a Sonic the Hedgehog game.

Following that, “Brace Yourself” comes through with a more entrancing tone to it while “The Downward Space Jam” has some insane guitar passages during the 2nd half. “The Martian’s Final Surprise” is a short yet stripped back conclusion to the Martian trilogy while the song “Phasers on Kill” sounds straight chilling to the bone. The penultimate track “Operation Exploration” returns to electronic territory once more & “Follow the Map to the Stars” ends the tape with 1 last EDM bop.

Each tape that Jonny has dropped so far has it’s own different catch to it & The Sinthmeister is no exception to that. In fact, it’s one of my favorites that he’s made so far. I really like how he continues to show his range behind the boards by crafting a whole project mixing electronic & hip hop.

Score: 4/5

Dreamville Records – “D-Day” review

This is the 4th showcase compilation from Dreamville Records. Founded in 2007 by J. Cole & his manager Ibrahim Hamad, the label has proven itself to be a dominant force in the mainstream hip hop world for the past decade with the Revenge of the Dreamers trilogy even though the last installment was a bit of a disappointment. However after giving a 24 hour notice & with Dreamville Festival returning this weekend, the crew is having DJ Drama host D-Day.

“Stick” by J.I.D, J. Cole & Sheck Wes finds the trio over a triumphant araabMUZIK & Beat Butcha instrumental talking about being strapped whereas the “Ghetto Gods Freestyle” by the EARTHGANG & 2 Chainz goes into a more skeletal direction even though I do enjoy the battle bars. “Lifestyle” by Bas & A$AP Ferg has a lot more meat on the bone thanks to Cole behind the boards with both MCs talking about the lives they live currently leading into the jazzy “Starting 5” by Cozz, Lute & Omen talking about having shooters.

Meanwhile on “Coming Down”, we get a full blown Ari Lennox solo cut asking when her mans is coming over J. Cole & Wu10 sampling Mary J. Bilge’s rendition of ”I’m Goin’ Down” just before “Hair Salon” by Cozz, G Perico & Reason finds the trio over a psychedelic Chuck Inglish beat pondering why anyone would talk shit about them. “Freedom of Speech” by J. Cole goes into chipmunk soul territory with the help of Jake One talking about the energy switching whenever he pops up, but then “Blackberry Sap” is yet another Ari Lennox solo cut that I find to be inferior to “Coming Down”.

“Like Wine” by Lute comes through with a dusty boom bap banger full of braggadocio while “Jozi Flows” by Bas & the EARTHGANG works in a flute to talk about being misunderstood. “Barry from Simpson” by J.I.D & 2 Chainz mixes some horns with snares encouraging listeners to get shit done while “Everybody Ain’t Shit” by the EARTHGANG follows it up with a fun “fuck you” anthem.

The song “Ballin’ in Newport” by Omen over a piano instrumental from Ging & !llmind while the “Big Trouble” by Cozz comes through with an impressive freestyle accompanied by samples from Doug E. Fresh, David Porter & The Trammps. The whole thing ends with “Heaven’s EP”, where Cole freestyles over the “Pipe Down” instrumental & killed it harder than Drake did.

Even though I honestly didn’t know what to expect from this compilation, I actually happen to like it more than Revenge of the Dreamers III. The production’s much better, they relied less on features given how inconsistent they were almost 3 years back & the whole roster come through with improved performances too.

Score: 3.5/5

Lunar C – “Most High” review

Lunar C is a 33 year old MC from Bradford, West Yorkshire, England, United Kingdom making his debut in 2010 with The Lunar CD. He would go on to drop 3 more full-lengths as well as 4 mixtapes & a couple of EPs, also becoming 1/2 of Off World Vehicle & 1/6 of the Fly Tippers. However, he’s signed to Blah Records & is ready to make his debut for the popular London imprint in the form of his 6th studio album with Jack Chard from Nobodies Home & Jack Danz behind the boards.

After the into, the first song “Rasputin” begins with him talking about moving backwards ever since his parents went 2 on a bastard whereas “Contact High” featuring the Antiheroes finds the trio linking up to speak of smoking weed & making the same mistakes daily. “Kill the Rich” talks about there being no need to talk to him if it ain’t a G or more prior to “In the House” yearning for him to stay inside with his girl for a whole entire day.

“Cursed” nears the end of the 1st half talking about being sent to do their devil’s work just before “Troubled Mind” featuring Black Josh & Stinkin’ Slumrok dismantling rappers who sound dishonest to them & only taking their bitches if they’re down for it. The title track gets the 3rd quarter talking about praising God & being stoned to the point where he can’t make up his own mind while “Any Given Wednesday” featuring Jehst discusses not bragging of their greatness because they’re better than that.

Jack Danz joins Lunar C on the mic for “Never Lose” referencing WWE CBO & former WWE Women’s Champion Stephanie McMahon but after “Hit Me Up” tells the people who need anything from him to call him anytime they want unless you don’t offer him shit, “Y.M.S.R.I.T.B. (Your Mom Smokes Rollies In The Bath)” featuring Lee Scott produced by DJ Molotov brings the pair together so they can talk about sitting on their own throne in the clouds & smacking people harder than Joe Jackson for moving incorrectly.

“Nate Diazepam” featuring Lefty & P Solja nears the Most High’s conclusion with the trio can get in their Fly Tipper bags & refusing to sell out for “Proud” talks about taking pride in who he is despite him changing your life for the worst if you let him. “Switch Up” however spends the last couple minutes of the LP dropping a whole entire verse describing the bud in his joint to be fruitier than Lil Uzi Vert on top of doing this for his comrades, compadres & for himself to help through the dark days.

Blah Records warned us in advanced that his fan would be wondering why one of the biggest UK hip hop labels in recent memory hadn’t bring them on board their roster sooner & they weren’t kidding considering Most High makes a huge leap in quality compared to all of his independent material. Jack Chard & Jack Danz’ production covers a lot of different ground stylistically & C brings a mix of Tipper Gang brethren & Blah labelmates to help recapture his signature blend of cutthroat humor & abstract bars.

Score: 3.5/5

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Jay Worthy & Larry June – “2 P’z in a Pod” review

This is a brand new collaborative album between California emcees Jay Worthy & Larry June. One hails straight outta L.A. & the other being from San Francisco, but these guys have been working with each other for a little over 5 years now ever since the Chuck Inglish-produced loosie “On Sight”. The last time we heard them together was “Survival Series ‘95” off the 2nd disc of Hitler Wears Hermes VIII: Sincerely Adolf but with the help of Sean House behind the boards, Jay & Larry are finally giving the world 2 P’z in a Pod.

After the “Bad Things ” intro, the first song “Vanilla Cream” opens the album up with a cloudy ode to their lifestyles whereas “Big Funds” takes a funkier route talking about their wealth. “Sock It 2 Me” works in some electro influences to describe a bonafide hoe just before Roc Marciano tags along for the g-funk heavy “Maybe the Next Time” to talk about being playas with a soulful hook.

After the “How 2 Knock” interlude, we have Jay & Larry describing living life fast the glossy “Leave It Up to Me” leading into the recently romantic “She’s Not Around”. The track “Hotel Bel-Air” incorporates a symphony to talk about not being afraid of change & prior to the Bag Connection” outro, the final song “Late Nights” ends the album with Jim Jones coming into the picture to jump on top of a rich beat talking about their significant others being on their minds.

These guys always kill it when you get to hear them together & if you’re a hardcore fan of either one of them, then I highly recommend checking 2 P’z in a Pod out. Sean House cooks up some of the best production of his career with Jay & Larry taking their chemistry to the next level.

Score: 4/5

Ty Farris – “Moments of Mayhem” review

Ty Farris is a 41 year old MC from Detroit, Michigan who came up under the name T-Flame. He was featured on a lot of projects throughout the mid-2000’s until the very end of the decade where he started to put out solo stuff at a prolific rate from Tyrant to Room 39. But with his profile continually increasing within the last year or so & dropping Practice Raps back in January & then No Cosign, Just Cocaine 4 in November, but is now preluding the 5th & final installment with his 3rd EP produced entirely by Italy’s very own Slim 1.

“Glorious” is an appropriately titled opener as Ty hops on top of a bare orchestral loop shoving his greatness in everyone’s faces whereas “Here’s the Shovel” works in some foreboding horns talking about being self made. The song “Sure Shot” brings back the strings with some piano chords describing being the product of a poor block while the penultimate track “Scary Jungle” goes into angelic boom bap territory talking about never crumbling. The EP ends with “Highly Favored”, where Bub Styles & Mickey Diamond join Ty over some alluring choir vocals to gloat their big dog statuses.

Ty has pretty much proven himself to be one of the greatest MCs to ever come out of this reviewer’s hometown at this point & for him to give us Moments of Mayhem as a prelude to NCJC5, the fans will absolutely be satisfied with it. I’m very much looking forward to hearing who else Slim 1 will be producing next because his sound goes hand in hand with Ty’s raw lyricism.

Score: 4/5

Flying Monk – “Skullduggery” review

Flying Monk is a 30 year old MC from Bristol, England, United Kingdom known for being apart of the Split Prophets collective. Although he’s made a handful of guest appearances across multiple releases over the course of almost a decade like his fellow Prophet brethren Upfront MC or Res 1’s respective solo debuts Upfront & Personal and Delph Efficiency as well as Datkid’s first EP Grubby Mits to name a few, but has yet to make a proper collection of solo output until this extended play.

After the intro, “Fuck the Fame” gets things going with this creepy boom bap instrumental from Axel Holy explaining that the Monk could give a fuck less about the clout whereas “The Get Back” produced by Badhabitz offering advice on what to do if you wanna talk shit. “Can’t Deny” eerily talks about the Prophets never falling because they’re too fly & after telling all these muhfuckas to get their asses “Back to Work”, the final song “Levels” concludes by boasting that he’s on a level they didn’t think he could reach

Unfortunately he has since passed away, but I’m happy that Flying Monk was able to give us Skullduggery when he had the chance considering that Bil Next is now the only remaining Split Prophet who has yet to go solo much like how Salar’s the only Cult of the Damned member that doesn’t have any solo material under his belt. From the grimy production to Anbu flowing without the need of any guest appearances, this EP proves exactly what he was capable of doing on his own.

Score: 4/5

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Canibus – “C” review

This is the 5th EP from Kingston emcee Canibus. Coming up as 1/2 of the duo T.H.E.M. alongside C.I. about 3 decades ago, they eventually split up a few years later & Bis would blow up in ‘97 after appearing on the LL Cool J song “4, 3, 2, 1” that later resulted in a beef between both parties. He would then go on to make a lengthy yet consistent discography with albums like Rip the Jacker being breathtaking at best & then Mind Control being unlistenable at worst. He just dropped Body Bag Ben-produced 16th full-length Kaiju this past winter after a 3 year break & it wounded up being one of his better albums in his discography, even though the follow-up 1 Step Closer to ∞ was a little underwhelming. But when I found out that one of my top 5 producers Pete Rock was coming in to lace C from front to back, I had to check it out for myself.

“Princibly This” is an incredibly jazzy opener with ‘Bis talking about how life’s a bitch while the next track “Poet’s Palaquin” pulls from some Bollywood influences spitting bars like “They stealth bombed Wakanda after they killed Black Panther” & “You know this, still the dopest. Free the people like Moses, hyper focused with both barrels loaded ‘cause I’m a Poet”. The closer however is just a remix of the song they did on Time Flys, Life Dies…Phoenix Rise almost 7 years ago at this point except it’s more soulful & Bronze Nazareth is spitting a fresh verse on it.

Even though I’m a little disappointed that it’s only 2 songs & a remix, I still enjoyed what I heard & I’d definitely recommend it to the hardcore fans. Canibus sounds much more focused than he did on 1 Step Closer to ∞ & as far as the production goes, it’s pretty much night & day unsurprisingly.

Score: 3.5/5

Nigo – “I Know Nigo” review | ニゴー「知っていますニゴー」レビュー

Nigo is a 51 year old fashion designer, DJ, producer & entrepreneur from Maebashi, Japan who famously created one of my favorite clothing lines of all-time: A Bathing Ape. He’s also been involved with the hip hop industry as well, being the DJ for the Teriyaki Boyz ever since their inception. But finally, Nigo has seen fit to host his very own sophomore full-length album with the help of Steven Victor’s very own Republic Records imprint Victor Victor Worldwide.

ニゴは、日本の前橋出身の51歳のファッションデザイナー、DJ、プロデューサー、起業家で、私のお気に入りの服の1つであベイシング・エイプを作成したことで有名です。彼はまた、ヒップホップ業界にも関わっており、創業以来、照り焼きボーイズのDJを務めています。しかし、最後に、ニゴはスティーブン・ビクター自身のリパブリック・レコードのインプリントであるビクター・ビクター・ワールドワイドの助けを借りて、彼自身の2年生のフルレングスアルバムをホストするのにふさわしいと見ています。

“Lost & Found” by WANG$AP starts things off with A$AP Rocky on top of a “3 Kings” sample talking about wanting his credit prior to switching up into a sample of “Like a Boss” by Slim Thug for Tyler, The Creator to spit some braggadocio whereas “Arya” by Rocky works in a piano-heavy instrumental shouting out the Game of Thrones character of the same name. “Punch Bowl” by Clipse sees the duo reflecting on their past on top of an atmospheric Neptunes instrumental leading into “Functional Addict” by Gunna & Pharrell taking a funkier route getting sexual.

WANG$APの「ロストアンドファウンド」は、タイラー、クリエイターのためにスリム・サグの「ボスのように」のサンプルに切り替える前に、彼のクレジットが欲しいと話している「3 王様」サンプルの上にA$AP岩の多いで物事を開始しますが、ロッキーの「アーヤ」は、同じ名前のゲーム・オブ・スローンズのキャラクターを叫ぶピアノの重いインストゥルメンタルで働いています。クリップスの「パンチボウル」は、ガンナ&ファレルによる「機能性中毒者」につながる雰囲気のあるネプチューンズのインストゥルメンタルの上に、デュオが彼らの過去を振り返るのを見ます。

Meanwhile on “Want It Bad”, we have KiD CuDi on top of an electropop beat talking about how his work is never done just before “Morë Tonight” goes into hip house territory for a fun Teriyaki Boyz reunion. “Paper Plates” by A$AP Ferg continues to flex over a riveting beat, but then “Hear Me Clearly” by Pusha T follows it up with a boom bap banger produced by Kanye West telling everyone who fears him to admit it.

一方、「ひどく欲しい」では、エレクトロポップビートの上にキッド・カディが、「モレ・トゥナイト」が楽しい照り焼きボーイズの再会のためにヒップハウスの領域に入る直前に彼の仕事が決して行われなかったことについて話しています。A$APファーグの「紙皿」は、魅力的なビートを曲げ続けていますが、プシャTの「はっきりと聞いてください」は、カニエ・ウェストが制作したブームバップバンガーで続き、彼を恐れるすべての人にそれを認めるように伝えます。

The song “Remember” by Pop Smoke has a dope sample of “Sound of a Woman” by Kiesza to go at anyone who opposes him while the penultimate track “Heavy” by Lil Uzi Vert takes influence from UK Drill with the help of Brandon Finessin’ of Working on Dying talking about repping Moncler hard. “Come On, Let’s Go” by Tyler, The Creator ends the album by telling a bitch the time she’s wasting is on him with the beat giving off heavy summer vibes.

ポップスモークの曲「覚えている」には、キーザの「女性の音」のドープサンプルがあり、彼に反対する人に向けられていますが、リル・ウジ・ヴェールの最後から2番目のトラック「重い」は、モンクレールを激しくレッピングすることについて話しているUKドリルから影響を受けています。タイラーの「さあ、行こう」、クリエイターは、重い夏の雰囲気を放つビートで、彼女が無駄にしている時間が彼にあることを雌犬に伝えることでアルバムを終了します。

In comparison to a lot of producer/DJ curated albums these days, I came away from I Know Nigo loving a good portion of what I heard on it & hopefully this is only the beginning for the icon. The guests are all well picked out & I love the diversity of the production ranging from boom bap to hip house & even UK Drill.

最近の多くのプロデューサー/DJキュレーションアルバムと比較して、私は私はニゴを知っていますから離れて、私が聞いたことのかなりの部分を愛し、うまくいけば、これはアイコンの始まりに過ぎません。ゲストはすべてよく選ばれており、ブームバップからヒップハウス、さらにはUKドリルまで、生産の多様性が大好きです。

Score: 4/5

スコア: 4/5

Denzel Curry – “Melt My Eyez, See Your Future” review

Denzel Curry is a 27 year old MC from Carol City, Florida who came up as a member of the SpaceGhostPurrp-founded Raider Klan a little over a decade ago. He then left in 2013 & has seen quite the success on his own off projects like Nostalgia 64, 32 Zel (Planet Shrooms), imperial, TA13OO, Zuu & the Kenny Beats-produced UNLOCKED. But given that the 2 year anniversary of the latter just passed a month ago, Zel’s following up the 2 singles he’s dropped within the last few months with his 5th album.

“Melt Session #1” kicks the album off with a jazzy boom bap instrumental from Robert Glasper talking about how Zel stays walkin’ whereas “Walkin’” follows it up by sampling “The Loving Touch” by Keith Mansfield tackling the struggles of life. “Worst Comes to Worst” keeps things in boom bap turf thanks to Dot da Genius talking about institutional issues in the United States leading into the smoky “John Wayne” produced by JPEGMAFIA comparing himself to [the titular actor] when walking around the hood.

Meanwhile on “The Last”, we have Zel jumping on top of a cloudy trap beat FNZ made talking about how tomorrow’s not promised just before Saul Williams tags along for “Mental” confessing their suicidal thoughts on top of a calming boom bap beat. T-Pain comes into the picture for the vibrant”Troubles” produced by DJ Khalil & Kenny Beats talking about problems that drugs can’t solve, but then the Rico Nasty/J.I.D assisted “Ain’t No Way” finds the trio back on some trap shit addressing those who still doubt them.

“X-Wing” mixes some strings & hi-hats talking about not wanting power except the delivery makes it the weakest track on the album even with the reference to former 3-time WWE world champion Rey Mysterio while “Angelz” works in some pianos & dusty drums thanks to Karriem Riggins confessing being sick of the bullshit. “The Smell of Death” sees Thundercat incorporating a heavy amount of synthesizers for Zel to spit streams of consciousness while the song “Sanjuro” shouts out those who say he ain’t deep enough over an explosive Cardo instrumental. The penultimate track “Zatoichi” with slowthai is a cool ode to the Japanese character of the same name over a drum & bass beat from Powers Pleasant while “The Ills” ends the album on a jazzy note talking about his illusions.

Even though I liked ZUU, I think this up there with imperial & TA13OO in being one of the best albums of Zel’s career. I really admire how he continues to expand on the risks he took on the latter as well as taking influence from what’s going on right now in the world & films by one of the greatest directors of all-time: Akira Kurosawa.

Score: 4.5/5

Scum – “Dyin’ World Chroniclez 3: Black Soulz” review

Scum is a 41 year old MC from Denver, Colorado known for founding the seminal horrorcore label Lyrikal Snuff Productionz. He’s gone on to release 13 albums on his own, the previous being the first 2 installments of the Dyin’ World Chroniclez trilogy Grey Skiez in the spring & then Red Groundz in the summer. But at last, The Gorefather is rounding out the trilogy with his 14th full-length offering.

After the intro, the first song “Keep It Bloody” is an apocalyptic opener getting murderous whereas “Curbside” with Cody Manson & Darby O’Trill finds the trio on some murky trap shit talking about leaving their opposition in a bag. “Dues” follows it up with a rap rock banger describing what he wants to see at his shows leading into Jade the Nightmare tagging along for the triumphant title track talking about being angels falling from the sky.

Meanwhile on “Tx4l”, we have Scum returning to trap turf continuing the themes of murder just before “Dumb” wickedly fires shots at all any stupidity that comes his way. “Mizundastood” perfectly lashes out at all those who be talking shit about juggalos, but then “Ain’t Shit” works in a bass-heavy Devereaux beat to diss any bum wanting to go up against them.

The song “Wake Up Dead” continues to delve further into the topic of death over a morbid instrumental while the penultimate track “Respekt” featuring ILLtemper & Tragik sees the trio on top of some strings talking about wanting their props. “Disrespekt” by S.O.S. ends the album with a counterpart to the previous cut except this one’s a lot more grimier in my personal opinion.

Now that the Dyin’ World Chroniclez trilogy is complete, I’d have to say it’s amongst some of Scum’s best material in his ever-growing discography & Black Soulz is a solid finisher. I could’ve done without half the features (the only ones that really stood out to me are the 3 LSP signees), but I do appreciate how he connects the gap between the last 2 installments.

Score: 3.5/5