Russ – “Chomp 2” review

Russ is a 29 year old rapper, producer & singer/songwriter from Secaucus, New Jersey who’s released a total of 11 mixtapes on SoundCloud from 2011 up to 2014. He wound up signing Columbia Records in 2016 & made his full-length debut the year after with There’s Really a Wolf, quickly becoming one of hip hop’s most polarizing figures in recent memory. Primarily because of being a “fake activist” against drugs & then there’s his infamous 2016 interview with DJ Vlad the culture vulture where he literally said “we need to blame producers for all the wack music today”. His 2018 follow-up ZOO kinda caught my interest due to “The Flute Song”, but the end result of it being taken over by this annoyingly bitter demeanor. Shake the Snowglobe was slightly better & his debut EP CHOMP last year ended up being his best work so far, although it’s because the features & producers carried. But to close out the year, Russ bringing an all-star cast of well-respected names for his 12th mixtape.

“Sheep” kicks off the whole thing with a skeletal boom bap beat from Jake One with fake woke lyrics attached onto it whereas “Blue Chip” works in a groovy mR. pOrTeR instrumental & Ransom’s verse at the backend is more aggressive than Russ’ at the start. “Bucket Hat Low” has some cool background vocals & Papoose’s verse starts it off well, but Russ’ signature narcissistic attitude at the end straight up kills it. Hi-Tek provides a more west coast sound for “Nothin’ New” where The Game’s wordplay is really the star of it all leading into the soulful “Salute” produced by 9th Wonder which starts off with a mediocre verse, but then Styles P & Westside Gunn pick it back up talking about being undisputed.

Meanwhile on “Faith”, we have Jadakiss accompanying Russ to encourage trusting yourself even though the beat is plain as fuck just before the DJ Premier-laced “Free” goes into boom bap turf talking about being only human as Big K.R.I.T. & WWE Hall of Famer Snoop Dogg dominate it. “Top of the World” with Jay Electronica has an airy Harry Fraud beat serving as a cool victory lap referencing the current 2-time WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns whose late brother Rosey was a former FMWハードコアタッグチームチャンピオン& WWE Tag Team Champion, but then “Note to Self” feels like a microwaved leftover from Big Sean’s latest EP What You Expect? down to the Hit-Boy instrumental.

“Hustler” is basically a short yet decent freestyle with a more interesting Jake One beat while “Distance” has a NASTY boom bap instrumental from The Alchemist taking shots at their doubters even though it doesn’t sound like Conway the Machine or Ghostface Killah are throwing a temper tantrum on wax. The song “Get It” fuses some dusty drums & pianos with the help of Statik Selektah motivating listeners with CyHi the Prynce & Lloyd Banks’ verses not sounding forced while the penultimate track “Enjoy the View” has an explosive Bink! beat & Russ keeps up with Mozzy talking about letting the success continue to roll in. “Golden” then ends the album with a wintery Boi-1da instrumental addressing people turning on him & the hook is just atrocious.

I will say that this tape is better than it’s predecessor, but by a small margin. Much like the first Chomp, the features & production are all A1. However, it’s Russ’ actual songwriting & performances that bog it down. Like it’s cool for him to bring these bigger names on board, but they shouldn’t have to carry a whole project from him or anyone. Out of touch old heads will still eat it up though.

Score: 2.5/5

Mach-Hommy – “Balens Cho” review

This is the 11th EP from New Jersey emcee Mach-Hommy. Blowing up in the underground off his Griselda-backed sophomore effort H.B.O. (Haitian Body Odor), he & Tha God Fahim fell out with them shortly after only to reconcile this past Christmas & then Mach returned to the label over the spring with one of best albums of the year: Pray for Haiti. But in light of his Dump Gawds colleague Your Old Droog dropping Space Bar last week, Mach is continuing to apply pressure by dropping Balens Cho.

After the “La Prèmiere Bougie” intro, the first song “Labou” starts the whole thing off with Nicholas Craven weaving in some incredible saxophones wittily talking about being the new Rick Rubin & Russell Simmons whereas “La Deuxième” is just a decent interlude. “Separation of the Sheep & the Goats” incorporates a sweet vocal sample humbly opening up about his blessings leading into the “Magnum Band” sequel produced by the late Ras G which I’ll go as far to say is superior & darker than the predecessor.

After the “La Troisième” interlude, we have Mach talking about playing with the Heat longer than Udonis Haslem on “Lajan Sal” accompanied by an instrumental that gives me crazy Italian monster vibes just before the “La Quatrième” interlude comes into play. “Wooden Nickels” is probably the most heart-wrenching cut on the EP cautioning shady motherfuckers while the song “Traditional” cleverly uses the same rhyme scheme throughout over a healthy mix of horns & whistling even though it could’ve been a little bit longer.

After the “La Cinquième” interlude, Tha God Fahim tags along for the penultimate track “Money Magnets” getting on some boom bap shit talking about dominating the rap game & “Self Luh” finishes the EP with Mach encouraging listeners to treat their bodies like it’s the only one they got on top of a comforting beat from Conductor Williams.

I’ve been fiending for this shit hard ever since it was originally announced a month ago & my God is it a great follow-up to Pray for Haiti. The excessive amount of interludes are annoying because they’re all so short that there’s no point of them being on there, but the production is as equally fantastic & Mach still manages to drop bars that’ll make you run it back.

Score: 4/5

al.divino – “2 Nights in Marrakesh” review

This is the latest full-length album from Massachusetts emcee/producer al.divino. For the last 4-5 years, the dude has been steadily dropping music ranging from the Dump Gawd: Divino Edition duology to the Futurewave-produced Kataklizm & the DJ Muggs-produced Kilogram. He’s also dropped a total 6 EPs & 2 mixtapes throughout 2021, but they’ve have been either hit or miss unfortunately. That being said though, I was undeniably excited for 2 Nights in Marrakesh given that one of my favorite producers in recent memory Big Ghost Ltd. was lacing the whole thing from front to back.

“Locusts” is a disgustingly ill opener weaving in a bare guitar loop talking about he’s trying to get rich than drunk whereas “Premium Octane” gets on the hustler shit & the jazzy production is super fresh to me. “Aqua Pyro” goes on to tell the listeners to trust what he rights with a fittingly Hellish tone to the instrumental, but then “Derelict Wisdom” talks about wetting up the block & the drumless beat enhances the seriousness of it to me.

Meanwhile on “Fuck the Covenant”, we have al.divino just going in on top of another guitar wailing in the background proclaiming himself as a product of the ghetto leading into the “Alhambra” interlude which has some dope vibraphone embellishments. I like how “Drunken Monk” sounds like something from a blaxploitation chase scene spitting that blick talk just before “Estevanico” brings in some soothing horns calling out those tough talking through cyber space.

The penultimate track “Malevolence” perfectly lives up to it’s name lyrically & the instrumental that Big Ghost brings to the table send chills straight down your spine. “Byzantine Slang” then finishes the album off on a more calmer note sonically wisely & compellingly encouraging to teach the babies.

To me, this is the most consistent divino project I’ve heard since Kilo. My only real complaint about it is that it could’ve used a feature or 2 because it can be a tad bit 1-dimensional as far as the rapping goes, but he really sounds focused & it’s very interesting for Big Ghost to go into a more Moroccan-inspired sound through his production.

Score: 4/5

Marv Won – “Hagler” review

Marv Won is a 40 year old MC/producer from Detroit, Michigan who came up as a part of the world famous Fat Killahz. He’s gone on to become well respected in the battle circuit & has released a total of 4 solo albums, with the previous one being Sooner Than Later last winter. However just a few months after dropping his 2nd EP Rabbits Can’t Shoot over the summer, he’s ending the year by dropping his 3rd EP.

The title track is a perfect opener with it’s boom bap production paying homage to the Marvelous Marvin Hagler himself whereas “Bread Crumbs” takes a more melodic route saying he don’t know why he would want to be like other cats & The Olympicks’ production has this jazzy undertone to it that I just love. “King & Duck” gets back on the boom bap tip as his partner in rhyme Quest MCODY helps take their battle bar skills on wax very well, but then “Salt N Pepper” switches things up by emotionally talking about his father’s death.

The song “Holy Spirits” has a fitting organ-laced instrumental throughout powerfully comparing a liquor store in the hood to a church while the penultimate track “Back at It” by the Twin Towers weaves in a more uncanny beat talking about how it’s all trouble when they get together & rightfully so. Finally, the Chanes-produced “Heavy Bag” couldn’t have finished off the EP any better by sending warning shots at those who want beef with him.

Although I loved the previous EP, Marv really outdoes himself with Hagler over here. It’s refreshing to hear him bring outside producers into the fold with his lyricism being a healthy mix of battle raps & some personal confessions of what’s happened in his life within the last few months.

Score: 4/5

Polo G – “Hall of Fame 2.0” review

This is the 4th full-length studio LP from Chicago, Illinois rapper, singer/songwriter & record executive Polo G. Rising to prominence a couple years ago off his debut album Die a Legend under Columbia Records which I personally found it to be decent, it wasn’t until the sophomore effort The GOAT a year & a half ago at this point where I noticed some significant improvements. He just dropped Hall of Fame this past spring & is now quick to follow it up with a sequel.

“Bad Man (Smooth Criminal)” is a brief yet clever opener paying homage to the late, great Michael Jackson as well as WWE Hall of Famer & former World Heavyweight Champion The Great Khali whereas the Lil Baby-assisted “Don’t Play” mixes some snares with a vibraphone very well as both of them talk about being a problem. “Start Up Again” with Moneybagg Yo is a short & mid gangsta rap theme, but then “Heating Up” takes another jab at it actually sounding more threatening despite YungLiV’s wack ass feature.

Meanwhile on “Black Man in America”, we have Polo successfully delivering what could possibly be his most conscious song yet just before “Young n Dumb” serves as a raw & emotional depicting the live in the slums. Smatt Sertified gives “Unapologetic” a more atmospheric tone & Polo’s verse is catchy even though I can’t say the same for NLE Choppa’s leading into the 2-minute rock-infused “Fortnight” telling his lover he’d die for her which I wish was about another minute or 2 longer.

“Decisions” goes into a more acoustic direction thanks to Census, Nash & Taz Taylor of Internet Money Records melodically asking if he can count on this woman whereas “With You” brings in a skeletal yet moody beat saying the hardest thing is to sacrifice & lose”. Things go back into acoustic territory for the weak breakup ode “Partin’ Ways” & the same applies to “Suicide”, except Polo & Lil Tjay are talking about people trying to go up against them.

The penultimate track “Piano G” perfectly lives up to it’s name with a rich beat tugging at the heart strings & Polo admitting he was in denial running from reality, but “Alright” ends the album on a more optimistic note with some more acoustic passages & encouraging the listeners that everything will be ok in the end.

Compared to the predecessor, this is a bit of a decent sequel although I can’t say I enjoyed it as much. The first leg starts off pretty solidly & I appreciate that Polo continues to make him sound different from everyone else in the trap landscape, but the latter half (especially all the forced lovey dovey shit) is a bit of a mess.

Score: 2.5/5

Wreckage Manner – Self-Titled review

Wreckage Manner is a newly formed superduo from Queens, New York consisting of Styles P & Havoc. The latter most notable for formerly being 1/2 of the seminal Mobb Deep alongside the late Prodigy & the other coming up as 1/3 of The LOX with his childhood friends Jadakiss & Sheek Louch. Now we’ve heard these guys together a few times before on songs like on “Hard Life” off Filthy America…It’s Beautiful or the Billy Danze loosie “Chasin’ Money”, but was very much looking forward to their full-length debut over here given the impact both of them have on the culture.

“Fuck Around” is an amazingly eerie opener about how the duo don’t play no games whereas “Move How We Wanna” incorporates some heavenly background vocals saying they follow their own blueprint. The strings that “Fiend For” brings to the table are really cool talking about money, power & respect just before “Pay Me in Cash” does a good job of angrily demanding that paper over a dusty boom bap instrumental.

Meanwhile on “21 Gun Salute”, we have Wreckage Manner teaching the youth that keeping it real will get you further in life with the production enhancing a serious tone to it leading into “YO 2 QB” weaves in some more strings serving as a fresh homage to their neck of the woods. “Havoc & the Ghost” is a nice change of pace sonically talking about how they just wanna gross while the song “Good as Gold” calmly declares family over everything.

The penultimate track “Hymn to Him” has a dope lil guitar wailing in the background sending a warning to anyone who dares to cross them & finally, “Nightmares 2 Dreams” is a great sendoff to the album by grimly calling out cats who don’t understand them saying those people don’t even understand themselves.

Now if these guys are gonna make any more albums with each other down the road, then sign me the fuck up because this is a great debut. Havoc’s production remains unmatched & lyrically, he & Styles P sound really good with one another.

Score: 4/5

Lil Peep – “High Fashion” review

This is a brand new posthumous EP from Long Island, New York rapper, singer/songwriter & model Lil Peep. Blowing up in late 2016 with the release of his 4th mixtape Hellboy & then following it with his debut album Come Over When You’re Sober last summer, I can see why it connected with a couple of my friends even though I found both of them to be underwhelming. Unfortunately though, Lil Peep passed away just 2 weeks after his 21st birthday of an accidental fentanyl–xanax overdose right before a show in Tucson, Arizona. The rights of his unreleased music were then given to Columbia Records, who dropped a sequel to the full-length debut showing some improvements compared to his early work. But with Harry Fraud announcing High Fashion earlier this week, he & Columbia have managed to put it out there for the public.

“Choose” is a great opener to the EP accompanied by a pillowy instrumental & Peep calling out a woman who’s lying about being in love with him while the penultimate track “Old Me” follows it up with an acoustic cut chillingly looks back on the person that he used to be prior to his untimely death. Finally, the closer “Living Rooms” sends off the EP with a slow guitar ballad venting about the drug addiction that costed him his life.

I was immediately drawn in when I saw Harry Fraud was involved & at the end of the day, I think High Fashion is amongst some of the best material of Peep’s career. Much like Tierra Whack’s new EP RAP?, I feel like it could’ve used at least a couple more songs but I’m not totally sure if I can blame that on anyone because who knows if they have any more material together? Nonetheless, both parties compliment reach other well.

Score: 3.5/5

Lucki – “Wake Up Lucki” review

Lucki is a 25 year old rapper & producer from Chicago, Illinois who started to turn heads in the summer of 2013 when he released his debut mixtape Alternative Trap to critical acclaim. This was followed up with 5 more tapes & a dozen EPs but after finishing his tour promoting his 7th mixtape over here, he’s enlisting F1LTHY of Working on Dying to produce the whole thing from front to back which is very intriguing given that he was responsible for a couple of my favorite cuts off Playboi Carti’s sophomore album Whole Lotta Red last Christmas like “M3tamorphosis” & “New Tank”.

“USED 2 B” is a dope, electronic/trap-tinged opener saying he knows who really loves him whereas “NEPTUNE VS. INDUSTRY” follows it up with an underwritten cut about being geeked despite it’s glistening production. “STILL MISS YA” works in some synthesizers to pondering why this bitch would trust him even though it could’ve been more fleshed out, but then “U.G.K.” talks about how he was just racin’ & I really dig the psychedelic feeling of the production.

Meanwhile on “2019”, we have Lucki on top of a pleasantly cloudy trap instrumental telling his lover how much he needs her just before “WHERE I BE” does a good job at spaciously detailing his Roxy suite calling him. “NEEDED” lyrically details how “It’s not good I need it, but I said it cause it’s true” with a beat that’s danceable as fuck leading into “CRYOUT” talking about being in the mixer & the atmosphere of it is really nice.

“SPARKS VISION” has one of the weaker instrumentals on the tape telling this bitch he’s giving her heart away while the song “BUSY DAY” is a spacey storytelling banger of why he missed his girl’s calls & messages all day. The penultimate track “LOVE IS WAR” is a decent attempt at going emo rap & “OUTRO” finishes the tape well by talking about how high he got with a perfectly chilled out beat.

In my personal opinion, this is one of my favorite Lucki projects yet & hopefully this is the last precursor to his full-length debut Flawless Like Me whenever that drops (fingers crossed next year). It’s a completely different sound than his previous efforts & his knack for catchy songwriting stays in effect for a good portion of it.

Score: 4/5

Cozz – “Fortunate” review

Cozz is a 27 year old rapper from Los Angeles, California who caught the attention of J. Cole in 2013 with the single “Dreams” & eventually signed to the North Carolina veteran’s Interscope Records imprint Dreamville Records. His full-length debut Cozz & Effect would come out the next year, which was followed up with the debut mixtape Nothin’ Personal as well as the sophomore album Effected & the 2nd mixtape Aftermath of My Dreams. But after dropping a couple singles throughout these last couple months, Cozz is finishing off Dreamville’s year with his debut EP.

The title track is a cool guitar/trap ballad about being blessed that he’s still alive whereas the gospel vibes of “Higher Power” fits really well given the subject matter of belonging to God. “Juice Bars” has one of the weaker instrumentals on the EP trying to rip off D4L’s “Laffy Taffy” even though the boastful lyricism is ok, but then “So Am I” has a more nocturnal sound talking about he & his boys being witit.

I really dig the boom bap production on the song “Addicted” even though I don’t care for the thirsty lyricism while the penultimate track “Control Problems” with YG weaves in an uneventful trap beat despite the lyrics about letting God handling their issues. That being said: I think “Cry” is a powerful closer looking back on his parents domestically abusing each other & the cops coming to their house.

Now this is far from being one of the best EPs I’ve heard all year or anything like that, but a good majority of Fortunate is pretty solid. Cozz is really starting to elevate on the mic & the production game is starting to improve as well. Very curious to hear where he’ll go with his next album.

Score: 3.5/5

Your Old Droog – “Space Bar” review

Your Old Droog is a 32 year old MC from Brooklyn, New York who caught my attention when he dropped his self-titled debut & many first thought he was an alter ego of Nas given that their voices are somewhat similar. Nonetheless, the cat has reached legend status at this point by proving that he was in his own lane off later projects such as Packs & It Wasn’t Even Close. He just dropped the incredibly personal TIME over the summer & with only 1 month left in the fall, Droog’s celebrating Cyber Monday by dropping his 8th full-length album.

The titular intro sets it all off with Droog on top of a drumless, atmospheric instrumental talking about living like a Saudi Prince whereas “Cosmonaut” follows it up by going into boom bap territory spitting them battle bars. “Yuri” incorporates a psychedelic rock sample with the help of Nicholas Craven speaking on making money like a Rothschild these days, but then “White Russian” has a bit of a quirky beat talking about how everyone loves him.

Meanwhile on “Bloody Mary”, we have Droog telling the story of a woman attracted to harm accompanied by a more calmer instrumental just before “Babushka IV (Zinfandel)” goes into a jazzier direction calling out anyone who think he’s mid for not understand the slang. “2001: A Space Yodyssey” has a more smokier sound to it basically saying that’s what he’d call his life & after the “Sector 7” interlude, billy woods & Lil Ugly Mane tag along for the Sadhugold-produced “Meteor Man” working in a train whistle loop keeping the battle raps going.

Nickelus F comes into the picture on the summery “Mojito” comparing their rhymes to the titular cocktail while the song “Blue Hawaiian” with Tha God Fahim weaves in a full-blown funk sample getting on their Sopranos shit. And prior to the titular outro, Fahim sticks around for the final song “Dom Perignon” making a toast sipping on the titular champagne over a classy instrumental.

TIME has quickly become my 2nd favorite Droog album behind self-titled, so my expectations were very high given that & the singles leading up to this one. That being said, I was not disappointed at all because the whole space/alcohol concept is well drawn out & it’s really great to see him continue to dive further into the abstract rabbit hole. At this rate, I feel like his next projects produced by Edan & Count Bass D are destined to be immaculate.

Score: 4/5