American Football – “LP4” review

American Football is one of the most prolific midwest emo bands hailing from Urbana, Illinois comprised of guitarist Steve Holmes, drummer/trumpeter Steve Lamos, bassist Nate Kinsella & the latter’s cousin/frontman Mike. Exploding in 1999 off their eponymous full-length debut, they would make a moderate comeback in 2016 in the form of a sophomore effort although their previous album back in 2019 has been widely considered by many including myself to be right behind their debut. 7 years later, they’re starting off the month of May returning for their 4th studio LP.

“Man Overboard” begins by singing about feeling hopeless & Mike comparing himself to anchor being cut loose pondering life without this person he misses whereas the 2nd & final single “No Feeling” featuring Brendan Yates fuses post-rock, indie rock, slowcore & dream pop to ponder suicide. “Blood on My Blood” featuring Caithlin de Marrais sings about the story of Mike’s existence being a murder mystery until “Bad Moons” combines post-rock, indie rock, dream pop, slowcore, midwest emo & ambient pop for an exciting lead single.

After the compositional “One with the Piano” intermission, “Patron Saint of Pale” starts the 2nd half looking to settle an issue by playing rochambeau while “Wake Her Up” featuring Wisp sings about a boy who fell in love with the girl at the bottom of the River Seine. “Desdemona” takes inspiration from tragic heroine who appeared in the Shakespearean play Othello & after the “Lullabye” instrumental piece builds itself upon a vibraphone & guitar, “No Soul to Save” ends with Mike likening himself to a magician making himself disappear.

It’s often a very special occasion when these guys put out new music because they don’t do it very often & the indication of LP4 becoming some of American Football’s darkest material becomes a reality almost 3 decades since their self-titled debut, landing right behind the latter for the 2nd best entry in the band’s discography. There’s more of a focus on the quartet’s indie/post-rock elements production-wise compared to than LP3 although we’re still getting whiffs of midwest emo, slowcore, math rock, shoegaze, dream pop & ambient pop tackling grim subjects including suicidal thoughts, shame, divorce, addiction, self-hatred & rebirth.

Score: 4.5/5

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North West – “n0rth4evr” review

North West is a 12 year old producer, singer/songwriter, rapper, actress & music video director from Los Angeles, California known for being the eldest child of one of my top 10 producers of all-time: Ye formerly known as Kanye West. She would make her musical debut on “Talking / Once Again” & “Bomb” off ¥$’ full-length debut Vultures & it’s sequel respectively, the latter being my least favorite track on Vultures 2 personally. I did however enjoy her appearance on “Childlike Things” off FKA twigs’ 3rd album Eusexua & the “blink twice” interlude she produced for Skaiwater’s 3rd album wonderful, signing to gamma. briefly after announcing it’s distribution deal with YZY SND to drop her debut extended play ahead of her own full-length studio debut The Elementary School Dropout.

The self-produced intro “H0w Sh0uld ! f33l” opens with this rage-inducing beat sampling “Monster” by Meg & Dia to talk about everyone only seeing her appeal because who her parents are whereas “D!e” fuses hypertrap & pop rap to discuss her rockstar lifestyle. The title track shifts gears with a full metal instrumental to end the 1st half of the EP, talking about having so much people around her except she feels like it’s all fake because of their shadiness.

“Th!s tim3” gets the 2nd leg of n0rth4evr going by embracing a more industrial sound taking accountability for fumbling when this person’s heart was on the line & having no one by her side other than some bands while “W0ah” gets on a kawaii trap metal vibe talking about signing autographs in elementary school as well as running the world. “Aishite (愛して)” ends the EP with a hypertrap ode to 愛して愛して愛して by きくお featuring 初音ミク.

It can a bit blatantly obvious that North West shows us who some of her artistic influences are like Playboi Carti as well as Molly Santana & Bktherula to only name a few, but I’d consider n0rth4evr to be a decent beginning to her musical career even if I think it won’t be until she’s a bit older when her full artistic potential fully reveals itself & gives us something more groundbreaking. Her production’s more rage, pop rap, rap metal, hardstyle & Jersey club rap oriented than the chipmunk soul direction she went for on “Punch Drunk” off her father’s latest album Bully & the boastful teenage angst throughout the lyrics was somewhat expected.

Score: 3/5

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Shoreline Mafia – “Bidness is Boomin’” review

This is the 4th extended play from Los Angeles, California duo the Shoreline Mafia now consisting of Ohgeesy & Fenix Flexin’. Originally a quartet, their debut mixtape ShorelineDoThatShit resulted in them signing to Atlantic Records for their next couple tapes & EPs as well as a full length studio debut. They would temporarily disband following Mafia Bidness so it’s members could pursue their solo careers, reuniting with half it’s members in 2023 & are coming off returning to Atlantic in tandem with 300 Entertainment for the sophomore effort Back in Bidness to explain how Bidness is Boomin’.

“Planet of the Apes” opens up by detailing the gangsta lifestyle over a nervous instrumental whereas “We Like to Party” produced by Hitmaka & Ty$ was easily my favorite single of the 4, interpolating “La Di Da Di” by Slick Rick himself during the hook. “Take U Home” gives off a more soulful vibe talking about their desires of bringing women back to their residences while the 4th & final single “Wood Wire Buffs” explains that the main reason women fuck with them is because of their professionalism.

The 2nd single “Out My Mynd” kicks off the latter half talking about having the ability to make wishes come true due to their statuses as stars while the hyphy-tinged lead single “Rockin’” samples “Funky Little Beat” by Debbie Deb so they can discuss their success. “Fine Shyt” winds down Bidness is Boomin’s final minutes talking about the women they’re seeing fucking their exes prior to the closer “Play Ball” ties things up with this gangsta rap/hyphy outro.

I wasn’t so much a fan of the Disco Mafia’s eponymous debut a few months earlier was a bit underwhelming, so the singles that were building up towards Bidness is Boomin’ gave me the impression of surpassing Party Pack 2 to become the Shoreline Mafia’s greatest EP. A lot of the same musical ideas we heard on Back in Bidnessover a year ago from nervous to hyphy & gangsta rap all bleed through the production once more, but it’s more polished.

Score: 3.5/5

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Isaiah Rashad – “It’s Been Awful” review

Chattanooga, Tennessee emcee & singer/songwriter Isaiah Rashad finally back for his 3rd studio LP. Coming up over a decade ago by signing to Top Dawg Entertainment & dropping his 2nd EP cilvia demo to universal acclaim the following year, the full-length debut The Sun’s Tirade as well as the sophomore effort albeit major label debut The House is Burning under Warner Records would continue to cement Zaywop was the most underrated weapon in the TDE arsenal. It’s Been Awful however could wake some people up since many would use that name to describe the past year & a half.

“The New Sublime” begins with this slow beat talking about wanting someone to pray for him & his family because of everyone going crazy whereas “M.O.M. (Man On a Mission)” rhythmically describes himself as the type who’s determined to get what he wants. “Same Sh!t” made for a tolerable trap single talking about the plan being to make money until he dies leading into “Boy in Red” featuring SZA coming through with this synergistically buttery R&B duet.

As for “Supaficial”, we have Zay further embracing a smoother vibe instrumentally asking if he & his lover can lay outside due to his dislike of lights in the ceiling while “Scared 2 Look Down” combines elements of cloud rap & trap to talk about him changing for the greater good. “Happy Hour” doesn’t shy away regarding him giving up on love from his side of things & sippin’ lean slowly just before “Do I Look High?” reaches the halfway point talks about dancing with the dark to fall in love with what he really is.

“Ain’t Givin’ Up” kicks off the 2nd leg of It’s Been Awful discussing his refusal of killing this high he’s experiencing while “G.T.K.Y. (Get To Know You)” produced by Wu10 talks about a desire of wanting a better understanding of his romantic interest from a personal standpoint. “Cameras” featuring Dominic Fike finds the pair pleading for their partners to pull up for a bit while “Act Normal” ponders what love is when he doesn’t trust men or women.

Rounding out 3rd, the song “10 States Away” talks about getting fucked up during the middle of the day & planning his escape route while “Nuthin’ 2 Hide” admits to an individual killing his love through lying & pushing his limits in the evening without having a single thing to hide. “Superpowers” blends jazz rap & trap so he can talk about having extraordinary abilities of his own while the “719” freestyle samples “It Doesn’t Make Sense” by The Family Circle to speak of running back to his bitch.

It’s a shame that some closed-minded bigots will overlook Isaiah Rashad for the rest of his career all because of some asshole outing him as bisexual because he gets a lot of confessions & contemplations off his chest over the course of It’s Been Awful, possibly becoming the darkest material in his entire discography. The production in general feels like a different sound for him balancing conscious hip hop & contemporary R&B, limiting the amount of guests compared to The House is Burning to break down the Hell he’s gone through.

Score: 4/5

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Razakel – “The Possession of Razakel” review

I believe this is the 5th extended play from San Antonio, Texas rapper & Shrunken Head Entertainment founder Razakel. Known for being 1/3 of the Slice Girls as well as the Dead Girlz & 3FRMHELL in addition to her formerly comprising 1/2 of the Serpentines, she also has over a dozen solo albums under her belt along with her last 4 extended plays. She had a song on her most recent full-length Surprise, Surprise! last fall that was produced by Grand Rapids, Michigan rapper, singer/songwriter, producer & Dirtcore Music founder Crossworm and that has now led us to The Possession of Razakel.

“Sum1 Like U” begins with this industrial boom bap intro lyrically talking about figuring out the kind of people who’re fake & live always wishing for those specific types of individuals whereas “Funeral” further embraces an industrial vibe instrumentally, advising for the crowd who’re against her to begin planning their own memorials in advance & lacking any mercy. “Slasher” on the other hand ends the EP fusing horrorcore lyricism with EDM instrumentation.

Come to think of it: Pretty much everyone on the current Dirtcore roster has already put out new music on the label over the course of these past 4 years, so I can get on board with Crossworm’s idea of reaching out to other artists in the underground & do a brief takeover of sorts. Mainly because I firmly believe people will consider The Possession of Razakel to be some of greatest material she’s recorded in whole career, sharpening her pen for 10 minutes over a small handful of industrial hip hop beats.

Score: 4/5

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Farma G – “Nearly Nothing’s Enough” review

London, England, United Kingdom emcee/producer Farma G enlisting Brighton, East Sussex producer Relense to solely produce his sophomore effort. Known for being a member of the Mud Family collective & 1/2 of the Task Force alongside his brother Chester P, he would go on to produce for several big names within the underground from Rome Streetz to Vinnie Paz & the latter’s Heavy Metal Kings cohort Ill Bill. Signing to High Focus Records a few years ago, How to Kill a Butterfly was a solid beginning of this new chapter in his career & the chances of Nearly Nothing’s Enough outdoing it were very likely given some of the teasers.

“‘Till I’m Gone” begins with a boom bap-tinged 3rd & final single celebrating his journey so far whereas “Ya Dead Now” talks about the trials & tribulations of a nomad being on the line. “Mr. Moany” portrays himself to be an depressed individual who can’t see to leave his own home due to the messiness of his life while the lead single “Makes Me Wanna…” makes some commentary on the state of the scene in an age of overinflated egos & social media clap trap.

Meanwhile on “Peace Pipes”, we have Farma talking about law enforcement officers who abuse their power just before “The Circus” works on a vocal sample so he can ask himself if anyone in this game has balls. “Punch Up” demands for everyone to give him everything they have or put their heads on the chopping blocks while “Matters of the Heart” talks about having the process of mending heartbreak lasting our whole lifetime.

“X-Files” kicks off the 4th quarter of Nearly Nothing’s Enough taking a more conspiratorial approach to his songwriting while “Psycho with a Lexicon” talks about analyzing murder scenes in order to identify the victims. The 2nd single “Sun Wukong” stunningly brings the anciently supernatural Monkey King from Journey to the West to life & the outro “Never Be the Same” finished the album talking about things constantly changing throughout our existence.

I can still picture Farma G making a full-length where he’s handling all the beats by himself with a few guests, but Nearly Nothing’s Enough will suffice as the greatest entry of his solo discography for now. Relense’s gritty analog production is a cut above How to Kill a Butterfly’s, soundtracking the venom & introspection that fuels a great deal of Farma’s wide range of topics taking him back to a corner where he once sat & studied the world as it passed him by.

Score: 4.5/5

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Grafh – “Sometimes Money Cost Too Much” review

Here is a brand new LP & the 5th overall from Queens, New York emcee Grafh. Emerging over 2 decades ago off his debut mixtape The Bang Out, he went on to release 7 more tapes before dropping his full-length debut Autografh only a few years later continuing that with a total of 10 mixtapes & an EP. The sophomore effort Stop Calling Art Content produced entirely by the late DJ Shay & released through Benny the Butcher’s very own MNRK Music Group imprint Black Soprano Family Records as well as his TCF Music Group debut Art of Words would become his most acclaimed material to date, coming off God’s Timing to explain how Sometimes Money Cost Too Much.

“Word Up Son” represents his home borough over a horn instrumental produced by 38 Spesh to open up shop whereas “Squeeze 1st” featuring Benny the Butcher finds the 2 talking about asking questions after initially firing shots over a bloodcurdling boom bap beat from Mike & Keys. “Outside” featuring Mitchy Slick & Styles P brings the trio together so they can let everyone know they’re still out in the streets leading into “Documented” talking about everything with him being kept on record.

Tech N9ne appears on “Suicide” explaining that crossing either one of them will result in the death of those doing the backstabbing while “Better with Time” featuring Bun B goes for a cloudy trap vibe instrumentally talking about improving as they get older. “Big League” featuring Joyner Lucas was one of the weaker singles teased fusing rock & trap to speak of being in the majors when Grafh’s the better lyricist of the 2 until “Brick by Brick” decently continues talking about the gangsta lifestyle.

“Rollin’” featuring Don Paul & Dope Gang Porter experiments with a more nervous sound encouraging the listeners to look at him & his squad now while “Twin” incorporates a sped-up soul sample to get more romantic on the lyrical side of things. “Lil Vybe” was another single that I wasn’t head over heels for continuing the sensual subject matter over a cloudier beat while “Some Wounds Never Heal” finishes with a drumless outro where we get hit with gut-wrenching introspection.

The last 3 albums we’ve gotten from Grafh within almost 5 years have been some of the most important material in his entire 2-decade career & that alone has raised my anticipation for Sometimes Money Cost Too Much. However since it’s finally out following some delays within the past couple months, I’m a little torn by it although there are certainly more highs than lows. He does his thing on the mic as do a great deal of the guests, but some the production left me underwhelmed & the 2nd half feels weaker than the 1st.

Score: 3/5

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Curren$y & Wiz Khalifa – “Roofless Records for Drop Tops” review

Brand new 2-disc collaborative mixtape & their 3rd together overall from New Orleans, Louisiana rapper, songwriter & record executive Curren$y as well as Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania rapper, singer/songwriter, actor & entrepreneur Wiz Khalifa. Proving themselves to be hip hop’s Cheech & Chong of the late 2000s when the Jet Life Recordings & Taylor Gang Entertainment founders dropped their How Fly mixtape, they would return a decade later for the 2009 album & are back again 7 years later to have Cardo & Harry Fraud respectively produce each side of Roofless Records for Drop Tops by themselves.

“Close Your Eyes” was a psychedelically cloudy intro talking about getting it because they’re going the hardest until the wheels fall off whereas “Jet Life Taylor” represents each of their respective crews over a calmly nocturnal beat. “So Many Flavors” kinda has this smooth west coast vibe instrumentally talking about having several different strains of weed leading into “Stoned & Leave” going for a pop rap direction wanting their partners to pull up to get high.

Cardo makes a turn for cloudy trap territory during “Bounce Back” so Spitta & Wiz can talk about feeling down bad sometimes & coming back from it by catching more Ws prior to “How Could I Lose?” suggesting that others are right when they say both artists are running the game. “The Same One” has a more subdued tone to the beat telling their lovers they can’t be at their houses unless there are no neighbors while “Live Fast Burn Slow” explains the way the game goes.

“Ashes Out the Window” experiments with somewhat of a pluggier sound calling for everyone moving slow to pick up the pace while “Rrari Twins” ends the 1st leg flexing their Ferraris & meaning big business whenever they pull up to the spot. “Pink Panther” gets the 2nd half going over a jazzily drumless loop taking a more sensual approach to their songwriting while “The Coin Toss” express a desire of making their families rich by the end of the summer.

We have the jazz rap influences making their back in the spotlight on “🍾🍾🍾” talking about smoking wherever they go & hosting meetings chillin’ inside of yachts but after “Smoke N’ Pray” combines some keys with more hi-hats to detail the complications that come with their boss statuses as well as wakin’ up early being an obligation, “Long as You Live” expresses the way they feel over a predominant woodwind instrumental talking about how touching $1M doesn’t mean shit to them.

“Storm Shadow & Snake Eyes” winds down the last 7 & a half minutes of Roofless Records for Drop Tops incorporating this bluesy guitar to discuss riding around their sports cars stoned as fuck & commending those who’re actually wise enough to stay out of their way while “z28” luxuriously talks about shit being far from sweet out in their hoods & people knowing your whip before your name because the game’s dirty like that. As for the final song “Palm Island”, it cloudily ends the mixtape boasting their expensive habits 1 last time.

Similarly to Jay Worthy’s debut album Once Upon a Time last fall, I choose to wait until both sides of Roofless Records for Drop Tops were officially released so that way I could cover the whole tape start-to-finish & I’m happy I did considering the mixed reception Disc 1 generally got at the end of the month will likely be reevaluated now that the other half’s here. It could potentially become amongst Curren$y & Wiz Khalifa’s greatest material as a duo since I’m at it, trading verses depicting their stoner rap escapades over Cardo & Harry Fraud production varying from trap to drumless & jazz rap.

Score: 4.5/5

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Rosco P. Coldchain – “Play with Something Safe” review

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania emcee Rosco P. Coldchain enlisting Montréal, Québec, Canada producer Nicholas Craven for his sophomore effort. Blowing up in the 2000s when he signed to Star Trak Entertainment, he would leave the label without releasing anything & dropped a couple mixtapes preceding his full-length debut Almost Famous produced by Fatin Horton formerly of The Soul Council during my freshman year of high school. For the Mature on the contrary divided audiences last February & he’s looking to make up for the mixed reception of that extended play advising to Play with Something Safe.

“Benz Sprinter” comes out the gate with a drumless sample talking about moving coke & being a gangsta whereas “Hold My Hand” soulfully comes to the realizations that he brought these problems onto himself due to his heinous ways of living. “Frankenstein” co-produced by Mike Shabb works in some creepy organ melodies talking about being the lord of the underground leading into “The Future” speeding up his flow to boast his authenticity.

Malcolm Kamal’s appearance on “Magnesium Chloride” was alright even if I enjoyed the boom bap instrumental & Roscoe’s verse talking about having bad habits despite both of them looking after “Prayer Group” begins the 2nd half bringing back the chipmunk soul vibes so he can confess that his family is all he has left, “Die Slow” featuring Bruiser Wolf hooks up some tense sampling techniques talking about being the newest members on the rise to be respected by bosses.

The title track featuring Ab-Liva & Jimmie D finds the trio uniting over a drumless loop to explain that nether one of them have time for any bullshit while the funky “Boogie Nights” talks about how right it’s gonna feel when he puts the crown on after being away for over a decade. “Refined” featuring Malcolm Kamal wraps things up finding peace from these mean streets whenever they’re with their lovers.

Nicholas Craven himself has said that Play with Something Safe is the closest thing he’s ever done to making a horrorcore album & not only would I have to agree with that, but it wipes For the Mature & dethroned Almost Famous to further validate why Rosco P. Coldchain has been one of the most underrated MCs in the game. The sample-heavy production style Craven has become known for is a lot better than the previously mentioned EP, bringing an improved guest list compared to his debut on board for some entertainingly dark street lyricism.

Score: 4/5

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Giffy Pluggo – “The Get Back Pack” review

Another extended play albeit the 5th overall from Chicago, Illinois emcee & ATIP Records founder Giffy Pluggo. Emerging a few years ago off his debut mixtape Paid Leave & its sequel, he would later put out an expanded version of his debut album Los Pluggos followed by Pluggo’s Birthday & Douda respectively. The latter mostly produced by Myles Grayson & becoming the most beloved entry in his discography thus far, coming off both Luxury Manifesto & The Layoff: No Hooks to drop off a Get Back Pack.

“How It Feels” begins with an intro reminiscent to JAY-Z’s early output from the late 90s to the early 2000s whereas the title track produced by Myles Grayson could be favorite one here from the jazzy boom bap instrumental to vengeful hunger in Giffy’s performances. “What You See” soulfully kicks off the 2nd half blending jazz & rap talking about others seeing the fame on him while “Sacrifice” sends off the EP aims to create a balance between being educated & rapping.

Wasn’t anticipating Giffy Pluggo to hit us with another EP so soon since he already announced Paid Leave 3 was on the way during The Layoff’s outro, but I suppose it shouldn’t have been that much of a surprise since The Get Back comes right after & it’s goal of expanding on him being laid off from his regular occupation accompanied by a set of variety of beats exploring the sounds of boom bap, jazz rap & trap singlehandedly rather than having any guest appearances.

Score: 3.5/5

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