This is the debut EP from Detroit rapper & singer/songwriter Big Sean. Coming up as a protege of Chicago icon Kanye West & signing to his Def Jam Recordings imprint G.O.O.D. Music, he generated some buzz in the late 2000s by dropping the Finally Famous mixtape trilogy, but it wouldn’t be until 2011 when his profile significantly increased when Sean dropped a 4th installment as his full-length debut. This was followed up the next year with the highly acclaimed Detroit mixtape & then a sophomore album the year after that entitled Hall of Fame. However, his next 2 full-lengths Dark Sky Paradise & I Decided. were both mediocre in comparison to all those past efforts. Now the last time Big Sean dropped a project was in late 2017 with Double or Nothing which had INCREDIBLE production from Metro Boomin’ top to bottom, but Sean himself was SEVERELY lacking. He just fulfilled his G.O.O.D. contract last fall by dropping the surprisingly mature Detroit II & is re-enlisting Hit-Boy for What You Expect?, except he’s actually producing the whole thing rather than overseeing it.
“Chaos” is a shrilling yet triumphant opener co-produced by Rogét Chahayed about catching them Ws whereas “Into It” follows it up with an airy backdrop & some fast-paced snares boasting. “The One” appropriately samples the SWV joint “You’re the One” admitting he doesn’t know what it’s like for girls to not want him while the song “Loyal to a Fault” with Bryson Tiller & Lil Durk vibrantly speaks on betrayal. The penultimate track “Offense” with Babyface Ray & 42 Dugg finds the trio on their Detroit trap shit talking about being on top, but then “What a Life” ends the EP by picking up where the previous joint left off sonically & recapping on his life up to this point.
If you enjoy Detroit II like I did, then you’re gonna love What You Expect? just as much if not even more because dude is continuing to impress me more & more as of late. Sean’s songwriting is continuing to level up at an unbelievable rate & Hit-Boy’s production suits him like it did Nas on his last 2 albums.
This is the brand new collaborative effort from Ransom & Rome Streetz. One is a TCF Music Group affiliate out of Jersey City & the other being a New Yorker who rightfully earned his spot as one of the latest signees to the hottest label in the world right now: Griselda Records. Both wordsmiths have come together in the past before like “Blackwater” & “Sage or Gunsmoke” off both their latest albums Heavy’s the Head & Razor’s Edge respectively, but have come together to take things to new heights in the form of Coup de Grâce.
“No Remorse” is a symphonic opener about them giving a fuck less whereas the boom bap-tinged “All I Know” speaks on moving a different kind of dope these days. “Rooftop Sermons” brings back the strings with the help of V Don declaring themselves as hood preachers just before “Claudine” with Che Noir vividly details the story of a drug fiend of the same name & eventually tying into the “Fairwells” interlude.
Meanwhile on the Lord Sear-produced “Pray for the Weak”, we have The Game joining Ransom & Rome to provide some rich food for the soul leading into them talking about making it out the mud for “Jet Fuel” with a keyboard instrumental from Animoss. The soul sample “Silent Murders” is entrancing with the duo rightfully boasting about how nice they are while the dusty “Dark Love” gets in their battle bag.
The penultimate track “Bandoleros” with Lou form Paradise & Tyrant weaves in a chilling sample from Nicholas Craven as the quartet compare themselves to that of bandits while l “Death Becomes Life” ends it all with some organ harmonies getting on that motivational tip.
Both of these dudes have been putting out their best work all year & you can absolutely add Coup de Grâce onto the list. They have a unique chemistry together, the production is gritty as expected & most importantly: it’s an absolute bar-fest from start to finish.
Majik Ninja Entertainment is a Detroit based independent record label founded by Twiztid & their manager George Vlahakis in 2014, only 2 years after the demented duo’s departure from Psychopathic Records. However, they quickly built an empire or their own from bringing a few other PSY alumni along for the ride to help introduce G-Mo Skee & Alla Xul Elu to a much wider audience. The label’s first showcase comp Year of the Sword is easily the best one they’ve put out so far given the strength of the roster at the time, but that’s not to say Songs of Samhain wasn’t a respectable Halloween-themed EP. They just dropped an exclusive label comp at this year’s Attack of the Ninjas couple months ago & now with Halloween approaching this weekend, the crew is back together for a sequel to Songs of Samhain.
After the “I Shall Arrive” intro, the first song “Needle on the Record” by Twiztid is a demented boom bap opener about the haunted record player possessing their souls when they turn it on whereas “Go Out” by Blaze Ya Dead Homie, Boondox, Gibby Stites & Jamie Madrox takes a turn into rap rock territory spitting that hardcore shit. “Haunted Thoughts” by the House of Krazees heinously spills out the fucked up shit in their minds just before Blaze, Boondox & Jamie reunite for the slow yet victorious ballad “Sing It”.
Meanwhile on “Heavier Every Time”, we have the Venomous 5 reforming over an unsettling trap beat about how the world will never understand them leading right into the “Nursery Rhyme from a Different Time” interlude. The song “Paint the Town Red” sees HOK keeping it in trap turf getting murderous while the penultimate track “Halloween Treat” by Twiztid & Oh! The Horror is a rap rock cut displaying some goth romance poetry. The album ends with “Quarantine”, where V5 plead to be saved from the disease of living over some pianos & dusty drums.
Compared to the first Songs of Samhain & even the Attack of the Ninjas album, Songs of Samhain 2: Haunted Record Player to me is the best label comp MNE has put out since Year of the Sword. It sounds darker & I really admire that it’s a bit more conceptual than the predecessor did.
Babytron is a 21 year old rapper from Detroit, Michigan who came up just a few years ago as part of the trio ShittyBoyz along with his childhood friends Stanwill & TR Dee signing to Lando Bando’s own The Hip Hop Lab Records. Along the way, he’s also built up a solo career for himself as well as the side groups Lewis & Clark and the Dookie Brothers. The kid just dropped Luka Trončić on his birthday over the summer & with Halloween approaching this weekend, the Dog $hit Militia general will be celebrating by dropping a sequel to his debut tape Bin Reaper.
“Half-Blood Prince” kicks the tape off with Danny G sampling the Harry Potter theme getting on that gangsta shit whereas “Next Level” weaves in a soul sample talking about elevating. “Paul Bearer” named after the titular WWE Hall of Famer who managed both members of former 3-time WWE Tag Team Champions The Brothers of Destruction consisting of fellow WWE Hall of Famer Kane & The Undertaker individually works in a flute to get braggadocious, but then “Euro-Stepper” has a more minimalistic sound to it with him going at his competition.
Meanwhile on “Day in Ferndale”, we have Babytron displaying some intriguing storytelling despite its weak instrumental just before the bassy “007” talks about creeping up with the strap. “Pissed Off” has a bit of a early-2000’s era Dr. Dre influence to the production declaring himself as a 1-man army leading into Lil Yachty tagging along for “Turtle Pie” to show some amazing chemistry even though it’s criminally short giving Twist of Fates like former ECW World Heavyweight Champion, 11-time WWE Tag Team Champion, WWE United States Champion, WWE Cruiserweight Champion, WWE Hardcore Champion, 2-time ΩCW Heavyweight Champion, 2-time ΩCW Tag Team Champion, 2-time TNA World Champion, HoG Tag Team Champion & ROH World Tag Team Champion Matt Hardy.
“Monkey D. Luffy” has a hypnotic vocal loop buried in the bass comparing himself to the 1 Piece character of the same name while the soulful “It Is What It Is” looks back on not having all the shit he has now. “Pink Runtz” resurrects the hi-nrg vibes of Luka Trončić calling himself the drip god & dissing those who say yes to hoes like future AEW World Champion, former 5-time WWE world champion, 2-time WWE Tag Team Champion, WWE Intercontinental Champion, WWE United States Champion, IWGPジュニアタッグチャンピオン, GHCジュニアヘビー級チャンピオン, 2-time PWG World Champion, ROH World Champion & ROH Pure Champion Bryan Danielson. The flutes on “Monsters & Mobsters” are a nice touch letting cats know beef with them ain’t the best decision whereas “On the Bible” shows off lyrically over an instrumental that sounds straight from a kung fu flick.
Krispylife Kidd comes into the picture for “Tag Team Champs” to deliver a more fleshed out version of “Turtle Pie” leading into the glossy yet romantic “Jesse Owens”. The late night cruiser “How?” calls out his haters as crackheads & the more mellow “Heart Break Kid” taking it’s title from the nickname of WWE Senior Vice President of Talent Development, NXT Head of Creative, 2-time WWE Hall of Famer, 4-time WWE world champion, 3-time WWE Intercontinental Champion & 6-time WWE Tag Team Champion Shawn Michaels spills out some $1M thoughts.
I like how minimal yet detailed “Superstar” sounds addressing his rising fame just before the ShittyBoyz come together for the hi-NRG “Young Goats” talking about being future legends in the making buying rockets from SpaceX founded by Tesla CEO & Neuralink founder Elon Musk. “Blankman” grimly details living better days as of late & “Pimp My Ride” pays homage to the show that overshadowed Xzibit’s music career down to the sample.
“Green Lantern” takes a funkier approach dissing those faking the funk, but then Helluva provides a techno vibe for “Frankenstein”, which is about how Wockhardt got him moving slow including a bar referring to WWE Hall of Famer, 6-time WWE world champion, WWE Intercontinental Champion, WWE United States Champion, WWE Tag Team Champion, WWE Hardcore Champion, IWGPヘビー級チャンピオン, the inaugural 6-time TNA World Champion, TNA X Division Champion & 2-time TNA World Tag Team Champion Kurt Angle.
The Everybody Hates Chris theme gets flipped during “Everybody Hates Tron” to throw in a bar referring to former IWGPヘビー級チャンピオン as well as 10-time WWE world champion & former UFC Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar while the bell-heavy “No Jumper” speaks on blowing weed on Adam22’s podcast of the same name. “Lavar Ball” with RTB MB is another flute-woven cut that Jakesand cooked up talking about turning the party up whenever they walk in & to finish the whole tape off, “Sith Lord” flips the iconic Darth Vader theme to basically call himself the rap game equivalent to that of one of the greatest villains ever.
Not a lot of sequel projects in hip hop can live up to the expectations set by the predecessor, but Bin Reaper 2: The 2nd Coming is a solid example of that. It’s a little long-winded running at 27 tracks total, but I genuinely think Babytron’s punchline game is one of the best in the current hip hop landscape & how he along with the rest of the ShittyBoyz break free from how repetitive Detroit trap can be.
Vocab Slick is a Bay Area veteran who emerged in 2003 off his full-length debut Lyrically Conscious, which was followed up a little over a decade later with the debut EP Something Slick and the sophomore album Issues & Episodes. Last we heard from him was in 2017 when he dropped his 2nd EP The Day After Yesterday but after taking a 4-year hiatus, he’s re-emerging with his 3rd full-length album.
After the “Opening Remarks” intro, the first song “A.O.M. (All On Me)” is a groovy opener to the album talking about bringing a new energy whereas “When I’m Here” with Equipto has a bit of a soulful flare to it expressing their desire to be shown love while they’re still alive. The late Baba Zumbi tags along for the quasi-funky “Stay Focused” speaking on never losing sight of the objective even in the hardest of times & after the “Kensho’s Intro”, the dude jumps on top of some organs for “Speak My Language” addressing those who don’t understand him.
Meanwhile on “What It Is”, we have a boom bap cut talking about running low on patience just before “Atonement” fuses with gospel with trap to soul search. “That Money” passionately details why he believes paper is the tool to feed people, but then “Moment Like This” with J.Lately cloudily reminds listeners that time is of the essence. The Grouch comes into the fold for the captivating “Find a Way” talking about how ain’t shit change for either one of them & after the “Reflection” interlude, Slick brings 4-Ize aboard in the form the dusty “Welcome Machines” showing off their lyrical prowesses.
After the “Translation” interlude, “Right Now” is a heartwarming motivational anthem while the song “1122” with Dela the Fella & San Quinn gets on the hyphy tip talking about their hustle. The penultimate track “Eyes Wide Open” talks about being stuck in the zone over an instrumental that has some jazzy undertones to it & “Take My Soul” tensely ends the album proclaiming you strip him of anything but.
Overall, I think this is a pretty solid comeback for Vocab & I’m really looking forward to see where he goes from here in the future. I love how explores a wide range of sounds throughout & his lyricism throughout is compellingly potent.
Omar R.A.P.P.$. is an up-&-coming MC from Chicago, Illinois who’s been dropping a handful of singles for a little over a year now. However, all of that has been building up to his full-length debut over here showing the world what he’s capable of on the mic.
“Fake the Real” kicks off the album on a jazzy note talking about how he can’t do such thing & after “The Call” skit, “Make It Out” takes a more somber route talking about drowning in the henny. J. Adair tags along for “Dreams” working in a more colorful instrumental saying they’re just trying to make it here just before the title track goes into soulful territory with some hi-hats talking about holding his composure despite everything going on his life.
Meanwhile on “Boa”, we have Omar over some more trap production with a crooning vocal sample chasing a milli leading into UTP Jamma coming into the picture for “H.G.A.” talking about being about the money over a melodic instrumental. “Realign” goes into a more vintage direction in terms of sound encouraging to make your life better but after the “My Time” skit, the final song “My Time” throws some strings in the mix talking about how he’s up next & “Your Glory” ends the album with a skit.
For this to be his first album, he definitely proved me that he has potential & I’d recommend keeping an eye out of this cat in the future. The features are just ok, but I think production is very eclectic in terms of overall sound & the hunger in his voice is just undeniable in my personal opinion.
This is the 4th full-length album from Baltimore emcee, singer & producer JPEGMAFIA. Breaking out 2016 with the release of his full-length debut Black Ben Carson, it wouldn’t be until the man’s next 2 albums Veteran & All My Heroes are Cornballs where he would reveal himself as one of the most creative minds in hip hop today. He dropped a bunch of singles last year & compiled them onto an 8-track EP but after putting out a follow-up with almost all newly recorded material under Republic Records back in February, he’s celebrating his born day with LP!.
“TRUST!” is a short yet glimmering opener to the album talking about self-love whereas “DIRTY” takes a more cloudier route talking his shit. “NEMO!” has a minimal, glitchy vibe going at those who think they know him leading into “END CREDITS!” sampling “Monomyth” by Animals as Leaders referencing current AEW manager Don Callis.
Meanwhile on “WHAT KIND OF RAPPIN’ IS THIS?”, we have Peggy on top of a lush almost boom bappy instrumental calling out someone biting him just before “THOT’S PRAYER!” almost has a bit of a BROCKHAMPTON influence to it sonically confessing that loneliness is killing him inside. “ARE U HAPPY?” eerily ponders about the people around him & the way his life is going, but then “REBOUND!” works in some horns basically saying bitches ain’t shit.
“OG!” speaks on taking the game back on top of a booming beat while “DAM! DAM! DAM!” has a more groovier sound talking about how he has to “keep swimmin’ ’til that muhfuckin’ ship leaves”. Following this is “SICK, NERVOUS & BROKE!” serving as an aggressive trap banger taking shots at his haters whereas “😘” brings in some synths to get romantic.
After the “NICE!” interlude, the penultimate track “BMT!” vibrantly insults his competition & “THE GHOST OF RANKING DREAD!” ends the album on a pillowy yet melodic tone talking about how he can’t keep up with these girls. Then the online version contains 3 bonus cuts from EP! which I still love, but didn’t need to be on here.
Now if you go to the Bandcamp version, there are 3 newly recorded bonus tracks that couldn’t make it onto streaming due to sample clearances. “HAZARD DUTY PAY!” is unquestionably the best hip hop single I’ve heard all year sampling Anita Baker dissing the industry. After that, “GOD DON’T LIKE UGLY” works in a soul sample comparing him to Beyoncé & his competition to Michelle Williams. “💯” terrifically pays homage to the chopped & screwed movement based in Houston just before “Untitled” incorporates some dreary piano chords continuing to challenge anyone to step up to him & wanting to be buried with former アイアンマンヘビーメタル級チャンピオン, TNA World Tag Team Champion, WCW World Television Champion, WWE United States Champion, 7-time WCW World Tag Team Champions, 4-time WWE Intercontinental Champion & 2-time WWE Hall of Famer Scott Hall additionally referencing former CZW Iron Man Champion, 3-time PWG World Champion, 3-time PWG World Tag Team Champion, ROH World Champion, ROH World Tag Team Champion, NXT Champion, WWE Universal Champion, 2-time WWE Intercontinental Champion & 3-time WWE United States Champion Kevin Owens.
Peggy is one of the most unpredictable artists in the game right now & I definitely find LP! to be more consistent than EP2! In contrast to the more mainstream sound of that previous project, I’m happy he realized he didn’t need to try to appeal to a radio friendly market that doesn’t exist & returns to his experimental roots. Also, the 3 bonus songs on the “offline” version make it significantly better than the 3 bonus cuts on the “online” version that were already familiar with.
Bktherula is a 19 year old recording artist from Atlanta, Georgia who first started making music in 2017 as a pop/R&B singer. She eventually broke out a couple summers back in the plugg scene after dropping the single “Tweakin’ Together produced by my lil homie Premiere Maxx, which later appeared on her debut mixtape Love Santana at the beginning of last year. This resulted in her signing to Warner Records & with the 1-year anniversary of her sophomore tape Nirvana approaching this weekend, BK is celebrating in the form of her very 1st full-length album.
“LET’S GET IT” is a moody opener celebrating her newfound success whereas “INCREDIBLE” despite it’s brevity finds her flexing with so much aggression in her delivery & a shrilling Digital Nas beat. “SANTANNY!” serves as an ignorant anthem for her alter ego, but then “THROUGH 2 U” is a blatant Whole Lotta Red rip-off talking about being fed up with a lil bitch that belong to the streets.
Meanwhile on “PLACEMENT”, we have Matt Ox tagging along for whatever reason to bombastically clap back at their critics just before “HIT ME” brings in a Supah Mario instrumental kin to a retro video game telling those who want the sauce not to bug her. “GOD’S PLAN” lively talks about how “n****s ain’t cool at all with gyro, but then “ADVANCED” brings in a cacophonous beat to declare her skills as such.
“HIDE YOUR HOE” keeps the vibrance going saying it’s on when she steps in while the euphoric “WATCH ME” that MexikoDro laced takes a look at her glow up. “YE HO” almost has a bit of a Neptunes influence to RXLVND’s instrumental saying she “ain’t finished this” whereas “CROWN” speaks on her taking over the rap game & the bass is just off the wall.
Following this, “ARE WE DONE?” feels like a 2-minute Eternal Atake & I can’t blame Trgc for that bite while the song “SHE CHOSE ME” briefly yet vibrantly details a woman selecting “everything that give her ass a stack”. The penultimate track “NAH” has a bit of a quirky sound with the help of Evilgiane talking about how “I ain’t your bitch” & the closer “IDK WHAT TO TELL YOU” has a psychedelic Mac DeMarco beat of all fucking people speaking on someone she felt she tried to make bigger.
BK to me is one of the most interesting artists in the plugg scene right now & Love Black really does a solid job at solidifying that. She has a unique voice, she has a catchy delivery & I feel like she’s started to refine her production choices a lil bit.
This is the 4th EP from Detroit emcee Detroit YB. Breaking out in 2017 after dropping his first 2 EPs 3:13 & The Heart of My City back to back. This was followed up by a full-length debut the following year entitled Hustle SZN & now after returning last fall with the sophomore effort Beauty in the Struggle, it’s only right for YB to re-emerge in the form of 4Closure.
“Keep It Real” starts off the EP on some trap shit talking about staying true to yourself while the song “Knock da Feelings” gets on some stripped back shit admitting to his ex that he misses her & probably pushed the limits. The penultimate track “For a Minute” somberly speaks on something he’s been waiting to say even though he’s still preparing for it while “Lost in Love” is a jazzy boom bap finisher talking about rising up & defeating every obstacle.
For those who enjoyed Beauty in the Struggle as much as I did, I think you’re gonna enjoy 4Closure for what it is & I’ll even say YB is becoming one of my favorites from The D right now. The introspective lyrical topics are as captivating as they were last time on that previous album & the production sounds a bit more crisper.
Colchester, Essex, England, United Kingdom producer & DJ Felix Weatherall a.k.a. Ross from Friends back for his sophomore effort. Someone who started off in 2013 with his debut extended play David Crane’s Amazing Tennis followed by Alex Brown, You’ll Understand, Don’t Sleep, There Are Snakes, The Outsiders & Aphelion prior to Flying Lotus signing him to Brainfeeder Records distributed by Ninja Tune. His full-length debut Family Portrait made some big improvements over his earlier material & it seems like he’s outdone himself again with Tread.
“The Daisy” begins with a future garage lead single containing additional elements of IDM as well as 2-step & ambient house whereas “Love Divide” blends UK garage, outsider house, ambient trance, Euro house & UK funky for a mellower & more atmospheric single. “Revellers” spends the next 7 minutes showing an Aphex Twin influence although he interestingly puts his own spin on it leading into “A Brand New Start” feeling like a cross between Burial & one of my top 10 producers of all-time Madlib.
We have Felix taking inspiration from Boards of Canada on “XXX Olympaid” & it makes me feel a bit nostalgic considering that they haven’t done anything in almost a decade at this point just before “Grub” takes it back to the future garage sound, further carrying Burial’s torch. “Splatter/Splatter” comes across as a fusion between Aphex Twin & someone you’d hear off of Burial’s eponymous debut while “Morning Sun in a Dusty Room” takes a more ambient approach instrumentally.
“Run” gets the last leg of Tread going taking some characteristics out of the early 2000s trance playbook & hints of deadmau5 with the 2nd half of it hitting harder than the 1st while “Life in a Mind” fuses future garage & UK garage for a composition that starts energizing & ends bittersweetly. The 33 second outro “Thresho_1.1” however should’ve been merged with the final song “Thresho_1.1”, which is a 4 minute IDM closer with an Aphex Twin & Boards of Canada twist to it.
Dialing up the intricate & emotive qualities of his production style, Ross from Friends pushes himself further by composing an LP that I can say is the riskiest yet most adventurous thing he’s ever made almost a decade since his career began. His production’s more future garage flavored than outsider house although Tread carries that sound over to a lesser extent along with ambient, downtempo, IDM, 2-step, ambient house, UK garage, ambient trance, Euro house & UK funky.
Legends Will Never Die 