Moemaw Naedon is a 39 year old MC/producer from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania who made his full-length debut in the fall of 2014 with the Latebloomer-produced Circular Signals. This was followed up with Hard Head Mush Brain & Dr. Deadhorse but just a couple months after dropping a collab EP alongside Calig Kontra entitled Cult Theatre, he’s enlisting C. Scott to produce his 3rd album from start to finish.
After the “Pittsburgh Thril” intro, the first song “Awesome Environment” is a slick boom bap opener talking about having one too many drinks whereas “Space Log” has a more synth-funk vibe advising those not to kick the mic when they spit their last bar. After the “Midnight Rapper” interlude, JM the Poet tags along for the meditative “Owls in the Sun” to say they feel like they’re just getting starting just before Dinosaur Burps takes JM’s place on the aggressive “Summer in the Muck”.
After the “Where You Wander” & “Scene Before” interludes, “Hardly New Havoc” speaks on how shit ain’t really new with a moodier instrumental leading into the psychedelic “Off the Path” as Moemaw & El Da Sensei deliver a lyrical onslaught. The song “Death Shots” is a guitar ballad with the Galactic Brethren reuniting like it’s nothing & after the “Weird Places Heavy Stories” interlude, the penultimate track “Ringing Bells” takes a jazzier direction saying the reflections in puddle are to muddy to tell. “Pardon Angels” later ends the album with a beautiful instrumental piece.
Of all of Moemaw’s solo efforts, I think River Rats could very well be his best one yet. I think the number of interludes are a tad bit annoying, but his lyrics are amongst his most thoughtful & C. Scott knocks it out of the park in terms of the production.
G-Mo Skee is a 30 year old MC from Richmond, California coming up as a member of the Inf Gang. He would drop 2 mixtapes Got Filth & Got Filth II: The Great Adventures of G-Mo independently before Twiztid signed him to Majik Ninja Entertainment in 2016, his full-length debut My Filthy Spirit Bomb coming out that same winter. But I personally think G’s sophomore effort Chaly & the Filth Factory is his best work so far because of it’s incredible concept & the instrumentals accompanying it (mostly handled by former Strange Music in-house producer MIKE SUMMERS a.k.a. 7). But to celebrate his 30th born day & amicably leaving MNE to do his own thing, G-Mo is back on the scene for his highly anticipated 3rd album.
“Hate to Love” kicks things off with some plinky keys going at the throats of everyone who despises him whereas “Kick Rocks” shoots for somber boom bap sound referencing 2-time WWE tag team champion Scotty 2 Hotty. “Return of the Filth” has these heinous organ harmonies with the title speaking for itself in terms of content just before the eerie Stu Bangas joint “Geeloo” explains why the culture needs him.
Meanwhile on “B.A.M.F. (Badass Muthafucka)” we have Blind Fury assisting G-Mo over a somewhat Middle Eastern-tinged instrumental to reference WWE Hall of Famer, former 6-time WWE Champion, 2-time WWE Intercontinental Champion, 2-time WWE United States Champion, 5-time WWE Tag Team Champion & NWA World Tag Team Champion Stone Cold Steve Austin leading into him proclaiming himself as the “Underdog” with a beat that sounds just like the one from “Bully” by Eminem.
I can definitely see “Smash” being a moshpit starter whenever he starts performing live again given that everything about it makes you wanna punch someone in the face while “Pinkies Up” serves as an violin-induced ode to his team. “Take 2 Puffs” is a more depressive cut saying he’s afraid of the future & might need counseling, but then the Jae Harmony-assisted “Rich City” is a cinematic tribute to their hometown.
“You Know Who” compares himself to Voldermort with some hypnotic background vocals that C-Lance throws in the mix whereas “Prolapse” is a trap banger basically saying “fuck the world” & the Half Baked tribute at the beginning is hilarious. The title track has a bit of a horror flick vibe in terms of sound with G telling y’all haven’t heard anything like this, but then Tech N9ne & Trizz aggressively come in on “Fuck It All Up” to talk about taking over the game.
The song “Brody” is easily the most heart-wrenching on the entire album with G detailing the story of his brudda’s downward spiral & the perfect beat to kick the emotions up to over 9,000 while the penultimate track “Can’t Fuck With It” has a bit of a Bay Area sound opening up about the things he doesn’t like. Lastly, the Nobe/produced closer “Flying Cars” goes back into trap territory addressing his departure from MNE & almost quitting a couple Christmases back.
A lot of people (including myself) waited 3 long years for this day to come & it was absolutely worth it. This dude exemplifies why I truly believe he’s one of the best lyricists I’ve heard in the last decade & for it being the first time mixing his own shit, he did a fantastic job.
Tha God Fahim is a 25 year old MC/producer from Atlanta, Georgia notable for his affiliation with Griselda Records as well as being 1/3 of the Dump Gawds alongside Mach-Hommy & Your Old Droog. We also can’t ignore the massive discography that he’s managed to build for himself, some of the standouts include Breaking Through tha Van Allen Belts & Dump Assassins. He just dropped the Nicholas Craven-produced Dump Gawd: Shot Clock King at the beginning of the month & now they’re ending it the way they started it: A sequel EP.
The opener “Shot Clock Legend” kicks things off with a soul sample & Fahim proclaiming himself as such whereas “Hard to Digest” works in a flute to start bragging. “Hall of Fame” has a bit of a more glossier feel musically to say he gives listeners a piece of his mind when he spits just before taking an ominous bap turn for “Megatron” saying he ain’t doing none less.
Meanwhile on “Sketch”, we have Fahim jumping on top of a moody boom bap instrumental saying he don’t wanna talk too much because of trust issues leading into the penultimate track “Wingz Logo” has an eargasmic loop opening up about the world being against him. The closer “Punishment” has some rich piano chords & dusty drums to declare that he’s milking the game until the well runs dry.
Now despite preferring the predecessor, I personally think we got a stellar sequel. Could’ve used a feature or 2 to break up the monotony, but it’s safe to say Fahim & Craven’s chemistry as an MC/producer duo is continually getting better with each project they whip up together.
This is the 10th full-length album from Chicago, Illinois rapper, singer/songwriter, one of my top 10 producers of all-time, businessman, fashion designer & supposed politician Kanye West. What can be said now about this man that hasn’t been said already? Regardless of how you feel about his public image, you can’t deny his creativity nor the impact his discography has had on hip hop over the last 17 years. More specifically The College Dropout & My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. The last time we heard him in secular form was back in 2018 with ye, which in my opinion doesn’t get enough appreciation for detailing his struggles with bipolar disorder even to this day. Kanye later became a born-again Christian & went into gospel rap territory for his previous album Jesus is King in which the music was fine, but the mix was absolutely horrendous. But now after a embarrassing attempt at becoming president of the United States last fall & divorcing his Hobbit ex-wife, one can only go into DONDA expecting Ye to get a lot off his chest.
After the tedious “Donda Chant” intro, the first song “Jail” is a rock-tinged kickstarter with The Throne returning saying God’s gonna post their bail with co-production from Mike Dean alongside Dem Jointz & 88-Keys whereas “God Breathed” featuring E*Vax helping behind the boards with some choir vocals hanging in the back encouraging the listener to put their faith in the higher power. Playboi Carti & Fivio Foreign tag along for the trap-tinged “Off the Grid” co-produced by with 30 Roc proclaiming they did everything for the crib just before the Lil Baby-assisted “Hurricane” brings in some organs & snares with co-production from DJ Khalil & Ronny J to tell God to hold them close.
Meanwhile on “Praise God”, we have Baby Keem & Travis Scott joining forces to say they’re gonna praise their way out the grave helping work in an organ & choir vocals leading into “Jonah” with Lil Durk & Vory having some hypnotizing production as well as lyrics about loneliness. “Ok Ok” is an atmospheric cut co-produced with Boi-1da linking up with Lil Yachty & Rooga to call out those who’ve betrayed them, but then ¥$ & Carti pay homage to Junya Watanabe on the organ-bass infused “Junya” assisted by Digital Nas.
“Believe What I Say” does a fine job at sampling the iconic Lauryn Hill joint “Doo-Wop (That Thing)” telling the listener not to let the lifestyle drag you down whereas “24” brings back in some organs to say God’s not finished. “Remote Control” with Young Thug satirizes society these days with an ambient backdrop & snares whereas “Moon” is the greatest interlude of the year hands down, with Don Toliver & KiD CuDi hitting every note perfectly as the guitars that’re wailing behind them.
The way “Heaven & Hell” samples Drum Broker’s “Arena” is really cool with Ye standing up to to the system & after the titular interlude co-produced by BoogzDaBeast, another standout “Keep My Spirit Alive” with Hall ‘N Nash finds the trio saying “you can take it all with the Lord on my side” over a cloudy instrumental & Ye should’ve NEVER fucked with KayCyy’s hook to begin with. Jay Electronica & The LOX come in for the gorgeous “Jesus Lord” co-produced by Swizz Beatz & Gesaffelstein wanting to know someone who needs God, but then “New Again” sounds like a throwback to the Graduation days production-wise talking about being born again.
“Tell the Vision” from the latest posthumous Pop Smoke album Faith feels out of place given that Ye has no presence on this version, but “Lord I Need You” makes up for it with it’s pillowy beat co-produced by FNZ & Wheezy as Ye asks God to wrap his arms around him whereas the Roddy Ricch-assisted “Pure Souls” fuses organs with bass & handclaps to say “The truth is only what you get away with”.
The penultimate track “Come to Life” with Jeff Bhasker is an luxurious ballad pondering if you’ve ever wished you had another life & finally, “No Child Left Behind” ends the album with a straight up gospel ballad saying God has done miracles on him. We are then treated to alternate versions of “Jail”, “Ok Ok”, “Junya” & “Jesus Lord” as bonus cuts.
It should really go without saying that DONDA is what Jesus is King should’ve been & it’s a respectable tribute to Ye’s mom. It would also turn out to be his l final LP under his Def Jam Recordings contract, ending his nearly 2 decade tenure for the major label. There are a tad bit of filler cuts running at nearly 2 hours, but the mix sounds so much better in comparison to Donda’s predecessor. Leave the redundant moments off & it’s a solid blend of Christian hip hop, experimental hip hop, pop rap, trap, gospel, alternative R&B, art pop & urban contemporary gospel.
This is the 8th mixtape from Buffalo emcee, songwriter & entrepreneur Westside Gunn. At this point, what can be said about the guy now that hasn’t been said already? From running one of the hottest hip hop labels in recent memory to his first 2 full-lengths FLYGOD & Supreme Blientele, you’d be lying to yourself if you said he & the rest of the Griselda crew haven’t had the culture on lock for the last 5-6 years. Dude’s been laying low throughout a good portion of 2021 so far, but is deciding to finish the Hitler Wears Hermes mixtape series in the form of the 2-disc Sincerely, Adolf. The first disc given to us now & the other most likely on Halloween
After the “Murders in Marfield” intro & the “Blessed Times” interlude by AA Rashid, the first actual song “Mariota” with Stove God Cook$ kicks things off with a soulful beat & them saying you ain’t gotta worry whereas “Vogue Cover” is somewhat similar instrumentally except the 2 are talking about birds going fast. Mach-Hommy tags along for the jazzy “Margiela Split Toes” to spit that fly shit referencing the longest reigning 4-time ECW World Heavyweight Champion, former 2-time ECW World Television Champion, the shortest-reigning NWA World’s Heavyweight Champion, the inaugural MLW World Heavyweight Champion, WWE United States Champion, 2-time WCW World Tag Team Champion, WWE Intercontinental Champion, XPW World Heavyweight Champion & WCW Hardcore Champion Shane Douglas alongside WWE Hall of Famers & former WWE Tag Team Champions The Brain Busters just before the dusty boom bap cut “Draymond” with Rome Streetz & Stove God includes a bar referring to the current 2-time WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns as well as WWE Hall of Famer, the 2nd longest reigning WWE Champion & WWE Tag Team Champion Bob Backlund whose first reign began after Vince McMahon Sr. had him defeat WWE Hall of Famer, former WWE Champion & CWA World Heavyweight Champion “Superstar” Billy Graham.
Meanwhile on “Peri Peri”, we have West & Rome sticking around to jump on top of some keys & dusty drums to talk their shit leading into the Jadakiss-assisted “Right Now” working in another jazzy beat to get on their pyrex shit. “Westheimer” by Boldy James alongside Sauce Walka & Stove God Cook$ find the trio hopping on top of an old time loop saying they had no choice but to commit murder, but then West & Lil Wayne come together for the grimy “Bash Money” to brag about their riches with Weezy making a great lucha libre line popularized by Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL) owned by the Lutteroth family & it’s rival promotion Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide (AAA) owned by Peña–Roldán family.
The song “Claire’s Back” starts off with a boom bap joint & the FLYGOD referencing former 5-time ECW World Heavyweight Champion, ECW World Tag Team Champion, アイアンマンヘビーメタル級チャンピオン & XPW King of the Deathmatch Champion The Sandman until going into rock territory for Conway the Machine & Benny the Butcher to spit that mafioso shit. The penultimate track “Spoonz” finds Hall ‘N Nash going back & forth with a meditative Conductor Williams instrumental, but then “716 Mile” reenlists Boldy for a wavy closer getting in their gangsta rap bag.
Although I like what I’m hearing from Hitler 8 so far, I think I’m gonna enjoy it more in context with Disc 2 when it drops a couple months from now. He didn’t have to put a feature on every single cut on here even though they all killed it, but I can definitely commend West for coming correct as much as the guests do & not rushing it like he did FLYGOD is an Awesome God II.
Young Wicked is a 34 year old MC, singer/songwriter, producer, engineer & fashion designer from Denver, Colorado who came up as 1/2 of the Axe Murder Boyz with his older brother Bonez Dubb in 1999. The duo put out 4 albums on their own before the Insane Clown Posse signed them to Psychopathic Records in 2005, making their debut on the label that following spring by dropping Blood In Blood Out to moderate reception. However, their next full-length outing God’s Hand is considered to by many (including myself) to be their best given how much both of them elevated their lyricism & Otis’ production. This resulted in him becoming Violent J’s protege many years later, dropping his solo debut Slaughter: It’s the Best Medicine in the fall of 2015. Fast forward a couple years later, Twiztid signed him & eventually AMB to Majik Ninja Entertainment after a falling out with his mentor to put out an equally fantastic sophomore effort The Return of the Prodigal Son. But after 4 years of focusing on producing & engineering for others, Young Wicked is rebranding himself for his 3rd album.
After the titular intro, the first song “James” almost had a bit of an electronic feel to it bragging about always killing mics whereas “Game Time” is a hyphy banger saying he puts in work every day. “Fuck That Shit” has some eerie piano chords brushing off his haters just before “M.T.L.B.S. (More Tattoos Less Bullshit)” takes things into trap territory saying that’s exactly what he needs.
Meanwhile on “Ice”, we have Young Wicked jumping on top of a cloudy instrumental to brag about how cold he is leading into the braggadocious “Flex” co-produced by DJ Stigmata. He goes in depth about being under the influence on “Felt So High” with a somewhat wonky beat, but then “Satellite” melodically opens up about being unable to escape his shadows.
The song “Tik Tok” is literally a trap cut about how you can make it by dancing on the titular app while the penultimate track “Racing” works in some guitar passages talking about getting live outside. “Feel Alright” then ends the album with a passionate rock cut about saying he’s doing good despite the world burning.
Now despite the artwork being a piss poor ripoff of my 2nd favorite Metallica album Ride the Lightning, it’s clear as day that Young Wicked is a man of many talents & Activated reminds us of that. He sounds completely rejuvenated & I love how diverse it sounds. Clearly the rebrand is an attempt at trying to reach an audience wider than the juggalo realm, but it’s very respectable.
Flee Lord is a 38 year old MC from Queensbridge, New York who came up in 2017 as protege of the late Prodigy. He has since become known for building up a massive discography for himself with projects like the Loyalty or Death: Lord Talk trilogy produced by GodBlessBeatz, the Loyalty & Trust duology produced by 38 Spesh, the DJ Shay-produced Lucky 13, the Buckwild-produced Hand Me My Flowers, the Pete Rock-produced The People’s Champ & the Havoc-produced In the Name of Prodigy. But after dropping the the DJ Muggs-produced RAMM£LLZ££ back in March, the Lord is now enlisting Roc Marciano to produce his 16th EP.
The titular intro is a sumptuous piano ballad to say he’s important to the slums whereas “Slow Down” aggressively compares his verses to the feds pulling up on the strip. “Shouts Out to the Mobb” goes into jazzier territory showing love to his protégés, but then “Medusa” brings in some guitars for him & Conway the Machine to spit that gun talk.
“This is What Ya Want?” has a bit of a more orchestral feel reminding everyone his raps are reality, but then switches up into a classy vocal sample to get on his luxurious trap shit. Ransom tags along for “Breath of Air” to give them that back against the wall music just before Stove God Cook$ comes in for the grungy “Trim the Fat” talking about money, power & respect.
Meanwhile with “Skipping Town”, we have Flee jumping on top of some lavish keyboard embellishments trying to start a hood war leading into him & Marci detailing going from walking to driving sports cars on the unsettling “Breeze in a Porsche”. The penultimate track “1st Kill” has a more sadder tone instrumentally spitting that pure dope & the titular closer reads off as a cool 1-minute freestyle with some piano melodies accompanying it.
I wouldn’t be mad if you preferred Delgado over RAMM£LLZ££ because it’s undeniable that Flee Lord has been putting out some of his best work in the last couple years. Lyrically, he’s one of the illest out of New York right now & Roc Marciano’s production I feel like doesn’t get appreciated as much as his lyricism does.
Grip is a 32 year old MC from Atlanta, Georgia who came up in 2017 off his debut mixtape Porch. This was followed up a couple years later with the full-length debut Snubnose but after dropping 2 EPs in 2020 & signing to Eminem’s very own Interscope Records imprint Shady Records earlier this summer, he’s ready to make his major label debut by putting out his sophomore album to a wider audience.
After the “Enter Stage Right” intro, the first song “And the Eulogy Read!?” kicks things off with a boom bap banger recapping his career up to this point whereas “Hands Up!” serves as a spacey shot at the system. The title track takes a turn into trap territory saying he waited his whole life for this certain moment just before “Momma Told Me!” is a ghostly look back on his mother advising him to get that paper.
Meanwhile on “Placebo”, we have Grip & Royce da 5’9” jumping on top of a trap instrumental that later switches into boom bap turf to compare this song to a substance or treatment that has no therapeutic value leading into him proclaiming he’s larger than life for the chaotic “Gutter!”. Things take a much more melodic turn for “JDDTTINT!?” saying he doesn’t want to die, but then “A Soldier’s Story” has a psychedelic feel saying what he writes is like a zeitgeist for life’s highs & lows.
Eminem of course tags along for the bassy, organ-laced “Walkthrough!” saying they can’t save the world whereas “The Lox!” with Tate228 starts off with a nocturnal boom bap instrumental before switching up into a trap beat saying he wants a check. “Enem3” with Big Rube had a more settler tone telling their old friends to meet them at the middle just before “ConMan” is a piano ballad saying he has a date with destiny.
“Glenwood” serves as a synth-laced freestyle about the titular city in Georgia while the song “At What Cost!?” somberly opens up about depression. The penultimate track “Patterns?” harmoniously apologies for letting his partner down & finally, “Pennies / Exit Stage Left!?” ends the album apocalyptically asks if you’re not entertained.
Even though I still prefer Snubnose, that’s not to say I Died For This!? isn’t a bad entry point for anyone new to him. He manages to stay true to himself rather than selling out now that he’s on a major label & still manages to do a fine job at carrying the hunger from his previous efforts onto this.
Joey Cool is a 35 year old MC from Kansas City, Missouri who first caught attention as a long-time affiliate of local independent hip hop powerhouse Strange Music. However after releasing a total of 4 mixtapes & a studio album on his own, Tech N9ne decided to officially sign him to the Snake & Bat in 2017 & dropping his eponymous sophomore album the next year. This was followed up with Old Habits Die Hard & now as the 1-year anniversary of Coolie High approaches this fall, Joey is following it up by dropping his 5th full-length album.
After the “Swanktastical” intro, the first song “Way Down” works in a pillowy trap beat asking to dim the lights whereas “Jumpin’” is an energetic crowd mover down the Kato production. “Strange Sinatra” declares himself as such on top of a glossy trap instrumental from Dominique Sanders just before going into rap rock territory for the Tech N9ne-assisted “Man on Fire”.
Meanwhile on “Protect Thine Energy”, we have Joey going back into trap turf talking about dominating every season leading into him & Kye Colors jumping on top of some pianos & finger snaps showing their new bag for “New Phone”. He later opens up about a party in the hills that’ll probably kill him on the quasi-boom bappy “Bad Dreams”, but then “Like I’m Supposed To” atmospherically opens up about never following suit & being him.
Jon Connor of all people tags along for the jingly “Thomas Shelby” comparing themselves to the Peaky Blinders character of the same name whereas “Don’t Touch Me” has a more minimal sound saying he’s not down with the fuckery. C-Mob, Rittz, Suli4Q & Whitney Peyton come together on the trap banger “It’s a Pity” saying they did it now while “Here We Are” is a moodier jam about how “we take it far”.
The penultimate track “Whiskey of the Day” with Jehry Robinson & Wrekonize finds the trio joining forces to deliver a catchy homage to Jack Daniels down to the stripped-back production & the closer “Coolie Time” is a just yet hyper dedication to Red Rocks Amphitheatre, which is where his Strange Music contract was publicly revealed at.
Now I don’t know where Joey Cool is going from here because we all know a lot of artists have been leaving Strange to do their own thing throughout these last few months, but I’m gonna stick along for the ride because this is as solid as his previous efforts. I love the confidence in his voice & even though 7 usually produces the label’s output, they make it work without him.
Nelly is a 46 year old rapper, singer/songwriter & entrepreneur from St. Louis, Missouri who skyrocketed to fame a little over 2 decades back by dropping his debut Country Grammar. His next 2 albums Nellyville & Sweatsuit were just as solid but since then, the quality of his music has taken a drastic nosedive. But after taking an 8 year hiatus following M.O., the dude is coming back in effect for his 7th full-length outing.
“Lil Bit” with Florida Georgia Line kicks things off with a hideous bro-country tune that really sets the tone for the album if you really think about it in the grand scheme of things, because “High Horse” takes a dancier tone telling their ladies to drop it on them. “Grits & Glamour” with Kane Brown sappily proclaims being a mix of hood & country just before City Spud & Darius Rucker tag along to fuse acoustics & trap to tell the story of “Ms. Drive Me Crazy”.
Meanwhile on “Country Boy Do” with Tyler Hubbard is a guitar driven ballad about growing up in the south leading into “Someone Somewhere” with George Birge takes a summery turn saying “everybody’s gotta miss somebody”. The penultimate song 5 Drinks Ago” boringly opens up about having his phone taken away while being drunk & even though “Good Times Roll” with Jimmie Allen is technically a bonus cut, the actual closer “Follow Me” with Chris Bandi ends the album with a glossy anthem about a place where we all gon’ shine.
I’m not against country music at all because I happen to be a huge Johnny Cash fan & I don’t hate the country rap subgenre either, as I enjoyed projects like Trial by Fire or even Big B’s last album Welcome to the Club. That being said, Heartland is unquestionably the worst thing Nelly has ever done. Primarily because 95% of the country/hip hop fusions he tries to pull of seem forced.
Legends Will Never Die 