Jedi Mind Tricks – “The Funeral & The Raven” review

Jedi Mind Tricks is a Philadelphia trio consisting of emcee Vinnie Paz, producer Stoupe the Enemy of Mankind & turntablist DJ Kwestion. They’ve proven to be a household name in the underground for 26 years from having a hand in founding the Army of the Pharaohs collective to dropping essentials like Violent by Design & Servants in Heaven, Kings in Hell. Since putting out the underrated The Thief & The Fallen back in the summer of 2015, they’ve started getting in the habit of dropping an album once every 3 years. The trio’s previous effort The Bridge & The Abyss was a solid follow-up, but had WAY too many interludes. However with Paz coming fresh off Burn Everything That Bears Your Name over the spring, Stoupe & Kwestion are joining him for JMT’s 10th full-length album a month after the longest MLW National Openweight Champion Alexander Hammerstone became the new MLW World Heavyweight Champion.

After the intro, the first song “I’m the Wooden Door” sets the album off with an Italian sample calling out the pussies whereas “Collapse the War Engine” is a sinister theme about being cursed with the dawn. Crimeapple tags along for “The Escapist” somberly speaking on going from hopeless from focused & after the “Pathogen” interlude, the Demoz-assisted “Don’t Get Blood on My Gucci” has a more calmer tone instrumentally talking about how you don’t wanna die.

Meanwhile on “2nd Hand Smoke”, we go into a more nocturnal direction with JMT saying they put these opps in the sky referencing former 3-time AJPW三冠ヘビー級チャンピオン, AJPW世界タッグチャンピオン, 3-time IWGPヘビー級チャンピオン, IWGPタッグチャンピオン, GHCタッグチャンピオン, 3-time WCW World Heavyweight Champion & WWE United States Champion Big Van Vader just before Boob Bronx comes into the picture for “The Death of 1 Man’s a Tragedy, The Death of 10,000’s a Statistic” solemnly admitting spending their whole lives on the wrong side of the law. “Manufacturing Consent” fuses together an organ & a vocal sample to spit that democracy only works when people are informed & after the “We Tolerate the Sickness” interlude, “The Chariot” grimly talks about the most ignorant thing in this world. “Albatross” ponders why would anyone be mad at them with some keyboards sprinkled in the beat, but then Pro Dillinger joins in on the heinous “Crematorium” to quench for blood once more.

“Path of the Beam” has a bit a mystical feel instrumentally to spit that insulting shit while the song “We Bow in It’s Aura” weaves in an acoustic guitar shouts out the inaugural WWE Universal Champion, 2-time NXT Champion, 2-time WWE Intercontinental Champion, WWE United States Champion, 3-time IWGPジュニアヘビー級チャンピオン, 6-time IWGPジュニアタッグチャンピオン & RPW British Cruiserweight Champion Finn Bálor. After the “Until The World Consumes Us” interlude, the penultimate track “Abdallah Azzam Brigade” finds Demoz returning alongside Ill Bill & Recognize Ali for a vicious 5-minute barfest & “The Great Derangement” finishes it off by sadly picking apart all the lies we’ve been told.

I pretty much enjoy all the JMT albums with the exception of Violence Begets Violence being mid, but The Funeral & The Raven is a great finish to the trilogy that The Thief & The Fallen had started. I like how it has less interludes than The Bridge & The Abyss did, Stoupe’s production is still one of a kind all these years later & Paz lyrically always hits the target no matter what he’s on.

Score: 4/5

Noveliss – “Book of Changes” review

Noveliss is a 33 year old MC from Detroit, Michigan who came up as 1/4 of the now disbanded Clear Soul Forces. However since 2018, he’s built an impressive solo career for himself with 8 EPs & the full-length debut Cerebral Apex. However in light of his born day earlier this week, he’s celebrating by dropping a sophomore album produced entirely by Dixon Hill.

“Empty” sets off the album on a jazzy note clearing out his mind whereas “Feng Sheui” takes a moody boom bap route talking about a dude with a stand alone complex. “Loss for Words” works in some pianos saying he don’t know better, but then “Sincerity & Reverence” is a lo-fi banger telling the story of his younger self. Meanwhile on “Scheminonameanin”, we have Noveliss contemplating the reason of life over an airy instrumental just before “Truthsayer” smokily gets on the conscious tip.

“Escaping” goes into a more moodier direction encouraging to embrace the highs & lows while the song “Spirit Bomb” spaciously talks about finding peace in a hyperbolic chamber. The penultimate track “Cold Mountain” once again returns into a more lo-fi kind of sound delivering nonstop wisdom & “Permanent Waves” closes out the album with an uplifting beat talking about being in search of such.

I’ve been following this guy alongside the rest of Clear Soul Forces for a minute & for the 3-year wait since Cerebral Apex, it was very much well worth it. Noveliss killed it with the basing the whole concept of the album on the I-Ching & Dixon’s production style couldn’t have been a suiting match.

Score: 4/5

Zac Z – “Yeti Man Born” review

This is the 4th full-length album from UK-based MC, producer & singer/songwriter Zac Z. Breaking out in 2010 off his double disc debut Imperfections, the man would follow it up shortly after with liquid pepper before taking a decade long hiatus. He returned last summer by enlisting Deep n Beeper for Tripsville, Tennesse & is now rounding out 2021 by dropping Yeti Man Born.

The title track starts it all off with a lo-fi sound telling his lover why she should be all his whereas “Funky Pills” serves as an instrumental interlude having a more cavernous & psychedelic approach to it. “Mission from Mars” keeps things going with a cloudy beat & talking about life with him being pure bliss, but then “Sky Fall” follows it up with a more euphoric instrumental piece.

Meanwhile on “Hollow Fangs”, we have Zac staying behind the boards this time incorporating some elements of rock into this beat just before he hops back on the mic for “X-Ray Meditations” has a more settler yet funky feel talking about being free. “Energy Sparks” incorporates these turntable scratches with an angelic backdrop wanting this woman’s love leading into the “Buddha’s Smile” instrumental interlude picking up where “Hollow Fangs” left off sonically.

“Ethnic Dreams” is yet another instrumental interlude that’s perfect for smoking weed out late at night while the penultimate track “Lightning Strikes” goes back into rock territory & the dude’s singing that kicks in around the halfway mark just doesn’t do anything for me at all. To finish it off though, “Happy” ends the album with a 90 second folk ballad talking about wanting to sing for the stars & doing so much better than he did previously.

Much like Zac’s last 3 albums, Yeti Man Born sounds completely different than anything the man has done in the past & continues to succeed at doing so. It has a more enlightened vibe throughout & it’s very intriguing to hear how he has it all structured, bouncing back & forth between actual songs & beat interludes.

Score: 3.5/5

Rasheed Chappell & XP the Marxman – “RX” review

This is the brand new collaborative album from Rasheed Chappell & XP the Marxman, the latter hailing from Los Angeles & the other coming straight outta New York. Both of them have been putting it down for a while in the underground by dropping acclaimed projects like Keep Firing or Sinners & Saints, but I don’t think they’ve ever worked with each other prior to RX so my interest was definitely there going into it given how much I enjoy their solo works.

“Congregate” kicks off the whole thing off with a downtrodden Reckonize Real instrumental reminding everybody they’re from the real whereas the Illwerd-assisted “Hefty Loc” goes into the boom bap direction talking about being the last ones left. Oran Juice II tags along for the drumless “Water to Wine” getting on their kingpin shit just before “Ganji” has a more dustier feel to the production celebrating their lifestyles.

Meanwhile on “Coke Pirouette”, we have Rasheed & XP extravagantly talking about how it seems like the game has changed leading into the tensioning “Mahogany Chips” speaks on being engineered from real life. “Orale” wickedly details the lives that they idolize, but then “Here” with Tim Hall incorporates some jazz influences remembering where they came from.

Jay Royale comes into the picture for the Roc Marciano-produced “Toss the Metal” spitting that fly gangsta shit while the song “Sinful Saints” finds Buckwild working in a soul loop looking back on the choices they made to live so well. The penultimate track “Reminders” works in some solemn horns talking about the days they used to slang dope & “Save a Spot” finishes the album on a more optimistic note by saying they won’t let Satan take their souls as well as trying to vibrate higher.

If anyone reading this is a fan of either one of these guys or both, then you’re really gonna dig what they bring to the table on RX. It’s cool to hear how well both MCs ping off each other detailing the hardships they both had to face from the respective coasts they grew up in with the production being rooted in that traditional old school sound we all know & love.

Score: 4/5

Shah Leezy – “Shiraz” review

This is the full-length debut from Staten Island emcee Shah Leezy. Coming up in 2018 off his debut EP Live at the Mecca, the man has gone on to release 5 more since then with the latest being The Iron Sheik Tape last winter. But for Shiraz, he’s enlisting GetLarge to fully produce it from start to finish & bringing some of his favorite artists from the city for the ride.

The “LuZ’s Intro” kicks off the album with a somber piano loop saying he’s givint classics until he goes idle whereas “Habibi King” weaves in some hi-hats & horns talking about chasing freedom. “Fear’s the Key” is a symphonic trap cut getting on the more boastful tip, but then Greezi Amlin & innocent? tag along for the soulful “Life’s Crazy” basically letting the title speak for itself,

Meanwhile on “Jamez Bondz”, we have Shah over some dusty drums & humming talking about chasing missions like the world famous spy just before “Pulp Fiction” delivered a viciously off-the-top freestyle over a rich instrumental. “Vince’s Revenge” talks about being a ram then a goat leading into Iso Indies comeing into the picture for the classy “Carlito” to bring back the braggadocio.

LDog Day Afternoon” is a thunderous hustler’s groove while the song “Wolf of Wall Street” is basically his allegory on wax. The title track takes a jazzier turn getting on his top dog shit & finally, the “LuZ’s Outro (Cheers)” rounds it out on a cheery note by dissing everyone who’s jealous of his success.

As much as I loved The Iron Sheik Tape, I think Shah is really starting to level up on this. really interesting to hear him give us a year of his life with this much heart & the overall sound of the album that GetLarge provides is uniquely detailed.

Score: 4/5

La Lo East – “Section 8” review

La Lo East is a 41 year old MC from Buffalo, New York who came up last Black Friday off the full-length debut Fuck the Middle Man. This was followed-up by the debut EP Buffalo over the spring right before Thanksgiving last month, East decided to prelude his sophomore album by dropping a 2nd EP.

After the titular intro, the first song “Life Like This” sets off the whole EP with a soul sample saying he’s bout that paper whereas “Can’t Fuck wit Me” works in some strings challenging anyone who wants smoke with him. “Advances” takes a moodier turn thanking the man above for such & after the interlude, Drama2BR tags along for the downcast “Change” to call out those switching up on them. The final song “Glorious” has some jazzy undertones to the beat as he ends the album by talking about staying getting to the money leading into an 11-second outro.

From front to back, this is a pretty impressive EP. The lyrical topics throughout it’s 22 minute run range from personal shit to braggadocio & each song in terms of sound pretty much differs. Whenever his sophomore album comes out, I can definitely see him continuing to level up.

Score: 3.5/5

Cult of the Damned – “The Church Of” review

The Cult of the Damned are a hip hop collective from England, United Kingdom consisting of Blah Records founder Lee Scott, BeTheGun, Sly Moon, Salar, Bill Shakes, King Grubb, Tony Broke, Black Josh, Stinkin’ Slumrok, Bisk, Sleazy F Baby, Col. Mustard, Dr. Zygote, Sam Zircon & Reklews. Properly introducing themselves as a unit in 2015 off an eponymous debut EP, a sequel would come in the form of their full-length debut Brick Pelican Posse Crew Gang Syndicate & are getting back together for a sophomore effort.

“Ahem!” begins with this 5 minute posse cut asking over a guitar-driven boom bap instrumental from Nobodies Home if anyone listening has been picking this important signal whereas “Internal Error” talks about being the modern day No Limit Records & everyone else being their children. CLBRKS joins the Cult on “Worship” referencing WWE Hall of Famer, 14-time WWE world champion, 5-time WWE Intercontinental Champion, 3-time WWE tag team champion & WWE’s current COO Triple H. just before “WTH” finds the B-Movie Millionaires with BeTheGun & Milkavelli talking about them being sick in the head.

BeTheGun brings Sly Moon & Stinkin’ Slumrok besides him on the mic during the piano boom bap crossover “Rotation” realizing the has-beens they used to kick it with amounted up to nothing leading into “Norman’s Theme” talking about them being averagely normal as they come. “AB NO (Red Leicester)” dismantling little league MCs who want to battle them knowing they wouldn’t stand a chance while “W.Y.T.B. (What You Talkin’ ‘Bout?)” ends the 1st half with the Cult posing that very question to people flapping their lips.

“Gung Foo” hits us with another posse cut to start the 3rd quarter continuing to spit battle raps over a boom bap beat while “Skid Row” hilariously disses an adversary claiming to be all the knowledge when they don’t know a damn thing about them at all. “Step” featuring Danny Lover has a bit of a cloudier tone instrumentally talking about their need of succeeding & rewriting the whole game plan while “Good News” featuring Bang On! grittily obliterates rappers with basic penmanship.

To get The Church Of’s last leg going, “Castles” talks about being better off staying inside & smoking weed because of their bent-up whips while “Rear View” fuses jazz rap & boom bap so they can speak of seeing things a lot more clearer than they did previously. “Henny Shots” comes through with a 2-parter where the entire squad’s having a toast & “Brick Pelican’s Lament” finishes by having King Grubb holding down the outro for a solo track of his own.

Diminishing the grime undertones of Cult of the Damned 2: Brick Pelican Posse Crew Gang Syndicate significantly, the 2nd album from the Children of the Damned’s spiritual successor takes themselves beyond their self-titled EP & their previously mentioned debut for a great follow-up to the Cult of the Damned’s early output. The boom bap production’s darker than Brick Pelican Posse Crew Gang Syndicate’s, the inclusion of outside guest appearances was only a matter of time & every member’s verses remind me of the almighty Wu-Tang Clan in that they’re all unique swordsmen of their own category.

Score: 4/5

Joell Ortiz – “Autograph” review

This is the 8th full-length album from Brooklyn veteran Joell Ortiz. Emerging after being featured in the Unsigned Hype column of the March 2004 issue of The Source Magazine, he went on to sign to Aftermath Entertainment for a brief period of time before leaving to drop his official debut The Brick: Bodega Chronicles under MNRK Music Group. I also can’t forget to mention when Slaughterhouse rose to prominence off their self-titled debut], which led Eminem signing the supergroup to Shady Records a decade ago already. But sadly, their major label debut welcome to: OUR HOUSE that came out the next summer would unfortunately end up being their last & everyone has been doing their own thing since. But with the 2-year anniversary of Monday coming & going over the summer, Yaowa is back on the scene in the form of Autograph.

“In My Feelings” is a confessional opener with a mesmerizing Heatmakerz instrumental whereas “Uncle Chris Car” takes a more chipmunk soul route telling listeners to imagine a world full of peace. “Housing Authority” of course finds H.A.R.D. coming together for some battle rap shit even though Hesami’s production is just ok, but then “1 Day” weaves in a heavenly Apollo Brown beat looking back on the days when he wasn’t as big as he is now.

Meanwhile on “Masked Up, we have Joell on top of a minimally tribal beat getting in his shit-talking bay just before the Salaam Remi-produced “Sincerely Yours” serves as a jazzy victory lap. “OG” pays homage to those in the rap game who’ve gotten to be around long enough to be considered as such over a high-pitched vocal loop, but then “Lifeline” has a twangier vibe dedicating the joint to his woman.

“Goin’ Thru It” passionately encourages people to fight through the tears to live your life until CyHi the Prynce tags along for the cutthroat “Holy Ghost” referencing current AEW manager, WWE Hall of Famer & former SMW Heavyweight Champion Jake “The Snake” Roberts. I also love how Namir Blade’s production switches from a simple bass-line into some dusty boom bap shit. The song “Therapeutic” brings in some sweet background vocals comparing music to therapy while the penultimate track “Love is Love” with Sheek Louch finds the 2 talking about still being street over some tense vocal chops. Finally, “Doors Up” ends the album by on a more lighthearted note opening up on the famous life.

For all the Yaowa fans that enjoyed Monday as much as I did, then you’re gonna dig Autograph just as much if not even more. It fantastically picks up right where the previous album left off in terms of the content being even deeper with the usual suspects behind the boards like The Heatmakerz & Apollo Brown continue to bring the best out of this most vulnerable side of him.

Score: 4/5

Silk Sonic – “An Evening with Silk Sonic” review

Silk Sonic is a newly formed superduo consisting of Anderson .Paak & Bruno Mars. The latter coming up in 2010 by dominating the pop charts & the other beginning to turn heads by being featured all over his mentor Dr. Dre’ final album to date Compton: A Soundtrack by Dr. Dre about 5 years later. Their paths first crossed with one another during the European leg of the 24K Magic World Tour where .Paak opened up for Bruno but after announcing the superduo’s full-length debut back in February to high anticipation, they’re finally unleashing it to the world.

After the funky intro, the first song “Leave the Door Open” kicks off the album with a smooth soul banger telling their lovers they’re there for them whereas “Fly as Me” takes a funkier route & the lyrics basically speak for itself. “After Last Night” is a slow jam professing their love for the women they slept with the previous evening just before “Smokin’ Out the Window” works in some Philly soul undertones talking about a woman who belongs to everyone getting into fights with her man like it’s the WME Group-owned UFC.

Meanwhile on “Put on a Smile”, we have .Paak & Bruno coming together over some strings encouraging listeners to look forward to the better days while the song “777” serves as a groovy pimp anthem. The penultimate track “Skate” is a straight up disco tune flirting with the hottest bitches in the room & finally, “Blast Off” finishes the album off on a glossier note talking about flying to the stars.

Man I knew Silk Sonic was gonna deliver on this album, but they went even harder than I expected them to because An Evening with Silk Sonic is unquestionably the best R&B album that I’ve heard all year. They have a uniquely natural chemistry & it’s amazing how they resurrected the sounds of the 70’s soul down to Bootsy Collins “hosting” it.

Score: 4.5/5

Aesop Rock – “Garbology” review

This is the 9th full-length album from New York emcee/producer Aesop Rock. Universally revered for his massive vocabulary, the man has put out a handful of underground hip hop essentials throughout the decades whether it be his solo catalogue or his membership of groups like Hail Mary Mallon or Malibu Ken. Last we heard from him was Spirit World Field Guide & now with the 1-year anniversary of that coming up over the weekend, long-time collaborator Blockhead is being brought in to produce Garbology from start to finish.

After the “Only Picture” intro, the first song “Jazz Hands” is a cloudy kickoff to the album serving as a “love note to the fuck show” whereas “Wolf Piss” grimly talks about making motherfuckers disappear if they trip the wrong light. “Legerdemain” goes into a more funkier route saying he went home different leading into the tuba, boom bap infused “Difficult” finds him admittedly bugging.

Meanwhile on “All the Smartest People”, we have Aesop over a drumless instrumental telling listeners that the titular type he knows personally are paranoid just before the dusty “Oh Fudge” talks about metaphorically having no bones. “More Cycles” weaves in some synthesizers saying he doesn’t ever blink first, but then “Flamingo Pink” ominously calls out his idols as cons.

Lice reunites for the psychedelic “All Day Breakfast” reminding everyone of how well they mesh with each other whereas “Fizz” groovily talks about a dude being a lame. The song “That’s Not a Wizard” incorporates some pianos speaking on bare-witnessing the second first step while the penultimate track “The Sea” has a more scrubbier vibe talking about how it all falls below. “Abandoned Malls” closes out the album on a more dramatic note talking about the death of his close friend Kurt Hayashi.

Blockhead has produced some of the best songs of Aes’ career, so it was only a matter of time that they came together for an entire album & it’s exactly how I imagined it to be. The whole concept of examining material discarded by a society to see what it really means is well-thought out & as talented as he is behind the boards, it’s nice to see him take it back to basics.

Score: 4.5/5