Jon Connor – “The Artist Yahn Freeman III” review

Flint, Michigan emcee/producer Jon Connor returning for the 3rd installment of his ongoing 12-part series of extended plays almost a week since Divine Dominion, the current CMLL World Light Heavyweight Champion Místico alongside JetSpeed & Jack Perry all became the new AEW Women’s World Tag Team Champions, AEW World Trios Champions & AEW National Champion at Revolution VII and days after Wren Sinclair & Aaron Rourke became the new WWE Women’s Speed Champion & WWE EVOLVE Champion respectively. Someone who’s steadily been holding it down for the last 2 decades including The Calling, Vinnie Chase & S.O.S. trilogies along with the Best in the World series paying homage to some of Jon’s influences, Salvation, While You Were Sleeping & Unconscious State. He was even signed to Aftermath Entertainment for 6 years before departing after Vehicle City wound up being shelved, coming off Food for the Soul & 24 produced by KLC of the No Limit Records in-house production team Beats by the Pound to go on a 3-peat with Smitti Boi.

“Black Messiah” aggressively comes out the gate talkin’ about fightin’ & throwin’ fists until his arms gets tired whereas “No Smoke” takes the trap route instrumentally explaining that BabyChiefDoIt using AI to write his raps has to be the dumbest shit he’s ever heard. “So Far Gone” goes for a bit of a boom bap vibe talking about public opinion changing only when you’re dead while “War” apocalyptically confesses to feeling like we’re at conflict.

Reaching the halfway point, “Good Money” addresses a woman who claims to be stripping to make it out the hood except she’s still doing it even after becoming wealthy leading & after “To the Young Lady at the Barber Shop” melodically speaks directly to a female who isn’t receiving the love she wants promising it’ll all be ok, “Come Over” goes for a conscious rap rock direction wanting to elevate the female he’s talking about & leaving the old version of her behind.

“Look the Other Way” begins The Artist Yahn Freeman III’s encore soulfully discussing an experience he had the the other day where he ran into someone he personally knew & they eventually turned their heads after saying something while “Silent Conversations” returns to the boom bap telling everyone who’s tuned in to keep going no matter what. “Things You Can’t Control (For TTT)” soulfully ends the EP talking to a young king who should play this when lost in their thoughts.

So we’re almost a quarter way through 2026 already & of the 3 entries to come out of this whole saga so far, The Artist Yahn Freeman III makes improvements above The Artist Yahn Freeman II & dethroning the 1 that began it all. It’s starting to look increasingly likely that Smitti Boi will be producing the whole series & I can’t complain because the production’s more varied than the other 2 installments, backing the messages Jon’s portraying through his rhymes tend to be more urgent than it’s predecessors.

Score: 4/5

Keep up with @legendswill_never_die on Instagram & @LegendsllLiveOn on Twitter for the best music reviews weekly!

Hus Kingpin – “Wavo Forever” review

Brand new LP & the 9th proper one overall from underground veteran Hus Kingpin. In addition to being 1/2 of Tha Connection with SmooVth, he has also built up over both a dozen mixtapes & EP in his discography all in the span of almost 2 decades with my personal favorites being Cocaine Beach produced by Big Ghost Ltd. as well as the Portishead-inspired Portishus & more recently The Supergoat fully produced by 9th Wonder. The latter in the beginning of 2024 has quickly become his most celebrated material in years, returning with Wavo Forever under Holy Toledo Productions.

“RZA Fangs” produced by RZA starts with him talking about keeping a razor in his mouth in case the gun’s jammed whereas “Ghost of Camay” goes for a soulful vibe thanks to Mathematics & he could’ve given us 1 more verse instead of letting the beat ride out for the last minute. “Next Level” featuring Inspectah Deck finds the 2 spending their 95 seconds together talking about turning people into ghosts when the smoke settles while “Hang Glide Samurai” featuring Kurupt & Raekwon comes through with more hardcore penmanship.

Killah Priest & Planet Asia both join Hus on “Mind Devine” aggressively talking about having guards around them because they’re well known while “Who Made You Look? 2” featuring Shyheim find the 2 teaming up for a sequel to a Portishus highlight. “The Pleasures” by Tha Connection featuring Rozewood brings all 3 of them together to look back at getting chains at 16 while “Majestic” featuring Ghostface Killah & Planet Asia lets the trio spit darts over a Big Ghost Ltd. beat.

“Killer’s Theme” featuring the Wu-Syndicate rounds out 3rd with everyone making an anthem for the kind of people who aren’t afraid to let some blood shed while “Saigon Velour” featuring Ghostface Killah & Tricky doesn’t hit me the same way “Majestic” did although I do like the Relense instrumental. “Wisewave” featuring Bronze Nazareth finishes up the full-length pairing both of them over a soulful beat the latter cooked up individually spitting verses of wisdom.

There are a couple of guests that I could’ve done without & some of the production can be a tad bit inconsistent compared to The Supergoat other than a few noteworthy exceptions, but I can definitely say that Wavo Forever’s the most I’ve enjoyed Hus Kingpin’s music in a couple years. If he makes an adjustment or 2 to the areas where this album lacks, then I really think he can make something nearing the same pedestal it’s predecessor & Cocaine Beach stand regarding the most essential entries to his catalog.

Score: 3.5/5

Keep up with @legendswill_never_die on Instagram & @LegendsllLiveOn on Twitter for the best music reviews weekly!

Dylan Brady – “Needle Guy” review

St. Louis, Missouri singer/songwriter & producer Dylan Brady dropping his 5th extended play under his own imprint Dog Show Records in tandem with Atlantic Records. Known for being 1/2 of 100 gecs, he would eventually carve a path of his own by releasing Saxophone Joe & Taste the Rainbow as well as the full-length debut All I Ever Wanted & Choker respectively. Dog Show would eventually catch the attention of Mad Decent, whom Dylan signed to for his previous EP Peace & Love. 8 years later, the Needle Guy ready to make his major label debut.

“Throat Song” co-produced by Skrillex kicks things off with the weakest composition of the bunch due to how repetitive it mostly is with the central Asian throat singing whereas “Stay High” could be my favorite instrumental here, leaning heavier towards the festival progressive house side of things. “Ashley” embraces a Dutch house vibe decently remixing the Afrojack single “Ashley” while the title track finishes with Dylan blending dubstep, tearout & hard techno

Peace & Love almost a decade later has been widely considered to be the finest entry of Dylan Brady’s solo career, but Needle Guy returns to the averageness a lot of his individual output tends to suffer from. His production’s more catered towards the sounds of hardgroove techno, tearout, Dutch house, festival progressive house & tribal house than it’s hyperpop & alternative R&B predecessor except it isn’t as groundbreaking for those styles of electronic dance music than I would’ve hoped.

Score: 2.5/5

Keep up with @legendswill_never_die on Instagram & @LegendsllLiveOn on Twitter for the best music reviews weekly!

KiD CuDi – “Have U BN 2 Heaven @ Nite?” review

Brand new extended play from Cleveland, Ohio rapper, singer/songwriter, producer, actor, fashion designer, model, director & filmmaker KiD CuDi. Blowing up in 2008 off his debut mixtape A KiD Named CuDi as well as his songwriting credits on his mentor Ye formerly known as Kanye West’s 4th album 808s & Heartbreak, his profile from there would increasingly grow off his groundbreaking debut & sophomore albums Man on the Moon: The End of the Day & Man on the Moon II: The Legend of Mr. Rager. But following the self-produced & overlooked Indicud, CuDi would leave G.O.O.D. Music amicably to form his own Republic Records imprint Wicked Awesome Records. Satellite Flight: The Journey to Mother Moon though was mediocre at best & who could forget when CuDi attempted to go alt-rock on the critically panned Speedin’ Bullet 2 Heaven? Luckily he would redeem himself on his next effort Pain & Demon Slayin’ in 2016 along with the self-titled album from him & Ye as the duo KIDS SEE GHOSTS couple summers later & even Man on the Moon III: The Chosen the day after my 24th birthday despite it’s blatantly heavy Travis Scott influence. Entergalactic was released mixed reviews as was INSANO, but I enjoyed how both LPs took it back to his roots along with mixing old & new sounds together respectively. INSANO 2: NITRO MEGA continued the energy of its predecessor. Free came out last summer & found myself disappointed by it although I appreciate him going for a poppier sound, posing the question of Have U BN 2 Heaven @ Nite?.

“Real Ones Never Die” starts us off with some wavy synthesizers & acoustics remind us all of the legitimate lasting for eternity whereas “Drown” produced by BNYX of Working on Dying goes full pop rock singing about an evil awaiting him. “Halos & Angels” reunites with his WZRD cohort Dot da Genius blending neo-psychedelia & alternative R&B looking to get his mind right while “Ride Ride” ends with a peacefully climatic outro he self-produced culminating in the styles of alternative R&B, neo-psychedelia & pop rap.

75% of this EP was already released as singles & considering that all 3 of them were bangers to me anyway, I knew I’d come away from Have U BN 2 Heaven @ Nite? enjoying it more than Free & it makes me anticipate his upcoming 12th album more than I initially was prior to listening to this although I’d love for BNYX to do an entire project with him eventually. The production’s a huge improvement above the latter album mixing alternative R&B, neo-psychedelia, pop rap & pop rock capturing his range as an artist rather than sticking to 1 particular sound & we get a look at where he is now that he’s no longer on a major label.

Score: 3.5/5

Keep up with @legendswill_never_die on Instagram & @LegendsllLiveOn on Twitter for the best music reviews weekly!

17&18 – “OuttaWack” review

17&18 are a duo from Detroit Michigan consisting of C.R.I.M. & Forever Foy. One of whom I met in 2021 at the release party for Fatt Father’s 5th album Soccer Dad produced by Middle Finger Music co-founder Foul Mouth & the other began his career a year later, starting up his own label Forever & a Day Entertainment too. Crossing paths with each other at a show towards the backend of 2024, they’ve since been plotting to make their introduction & have dropped their full-length studio debut to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day.

“No Direction” starts us off having both members trading cutthroat bars with each other over a piano instrumental whereas “Higher Than You” moves on from there on some eerier shit, with C.R.I.M. talking about working for everything she has & Foy confessing to being a manic depressive since an adolescent. “Not Rain” hooks up a cumbersome boom bap beat speaking of manifesting everything that draws to them prior to the ghostly “DNT CRY” advising not to shed any tears for them.

Reaching the halfway point, “The Bad Guy” instrumentally kinda has a funkier vibe to it talking about being in their villain eras for their own betterment while “Please Dont Roll Up My Window” greatly explains that they’re staying underground because the mainstream’s too compact these days. “Nobody Cares” however goes drumless so they can make it clear that people really don’t give a shit about how much others complain or pray.

“Total Annihilation” became the very moment that 17&18 were born spitting hardcore verses over this bloodcurdling beat while “RapCamp Retreat” featuring Beezy Brown, Blizzard & Jay Hemlock as well as “We Gotta Be Close” featuring J. Santino, Jenn Foy, Lyric Bell & SongByrd finishes OuttaWack with 2 different posse cuts. 1 clocking at 5 minutes taking a more hard of approach & the other at 6, except it ties everything together on a more endearing note.

I haven’t really heard much of Forever Foy’s material up to this point but knowing C.R.I.M. for almost 5 years already, I wanted to give OuttaWack a chance & it gives me an understanding regarding why they formed 17&18 since this isn’t too far behind from Bill & Isiah’s eponymous 2023 debut in terms of recent Motor City pairings. Both of them team up in the studio dismissing anything what either of them would consider a bad idea without judgement or sense of feeling embarrassed.

Score: 3.5/5

Keep up with @legendswill_never_die on Instagram & @LegendsllLiveOn on Twitter for the best music reviews weekly!

Bernadette Price & Terror Van Poo – “Kissing the Ground for Sinners” review

Brooklyn, New York emcee & Ruck Down Records CEO Bernadette Price teaming up with local artist Terror Van Poo & Boston, Massachusetts producer Stu Bangas for a new collaborative extended play. The widow of the late Sean Price of the Boot Camp Clik & Heltah Skeltah, she’s made a few appearances on songs in the past whether it be her late husband’s posthumous offering Imperius Rex or even with the likes of RJ Payne, Rim, the Snowgoons, Ruste Juxx & Vic Spencer. She finally made her solo debut last spring with A Widow’s Cry & to commemorate what would’ve been Ruck’s 54th birthday, it only makes sense for her & Terror to drop Kissing the Ground for Sinners.

After the intro, “Burden of Proof” starts with both of them hopping over a boom bap instrumental to talk about these rappers being bitches & masking it by claiming they’re real whereas “Big Trouble” eerily cautions that they got the gunplay as well as the street credit. “Trust in God” has a creepier vibe to the beat talking about having more faith in Higher Power & their guns more than people leading into “Food” featuring Leanah Cane aggressively proclaiming there to be no one nicer than them.

“Fuck You” gets the 2nd half of the EP going by giving middle fingers to everybody & instrumentally embracing a somber tone just before “Gunn Butt” jazzily talks about them having the ability to change perceptions overnight. The title track finds both of them looking to smoke any & all clowns who come in their direction while “Brownsville O.G.” blends a piano sample with some kicks & snares representing their stomping grounds to end the EP.

Terror Van Poo already had a few appearances on A Widow’s Cry almost a year earlier, so the idea of him doing an entire EP with Bernadette Price rapping over Stu Bangas production to honor her late husband’s legacy seemed like it could that LP & it sure enough does. Stu’s beats here hit significantly harder than Kissing the Ground for Sinners’ predecessor & we get a look at the artistic chemistry between both New Yorkers rather than continuing to present what Sean’s widow can offer as a solo artist.

Score: 4.5/5

Keep up with @legendswill_never_die on Instagram & @LegendsllLiveOn on Twitter for the best music reviews weekly!

SHVMIRE – “Eyes Wide Shut” review

This is the 4th extended play from Brooklyn, New York emcee/producer SHVMIRE. Dropping his debut EP 333 ❤ as well as a full-length debut Reclusive Poet he primarily self-produced and the Saxophones & Sex EP in 2024, he would eventually make his return this past Christmas Eve releasing his previous EP Grinch’n. Almost 3 months later, he’s continuing to take a backseat behind the boards & tell more stories of the masked hooded figure with a blue face & a closed yellow eye named ANU by putting out Eyes Wide Shut.

“Broadway & Canal St.” begins with this drumlessly jazzy beat explaining that everyone having the right to brag because it’s all facts whereas “Fidelio” featuring Nuemoney718 soulfully talks about what happens when pussy’s at stake. “Black Gatsby” chops up more chipmunk soul samples suggesting that everyone listening finds their passion while “Press Play” featuring Action Figure 973 talks about how shit gets real in the east coast.

Nuemoney returns for “The Shining” using proper grammar to speak of money continuing to rely on sampling instrumentally & “Mota y Platanos” also featuring Nuemoney references the current 4-time TNA World Tag Team Champion & inaugural 4th Rope World Tag Team Champion Jeff Hardy. “Auntie Margaret’s Soul Food” soulfully talks about how he’s only warming up while “Uncle Elroy’s Pie” welcomes anyone looking for a fix to his humble spot.

“Broken Mirrors” winds down Eyes Wide Shut’s last few moments clarifying that he’s in his 4th season who’s still commencing his reclusive style of hip hop rather than being a rookie & the beat feels like something out of a improvised jazz band session while “Follow the Light” is ties it all up with this celebratory closer firing off rapid flows talking about him thinking in double time these days & that he’s closer to God after stepping towards this brightness he’s referring to.

Known for blending gritty hip hop with jazz-influenced textures & surreal film-like energy, Eyes Wide Shut leans fully into that vision by pairing music with darkly immersive visuals inspired by secrecy as well as power & hidden worlds. The end result is SHVMIRE’s greatest solo material thus far. He uses ANU as both an alter ego much like what one of my top 10 producers of all-time Madlib has previously done with Quasimoto & a storytelling device where everything connects, which is exemplified by the cohesive transitions.

Score: 4/5

Keep up with @legendswill_never_die on Instagram & @LegendsllLiveOn on Twitter for the best music reviews weekly!

72 Reezy – “Slide or Get Slid On” review

New surprise mixtape from Detroit, Michigan underground trap musician, model & influencer 72 Reezy. Recording music when he was only 6 & becoming distinct in Detroit trap for his numerous flows, he caught the attention of the city’s biggest groups in recent memory the ShittyBoyz signed to Lando Bando’s own The Hip Hop Lab Records & became a member of their Dog $hit Militia collective. His debut extended play Drop $hit Militia had its moments, but hearing Danny G was fully producing Slide or Get Slid On & Shadow Wizard Money Gang hosting it raised my expectations significantly almost a week after Izzi Dame became the new NXT Women’s North American Champion.

“Whole Lotta Bullets” featuring VampViolence starts us off by having both of them decently trading the mic back-&-forth with each other whereas “Coffee Cups” picks things back up with a Detroit trap instrumental talking about carrying that exact amount of cough syrup on him similarly to a canteen, which has never been my thing personally. “Get Yo Roll On” includes a great bar towards the halfway point honoring the late Detroit icon Blade Icewood leading into “Militia Bidness” featuring Babytron representing the D$M.

As for “CatDog”, we have Danny G bringing some bells into the picture for Reezy to talk about his preference for bisexual women because he’s a dog while “Chill Damon” featuring LOM Rudy decently brings both of them together to trade verses with each other. I wasn’t head over heels for “Whole Chirp” featuring Pooh Chedda & Plymouth WAN either although I do like the beat, but “Win Slow” picks things back up using some wordplay involving the Warner Bros.-owned Family Matters series.

“Gooner” wraps up Slide or Get Slid On’s last moments boasting that he has more chains than one of hip hop’s greatest storytellers in Slick Rick while “Fast Food” featuring $kid puts a psychedelic spin to the Detroit sound although $kid’s appearance would have to be my 2nd favorite right behind Tron of course. “Bambu” finishes the tape hopping over a rattling bassline talking about his joint being filled with dank & hearing that everyone else has been rolling swishers.

I stand by the praise I’ve given Danny G in the past for his production on TR Dee’s 4th mixtape Crunch Time and $weet-T’s 3rd album $weet & Silent Dan. That said: Slide or Get Slid On wound up leaving me on the fence a lot like WTF Daniel!? did this last Halloween. There’s nothing wrong with Danny’s production since he & Jakesand are amongst my personal favorite producers within the modern Detroit trap scene, although the features leave little to be desired for me other than a couple of them & Reezy’s performances have improved.

Score: 3/5

Keep up with @legendswill_never_die on Instagram & @LegendsllLiveOn on Twitter for the best music reviews weekly!

Stacc Styles – “Stacc of Spades” review

Tucson, Arizona recording artist Stacc Styles is back with his 4th studio LP. The founder of Dope Shop Records, he introduced himself in the spring of 2015 off the debut album Inside the Ride followed by the sophomore effort Mr. Purple in the fall of 2020. Stacc has also been an affiliate of Suburban Noize Records dating back to being a roadie for the punk band Mower, eventually signing to the west coast underground imprint in 2024 & his last full-length Live Your Best Life refined his whole artistic identity. Almost a couple years later, he’s returning with a Stacc of Spades.

After the titular intro, the first song “God Mode Activated” makes his return over a funereal trap beat talking about being the head honcho whereas “Still Riding High” leans towards a g-funk vibe for all the stoners out there. “Relentless” goes for a more rugged vibe instrumentally & takes a hardcore approach to his songwriting prior to “What You Mad About?” posing a question for all the haters who’ve been detracting him since signing to Subnoize.

“Knife Rips” embraces a more celebratory tone refusing to stop because it’s only gonna go up from here just before “Pounds to Grams” featuring D-Loc & Judge D of the Kottonmouth Kings finds the trio getting back on their weed smoking shit. After the “Sub Noize Legacy” interlude throws it back to the Tsunami Bros.’ only album King Harbor with a full-blown turntablism cut, “Stamina” works in some pianos & guitars boasting that no one has his kind of endurance while “Modern Day Hero” talks about how dreams do come true.

Preceding the “Message from Munchies” skit, “Take Your Time” hops over a bluesy boom bap instrumental wanting the world to know everything will be ok in the end while “To the Dome” featuring the DG@F General himself Chucky Chuck & the late Saint Dog comes through with an old school 90s west coast heater. “How You Living” goes g-funk again wanting everyone to ride with him into this new era & once the original Kottonmouth King Johnny Richter appears for the reggae-inflicted single “More Peace of Mind”, the closer “Anything’s Possible” featuring Too Rude frontman Dog Boy ends the album on an optimistic note.

Live Your Best Life was a solid refinement of Stacc Styles’ whole sound that Suburban Noize Records laid out the blueprint for & not only does Stacc of Spades take it to the next level with his magnum opus, but also one of the greatest things Subnoize has done over the course of the 2020s along with Obnoxious’ debut album Sic Audio & the King Klick’s self-titled extended play. From the incredible list of the label’s most celebrated alumni to Stacc’s own performances & the production, it feels like their way of moving forward whilst celebrating 3 decades of it’s foundation.

Score: 4.5/5

Keep up with @legendswill_never_die on Instagram & @LegendsllLiveOn on Twitter for the best music reviews weekly!

Elucid – “I Guess U Had to Be There” review

This is the 5th studio LP & Rhymesayers Entertainment debut from Queens, New York emcee/producer Elucid. For nearly 2 decades, he’s been making a name for himself whether it be his 10 mixtapes & 2 EPs that he’s released by himself or becoming 1/2 of the abstract duo Armand Hammer. His full-length solo debut Save Yourself came during the spring of 2016, which was followed by I Told Bessie as well as the Fat Possum Records-backed Revelator & Interference Pattern. Given that 2 of 2025’s most celebrated albums Golliwog & Mercy both came out under Rhymesayers, it was only a matter of time for I Guess U Had to Be There to drop & my anticipation was raised after learning Sebb Bash was fully producing it.

“1st Light” began the rollout with this drumlessly abstract lead single talking about being on farmer time whereas “Cantana” works in some exuberant pianos & a soul sample wanting to be left the fuck alone in addition to being on his 8th life. “Hands n Feet” featuring Estee Nack finds the 2 leaning towards a hardcore boom bap vibe dropping bars that they assume will go over people’s heads more than Israeli drones, but then “Make Me Wise” strips the drums again describing the government pairin’ propaganda with a pie in the face when that & the drone line on the previous track aren’t entirely wrong.

My favorite track here would easily be “Coonspeak” from the abstractly conscious lyricism to the experimentally wicked & drumless loop just before “Equiano” reaches the halfway point bringing the drums back in whilst turning up the psychedelia telling it straight how it is. Armand Hammer reunites for the 3rd & final single “The Lorax” returning to the boom bap & including a reference to the infamous Malice at the Palace brawl which occurred when I was about to turn 8 while “Fainting Goats” featuring Breeze Brewin’ hop over this drumless chipmunk soul beat talking about their reaffirmations of nobody having harder motion than them.

“I Say Self” rounds out 3rd with a sinisterly dark approach instrumentally talking about his refusal to put swine above himself while “Visitation Place” shifts towards a psychedelic direction with the beat tearing apart the type of people who should be doing more when they don’t & seeing it in their eyes that nothing’s adding up when he can’t either. “Alive Herbals” turns up the funk looking to the paint the block blue with money inside his shoes & “Parental Advisory” ends the album on some drumless psychedelic rock shit wondering if his firearm awoke anyone from their sleep.

Receiving a huge co-sign from one of my top 10 producers of all-time The Alchemist calling him “his favorite producer today”, Sebb Bash validates that by linking up with Elucid to surpass Revelator to become the greatest entry in his entire solo catalog & continues to ring in this new era for Backwoodz Studioz since they’ve signed this distribution deal with Rhymesayers Entertainment last spring. His abstractly conscious & hardcore lyrical style has been progressively improving & Sebb cooks up some of his greatest production built around drumless, boom bap, psychedelia & chipmunk soul.

Score: 4.5/5

Keep up with @legendswill_never_die on Instagram & @LegendsllLiveOn on Twitter for the best music reviews weekly!