Ramirez – “Tha Playa$ Manual” review

Ramirez is a 22 year old MC from San Francisco, California who you may recognize for being the very 1st artist that the $uicideboy$ ever signed to G*59 Record$. Joining his mentors for the G.R.E.Y.G.O.D.S. collab EP & it’s sequel, he would make his full-length debut at the beginning of 2016 off Meet Me Where the River Turns Greyfollowed by The Grey Gorilla & Son of Serpentine. For his 4th studio album however, he’s recruiting Virginia producer Rocci to produce the whole entire thing top to bottom.

After the intro, the first song “Lane Switching”opens with a cloudy yet funky ode to the playas giving middle fingers to the perpetrators whereas “Hunnids” kinda has a Memphis influence to the beat talking about having all the shit that everyone else doesn’t have. “Gold Thangs & Pinky Rangs (Da Hooptie)” featuring Pouya & Shakewell takes the g-funk route for the trio offering fine wine & necklaces instead of money until the moody “Brown Eyes” featuring Rocci finds the pair looking to steal hoes.

“Lavender Lust” after the “Radio” skit is pretty much Rocci singing over a funky instrumental for a minute asking if his romantic interest loves him back just before “Glitter & Gold” gets back on the g-funk vibes to include a dope ass 士セーラームーン reference early during the first verse. “The Fo 5” radiates a bit of a cavernous feel to the beat making way for Ramirez to talk about murder just before “Lead Sled” keeps his head up in the rain with an instrumental harking back to the west coast sound of the 90s.

Moving on from there, “Out da Way” homages the Memphis scene again talking about feeling some type of way as of late while “Tales from da Guttah fuses gangsta rap with trap & dirty south repping G*59 until his body turns grey. After the “Ebony Wood Stock” interlude with a 35 second verse during the backend of it, “Red Dot” featuring Night Lovell ahead of the outro sends off Tha Playa$ Manual with both of them leavin’ people in critical condition by putting bullets through their domes.

The most sonically expansive project that we’ve ever gotten from Ramirez to this day will arguably become the greatest musical opus in the history of the G*59 Record$ discography. Rocci’s production is heavily driven by the g-funk sound that shaped Death Row Records approximately 3 decades ago further drawing inspiration from Memphis rap, trap, hip hop soul, pop rap, phonk, contemporary R&B & the dirty south combined in a smoothly manner with the west coast artist’s gangsta themes.

Score: 4.5/5

Drake – “Dark Lane Demo Tapes” review

Drake is a 33 year old rapper, singer/songwriter, actor & entrepreneur from Toronto, Ontario, Canada who blew up in 2009 with his breakout mixtape So Far Gone. The success of this groundbreaking project resulted in a contract with both Young Money Entertainment & Cash Money Records, who put out the man’s full-length debut Thank Me Later the following year. His sophomore effort Take Care the year after would be even better & I enjoyed Nothing Was the Same too but after If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late & then What a Time to Be Alive with Future (both of which came out in 2015), that’s when the quality in Drake’s music really began to take a nosedive. VIEWS was a terrible foray into dancehall, More Life was mediocre despite being stylistically eclectic & then his Young Money/Cash Money swan song Scorpion was a disappointingly failed attempt at making a double disc album showcasing the hip hop & R&B sides of his music respectively. He managed to put out a decent collection of loosies last summer called Care Package & with his 6th full-length album coming this summer, we’re getting a prelude mixtape outta nowhere.

Things start off with “Deep Pockets”, where Drake talks about how his crew is rollin’ now over a trippy instrumental from 40 & Plain Pat. The next song “When to Say When” charismatically brags over a Bobby Glenn sample while the “Chicago Freestyle” asks a woman to meet him by The Bean over an ethereal beat. The track “Not You Too” with Chris Brown talks about being backstabbed over a cavernous instrumental that later switches into something more synth-heavy about halfway through while the song “Toosie Slide” is a trite & annoying TikTok anthem.

The track “Desires” with Future sees the 2 talking about women over a generically cloudy beat & even though the lyrics on “Time Flies” don’t sit well with me personally, the instrumental is just impeccably alluring. “Landed” finds Drizzy flexing as Cardo backs him up with what could possibly be my favorite instrumental on the entire project while the song “D4L” with Future & Young Thug is pretty much a dedication to all 3 of the artists’ respectively self-owned record labels OVO Sound, Freebandz Entertainment & YSL Records backed with an aggressive Southside beat.

The track “Pain 1993” with Playboi Carti sees the 2 getting materialistic over some signature Pi’erre Bourne production while the song “Losses” talks about losing this woman to the game over a more smooth instrumental. “From Florida with Love” asks this chick if she really has love for him over an intoxicating MexikoDro beat while the song “Demons” gets with Fivio Foreign & Sosa Geek for some surface level shit-talking, but I love the angelic vocals in the background. The closer “War” then goes full-on UK Drill & it’s just unbelievably awful.

Pretty boring overall & that really shouldn’t come as a surprise at this point. Granted it’s a lot shorter than More Life & Scorpion as it only runs at 50 minutes but the instrumentals are mediocre, the songwriting is & the guest are either hit or miss. The album can’t be worse though.

Score: 2/5

Twiztid – “Mad Season” review

This is the surprise 13th full-length album from Detroit hip hop duo & Astronomicon founders Twiztid. Originally starting off as members of the House of Krazees with The R.O.C. before disbanding in 1997, Jamie Madrox & Monoxide were taken eventually under the wings of the Insane Clown Posse & signed to Psychopathic Records shortly after. They ended up staying with them for 15 years & sporadically wrestled during the first few years after Juggalo Championship Wrestling (JCW) was formed, leaving at the end of 2012 to form their own label Majik Ninja Entertainment in 2014. They’ve released 3 full-length albums on their own since & with the 1 year anniversary of their previous one Generation Nightmare coming this weekend, Jamie & Mono decided to hit us with Mad Season out of the blue.

The opener “Off W/ They Heads” finds the demented duo talking about the occult over a nocturnal trap beat from Young Wicked whereas the next song “Do This 1 More Time” talks about being mentally unstable over a bombastic instrumental. The track “Everything’s Cursed” stays on the horrorcore tip over a rubbery, supernatural beat while song “That’s What They Be Telling Me” airs out the things being heard to them over a groggy trap beat from Godsynth.

The track “F Feelings“ tells their opponents to do their worst over a suspenseful instrumental then the song right after is the latest installment of the “Wasted” series of party anthems that Twiztid does & it’s just as decent as the previous 3. The track “Follow Me” with Hyro the Hero sees the trio talking about feeling electrified over some unsettling bells backed by a set of snares & then there’s the “Hungry Like the Wolf” cover, which Jamie & Jimmy Urine both do a great job at surprisingly.

The song “Never Change” finds Monoxide declaring himself a rebel & Jamie addressing the duo’s falling out with ICP over an haunting piano-trap beat from ScatteredBrains while “Fuck Wit Us” is a Triple Threat cut about smoking weed over an instrumental with an uncanny feel to it. The song “My Bible” with Stevie Stone & Young Wicked sees the 4 talking about bringing smoke over a prominent organ loop while the penultimate track “Slo-Mo” talks about being under the influence over a woozy boom bap beat. The album finishes with “4Get U”, where Twiztid hooks up with Ekoh & Young Wicked to fall about being done dirty in the industry over these icy keyboards.

As solid as Generation Nightmare was, this new album is even better in my personal opinion. I really like how the demented duo sound angrier & return to a more hip hop-based sound on here in contrast to the previous effort attempting to appeal to that Warped Tour crowd.

Score: 3.5/5

100GrandRoyce – “Prodigal Sun” review

100GrandRoyce is an MC from Harlem, New York that came up as a member of The Stackboys. He eventually went solo in 2011 releasing his debut No Relief followed by the debut EP Chips followed by the sophomore effort Destiny preluding a whole trilogy of EPs: The Old Dutch, 3 Strikes & more recently Nice Guys Finish Last this past Black Friday. But to start off the new decade, he’s enlisting 183rd to produce his 5th EP in its entirety.

Things kick off with the title track, where 100GrandRoyce talks about how no one can fuck with him over a meditative instrumental with a saxophone hanging in the back. The next song “No Pressure” continues to flex his rapping prowess over a mystical-sounding instrumental while the track “Prime” talks about how he feels like he’s at his best right now over a trap beat with a harmonious vocal sample.

The song “Above All” is a sensual love tune while the penultimate track “Angel” talks about being watched from above over a soothing instrumental. The EP finishes off with “Pain 2 Pleasure”, where 100GrandRoyce talks about overcoming his hardships & I love the way “Living Inside Your Love” by Earl Klugh gets flipped on here.

To me, this is 100GrandRoyce’s best work to date & it’s a really great entry point for new fans. Could’ve used a feature or 2, but his lyrical evolution compared to his previous efforts is insane & 183rd’s production is absolutely gorgeous.

Score: 4/5

XP the Marxman – “Keep Firing” review

XP the Marxman is an MC from Los Angeles, California who came up as 1/3 of the trio Rhyme Addicts. He would eventually branch out for a solo career & has released a few projects since. However as a huge marijuana advocate, he’s celebrating 4/20 with a brand new EP entirely produced by none other than Roc Marciano.

“The Have Nots” that kicks the EP off talks about life in the ghetto over an Italian-flavored instrumental & after the titular interlude, the next song “Get Paid” of course talks about making money over an ominous instrumental. The track “No Idea” shows listeners how it is over a more upbeat instrumental while the song “Who Shot Ghost?” hooks up with Termanology to paint some vividly dark imagery over a supernatural instrumental. The EP finishes off with “Season Eatings”, where XP takes a more predominantly melodic approach over a smooth instrumental.

If you wanna get into XP’s music, I highly recommend starting off this because I think it’s his best release to date. He sounds hungrier than ever, Roc Marciano goes to show that he’s just as much of an incredible producer as he is an MC & it all comes together naturally.

Score: 4/5

Isaac Castor – “The Rabbit Hole” review

Isaac Castor is a 24 year old rapper from Ann Arbor, Michigan who I first caught wind of through his association with Middle Finger Music a few years ago. He eventually landed a contract with the label & now he’s hooking up with it’s co-founder Foul Mouth for his full-length debut.

The album kicks off with “Homesick”, where Isaac talks about how he’s ready to take over the game & I love the meditative boom bap production as well. The next song “Retrospect” with Bub Rock sees the 2 reflecting about their past & how they’re doing better now over a beautiful soul sample while “The Sickness” charismatically shows off his skills over an organ-inflicted boom bap beat. The song “Regal” talks about how raw his music is over an instrumental that sounds like something RZA would’ve made in the 90’s while the track “Fire Drill” talks about being built for this over a jazzy boom bap beat.

The song “Headless Horsemen” with Fatt Father & J-Classic sees the 3 challenging their competition over a boom bap beat with a psychedelic guitar lead while the title track talks about partying over a woozy beat. The song “Name 5 Songs” talks about groupies over a fast-tempo trap beat while the track “Guess What?” talks about this girl he was seeing running off with another guy over a funky beat. The song “That Ain’t Love” pays tribute to those who’ve been heartbroken over a boom bap beat with some somber piano chords while the track “Paramount” with A-Minus sees the 2 talking about earning their stripes over an upbeat instrumental.

The song “Green Pill” with Aztek the Barfly sees the 2 talking about how no one’s on their level over a suspenseful instrumental while the penultimate track “Can’t Decide” talks about his demons over some strings. The album finishes off with “Challenged”, where Isaac talks about being blessed in the moment over an energetic beat. There is a bonus track worth mentioning called “Excuse My English” referencing UFC President Dana White.

What a fantastic debut. Foul Mouth reminds us why he’s my favorite producer out in Detroit with his versatile sound whereas Isaac really shines on here as his pen-game sounds smarter than ever & you really get a good look at who he is as a whole. Really looking forward to watch him grow in the future & to see what else Middle Finger Music has in store for the new decade.

Score: 4/5

Tech N9ne – “ENTERFEAR” review

Tech N9ne is an MC from Kansas City, Missouri who really doesn’t need an introduction at this point. The man has put in an insane amount of work over the course of his nearly 3 decade career from starting up the most successful independent label in hip hop Strange Music to a lengthy discography including Anghellic, Absolute Power, Everready [The Religion], K.o.D. (King of Darkness) & Special Effects. The last we heard from Tech was just about a year ago with N9NA & with the 1 year anniversary of that coming up, he’s back with his 22nd album.

The album kicks off with “Just Die?”, where Tech takes aim to those saying it’s falling off over a rap metal beat. The next song “Suckseed” with King Iso sees the 2 telling everyone to suck their dicks over a rock/trap fusion while the track “Outdone” talks about going from rapping for the first time in 1985 to being co-signed by some of the greats & I love how layered the beat from MIKE SUMMERS a.k.a. 7 gets as it progresses. The song “Look What I Did” with the Flatbush ZOMBiES talks about making it in the industry over a cavernous trap beat while the track “Yeah No!” talks about being reclusive now over a dark instrumental.

The song “Dr. Sebagh” with Landxn Fyre sees the 2 showing off their skills over a spacious beat while the track “Question Mark This!” with Lex Bratcher sees the 2 talking about backstabbers over a druggy beat. The song “Snake & the Batman” is a short yet merciless flex over a slow yet suspenseful instrumental while the track “Feel So Sad!” talks about how he isn’t perfect over a dreary acoustic instrumental.The song “Leave It on the Flo!” talks about hooking up with 2 women over a sensual beat & an awkward Landxn verse in the middle while the track “Phonk” with Merkules & Scru Face Jean is a decent sequel with a soulful boom bap beat.

The song “Angel Baby” talks about all the times he’s survived death over a funereal instrumental while the track “On the Outside” talks about getting money over an upbeat instrumental. The song “Smell Good” with Krizz Kaliko sees the 2 getting flirtatious over a smooth instrumental while the track “Stoli Doli” continues the same themes over a more meditative beat.The song “For Ya Love” talks about this woman holding a grudge over an intoxicating beat while the track “B.I.B. (But I’m Blessed)” sees Tech & Krizz talks about being grateful despite their shortcomings over a calming yet atmospheric beat. The song “Saw Somethin’” with Iso sees the 2 talking about the supernatural over a ghostly instrumental & then the closer “KC Smile” pays tribute to his hometown over a jazzy beat.

Tech has always been one of my favorite artists in all of hip hop & this just goes to show why. A couple of the features could’ve been better at points, but I really like how the album takes a much more darker approach than N9NA did.

Score: 3/5

Westside Gunn – “Pray for Paris” review

Westside Gunn is an MC & entrepreneur from Buffalo, New York that made his mark on hip hop in 2016 with his debut album FLYGOD. This has been continued with a handful of mixtapes, his 2018 sophomore album Supreme Blientele, inking a management deal with JAY-Z’s Roc Nation & his own label Griselda Records even signing a distribution deal with Shady Records. In 2019, we saw Westside drop his 3rd album FLYGOD is an Awesome God in the summer & then the 7th installment of his infamous Hitler Wears Hermes series 4 months later. However to kick off his final year of making music allegedly, he’s coming through with his 4th full-length album.

After the $4M + Tax” intro, we get into the first song “No Vacancy”. Where the FLYGOD of course talks about pushing & slamming muhfuckas on their necks like the longest-reigning WWE Champion, former 3-time WWE tag team champion & WWE Hall of Famer Bruno Sammartino over a blissful DJ Muggs instrumental. The next track “George Bondo” with Conway the Machine & Benny the Butcher sees the 3 talking about going from selling dog food to being successful & impacting the culture like former WCW senior VP, Monday Night RAW GM, TNA Executive Producer & WCW Hardcore Champion Eric Bischoff over a grimy Daringer/Beat Butcha instrumental while the song “327” with Joey Bada$$ & Tyler, The Creator sees the 3 flexing over a mellow boom bap beat.

The track “French Toast” with Wale sees the 2 talking about crushing their competition over a piano-inflicted boom bap beat & while the song “Euro Step” may have my least favorite instrumental on the album, I do like how Westside pays tribute to everyone he knows who’re still slanging yay. The track “Allah Sent Me” with Conway & Benny sees the 3 trading bars back & forth with each other like it’s nothing over a menacing Daringer beat while the song “$500 Ounces” with Freddie Gibbs & Roc Marciano sees the 3 getting mafioso over a jazzy Alchemist beat.

The track “Versace” talks about how he’s never going back to being broke over a harmonious vocal sample while the song “Clairborne Kick” with Boldy James sees the 2 talking about their dealing days & I really love the atmosphere that Uncle Al provides them with as well as nod to current WWE Champion Drew McIntyre’s finisher. The track “Shawn vs. Flair” shows off his wordplay over a flawless boom bap beat from none other than DJ Premier while the song “Party with Pop Smoke” finds Westside bragging & Keisha Plum closing it out with some beautiful poetry over a colorful Tyler, The Creator instrumental. The album then finishes with “Le Djobila”, where we get a very short verse & some really awesome tap-dancing over a soulful beat

If this really is Westside’s final year rapping because everyone has said it at some point, then what a way to kick it off. He sounds as passionate as ever, the big name features all come together fantastically & the production is easily some of the best that the man has EVER gotten his hands on.

Score: 4/5

R.A. the Rugged Man – “All My Heroes Are Dead’ review

R.A. the Rugged Man is an MC from New York that’s been at it since the very early 90’s. However it wouldn’t be until 2004 that he would make his full-length debut with *Die, Rugged Man, Die*. This was followed up in 2013 with Legends Never Die which was so fantastic, that it actually gave this reviewer inspiration to name himself Legends Will Never Die. Fans have been waiting for a 3rd album & 7 years later, here we finally are.

The album kicks off with the title track, where R.A. triumphantly announces his return & I love how dynamic the production gets. The next song “Legendary Loser” talks about being a scumbag over a vintage boom bap beat from Psycho Les while the song “Golden Oldies” with Slug sees the 2 paying tribute to their influences over a soulful boom bap beat. The song “Wondering (How to Believe)” gets conscious over a gorgeous piano instrumental while the track “Dragon Fire” with Ghostface Killah, Kool G Rap & Masta Killa shows that all 4 still got it lyrically over a grimy beat.

The song “All Systems Go” references the late WWE Hall of Famer & former WWE Tag Team Champion Big John Studd over a slowed down sample & after the “Cancelled” skit, the track “Angelic Boy” talks about killing a 6 year old boy & getting killed by the cops over a tense instrumental. The song “Gotta Be Dope” with A-F-R-O talks about being ill on the mic over a boom bap beat with C-Lance with a vintage sample while the track “First Born” talks about becoming a father over a Mr. Green instrumental that enhances the emotion. Especially with that piano loop.

The song “E.K.N.Y. (Ed Koch New York)” with Inspectah Deck sees the 2 talking about growing up in the Big Apple over an eerie beat while the track “Hate Speech” talks about just that over an ominous boom bap beat. The song “Living Through a Screen (Everything’s a Lie” gets back on the conscious tip over a somber instrumental while the track “Contra-Dictionary” talks about hypocrisy over a hypnotic beat. “The Slayer’s Club” is a phenomenal all-star posse cut while the song “Life of the Party” speaks for itself over a classy boom bap beat from Prince Paul.

“The Big Snatch” takes a look into what’s in R.A.’s world over some plinky keys & a tuba while the track “Who Do We Trust?” with Immortal Technique sees the 2 talking about the system over a sitar-inflicted boom bap beat. The penultimate song “Malice of Mammon” stays on the political tip over a haunting beat & then after the “Sean riP” interlude, “The After Life” pays tribute to Sarah Smith over an angelic boom bap beat.

For the long wait, it’s pretty solid. A little too long running at 77 minutes but the feature list is top notch, the production’s on point & R.A.’s lyricism has only gotten more clever with time. If you wanna see someone remind you why he’s a veteran in the underground, then give this a listen.

**Score: 4/5**

The 4 Owls – “Nocturnal Instinct” review

The 4 Owls are a boom bap quartet from London, England, United Kingdom consisting of BVA, Fliptrix, Leaf Dog & Verb T. Making their full-length debut Nature’s Greatest Mystery under High Focus Records during my freshman year of high school, their sophomore effort Natural Order came out a few months prior to my graduation & have since considered “Think Twice” to be the greatest single of their career. 5 years later, the group’s returning for their 4th studio album a month since the COVID-19 pandemic began globally.

“Sound the Alarm” featuring Smellington Piff begins with all 4 of them over a boom bap instrumental from Leaf Dog promising to behead everyone questioning their leadership whereas “Coming Home” find the Owls talking about dumping every & all toxic styles into the wasteland. Kool G Rap joins forces over a vocal sample during “Pioneer” to see who has the most intricate pen of the 5 just before “Be Free” carries forward talking about the whole idea of freedom.

The 2nd single “Honor Codes” ponders if one’s capable of making the right choices & making changes to their lives while “Life Lines” continues to let Leaf Dog’s ear for sampling shine dropping off 4 rapid-fire verses in the midst of it all. DJ Premier returns behind the boards for the 3rd & final single “100%” assured their story will be told like Atilla the Hun while “Air Strike” featuring R.A. the Rugged Man references Black Sabbath frontman & WWE Hall of Famer Ozzy Osbourne.

“Dark Days” featuring Roc Marciano continues the 2nd half with an organ-heavy boom bap beat ripping it hardcore for almost 5 minutes without the need of a hook & after “Let Go” confesses the Owls’ awareness of having things they need to stop holding onto like giving a fuck about whatever others nearby think of you over an orchestral flip, “Deadly Movements” featuring Masta Killa tells the story a man with a heart of gold becoming increasingly weaker as he gets older going from a once sharp & full mind that’s now clouded & diseased.

To start Nocturnal Instinct’s encore, the song “Lessons” blends kicks & snares with a guitar sample talking about studying the essence while “I Got You” speaks of the Owls trying to free themselves mentally whilst searching for another world & feeling something within the air once they’ve gone through the open portal over this boom bap instrumental radiating a mafioso atmosphere to it. Regarding the outro, we’re presented a soulful sequel to “All My Life” off Nature’s Greatest Mystery revisiting the predecessor’s themes nearly a decade earlier.

Yearning to elevate themselves further, The 4 Owls recruit a handful of East Coast veterans to accompany them behind the mic besides Smellington on the intro to further exemplify their status as the greatest boom bap group that the UK hip hop scene has to offer only a few months deep into this new decade. The production is a lot similar to Natural Order’s in that it’s almost entirely handled by Leaf Dog with the exception of Preemo doing a track & every single member pushing themselves lyrically farther than they did over the course of their last couple LPs.

Score: 4.5/5