Bizarre – “Rufus” review

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This is the 4th studio album from Detroit rapper Bizarre, who is widely known for being a member of the now defunct D12. He was one of the first members of the group to already have an established solo career, as his 1998 EP Attack of the Weirdos as well as his 2005 debut album Hannicap Circus are hometown classics in my eyes. Last time we heard from him in a full-length capacity was in 2010 with Friday Night at St. Andrews but after years of focusing on mixtapes & more recently the duo L.A.R.S. with King Gordy, he’s back with his first studio album in 9 years with Rufus.

The opener “RIP Bizarre” talks about how wild he is over a woozy instrumental, but then it cuts into a spoken word piece where he announces that the Bizarre character will be out the window for a while. The intro is an auto-tune trap ballad about all the drugs he does while the song “Day in the Hood” talks about what it’s like living in Detroit over a haunting trap beat. The track “Puffin'” with Danny Mellz & Wack Rac sees the 3 of course talking about weed over a nocturnal beat while the song “Grandmom” is an endearing tribute to Biz’s late grandmother.

The track “Wish I Was High” is an hallucinogenic banger about wanting to be under the influence & while I like the bass-heavy instrumental on the song “Dope Fiend”, Biz’s whispery delivery doesn’t do it for me. The track “Leatherface” finds L.A.R.S getting with Lazarus & Hopsin to deliver an epically grimy horrorcore cut while the song “Get Hi” talks about his love for weed over an intoxicating beat. The track “Treat Yourself” talks about appreciating the simple things in life & not letting the world bring you down over a skeletal instrumental whereas the song “Late Night” with Oba Rowland is an awkward attempt at a “sexy” radio hit.

The track “Lose Weight” talks about wanting to live a healthier lifestyle after recently being diagnosed with diabetes over a soulful instrumental while the song “Man on a Mission” with Danny Mellz & Tay Kova sees the 3 talking about ruff riding over a druggy trap beat. The track “Petty” with former D12 bandmate dEnAuN sees the 2 talking about being just that over a stripped back instrumental while the song “Step Father” is a dedication to all the stepfathers out there backed with a rich instrumental & while the song “Free” talks about being relieved, the beat is nondescript.

The track “My Daughter” talks about not wanting to be a bad father over a vibraphone-inflicted trap beat whereas the song “Breathe Deep” talks about being on the verge of a panic attack over a grim instrumental. The track “Marijuana” needs no further explanation lyrically although I do like the vibrant production while the penultimate track “Bizarre Back / Have You Ever” starts off with a spoken word piece announcing the return of the Bizarre character & then he busts in asking rhetorical questions over a dazing instrumental. Then there’s the closer “Fans”, where Biz invites a handful of independent rappers on to showcase their talents.

This is actually a pretty solid effort from Biz overall. Sure it’s 80 minutes long & there are some cuts on here that I can personally do without, but it’s a nice change of pace as he spends a good 95% of the time telling you who he really is as a person & where he’s at now.

Score: 3.5/5

Kofi Stone – “Nobody Cares ‘Till Everybody Does” review

Birmingham, West Midlands, England, United Kingdom emcee Kofi Stone finally making his official full-length studio debut. Coming up battle rapping in the schoolyards as an adolescent, he would eventually put out his debut single “Stories in Pyjamas” in the summer of 2017 looking back at the lives of individuals close to him & his challenges growing up in an inner-city community. However, he’s been building up hype for Nobody Cares ‘Till Everybody Does coming off a few teasers.

“Diamonds in the Water” was a tight lo-fi opener talking about his desire to be set free even if nothing’s ever as it seems whereas “Frozen Hearts” speaks of cartwheeling when his life got turned upside down. “Dirty Airforces” talks about feeling exhausted from running around his city over a boom bap instrumental produced by Talos until the lead single “Same Old” discusses him getting fed up with a 9-5 being the reason why he began pursuing music full-time on top of a piano-driven Joe Corfield beat.

We get some more lo-fi vibes “After Hours” talking about his desires of having a conversation with a woman he’s been falling for just before the 3rd & final single “Talk About Us” assures the women being addressed that he’ll be here waiting for her if she ever changes his mind. “A Beautiful Tragedy” talks about needing an interval where he & his ex can be spiritual since they’re both acting like imbeciles while “It’s Ok to Cry” featuring Loyle Carner links up to express comfort in vulnerability.

The drumless title track talks about his career upbringings in Birmingham to get the 2nd half of Nobody Cares ‘Till Everybody Does going while “Busker Flow” likens his streams of consciousness to that of Lupe Fiasco or Black Star & Brother Ali in the middle of taking it back to his street-performing days over a soulful Pitch 92 instrumental. “Hugh” reunites with Joe Corfield for a tribute to his childhood friend of the same name while “Lost to the Streets” talks about his crimes catching up to him & hoping his son doesn’t suffer the same fate.

“Rodney Place” wraps up the final act of the LP painting imagery of a broken home growing up in the street located in the Southwark borough of London for the 2nd single while the enraging “Stepfather” resentfully airs out his grievances towards Kofi’s father Tony for walking out when he was only 11 after Christmas of 2007, expressing the hatred he’ll always hold against him for hurting his mother. “Karma” spends the remaining minutes of the album suggesting to play safely because karma does in fact have its way of coming back around.

Returning to his roots whilst venturing into new territory, Nobody Cares ‘Till Everybody Does takes inspiration from the biblical story of King David mirroring Kofi Sfone’s commitment to self-exploration & redemption resulting in an exciting debut. The consciously honest lyricism reveals what he’s always been capable of from the perspective of a storyteller with High Focus Records in-house producers Talos alongside Joe Corfield & Pitch 92 all supplying the strongest jazzy yet lo-fi boom bap production of the bunch.

Score: 4/5

Max B – “House Money” review

Max B is a 41 year old veteran from Harlem, New York who came up as a member of the ByrdGang. He released a solid debut album in 2011 called Vigilante Season but with him setting to be released from prison in 2021, he’s making a comeback with his debut EP.

The opener “Take My Time” talks about the lavish life over a mellow beat while the next song “Super Bad” with French Montana is a decent cut taken from their latest collab mixtape Coke Wave 4 that came out over the summer. The track “Ride on ‘Em” with Jadakiss sees the 2 showing off over a ghostly instrumental while the song “So Cold” with A Boogie wit da Hoodie talks about how dope they are over a woozy instrumental. The track “Never Change” with Wiz Khalifa sees the 2 talking about staying the same despite being famous over a spacey beat. The penultimate track “Goodbye” is pretty much Cam & Max passing the torch over to Dave East & then the closer “Champagne Wishes” with A$AP Ferg is a luxurious club banger.

For a comeback after 8 years, this was ok. Max definitely still has it in him & the features all sound great, but the production that Paul Couture brings to the table is hit or miss. I’d love to see him hook back up with Dame Grease one day, but time will tell.

Score: 3/5

Roddy Ricch – “Please Excuse Me for Being Antisocial” review

Roddy Ricch is a 21 year old rapper from Compton, California that came onto my radar last November due to the song “Splash Warning” off of Meek Mill’s last album Championships. He made it onto this year’s XXL Freshman Class list & now to keep the buzz going, he’s coming through with his debut album.

The intro finds Roddy celebrating his new life over a gorgeous set of piano chords with a cool switch up near the end while the next song “The Box” talks about how he’ll never sell his soul over a trap beat with some strings. The track “Start wit Me” with Gunna sees the 2 telling their hater to back off over a JetsonMade instrumental with a decent flute passage & rubbery bass while the song “Perfect Time” talks about groupies over a trap beat with some rich keyboards. The track “Moonwalkin'” with Lil Durk sees the 2 talking about sex over a dime a dozen acoustic trap instrumental.

The track “Big Stepper” talks about his success over a Western-inspired trap beat while the song “God’s Eyes” gets reflective over a gorgeous instrumental. The track “PETA” with Meek Mill sees the 2 flexing over an instrumental with this odd sample sticking out while the song “Boom Boom Room” continues to brag over another acoustic trap instrumental. After the “Elyse’s Skit”, the track “High Fashion” speaks for itself lyrically over a soothing DJ Mustard beat while the song “Bacc Seat” with Ty$ is a buttery love tune.

The track “Roll Dice” talks about being a star over a moody beat while the song “Prayers to the Trap God” reflects on his drug dealing days over a settle instrumental. The penultimate track “Tip Toe” with A Boogie wit da Hoodie sees the 2 recalling some personal experiences they’ve had over a bland instrumental & then the album ends with “War Baby”, where Roddy talks about where he came from over a gloomy instrumental.

For his debut album, this was just alright to me personally. Roddy definitely has potential, but he’s not really taking any risks on this one as the instrumental palate is just run of the mill & the features being hit or miss.

Score: 2.5/5

XXXTENTACION – “Bad Vibes Forever” review

This is the 2nd posthumous outing yet 4th & final album from Floridian rapper, singer/songwriter, instrumentalist & Members Only co-founder XXXTENTACION. The kid became an overnight sensation in 2017, making onto the XXL Freshman Class & came out with his debut “album” if you wanna call it that 17 that same year. A record that saw X departing from his signature hardcore sound for a more lo-fi acoustic emo direction & failing miserably. X’s sophomore album ? last March while still not all that good was a bit more longer & showed a lot more musical variety. But sadly, X was murdered 3 months after that album’s release. His estate then released his first posthumous effort Skins last winter, which is a horrifically cobbled together cash grab. Almost 365 days have passed since then & X’s mother is putting out what’s left of his unreleased material.

After the intro, the first song “Ex Bitch” directs itself towards Geneva Ayala over an acoustic instrumental. The next track “UGLY” talks about it being out of it over a grungy instrumental while the titular song feels like a leftover from Trippie Redd’s latest album ! since X only handles the hook. The Wheezy-produced “School Shooters” sounds as if it could be a Carter V outtake as Lil Wayne pretty much dominates it whereas the song “I Changed Her Life” is literally a demo with an underwritten Rick Ross verse overtaking it.

The track “Triumph” gets annoyingly repetitive lyrically while the song “LIMBO” with Killstation actually sounds like a finished trap banger. The track “before i realize” sounds like a bad 17 outtake but then on the song “Ecstasy”, X sounds barely awake over this cavernous beat & the Noah Cyrus feature doesn’t help at all. The track “Kill My Vibe” by Tom G talks about haters over a generically cloudy trap beat while the song “Hot Gyal” with Mavado & Tory Lanez is an outdated dancehall joint.

“THE ONLY TIME I FEEL ALIVE” with Craig Xen sees the 2 getting vicious over a bassy-trap beat & then after the tedious piano-lead “interlude that never ends”, the song “Dæmons” with Joey Bada$$ & Kemba sees the 3 getting spiritual over some drums & keyboards. It’s ok though, because at least Joey isn’t talking about “catching all diseases in the world so the world don’t have no more diseases” again. The track “ATTENTION!” sees X flexing over a bland beat while the song “Eat It Up” gets raunchy over a distorted Ronny J beat. The track “Voss” by Sauce Walka sees him flexing over a trap rock fusion from Gordo while the song “Royalty” with Stefflon Don & Vybz Kartel another boring dancehall cut.

The track “wanna grow old (i won’t let go)” by Jimmy Levy is comatose on all musical fronts while the song “HEARTEATER” is a mediocre, melodramatic pop rock cut. The track “NorthStar” with Joyner Lucas sees the 2 boasting over a rubbery trap beat while the song “CHASE (glass shards)” with ikabodVEINS sees the 2 talking about death over a demented beat. The penultimate track “numb the pain” is yet another terrible 17 demo & then the album ends with “IT’S ALL FADING TO BLACK”, which is pretty much a sappy blink-182 song with an X hook.

Not much for me to say about it beyond that, this was a dreadful listening experience & has been widely regarded since as one of if not the worst posthumous album that had ever been conceived. Sure this is the longest body of work that’s ever had XXXTENTACION name & it’s obviously not his fault, but it’s just as sloppily cobbled together as Skins & it doesn’t really do his artistic legacy all that much better justice in the process even if he was bettering himself near the end of his life.

Score: 1/5

CZARFACE – “The Odd Czar Against Us” review

CZARFACE is an East Coast supergroup consisting of Inspectah Deck of the almighty Wu-Tang Clan as well as 7L & Esoteric of the Army of the Pharaohs. They first formed like Voltron in 1999 with “Speaking Real Words” but after getting together again on “12th Chamber off the final 7L & Eso album to date 1212 in 2010, that’s when the trio decided to form a trio together. Their 2013 self-titled debut along with their 2015 sophomore album Every Hero Needs a Villain would both become modern underground classics in my opinion. Last time we heard the supergroup on their own was in 2016 with A Fistful of Peril, as they’ve been putting out collab albums with both MF DOOM & Ghostface Killah throughout the last couple years. However, they’re ending off the 2010s with their 4th full-length album.

The opener “Bizarro” finds Deck & Esoteric challenging their opponents referencing former WWE Tag Team Champion Adrian Adonis over a druggy instrumental whereas the next song “Call Me” is a 7L & Esoteric cut about people trying to hit em up over an instrumental kin to A New Dope. “The Gift That Keeps On…” sees the trio reforming to use the title as a beautiful metaphor for the trio’s music over a meditative instrumental while the song “Me’s Company” is Esoteric talking about keeping his circle small over a funky beat.

The track “Dear Computer” is Deck & Esoteric talking about going viral over an electro-boom bap beat while the song “Burrito” sees Eso telling the story of being at a Mexican place over a beat with some dope bass-playing throughout. The track “Brother Marquis” then finds CZAR trading bars with each other over a warping beat.

The track “Couch” is Esoteric about being lazy over a suiting instrumental while the song “Double Dragon” references former NWA World’s Heavyweight Champion, 4-time WCW World Television Champion, 8-time WCW World Tag Team Champion, WWE Hall of Famer, 5-time WWE United States Champion & WWE Intercontinental Champion Ricky Steamboat. “The Problem with Frank” sees Eso comparing himself to the Punisher over an eerie beat while the penultimate track “Dog” finds him paying tribute to his Lab over an atmospheric beat. The album then finishes with “Czartis Gilmore (The Cool Down)”, where Esoteric gets back with Inspectah Deck to talk about wack rappers over an alluring beat.

As a huge fan of CZARFACE, this was ok. The pen game is undeniably killer but it seems like there’s a lack of focus as the album seems half CZARFACE, half 7L & Esoteric. Nonetheless, I’m excited to see what they’re gonna do going into the 2020s.

Score: 3/5

B-Side – “B-Side Wins Again” review

B-Side is an underground veteran from Detroit, Michigan known for being 1/2 of the duo Sidenotes. Last time we heard from him in a full capacity was his Vertigo 1.5 mixtape in 2013 but after a long hiatus, he’s following it up with a new compilation.

The opener “Righteous Anger” finds B-Side venting about being a best kept secret over a soulful boom bap beat from Foul Mouth & then the next song “We Don’t Fight Fair” is a lethal Sidenotes reunion. The track “Dangerous” with A.R.E.S. talks about being just that over a clunky instrumental while the song “Guillotine” showcases his sharp lyricism backed with a slick boom bap beat.

“The Funk” with Alius Pnukkl & Konphlict sees the 3 charismatically talking about how hot they are on the mic over an instrumental that suits the title while the next cut is a solid freestyle over Nolan the Ninja’s “Harvest”. The track “Don’t Say Shit” with Smoke the Motor City Menace sees the 2 talking about bums over a funky beat while “The Whole Crew” talks about knocking out his opponents over an instrumental with a vintage sample.

The track “Greyscale” with Faze Blue Le’Goon, Leif Erikson & Philosophy Cole is a deadly collection of witty bars over a jazzy instrumental while the song “Funk Worm” finds A.R.E.S. forming with Sidenotes like Voltron over a trunk-knocking instrumental from DJ Los. The track “Smash” flexes his prowess over a vibrant instrumental while the song “Burial” with Aztek the Barfly, Dadga & Foul Mouth sees the 4 talking about ending their competition over a gloomy beat. The album then finishes off with a dope remix of “The Vices”, which was my personal favorite song off The Vertigo 1.5.

This was a dope collection of tracks. The production is on point, B-Side sounds refreshed on the mic & the features add a lot into the equation. Really looking forward to his debut album The Essence at some point in the future.

Score: 3.5/5

Jam Baxter – “Off Piste” review

This is the 2nd solo EP from London, England, United Kingdom emcee Jam Baxter of the Dead Players & Contact Play. Signing to High Focus Records, his 2010 solo debut Rinse Out Friday / Spack Out Monday was received positively & the sophomore effort The Gruesome Features would see a lot more critical acclaim. …So We Ate Them Whole in 2014 remains amongst High Focus’ most celebrated releases ever, following up Mansion & Touching Scenes to drop Off Piste with less than a month left of the decade.

“Red Hawaiian” produced by Dr. Zygote starts off with a boom bap opener by talking about what he’s got inside his bag whereas “All Clear” featuring Lee Scott finds the 2 speaking of pulling your brain out of your mouth & giving us the all clear. “Drowned Dogs” featuring Datkid teams up over a Dirty Dike instrumental trading verses back-&-forth with each other while “The Stump” advises on top of a Telemachus beat that one should’ve stayed true to themselves from the start.

Coinciding with a brand new book of the same name, Jam Baxter takes a couple loose singles & combines them with 2 previously released songs to craft an extended play that I enjoy a lot than the one he put out 5 years prior. The production’s a cut above Fresh Flesh’s in addition to reaching the same pedestal Touching Scenes did 12 months earlier, spending half of it holding down the fort by himself & the other bringing a couple of his labelmates beside him to add their own distinctive flavors regarding cadences or general mood.

Score: 4/5

Roc Marciano – “Marcielago” review

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This is the surprise 8th full-length album from Long Island heavyweight Roc Marciano, who started out as a member of the Flipmode Squad from the late 90s & early 2000s. He then went solo in 2008 & has dropped 7 critically acclaimed albums since, with his last 3 all coming out just last year. But after laying low throughout a good bulk of 2019, he’s finishing off his prolific decade with Marcielago.

After the “Select Few” intro, the first song “Molly Ringwald” finds Marci gets flirtatious over a lush instrumental from Animoss. The track “Choosin’ Fees” spits that drug game over a soulful beat while the song “Richard Gear” gets reflective over a lavish instrumental. The track “Ephesians” by Metal Clergy sees Marci getting mafioso whereas Ka gets conscious over a nocturnal instrumental while the song “Tom Chambers” with Knowledge the Pirate sees the 2 tells their competition not to get into their way over a jazzy beat.

The track “I.G.W.T. (In God We Trust)” talks about only having one another over a piano & a soul sample while the song “Puff Daddy” with Cook$ gets bloodthirsty over sinister instrumental. The track “Boosie Fade” with Westside Gunn sees the 2 spitting battle bars over a suspenseful beat while the song “Bomb Shelter” with Willie the Kid sees the 2 flexing over a soothing jazz sample.

The track “Saw” gets back on the mafioso tip lyrically over a haunting instrumental from The Alchemist while the song “SAYLAVI” is a clever play on the French phrase “c’est la vie“ & I like how trippy the Animoss beat is. The track “God Loves You” gets on the more motivational side & the church-like instrumental suits it fantastically, but the hook is just alright. Then before the “Legacy” outro, the final song “Joe Jackson” finds Marci bragging over a blaxploitation-esque instrumental.

Roc truly has been a leading figure in hip hop’s East Coast renaissance throughout the 2010s & this was a fantastic way for him to finish it off. There are a few spotty moments on here, but it feels like the musical equivalent to a crime film from the production to Roc’s lyricism getting sharper & sharper over time. Can’t wait to see what he’ll do going into the new decade.

Score: 4/5

Griselda – “W.W.C.D. (What Would Chinegun Do?)” review

Griselda is a hardcore hip hop trio from Buffalo, New York consisting of Westside Gunn, Conway the Machine & Benny the Butcher. All 3 of whom have made names for themselves throughout the latter half of this decade with modern East Coast classics like FLYGOD, Supreme Blientele, Reject 2, G.O.A.T. (Grimiest Of All-Time), Tana Talk 3 & The Plugs I Met. Now despite all those projects being put out independently under Griselda Records, the trio have seen fit to team up with Shady Records & make their collective debut album their inaugural release on a major label.

After the spoken word intro from Raekwon, the first song “Chef Dreds” finds all 3 members trading bars back & forth with each other over a chilling boom bap beat from Daringer & Beat Butcha (both of whom produced the entire album by themselves). The track “Moselle” serves as the theme song for crack dealers over a frightening instrumental while the song “Cruiser Weight Coke” references current AEW manager, WWE Hall of Famer & former SMW Heavyweight Champion Jake “The Snake” Roberts over an organ-inflicted beat.

The track “Freddie Hotspot” talks about drug dealing tip over a haunting instrumental while the song “DR. BIRDS” sees the 3 flexing over a grimy beat. “The Old Groove” then talks about life in Buffalo over a ghostly instrumental while the track “Scotties” continues to display their amazing chemistry over a demented beat. After the “Kennedy” interlude, the song “City on the Map” with 50 Cent pays tribute to NY over a cold blooded instrumental & in a way it’s like 50 passing the torch down to Griselda.

“May Store” makes reference to 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 over an ominous instrumental & then after the “Lowery” outro, there’s the bonus track where Westside Gunn & Benny add verses to the decent “Bang” single that Conway dropped with Eminem over the summer.

For a major label debut, this is damn near perfect & easily one of my Top 5 releases of 2019. Other than wishing that both Conway & Marshall recorded new verses for the “Bang” remix, I really admire how Griselda didn’t change up their lyricism or production trying to appeal to a crowd that doesn’t exist & just stayed being themselves.

Score: 4.5/5