Pop Smoke – “Shoot for the Stars, Aim for the Moon” review

Pop Smoke was a 20 year old rapper from Brooklyn, New York who released his debut mixtape Meet the Woo last summer. He put out a sequel this past February but unfortunately, he was murdered 2 weeks after said-sequel came out. But with the help of 50 Cent, they’re continuing Pop’s legacy with his full-length debut.

The album kicks off with “Bad Bitch from Tokyo”, where Pop Smoke brags for 50 seconds over a woozy beat. The next song “Aim for the Moon” with Quavo sees the 2 talking about their high statuses over an instrumental that sounds like it could’ve been on Travis Scott’s ASTROWORLD while the track “For the Night” with Lil Baby & DaBaby finds the trio getting raunchy over a beat kin to Young Thug’s Beautiful Thugger Girls. The song “44 Bulldog” gets confrontational over a mournful beat while the track “Gangstas” talks about how legit he was over a rubbery piano instrumental.

The song “Yea Yea” is a trite, buttery sex anthem while the track “Creature” with Swae Lee sees the 2 describing their rich lifestyles over a spacious beat while the track “Snitching” with Future & Quavo is pretty much them talking about not breaking street code over a shimmery, skeletal instrumental. The song “Make It Rain” with Rowdy Rebel sees the 2 talking about fakes over an aggressive instrumental while “The Woo” with 50 Cent & Roddy Ricch sees the 3 talking about bitches over another Beautiful Thugger Girls inspired beat.

The song “West Coast Shit” with Tyga & Quavo lives up to its name down to Mustard’s production while the track “Enjoy Yourself” with Karol G is a weird, Latin-flavored piece about relaxation. The song “Mood Swings” with Lil Tjay is a horrific auto-crooner while the track “Something Special” is literally a 2 minute freestyle over Tamia’s “Into You”.

We have more tiresome lovey dovey shit on the songs “What You Know ‘Bout Love?” & the King Combs featured “Diana”, but then “Got It on Me” is pretty much a modern take on the classic 50 Cent joint “Many Men (Wish Death)” & it’s actually pretty cool. The final song “Tunnel Vision” talks about how nice he is over a mesmerizing instrumental & then we get “Dior” off Meet the Woo as a bonus track, which is easily one of the best songs he ever made.

I’m usually 50/50 on posthumous releases because they can either turn out amazing like Circles or end up horrendously like Pac’s Life. However, this kinda falls in between for me. The cuts that’re done more in Pop Smoke’s signature UK Drill style are fine, but almost all the poppy sex songs except for “Something Special” are just fucking terrible. If we’re getting a follow-up, here’s to it being better.

Score: 2.5/5

Westside Gunn – “FLYGOD is an Awesome God II” review

This is the 5th full-length album from Buffalo emcee/entrepreneur Westside Gunn. Breaking out in 2016 with his near-perfect debut album FLYGOD, he would go on to take over the hip hop scene with his brother Conway the Machine & their cousin Benny the Butcher as they’ve consistently dropped a slew of high quality releases both solo-wise & as a trio. However, Westside has stated on numerous occasions that 2020 will be his final year rapping & kicked it off just this spring with Pray for Paris. But with the 1 year anniversary of FLYGOD is an Awesome God approaching this weekend, Westside is celebrating with a sequel preluding his Shady Records debut Who Made the Sunshine? set to drop next month.

After the “Praise God” intro, the first song “Michael Irvin” finds Westside talking about how no one’s flyer than him referencing WWE Hall of Famer Mike Tyson over a jazzy beat whereas the next track “Jose Canseco” with Stove God Cook$ sees the 2 talking charismatically boasting including a reference to WWE Hall of Famer, former 2-time WWE Intercontinental Champion, WWE United States Champion & WCW World Tag Team Champion Curt Hennig over a soulful instrumental from STREETRUNNER. I was surprised to see the loosie “1 More Hit” appearing on here, but I’m glad it did & the new Stove God Cook$ verse added on is a nice touch to it as well.

After the first “Sadhu Interlude”, the song “Lil Cease” with Griselda Records’ newest signee Armani Caesar finds the 2 rightfully proclaiming their thrones as King & Queen of Buffalo over a creepy boom bap beat from JR Swiftz. After the “Fuck the Police” skit, the song “Buffs vs. Wires” with Benny the Butcher & Boldy James of course gets on the drug dealer tip over a classy ass loop from Daringer.

Then after the “Mr. Maino” skit, we’re treated to a remix of another old WSG loosie “Bubba Chuck” with Stove God Cook$ being added on once again & I actually like this a lot more than the “1 More Hit” remix that I discussed earlier. Including the bar about WWE Hall of Famer, former WWE Champion & 2-time WWE Intercontinental Champion The Ultimate Warrior. After the final “Sadhu Interlude”, the song “Drive By Love” is a gangsta sex tune over a savory Chuck Inglish instrumental.

The penultimate track “Rebirth” namedrops both WWE Hall of Famers & former 3-time WWE tag team champions The Road Warriors alongside former CZW World Jr. Heavyweight Champion, PWG World Champion, record-setting 3-time ROH World Champion, ROH World Television Champion, the longest reigning NXT Champion, the inaugural NXT North American Champion & NXT Tag Team Champion Adam Cole on top of the peaceful instrumental. The album then finishes with “Steve Behr”, where Westside enlists Rome Streetz to talk about pushing coke over a hypnotic sample.

It’s not as good as Pray for Paris, but I still think this is a solid album regardless. In contrast to the predecessor seeing Westside Gunn experimenting & trying new things, he pretty much takes it back to the basement on here. Beyond excited to see where he takes things on Who Made the Sunshine?.

Score: 3.5/5

Damo the Great – “Sacred Geometry” review

Damo the Great is an MC from Dearborn Heights, Michigan who debuted in 2018 with Order Out of Chaos. He had also put out an instrumental album called Now You Know the year prior but as we approach the 2nd half of this hectic year, he’s starting off the new decade with his sophomore effort entirely produced by Invectrum.

After the unsettling “Poison the Toad” intro, the first song “Shoot 1st” talks about how he don’t fuck with haters over a gloomy boom bap beat whereas the track “Valaryian Steel” with Aztek the Barfly & Guilty Simpson finds the 3 coming through with vicious battle bars over a rugged instrumental. The song “Evil Kanevil” with DZK & Green Children sees the 4 talking about how they’re all demonic on the mid over an spine-tingling beat & after the “Ouroboros” interlude, the song “Eloise” talks about insanity over a bleak instrumental

After the “Intro to Geometry 101” interlude, the the title track comes through with some good for the mind over a clever violin loop while the song “Murderers Row” with Diabolic sees the 2 proclaiming themselves as lyrical assassins over a demented beat. The track “Dream” with Sankofa finds the 2 pondering about life over a forlorn instrumental while the song “It Ain’t Over” with Mastamind sees the 2 challenging their opponents over a suspenseful instrumental. The album finishes off with “Wetwork”, where Damo is pretty much saying he could care less about a number of things over a supernatural instrumental.

As much as I liked Order Out of Chaos, I think I enjoy this new album just a little bit more. There are a couple features I could’ve done without, but Foul Mouth did a great job on the mixing & I really dig how Sacred Geometry is a lot more darker from Damo’s lyrical topics to Invectrum’s production

Score: 3.5/5

Substance810 – “The Definition Of” review

Substance810 is an MC/producer from Port Huron, Michigan who first made his mark in 2006 with his debut album The Definition under his original moniker Tekneek. 14 years later & 5 more projects later, he’s returning with a sequel to the album that started it all titled The Definition Of.

The opener “All My Life” speaks about being a righteous man now & for this to be the only song not to be produced by Substance810 himself, the psychedelic boom bap production Know It comes through with is a great touch. The next song “Fuck You Talmbout” is about how he’s more concerned about bars than radio play over a chilling instrumental while the track “Midnight Oil” finds him contemplating about getting bread over a nightly beat. The song “U Should Kno” with Rudy Will sees the 2 talking about earning medals for how they run joints & comparing their lyrics to a movie script over a delicate instrumental while the track “Just Ridiculous” comes through with some nasty battle raps over a ghostly boom bap instrumental.

The song “Royal Rhymes” with Jamil Honesty sees the 2 flexing their lyricism while the track “Wowzerz” talks about how hardcore he is over a flawlessly vintage boom bap beat. The song “Chop Suey” with Drip Matthews sees the 2 talking about how they’re still the same as they were in the start over a hypnotic beat while “The Rising” with Daniel Son & Rome Streetz finds the 3 wordsmiths detailing their rise in the underground over a luxurious instrumental. The penultimate track “Tunnel Vision” with Jay Royale sees the 2 talking about keeping it raw over a gritty loop. The album then finishes with “Dark Clouds”, where Substance810 talks about his inner turmoil over a symphonic instrumental.

Michigan has always been filled with bottomlessly talented hip hop acts even to this day & if you wanna get into the guy, this is not a bad place to start at all. He does a fantastic job at showing the listener how much he’s evolved in the past 14 years both as a brutal MC & as an equally talented producer.

Score: 4/5

Nick Grant – “God Bless the Child” review

This is the brand new EP from Atlanta, Georgia’s very own Nick Grant, who came onto my radar with a pretty solid debut album Return of the Cool at the beginning of 2017. It’s been a couple years since we last heard from him but with everything going on right now, he’s teaming up with Top Dawg Entertainment in-house producer Tae Beast for God Bless the Child.

Things kick off with “L.O.V.E. (Living Out Various Emotions)”, where Nick comes through with some thoughtful bars over a soulful instrumental. The next song “FEDS” talks about sending his competition to the morgue over a somewhat funky beat while the track “Bless the Child” is a well written response to George Floyd’s murder over a calming instrumental. The song “K9” talks about some dude runnin’ his mouth over a slow beat & then the closer “Black Windows” talks about haters over an instrumental that starts off tropical, but transitions into something more hard hitting about halfway through.

As much as I enjoyed Return of the Cool, this really might be Nick’s best work to date. From the dude’s ever-so-conscious lyricism to Tae Beast’s impeccably tight production, everything about this EP just comes together very well & it has me looking forward to seeing what’ll happen next on his sophomore album.

Score: 4.5/5

Skyzoo – “Milestones” review

This is the 6th EP from New York veteran Skyzoo. Rising to prominence with the 9th Wonder produced Cloud 9: The 3 Day High, the man continued to make a name for himself with a lengthy yet very consistent discography. This includes his full-length debut The Salvation, the !llmind produced Live from the Tape Deck, A Dream Deferred, Music for My Friends, the Apollo Brown produced The Easy Truth & In Celebration of Us. But I really think it wasn’t until last September where he really outdid himself & dropped his magnum opus Retropolitan, which was entirely produced by the revered Pete Rock. However with Father’s Day coming around the corner, Skyzoo is celebrating with Milestones.

The opener “Memory Serves Me” fondly looks back on the early years of his childhood over a jazzy boom bap beat & keep in mind: This is a sound that’s prominently featured all over the entire EP. Following that is the next song “At Least I Got One”, where Skyzoo speaks on being grateful for having a father figure in his life in such a profoundly fashion.

The track “Turning 10” then talks about his relationship with his father adjusting as he got older & this subject matter is continued on in the song right after “Duffel Bag Weekends” as he looks back on what it was like for him having to visit both his parent’s individual houses as an adolescent.

Then the track “Eyes Wide Shut” continues to speak from the heart as Skyzoo discusses how his father has ”been up” since the Christmas Eve he was born & that he himself has “been up” since late 2017. The song right after is a touching dedication to all fathers worldwide & then “Duly Noted” is a great way to finish things off as we delivers a long verse full of wisdom on top of a blissful piano lead.

Skyzoo has always had an impeccably consistent discography & this is no exception at all. I really love the way he incorporates the jazz elements into the production & it’s refreshing to hear an MC talk about fatherhood in a more positive fashion.

Score: 4/5

Trash Talk – “Squalor” review

Trash Talk is a hardcore punk band from Berkeley, California consisting of bassist Spencer Pollard, lead guitarist Garrett Stevenson, backup guitarist David Gagliardi, drummer Thomas Pridgen & frontman Lee Spielman. Dropping a total of 3 full-lengths & 3 extended plays between 2005-2011, it wasn’t until they began affiliating themselves with the now defunct Odd Future collective putting out their 4th album 119 on the same day as MellowHype’s 2nd & final album Numbers during my sophomore year when I caught wind of them. No Peace would become my 2nd favorite in their discography & I saw them open for Action Bronson a while after Tangle came out, locking in with Kenny Beats for their 5th EP.

“Point No Point” opens up with this 55 second hardcore punk intro screaming that he doesn’t want or need anyone whereas “Something Wicked” retains a hardcore vibe to call out bootlickers for convincing themselves into total warfare. “Worst of Times” gives a middle finger to time if it’s prevalent for any of us & no longer feeding the apathy within but once “Clutch (Any Means Necessary)” talks about always peaking their demands, “Kicking & Screaming” ends the EP suggesting the day won′t quickly forget even when it’s outside your door.

Tangle was mere ok in my opinion, so to see Kenny Beats handling the hardcore punk production with some chopped & screwed undertones throughout the duration of Squalor’s 8 & a half minute runtime definitely had me curious since he produced the FM! EP for former Odd Future affiliate Vince Staples & it’s definitely the most enjoyable EP of the 2 they’ve dropped since OF dissolved. It’s more intense than the predecessor even if it’s a few minutes shorter & the experimentation was really cool to me.

Score: 4/5

Tee Grizzley – “The Smartest” review

Tee Grizzley is a 26 year old rapper from Detroit, Michigan coming up as a member of the quartet ASBH. However, it wouldn’t be until 2016 where he would blow up off his first solo single “First Day Out” & earn a contract with 300 Entertainment. His profile would continue to grow by dropping projects like My Moment, Activated, Still My Moment & the Timbaland exec-produced Scriptures. But just a few days ago, it was announced that Grizzley would put out his 3rd mixtape just in time for Juneteenth.

Things kick off with the title track, where Grizzley talks about family over a DJ Mustard instrumental with some luxurious keyboards. The next song “I Apologize” takes a look at the real side of him over a ghostly beat from Hit-Boy while the track “Trenches” with Big Sean sees the 2 talking about people praying on their downfall over a piano-inflicted trap beat. The song “Rap a Lot” makes a bunch of clever references to famous hip hop icons over a intergalactic-sounding beat whereas “The Funeral” talks about ratchets & I really dig the atmosphere that longtime collaborator Helluva provides in the instrumental.

The song “Lions & Eagles” with Meek Mill finds both MCs flexing over a gritty beat while the track “No Witness” sends a warning to people not to play with him over a bouncy instrumental. The song “Picture of My City” talks about growing up in The 313 over a more West Coast instrumental from none other than Scott Storch instrumental while the track “COVID” with Lil Baby sees the 2 talking about being quarantined over an energized beat

The song “Timeless” continues to brag over yet another instrumental with a West Coast feel to while the track “Slime” with Lil Keed discusses brotherhood over a spacious beat. The song “Everything” reflects on his younger days over an eerie instrumental while the track “Double Standards” talks about catching a bad bitch over a moody beat.

The song “Daylight” talks about trappin’ over a somber instrumental while the track “Winning” talks about going for yours over an abrasive beat. The song “Satish” is a tearjerking tribute to his aunt/manager JB & even though I found the George Floyd tribute “Mr. Officer” to be decent at first because literally everyone’s doing it right now, it does stand out a lot more to me in the context of the album.

Tee Grizzley is one of the best MCs to come out of my hometown in recent memory & I really think this could be the best thing he’s ever put out. The production continues to get better overtime & we get to hear the man at his most mature yet.

Score: 4/5

Rome Streetz – “Noise Kandy 4: The Relapse” review

Rome Streetz is a 33 year old MC from New York who broke out in 2016 with his debut mixtape I Been Thru Mad Shit. This was followed up with Streetz Keep Calling Me, Street Farmacy, the Noise Kandy trilogy, Headcrack & Joyeria. He just dropped an EP earlier this year entitled The Residue but as we approach the halfway point of 2020, Rome is continuing the grind with the 4th installment of his Noise Kandy series.

The project kicks off with “Relapse”, where Rome talks about being the new Benny Blanco over a cavernous organ instrumental. The next song “Prophet & a Pusher” talks about being on a level no one can fuck with over a demented boom bap beat while the track “Higher Self” with Estee Nack sees the 2 talking about elevation over a killer flute instrumental. The song “My Destiny” talks about hip hop being in his blood over a peaceful Futurewave instrumental while the track “Mommy’s Seed” shows off how he kills shit over a jazzy instrumental.

The song “Favorite” with Bub Rock sees the 2 getting romantic over a sensual instrumental while the track “My Reality” talks about how he lives over a cavernous Sebb Bash beat. The song “Sell Itself” talks about pushing drugs over a nightly boom bap beat while the track “Toxic” tells the story of Rome breaking this woman’s heart over a suspenseful instrumental from DJ Skizz.

The song “Normal Shit” talks about having the world in his palm over a chimpmunked-soul sample while the penultimate track “NY Fitted” talks about how authentic his crew is over a symphonic beat. “The Ugliest” ends referencing lucha libre popularized by the Lutteroth family-owned Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL) & it’s rival promotion in the Peña–Roldán family-owned Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide (AAA).

The Noise Kandy trilogy contains some of Rome’s best material & this is a fine addition to the series. It’s a lot more well-produced than The Residue was & Rome continues to prove that he’s one of the illest spitters out of New York right now.

Score: 4/5

Lex the Hex Master – “Party Castle” review

Lex the Hex Master is an MC from Queens, New York who broke out in 2015 with his independent debut album Born in Hell. The demented Detroit hip hop duo Twiztid would him to their label Majik Ninja Entertainment shortly after & he has put out a plethora of releases since. This includes The Black Season, Contact, the Mr. Ugly duology, Beyond Redemption & Shadow King. However despite showcasing a bunch of lesser-known MCs on the Strictly 4 My N.I.N.J.A.S. mixtape this past fall, Lex pretty much payed on the down-low for most of last year. But to kick off a new era, he’s delivering the 1st installment in a series of 4 EPs.

After the intro, the first song “Last Night” talks about being under the influence over a woozy beat & then “The Count” gets on the shit-talking tip over a forlorn trap beat. The song “Hypnotized” vents about wanting his name to be remembered over a grimy instrumental from Poetics while the track “Back Up” talks about. The penultimate song “Chill Mode” gets on the more cool side of things down to the Godsynth instrumental & then the closer “Sleep at Night” is a remix of “Stay Woke” by HB the Grizzly that I actually like more than the original.

If anyone’s looking for some East Coast hip hop that’s lyrical & something you can vibe out to, I highly recommend checking this out & am looking forward to hearing how the other 3 installments of the Party Castle series turn out. The beats are a lot more trap-flavored than his previous efforts & Lex manages to remind fans why he’s one of the most menacing MCs that MNE has to offer.

Score: 4/5