Young Thug – “On the Rvn” review

Young Thug is a 27 year old trap rapper who started out in 2011, but rose to popularity in 2014 with the release of the track “Stoner”. He has continued to constantly release music since, the most recent project of his being 1st EP “Hear No Evil” back in April & the Slime Language compilation from his 300 Entertainment imprint YSL Records last month. However, he’s dropping his 2nd EP in light of his recent arrest for 8 felonies.

The EP begins with the titular track, where Thugger talks about taking out cops over a moody trap beat from longtime collaborator London on da Track. The next song “Icey” of course boasts about the rich life over a bouncy trap beat with a quirky synth lead while the track “Climax” with 6lack is a decent love tune with a BEAUTIFUL instrumental. The song “Sin” is a club banger that gets constantly ruined by the Jaden Smith feature while the penultimate track “Real in My Veins” is a clap-back at his naysayers over a druggy trap beat. The closer “High” with Elton John of all people is a weed anthem with a piano, chilling background vocals & rattling hi-hats.

Even though it’s only 20 minutes, this is definitely an improvement over Slime Language. The first 2 features could’ve been much better & I wish he added 4 or 5 more tracks, but the production is a lot better as & Thugger’s vocal inflections continue to be one of a kind.

Score: 3.5/5

BROCKHAMPTON – “iridescence” review

BROCKHAMPTON is a hip hop “boyband” that originated in San Marcos, Texas in 2015. They dropped a flawed yet decent mixtape in 2016 called ALL-AMERICAN TRASH but in 2017, they completely reinvented themselves by dropping 3 near-perfectly creative albums with the SATURATION trilogy. However, things this year looked bleak for them in part of Ameer Vann (who was featured on the cover of all 3 SATURATION albums) was kicked out in May due to sexual misconduct. They then dropped 3 solid singles over the summer but now, they’re finally returning with their 4th full-length album.

Things start off with “NEW ORLEANS”, where they talk about how they’re calling their own shots over a gritty beat. The next track “THUG LIFE” sees the boyband’s de facto leader Kevin Abstract linking up with his older brother Dom McLennon alongside bearface to talk about depression over a beautiful piano instrumental while the song “BERLIN” sees Dom getting with Matt Champion & JOBA to talk shit over an abrasive beat. The “SOMETHING ABOUT HIM” interlude is an endearing tribute to Kevin’s husband Jaden Walker with a smooth instrumental from Romil Hemnani & Q3, but it sounds unfinished.

The track “WHERE THE CASH AT” sees Merlyn Wood & Matt Champion talks about their new rich life over a bouncy beat while the song “WEIGHT” is a heartfelt look into the boyband’s inner demons over some strings, but then it constantly switches from drum & bass with a piano to just simply punchy drums. The track “DISTRICT” is a club banger over a video gamey beat & after the “LOOPHOLE” interlude, we go into the song “TAPE”. Here, the boyband talks about their insecurities over a gloomy beat with skittering drums. The track “J’OUVERT” talks about success over a chaotic beat & while everyone’s performance on here was great, JOBA’s angry verse stood out to me the most.

The song “HONEY” gets braggadocious over an electro-funk beat while the track “VIVID” talks about how they’re making money now over an eerie electronic beat. The song “SAN MARCOS” is a guitar ballad about wanting more out of life while the penultimate track “TONYA” talks about unstable stardom over a prominent piano. The short switch up during Kevin’s verse & JOBA’s bridge was just ok, though. The album then finishes with “FABRIC”, where the boyband talks about still being depressed despite their newfound success & I absolutely love how the beat constantly switches throughout.

Being one of my most anticipated albums of the year, this did not disappoint. BROCKHAMPTON continues to be the most unique group in today’s hip hop landscape as their sound on here is refreshingly different than that of the SATURATION trilogy & I’ve also noticed that the chemistry between every member has improved.

Score: 4/5

Lupe Fiasco – “DROGAS Wave” review

Lupe Fiasco is a 36 year old rapper from Chicago, Illinois who blew up in 2005 after appearing on Touch the Sky off of Kanye West’s sophomore album Late Registration. He then released 2 classic albums Food & Liquor and The Cool in 2006 & 2007 respectively. However, his output since then has been very inconsistent. His next album Lasers in 2011 is easily his worst yet, Food & Liquor 2: The Great American Rap Album in 2013 was just ok but then Tetsuo & Youth in 2015 was a near perfect return to form for him. Given that, I was excited to see what he was going to do in the future. Then last year, his previous album DROGAS Light was a disappointing mixed bag. But randomly last week, he announced that he was finally putting out his 7th full-length album.

After the “In the Event If Typhoon”, we go into the first song “DROGAS”. Here, Lupe songs in Spanish over a guitar & a horn. The track “Manila” gets conscious over a fitting trap beat while the song “Gold vs. the Right Things to Do” insightfully talks about slavery in a fake patois over some choir vocals. After the “Slave Ship” interlude, we go into the song “WAV Files”. Here, Lupe talks about Babylon over a trap beat with some beautiful piano chords.

The track “Down” sees Lupe singing about Atlantis over a spacey beat while the 2014 “Haile Selassie” talks about inequality over a wavy trap beat. The track “Alan Forever” is a tribute to Alan Kurdi over a churchy beat & after the “Helter Skelter” interlude, we go into the song “Stronger” reflects on his past over a moody beat. The track “Sun God Sam & the California Drug Deals” talks about this drug addicted girl over an orchestral string-inflicted trap beat while the song “XO” sounds like an microwaved Lasers leftover.

After the “Don’t Mess Up the Children” interlude, we go into the 2013 song “Jonylah Forever”. Here, Lupe ponders what Jonylah Watkins’ life would’ve been like if she wasn’t murdered over an uplifting beat. The track “Kingdom” with Damian Marley talks about freedom over some synths with militant drums & after the “Baba Kwesi” interlude, we go into the song “Imagine”. Here, Lupe talks about how he wouldn’t change his past over a spacey boom bap beat. The track “Stack That Cheese” is a perfect sequel to “Hip Hop Saved My Life” while the song “Cripple” gets romantic over a jazzy boom bap beat.

The track “King Nas” talks about being the man over some punchy drums & luscious piano chords while the song “Questions from Chairman Fred” gets spiritual over a somber boom bap beat. The penultimate track “Happy Timbuck2 Day” references WWE Hall of Famer, former 2-time WWE Champion & 2-time WWE Tag Team Champion Yokozuna over a mellow beat & then the 2015 “Mural Jr.” ends things with fireworks as it’s a flawless sequel to the 9 minute-epic that kicked off Tetsuo & Youth.

I was worried about this given the 98 minute runtime as well as how disappointing DROGAS Light was, but this does NOT overstay it’s welcome. Despite a couple old tracks & some boring interludes, the production is rich & it really does Lupe’s smart lyricism justice as his topics are really well thought-out.

Score: 4/5

MGK – “Binge” review

MGK is a 27 year old rapper from Cleveland, Ohio who signed to Bad Boy Entertainment at the beginning of the decade. However, his style never really stuck with me. His 2012 debut Lace Up was just ok, but General Admission & bloom was one of the worst albums of last year. However, he’s returning with his 2nd EP just a week after Eminem ripped him apart with “Killshot”.

Things begin with “LONG TIME COMING”, which is a 1-minute cringed auto-crooner. The next track “LOCO” gets braggadocious over some heavy bass & a generic hook while the song “G.T.S. (Going Thru Shit)” sees MGK is a melodramatic story about what’s on his mind over a bland banger beat. The track “RAP DEVIL” is a corny & basic diss towards Eminem that’s carried by a solid Ronny J instrumental while the song “NYLON” is another boring brag over a nondescript beat.

The track “LATELY” talks about an ex, but his attempt at getting melodic just comes off as annoying. The song “SIGNS” with 24hrs sees the 2 talking about a bad bitch over a spacey trap beat while the penultimate track “GET THE BROOM” is the best track on the EP period. MGK’s sounds very animated & the Honorable C.N.O.T.E. production suits him perfectly as well. The EP then finishes with “LIVEFASTDIEYOUNG”, where he tells us he doesn’t give a fuck over a murky trap beat.

This should’ve been called Cringe because while it is slightly better than MGK’s last 2 albums, it’s still pretty bad. There are a few actual compelling moments compared to his last 2 albums, but the beats are mostly generic & MGK’s basic does nothing for me.

Score: 1/5

Roc Marciano – “Behold a Dark Horse” review

Roc Marciano is a legendary underground MC/producer from Long Island, New York who started out in the very late 90’s as a member of the Flipmode Squad. He then went solo in 2008 & has dropped 5 albums since, with his last one Rosebudd’s Revenge 2: The Bitter Dose being released in February of this year. However, he has decided to drop his 6th full-length album out of nowhere exclusively on his website.

Things start off with “The Horse’s Mouth”, where Roc brags about how dope he is over an eerie beat from Preservation. The next song “Congo” contains some gritty street bars over a Roc instrumental that contains some punchy drums & a guitar while the song “1,000 Deaths” gets confrontational over some strings. The song “Diamond Cutters” with Black Thought sees the 2 spitting battle bars over a middle eastern instrumental referencing Mayweather Promotions founder Floyd Mayweather while the track “Amethyst” talks about being a threat in the streets over a somber instrumental from Animoss, but the hook halfway through was awkward.

The song “Sampson & Delilah” gets back on the battle bar tip including a reference to WWE Hall of Famer Mike Tyson over a woodwind heavy instrumental from Doncee despite another wimpy hook while the track “No Love” with Knowledge the Pirate sees the 2 talking about trust over a beautiful soul sample from Roc himself.

“Trojan Horse” with Busta Rhymes sees the 2 getting mafioso over an instrumental that reminds of me “Wildflower” off of Ghostface Killah’s classic 1996 solo debut Ironman while the track “Fabio” goes at talentless rappers as well as bragging about himself over an instrumental from The Alchemist that starts off laidback, but then switches into something more eerie halfway through.

The song “Secrets” gets romantic over a spacey beat from Roc himself while the penultimate track “Whoolers” returns to the braggadocious tip over a soulful horn-induced beat from Animoss. The album then ends with “Consigliere”, where Roc gets into the lavish life once again as well as challenging his competition over an orchestral instrumental from Q-Tip.

As I expected, Roc didn’t disappoint at all. I don’t care for the parts where he’s singing at all, but the beats & the lyrical content are just as gritty as they’ve always been. If you wanna hear a horribly underrated vet sound rawer than ever before, then give this a listen.

Score: 4/5

Bhad Bhabie – “15” review

Danielle Bregoli is a 15 year old internet personality that quickly rose into stardom after an appearance she made on Dr. Phil in September of 2016. She then dropped a random “hip hop” song last year called “These Heaux” under the moniker Bhad Bhabie, which eventually landed her a contract with Atlantic Records. Fast forward to present day, she has decided to release her 1st mixtape.

The tape begins with the title track, where Danielle obnoxiously brags using the titular number over a generically eerie trap beat. The next track “Juice” has a sole YG verse with Danielle only handling the hook before & after. The ominous keyboard-inflicted trap beat as well as YG’s performance about clout are just ok, but that’s really it. The song “Gucci Flip Flops” talks about wealth, the somber trap production from 30 Roc & even the Lil Yachty verse pretty much carry it. The track “Affiliated” gets confrontational over a bouncy beat, but Asian Doll sounds a thousand times more animated than Danielle does. The song “Geek’d” gets braggadocious, but the somber trap beat & the charismatic Lil Baby verse make for it.

The track “No More Love” talks about being backstabbed & I actually find it funny that Danielle starts things off by saying she writes her life in these songs, despite the fact that Brittany B. ghostwrote the singles & I presume the rest of the mixtape too. Ghostwriting in hip hop is nothing new AT ALL, but don’t claim to be the sole writer of your material when you’re actually not. The song “Thot Opps (Clout Drop)” talks about staying in your lane over a spacey beat while the track “Yung & Bhad” is a shit-talking anthem, but Danielle sounds more goofy than in your face on both joints. The City Girls feature on the latter is alright, though. The song “Count It” with Jack $hirak is a run of the mill money making anthem while the song “Famous” reflects on the past 2 years. The beat is pretty decent & I have nothing wrong with it’s subject matter, but Danielle’s storytelling on here doesn’t interest me at all.

The song “Hi Bich” has a killer instrumental from Ronny J, it unfortunately goes to waste because it sounds half-written & the hook is tedious. The track “Shhh” is another boring braggadocious tune with a bass-heavy trap beat & the song “Trust Me” is a VERY uncomfortable love tune that I wanna know who was responsible for approving this, because the Ty$ verse could very well be the most embarrassing moment of his entire career. The penultimate track “Bout That” is basically Danielle assuring us that she lives the life that she’s rapping & honest to God: the instrumental sounds very similar to “Shhh”. The tape then finishes with the “Bhad Bhabie Story”, which is a 6 & a half minute diatribe about how people are jealous of her newfound fame over a piano.

There’s not much for me to say about it beyond that, this is truly one of the worst things I’ve heard all year. Almost all of the features sound more serious & captivating than Danielle does, as her personality is absolutely annoying. There are a couple decent instrumentals too but for the most part, it’s dime a dozen.

Score: 0.5/5

Noname – “Room 25” review

Noname is a 26 year old rapper & poet from Chicago, Illinois who broke out onto the scene with her amazing 1st mixtape Telefone. She’s been laying low ever since but just a couple days before her 27th birthday, she is finally following it up with her full-length debut.

Things open with “Self”, where Noname is talking about the people who doubted her over a mellow beat from Phoelix (who produces the entire album by himself). The next track “Blaxpoitation” talks about the stereotypes of African Americans over a funky beat while the “Prayer Song” intellectually breaks down the common issues in America over a spacey instrumental. The track “Window” vents about how nobody knows the real her over an orchestral instrumental with a vibraphone in the back while the song “Don’t Forget About Me” is of course about how she wants to be remembered over an instrumental kin to J Dilla.

The track “Regal” sees Noname getting spiritual over an instrumental with a beautiful atmosphere to it while the song “Montego Bay” with Ravyn Lenae is a love tune with some prominently jazzy piano chords. The track “Ace” by Ghetto Sage sees the trio talking about life on the road over some beautiful background vocals while the song “Part of Me” vents about Noname not pretending to be herself over an acoustic guitar & live drumming. The penultimate track “With You” poetically talks about a failed relationship over a prominent psychedelic guitar while the closer “No Name” talks about nonexistence over a bare piano.

Overall, this might be better than Telefone. There are couple features I were indifferent towards but outside of that, Noname’s lyricism is just as thoughtful as is the jazzy neo-soul based production. Also, Noname’s calm & relaxing flow continues to enhance the vibe of each track for the better.

Score: 4/5

Pitch 92 – “Lost in Space” review

Dublin, Ireland producer Pitch 92 dropping an extended play of solo material under the Hove, East Sussex, England, United Kingdom imprint High Focus Records. Known for being the in-house beatsmith of The Mouse Outfit, he would go on to produce the group’s first couple full-lengths Escape Music & Step Steadier until getting to jump behind the boards throughout Verb T’s 8th album Good Evening from start to finish 11 months earlier. Commemorating the upcoming anniversary, he’s getting Lost in Space for a warmup to his own debut LP.

The title track by Confucius MC & Jehst starts off with both of them talking about the survey saying they’re both insane whereas “Plane Ticket” by Verb T smoothly speaks of his mind focusing on this very moment. “Dawn” by K S R & Sparkz takes a funkier approach to the beat talking about getting it on until the sunrise leading into the jazzy “1 Handed” composition. “Mystery” & “XPJ” finish us off with a couple more instrumental pieces, which one maintaining the jazz influences & the other going lo-fi.

Balancing his dexterity by having a cast of well-picked UK hip hop veterans to up-&-coming American artists rocking the mic during Side A of Lost in Space & taking a more compositional approach to things over the course of Side B, this EP begins a new chapter in Pitch 92’s career offering a glimpse of what he can do behind the boards showcasing the soulful Jaylib & Pete Rock-inspired sound he’d become known for a few years prior. The production accommodates each guest accordingly relying extensively on an MPC with every backdrop he uses, paving the way for a future discography of self-curated projects that’ll span out with time.

Score: 3.5/5

9 – “King” review

9 is a 48 year old MC from the Bronx, New York who came through in 1995 with a highly slept-on debut 9 Livez. He then followed it up the following year with Cloud 9, but then he fell out of love with music shortly after However, he returned 13 years later with Quinine & it was almost completely ignored. But 9 years later fittingly, he’s delivering his 4th full length album & he has enlisted the Snowgoons to produce it in it’s entirety.

The album opens with “The Revenant”, where 9 talks about his return over a eerie boom bap beat. The next song “Pull Up” gets confrontational over a gloomy boom bap beat while the track “Killmongor” talks about his place in hip hop over a menacing beat with some horns. The song “Hilfiger” makes references to a number of hip hop artists over a boom bap beat with strings while the track “Tremendous” vividly talks about life in the streets over a sinister beat. The song “Belafonte” with Conway the Machine sees the 2 getting murderous over a gritty beat while the track “Medusa” sees 9 speaking facts to an unnamed person over an orchestral boom bap beat.

The song “Breathe” with Kool G Rap & Smoothe da Hustler sees the 3 getting romantic over an Alchemist-type beat while the track “I Am” is an ode to the culture over an uplifting beat. The song “Pita Roll” is filled with battle bars over punchy drums & a heavy guitar while the track “Jump ‘Em” with Ruste Juxx talks about running up on people over a haunting beat. The song “Champion” with Chris Rivers sees the 2 talking about winning over a boom bap beat with a triumphant horn & then the album finishes with the title track, where 9 refers to himself to just that over a celebratory beat.

To be honest, this may be 9’s best work yet. There are a couple tracks that I wish were fully fleshed out but it’s mostly focused, he sounds hungrier than ever & the Snowgoons production enhances the hardcore vibe near perfectly.

Score: 4.5/5

G Perico – “Guess What?” review

G Perico is a 30 year old rapper from Los Angeles, California who blew up last year with the release of his debut album & his sophomore album respectively: All Blue & 2 tha Left. He’s been quiet since then, but he’s returning out of the blue (no pun intended) with his 1st EP.

After a spoken word intro, we go into the first song “Mo Power”. Here, Perico gets braggadocious over a vintage g-funk instrumental. The track “All Nighter” is filled with street bars over a piano key & a heavy bass-line while the song “Wit the Gangstas” talks about hanging out with Crips over a hyphy beat with wailing synthesizers. The song “Play Wit It” talks about fame, but the trap beat is decent & the 2 features are redundant to me. The penultimate track “What You Thinkin’?” sees Perico talking to this woman over a trap beat with G-funk synthesizers & then the closer “How U Want It?” is a club banger with a gritty ass beat.

Overall, this was just as good as the last 2 albums. Most of the songs are less than 3 minutes long, but G Perico continues to be the modern day DJ Quik by updating the vintage West Coast sound for a 2018 audience.

Score: 4/5