A$AP Rocky – “TESTING” review

While he’s been dropping a project every 2 years since 2011, A$AP Mob member A$AP Rocky had a noticeably quiet 2017. However, he’s been trolling the public eye with his 3rd full-length album up until this point with some awful “dummy” singles & alas here we are.

The album starts off with “Distorted Records”, where Rocky brags about his place in the current hip hop landscape over a glitchy yet bass heavy instrumental. The “A$AP Forever” remix sees Rocky paying homage to the Mob while KiD CuDi’s verse talks about overcoming his depression over some symphonic strings with thunderous drums while the next song “Tony Tone” is a humble brag over a psychedelic guitar that FNZ hooked up while the track “Fukk Sleep” with FKA twigs sees the 2 talking about going from being poor to being successful over a murky electronic beat while the track “Praise the Lord (Da Shine)” with Skepta vividly talks about criminal activity over a bouncy woodwind beat.

The song “Calldrop” does have a beautiful acoustic guitar, I just wish it was structured better. Also, I found the Kodak Black feature to be pretty redundant. The song “Buck Shots” gets confrontational over a synth-heavy trap beat & while I do like the Playboi Carti’s verse as much as Rocky’s, the Smooky MarGielaa verse doesn’t really do much for me. while the track “Gunz N Butta” talks about wealth over a cloudy trap beat with a prominent chopped & screwed sample of “Ridin’ Clean” by Juicy J throughout. The song “Brotha Man” with Frank Ocean sees the 2 talking about fighting for something over a beautiful instrumental with prominent keyboards & occasional strings while the song “OG Beeper” reflects on his drug dealing past over a dinky yet bouncy beat.

The song “Kid$ Turned Out Fine” tells the world just that over an laidback electric guitar & hi-hats while the track “Hun43rd” talks about hustling over a cloudy synthesizers. The song “Changes” talks about an ex over an acoustic guitar that gets more layered as it progresses. There’s also a point where it switches up into something more atmospheric for about a minute & it’s not too bad either. The penultimate track “Black Tux, White Collar” talks about shining through it all over a cloudy trap beat from none other than Clams Casino & then the album finishes off with “Purity”, where he & Frank Ocean talk about finding a peace of mind over an acoustic guitar.

Like most people, I was pretty worried about this album based on a vast majority of the singles Rocky dropped leading up to this but at the end of the day, I think he came through. It’s definitely more experimental than his past efforts & yet, it’s just as equally fun as his last 2 albums

Score: 3.5/5

Ramson Badbonez – “Jason Bonez” review

Here is the 3rd extended play from Highbury, London, England, United Kingdom emcee Ramson Badbonez from the Task Force. He would eventually sign to the Hove, East Sussex imprint High Focus Records in 2013 & made his debut for the label with the highly received A Year in the Life of Oscar the Slouch that same winter. Coming off the DJ Fingerfood-produced Hypnodic however, he’s introducing us to a character who takes the name of Jason Bonez almost a whole entire year since the latter & nearly a week after David Starr became the new RPW British Cruiserweight Champion.

“Mr. Voorhees” opens with this sinister boom bap instrumental produced by DJ Jazz T & Dr. Zygote comparing himself to the main antagonist of the Friday the 13th franchise whereas “Lock Your Doors” hooks up some foreboding horns mixed with kicks & snares advising everyone to bolt the entrances of their homes. “Black Heart” stylistically keeps it rugged recalling his mother telling him what made him lonely leading into “The Witch is Pregnant” spitting a freestyle over an organ-inflicted beat.

To get the 2nd half of Jason Bonez going, “Killing Fields” heinously talks about leaving doubters bleeding for all of eternity while “Machete Madness” continues to take us inside the shoes of a serial killer donning a hockey mask & cutting up bodies. “Rain, Drains” maintains a spooky boom bap vibe to the beat talking about doing all the dirty work by himself but after the synth-driven “Get My Head Fixed” suggests to do either that or find the nearest exit, “Bloodsplat” finishes with a jazzy boom bap outro getting bloodthirsty.

Maintaining the skillful standards that A Year in the Life of Oscar the Slouch for example has set, Ramson Badbonez follows Hypnodic up with the most horrorcore-themed project of his entire career without making it sound gimmicky like some artists in that particular subgenre of hardcore hip hop. The production’s more boom bap-oriented than Hypnodic’s was & I love that he holds down the verses all by himself instead of getting a bunch of guests, conceptually likening himself to one of the most iconic franchises in all of horror cinema.

Score: 3.5/5

Bumpy Knuckles – “Pop Duke” review

After dropping the Statik Selektah produced Lyrical Workout in 2011 & the DJ Premier produced KoleXXXion in 2012, Long Island underground veteran Bumpy Knuckles is returning with his 8th full-length album & he has enlisted Nottz to produce it in it’s entirety. Things start off with the title track, where Freddie talks about his longevity over a triumphant beat. The next song “Flow Temperament” brags about his skills over a boom bap beat with some bass guitar while the track “Head Count” with Kool G Rap & Lil’ Fame gets confrontational over some horns. The song “In Love with the Game” is about the current state of hip hop, but the features don’t really do anything for me. Especially the hook.

The track “Grumpy Ol’ Man” continues the theme of a previous track albeit in a more intriguing way over a funky beat & the song “Check It Out Y’all” with Biz Markie talk about how they’re in their prime over an eerie boom bap beat. The track “Motivation” gets conscious a tropical beat while the song “Ol Morning” talks about his skills over a somber beat. The track “New Enemy” is about shady people mixed with some battle bars over a keyboard boom bap beat & the closer “Legends” recalls first getting into hip hop over a flute.

Despite it’s short length, this is still a very solid return for Bumpy. The production is just as hard hitting as his last 2 as is his ever so gritty lyricism. I assume we’re getting a follow-up anytime soon given that this is labeled as “Vol. 1” & whether Nottz will be back for it or not, I’ll definitely be anticipating it

Score: 4/5

Boondox – “Dirty Days of Night” review

Boondox is a 40 year old rapper from Covington, Georgia who first came onto the scene in the Early 2000s as Turncoat Dirty. He then changed his moniker after signing to Psychopathic Records from 2005 & remained with them until 2015. Eventually he would sign to Majik Ninja Entertainment in 2016 & is still on the label to this very day. Since about 2012, Boondox has been teasing the idea of making music under his original Turncoat Dirty moniker & he is now finally doing it with his 3rd EP

After the intro, we go into the first song “Frank Castle”. Here, he talks about doing Satan’s bidding over a murky trap beat. The next track “Excuses” is pretty gritty in terms of songwriting & the production, but I don’t like the execution. The song “Desert Evil” gets murderous about over some a trap beat with a somber guitar in the background while the track “The Rage” with Redd sees the 2 talking about fighting over a rap rock instrumental & it’s just ok. The song “Knockin'” is about the devil coming for him over an eerie instrumental & the penultimate track “Unstable” issues warning not to mess with him because of how crazy he is over a thunderous beat. The EP finishes with “Chronicle”, which is a story about murdering someone over an instrumental a gloomy piano instrumental.

Turncoat Dirty’s return has been a long time coming but at the end of the day, I think this is a solid way to hold fans off until Demonic Woods drops later this year. There are a couple mediocre tracks but the horrorcore/gangsta rap lyrics are mostly in your ace & while I didn’t expect him to take on the trap sound on a few tracks at all, the production does enhance the grittiness of these lyrics very well

Score: 3.5/5

Kevin Gates – “Chained to the City” review

After being released from prison at the beginning of the year, Louisiana rapper Kevin Gates has been laying low ever since. However, he is now officially returning to music out of the blue with a 3-track EP. The first song “Changes” vents about his success as well as his conviction over a gloomy trap beat while the 2nd track “Vouch” is his rags to riches story over a bouncy beat. The EP then finishes with “Let It Sing”, where Kevin gets confrontational over a thunderous beat.

I’ve been waiting for Kevin to make his official return to music & while it isn’t perfect, it goes to show that he’s still one of the best in the trap scene. I wish he added on about 2 more tracks, but the production bangs & he sounds more focused & passionate than ever before

Score: 3.5/5

André 3000 – “Look Ma No Hands” review

With today being Mother’s Day, former OutKast member André 3000 is coming out of the blue with a 2 track EP. The first track “Me&My(To Bury Your Parents)”, where 3 Stacks sings about memories of being with his mom at a grocery store & driving to a football game with his dad over a somber piano from Kevin Kendrick. The other one is the title track, which is just a beautiful 17 minute free jazz instrumental.

I always thought The Love Below would be the closest thing we’d ever get to an André 3000 solo project, but this EP was a pleasant surprise. I wish it was more than just 2 tracks, but it goes to show that he’s still a very talented singer & producer to this very day

Score: 4/5

Playboi Carti – “Die Lit” review

Playboi Carti is a 21 year old rapper, singer/songwriter & model from Atlanta, Georgia who released out 3 mixtapes & an EP under the original Sir Cartier moniker until becoming an affiliate of the A$AP Mob & signing to Interscope Records for an eponymous 4th mixtape to high acclaim although it took a while to click for me personally. Either way, his full-length debut studio album almost entirely produced by Pi’erre Bourne had my anticipation & wanted to give it a fair listen.

Things start off with “Long Time”, where Carti talks about how he hasn’t had shit in forever & that it took that long to get where he’s at now over a chilled out video gamey beat from Art Dealer. The next song “R.I.P.” is about sex over a bass-heavy instrumental from Pi’erre (who produced all but 5 tracks on here) but interestingly, he brushes off the mumble rap wave several times during the final verse. The track “Lean 4 Real” with Skepta talks about the titular drug over an eerie instrumental & the song “Old Money” gets braggadocious over a bouncy yet atmospheric Pi’erre beat.

The track “++* love hurts **+” with Travi$ Scott sees the 2 comparing themselves to rockstars over a down-tuned instrumental while the song “Shoota” does have an upbeat trap instrumental from Maaly Raw & the Lil Uzi Vert feature is just ok, Carti’s verse was way too short. The track “Right Now” featuring a verse from Pi’erre Bourne near the end is a spacey strip club anthem & the song “Poke It Out” with Nicki Minaj gets back on the braggadocious tip over an Atari-esque beat.

The track “Home (KOD)” is about a loyal bitch over a wavy beat while the song “Fell in Luv” with Bryson Tiller is a moody love tune. The track “Foreign” gets braggadocious over some crazy synths & the song “Pull Up” gets confrontational over a murky yet bouncy beat. The track “Mileage” with Chief Keef gets sexually playful over a dreamy bass-heavy beat, but the hook is annoying.

“FlatBed” is pretty decent 3-minute freestyle over some rubbery bass & keyboards while the song “No Time” with Gunna is about how they can’t vibe with lames over a cloudy Don Cannon beat. “Middle of the Summer” feels more like a Red Coldhearted song since he takes up most of it & “Choppa Won’t Miss” with Young Thug talks about killing everyone over a bouncy accordion beat. The penultimate track “R.I.P. Fredo (Notice Me)” featuring Young Nudy is a dedication to Fredo Santana & the closer “Top” is pretty fun, but it doesn’t sound fully fleshed out.

Aside from a couple redundant tracks, this is a serious contender for best trap album of the year. The cloudy trap production is vibrant (especially Pi’erre’s contributions) & surprisingly more experimental in a sense. Also I will say that Playboi Carti isn’t one of the most lyrical rappers out right now, but he’s always been a very energetic & he has progressed as a performer.

Score: 4/5

Ski Mask the Slump God – “Beware the Book of Eli” review

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After much anticipation, Floridian SoundCloud sensation Ski Mask the Slump God is finally releasing his 3rd mixtape to spite his former management. The tape starts off with “Lost Souls”, where he & Rich the Kid compare themselves to Elder Scrolls over a beat that reminds me of a Southern hip hop hit during the Early 2000s. The next song “Run” gets confrontational over a murky Timbaland beat & Ski Mask’s flow on here is insane! The track “SkiMeetsWorld” talks about sex over a clever Boy Meets World sample & not only is Timbaland’s production on “Worldwide” spacey, but Ski’s continuous references to the Nationwide insurance company is pretty funny.

The track “Throwaway” with Ronny J sounds unfinished & sonically, it gets really annoying quickly. Especially with the hook. The song “With Vengeance” with Offset gets braggadocious over an eerie Timbaland, but the hook is badly sung in my opinion. The track “CoolestMonkeyInTheJungle” with SahBabii gets sexual over a sinister Murda Beatz instrumental & it’s absolutely hilarious. Especially with the references to Quagmire & Honey Nut Cheerios. The next 2 songs “Suicide Season” & “DoIHaveTheSause? (The Bees Knees)” are filled with yet more sex bars, but the first of the 2 has a bland beat & the other has a tedious hook. The track “Geekin’” gets back to the braggadocious tip over an twangy guitar/trap beat & “Child’s Play” while short, is super abrasive & fun. The the penultimate track “Bukakke” with Rich the Kid is a fine display of their chemistry over a chaotic beat while the closer “Dapper Dan” rapidly flexes over a bass-heavy beat.

As a whole, this was just as average as his last mixtape YouWillRegret. The production is certainly better, his rapid-fire flow is even more exciting & he sounds as charismatic as ever. However, he REALLY needs to make some of his songs longer because it really comes off as rushed to me. If he takes more time with his next project, I truly think it could become his magnum opus

Score: 3/5

Royce da 5’9” – “Book of Ryan” review

With PRhyme 2 being released just a month & a half ago, renown Detroit underground MC Royce da 5’9” has now delivered his long-awaited 7th full-length album. The first song “Woke” after the intro references WWE Hall of Famer, the shortest reigning WWE Champion & former WWE Tag Team Champion André the Giant over a Key Wane instrumental with some eerie choir vocals in the back. After the “My Parallel” skit, we go into the song “Caterpillar”. Here, Bad Meets Ǝvil reunites to tell the audience pretty much what Mark Jackson told Steve Kerr a few years ago over a hard hitting vibraphone instrumental from S1.

The track “God Speed” talks about making it of the hood over a smooth mR. pOrTeR instrumental while the song “Dumb” with Shady Records’ latest signee Boogie sees the 2 talking about the current state of the music industry over an S1 instrumental that sounds like something Dr. Dre & Scott Storch would’ve made together in the Early 2000s. After the “Who Are You” skit, we go into the song “Cocaine”. Here, Royce reflects on his dad’s issues with the drug over a murky DJ Khalil beat. The track “Life is Fair” talks about an ungrateful woman from his childhood over a heavy piano-Fuse instrumental while the song “Boblo Boat” sees Royce reminiscing about family trips to amusement parks & J. Cole reflecting on growing up in North Carolina over a soulful Cool & Dre instrumental.

The song “Legendary” talks about his status in the game over a bass-heavy electro instrumental from mR. pOrTeR while the track “Summer on Lock” with Fabolous & Jadakiss is filled with braggadocious bars over an eerie beat. The song “Amazing” reflects on his old neighborhood over a blissful beat while the track “Outside” vents about his fears over an atmospheric DJ Khalil instrumental. The song “Power” talks about his family’s alcoholism over a piano/bass heavy instrumental from Boi-1da & after recalling an childhood incident at a basketball court during the “Protecting Ryan” skit, we go into the track “Strong Friend”. Here, Royce reflects on his past alcoholism with some dramatic strings & funky bass.

The song “Anything/Everything” gets conscious over some jazzy piano chords while the penultimate track “Stay Woke” thanks his Bad Meets Ǝvil cohort Eminem for his sobriety while also reminding us how dope he is during the 2nd half of it over an orchestral Ging & !llmind instrumental. The album then finishes with “1st of the Month”, where Royce gets with T-Pain recalls how happy they would be when they used to get welfare checks during the 1st day of the month over a luscious piano instrumental. Overall, this is tied with Street Hop as Royce’s magnum opus. It sounds focused & passionate, the production is organic & we are truly getting Royce at his most personal point blank period with each track

Score: 4.5/5

Joey Cool – Self-titled review

After being affiliated with Strange Music for several years, Kansas City MC Joey Cool finally signed to the label in October of last year. Now, he’s releasing his first full-length album with them. The album opens perfectly with “The Rhythm Lounge”, where Joey gets hungry for success over a tuba-heavy lounge music-inspired instrumental from Info Gates. The next song “Hard” with JL & Tech N9ne sees the 3 getting braggadocious over a decent trap beat while the track “I’m the Plug” has a nice bass heavy instrumental & the concept isn’t bad either, but the hook is kinda annoying.

The song “Change Your Life” is basically Joey’s success story over an eerie MIKE SUMMERS a.k.a. 7 instrumental while the track “Under Pressure” is about how he’ll never fold over some horns. The song “Handle of Jack” is an ode to alcohol over a relaxing beat and the track “Fall” is about Joey staying up when people try to bring him down over an atmospheric trap beat from Seven with some rubbery bass. The song “Divine” is a smooth sex jam while the cleverly titled “Stranger Things” with Ubiquitous gets conscious over a somber beat.

The song “Life Lessons” talks about never taking Ls again and I love the synthesizers on here. The track “One, Two” with the CES Cru sees the 3 talking about they have things they need to do over a gritty instrumental and the song “Secure the Bag” intelligently touches down on the subject of money over an abrasive beat. The track “Bottom Bitch” with Breaking Bad News talks about grinding over a settle beat & the closer “Family” tells intriguing stories his relatives over a gloomy trap beat.

As expected, this is Joey Cool’s best work to date. He sounds more passionate, hungrier, his lyricism is sharper and the instrumentals are some of the best he’s ever been given. A truly exciting new member of the Strange family and I’ll definitely be looking forward to more of him in the future.

Score: 3.5/5