Domo Genesis – “Aren’t U Glad You’re U?” review

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About 8 months after the release of his last mixtape Red Corolla, Odd Future member Domo Genesis is coming back lowkey with his 6th mixtape & he has enlisted Evidence of Dilated Peoples to produce it in it’s entirety. The opener “Me vs. Me” vents about internal conflict referencing WWE Hall of Famer, 6-time WWE world champion, WWE Intercontinental Champion, WWE United States Champion, WWE Tag Team Champion, WWE Hardcore Champion, IWGPヘビー級チャンピオン, the inaugural 6-time TNA World Champion, TNA X Division Champion & 2-time TNA World Tag Team Champion Kurt Angle over a jazzy yet gloomy instrumental. The next song “Shaq Carries Kobe” with Phonte takes a jab at all the phony dudes out there over a mellow beat while the track “Free Kirk” talks about going from a hustler to a rapper & the instrumental is pretty much a thunderstorm with a sample in the middle of it. The song “BBB” gets confrontational over an eerie instrumental & then the track “Sing Me a Song” getting insightful yet ambitious over a smooth beat.

The song “Brake” may be only 2 minutes long, but he sounds menacing over a Latin guitar. The 1-minute “Fuck a Co-Sign” sees Evidence himself making the song for itself over a soulful beat. Although I wish Domo had a verse on here to make it a little longer, it was still great to hear Ev rapping on here. The closer “Hood Famous” touches down on living by your limits & the piano on here is absolutely beautiful. Despite being 20 minutes long, this was still a very dope tape. The production isn’t superior than No Idols, but it’s still pretty relaxing & it suits Domo’s flow

Score: 4/5

SiR – “November” review

SiR is an R&B singer from Inglewood, California who’s been getting quite some attention lately. He signed with Top Dawg Entertainment last year & released his 2nd EP Her 2 just a couple weeks after. And now a year later, TDE announced out of the blue last week that SiR will be releasing his 2nd full-length album & major label debut to start their 2018.

After a 45 second spoken word intro, we then get into the first song “That’s Alright”. Here, he talks about his down to ride chick over a bass guitar & some drums. The next song “Something Foreign” with ScHoolboy Q sees the 2 talking about the lavish life over some jazzy piano chords while the track “D’Evils” talks about smoking weed over a mellow beat. The song “Something New” with Etta Bond is a duet about 2 lovers expressing their profound love for each other over a kickback instrumental & while the track “I Know” talks about a stripper, the way it’s executed is annoying.

The song “Never Home” raps about not answering his woman while he’s on the road over a super smooth beat & then the track “War” sings about him trying to win this woman over with a semi-jazzy beat. The song “Better” reflects on an ex over a spacey trap beat while the penultimate track “Dreaming of Me” vents about missing his woman over a frisky instrumental. The album then closes with “Summer in November”, which is pretty much is a sex tune with a super funky instrumental.

Overall, this might be SiR’s best work to date. His vocals have improved as did his songwriting & the production is absolutely beautiful. If you’re looking to get into the newest face of one of the hottest labels out right now, give this a listen

Score: 4/5

B-Movie Millionaires – “Attack of the 50,000ft Sweg Lawds from Outer Space” review

The B-Movie Millionaires are a duo from the United Kingdom consisting of Manchester, England emcee Black Josh alongside Runcorn, Cheshire emcee/producer & Blah Records founder Lee Scott. Known for being members of the Cult of the Damned collective, these guys would make their eponymous debut in 2015 with an extended play produced by Axel Holy containing guest appearances from their Cult brethren. However, they’ve decided to hold off on having features for their full-length studio debut almost 2 months since Kurtis Chapman ended Flash Morgan Webster’s reign as RPW British Cruiserweight Champion & I felt like that was an appropriate move as much as I enjoyed self-titled.

After the intro, the first song “Coool Like Dat” breaks the door down with a boom bap instrumental talking about no one being to blame although it ain’t their fault whereas “Chicken Pill” works in a bell sample speaking of the real always recognizing real & those who know staying aware. “Sw£g Level 9000” talks about them being superhuman leading into “Cult Ho£gun” referencing the inaugural IWGPヘビー級チャンピオン, former 12-time WWE world champion, WWE tag team champion & WWE Hall of Famer Hulk Hogan.

“Camouflage Money” gets the 2nd half going talking about being miles away while “Hawaii” gives off a tropical boom bap vibe to the beat wanting everyone to put their hands in the air. “Whatchusayin” brings back the grit advising anyone approaching them to get to the point & after “River Phoenix” demonstrates some insane cinema wordplay, “Social Media” ends the Millionaires’ full-length debut talking about the negative effects sites like the Meta Platforms-owned Facebook has had on society as a whole.

Between this & of course the B-Movie Millionaires’ introductory EP, I’d say these guys slightly outdid themselves & believe they could make their best work if Black Josh & Lee Scott take some elements from both of their projects & combined them all for a potential sophomore effort. Sam Zircon’s production leans towards the traditional boom bap sound enhanced by Telemachus’ engineering & you get a better look at the chemistry between both members throughout Attack of the 50,000ft Sweg Lawds from Outer Space.

Score: 3.5/5

Camila Cabello – “Camila” review

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Camila Cabello is 20 year old singer/songwriter from Eastern Havana, Cuba who has been receiving quite a bit of attention in the pop scene for the past couple years now. She broke off from 5th Harmony in late 2016 & I first caught wind of her when she did a duet with MGK on his latest album bloom calmed “Bad Things”. But I personally found it to be diabetically lovey dovey & given that, I at first wasn’t really looking forward to hearing her solo debut right here. That was until I heard the singles off this thing & saw that Ging produced almost every track.

The album starts off with “Never Be the Same”, where Camila singing about being addicted to this man like a drug addict & the druggy yet tension building instrumental isn’t too bad either. The next track “All These Years” reflects on a breakup over a pretty acoustic instrumental while the song “She Loves Control” talks about a woman who wants things her way over a tropical instrumental.

“Havana” is a dedication to her hometown with some piano chords & thumping drums. Also, the Young Thug verse on here is a nice touch as well. The song “Inside Out” has a seductive tone to it lyrically, but it is catchy. Also, the sunny production from Cashmere Cat enhances this catchy vibe. The track “Consequences” talks about the results of breaking up with someone while the song “Real Friends” expresses Camila’s desire to find just that over a pretty piano passage.

“Something’s Gotta Give” is another breakup song & while the instrumental does have a nice build up as it progresses, but I don’t find it as intriguing as “Consequences”. The penultimate track “In the Dark” recalls an encounter she had with a famous John Doe & then the closer “Into It”, she sings about sex. Both of which contain wavy electro-esque instrumentals.

As a whole, I’m floored. I didn’t like her duets with Shawn Mendes or MGK at all, but this was a great listen. More than I expected it to be. Camila Cabello’s vocals have stepped up majorly, it sounds focused & actually very well-put together from the colorful, vibrant production to the solid songwriting. I was wrong about you, Camila. This is just the beginning of a very successful solo career & I can’t wait to see what you’re gonna do next

Score: 4/5

Maxo Kream – “Punken” review

Maxo Kream is a 27 year old rapper from Houston, Texas & after releasing 4 mixtapes within the past 6 years, he’s now delivering his full-length debut. The opener “Work” starts off with a short spoken word piece & after that, he reflects on his drug dealing days over a gritty trap beat. It then switches into something more ambitious near the end. The next song “Grannies” produced by MexikoDro vividly tells us what it was like for him growing up over a smooth bass-heavy beat while the track “Capeesh” with Trippie Redd sees the 2 talking about the trap philosophy over a druggy beat. The song “Bussdown” talks about the trap life over a banging instrumental whole the track “Hobbies” talks about the gangsta shit that he likes to do over a retro game-esque instrumental.

“Go” talks about his “young niggas” over an eerie instrumental, but I didn’t care all that much for the D. Flowers verse. “Beyoncé” talks about guns referencing former 3-time WWE world champion, 4-time WWE Intercontinental Champion, 3-time WWE Hardcore Champion, 3-time TNA World Champion, ΩCW Heavyweight Champion, 8-time WWE Tag Team Champion, ROH World Tag Team Champion, HOG Tag Team Champion, 2-time ΩCW Tag Team Champion & 2-time TNA World Tag Team Champion Jeff Hardy over an ominous instrumental from Sonny Digital & then the song “Astrodome, Pt. 2” is a catchy sex tune with a laidback instrumental.

The track “Love Drugs” is basically about Maxo choosing drugs over his woman over an atmospheric instrumental & then the song “Pop Another” if you couldn’t tell by the title is about taking pills over a beautiful vocal sample in the background. “Janky” vents about people those who’ve turned his back on him over a bleak instrumental while the song “ATW” continues the same lyrical concept with a more mellow instrumental. The penultimate track “Roaches” reminiscing about his younger days over some gloomy keys & some heavy bass while the closer “5200” brags about his work ethic over a spacey trap beat.

I think we should watch out for what Maxo’s gonna do next, because this will make him into the next big name in trap music. The production is banging, his stories are compelling & they’re delivered so charismatically

Anyway tha God – “Over P’s” review

Slough, Berkshire, England, United Kingdom emcee/producer Anyway tha God enlisting London veteran Micall Parknsun to produce his first extended play of solo material in its entirety. Releasing the debut mixtape As I Was Sayin’… in the fall of 2012, he would become distinct for his multicultural perspective on the UK hip hop scene incorporating Caribbean influences representing his heritage. Returning after 6 years however, Over P’s was conceived in the middle of the trials & tribulations he was going through.

“I’m More!” starts us off with a boom bap beat radiating a religious aura talking about his worth whereas “Leave Me Be…” has a more luscious vibe whilst restraining the dustiness, speaking of having no time for stupidity. The title track featuring Dani Bliss & Joker Starr finds the trio on top of a nocturnal boom bap instrumental overcoming all obstacles but after a proclamation of protecting “The Children”, we have Micall Parknsun & Moralistik discussing appreciation for “The Present”.

Encouraging better environments presently for tomorrow as a father along with encouraging the goodhearted and inspiring/encouraging the leader within ourselves, Anyway tha God makes a confident return by getting significantly personal than he did compared to As I Was Sayin’… since it’s a testament regarding why he makes music. Micall Parknsun’s production’s less rawer than Anyway’s early mixtape although it retains the traditional boom bap sound & the guests all help spread the word of self value/worth.

Score: 4/5

Gucci Mane – “El Gato: The Human Glacier” review

With Christmas approaching 3 days from now, iconic trap rapper Gucci Mane is giving fans his 12th full-length album & he has enlisted 808 Mafia co-founder Southside. The album starts off with “Rich Ass Junkie”, where Gucci is talking about serving rich drug addicts over an gloomy trap beat. The next track ”Peepin’ Out the Blinds” talks about firing his gun at people over a sinister yet abrasive instrumental while the song “Dickriders” takes a jab at just those & the bass on here is thumping! The song “Mall” talks about people who wanna “buy his style” over an ominous beat & then the track “Side EFX” talks about people who turn evil over some organs along with some rattling hi-hats.

The song “T.Y.T. (Thick, Young, Tender)” talks about this how hot this woman, but the beat is a bit synthetic. The track “Sea Sick” is a fun party tune the whistling on here was a nice change of pace while the song “Smiling in the Drought” gets confrontational over a menacing beat. The song “El Gato’s Revenge” flaunts on the lifestyle of a drug dealer over an eerie instrumental while the penultimate track “Step Throat” gets braggadocious over an explosive instrumental. The album then closes with “Southside & Gucci” and while it’s only 1 minute long, the short verse Gucci delivers over this thunderous trap beat with a nice guitar sample. This is honestly just as great as Gucci’s 58th mixtape Droptopwop, which he did with Metro Boomin’ in Late May of this year. It’s been long overdue that we got Southside producing an album for GuWop, but their strong chemistry on here makes it worth it

Score: 3.5/5

Huncho Jack – “Huncho Jack, Jack Huncho” review

Huncho Jack is a southern hip hop superduo consisting of Migos’ standout member Quavo & the KiD CuDi of trap music, Travis Scott. Both members coming from Atlanta, Georgia & Houston, Texas respectively have shown quite a bit of chemistry with songs like “Oh My Dis Side”, “pick up the phone” & “Portland”. And alas, here we are with their full-length debut merely days away from Christmas.

The album starts off with “Modern Slavery”, where they’re going back & forth about the lavish life & the Otis Redding sample Buddah Bless hooks up is surprising yet cool. The next track “Black & Chinese” talks about their favorite types of women over an abrasive Southside beat & the track “Eye 2 Eye” gets with Takeoff gets celebratory over a druggy instrumental from Murda Beatz.

“Motorcycle Patches” talks about acid with TM88, Supah Mario & Ging making it work as someone who’s not a fan of acid. The track “Huncho Jack” is a prime example of their chemistry over this semi-spacey beat Quavo helped Mike Dean & !llmind make while the song “Saint” flaunts about their success & the bass on here is explosive! The track “Go” talks about the life of a hustler & the flute sample on here is killer!

The song “Dubai Shit” talks about partying in Dubai (obviously) over a druggy beat & I love how Offset is incorporated as he goes back & forth with Quavo during the final verse. The track “St. Laurent Mask” gets into them as dealers & I absolutely love the keys on here. The song “Moon Rock” is an ode to the titular strain of weed & the beat from Vinylz is sinister, yet bass heavy.

“How U Feel” talks about getting fucked up on lean & the sample on here is absolutely beautiful while the penultimate track “Where U From?” vents about living life in the fast lane on top of Cardo & Cubeatz fantastically sampling my favorite Mac DeMarco song: “Chamber of Reflection”. Then album then closes with “Best Man”, where they both get appreciative of their success over another spacey beat from Wheezy. Personally, this was WELL worth the wait. The production slaps & the chemistry between Quavo & Travis is stronger than before.

Score: 3.5/5

Conway the Machine – “G.O.A.T. (Grimiest Of All-Time)” review

Conway the Machine is an MC from Buffalo, New York who has been making a name with himself alongside his brother Westside Gunn & their label Griselda Records. They even signed to Eminem’s Interscope imprint Shady Records back in March of this year & after a long wait, he’s releasing his 8th mixtape (which is an abbreviation for Grimiest Of All-Time) & he has enlisted Griselda’s in-house producer Daringer to produce all but 1 track.

The album starts off with the title track, where he’s bragging about his rapping prowess over a killer guitar. The next song “Trump” gets murderous & the production from The Alchemist fits the vibe perfectly. The track “TH3RD F” gets mafioso over a prominent soul sample & the Raekwon verse fits like a glove. The song “Die on X-Mas” with Benny the Butcher sees the 2 getting confrontational over a super eerie instrumental & the track “Rodney Little” with Prodigy sees the 2 getting braggadocious over a haunting boom bap beat.

“XXXTRAS” vividly reflects on his days as a hustler over some horns & militant drums while the track “Bishop Shot Steel” takes a shot at the snakes over a gloomy beat. The track “Mandatory” with Royce da 5’9” sees the 2 taking a jab at their haters over a somber yet menacing beat while the penultimate track “Arabian Sam’s” with Styles P gets murderous over a grimy boom bap beat. “Bullet Klub” featuring Benny the Butcher & Lloyd Banks takes it’s name after the popular 新日本プロレス unit バレットクラブ to tell the studio gangsters what life’s really like in the streets over an ominous instrumental.

Personally, this is Conway’s magnum opus. His lyricism is grittier than ever as is the production & the features are all on point. Griselda is one of my favorite labels right now & this is yet another example of why that is

Score: 4.5/5

BROCKHAMPTON – “SATURATION III” review

With 2017 drawing to a close, California based hip hop boyband BROCKHAMPTON is giving us their 3rd full-length album & the final installment of their highly acclaimed SATURATION trilogy. The album starts off with “BOOGIE”, where they’re talking about how they’re taking over the game & the instrumental from Romil Hemnani & Jabari Manwa will make you wanna throw a party. The next track “ZIPPER” talks about their continuing rise to fame & the beat is infectious as Hell. The song “JOHNNY” is basically the group going back & forth reflecting about them during their adolescence up until now & the jazzy horn sample is super dope. The track “LIQUID” talks about their individual rags to riches stories & the beat is super murky.

After the “CINEMA 1” skit, we then go into the next song “STUPID”. Here, they talk about not wanting boys to see what’s in their phones & the last 2 verses from Dom McLennon along with his brother & BROCKHAMPTON de facto leader Kevin Abstract fits it perfectly. The track “BLEACH” talks about their demons over a druggy instrumental (with the deepest verse coming from Ameer Vann) & then the song “ALASKA” talks about feelin’ brand new over some strings referencing Facebook founder & Meta Platforms CEO Mark Zuckerberg. The synths during the hook are great as well. The track “HOTTIE” sees the group talking their consciouses & I absolutely love how JOBA goes back & forth with both Merlyn Wood & Matt Champion on here.

After the “CINEMA 2” skit, we then get into the next song “SISTER / NATION”. Where they talk about finding themselves & their days are coming to rubble over a beat that starts off abrasive yet noisy, but then transitions into something spacey. The track “RENTAL” essentially tackles the idea of the collective losing it all & the beat from Romil alongside Q3 is pretty spacey. The penultimate song “STAINS” expresses their gratefulness of where they are now over a Neptunes-esque instrumental. After the “CINEMA 3” skit, we then go into the closer “TEAM”. It starts off with bearface. singing over a guitar, but then it changes into something more funky as the other members go back & forth with each other as they get semi-political.

As expected, BROCKHAMPTON finished the SATURATION trilogy the way they started it: near perfectly. The production is more experimental & it’s a bit more introspective. Can’t wait to see what they’re gonna do on their 4th album Team Effort in 2018

Score: 4.5/5