Bktherula – “N5ON” review

Atlanta, Georgia rapper & singer/songwriter Bktherula back for her 4th studio LP. Beginning a decade ago as a pop/R&B singer, she eventually broke out in the plugg scene after dropping the single “Tweakin’ Together” produced by my lil homie Mars off her debut mixtape Love Santana. This resulted in her signing to Warner Records, following it up with her sophomore tape Nirvana along with the full-length debut Love Black & LVL5. Coming off LVL5 2 & Lucy however, she’s returning 16 months later for N5ON.

“I Go Punk” kicks things off with Whethan fusing grime, dubstep, pop rap & hybrid trap talking about killing the ego right then & there leading into “Activated” produced by iloveit! chaotically admitting she’ll be on her worst behavior once she’s finished with this cup in her hand. “Oh Yay” goes for an atmospheric direction instrumentally yearning to see her lover’s body moving in different ways while “Addicted2U” featuring underscores blends electropop, electro house, dance-pop, hyperpop & progressive house achieving their goal of making something generational.

Cade gets behind the boards during “2002” talking about the club playing her music in a room full of sexy women just before “2wice” confronts someone who walked passed her a couple times like they never shared a name. “Lost in a Rave” talks about her desire of hearing a bass drop until it cuts through the evening & once “Afterz” flexes her money being longer than a pterodactyl, “Drunk” finds herself wanting to get wasted with her partner.

“Wav” hops over a Keyon Christ beat admitting this feels more like a dream to her instead of sincere love while “Push Pull Method” talks about a lost friend of hers who she can’t stop thinking of saying she would marry her when the party ends only to marry some other guy. “Jevitas” lets ¥en Diezel handle the sole verse going full-blown Spanish for an anthem dedicated to all the youthfully attractive women in the function while “Alisha” ends N5ON advising the person addressed not to call her without humble intentions.

Both singles that’ve come out within the past several months were a clear indication of Bktherula making a stylistic departure with N5ON & unsurprisingly, it’s the most experimental thing she’s made thus far. The songwriting’s noticeably more repetitive than anything she’s done previously, but the largely EDM-oriented production contrasting the trap/rage sounds she became known for at the turn of the decade validates it.

Score: 3.5/5

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k-os – “BLackneck” review

k-os is a 54 year old rapper, singer/songwriter & producer from Toronto, Ontario, Canada whose full-length studio debut Exit alongside the sophomore effort Joyful Rebellion & Atlantis: Hymns for Disco cemented himself as a dominant force in the Canadian hip hop scene despite releasing his debut single in 1996. Yes! we well as BLack on BLonde & Can’t Fly Without Gravity would all be welcomed to mixed reception, returning over a decade after the latter to have Drake oversee the creation of his 2nd extended play.

The self-produced “Still #1” opens up with k-os over a boom bap instrumental making the observation of there being no blacks in power around his parts leading into “OK Corral” letting this woman know she’s not the only one who wants to shoot his firearm. “Eureka!” comes through with a cross between “Beat It” by the late Michael Jackson & “Hey Ya!” by André 3000 talking about being loved despite his ugliness just before flexing that he has the “Golden Touch”, leaning towards a Velvet Underground vibe.

“i would never.” winds down the last few moments of BLackneck amplifying the rock influences we heard moments ago, this time drawing inspiration from The Hives so he can make a promise to not even attempt at steal someone else’s girl because he believes there’s already too much beauty in the world as there is while the 2nd & final single “Guns&Roses” talks about cutting rappers up like it’s chop suey, throwing it back to the Joyful Rebellion days. The closing track “Hootenanny” sends off the EP with a 3 & a half outro reminiscent to De La Soul.

It really isn’t much of a surprise Drake financially backed BLackneck considering k-os has always been one of his biggest musical influences & the fact they did a song together back in 2011 called “Faith”. Even if Drizzy’s detractors choose to put his involvement as executive producer to the side, Kheaven made up for the lukewarm reception that’s defined his work since Atlantis: Hymns for Disco by reminding us all of his talents whether it’s his varied production style or him becoming the change he wants to see.

Score: 3.5/5

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Ramson Badbonez – “Crystal Skull” review

Brand new studio LP & the 15th overall from Highbury, North London, England, United Kingdom emcee Ramson Badbonez. An underwing of the Task Force, he would eventually sign to Boot Records until making his High Focus Records debut in 2013 with A Year in the Life of Oscar the Slouch. Hypnodic, Jason Bonez, Mic Day the 13th, Death Mask, Fusion & the Leaf Dog-produced White Rabbit would all come out under the Hove, East Sussex imprint & has linked up with Illinformed for Crystal Skull.

After the “Psychic Channel” intro, the 2nd single “1 to 10” kicks things off with this soulful boom bap intro flexing the strength of his pen whereas the lead single “Animos City” talks about most having the inability of prevailing in this circular maze. “Lost Relic” takes the symphonic boom bap route instrumentally speaking of being heavenly suspenseful in mood until the 3rd single “Afterglow” talks about our light trying to be controlled whether it’s bright or not.

Farma G appears for the smooth yet dusty “True Colours” so they can discuss women revealing their real personalities to them after hiding it for some time just before the 4th & final single “Crime or Rhyme” hooks up a flute to talk about being intertwined by those 2 things since 1999 when he used to roll with the Task Force back in the day. “Code” gets the 2nd half narcissists displaying where their alliance truly lies while “Blue” passionately talks about his family life.

“Terrors” featuring Kakarot finds the pair discussing the fight or flight agenda while “Shots Fired” eerily gets in his battle rap bag lyrically. Blessing” featuring Leaf Dog hops over a soulful boom bap beat looking to hand out gratitude when one needs it & after “Guitar Case” cinematically shows off his storytelling abilities, “Spirit Science” featuring Mr. Rozzi wraps up Crystal Skull talking about the walls of time being quieter than inner silence.

It wasn’t too surprising to hear Ramson Badbonez reached out to Illinformed weeks after White Rabbit came out last spring to bring this sequel to life & sure enough, Crystal Skull will satisfy fans who resonated with it’s predecessor 19 months earlier ranking amongst the Silver Surfa’s finest material. He’s defiantly standing tall in spite of the world around him falling apart & Illinformed’s production feels unparalleled to Leaf’s, opening the door for the possibility of both Leigh Brothers getting behind the boards for the saga’s next chapter.

Score: 4/5

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Young Nudy – “Just Doin’ Me” review

Atlanta, Georgia rapper Young Nudy returning for his 5th studio LP albeit Atlantic Records debut only days away until the Halloween weekend commences. Despite being cousins with 21 Savage, he eventually carved a lane of his own in the last decade with 10 mixtapes (the most notable ones being the Pi’erre Bourne-produced Sli’merre & it’s sequel) followed by his previous 4 full-lengths. However, he’s returning after taking a trip to Paradise explaining how he’s Just Doin’ Me.

“Hits” produced by FNZ was actually a pretty good note to start on talking about moving like the mafia whereas “Chicken Tender” expresses his frustration towards people acting like enemies instead of folks over a plugg instrumental from Coupe. “Let Me Show You” turns up the aggression so Nudy can talk about being on some Rick Owens shit daily just before the boastful 2nd single “Who Dat Is” running it back with Coupe to combine trap & Chicago drill.

Coupe sticks around for “Nonstop” pretty much reminding everyone that Nudy stays in the streets & flexing his wealth while “Stars in My Car” featuring Fatt Smaxk finds the pair decently talking about how far each of them have come. “Spinnin’” featuring 21 Savage moves on from there referencing one of my top 3 shows of all-time Better Call Saul leading into “War” talking about preparing to engage in combat against the type who act like they want beef.

“Spaghetti” kicks off the 2nd half of Just Doin’ Me hitting us with more gangsta imagery cautioning there’ll be issues if no one wants to ride for him while “F.B.G.M. (Fuck Bitches Get Money)” lets the world in regarding what motivates him. The 3rd & final single “Broke Bitch” airs out his grievances towards a woman who’s struggling financially while the lead single “Ya Dig” talks about riding with the type of people who kick doors down.

The song “Why Would I?” incorporates these haunting synth melodies making it clear that he’ll be in the cut if anyone wants to see him while “Judy” featuring J.I.D samples “My Life’s Alright” by Shira Small to talk about not fucking with lames. “Vibe Out” looks to show these muhfuckas the proper way of ballin’ & the prices not lowering for shit despite doing it all while the closing track “Cream Pie” spends the album’s remaining minutes talking about his girl eating up the dick.

A lot of people including myself would consider Young Nudy amongst the most consistent artists in trap, but I honestly wouldn’t rank Just Doin’ Me amongst his best material although I I certainly believe the positives outweigh the negatives. It’s always entertaining to hear him telling stories of what growing up in Zone 6 was like for him even if I was expecting more out of the production regardless of the appreciation I have for him trying to work with different producers.

Score: 3/5

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Asun Eastwood & Daniel Son – “Nom de Guerre” review

This is the 3rd collaborative LP from Toronto, Ontario, Canada emcees Asun Eastwood & Daniel Son produced by Futurewave. Notable for being members of the Brown Bag Money collective, they would originally unite in 2018 when teaching the Physics of Filth & ran it back during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic when the previous album they did together Bite the Bullet dropped. So hearing they were doing Nom de Guerre nearly a month after former DPW Worlds Tag Team Champions, 新日本プロレスリングストロングオープン級タッグチームチャンピオン, RPW British Tag Team Champions & NXT Tag Team Champions the Grizzled Young Veterans ended 1st Faction’s reign as MLP Canadian Tag Team Champions.

After the intro, “MACV-SOG” breaks down the door with this hardcore boom bap opener likening themselves to the unconventional task force around the time of the Vietnam War whereas “Headcrack City” infuriatingly claps back at their detractors who thought they wouldn’t make it this far. “Plant the Flag” talks about claiming their turf since they’re standing on the hill prior to “Catch a Limit” dustily tuning out everyone who can’t play shit compared to them.

“Trump Towers” moves on from there depicting the gangsta lifestyle together over another boom bap instrumental while “Fassy Bwai” featuring Kardinal Offishall reaches the midway point of Nom de Guerre demolishing any coward who gets in their way. “Blood of the Irish” kicks off the 2nd half on some jazzier vibes talking about their desires of attempting to lay low for a bit just before “Clean Up Nice” details real life sob stories being fed up of being broke.

The song “Repugnant” blends a piano and the some kicks & snares talking about having an abundance of money & cocaine leading into “Riding Convey” featuring Wizdome Buntail & 36 Cypher finds the quartet sinisterly painting the walls using the blood of their opposition. “Dusty Particles” featuring Lord Juco brings an organ in the picture so all 3 of them can get in their hustler bags lyrically while the closer “Dirty Weaponry” chops up a drumless sample talking about showing the world beyond sight.

Sidelining my personal belief of Asun Eastwood’s output post-The S.O.U.L. (Science Of Understanding Life) being average at best, seeing him reuniting with Daniel Son for Nom de Guerre thankfully lived up to my expectations of becoming the strongest collab effort since he released 98 Miles with M.A.V. roughly 5 & a half years ago. Physics of Filth & Bite the Bullet are both superior with the latter having a superior guest list, but it’s refreshing to hear their chemistry hasn’t waned.

Score: 4/5

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Autumn! – “Midnight Club 2” review

Here we have the 7th studio LP from Lafayette, Louisiana rapper, singer/songwriter & producer Autumn!. Gaining traction off a total of 22 EPs & a full-length debut on SoundCloud since 2018 prior to signing to Victor Victor Worldwide & Republic Records succeeding the Not Much Left EP, he made his major label debut 4 & a half years ago with his sophomore effort Antagonist! as well as following it up with the last 2 installments of the Golden Child trilogy & Midnight Club. However, he’s returning for a sequel to the latter after taking it Back 2 My Roots & breaking down the life of a Rolling Stone.

“12AM” begins with a mediocre pop rap intro talking about this woman trying to bring him too deep whereas the self-produced “Hallucinating” goes for a cloudier trap direction instrumentally telling his partner everything will be fine since he’s right by her. “Reflexion” brings a more hyper vibe to the table calling out people for acting tough online only to be shocked when being confronted in real life leading into “Beck” talking about money, power & respect.

The rock undertones throughout “Luster” were interesting to hear suggesting that everyone better post up whenever they see him in the paint just before “ILYIHY” ends the 1st leg sampling “ILoveUIHateU” by Playboi Carti talking about a lover who keeps fucking with his head. “Take 1 Song” kicks off the 2nd half callin’ bluff at an individual who be runnin’ their mouths without having anything to back it up while “Widebody Cullinan” talks about his closet costing people’s entire lives.

“Lefty” admits that there was point prior to “1 Way!” coming out where he forgot who he was although he knew he’d eventually make it while “Kennel of Life” talks about being outside with his dogs. “Know How Sojas Be” details him living life the way he feels like he should & after “Cash Shit” spends a couple minutes boasting his wealth, “Sometimes” produced by Goyxrd concludes Midnight Club 2 admitting there are days where he feels like he’s soaring & others where he’s in tears.

Autumn!’s output for the past couple years has been hit or miss & although I did enjoy the original Midnight Club back in 2023 shifting away from the pluggnb sound, I wound up liking Midnight Club 2 less than both it’s predecessor & the Kickoff EP he gave us 9 months ago warming people up for this. Primarily because I don’t really find the production to be all that interesting other than Wick handling it 46% of it himself & Goyxrd doing the outro.

Score: 2.5/5

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Ras Kass – “Fallout” review

Ras Kass is a 53 year old MC from Carson, California whose his full-length debut Soul on Ice under Priority Records celebrated its 30th anniversary at the beginning of the month. The father of both Ras & Taj Austin from Coast Contra would go on to drop 13 more studio LPs as well as 7 EPs & 8 mixtapes since, with the Mello Music Group-backed Blasphemy produced by Apollo Brown during my senior year of high school landing at my 2nd favorite in his discography. Coming off Leopard Eats Face distributed by Soulspazm Records only 8 months ago, The Waterproof MC’s not looking to slow down with his 8th extended play.

The title track kicks things off with a soulful boom bap intro produced by P.A. Dre talking about the authentic ones being ostracized whereas “Summer Jam” takes a more seductive route topically, wanting people to understand how beautiful this woman is. “Only You” goes for a crooning trap vibe instrumentally talking about more people needing to become themselves leading into “Bottle Service” featuring All Lyrical & Punchline brings it hardcore with the latter having the strongest guest verse of the 2.

“Autumn Colors” incorporates live drumming from none other than Daru Jones talking about the fact that seasons always change every 3 months & a fool remaining the same no matter what just before “Won’t Do” featuring G-Dep, Grafh & X-Raided finds all 4 lyricists uniting to deliver an onslaught of east coast/west coast penmanship over a sample of “Whoa!” by the late Black Rob & some hi-hats. “God Watching” finishes up the EP soulfully reiterating his take on the meaning of a bar during the 1st verse of “Not Like Us” by Kendrick Lamar where he said he’d beat Drake’s ass with the bible.

I had the honor of meeting Ras Kass in the spring of 2022 when we attended the Outlawz’ final show in Los Angeles preceding the untimely death of Young Noble last summer & although I’m adamant of him having the capability to make something on the caliber of Soul on Ice or Blasphemy in terms of enjoyability, a majority of Fallout’s production leaves me torn although I commend him for his technical proficiency & toning down the number of features compared to the amount Leopard Eats Face had.

Score: 3/5

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Bizarre – “Don’t Cross the Street” review

New studio LP & the 10th overall from Detroit, Michigan emcee Bizarre. Emerging as an original member of D12 led by the late Proof, he was also among the first in the crew to put out solo efforts with his 1998 debut EP Attack of the Weirdos being a hometown classic in my eyes. Fast forward 7 years later, Biz followed it up with a worthy full-length debut Hannicap Circus & has continued to put out music on his own since. The Foul Mouth-produced He Got a Gun has since become an entire series of it’s own spanning 5 entries, coming off Basement Jazz to switch things up for Don’t Cross the Street.

After the intro, “Amityville” takes it all the way back to the Dirty Dozen’s stomping grounds accompanied by a boom bap instrumental whereas “Rise Up” continues from there with a 2-parter produced by Blizzard containing a dusty start unloading the shock value hardcore raps he’s known for & a trap switch up accompanied by an uncredited guest verse from a female rapper. “Garlic Sauce” featuring 1 Be Lo however makes up for it having both of them aggressively boasting their penmanship.

“Mercy” brings a more somber beat to the table advising everyone to stay their asses on the other side of the street just before “Get That Doe” featuring Trizz finds the pair joining forces for money making anthem instrumentally treading funkier territory. “Brightmoor” featuring Bareda & Dave Hill has the trio representing the neighborhood of the same near the northwestern border of the city while the title track featuring Chyna Baejing & Northside Lord grimly gets in their hardcore bags again.

The song “Beans” spends 120 seconds talking about always been a spot worker instead of a drug dealer & consuming a bunch of narcotics while “Sunday School” featuring Cory Gunz dismantles any opponents in a battle over a symphonic boom bap beat. “Blinking Light” featuring Dango Forlaine, D-Noe, Lokye, J-Classic, Nolaj & Tru Klassick concludes Don’t Cross the Street with a 6 & a half minute Motor City posse cut where Dango, Lokye & J-Classic deliver the hardest verses of the 7.

Some people have claimed that my appreciation for the He Got a Gun saga was ragebait when I really think it’s some of the best material Bizarre has done by himself, but Don’t Cross the Street doesn’t hit as hard mainly due to only a few guests punching under their weight midway through & Blizzard’s half of the production outshining Big Shaady’s despite appreciating both of them demonstrating their ability to create an entire sound together.

Score: 3.5/5

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Yung Miami – “Watch Dis!” review

Yung Miami is a 32 year old rapper & songwriter from Miami, Florida who broke out as 1/2 of the City Girls. They would drop a mixtape & 3 full-lengths under Quality Control Music prior to their disbandment with JT becoming the first of the duo to go solo in 2024 when the City Cinderella mixtape preluding Club Cheetah came out although it left audiences divided. However, I was more interested in Miami’s own solo debut coming out through Uptown Records & Republic Records especially since she was always the nicest of the 2.

“Fuck Shit Up” wasn’t exactly the strongest note to open up on asking whether or not all these other bitches got the memo whereas “Fuck You” produced by London on da Track throws up middle fingers declaring she’s still the same as she was when she was in the gutter. The 3rd & final single “2008” throws it back to when Jeezy was a dominant force in the mixtape scene giving the mood motivation while “Spend Dat” featuring Davido, Kodak Black, Lil Baby, Shenseea & Vybz Kartel on the remix unites for a strip club anthem.

G Herbo & Quavo both appear during “T.M.T.C. (Take Me To Chanel)” so they can talk about their desires of shopping at the French luxury fashion house leading into Miami suggesting to “Blink Twice” if one loves being with here at the club. After an interlude, “Put Together” brings some synthesizers in the picture to talk about staying well dressed from the top of her head to her feet leading into “Dade County” featuring Rick Ross, Trick Daddy & Trina repping their home turf.

After another interlude, “Freak Like Me” continues the 2nd half of Watch Dis! getting raunchy over a Honorable C.N.O.T.E. instrumental while “Just Might Go” featuring Travis Scott chops up a sample to make way for both of them talking about alcohol. “Old Time Sake” embraces a bit of a pop rap vibe confronting a man who she’s well aware of him missing her while “Letter to My Mwah” following the last interlude talks about treating her pussy better.

“Baby” wraps up the last leg of the LP with a pop rap cut reminiscent of T-Pain’s earlier output turning up the horniness topically while “Ride for You” featuring Summer Walker combines trap soul & pop rap to talk about hoping their partners stay by their sides. “Chasing Sunsets” explains how she doesn’t stress about anything because of her boss lifestyle over an OG Parker beat & “Dear JT” finishes the album sampling “Missing You” by Diana Ross for an open letter to her former partner-in-rhyme.

Next weekend will already be half a decade since Yung Miami put out her solo debut single “Rap Freaks” to divisive reception & regardless of there being some moments where Watch Dis!’s production can be uninteresting at times similarly to City Cinderella’s, I’d most likely revisit Watch Dis! more of the 2 due to the way she takes it back to her dirty south origins along with her dedicating it to those who’ve ever counted her out & confidently clapping back at everyone who claimed she’s failed at everything in life.

Score: 3.5/5

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Ghostemane – “AM:FM” review

Ghostemane is a 35 year old rapper, singer/songwriter, musician & producer from West Palm Beach, Florida who’s dropped 8 full-lengths as well as a handful of mixtapes & extended plays under his belt since 2010 including N / O / I / S / E & it’s 2020 predecessor Anti-Icon despite coming up as the guitarist for a hardcore punk band called Nemesis. He has since spent the remainder of the ongoing decade up until this point taking a hiatus from making music, returning for his 9th studio LP in time for Halloween next weekend.

“Alive!” kicks things off what an intro that’s primarily compositional other than a horribly underwritten verse & chorus whereas “Deus Ex Machina” instrumentally takes more of an industrial trap route talking about feeling like a false hope. “Miazma” lyrically treads the horrorcore waters admitting he’s on the verge of losing his shit whilst turning up the bass just before “0 Day” produced by Kenny Beats blends nu metal, rap metal, trap metal & industrial hip hop to talk about now being the time to do something violent.

The self-produced “Bucketlist” combines trap, trap metal & hyphy lashing out at everyone who has a fucked up perception of him leading into “Jupiter” reaching the midway point running it back with Kenny to talk about looking for a place that he can finally call home. “Hyperdrive” begins the 2nd half dabbling with electronic dance music for a few minutes sampling Jovi Whitney during the drop while “Mean Girls” wants to know why those type of women love him the most.

“Cyberia” incorporates some jungle influences for Ghoste to talk about feeling like his own worst enemy while “Get Gone” asks if one will leave him alone if he gives them what they want. “NSFW” includes a hilarious jab at MGK when he says “I’m never gonna let go of thе machine gun & no I don’t mean the poser with the name Machine Gun” but once “Noose Knot” wickedly talks about being diseased, “A Fire in the Skye” ends AM:FM hoping his wife Skye Whitney realizes she meant everything to him.

Becoming a fan of his when N / O / I / S / E came out & performing at the 20th annual Gathering of the Juggalos prior to the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, the Blackmage Records founder’s comeback following a lengthy hiatus with what might be the most experimental thing Ghostemane has ever made. His own production alongside each of Kenny Beats’ contributions explore beyond trap metal in favor of nu metal, rap metal, industrial hip hop, trap, hyphy, jerk & EDM to deliver a bloodthirsty half hour’s worth of lyrical performances.

Score: 3.5/5

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