Frankie Cosmos – “Different Talking” review

Frankie Cosmos is a 31 year old singer/songwriter & musician from New York City releasing her first couple EPs Zentropy & Fit Me In ahead of the full-length studio debut Next Thing. The latter going on to catch the attention of Sub Pop Records, who signed her in the spring of 2017 & has remained on the Seattle indie label to this day. Vessel, the Haunted Items tetralogy, Close It Quietly & Inner World Peace have all been well-received in the bedroom pop subgenre of indie pop albeit not as much as Zentropy was. Something that I was hoping her 5th studio LP would change going into it & based on both singles that were teased ahead of time.

“Pressed Flower” opens with some acoustics singing about gentrification & rebirth whereas “1 of Each” confesses that she doesn’t know what she wants & not even gravity can hold onto her. “Against the Grain” maintains a steady indie rock direction singing about her preference of being along as of late while the 2nd & final single “Bitch Heart” finds herself missing who she was because she can’t go a day without being on her phone.

We get some synthesizers & jangly guitars colliding on “Porcelain” to address dissociation just before “1! Grey! Hair!” maintains a general indie rock vibe singing about the idea of growing up hardly crossing her mind & suggesting heartbreak occasionally means heartthrob. “Vanity” was a great lead single pulling from indie pop feeling as if she’s another victim of another’s careless futility leading into “Not Long” turning back to an indie rock direction singing about the relatable desire to stay in bed all day.

“Margareta” works in these warm riffs that give off a summertime feeling briefly summarizing our main character of the song rolling down the street in a run down car with her jacket hanging in the backseat while “Your Take On” delves further down the indie rock sound painting a love interest as a villain because it makes her worthy of being cherished. “High 5 Handshake” executes some of the most calmly passionate vocal performances throughout the album portraying, but then “You Become” laments over a friendship dissolving as a result of said former friend becoming a person she doesn’t recognize.

Dismissing the presumption of her passing away, Frankie rather insists she was taking more of a “Joy Ride” chillin’ in a bike lane of a restaurant since that’s where everything goes down while the twee-driven “Tomorrow” sings about not backing out from a show she has to perform in 24 hours. “Wonderland” continues down the final moments of Different Talking singing about getting to know herself more than with time while “Life Back” recalls feeling like she wasn’t gonna reclaim herself the day prior, feeling completely fine after some time to recollect. “Pothole” lastly caps it all off with colorful death of ego optimistically finding meaning in the world as we know it.

Vastly themed around growing up & figuring out how to know yourself, Different Talking redeems Frankie Cosmos from the lukewarm reception of her output since her label deal with the most insularly written AND sonically varied material of her entire career. Primarily combining indie rock & indie pop together, she furthermore takes the opportunity to focus less on twee pop than Inner World Peace did almost 3 years ago leaving the comforting bravery of her early adulthood behind due to the epiphany of that same person always living inside you no matter how much we change.

Score: 3.5/5

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Nezzy – “Worm Food” review

Sandusky, Ohio emcee/producer Nezzy back with his 3rd studio LP nearly 10 months since the last one. Emerging within the underground in 2022 off his first 2 EPs Subject to Change & Pyramids, he went on to follow this up last year by releasing the debut album Hippie Thug in the spring & subsequently his 3rd EP New World Disorder in the fall. His sophomore effort Hall of Infamy came last summer the week following him opening for Psychopathic Records alumni Anybody Killa & DJ Clay at the co-headlined Welcome Home Party, getting another summer in effect by dropping Worm Food.

After the titular intro, the first song “Tha Boogeyman” kicks the door down with a hardcore boom bap opener promising to show you the ropes if you don’t understand it whereas “Ohio State of Mind” featuring Copywrite finds the 2 linking up to rep their home state with secondary rap rock influences. “Nezferatu” produced by Hobgoblin sticks out from the creepy boom bap instrumental to Nezzy’s bloodthirsty lyrics just before “Toyz in the Attic” recalls a time where he wanted to kill the man who sexually took advantage of his sister & with every reason in the world.

“Death of a Poet” featuring Psyonik works in a crooning soul sample from Jamil Honesty so they can make a blueprint & devise off it but after the “By Any Meanz” skit, “‘68 Grand Prix” takes it back to the basement with a siren raising boom bap beat & boastful lyricism. The instrumental on “Alakazam” sounds like it was flipped from a horror film soundtrack & drums added on to pull tricks out his sleeve while “Shark Fin Soup” unleashes stored anger with his pen over some pianos.

We have Nezzy promising that he’ll live forever through his discography & giving it “Raw ‘n’ Uncut” over a mobster-like sample until “Necron 99” after the “Huey Freeman” skit recites his soul to the microphone making better use of his days instead of being incarcerated counting down his release. “Trigger Warning” nears the final moments with another favorite of mine where he & Johnny Slash laugh off how sensitive everyone is & “Spittin’ Image” flexes his pen 1 last time.

Almost a year since the Halls of Infamy were explored, Nezzy’s distinct blend of hardcore vulgar references & deeply introspective conscious rap full of uncompromising rhyme schemes & thought-provoking choice of words gets pushed to newer heights with what he’s been calling the finest work of his career. Rightfully so too since his sword’s sharper than ever & the boom bap production feels rawer.

Score: 4/5

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Lorde – “Virgin” review

Lorde is a 28 year old singer/songwriter from Auckland, New Zealand breaking out as an international superstar in the fall of 2013 after signing to Republic Records & putting out her full-length studio debut Pure Heroine many months after the debut of former AEW World Trios Champion, ROH World 6-Man Tag Team Champion, 2-time IWGPヘビー級王座, IWGPインターコンチネンタル王座, IWGP USヘビー級王座 & NEVER無差別級王座 Jay White until eventually focusing on her double life in South Park, Colorado as a geologist named Randy Marsh. In all seriousness: Her sophomore effort Melodrama would go on to become the greatest alt-pop album of all-time & Solar Power produced by Jack Antonoff stands as her most polarizing work to this very day, hoping that her 4th LP would recapture the acclaim of her first 2.

“Hammer” fuses alt-pop & electropop with indietronica, Baltimore Club, ghettotech & art pop for an ode to city life & horniness leading into “What Was That?” dabbling with alt-pop, electropop, dance-pop, future garage & synthpop to sing about the aftermath of a breakup. “Shapeshifter” collides alt-pop with a hint of alternative R&B together so she can portray her partner having the ability to transform himself due to mixed signals & misunderstood communication while “Man of the Year” brings some indietronica & singer/songwriter vibes to the the styles of the last track singing about the person she wants to be.

Her relationship with her mother gets touched on during “Favourite Daughter” carrying over the alt-pop & indietronica styles just before “Current Affairs” acoustically samples “Morning Love” by Dexta Daps recalling an experience she had watching Pamela Anderson & Tommy Lee’s sex tape under the influence of both ecstasy & psilocybin. “Clearblue” keeps everything stripped back instrumentally to make caution of becoming pregnant following unprotected sex just before “Grown Woman” finds herself back in an alt-pop direction singing about trying to find a mature female in her life for almost 3 decades & counting.

“Broken Glass” hits the final leg of Virgin with a cathartic take on synthpop bringing up the self-hatred Lorde has towards her own image while “If She Could See Me Now” blends alternative R&B & indietronica reflecting on everything that made her the person she is today expressing her hardiness of a past version of herself being happier with her future self. “David” finishes up the album with a minimal direction up until the halfway point where it starts crescendoing asking if she’ll ever love again & feeling as if she doesn’t belong to anybody.

Flicking a light on inside of her in midst of Solar Power’s divisive feedback & her breakup with Justin Warren at the same time, Virgin diverts away from the prominent folk pop sound of her 2021 predecessor in favor of focusing more on what made her break out in the alt-pop subgenre reflecting on her femininity. The secondary influences of indietronica, singer/songwriter, art pop, electropop & alternative R&B in Jim-E Stack’s production pans out more impressively than what the Bleachers spearhead tried to do with indie folk, psychedelic pop, soft rock & indie pop 4 years ago.

Score: 3.5/5

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Public Enemy – “Black Sky Over the Projects: Apartment 2025” review

Long Island, New York political hip hop icons Public Enemy now consisting of frontman Chuck D alongside Flavor Flav & DJ Lord putting out their 17th LP on Bandcamp without any prior announcement. Their first 5 albums are hip hop essentials as what Chuck & company were saying on all of them are still very much relevant today. They ended up leaving Def Jam Recordings in ‘98 after releasing the He Got Game soundtrack, putting out a total of 10 full-lengths independently until returning to Def Jam posing the question What You Gonna Do When the Grid Goes Down? during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic. Radio Armageddon marked Chuck’s official Def Jam debut as a solo artist last month & is transitioning that energy onto Black Sky Over the Projects: Apartment 2025.

“Siick” produced by C-Doc comes out the gate with a consciously charged rap rock intro observing the world being stricken in hate due to the current political climate until Flav joins Chuck on “Confusion (Here Come the Drums)” trading a verse with one another to talk about being the last of a dying breed of emcees. “What Eye Said” instrumentally feels reminiscent to The Bomb Squad asking if anyone can write a verse without cursing when Method Man & No Malice are the best modern examples of that, but then Flav pops back in on “C’mon Get Down” to hit y’all that old school shit.

Meanwhile on “Evil Ways”, we have the rhyme animal himself self-producing a rap rock cut of his own preaching that even the baddest savages eventually get humbled by the averages just before “Sexegenarian” works in more heavily sampling to talk about being 65 & speaking to every 35-year old out there strugglin’ with hopes of makin’ it. “Messy Hens” marks the first of 2 solo cuts Flavor Flav lays down refusing to worry about suckas since his legacy’s far from phony, but then “Fools Fools Fools” gets Tré Cool of Green Day on live drums for Chuck to call out the frauds lying behind their likes on social media.

“Public Enemy Comin Throoooo” finds Flav rightfully rubbing the group’s legacy in everyone’s faces & Mistachuck being the mad thinker to the “swinger” mentality of his hype man & “Ageism” commendably expands on the very topic that was addressed on Radio Armageddon last month with a funky sample backing him. “The Hits Just Keep on Comin’” brings the pair together 1 last time to plead for our country to wake up in the midst of the undying revolution & “March Madness” closes with 1 more Flavor Flav solo track attacking gun violence & crooked politicians.

Turns out What You Gonna Do When the Grid Goes Down? was originally intended to be a reissue of Nothing’s Quick in the Desert hence why some of the songs on that polarizing effort were mixed with newly recording material on their Def Jam comeback nearly 5 years ago this fall & Black Sky Over the Projects: Apartment 2025 feels like a broader extension of what PE’s frontman did 5 weeks ago in the absolute best way imaginable. It’s refreshing to hear both of their core MCs over production reminiscent of their early years & the message of their existence needs to felt now more than ever.

Score: 4/5

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Bktherula – “Lucy” review

Finally got the 3rd studio album from Atlanta, Georgia rapper & singer/songwriter Bktherula. 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. It’s been over a year since LVL5 2 & her label has finally decided now is the time for Lucy to be released.

“DropWhenIDrop” starts with an industrial instrumental flexing that she’s been working her ass off & being in it to win it whereas “LoveSexDreams” produced by Skaiwater talks about wanting to see someone when she said she wasn’t gonna fall in love. “BBGurlGoSlow” featuring Ty$ finds the 2 over a cloudy trap beat 9lives co-produced coming their way after dropping what they want & the lead single “adult swim” bears it’s name after the Discovery Global-owned Cartoon Network late night block, taking it a step further with the Robot Chicken influenced video.

After the “I Feel Like” skit, “Bleht” cooks up a futuristic trap instrumental for Bk to completely spaz out with her flow showing how hard she be going until “Delilah” gets in her petty bag a little looking to take down one of her exes. “Abstract” brings his heavy synthesizers into the fold singing for God to forgive her for her sins cutting them off for a peaceful outro, but then “Euphoria” featuring Joey Bada$$ & KayCyy gets together for well executed pop rap duet & Murda Beatz drawing influences from rock.

“DumbShit” marked the final single that was teased flexing that she’s living life fast letting us all know this is what sounds like whenever her detractors are going through Hell & some of the best adlibs of the LP pop up during “R.I.P. (Rest In Peace)” basically killing off her ego delving back in the rage style. “OCB” fuses hypertrap & pop rap talking about your hoe wanting to be with her instead of you while “PickUpThePhone” goes drumless to pleas for her partner to answer her call.

To kick off the 4th quarter, “No Contact” heavily relies on synths speaking of nightmares when images of her heart on cold pavement come to mind while “Big Feeling” gives off a warm trap feeling talking about having the instinct of others going to hate on her. The final song “LookAlive” ahead of the “I Know” outro properly ties up Lucy by telling her partner she doesn’t feel like she’s loving them right & being on her side whenever they come back.

Birthing a new era in her career, Lucy proves to be the most personal & genre-defying entry in Bk’s discography thus far elevating the potential that was realized when she first got signed several years ago. Once you get past both of the skits & a couple redundant moments during the backend of it, the general sound is more pop rap-driven than the LVL5 series was albeit the rage undertones remain breaking down the topics of ascension & creative awakening.

Score: 4/5

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FlyG – “MENNBLVCK” review

FlyG is a 40 year old MC of Nigerian descent based out of the Washington metropolitan area properly introducing himself to the underground last spring off his debut EP Soulful Journey. He just had SPCL_CHRCTRS fully produce his previous EP Serenade Symphony at the end of February, looking to enlist rising French producer Drega33 for his 3rd EP coming off RJ Payne’s most recent EP Triangle D’Or & who could forget the Lethal Weapon trilogy of EPs that Tha God Fahim has been dumpin’ to serve as a breather for his ongoing Dump Gawd: Hyperbolic Time Chamber Rap saga?

“FRNCHCNNXN” hooks up a drumless chipmunk soul instrumental referring to this moment as the final bout with no referee in sight whereas “J@DED” chops up another vocal sample talking about No Limit Records founder Master P being his favorite hustler growing up. “POWERSTONE” takes a jazzier route instrumentally to talk about kickin’ his rhymes until the final hour of his life runs out until “DIVINE ENERGY CH@RGE” talks about those running their franchises worse than Dan Snyder.

Reaching the halfway point, “RXGHTEOUS LXRD” gets back on the chipmunk soul tip keeping the party pumpin’ sans Joe Budden while “REMAIN HE@LTHY” soulfully talks about the winning streak he’s been on. “ACTIV@TED” jazzily reflects on going from looking at the stars to owning many cars after paying the cost to be the boss leading into “DOUBLE DR@GON” figuring out the price of living in tranquility. “I’m Leaving” appropriately finishes with G bouncing out after witnessing a failed attempt it getting it right.

Of the 3 EPs in the FlyG canon & a 4th one produced by SPCL_CHRCTRS called HRLM Heat coming out soon following some delays, I’m fairly confident in MENNBLVCK satisfying fans of the Lethal Weapon trilogy & Triangle D’Or who’re simultaneously looking for a new artist to broaden their musical horizons. The largely drumless sound that Drega33 became known for on the original Lethal Weapon a few months ago & that previously mentioned EP from the Reign Man carries itself over to the flyest’s direction to unleash his hunger.

Score: 4/5

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Jon Connor – “24” review

Flint, Michigan emcee/producer Jon Connor enlisting KLC of the No Limit Records in-house production team Beats by the Pound to produce his 7th studio LP. Someone who’s steadily been holding it down for the last 2 decades including The Calling, Vinnie Chase & S.O.S. trilogies along with the Best in the World series paying homage to some of Jon’s influences, Salvation, While You Were Sleeping & Unconscious State. He was even signed to Aftermath Entertainment for 6 years before departing after Vehicle City wound up being shelved, returning nearly 6 months since providing Food for the Soul to drop 24.

“1 Time” was an aggressive opener talking about it rappers who’ve got caught up in the clout & forgot to live life putting it up for the real ones whereas “Where You From?” featuring Lil Wyte finds the 2 linking up to tell us what it’s like in Flint & Memphis respectively. “Nothin’ Gon’ Change That” featuring Fiend & Mac throws it back to the No Limit days with it’s horn instrumental separating the real from the fake leading into the funky “Get Right” asking how you were poppin’ bottles if your money ain’t right.

We get a sequel to “Story to Tell” off S.O.S. II: The Road to Legendary produced by MIKE SUMMERS a.k.a. 7 recalling a time where he was 13 & KLC giving it a jazzier feel as opposed to the trap sound of the original while “Work” featuring DJ Paul finds the 2 linking up to talk about getting that money over some dirty south shit. “Kings & Queens” featuring Jay Allure reminds me of those collabs Mia X used to do for No Limit just before “Motivated” incorporates these pianos & strings to talk about always staying inspired even when he’s been knocked down.

“Wake Up, Go Hard” featuring Mr. Serv-On gets the final leg of 24 with a dirty south anthem in ode to the everlasting hustle while “The Biggest Flex” featuring Dee-1 gets together for a lead single tryin’ to figure out who you’re frontin’ for. “Black Magic” featuring Enjoy Melody hits us with more No Limit nostalgia reminiscent of Mercedes in this particular instance & “Story Time” closin’ down shop by telling a tale of tragedy ending in gunfire after the opps caught him by surprise.

It’s been no kept secret that Jon has always been heavily influenced by the late 90s run No Limit Records was so to have KLC fully produce an entire body of work from him could more than likely appeal to those who look back fondly during that time period where No Limit was popular enough to have their own faction in WCW when WWE was in the Attitude Era. All that aside: KLC’s production feels like a mix of old & new ideas with Jon’s dream since he was 14 finally coming to fruition as a full circle moment in his career.

Score: 4.5/5

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Kevin Abstract – “blush” review

Here is the 6th solo LP from Corpus Christi rapper, singer/songwriter, producer & director Kevin Abstract. Making his debut over a decade ago in the form of MTV1987, he followed it up 2 years later with the fantastic American Boyfriend: A Suburban Love Story & rose to stardom as the de facto leader of the now defunct BROCKHAMPTON collective the year after. Both of Kevin’s solo efforts since then ARIZONA baby & The Family were solid although I liked the latter more for it’s chipmunk soul heavy sound. Blanket went for an indie rock direction to quietly end his RCA Records tenure joining X8 Music & Virgin Music, finally putting out blush after teasing it for months.

After the “Introduction” intro, the first song “H-Town” featuring Ameer Vann as well as Love Spells & SoGone SoFlexy finds the quartet over a boom bap instrumental thanking God they’re all still alive today prior to “Copy” featuring Love Spells & SoGone SoFlexy giving off a bit of a psychedelic rock vibe praying their lovers come running back to them & “Danny’s Track” by Danny Brown referencing the inaugural IWGPヘビー級王座, former 12-time WWE world champion, WWE tag team champion, 2-time WWE Hall of Famer, Real American Beer founder & Real American Freestyle Wrestling (RAF) co-founder Hulk Hogan.

“Yoko Ono” featuring Love Spells & Makana XO goes drumless with the help of Kiko Merley so the trio can ask what a classic is without a b-side or The Beatles without the late John Lennon’s widow whereas the chaotic “Nola” by Ameer Vann, Drigo, JPEGMAFIA & Love Spells produced by Quadeca references WWE Hall of Famer, 6-time WWE world champion, WWE Intercontinental Champion, WWE United States Champion, WWE Tag Team Champion, WWE Hardcore Champion, IWGPヘビー級王座, the inaugural 6-time TNA World Champion, TNA X Division Champion & 2-time TNA World Tag Team Champion Kurt Angle.

Love Spells sticks with Kevin on the Glue outtake “Post Breakup Beauty” that Romil Hemnani co-produced looking back on a relationship that only lasted a mere 9 months & wanting to feel like as if they’re untouchable just before “97 Jag” featuring Love Spells once again finds the pair wishing they would’ve followed their instincts instead of crashing out. “Text Me” could very well be the only song without a guest verse singing over a Sekuo sample of recovering from a breakup for 2 years while “Geezer” marks the new superduo’s introduction with their own eponymous single built around pop rap, indie pop, bedroom pop & boom bap

“I Wasn’t There” by DERBY lets his indietronica/bedroom pop styles flourish for a couple minutes on their own & after the “blush” interlude, “Maroon” by Dominic Fike finds the other half of Geezer asking if his partners can remember a time where he made their face turn brownish-crimson. “Pop Out” by Ameer Vann, Drigo, E Bleu & Love Spells brings an experimental trap flare to the table talking about the bad bitches coming out now that it’s summer, but then “Girlfriend” by Drigo & surprisingly Dr. Dre’s daughter Truly Young links the 2 up talking about having each other.

Kevin jumps back on the mic for “Bloom” featuring Ameer Vann & Love Spells to cook up a melancholic trap cut wanting their lovers to know they’ve been waiting their whole entire lives for them to come in the picture while “Abandon Me” by Quadeca tries to figure out why the individual he has in mind stays by him instead of turning their back on him like everyone else in his life. “Red Light” featuring Ameer Vann ends blush with both BH alumni delivering a perfect fusion of pop rap, alternative R&B & neo-soul limiting their growth for the love of their lives.

“Everybody Plays to Win” featuring Ameer Vann & Love Spells starts the deluxe run asking how they can be forgiven & not fall astray while “Medicine” by Ameer Vann, Drigo & Love Spells links up the 3 over synths & hi-hats feeling like their partners were sent from heaven above. The title track featuring Love Spells talks about fiending for love & others not knowing what they’ve been on while “Fall” gets Kevin handling verses by himself over a cloudy trap beat getting to the bottom of as to why a former friend turned his back on him.

AJ, Ameer Vann, Devanmanleyy, Drigo & Love Spells all clique up during “Don’t Ever Ask No N***a for Some Change” talking about flags they ignore by choice while “Oath” by Ameer Vann & Love Spells rides around town with heaters in their pockets. “MenOnTheMoon” sticks out as another Kevin solo cut jazzily feeling like he’s the only one left of himself while “Moonlight” by Ameer Vann & Love Spells talking about being painted as demons since that’s the way they’re viewed.

“On My Son” reflects on the lessons Kevin’s learned taking another moment all by himself hoping to move the way his family did soon as he wakes up the final bonus track “T.W.N.D. (That’s What N****s Do” featuring Ameer Vann & Truly Young caps off the extra batch of music with them puttin’ these snakes in on their asses if they wanna spaz out getting this money backed by horns & a repetitive Memphis-like vocal flip.

2001 was the first album that I listened to start to finish growing up in the early 2000s so when I heard blush was gonna be Kevin’s answer to that, it immediately had my interest. The final product however has a tad more highs than flaws. I love that the production goes from hip hop to alternative R&B, neo-soul, drumless, experimental hip hop, alt-pop, indietronica, bedroom pop & pop rap in a cohesive manner although the lack of Kevin performances make it feel more like a compilation.

Score: 3.5/5

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Chetta – “Mix with Poison” review

This is the 22nd EP from New Orleans, Louisiana emcee/producer Chetta. Starting out a decade ago with his debut mixtape Nino White, this was followed up with 18 EPs as well as 11 more tapes & a full-length debut, but gained significant attention off his G*59 Record$ debut Been Here Forever a couple summers back. Falling Off went on to be an equally dope prelude to the previous album Playboy, which also maintained the level of consistency as those previous projects since signing to G*59 as did Sick Bitch. $crim of the $uicideboy$ produced Sacrifice & Sabotage last spring & is back 7 months after Can’t Replace Me to release Mix with Poison.

“I Guess This is Where I’m Supposed to Apologize” was a self-produced rage intro co-produced by Dynox talking about never folding whereas “Sobe” keeps things in the hypertrap lane to discuss his old self being dead. “Fail on My Own” pulls inspiration from the Memphis scene being too high to give a fuck just before “Come Down Feel the Love” enraging airs out a how’s true intentions with him. “Flat Earth” finally closes Mix with Poison getting on his emo rap shit falling into Hell & hanging on until he feels numb.

Earlier this week, it was announced by G*59 that the first artist they ever signed Ramirez was departing to focus on starting his new label Velvet Note Records & Mix with Poison carries forward a new era for the independent southern hip hop/trap powerhouse by whipping up an EP ahead of their annual Grey Day Tour starting 6 weeks from now by writing & fully producing 5 new songs that I prefer more than Can’t Replace Me.

Score: 4/5

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Pi’erre Bourne – “Made in Paris” review

South Carolina producer, rapper, songwriter & engineer Pi’erre Bourne finally making up for the 15-month delay of his 4th studio LP. Becoming one of the most in demand beatsmiths in hip hop today off Playboi Carti’s “Magnolia”, he’s also made a name for himself on the mic by dropping 10 mixtapes as well as a couple EPs & 3 full-length albums. Grails was a short yet highly favorable collection of Pi’erre’s most anticipated solo tracks & with the 2-year anniversary of that passing a couple months back, Interscope Records has at long last allows him to recount a trip to France he made in the form of Made in Paris.

Splitting the intro “Façade” into 2 different sections, the first “Inside” wishes his uncle who did the spoken word intro was still here to see him today & the other “Alone” remembers his late grandmother along with flexing that he has more Soss than Ragu. The warm synthesizers on “Le Vôtre” make for one of my personal favorite instrumentals on the whole entire album talking about 2 hoes never feeling right with him while “Bon Appétit” takes a pop rap turn wanting his partner to eat him alive.

“J.B.H. (Just Being Honest)” featuring Young Nudy pairs the 2 over a syrupy plugg beat feelin’ like people are still doubting them as artists leading into “La Loi, C’est La Loi” trying to tell this woman how much he misses her when she doesn’t wanna hear it over an accordion. “Bleu” hooks up these organs tackling the issue of not knowing he would leave a chick heartbroken after trying to save their love while “Temps de Chasse” talks about not wanting to fuck around with his life anymore & the grass not being as greener on the other side.

The 2nd & final single “Pop” opens up regarding the kind of relationships he’s had in the past blending pop rap & trap with cloud rap while “Retraite” combines the colorfully atmospheric Good Movie outtake “Kit Kat” with an original latter half “Playground” turning up the rage. “En été” digs up these fuzzy synthesizers flexing his gains not that he’s playing his cards right while “Rapunzel” recaptures the themes of lust once again.

“J’adore” addresses his current love life 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ヘビー級王座, the inaugural 6-time TNA World Champion, TNA X Division Champion & 2-time TNA World Tag Team Champion Kurt Angle & “Toot It Up” might be my favorite song here only because of the plugg instrumental & NOT because of the Timbaland line due to his ongoing AI tomfoolery.

Reaching the final leg, “Violette” meshes these acoustics & quirky synths with one another making reference to Futurama in light of it’s upcoming 10th season on The Walt Disney Company-owned hulu later this summer until “Blocs” proved to be a fun pop rap/trap lead single talking about being on the block when he was younger. “L’amour” offers a bit of a pluggnb vibe speaking to a woman he seems completely dependent on & “Sait” promises to give his girl everything but a wedding ring.

Recharging from all the traveling & barely getting any sleep in part of making sure the visuals were presented in the best possible way he wanted, Made in Paris pushes Pi’erre back in the spotlight with the most vital album of his career & one that captures his growth more than Good Movie did. Inspired by a trip to Paris a year or 2 ago, he takes some ideas that he’s had going far back as 2019 or presently & uses them together resulting in the most consistent LP in his canon since The Life of Pi’erre 4 & The Life of Pi’erre 5.

Score: 4.5/5

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