Leon Thomas III – “Pholks” review

This is the 2nd EP from New York singer/songwriter, producer & actor Leon Thomas III. Beginning as the singing voice of Tyrone on The Backyardigans as well as Andre Harris on Victorious for the Paramount Skydance Corporation-owned Nickelodeon, he later started making music of his own by releasing 3 mixtapes & an EP until Ty$ signed him to his Motown Records imprint EZMNY Records. His full-length debut album Electric Dusk & the sophomore effort Mutt were both highly acclaimed, coming off Tycoon last weekend to drop Pholks.

“Just How You Are” starts us off with a peppy single singing about loving that special woman in his life exactly the way she is whereas “My Muse” dedicates itself to the female who stays inspiring him the most over some classy strings. “5MoreMinutes” takes a funkier approach instrumentally singing about being homesick from his lover while “Trapped” expands on the funk influences with a hint of rock added to the mix.

The song “Baccarat” pushes further towards the end of Pholks with Leon fusing rock & soul explaining that he doesn’t ask for much except the attention of this fine-ass walking contradiction while “Feel Alive” sings to be taken away from all of his troubles by a romantic interest he’s been waiting on for a while. “Lone Wolf” featuring 4Batz closes the EP with a successor to “she ain’t no angel” off Still Shinin’ that I like as much if not more than the last collab.

Showcasing his command as a multi-instrumentalist & visionary, Leon Thomas III adventurously doubles down on the raw creativity of Mutt that cemented him his a generational R&B force nearly 13 months ago throughout the duration of Pholks fusing the groove of funk with the golden age of R&B & the raw defiance of classic rock sparking a whole entire movement of it’s own in preparation of his forthcoming 3rd LP presumably dropping next year.

Score: 4/5

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Hannah Jadagu – “Describe” review

Hannah Jadagu is 23 year old indie/bedroom pop artist from Mesquite, Texas introducing herself in the spring of 2021 by signing to Sub Pop Records & putting out her debut EP What’s Going On? to moderate reception followed by the full-length studio debut Aperture roughly 25 months later, receiving more favorable feedback. Teasing a return during the summer, she’s coming off 4 teasers with her official sophomore effort a couple weeks succeeding Flock of Dimes’ greatest album The Life You Save.

The alt-pop title track & final single begins with Hannah singing about trying her best to be the one who never leaves your mind whereas the 3rd single “Gimme Time” blends bedroom pop & indie rock to tackle the struggles of self-discovery & personal growth in a relationship. “More” sings about the emotional toll being physically distant from a lover takes on their relationship over a a dream pop instrumental just before “D.I.A.A. (Do It All Again)” tackles self-reflection & personal growth.

“Perfect” embraces a bedroom pop vibe assuring her lover that their relationship doesn’t have to be exactly flawless prior to the lead single “My Love” combining indie rock, dream pop & shoegaze to sing about the feelings that can arise when you’re apart from someone you love. “Couldn’t Call” begins the 2nd half with what feels like a repetitively penned a cappella interlude while “Tell Me That!!!” sings that she wants to be told that he really want her to be his now.

Starting the concluding act of the LP, we have Hannah fusing bedroom & alt-pop with breakbeat during the 4th single “Normal Today” feeling distracted by a loved one while the 2nd single “Doing Now” swaps out the alt-pop & breakbeat elements in favor of indie rock sings about reluctancy. “Miracles” continues the final moments by expressing her belief in wonders & the closer “Bergamont” sings about the bittersweetness of a love that has since faded away.

Spending a lot of the time trying to figure out how to express ideas that aren’t always so concrete & searching is for the words to describe the truth on Hannah Jadagu’s terms whilst relishing in the uncertainty in that journey, Describe embraces an expansive shift toward a heavier alt-pop & bedroom pop sound compared to prominently indie/dream stylings of her debut although the dream pop influences are being used to a lesser extent & the indie rock undertones of Aperture are being maintained well enough too conceptually based on her learning the hard way that distance is relative.

Score: 3.5/5

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Halle – “love?…or something like it” review

Halle is a 25 year old singer/songwriter & actress from Atlanta, Georgia notable for being 1/2 of Chloe x Halle with her older sister Chlöe. Signing to Beyoncé’s very own Columbia Records imprint Parkwood Entertainment a decade earlier, they would put out 2 full-lengths together until taking a hiatus to focus on their solo careers. Chlöe’s sophomore effort Trouble in Paradise came out 24 months ago to warmer reception than In Pieces & the time has finally come for her eldest sibling to make her official solo debut.

After the intro, the first song “overtime” truly begins with Halle singing about having men putting in extra hours & not trusting anyone because of her ex-partner DDG whereas “know bout me” featuring Glorilla takes the trap soul route instrumentally admitting that neither of them are innocent. “his type” sings about a man who makes her feel secure & on top of the world leading into “heaven” produced by Bongo asking if her new man can go to the pearly gates with her.

Mariah the Scientist appears on “alone” immediately after an interlude singing about working by themselves following the confirmation from Young Thug that Mariah recently broke up with him recently the Valentine’s Day single “back & forth” admits to liking it when her partner gets angry in light of her & DDG’s custody battle over their son Halo. Another single “braveface” reflects where she’s at in her life from a mental standpoint now that she’s a mother while “so I can feel again” by Chloe x Halle reunites the siblings for a sultry duet.

“in your hands” works in some pianos & electric guitars describing a couple with a deep connection between one another while “no warning” featuring H.E.R. sings about their enjoyment of driving their lovers crazy & making them feel afraid. “bite your lip” yearns to be held for an evening over a Dem Jointz & Blu2th beat and after “Angel” sings about the beauty of African American women on top of a Neff-U instrumental, “because I love you” finishes with an ode to the people there for her at her worst.

In the midst of her restraining order against DDG being extended to early next month, Halle’s long-awaited introduction as a solo artist cohesively tells a story of first love as well as the heartbreak & everything that comes afterwards culminating in self-discovery. Assuring that it’s perfectly normal to pour so much of yourself into someone as long as people are giving that same love back to themselves, the star of The Little Mermaid remake meshes her jazz & trap influences with R&B/pop sensibilities for the most intimate work of her career.

Score: 3.5/5

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Daniel Caesar – “Son of Spergy” review

Daniel Caesar is a 30 year old singer/songwriter from Oshawa, Ontario, Canada releasing his first few EPs Birds of Paradise as well as Praise Break & Pilgrim’s Paradise followed by his independently released debut Freudian through his own imprint Golden Child Recordings & a moderate sophomore effort Case Study 01 although “Frontal Lobe Muzik” remains a hidden gem. His previous album Never Enough marked his major label debut under Republic Records to widespread acclaim & his 4th studio LP looks to do the same.

Sampha joins Daniel for the gospel intro “Rain Down” asking for God to pour his blessings all over them whereas the singer/songwriter & neo-soul lead single “Have a Baby (With Me)” additionally pulls from smooth soul singing about impregnation. The next single “Call on Me” blends psychedelic neo-soul & indie rock advising to call him if one needs help getting by while “Baby Blue” featuring his father Norwill Simmons sings about his relationship with God.

“Root of All Evil” continues the heavy religious themes referencing 1 Timothy 6:10 just before “Who Knows?” reaches the halfway point singing about feeling like a total coward hiding in a disguise. The final single “Moon / Violence” featuring Bon Iver eclectically pulls from indie folk, psychedelic soul, singer/songwriter, bedroom pop, smooth soul & psychedelic folk asking who’s gonna be their Jesus while the bedroom pop inspired “Touching God” confesses to the feeling of worthlessness without the fame.

Nearing Son of Spergy‘s conclusion, Sign of the Times” sings that he’s stronger now than he ever was & remembering Frank Ocean’s brother Ryan Breaux who lost his life in a car accident while “Emily’s Song” dedicates itself to his ex-girlfriend that he was seeing in the late 2010s thanking her for helping him see clearer. “No More Loving (On Women I Don’t Love)” feels more like a 646yf4t track since his brother’s taking up a good chunk of it vocally contradicting the “Who Knows?” outro & “Sins of the Father” featuring Bon Iver closes Daniel’s 2nd major label project with a 2-parter singing about his relationship with his biological father & God.

Inspired by a reconciliation between himself & his own parents, Daniel Caesar embraces a prominent singer/songwriter & bedroom pop direction compared to Never Enough‘s heavy lenience towards contemporary R&B & neo-soul resulting in his most stripped-back body of work. You’re still getting hints of those previously mentioned styles to a lesser extent on Son of Purgy & it’s predecessor’s psychedelic/smooth soul undertones, but the alternative R&B elements get phased out in favor of indie folk & gospel tackling themes of masculinity along with faith & self-importance.

Score: 4/5

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Ian – “2005” review

St. Louis, Missouri rapper/producer Ian is back after 12 whole months for his sophomore effort, 5th EP or debut mixtape. A member of the D1shonorable collective, he got his start in 2019 producing the single “Know That” by Izaya Tiji before going on to release 3 EPs of his own: Only for a While, Remembrance & the gyo-produced Empty Suit. Akon’s brother Bu Thiam signed him to his Columbia Records imprint Buvision Entertainment this spring for his previous EP Valedictorian, which received mixed responses although I personally found to have it’s highlights like “Chauncey” & “Magic Johnson”. Goodbye Horses even had its own highs like “3.5” or “Out West”, surprise-releasing 2005 only 53 weeks later.

We get some colorfully peppy synthesizers during the intro “Go Ian” taking a boastful approach to the lyrics feeling like that people have a bad impression on him ever since signing to a major label whereas the rage-inducing “Aw Shit” talks about keeping it 100 even if he isn’t perfect. The self-produced “You Told Me” reserves the drums for the final minute or so not making any plans because he’s vibing while the mediocre trap/pop rap single “I Ain’t Coming Back” prior to the Bhad Bhabie interlude talks about being good all by himself, having a lot of questions for his ex-girlfriend & even more for her mother.

“Talk About It” brings the synths back in effect thanks to Internet Money Records in-house producer NASH so he can reflect over a relationship prior to “Remember Me” continuing to delve deeper into the topic of love accompanied by a piano instrumental. “Have My Back” proves a comparison Tyler, The Creator had made between Ian & Future clear as day, although “Soul Provider” produced by FNZ could be his most emotional track ever & “Friends from Everywhere” ends with Ian shouting out his homies all around the world over a beat from Swaggyono of Working on Dying.

Serving as a prelude to Valedictorian 2 coming out a couple months ago as revealed via an Easter egg in the artwork, 2005 finds Ian returning behind the boards since he didn’t produce anything on the original Valedictorian or Goodbye Horses & I can appreciate that to the highest extent because Ian can be likened to ΠΔV in the sense that I enjoy his production work more than a good chunk of the major label material. Will he capitalize on his production skills more a couple months from now? Only time will tell.

Score: 2.5/5

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CupcakKe – “The BakKery” review

CupcakKe is a 28 year old rapper & singer/songwriter from Chicago, Illinois releasing her first couple mixtapes Cum Cake & S.T.D (Shelters To Deltas) alongside her full-length debut Audacious almost a decade ago already. Queen Elizabitch, Ephorize & Eden were all welcomed to the same moderate reception as her 2016 material although Dauntless Manifesto last summer showed a lot of growth compared to her earlier output. Roughly 16 months later & she’s pushing herself even further creatively with her 6th album.

“The Silverback Wife” begins with an explosive diss track aimed towards the crowd of people who don’t take her seriously whereas the crunk-inspired “Ballerina Coupe” flexes that she was born legendary. “1 of My Bedbugs Ate My Pussy” blends pop rap, hip house, future house, phonk house, nursery rhymes & ghetto house using shock humor & comedically absurd imagery while “Fist Me” takes her kinkiness to whole new levels over a hip house instrumental.

Meanwhile on “Rubik’s Cube”, we have CupcakKe comparing her heart to the popular 3D combination puzzle & addressing the ongoing Gaza genocide just before “New N***a Now” gives a shout out to the freedom of men suggesting that she doesn’t necessarily needs a guy to start a relationship. “UFO” stylistically gives her flowers to Charli XCX & the late SOPHIE humorously talking about abducting male genitalia leading into the halfway point “Go Get ‘Em” nicknaming bitch ass males The Simpsons after the iconic Fox Corporation’s flagship property’s long-running animated series.

“Moan-a Lisa” begins the 2nd half of The BakKery tour getting goosebumps all over her body simply from her lover while “Akeelah” takes it’s inspiration from the 2006 drama Akeelah & the Bee. The nursery rhyme interpolations that we heard during the single make their way back onto “Snowman” poking fun at a guy who isn’t exactly her type while “Cat in the Hat” does the exact same thing savagely comparing giving a cornball oral to sucking on a cotton swab.

The raunchiness gets turned up during “Rapunzel” talking about pubic hair the entire time while “Alcoholic” describes somebody who’s addicted to getting hammered & CupcakKe pretending to be drunk with them. “Sloppy Joe” winds down the final 6 minutes talking about being taken from the back & “Soccer Mom” finishes by experimenting with afrobeats a little describing a vicious kind of woman who chills on the side for the sole purpose of kickin’ it with the young male she’s been speaking to for a while now.

Dauntless Manifesto‘s secondary influences of Jersey club rap & funk brasileiro are being replaced with elements of hip house, electropop & dance-pop although the hardcore hip hop, pop rap, trap, experimental hip hop & contemporary R&B styles remain in tact all over what could be the most musically bold & hilariously written entry in CupcakKe’s discography so far acknowledging her city’s history of originating house music whilst sharpening her witty pen.

Score: 4/5

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Mike Shabb – “Fight the Power!” review

Montréal, Québec, Canada emcee, producer & engineer Mike Shabb returning with his 3rd studio LP. Coming up in the spring of 2018 off his full-length debut Northwave, he would continue to make his presence known by putting out 6 EPs & his last couple of mixtapes before gaining notoriety for engineering Boldy James’ 5th album Fair Exchange No Robbery along with producing “Switches on Everything” off Hitler Wears Hermes X & enlisting his mentor Nicholas Craven to fully produce his 5th EP Shadow Moses from top to bottom. Hood Olympics & Sewaside III were both solid in their own rights, following up this spring’s Shabb Van Gogh to Fight the Power! ahead of Hood Olympics 2.

“Neighborhood Sniper!” opens with a drumless soul sample talking about sniping white supremacists whereas “Supercat!” gives his flowers to the dancehall icon of the same name. “Ol’ Dirty!” chops up a psychedelic guitar passage talking about being a completely different breed while the drumless “Kool G!” villainously discusses catching toe tags with a firearm dropping bodies 1-by-1.

Meanwhile on “World’s Mine!”, we have Shabbo passionately flexing that he’s been rockin’ mics since he was back in high school leading into the 2-parter “Lord in the Sky! + Nightmares!” talking about staying the same even after the cash flow picked up. “Tank!” blends a vocal sample & hi-hats so he can get in dumpin’ mode beyond rap just before “Crickets!” talks about staying in the bushes.

“Gotti!” starts the final leg of Fight the Power! with heavier sampling boasting that he’s validated everywhere he goes & bagging himself a stallion while “Rock Steady!” featuring 12kgotti finds the pair joining forces for an ode to the Rock Steady Crew of b-boys. The title track talks about looking to make the most out the plans he sticks to & “Terminator X” sends off the album with an instrumental outro.

Needless to say that we’re most likely gonna have to wait until 2026 for Hood Olympics 2 to come, Fight the Power! still presents itself as the most militant musical opus of Mike Shabb’s entire career. Cooking up some of his most creative batch of drumless beats yet, he takes up a good bulk of the half hour justifying that he’s the top underdog of this rap shit & he won’t ever kiss ass to be apart of “the industry” since he is his own industry.

Score: 4.5/5

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BabyBartier – “Terror” review

This is the 4th EP from Los Angeles, California rapper BabyBartier. Introducing himself to the underground trap scene off his debut EP Baby Blanco earlier this spring followed by Diablo a little over a month later, his popularity would continue to grow in the summer with Awe$ome receiving co-signs from the likes of Internet Money Records founder Taz Taylor along with both of YSL Records’ newest artists 1300SAINT & 9 Vicious although they fell out with one another recently. Almost a week away from Halloween, he’s looking to reek some Terror.

“Grave” starts off by hopping over a cloudy instrumental assuming that he’s suicidal the way his diamonds be cutting his wrists & once “Big Dope” locks in with Patrick Garza to talk about smoking the loudest of loud, the lead single “Marilyn Monroe” produced by Rio Leyva & Vendr reaches the halfway point comparing his girl to the iconic actress & model along with looking to up the score in Los Angeles with his homies beside him.

The 2nd & final single “New Age 2Pac” talks about himself being a madman although it’s titular comparison has become increasingly cliche over time & after “Maybach Minivan” spends the next 90 seconds detailing his lifestyle posting in Malibu on top of a Jwade beat, “Long Time No See” finishes up talking about a woman selling her soul for gold over a Cadeinstrumental.

Looking to get his scare on in preparation for the spookiest time of the year, Terror elevates BabyBartier’s artistry even further with the greatest EP of the 4 that he’s given us in these past 6 months & coming closer to the BabyBoyRecords founder’s full potential being realized. In only 10 minutes, the production is quite stronger than all 3 of its predecessors & the west coast artist lyrically steps his whole game up with ease.

Score: 4/5

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Planet Asia – “King’s Dominion” review

Celebrating the birthday of Fresno, California veteran Planet Asia with either his 27th full-length studio LP. Emerging as 1/2 of the duo Cali Agents, he would also go on to have a very successful solo career & has made a lengthy yet consistent discography for himself. This includes The Grand Opening, The Medicine, the DJ Muggs-produced Pain Language, Abrasions, the Apollo Brown-produced Anchovies & Sardines backed by Mello Music Group, the 38 Spesh-produced Trust the Chain & it’s sequel, the Evidence-produced Rule of 3rds and the Snowgoons-produced U.Z.I. (Universal Zeitgeist Intelligence). It’s already been 14 months since Trust the Chain II & my anticipation for King’s Dominion increased once it was announced DJ Scratch was fully producing the whole thing.

“Not Allowed” aggressively opens by talking about sucka shit not being permitted around his premises while the title track works in some strings to compare his rhymes to words sent from an angel. “Big Guns” talks about sending his shooter at anyone who speaks badly on his name & after the spoken word “Knowledge is Power” interlude, he doesn’t waste a split second “Coming for the Title” with his authenticity.

Starting the 2nd half, “You All Know” soulfully talks about possibly charging for reflections leading into “Produce a Seed Through You” chops up more soul samples & discussing wanting to knock up a Hispanic woman. “St. John’s Park” brings some rap rock undertones to the table murdering mics while Rigz & Rome Streetz appear for the closer dropping off some “Ghetto Gospel”.

Reminding the world of what a hip hop project’s supposed to sound like, Planet Asia teams up with the former disc jokey of EPMD & the Flipmode Squad for an album coinciding with celebrating the west coast lyricist turning 49 that rivals Trust the Chain II last summer. DJ Scratch’s production exemplifies why he’s considered amongst the most underappreciated beatsmith within the culture today & lyrically, the Fresno penman makes another example of his own getting sharper with time.

Score: 4.5/5

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JayaHadADream – “Happiness from Agony” review

This is the debut mixtape from Cambridge, England, United Kingdom rapper, singer/songwriter & producer of Jamaican-Irish descent JayaHadADream. Eventually moving to Nottingham, her debut single “Half Hearted Heart” wouldn’t come out until the spring of 2019 & her debut extended play Redemption Songs arrived a little over 5 years later. Despite it’s moderate reception, I still appreciated the jazzy sound her long-time collaborator Zoutr went for & felt Happiness from Agony would only improve from there.

We get treated to a powerful reflection regarding Jaya’s views on the “State of the World” for the opening 4 & a half minutes whereas “The Bank” gives off some heavy festival vibes instrumentally talking about the pressures that come with fame. “Repackage” featuring Capo Lee finds the pair talking about sending the shots right back to the initial sender leading into “Hideout” featuring Frisco links up so they can dismiss those who’re lyrically inferior.

“Bug” ends the 1st leg of the LP letting Jaya hold the mic down myself again over a jazzy drill beat telling all of her haters to cry her a river just before “Yoga” featuring Keeya Keys kicks off the 2nd half spaciously talks about trusting no one. “Main Characters” featuring Big Zuu sees both artists calling out fake love when they see it until Coops saves my favorite guest appearance for last during “If It Ain’t”, coasting a boom bap instrumental to balance many emotional forces.

The song “I Know” tackles the familiar themes of heartbreak to wind down Happiness from Agony’s concluding moments while “At the Abbey” hits us with a beat reminiscent of something that my favorite group of all-time the almighty Wu-Tang Clan or the late, great MF DOOM would’ve killed, talking about the concept of identity. “Nothing’s Changed” sends off the tape balancing her increasing success in music & being a person who’s still searching for peace.

Receiving co-signs from the likes of Fred again.. & Giggs to name a couple, JayaHadADream continues to reveal herself amongst the most prominently rising voices in UK hip hop by becoming more self-aware throughout Happiness from Agony from a personal & political perspective. The jazz rap production incorporates elements of UK drill, grime & garage to expand Jaya’s sound & enlist a handful of guests for explore the dissonance between public success & private struggle.

Score: 4/5

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