PlaqueBoyMax – “Too Much Music” review

Here we have the 5th EP from West Orange, New Jersey recording artist, producer, audio engineer, media personality & streamer PlaqueBoyMax. Catching on to him at the beginning of the year after calling out DJ Akademiks for being a child groomer, he has since stayed busy by churning out 4 EPs in the quick amount of time he’s been in the spotlight signing with Field Trip Recordings & Capitol Records. 5 Forever a little over 6 months ago wasted some genuinely solid production on Max’s weakly performed raps & looks to end the year with Too Much Music.

“Instahoes” made for an underwhelming intro talking about women on Instagram fuckin’ around too much whereas “RealSpill” takes 88 seconds to get on his young & rich shit except his flow reminds me of Tony Shhnow, who’s far more entertaining lyrically. My favorite beat on the extended play goes to “InTheMorning” produced by Maajins telling his girl he’s coming home from Chicago soon while “WakeUp” talks about being a rockstar.

The song “MalibuTides” starts the 2nd leg of Too Much Music boasting that he’s out in the Los Angeles beach city catching a vibe by watching the ocean tides while “Do2Much” has another great instrumental from Four3va this time telling a woman he fumbled that he wishes she got to know him a lot better. “FellOff” sends it all off continuing the themes of heartbreak, wanting the chick he fucked things up with that he misses her.

I still think Atlanta is the best thing that PlaqueBoyMax has ever put together & it was a step-up from London in terms of showcasing what he can do as a curator, which I’d tell you is his strongest focal point musically because I didn’t really care for Too Much Music any more or less than 5 Forever & it doesn’t make me excited for the sophomore effort Prince in a couple months. It all goes back to my critiques of that inaugural LP: Great production with subpar rapping.

Score: 2/5

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October London – “For You, My Love” review

This is the 7th EP from South Bend, Indiana singer/songwriter & producer October London. starting out in 2013 off his debut EP The Introduction & both installments of the Color Blind series, he eventually caught the attention of Long Beach icon & WWE Hall of Famer Snoop Dogg by signing to Doggystyle Records for his 4th EP Please Leave a Message before moving over to Death Row Records not too long after Snoop bought the label he started out at. October has since released his first 2 albums & a couple more EPs through the revived west coast powerhouse with Crypto Winter, Technicolor, The Rebirth of Marvin & The Greatest Gift. His last LP October Nights refined his soulful contemporary R&B style & has dropped off For You, My Love to begin the final month of 2025.

“Christmas Gift” starts by singing over a drumless self-produced instrumental eager to kiss the love his life by the tree & after “Naughty List” works in some jazzy pianos wanting this chick to put him on her list, “Rudolph Guide Me Home” sings for the Red Nosed Reindeer to lead him back to the crib so he can see his woman. “Where You’ll Go for Christmas” hopes she winds up in his arms this holiday season. “Happy Holidays My Love” pulls from jazz music a bit singing that he was his lover for Christmas & “Frisky on Christmas” finishes with a 3 minute holiday experience.

I’ve already made it clear a couple times in the past by now that Christmas projects generally tend to be hit or miss for me, but I didn’t mind what October London was going for throughout For You, My Love because it’s a slight improvement over The Greatest Gift roughly 25 weeks ago. I commend him for penning the whole thing by himself & focusing more as a producer than he did on October Nights, celebrating the most wonderful time of the year better than he has previously.

Score: 3/5

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TM88 – “F.I.L.A. (Forever I Love Atlanta) 25” review

TM88 is a 38 year old producer & songwriter from Atlanta, Georgia known for being a founding member of the 808 Mafia alongside Lex Luger & Southside respectively. He would also form the TGOD Mafia trio with rappers Juicy J & Wiz Khalifa in addition to producing Lil Uzi Vert’s biggest hit: “XO Tour Llif3”. However in light him forming his very own EMPIRE Distribution imprint Crash Dummy Records, one of trap music’s greatest beatsmith has celebrated with his own debut album.

After the “Vet Radio” skit, “Juiceman” by OJ da Juiceman co-produced by Zaytoven begins comparing his wrist to Fruity Pebbles whereas “Wrong with That” by Jose Guapo & Quez finds the 2 talking about a shawty who wants to fuck their partners. “B.A.B. (Break a Bitch)” by Tracy T breaks the law down to become a boss just before “Layers” by iMcFli references Tubi, the home network of the WWE’s secondary development brand EVOLVE.

“Grady Baby” by Yung Ralph gives the world insight in regards to what things where like for him growing up as an 80s baby while “Return of Church” by Mucho flexes that he sent a freaky hoe to H-Town coming off a jet. “Quadruple” by Futuretalks about sleepin’ with women in 4s off of nothin’ leading into “Friday Night” by iMcFli, Luchee Mulan & Quez sampling “Issa Party” by Jose Guapo, Shad da God & Young Dro to recall how they used to spend their Friday evenings.

DJ Spinz gets behind the boards for “Lies” by Baby D & Travis Porter bridging together the crunk & futuristic swag eras while “Make Em Get the Money Right 25” by Pastor Troy serving as a spiritual successor to the D.S.G.B. track off their final album ‘Til Death Do Us Part. “Ice Cream Truck” by Travis Porter throws it back to the futuristic swag days again while “Extra” by Shad da God talking about having his old shit with him.

“Kick In (Oww)” by Fabo of D4L starts the 2nd half explaining that he’s experienced some shit in his life because of being born in the hatred while “Shake Sum” by Travis Porter & 2 Chainz comes together for an ATL strip club heater. Fabo returns with Moneymyface so they can get “Geeked Up” together to mixed results while “I Want That” by Sosotrap talks about being anything but average throughout his career.

Preceding the “Crash Out Radio” skit, “B.D.A. (Bounce Dat Ass) by 4Batz’ wife Anycia continues to channel that strip club energy handling a sole verse wedged between a repetitive Waka Flocka Flame hook while “Take It Away” by T.I. & Young Dro talks about their respective legacies. “What’s This?” by T.I. & 2 Chainz links up to speak of materialism while “Stuff Man” by Yung L.A. could be his dopest song since “Ain’t I”.

“Twin Bruddaz” by Waka Flocka Flame talks about feelin’ a way he hasn’t felt since Slim Dunkin’ was murdered during my freshman year of high school while the “F.I.LA. (Forever I Love Atlanta) Tribute” by Blanco Brown finishes in the form of this passionately sung dedication to Trouble, Bankroll Fresh, Rich Homie Quan, Young Scooter & Takeoff. Maybe the greatest song of his career considering that a great deal of his music isn’t for me at all.

Being a genuine fan of TM88’s production work ever since my adolescence, hearing that he was putting out an entire LP containing other artists performing over his beats from start to finish had me excited from when it was announced because I believe he could curate something special if he wanted to. F.I.L.A. (Forever I Love Atlanta) 25 however has me a little divided due to the inconsistency amongst the guest & most importantly, parts reminiscent of Metro Boomin’s 2nd mixtape A Futuristic Summa & Jermaine Dupri’s 3rd album Magic City.

Score: 3/5

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Out Of/Into – “Motion II” review

Out Of/Into is a post-bop quintet consisting of pianist Gerald Clayton, alto saxophonist Immanuel Wilkins, vibraphonist Joel Ross, drummer Kendrick Scott & bassist Matt Brewer. Forming in the winter of 2023, they would go on to introduce themselves last winter in the form of their full-length studio debut album Motion under the greatest jazz label of all-time Blue Note Records & are celebrating it’s upcoming 1-year anniversary this weekend by getting back together for an official sophomore effort succeeding Gerald’s love letter to turntablism 1s & 2s in April.

“Brothers in Arms” opens the 2nd LP with an 8 minute post-bop single having The Blue Note Quintet jamming out & everybody getting their own solos whereas “Finding Ways” gives off a laidback vibe from the prominent saxophone to the vibraphones popping up midway through or the pianos towards the backend of it. “Juno” starts with some bass licks for the first 90 seconds or so, paving way for Immanuel & Joel to trade the spotlight with one another.

Were treated to the 2nd & final single “Familiar Route” to start the other half of Out Of/Into’s sequel to their introductory full-length, taking inspiration from my favorite Herbie Hancock’s 5th album & my personal favorite during his Blue Note tenure Maiden Voyage. “The Catalyst” continues Motion II’s last act by giving off an otherworldly atmosphere until switching into something more playfully catchy & “Nacho Supreme” feels like a love letter to Blue Note output 5 decades earlier.

Developed during a 40 date tour commemorating the 85th anniversary of Blue Note Records’ formation a year earlier, the successor to Out Of/Into’s inaugural opus expands on the direction it’s predecessor traveled down 52 weeks earlier reaching farther than they did when the quintet was properly introduced last winter shaping the future of the post-bop style & jazz music altogether by continuing to embody the spirit of what the finest in the genre has done for almost a century.

Score: 4/5

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Erick Sermon – “Dynamic Duos” review

Islip, New York emcee/producer Erick Sermon taking a backseat vocally for his 9th LP. A member of the duo EPMD & the trio Def Squad, it was’t until the early/mid 90s where he made his solo debut No Pressure & followed with a sophomore effort Double or Nothing under Def Jam Recordings. Following the DreamWorks Records-backed Erick Onasis as well as Music & React under J Records, he contemplated retiring in the summer of 2004 with Chilltown, New York under Universal Music Group. He fortunately made a flawed yet solid comeback over a decade later with E.S.P. (Erick Sermon’s Perception) & his last album Vernia was a great tribute to his late grandmother, but he’s ready to roll out the Dynamic Duos trilogy.

After the intro, the lead single “Look at ‘Em” by Method Man & Redman begins with them talking about their whole crews going off over a ghostly instrumental whereas “Sidewalk Executives” by M.O.P. works in a soul sample to proclaim administrative status of their home turf. “Like That” by WWE Hall of Famer Snoop Dogg takes a funkier route to spit playful romance & after the “Maya Crockett” skit, “God Mode” by Conway the Machine & The Game links up to talk about their verses being scriptures.

“How Do You Know?” by Cypress Hill goes for a boom bap vibe cautioning that nobody want the purple haze smoke from them while “How Long?” by Public Enemy brings back the funk shifting from hardcore lyricism to the politically relevant subject matter they’ve always been known for. EPMD get a song of their own with “Test Me” daring for their opposition to try them & see what happens but after the “Pimp Gators” skit, “The City” by Tha Dogg Pound represents the west coast.

The song “Spectacle” by Heltah Skeltah blends soul & funk talking about making the music world experience something incredible while “No Gimmicks” featuring 38 Spesh with Da Youngfellaz on the remix finds the quartet reminding us all that they remain authentic. Prior to the outro, “Back 2 the Party” by Salt-n-Pepa finishes with the recently inducted Rock & Roll Hall of Famers smoothly getting nostalgic over the days of block parties.

Focusing more on the production side of things, Dynamic Duos marks the 1st time since the insomnia compilation under Interscope Records almost 3 decades ago where Erick Sermon lets a list of guest performers shine on the mic although he does drop a couple verses here & there. And it’s no surprise that the inaugural entry of this series has great potential to be his greatest material honoring some of hip hop’s most iconic groups & duos.

Score: 4.5/5

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Infinite Coles – “Sweetface Killah” review

Infinite Coles is a 33 year old singer/songwriter & rapper from Staten Island, New York notable for being the son of one of hip hop’s greatest storytellers: Ghostface Killah from the almighty Wu-Tang Clan. He’s also the brother of both Sun God from the Theodore Unit & of course Supreme-Intelligence, putting out an alternative R&B extended play in the fall of 2021 called Destiny to moderate reception. He made headlines a few months ago when the title track to his full-length studio debut album right here dropped, which went viral because of Infinite airing out his grievances towards his father for disowning him after coming out to him over a decade ago.

After the previously mentioned breakout single, “DMs” continues by singing over a house instrumental that he’ll give the man of his eye anything he wants whereas “Boots” featuring Julz & Maleigh Zan on the remix takes the hip house/ballroom route stylistically challenging anyone who wants to go up against them. “Shoot” finds himself singing over house production again warning he’ll call his siblings if this gunman pull the trigger on him until “Thankful” goes full gospel expressing his gratitude.

“Dad & I” after the “Why’s It Important?” interlude continues to delve deep into Infinite’s relationship with Ghostface while “Body Song” sings over a bare piano getting in his gospel bag again. “Mama Song” moves on with a heartfelt tribute to Infinite’s mother & after the “Different Kind of Rain” interlude, “BGM” goes for a soulful house vibe singing about this woman with a soul like the sun. The closer “Hummingbird” sends it all off with a moody ode to his lover working it for him.

It’s a shame albeit not really that surprising to hear that Starks doesn’t want anything to do with Infinite Coles because of his sexual orientation, but the latter uses Sweetface Killah to carve a stylistic path that’s a lot different than what his father & his siblings are all known for. Its production tends to be more based around both contemporary & alternative R&B, progressive soul, pop rap, ballroom, hip hop soul, dance-pop, hardcore hip hop, house & gospel introducing the world to an alter ego that was created by the homophobia that surrounded him.

Score: 3.5/5

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Big K.R.I.T. – “Dedicated to Cadalee Biarritz” review

Here we have the 15th mixtape from Mississippi emcee/producer Big K.R.I.T., who started out by releasing a few mixtapes from the mid to late 2000s. He eventually signed to Cinematic Music Group in 2010 & his 6th mixtape K.R.I.T. Wuz Here that same year landed him a joint venture with Def Jam Recordings & a spot in the XXL Freshman Class in 2011. His first couple of full-lengths Live from the Underground & Cadillactica in 2012 & 2014 respectively continued to show his potential, but then he went on to form his own label Multi Alumni some time after. The inaugural outing under the new independent label being 4eva’s a Mighty Long Time, which is the best double disc hip hop album of the 2010s without question. Following that was the T.D.T. compilation & even K.R.I.T. Iz Here, which was an underwhelming sequel to K.R.I.T. Wuz Here given how excessively commercial it was in comparison to the rawness of the predecessor. D.R.D.D. (Digital Roses Don’t Die) wasn’t any better, so I went into Dedicated to Cadalee Biarittz hoping he’d return to form commemorating the 2-year anniversary of Regardless, It’s Still Timeless later this month.

After the “Cadalee Radio” intro, the self-produced “Old News” works in a sample & hi-hats talking about hearing at all at this point in his career whereas “Gotta Do It” blends cloud rap & dirty south looking to do things the way the playas did back then. After the “Grillz by Scotty” commercial, “Hi Def” shifts towards a pop rap vibe with a bit of a Zapp twist to it while “The Mileage” talks about crankin’ the volume in his big body.

“Not in the Whip” embraces a more aggressive approach in delivery refusing to touch base regarding politics or any petty bullshit thrown his way & after the “CJ Customs” commercial, “I-20” begins the 2nd half of the album with a hook reminiscent of Devin the Dude talking about spillin’ on the major east-west highway down south. “Elevated” brings a smoother beat to the fold speaking of his artistic altitude while “The Everliving Sub Knocker” featuring Karlous Miller talks about bass.

After the “Spokesnvogues” commercial, “So Far So Good” jazzily homages the late Roy Ayers while “Precious Metal” talks about appreciating life & rollin’ in a whip with old school candy paint bumpin’ the late DJ Screw. “In the Rain” dedicates itself to every sunbeam that wouldn’t leave him alone until Karlous Miller shines with a 44 second freestyle. “Celebrate the Line” featuring Killa Kyleon, Lil’ Keke, Paul Wall, Propain, Slim Thug & Z-Ro ends the album with a victorious Houston posse cut.

Shifting away from the commercialized sounds of K.R.I.T. Iz Here & D.R.D.D. (Digital Roses Don’t Die), this inaugural entry in the Dedicated to Cadalee Biarittz marks Big K.R.I.T.’s return to his dirty south roots & it has me highly looking forward to the way the rest of this series will pan out. His production also takes some inspiration from the Houston hip hop scene too & he’s a lot hungrier than he was compared to when he was forcing himself to appeal to a radio market that didn’t exist.

Score: 4/5

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redveil – “Sankofa” review

Largo, Maryland emcee & producer redveil starting the final month of 2025 with a brand new mixtape. Emerging at the tail-end of 2019 off his debut EP Bittersweet Cry, I wouldn’t get introduced to his music until 8 months after when a short-lived Twitter beef between him & the internet’s busiest music nerd himself Anthony Fantano broke out merely days after dropping his following EP Niagara. His debut mixtape learn 2 swim celebrated his 18th birthday elevating himself artistically, coming off playing with fire to put out Sankofa.

“Time (A Dream Deferred)” breaks the door down with soulful background vocals & a passionate verse about his feet telling him to call his roots whereas “Lone Star” takes a more conscious approach lyrically over an organ-based instrumental. “History” gives off a jazzier vibe talking about being historic from the get go while “Brown Sugar” featuring Smino pulls from neo-soul to show off a flirtatious side of themselves.

Meanwhile on “Or So I”, we have redveil leaning heavier towards the jazz rap side of things talking about how he’d rather die right here instead of being surveilled just before “Pray 4 Me” chops up a soul sample cutting off his phone for the last 18 hours he has in the west coast. “Mini Me” returns to a neo-soul direction singing about not wanting to hide his true self anymore leading into the drumless chipmunk soul track “Save” desiring to preserve himself.

“Stay the Night” begins the last leg of Sankofa with a drumless neo-soul track singing for the woman he’s in love with to spend the evening by his side while “Buzzerbeater / Black Christmas” starts off with a majestic trap instrumental prior to shifting towards jazzier territory during the last minute & a half talking about planning to take his own life since he was 13. “Glimpse of You” finishes with a tribute to his schizophrenic brother wanting to visit him for his birthday due to it being forever since they last saw each other.

Honoring his inner child as a beatsmith more so than anything else he’s ever made, Sankofacontextualizes a lot of the same feelings of anxiety & depression that’ve been interconnected between all of the projects redveil’s dropped for almost 7 years. He eventually hit a ceiling creatively by executing the styles of jazz rap, conscious hip hop, neo-soul, boom bap, drumless, trap & chipmunk soul a lot bigger than he has over the course of the decade promising a lot more exciting things in 2026.

Score: 4.5/5

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Lil Baby – “The Leak$” review

Here is the 5th mixtape from Atlanta, Georgia rapper & CBFW Records founder Lil Baby. Rising to stardom in 2018 off his debut album Harder Than Ever, his profile would gradually increase from there by following up with a collab project with Gunna entitled Drip Harder & his previous tape Street Gossip. His sophomore effort My Turn & the previous album It’s Only Me both came out to mixed reception as did W.H.A.M. (Who Hard As Me?), cancelling Dominique in favor of unearthing a collection of Leak$.

“Mrs. Trendsetter” begins with an underwhelming trap intro talking about a woman who everyone else copies while “Guaranteed” produced by Wheezy makes for one of the few tracks I’d revisit, declaring himself as a certified dripper. “Try to Love” being the 2nd single wasn’t exactly the greatest choice whether it be the generic beat or the themes tiring themes of heartbreak leading into “Nasty Girl” talking about looking for a freak bitch.

The 4th single “Real Shit” continues with another mediocre trap single representing Zone 4 of his city just before “Violation” talks about being more than a 1 hit wonder & although that may be factually correct, it doesn’t excuse the low quality output we’ve gotten from him in recent memory. “Let’s Do It” featuring Playboi Carti feels like a leftover from the Whole Lotta Red sessions & “Forever Slime” ends the 1st half talking about being the same albeit in a better form.

“Middle of the Summer” starts the 2nd leg of The Leak$ with the 5th & final single that came out a week ago admitting he hasn’t gotten much sleep because he doesn’t want his dreams to fade away while “What She Like” has to be another favorite from the cloudy Murda Beatz instrumental to the wrestling reference midway through the 1st verse, nodding to the appearances he’s been making for the Endeavor-owned TKO Group Holdings division WWE since WrestleMania XL & coinciding the news of their development brands NXT & EVOLVE’s partner promotion Total Nonstop Action (TNA) Wrestling announcing a TV deal with amc.

Lil Yachty, Lucki & the best signing throughout the CFBW roster by a mile Veeze all join Baby on the boastfully calm “Get Along” desiring to maintain their focus towards staying slimed while “Superman” contains one of the worst Young Thug features that I’ve ever heard not because he re-recorded a part at the backend of his verse that initially dissed Gunna, but because his vocals are slowed down to the point where it sounds silly.

“St. Tropez” featuring Bino Rideaux & Rylo Rodriguez hooks up a pitched vocal sample & some hi-hats bringing the trio together so they can talk about flying their lovers out to the commune in France while the 3rd single “Otha Boy” was my favorite of the 5 dissing Gunna, Offset, DJ Akademiks & YoungBoy Never Broke Again over a TM88 beat. “All on Me” featuring G Herbo finishes the tape with a lead single themed around the pressures of fame.

Initially teased this summer, Lil Baby finally drops The Leak$ to coincide with his 31st birthday & it doesn’t surprise me whatsoever that I came away from it liking it less than W.H.A.M. (Who Hard As Me?) celebrating it’s 1-year anniversary next month. As somebody who’s been following him since Harder Than Ever, I’ll take it a bit further arguing it could be the worst thing he’s ever put out. Somehow, the production is worse than the last full-length & the CEO of CBFW Records himself sounds bored ahead of his imprint’s upcoming showcase compilation.

Score: 1.5/5

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Jay NiCE & Tha God Fahim – “Dump Gawd: Hyperbolic Time Chamber Rap 22” review

This is the 7th collaborative EP from Atlanta, Georgia emcee Jay NiCE & the local Dump Gawd himself Tha God Fahim. Both of whom have worked with each other countless times in the past several years, teaming up for the collab album Strictly 4 My D.U.M.P.E.R.Z. during the spring of 2018 & the Bloodspiller extended play 3 years ago. Dump Gawd: Hyperbolic Time Chamber Rap 12 produced by Nicholas Craven became their greatest joint offering yet, locking back in for the 17th as well as the 18th & 20th chapters. Coming off the 21st earlier today, they’re giving us another one when we least expected it.

“Powerful Blast” come straight out the gate with a euphorically drumless instrumental from Craven talking about learning from the scholars in addition to getting their defense up & after “Soul” jazzily talks about the very thing they’re floating over sonics with, “Statement of the Day” works in some lavish piano chords & a chipmunk soul sample recalling when they had to survive the darkest of clouds.

To begin the 2nd half of Dump Gawd: Hyperbolic Time Chamber Rap 22, “The Price is Right” takes a funkier approach to the beat talking about how y’all gotta be built for the type shit they on while “Your On Ya Own” blends jazz rap & boom bap flexing they have enough rhymes to go against mankind. “Assassin’s Hitlist” produced by Tha God Fahim himself finishes with blissful sampling to talk about not wanting to lose time, hence why they build.

It’s a bit jazzier than Dump Gawd: Hyperbolic Time Chamber Rap 21 was, but I didn’t enjoy this as much as the last couple installments of the endless saga & the previous one literally came out an hour earlier although it’s still very much a tight collection of hardcore hip hop tracks with influences of boom bap as well as chipmunk soul & drumless. Goes back to what I said in my review of the previous EP: None of the Jay NiCE & Tha God Fahim collab EPs we’ve gotten are bad, I just prefer some more than others.

Score: 3.5/5

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