Tezzus – “Tezzy Pendergrass” review

Here is the 7th EP from Atlanta, Georgia rapper Tezzus. Introducing himself with his first few EPs Hard2Kill as well as Hellraiser & Everyday’s Halløween, his debut mixtape Tezzus Khrist last holiday season would significantly elevate his profile locally as did the handful of appearances he made on The XA Tape earlier this year. Coming off his new Søufside collaborative EP with Percaso as well as Backrooms & more recently King Phønk, we’re finally being tested to Tezzy Pendergrass a couple weeks following the I Phønk, U Phønk prelude.

“Gøtham Løve Støry” gets the EP going with a cloudy pop rap/trap intro confessing that he wants this woman’s affection & continuously making the money whereas “Permanently Stained” talks about shedding tears when looking back at how far he’s come. “Cadillac Whipping” produced by Feardorian flexes that he switches lanes more than his homies switch bitches leading into “Cøme Øn”, which is one of the more lyrically repetitive moments.

Yung Fazo links up with Tezzus on “High Fashiøn” giving a middle finger to the pigs confident that they won’t ever catch the 2 slipping just before “Main Høe” featuring Sk8star & tana finds the trio coming together for a cloudy pop rap/trap crossover talking about the way fame goes. “I See” expresses a desire for all of his opps to drop dead & thanking his mom for raising a star while the pluggy “Gangsta” featuring Pz’ talks about people doing shit for tends.

“By Yøu” starts the final leg of Tezzy Pendergrass heading for an atmospheric direction once again admitting that love never felt so real until he stood by the woman he had in mind writing this while “2night” advises the female she has in mind to stay away from snitches & that he stays strapped in the streets. I Løve U” appropriately sends off the EP by longing for his partner to be right beside him in bed.

Eschewing the rage subgenre of trap from a lot of his earlier material & more specifically the other 3 extended plays that he’s given us in the past 6-7 weeks or so, Tezzus puts his artistic range in the forefront for 25 minutes so he can reveal a sensual side to himself. It was a no brainer Tezzy Pendergrass would embrace a heavier pop rap vibe stylistically & the same goes for the romantic subject matter, but it feels authentically sincere rather than coming off as forced.

Score: 3.5/5

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Forgiato Blow & Stitches – “Make America White Again” review

Miami, Florida rappers Forgiato Blow & Stitches teaming up for a new collaborative EP. One of whom has been getting the same attention that the far-right has been giving Tom MacDonald these past several years & the other gained notoriety for beefing with The Game almost a decade ago this upcoming winter. These guys have crossed paths with one another a few times & are linking back up for one of the most tasteless music offerings of the year.

The title track is a grating trap opener endorsing white supremacy whereas “Pink Tusie” takes on the Detroit sound with some heavy bells talking about bringing the illegal drug cocktail to the function. “Chop ‘Em Down” rehashes the themes of the previous song vapidly portraying themselves as drug dealers while “Casino 1724” spews more delusional gangsta raps about how they be serving fiends

“Cocaine Cowboys” starts the 2nd leg of the EP by repping their titular statuses even if “it may not mean nothing to y’all” when they couldn’t be more right while “Get Money” borrows from the Detroit trap scene again insipidly talking about making paper. “Fidel” gloats of themselves selling bricks in Miami throughout the whole summer & “Plug Cried Tears” ends the torture by talking about never folding through their struggles.

Forgiato Blow already has some of the worst singles of this ongoing decade under his belt from “Boycott Target” or the most recent example being “Good vs. Evil” earlier this month & Stitches was the only bad thing about that “8 Ways to Die” single the Insane Clown Posse put out in 2019, but the crossover between both parties results in shameless promotion of fascism along with nationalism & white supremacy. None of which are acceptable or tolerated in hip hop culture.

Score: 0/5

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K.A.A.N. – “Anger Management” review

Columbia, Maryland emcee/producer K.A.A.N. dropping off his 28th LP. He’s delivered numerous standouts in his ever-growing discography like Black Blood, the Ski Beatz-produced Requiem for a Dream Deferred, the Big Ghost Ltd.-produced All Praise is Due, Mission Hillz, The Death of a Rapper & The Nightly News both produced by former Strange Music in-house producer MIKE SUMMERS a.k.a. 7, Peace of Minds and Delusions of Grandeur & In Due Time both produced by DJ Hoppa. Only a few months after the poorly received Yesterday, he & Hoppa are going to Anger Management.

The title track works in a flute with some kicks & snares to talk about being a problem child wylin’ whereas “Back to It” keeps a boom bap vibe instrumentally so he can see who’s really tough or not. “I.D.C. (I Don’t Care)” brings some organs into the fold to take 3 & a half minutes of not giving a fuck just before “What Do You See?” asks if one feels like him whenever you look in his eyes.

Coyote makes Anger Management’s sole guest appearance on the single “Breaking Bad” paying homage to my favorite show of all-time leading into “Smoke & Mirrors” talking about shit not being what it really seems. “Ego Death” has an eerier boom bap vibe addressing the kind whose thoughts are controlled by their self-esteem while “The Infamous” keeps it in the basement elevating above the minimals.

We get a sequel to “The Problem” where K.A.A.N. talks about having a bone to pick while “Illin’” feels like a full 90s throwback proclaiming to be the illest. “Comment Section” jazzily suggests to keep whatever they have to say in the social media comments while “Fuck ‘Em Up” suggests everyone else mind their own business. “Point of No Return” finishes the year-long trilogy by admitting he didn’t learn much & possibly erupting.

Some feel like K.A.A.N.’s whole trifecta with DJ Hoppa has overstayed it’s welcome & I would have to disagree with that because Anger Management can certainly hang with Delusions of Grandeur & In Due Time amongst the Maryland chopper’s greatest material of his entire career. Hoppa’s boom bap production is a huge upgrade from Yesterday’s & lyrically, Knowledge Above All Nonsense does a fine job of holding the fort by himself other than Coyote’s appearance.

Score: 4.5/5

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Ice Cube – “Man Up” review

Los Angeles emcee, songwriter, actor, film producer, CubeVision founder & BIG3 founder Ice Cube not slowing down musically with his 12th album. The cousin of Del the Funky Homosapien & Kam, he started as part of the C.I.A. gained notoriety as a member of N.W.A until departing after their historic debut Straight Outta Compton. Cube later got his own Priority Records deal as a solo artist, teaming with The Bomb Squad for his own debut AmeriKKKa’s Most Wanted & later Kill at Will. Death Certificate went on to become another west coast hip hop landmark due to some of its racially & politically charged content, with his Lench Mob Records debut The Predator mainly addressing a lot of the racial tensions in the United States at the time. Lethal Injection was more g-funk heavy and the War & Peace double-disc effort marked the end of the former Westside Connection member’s Priority contract. Laugh Now, Cry Later distributed by Virgin Music & EMI Records was a solid comeback almost 2 decades ago next summer after mainly focusing on acting during the first half of the 2000s & then Raw Footage had it’s highlights although it was decent as a whole. I’m the West became his most negatively received body of work & the Interscope Records-distributed Everythang’s Corrupt showed to be an improvement although still average. Man Down last fall was a pretty great homage to his Day 1s & the sequel Man Up is here 10 months later.

“Man Power” produced by E-A-Ski starts by asking if one has masculine abilities from within whereas “What You Gonna Do About It?” disses the kind of people who only speak of doing things instead acting upon it. “Freedumb” consciously discusses how people are getting spied on through their smartphones while “Guess What?” talks about being in the cut figuring out if the targeted suspects are either for or against him.

We have Cube making it clear as day that one should “Forget Me If You Ain’t wit Me” leading into the only single “Before Hip Hop” featuring Chuck D & LL Cool J on the remix talking about life prior to making music over Hallway Productionz cooking up the original instrumental & DJ Premier handling the remix. “Act My Age” featuring Scarface dabbles with trap a bit for an ode to MCs over 35 just before “Ratchet Ass Mouth” cautions about the kind of women you shouldn’t date.

“Respect My Space” poses the question if anyone wants to battle him while “California Dreamin’” gives off a g-funk vibe for a tribute to the sunshine state. “That Salt & Pepper” shows off his grown man status for 115 seconds over a funky Erick Sermon beat & after “Bring Everybody” charismatically talks about being untouchable, “All Work No Play” finishes with a message to the O.G.s who feel the same way he does.

In spite of what others have to say about Ice Cube’s music in past 2 decades or so & don’t get me started with War of the Worlds flopping, I’d say that Man Down is the better of the 2 albums we’ve gotten from him in the past 10 months although Man Up’s very much decent. I appreciate that he only got 1 guest on here in contrast to the amount Man Down had, but the production here is a little weaker as a whole.

Score: 3/5

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Jermaine Dupri – “Magic City” review

Jermaine Dupri is 53 year old songwriter, producer, rapper, DJ, entrepreneur & music executive from Atlanta, Georgia notable for founding So So Def Recordings mentoring the likes of Kris Kross & Da Brat. He also released his full-length debut Life in 1472 in the summer of ‘98 & later Instructions on Devil’s Night 2001, both under a distraction deal with Columbia Records at the time. Neither of which were received favorably, but is returning now that So So Def signed a new distribution deal with the HYBE Corporation for his 3rd studio LP. Not only his first in a quarter of a century, but also over 3 & a half years after introducing former 2-time WWE Women’s Tag Team Champion Jade Cargill during her reign as inaugural AEW tbs Champion.

“Tryna Beat the Thrill” by Skooly starts JD’s comeback with a rich trap instrumental representing Atlanta & after the “Conversation with Big Meech” skit, “This or That” by the late Rich Homie Quan has to be one of the best songs of his career from his bittersweetly catchy performances to the infectious beat. “She’s a Freak” by Bow Wow & Travis Porter talks about their preference in women while “Magic Money City” by Bankroll N!, BunnaB, J Money & Sean P East shouts out the ATL strip club the album is named after.

Cee-Lo Green’s appearance on “Atlanna” gives off a trap soul vibe that I really enjoy to it propping up the city that he, the Goodie Mob & the rest of the Dungeon Family hail from leading into “Ass Shake” by Ludacris & Quavo sampling “Mercy” by Big Sean, Pusha T, Ye formerly known as Kanye West & 2 Chainz for another club anthem. “Pussy Got Me” by Akeem Ali, T.I. & Young Dro co-produced by BoogzDaBeast & FNZ blends soul & trap to get sexual while “Get It” by Rocko talks about letting in those who stay paid.

“Turn Around” by T.I., Young Dro, 2 Chainz and 8Ball & MJG was an outstanding choice of a single from the dirty south instrumental to the killer verses from all 5 performers while “I Wanna” by K CAMP & YFN Lucci doesn’t really captivate me the same way many other tracks do despite the glamorous beat. “More Than Me” by Belly Gang Kushington & Swavay throws it back to the snap era almost 2 decades ago while “Married to the Game” by Killer Mike & Jagged Edge meshes pop rap & R&B well.

Hollywood YC, Lil Scrappy & Skooly all team up on “The Kids from the Neighborhood” to talk about knocking on doors for the purposes of shopping people & stopping them while “We da Shit” by Lil Jon, Pastor Troy & Princess of the Crime Mob finishes our tour of Magic City with the trio throwing it back to when crunk was all over the airwaves in the early/mid 2000s hyping themselves up thematically with some simplistic keyboard melodies all over the instrumental.

Not too much of a fan of either Life in 1472 or Instructions as full-lengths outside a handful of songs from each of them, but Magic City switches it up entirely by focusing more on Jermaine Dupri’s production talents & that works out greatly in the long-run of his comeback. Recruiting a bunch of Atlanta artists, the So So Def founder’s beats here rival Metro Boomin’s on A Futuristic Summa with the exception of this being a love letter to the 770’s most famous strip club as opposed to the futuristic swag era in general.

Score: 3.5/5

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Ty Fontaine – “LOV3NDL13S” review

Maryland recording artist Ty Fontaine teaming up with Internet Money Records in-house producer Rio Leyva for his 10th EP. Coming up in 2019 off the strength of his debut EP Waiting on Ascension, he would go on to follow this up with the full-length debut We Ain’t the Same alongside a couple of mixtapes & 3 more EPs, the previous being The Revive preluding a sequel to his Internet Money-backed debut mixtape Ascension & Black Truck Life. He signed to MNRK Music Group for his 7th EP 264 & more specifically Ascension 2, tapping in with one of his former label’s biggest beatsmiths for LOV3NDL13S.

“O V E R L Y – G O I N” is a bit of a hyper intro to the EP talking about his girl going stupid & calling him fine shit quickly whereas Fuk! Type! Shi! U! On! Bih?” desires legitimacy from his partner from the best to the worst. “I Shouldn’t Be Here” talks about finding him in places he’s not to supposed be while “b o d y tlk” if you couldn’t tell takes on the theme of intercourse. “errythang” finishes LOV3NDLI3S by explaining that everything becomes easier when it comes to his lover.

Somehow someway, LOV3NDLI3S manages to raise the bar higher than Ty Fontaine did on Ascension & Ascension 2 moving Virtual World to the side for his finest extended play as well as becoming quite possibly my newest favorite entry in his whole entire discography. Rio Leyva’s production is a lot more detailed than some of the previous material we’ve gotten from Ty in recent years & it’s what he needed for some time already.

Score: 4.5/5

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4Batz – “Still Shinin’” review

The full-length studio debut from Dallas, Texas singer/songwriter 4Batz is finally here. Earning co-signs from one of my top 10 producers of all-time Ye formerly known as Kanye West to even Drake, the latter of whom signed 4Batz to OVO Sound for a 1-EP deal although his debut EP U Made Me a St4r was released independently through gamma. last spring. Buvision Entertainment & 10K Projects later bought 4Batz out of his OVO deal once he landed a spot in the 2024 XXL Freshman Class & eagerly anticipating Still Shinin’ to clear both of Ian’s recent output on the label Valedictorian & Goodbye Horses.

“too dam young” kicks it all off with a drumless 67 second intro singing about not being old enough to become this chick’s “main one” whereas “n da mornin” made for a decent R&B single with the biggest criticism lying with the repetitive & songwriting. “she ain’t no angel” featuring Leon Thomas III finds the pair teaming up for a duet about their lovers tryna justify their ways while “big on u” expresses the love he has for Anycia, whom he married in secret last weekend.

We get some heavier alternative R&B vibes on “my lil shootah” asking if he & his soulmate can get it on leading into “twerksongggg” appropriately following through with a tack for the strip clubs. “could we last 4ever?” shows a prominent alternative R&B influence again singing about wanting to sleep with a woman he feel like he can’t trust while “247” featuring Flo unites the quartet for a collaboration where a couple makes each other feel like heaven every day & hour of the week.

“done sippin’” featuring Maxo Kream gets together for a track discouraging the usage of lean putting the cups down for good while “getUwet” sings about going crazy alongside his newlywed wife in the middle of the evening. “yo typical lovestory” opens up to feeling like he done hit the lottery bagging Anycia comparing her to a model while “u” sings about needing the love of his life by his side.

The song “can u” begins the final moments of Still Shinin’ to assure that he’ll get any woman right if they show him what they can do with the cake while “ms. walker” featuring Zillionaire Doe meshes R&B & hip hop to talk about how they love the way their partners move. “let’s press play” finishes 4Batz’ debut with him recalling the first time he saw Anycia in her wedding dress.

In hindsight, it was probably a good thing that 4Batz’ 1-EP deal with OVO fell through because songs like “there goes another vase” & “i hate to be alone” contradict Rolling Stone’s claim that U Made Me a St4r had no purpose of existing. The R&B/trap soul star is Still Shinin’ in the midst of all the pressure he’s been receiving since blowing up becoming prideful of his home state down to Chopstars co-founder OG Ron C’s mixtape-esque narrations in time for Mads Krügger ending Matt Riddle’s reign as MLW World Heavyweight Champion tomorrow at Fightland VII.

Score: 3.5/5

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twenty øne piløts – “Breach” review

This is the 8th full-length LP from Columbus, Ohio duo twenty øne piløts consisting of lead vocalist, pianist, ukulele player, guitarist, bassist, keyboardist, programmer & percussionist Tyler Joseph alongside drummer, percussionist, trumpeter & backing vocals Josh Dun. Although their eponymous debut as well as Regional at Best & Vessel were decent, Blurryfacenear the end of my senior year of high school caught my attention since former Aftermath Entertainment in-house producer Mike Elizondo did a few tracks on there including what’s arguably Tyler & Josh’s biggest hit “Stressed Out”. Trench in the fall of 2018 went on to become their most acclaimed body of work yet although Scaled & Icy wasn’t that well received Clancy almost a year & a half ago recovered from the subpar reception of it’s predecessor, anticipating Breach to continue traveling down that same trajectory.

“City Walls” starts with a fusion between alternative rock, ambient pop, rap rock, emo-pop, art rock & singer/songwriter finishing the Dema storyline for good whereas “RAWFEAR” goes for a synthpop vibe singing about living in constant fear. “Drum Show” combines alt-rock, post-punk revival, emo-pop, post-hardcore & garage rock revival to represent Josh’s metaphoric coping mechanism while “Garbage” produced by Mike Elizondo about feeling like complete shit.

Alternative dance, breakbeat, rap rock, indietronica, alt-pop, pop rock & hyperpop all cross paths during the lead single “The Contract”becoming increasingly anxious of a necromancer just before “Downstairs” sings about hiding one’s beliefs from others & oneself in a metaphorical cellar. “Robot Dance” heavily interpolates “My Soft Spots My Robots” by Blanket Approval for a love song of its own while “Center Mass” sings about fragility & resilience.

“Cottonwood” delves deeper into the 2nd act of Breach with a tribute to Tyler’s grandfather who passed away earlier this year while “1 Way” sings about struggling with escapism & limitation. “Days Lie Dormant” was conceived from Tyler feeling homesick away from his wife Jenna on the road & once “Tally” openly addresses fears of the Clique being disappointed, “Intentions” ties up any loose ends with a spiritual successor to “Truce” off Vessel.

Breach resolves the cliffhanger that ended Clancy almost a year & a half ago concluding a decade-long series conceptual albums that began with Blurryface when I was first introduced to twenty øne piløts surpassing Clancy for their 2nd best rivaling Trench. Their production emphasizes alternative rock as much as they did alt-pop & indie rock pulling further inspiration from emo-pop, post-punk revival, pop rock & indietronica to take on themes of breaking free from the cycles of mental health struggles.

Score: 4.5/5

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Guerilla Toss – “You’re Weird Now” review

Guerilla Toss is an indie rock band from Boston, Massachusetts consisting of drummer Peter Negroponte, guitarist Arian Shafiee, keyboardist Jake Lichter, bassist Zach Lewellyn & frontwoman Kassie Carlson. Following their first couple full-lengths Gay Disco & Eraser Stargazer, they would sign to DFA Records for the well received GT Ultra & Twisted Crystal until making their Sub Pop Records debut Famously Alive in 2022 experimenting with a neo-psychedelic indietronic sound. Few years later, they’re following it up with their 6th album.

“Krystal Ball” starts with a neo-psychedelic indie rock/synth-punk hybrid apologizing for coming to party whereas “Psychosis is Just a Number” blends dance-punk, zolo, mutant disco, dance-punk revival, neo-psychedelia, progressive rock & funk rock singing about staying present in the chaos.

The final single “CEO of Personal & Pleasure” finds Kassie taking control of her own happiness taking some time to reclaim herself from all the pressure leading into “Life’s a Zoo” fusing experimental rock, zolo, sound collage & synth-punk to take on the theme of overstimulation, which I understand as an autistic person.

“Red Flag to an Angry Bull” was my least favorite single of the 4 culminating in neo-psychedelia, indie rock, indie pop, psychedelic pop, piano rock, synthpop & psychedelic rock singing about feeling as if a rubber tongue’s coming right for her just before “Panglossian Mannequin” conceptually takes heavy inspiration from the 1759 satire The Optimist written by Voltaire.

We get some more doses of dance-punk revival on “Deep Sight” to start the final leg of You’re Weird Now containing some of the most commanding vocal performances from Kassie especially towards the backend of it while “When Dogs Bark” sings about mutts wanting to be seen. “Crocodile Cloud” taps back into the synth-punk influences 1 last time with some occasional shouted vocals popping in building up ahead of the space punk outro “Favorite Sun”.

Encouraging for everyone brave enough to let their freak flag wave high & stay true to their artistic vision, You’re Weird Now marks a significant point for Guerilla Toss’ career bringing new clarity to their confidently high energy performances reaching the same pedestal as Famously Alive & both their DFA full-lengths. The neo-psychedelic production here puts a bigger emphasis on art punk, zolo & new wave although the secondary influences include indie rock, indie pop, psychedelic pop, piano rock, synthpop, psychedelic rock, experimental rock, zolo, sound collage & synth-punk.

Score: 4/5

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Tony Shhnow – “Self Portrait” review

Here is the 8th studio LP from Atlanta, Georgia plugg pioneer Tony Shhnow. Being introduced to his music after my younger brother J$zpiech showed me his 4th mixtape Black Billionaires Club & the song “Vet” off the full-length debut Da World’s Ours 3, he then continued to turn heads with his 8th mixtape Reflexions to critical acclaim & I honestly wish I covered it considering that some of his best songs are on there like “Finessin’” or “Forgive Don’t Forget”. He would return to his plugg roots on the BeatPluggzproduced Plug Motivation, Love Streak showed a more sensual side to him, Shadowbanned 2 dabbled with new sounds, the self-produced #NoOneElse was a step above Out the Woods & looks to paint a Self Portrait fresh off the 3rd chapter of the Shadowbanned series.

After the “Mr. Shhnow” intro, the first song “I Can’t” produced by Mike & Keys sets up shop with a ratchet instrumental talking about making money from making music & trappin’ whereas “Die 4 Me” poses the question if anyone would still ride for him if life took a turn. “Think Again” talks about there being plenty of people who’d kill for you & spending with your lifespan just before “Beat da Odds” flexes that he stays quiet even if his money don’t.

“Thank God That I’m a Real N***a” obviously gives his praises to the most high that He made the Shhnowman as legitimate as they come & after the “Ion Wanna Talk” skit, “Voicemails” talks about all the O.G.s saluting him like he’s in the service. “Devotion” flexes that he’s on the incline & not fucking with swine despite going H•A•M while “Tush Push” featuring Chrisnxtdoor talks about metaphorically being identical twins with money.

Luh Tyler joins Tony on “Bank Statements” to smoke competition while “Infest” talks about having so much work that he could possibly supervise. “Burnt Out” featuring Marco+ explains that they stay strapped because they don’t know what other people be on & once “Boss Up” dismisses the hate from lames because it’s not worth it, “Understand” ends the Self Portrait with a self-produced throwback to his plugg origins.

Starring the deluxe run, “Cobb to Cabo” talks about seeing past the fake through a blindfold & his bitch snapping harder than Thanos while “D.Y.T.A.M. (Did You Think About Me)?” featuring 03 Greedo poses that very question over some sampling from Bakkwoods. The final bonus track “Certified” however finished with these sinister 808 patterns talking about the inability to take his homies anywhere since they all sell drugs & keep handguns close to them.

Been waiting for Tony Shhnow to drop another album for a while now & Self Portrait will easily go down as some of his best material joining Black Billionaires Club, Reflexions or #NoOneElse as a more recent example. Mike & Keys’ production on almost the entirety of it is easily amongst their most experimentally cutting-edge & the Shhnowman paints a clever image of who he is generally.

Score: 4.5/5

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