Double Dragon – “Big Trouble with Double Dragon” review

This is the sophomore effort from underground superduo Double Dragon. Consisting of Louisville, Kentucky emcee & Mobstyle Music founder Bukshot as well as San Jose, California goth hop pioneer Kung Fu Vampire respectively, these guys made their eponymous debut as a unit in the beginning of 2021 taking their chemistry to new heights after making a name for themselves individually for the past few decades & collaborating with one another on several instances. 3 years later, they’re reforming to break down the Big Trouble with Double Dragon.

After the “Dragons of the Black Pool” intro, the first song “Big Trouble” produced by MIKE SUMMERS a.k.a. 7 works in a Chinese sample & elements of horrorcore getting pleasure of tasting blood whereas “Ruthless” ominously talked about the ruthlessness of the duo that has been absent for 4 long years. “Out the Mud” featuring C-Mob reflects making it after coming from absolutely nothing just before “Creatures” talks about leaving the Double Dragon imprint in your forehead when it’s all said & done.

“Nemesis Me” hooks up a prominent vocal sample during the hook breaking down the concept of being your own worst enemy leading into “Mushroom Clouds” talking about having a blast & turning the speakers all the way up loud. “Gods of War” featuring Str8jaket dabbles with trap metal letting it be known we’re in the middle of the apocalypse while “Lurkers” talks about Double Dragon being creators & advising to respect the shooter.

As for “In the Void”, we have Bukshot & Kung Fu Vampire wickedly discussing the clouds turning black & hearing white noise until “Where the Pieces Fit” brings Buk Norris at the altar looking for forgiveness figuring put the placements of these metaphorical puzzle pieces. “Sun Don’t Shine” featuring Gorilla Voltage brings both duos together to bring karma on your doorstep, but then “Cooler in a Coffin” suggests one would look better off dead.

“Never Say Die” hooks up these pianos & bells throughout that I find to be pretty infectious asking to be taken back during the days of Saturday morning cartoons during the 1980s & the Golden Era of the Endeavor-owned TKO Group Holdings division WWE coming off WrestleMania XLI with John Cena defeating Cody Rhodes to surpass Ric Flair as a 17-time WWE world champion & the current TNA World Champion Joe Hendry being 14-time WWE world champion Randy Orton’s mystery opponent.

The song “Black Smoke” warns where those who’ll be disrespecting the Double Dragon will be taken & the closer “Stranger Things” featuring Joey Cool wraps up the final moments of Big Trouble with Double Dragon by homaging the hit Netflix sci-fi, horror, drama, mystery & coming-of-age series created by The Duffer Brothers currently finishing & gearing up the release of its upcoming 5th & final season at some point later on in the year.

When you look at the fact that both members of Double Dragon grew up in the 80s, it only makes sense for them to do a sophomore effort inspired by the film Big Trouble with Little China because the listening experience will be enhanced for anyone who’s seen that movie. Any huge fan of 1980s pop culture & hidden Easter eggs can say it does a little extra for you if you familiarize yourself with the movie on top of 7’s quality production & the chemistry feeling tighter.

Score: 4/5

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Harry Shotta – “Odyssey” review

Essex, England, United Kingdom emcee Harry Shotta of SaSaSaS signing to High Focus Records for his 5th solo LP. Making his solo debut in 2010 off 8 Days a Week followed by the debut EP Xtravagence & debut mixtape 12 Months, he would go on to follow those up with Back 4 More as well as It’s Showtime & Screaming at the Skies until having Erb n Dub & Xyphon producing Spanner in the Works & Year of the Lyricist respectively. Possessed by the DNB came in the summer of 2020, making his debut for High Focus to embark on an Odyssey following the death of Skibadee.

After the intro, “Put My Feet Up” starts off jumping over a sample-driven boom bap instrumental from King Kashmere talking about feeling like his younger self in the booth whereas the lead single “It Wasn’t Easy” produced by Leaf Dog discusses being a product of hip hop culture. “Final Results” featuring Grafh joins forces to dismantle any opposition over a Farma G beat sampling a piano just before “Different Fabric” talks about the type of cloth he was cut from with Wundrop behind the boards.

MC Spyda & P Money both join Harry for the bass heavy 3rd & final single “Imposter” airing out those who be cappin’ in their lyrics leading into “Bad Boy Sound” featuring Eksman & Shabba D embraces a jungle drum & bass sound thanks to Telemachus homaging that popular style emerging out of the UK rave scene. “Labor of Love” featuring Scrufizzer talks about what this music shit mean to the both of them while the drum & bass “Motion Picture” compares his scriptures to movies.

“Stay Defiant” ends the 1st half of this audio Odyssey instrumentally taking it’s cues from the grime scene while the 2nd single “Legendary” featuring Fliptrix & Verb T comes together over a soulful DJ Jazz T & Illinformed beat talking about their respective legacies. “Wild Bunch” featuring Leaf Dog asking for everyone to put their hands in the sky although it ain’t a robbery while “Chasing a Buzz” returns to the boom bap talking about becoming a better version of himself after sobering up & firing back in the midst of the world becoming colder.

As for “New Breed”, we have Harry over this uncanny trap instrumental showing an eagerness of raising the bar & switching things up while grim-influenced “Overthinking” talks about the requirement of finding peace if one truly wants to get to the end of their journey. “Lazy Days” brings the kicks & snares back in full gear celebrating a fun evening out prior to Pitch 92 jumping behind the boards for “You Deserve It”, endearingly gives his flowers to his wife ahead of a whole decade being married coming up later this summer.

“Breathing Under Water” starts Odyssey’s final moments with a chipmunk soul beat talking about hiding out of fear while “Salute” dustily pens a passionate love letter to hip hop itself. The title track combines cloud rap with drum & bass talking about life changing since nothing stays the same while the closer “No Competition” featuring Westman sends off the full-length shrugging off the haters who keep both of them rent free inside their heads.

Taking it back to his roots in the wake of Skibadee’s passing, Harry Shotta’s introduction as part of the High Focus Records roster surpasses everything he’s done by himself within the last decade plus breaking down his adventures in music & the significance hip hop has had in every chapter of his life. The production’s more innovative compared to what the label normally puts out from going from grime to jungle, drum & bass, boom bap and chipmunk soul for an reflective Odyssey themed around Harry’s life both artistically & personally.

Score: 4/5

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Action Figure 973 – “Dark Side of the Ring 2” review

Belleville, New Jersey emcee/producer Action Figure 973 continuing the Dark Side of the Ring saga with his 7th EP. Somebody whose growing discography comprised of 2 mixtapes & 6 EPs has been steadily making waves in the underground for a few years already, most notably his last EP almost a couple months ago titled after the Vice docuseries of the same name. In the midst of the show’s ongoing 6th season, a sequel to Dark Side of the Ring has arrived following WrestleMania XLI weekend.

“Raw is Act-Lo” opens with an eerie boom bap instrumental referencing the Endeavor-owned TKO Group Holdings division WWE’s flagship program on Netflix whereas “Big Poppa Dump” references former 3-time CWA World Tag Team Champion, 2-time IWGPタッグチャンピオン, 2-time TNA World Tag Team Champion, WWE Hall of Famer, WCW World Heavyweight Champion, 2-time WCW World Television Champion, 2-time WWE United States Champion, 9-time WWE tag team champion Scott Steiner.

The finisher of current 3-time TNA World Tag Team Champion & inaugural 4th Rope World Tag Team Champion Matt Hardy of The Hardy Boyz’ gets likened to Act-Lo’s work ethic on “Jordan Cement 3’s” leading into former SMW World Tag Team Champion, SMW United States Jr. Heavyweight Champion, 6-time WWE Hardcore Champion & WWE tag team champion “Al Snow” formerly married to the first of 4 women to win the WWE Hardcore Championship Cynthia Lynch getting a drumless homage of his own.

“Sunday Night Heat” featuring Young Reese Dude chops up a soul sample referencing 2-time WWE Hall of Famer, former 6-time WWE Champion, 2-time WWE Intercontinental Champion, 2-time WWE United States Champion, 5-time WWE Tag Team Champion & NWA World Tag Team Champion Stone Cold Steve Austin just before ”Jaida Parker” gives his flowers to the NXT superstar who competed in a fatal 4 way at Stand & Deliver V against Jordynne Grace, ジュリア & the retaining NXT Women’s Champion Stephanie Vaquer.

The song “Workhorse Champion” references both the late 8-time NWA World’s Heavyweight Champion, WWE Hall of Famer & the inaugural WWE United States Champion Harley Race and the late 3-time ECW World Tag Team Champion, NWA World’s Heavyweight Champion, 2-time SMW Tag Team Champion, 2-time SMW Beat the Champ Television Champion, 3-time SMW United States Jr. Heavyweight Champion, WWE Cruiserweight Champion, WWE Tag Team Champion & XPW World Heavyweight Champion Chris Candido while “Color the Old Fashioned Way” finishes with bars about the current 13-time WWE tag team champions The New Day fresh off dethroning former 3-time WWE tag team champions The War Raiders.

Ahead of the actual show’s next set to be focused around the late CWA World Heavyweight Champion
as well as WWE Hall of Famer & former WWE Champion “Superstar” Billy Graham tomorrow, Dark Side of the Ring 2 finds Action Figure 973 stepping back in the squared circle once more dropping lyrical suplexes as if he’s former IWGPヘビー級チャンピオン as well as a 10-time WWE world champion & former UFC Heavyweight Champion in both TKO Group Holdings divisions Brock Lesnar.

Score: 3.5/5

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Twiztid – “Nickel Bag 2” review

In front of us is the 17th EP from Detroit, Michigan’s demented duo Twiztid. Consisting of Jamie Madrox Madrox & Monoxide, both of whom originally started out as part of the House of Krazees alongside childhood friend The R.O.C. in 1992 before their initial disbandment 5 years later. Almost immediately after, the Insane Clown Posse took Jamie & Mono under their wings by signing them to Psychopathic Records as who they’re known as today. They would become the label’s 2nd biggest act being their mentors off projects like Mostasteless, Freek Show, Mirror Mirror, The Green Book, W.I.C.K.E.D. (Wish I Could Kill Every Day) & Abominationz. Shortly after the latter was released, Twiztid left Psychopathic to form Majik Ninja Entertainment in 2014. Since then they’ve released 7 albums & 9 EPs on their own label, my favorites of which being /ˌrevəˈlāSH⁽ᵊ⁾n/, Glyph & more recently the Zeuss-produced Unlikely Prescription sequel Welcome to Your Funeral. Their own pop culture convention Astronomicon had it’s 8th annual event at the beginning of the month with appearances from the current TNA World Champion Joe Hendry, former AEW Women’s World Champion Britt Baker and 5 WWE Hall of Famers; Sting, Lita, Trish Stratus, Kevin Nash & Bret Hart. However to coincide with 4/20 weekend, they’ve whipped up a Nickel Bag sequel.

“421” is this hardcore hip hop intro produced by Fritz the Cat talking about getting down every single whether there’s a party going on or not with absolutely 0 fucks given whereas “Tarantula” takes a slower route instrumentally suggesting to keep it pushing getting high on the daily. “422” goes for a glitchier trap vibe thanks to Grady Finch talking about losing hope & control at the same time until the closing track “By Myself” maintains a darker trap edge courtesy of James Garcia or the artist formerly known as Young Wicked asking not to let them smoke by themselves.

The original Nickel Bag was known for it’s collection of remixes & only a couple newly recorded songs, but the sequel here outdoes it’s predecessor by completely ditching the need for any remixes in favor of more refreshing compositions other than “420 Premium Quality” being included on the Electric Lettuce deluxe. Fritz handles the production again other than James & Grady’s individual contributions, marking a return to Twiztid’s hardcore hip hop style after the heavy rap metal/nu metal influences during Welcome to Your Funeral.

Score: 4/5

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Ilajide – “Pocket Jams 2” review

Here we have the 6th studio LP from Detroit, Michigan emcee/producer Ilajide. Formerly of the Clear Soul Forces, he’s put out a couple beat tapes along with 5 full-length albums & 7 EPs under his belt. It’s been 4 years since I covered Code 200 & that was the finest solo LP of his entire career, linking up with Seattle producer Def D for his best EP Tape Delay last summer. Continuing the 4/20 tradition of releasing music, Pocket Jams 2 announced on New Year’s Day is finally here on Night 2 of WrestleMania XLI merely hours after the Endeavor-owned TKO Group Holdings acquired Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide (AAA) from the Peña–Roldán family as a subsidiary of their WWE division in response their Tony Khan-owned competitors All Elite Wrestling (AEW) & Ring of Honor Wrestling (ROH) both being involved with this year’s annual Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL), 新日本プロレス (NJPW) & Revolution Pro Wrestling (RPW) co-promoted event Fantastica Mania this summer held at La Catedral de la Lucha Libre Arena México.

“Pimp Talk” sets the tone with this funky self-produced instrumental telling us what it’s like to be a playa in his shoes whereas the aptly-named “Issa Nice Day” keeps bringing the funk for a summertime anthem only 2 months ahead of time. “Stop Talkin’” works in some crooning vocals & synthesizers for a retro, carefree club banger prior to “Impress Me” groovily talking about women having to wow him to get his attention.

Moving on from there, “Backhand” goes for a bit of a psychedelic flare telling his girl to shake somethin’ for him while “Don’t Talk to Me” woozily talks about bossing up & feeling wavy as a result. “Don’t Play” keeps the dance vibes going cautioning everyone not to fuck with him just before the funky “Party in Her Pants” talks about themes of lust.

“Make Me Loose” begins the final leg of Pocket Jams 2 for a playful ode to loosening himself up off the alcohol while “Slide” comes through with another funky dance number encouraging all the party people on the place to move their bodies. “Stallion” featuring & produced by Radio Galaxy finishes the Pocket Jams sequel paying homage to Parliament-Funkadelic as far as influence goes.

Representing a deeper dive into Ilajide’s artistic identity, Pocket Jams 2 fuses hip hop & funk music together blending the vibe of the 70s with the sound of 2025. Think of it as a UFO Time Machine from the 70s crash-landing in the future. The main goal he had in mind during the studio sessions is to make people move while staying true to himself, the journey he’s been on, growth & lastly self reflection.

Score: 4/5

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Tha God Fahim – “Dump Gawd: Hyperbolic Time Chamber Rap 11” review

Atlanta, Georgia emcee/producer Tha God Fahim continuing to dump with his 59th EP. Starting as an affiliate of Griselda Records as well as being 1/3 of the Dump Gawds alongside Mach-Hommy & Your Old Droog, we also can’t ignore the massive discography that he’s managed to build for himself, some of the standouts include Breaking Through tha Van Allen Belts & Dump Assassins. He’s been putting out amongst his best material in the past few years like the Camoflauge Monk-produced Dark Shogunn Assassin, the Nature Sounds-backed Iron Bull, the Nicholas Craven-produced Dump Gawd: Shot Clock King series, the Oh No-produced Berserko, the Mike Shabb-produced Dump Gawd: Rhyme Pays, Tha Supreme Hoarder of All Pristine Wealth, Supreme Dump Legend: Soul Cook Saga produced by Cookin’ Soul & Machine Gun Vocabulary produced by Cartune Beatz. Dump Gawd: Hyperbolic Time Chamber Rap 10 came out a few days ago & the saga is continuing with an 11th installment merely hours before Night 1 of the Endeavor-owned TKO Group Holdings division WWE’s marquee event WrestleMania begins & after WWE CCO Triple H, former 4-time WWE women’s champion Michelle McCool, former 5-time WWE United States Champion Lex Luger, former WWE Tag Team Champions The Natural Disasters, The Ugandan Giant Kamala, Dory Funk Sr. & former WWE Champion Ivan Koloff all got inducted to the WWE Hall of Fame overnight.

“Make Better” is this chipmunk soul intro talking about taking the good & the bad to make improvements on top of flexing the unprecedented run he’s been on whereas “Guardian of Styles” featuring Jay NiCE keeps it drumless to call themselves the keepers of the technique. “Hungry 4 da Market” takes the boom bap route instrumentally likening his fighting style to the iconic Chuck Norris while “Motion” jazzily strips the drums again talking about having movement.

Jay NiCE returns for “No Days Without Dumpin’” getting back on the chipmunk soul vibe again so they can discuss not taking any days off in 2025 dumpin’ on the daily while “What Im Dishin’” featuring Jay NiCE talks about serving nothing but absolute heat on their ends references Homelander from The Boys on the Amazon-owned Prime Video. “Tha Lawbringing Revolver” finishes the EP with 1 more drumless track wanting to live comfortably & fleeing the country after concluding the saga 89 entries from now.

Given that I’ve been highly favorable towards the entire Dump Gawd: Hyperbolic Time Chamber Rap saga up until this point, it might come as a surprise to many to hear me call this the weakest installment of the series so far although it’s still very much enjoyable. Nicholas Craven’s production here prominently centered around the drumless style on here & I appreciate hearing Jay NiCE on nearly half of it, but I hope to see more guests down the line as opposed to solely him or Big Cheeko.

Score: 3.5/5

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Too $hort – “Sir Too $hort: Freaky Tales” review

Too $hort is a 58 year old MC, songwriter, producer & record executive from Oakland, California known for being a west coast pioneer within the last 4 decades. Born to Mack, Life is…Too $hort, $hort Dog’s in the House, Get In Where You Fit In & Gettin’ It (Album #10) all stick out in his extensive catalog. This fall will mark 8 years since The Pimp Tape & he’s finally returning with the 21st full-length studio LP he’s actually been teasing since roughly 2022 or so only 2 & a half years after Mount Westmore’s debut Snoop, Cube, 40, $hort.

“Still Mackin’” samples the “Dope Fiend Beat” off Born to Mack to talk about his longevity in the rap game whereas the uncanny trap-flavored title track discusses always winning in the end & all the bitches knowin’ his name. “You Don’t Know” dabbles with Mobb music thanks to Ant Banks talking about these hoes not having an idea as to what’s going on while “Pick a Side” featuring WWE Hall of Famer Snoop Dogg wants to know exactly who their partners are playing for.

BossLife Big Spence & Larry June join $hort Dog on “Pimpin’ Like Kenny Red” for a turnt-up hyphy track likening themselves to pimps leading into “Go Bitch” featuring Big Zeke, Jay Chess & Kokane serving as a g-funk club banger for the bitches out there who be doing the most. “No Feelings” featuring Bandaide & Mistah F.A.B. brings the trio together so they can live & die by the code, but then the acoustic trap hybrid “Keep It Going” featuring King George encourages everyone to continue moving.

“The Budget” pulls a bit from rap rock to spend a few bucks while “Sucka Shit” essentially calls out the people who be on their bullshit. “Got It from the Bay” represents the northern side of California that made him while “Brain Surgery” talks about people having to know how to do it to make it. And prior to the Check the Stats” outro, the self-produced “Everywhere” takes the Mobb route for the final time reflecting on the places his career has taken him.

Drawing heavily on his Bay Area roots & long-standing partnerships, the 1st installment in a new trilogy is more of a a deliberate look back as much as a statement of staying power Too $hort has ultimately bridging the classic template with new wrinkles & familiar faces. The funk-heavy, bass-driven production marks a return to the smoothness that anchored many of $hort’s most influential releases during the golden age & joins the ever-growing list of hip hop pioneers adapting decades later.

Score: 4/5

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Dave Blunts – “You Can’t Say That” review

Dave Blunts is a 23 year old rapper, singer/songwriter & internet personality from Davenport, Iowa by way of Salt Lake City, Utah who’s put out a total of 16 EPs & a couple full-length albums since 2018 or so. I’ve even mentioned his guest appearances on the latest Babytron & D. Savage albums Tronicles & We Love D. Savage respectively in the past several months. However with his popularity increasing, Dave’s 3rd studio LP felt like it could be his biggest one of his career.

“Solar’s Departure” starts by referencing the disgraced former IWGPジュニアヘビー級チャンピオン, 2-time WWE world champion, 4-time WWE Intercontinental Champion, 5-time WWE United States Champion, 7-time WWE tag team champion & 3-time WCW World Television Champion Chris Benoit over a cheerily drumless instrumental whereas “Air Mattress” goes for a plugg direction talking about his diamonds changing with the climate.

His health concerns get brought up on the trap, lowend & regalia crossover “1st Day Out the Hospital” except the line where he disses KanKan comes off as INCREDIBLY transphobic leading into the colorful trap cut “Game Changer” talks about taking what he wants. “1 Year Max” serves as a response to WWE Hall of Famer Snoop Dogg’s comments regarding Dave’s weight & “Knee Surgery Tomorrow” makes a comparison regarding this bitch’s head game.

“Issabella’s Untimely Deportation” cuts off the titular woman after learning she really be fuckin’ his mans over some synthesizers & 808s just before “Tired of Being a Simp” gets on the regalia tip talking about him getting too attached to women he hardly knows. “Solar’s Unsuccessful Attempt to Return” keeps the regalia vibes telling his ex he really wants her back prior to “White Chicks dissing KanKan again & 9 Vicious, except the 9 Vicious jab is justified.

Meanwhile on “10 Bands on Solar”, we have Dave maintaining a regalia flare talking about everyone being on his dick now that he’s becoming popular while “Diddy Games” likens PlaqueBoyMax to disgraced Bad Boy Entertainment founder Puff Daddy a.k.a. P. Diddy or Diddy. “Sex Crimes” continues to hurl transphobia towards KanKan’s way & includes a line regarding Antonio Brown raping Britney Taylor, but then “Moving Slow” talks about his affinity for lean.

“Industry Planet” reflects on taking shit for granted during the days he was broke over a cloudy trap beat while “Balcony” blends pop rap & regalia talking about being a man & putting his feelings to the side. “Thinking of You” finds him trying to get Solar back swapping out the pop rap elements in favor of rage while “Bummy” talks about the codeine making him feel lovely.

The song “Back in the DMV” produced by thr6x expresses the pain inside of him because of Issabella not fucking with him & the closer “Issabella” ends the LP by talking about giving her a shot since Solar’s not coming back. Lastly even though I’m very well aware of the fact that it was left off the final cut, the jerk instrumental on “Bitches” featuring Ye formerly known as Kanye West was actually refreshing to hear Kanye on even if his verse feels like a ripoff of Lil Yachty catching strays from former WWE Champion, 4-time WWE Intercontinental Champion, 3-time WWE United States Champion & 15-time WWE tag team champion Kofi Kingston a few months ago.

Known for his dark humorous lyrics as well as introducing characters in his songs, You Can’t Say That as an album is only a slight improvement from the mixed reception of both Well Dude Here’s My Thing & If I Could I Would although it’s very much decent. There’s nothing wrong with the production drawing from regalia, pop rap, trap, rage, lowend, jerk, comedy rap, emo rap & pluggnb since I tend to review countless artists in those styles. My problems more so lie with the context of some of Dave’s lyrics like the transphobic KanKan disses & mentioning Antonio Brown’s rape case.

Score: 3/5

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Ruby da Cherry – “Coping Strategies to Combat the Algorithm” review

New Orleans, Louisiana emcee/producer Ruby da Cherry back with his 3rd EP. Blowing up as 1/2 of the $uicideboy$ alongside his cousin $crim, they’ve built up an impressively extensive discography over the last decade & even have their own Virgin Music imprint G*59 Record$ with an ever-growing roster of artists.Tragic Love Songs to Study to & Existential Hymns for the Average Sigma were both enjoyably carefree punk EPs from Ruby, continuing towards that direction Coping Strategies to Combat the Algorithm.

After the “¯\_(ツ)_/¯ (Shrug 3)” intro, the first song “End of Summer 2005 (Started Off as a Tropical Depression)” talks about how life sucks & riding it out until his last day whereas “VCR Eject Button (It’s Time to Grow the Fuck Up)” after the “where y’at duckboy? [6]” interlude admits to feeling he’s been in Hell for years. “Moldy Memories (Peer Pressure Turned Me Into a Diamond)” after the “where y’at duckboy? [7]” interlude was great easycore single with additional influences of melodic hardcore, emo-pop & skate punk fighting until the war’s over leading into “Kino Der Toten” after the “where y’at duckboy? [8]” interlude ends by choking on his thoughts.

Almost a year & a half since Existential Hymns for the Average Sigma came out already, I can’t be mad at Ruby for putting out Coping Strategies to Combat the Algorithm simultaneously alongside $crim’s 4th album Via Crucis that also dropped today & only days before Duckboy’s 37th birthday. And while I personally find myself enjoying Via Crucis more, I still respect Ruby for throwing it back to his Vapor-Rats days. This one has a prominent easycore vibe with melodic hardcore, emo-pop & skate punk undertones in as opposed to the heavy skate & pop punk vibes of the last EP.

Score: 3.5/5

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$crim – “Via Crucis” review

This the 4th studio LP from New Orleans rapper, producer & deejay $crim of the $uicideboy$. The first of the boy$ to branch out on his own by dropping the solo debut A Man Rose to the Dead during the COVID-19 pandemic to mixed to negative reception including from myself. Lonely Boy was a solid introduction to $crim’s alter-ego even though you can tell it was inspired by Destroy Lonely’s debut album If Looks Could Kill & the sequel Lonely Boy 2 was more of a thank you, returning after over a year for Via Crucis.

“Destination: Lost” sets it off by talking about his evil ways over a self-produced instrumental that starts off drumless up until the 2nd half of it whereas “Tale of the Missing Man” cautions everyone to not waste the days they have left going another round for the man who ain’t coming back. “Whiskey 4 the Holy Ghost” hazily advises to never give up on what your dreams are & continuing to fight just before “Real Tree Playas Anthem” shows off exactly how fly he is.

Moving on from there, “Axeman of New Orleans” embrace is a bit of a Memphis vibe to the beat representing the northside of New Orleans leading into the grim standout “Reborn” co-produced with G*59 Record$ in-house producer Dynox talking about him finding God after his 2019 detox. “Warped Lives of Blameless Children” gets in his emo rap bag expressing his desire to feel somewhat decently, but then the rage-inducing “Psych Ward” talks about coming from the dirt.

“#lonelycore” shows an emo influence once again refusing to believe his therapist after being told that he’s been healing & crying in secret while “Nightmare on the Northside 3” is a 2-parter continuing the trilogy that began on A Man Rose to the Dead & Lonely Boy respectively. “Guns N’ Roses” heads for more of a bombastic approach admitting his pill addiction has made him fear less while “Father, Hold Me” asks where the memories go when we all die.

The lead single “Methamphetamine Blues” samples Pinegrove suggesting not to ask how he’s been if you genuinely could give a fuck less while “Ex Nihlio” talks about demons taking over him & being too different than anyone else. “Pill Hill Serenade” confesses to relapsing off the pills getting high to the point where he can’t even move while “Eastern Block Psalm” pulls from the Memphis scene talking about those who’re jealous of him.

“Do Killers Ring the Doorbells?” observes that something in the room doesn’t feel right soon as he sets foot & suggesting to count his blessings when all else fails while the buzzing “Death Rides a Grey Horse” talks about his chrome heart being decked out in the Chrome Hearts luxury brand. “Physician, Heal Thyself!” asks what’s left for him to gain & feels conflicted by the stranger taking on his mirror while “Daddy Warbucks” refers to itself as the song you make money to.

As for “Way of Sorrows”, we have $crim embracing the Memphis influences once again dismissing those saying they gon’ pop shit when they’ve never actually popped shit their whole lives while “Today’s a Beautiful Day to Die” sinisterly warns for everyone to get out his way. “Walk on Water” wants to know who else be doin’ shit the way he does crossing over soul & trap while the stripped-back “Depression, My Best Friend” talks about his struggles with the mental state.

“Staring at the Dust” dedicates itself to everyone around the world who’s been feeling hopeless while “Leave the Gun, Take the Cannoli” talks about him finally taking off. “Ugly Sunday” advises for everyone to stay the fuck up out his way while “Red Mist” talks about the inside of his double cup feeling like magic. “Gospel of Scott” ask what you’re gonna do when people find out who you really are & “Vena Amoris” ends his most spiritual solo effort talking about the vein of love.

6 years after starting to follow Christianity, the Lonely Boy is back exactly a week after his 36th birthday to make an 88 minute album in which it’s name refers to 14 steps which led to Jesus’ crucifixion similarly to the NA 12 Step guide to sobriety. $crim’s production culminates all the sounds that he’s tried throughout his career into 1 & elevates his own instrumentals with lyrics revolving around mental health & quite possibly the most religiously conceptual thing I’ve ever heard from either $uicideboy$ member.

Score: 4/5

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