Vybz Kartel – “Heart & Soul” review

Vybz Kartel is a 49 year old DJ, singer/songwriter, entrepreneur & businessman from Kingston, Jamaica who’s widely crowned as the King of Dancehall subgenre of reggae similarly to roots reggae icon Bob Marley becoming recognized as the symbol of the entire genre that he helped pioneer. For over 3 decades, the Adidjahiem Records founder has released over a dozen EPs & full-lengths including during his decade long prison bid for Clive “Lizard” Williams’ murder. Literally a week after A John John Masterpiece & we already have another album from the Worl’ Boss.

“They’re Outta Love, We Aren’t” opens with a tribute to his fiancée Sidem Öztürk whereas “I Know” sings about her love for the Teacha makes him feel like no other women exist to him. “You Walked Away” takes 153 seconds to address everything that happened with his ex-wife & Short Boss Muzik founder Tanesha Johnson leading into “11:45” continuing to sing about his fiancée.

Ishawna joins the Worl’ Boss on “Bad Bad Bad” blending dancehall & house so they can discuss what women truly like in men just before “Ghetto Girl Chosen” jumps over a bashment beat only for him to beat it out of order. “Can’t Leave You Alone” continues the dancehall vibes singing about praying to God that he & his lover live forever while “In Too Deep” talks about his favorite city name being toxicity.

The title track begins Heart & Soul’s final moments by promising to give the Apple of his eye the time of her life as long as she trusts him with those 2 things while “Cinderella Ballroom” sings about him continuing to be here for a long time for a fun time. “You Know G.O.A.T.” finishes up the LP with 1 last reminder of why he’s called the King of Dancehall.

I’ve already covered Spice’s last album Mirror 25 & Shenseea in the past, so it isn’t my first rodeo when discussing dancehall. Other artists whose music I’ve enjoyed in the past include the late dub pioneer Lee “Scratch” Perry, the entire extended Marley family from Stephen & Ziggy to YG, the late Peter Tosh & his son Andrew, the late Bunny Wailer, the late Gregory Isaacs, Jimmy Cliff, Buju Banton, Mavado, Popcaan, Koffee, Bounty Killer & VP Records to name a few. Heart & Soul however isn’t Vybz Kartel’s best since coming home, but I do appreciate the inspiration taken from his engagement.

Score: 3.5/5

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Che Noir – “No Validation” review

Buffalo emcee/producer Che Noir staying busy with her 10th EP. Discovering her after 38 Spesh signed Che to TCF Music Group & fully produced her first 3 EPs, her Apollo Brown-produced full-length debut As God Intended & then her self-produced 4th EP After 12 during the 2nd half of 2020 was where her potential began to blossom exponentially. She has since followed this up with the sophomore effort Food for Thought as well as The Last Remnants, the Big Ghost Ltd.-produced Noir or Never, The Color Chocolate, The Lotus Child & the Superior-produced Seeds of Babylon. The Color Chocolate 2 kicked summer off in full gear a couple months ago with a sequel that I liked more than the original & needs No Validation at this point.

“Incense Burning” kicks it all off with an angelic boom bap instrumental from The Other Guys feeling like she’s finally found her tempo whereas the jazzily dusty “Smooth Jazz” featuring 38 Spesh talks about their self-education regulating their street abilities. “Sugar Water” keeps the jazzy boom bap vibes going to speak on the real ones rising while “Moroccan Mint” featuring Jae Skeese talks about never folding because of the wisdom they teach.

Ransom & Skyzoo join Che on the crooning “Katastwof” explaining that it ain’t really a journey if there’s no specific destination intended leading into “Dollar Tree” featuring Skyzoo & Von Pea talking about having it all despite not needing much. “Ego Trips” keeps it in the basement instrumental not having it because she controls her destiny & “Susie” featuring Smoke DZA talks about a woman acting like the character from the Paramount Skydance Corporation-owned Nickelodeon series Rugrats.

Making a mission statement for those who know what they bring to the table with or without applause, Che Noir & the curated lineup of elite lyricists that joins her side navigate themes of legacy as well as resilience & self-worth over the soulfully signature analog rich production style that Mighty Joe & Isaiah or The Other Guys have become known for with each guest MC adding their own signature flavor to the Poetic Movement Records founder’s reflective world.

Score: 4.5/5

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Kwamé – “The Different Kids” review

Queens, New York emcee, producer & singer/songwriter Kwamé making a comeback after over 3 decades with his 5th studio LP. Signing to Atlantic Records in the late 80s, his debut The Boy Genius & the conceptual sophomore effort A Day in the Life: a Pokadelick Adventure would both become well received in their own rights, although I can’t the same for either Nastee or Incognito. Now commemorating the 10-year anniversary of his own label Make Noise Recordings, the East Coast veteran is returning & has brought The Different Kids with him after signing a new distribution deal with Virgin Music.

“The Kwamé Show” is a sample-heavy intro talking about how there ain’t nobody like him almost 4 decades into the game but after the “Mom’s Grocery List” interlude, “Hello / Anybody?” moves forward with a 2-parter getting caught up in his zone. “Stroke Dif’rent” after the “3:00 AM” interlude goes for a funkier vibe talking about The Different Kids ruling the world leading into the “You Don’t Work Hard” interlude.

Meanwhile on “Adulthood”, we have The Boy Genius taking the boom bap route instrumentally welcoming listeners to the state of full maturity while the danceable “Lemme Git (All Owt)” asks where the inner strength is because of all this weakness. “No Way, Go Away” gives off a bit of a soulful edge refusing to waste his energy on bullshit leading into the single “Ms. Mary Mack” showcasing his wordplay abilities.

Lady Tigra gets her own song with the 68 second “Ole Skool Rappah” talking about her traditional values when it comes to MCing while “Nobody” sampling “La Di Da Di” by Slick Rick so he can stay in his lane. After the “New Beginning” interlude, “Kwamé 2 Kwamé” dabbles with electronics for a message from his future self while “There Eye Go” ends by talking about not needing a reintroduction.

Displaying several facets of Kwamé’s multi-hyphenated artistic personality, The Different Kids coincides with the new Rakim EP The Re-Up produced by Big Ghost Ltd. as another example of hip hop’s pioneers returning after a decade or over of inactivity to make quality additions to their discographies that further cement their longevities improving from both Nastee & Incognito. He blends witty braggadocio, captivating storytelling & occasional social with precisely dexterous flows & production that details his resilient creativity.

Score: 4.5/5

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Joey Bada$$ – “Lonely at the Top” review

New York City emcee, singer & actor Joey Bada$$ making up for the delays of his 4th LP. Emerging as a founding member of the Pro Era & Beast Coast collectives, his debut mixtape 1999 under GoodTalk Records has gone on to become a classic & Summer Knights was a solid prelude to his full-length debut. B4.DA.$$ eventually came on his 20th birthday & lived up it to it’s expectations by expanding on the vibes of 1999, although the sophomore effort ALL-AMERIKKKAN BADA$$ unquestionably became the most political he’s ever been & 2000 would’ve been a perfect 10 if “Welcome Back” was left off of it. Set to come out earlier this month, Columbia Records has finally letting him tell the world what it’s like for him being Lonely at the Top.

“Dark Aura” produced by Chuck Strangers was a great gangsta/jazz rap single & a better intro choice talking about how nothing can be done regarding his return whereas “Swank White” featuring Westside Gunn works in some heavy sampling to reference former TNA World Tag Team Champion, 3-time IWGP USヘビー級チャンピオン & IWGPタッグチャンピオン Juice Robinson of former AEW World Trios Champions & ROH World 6-Man Tag Team Champions Bullet Club Gold a.k.a. the Bang Bang Gang.

The instrumental Kirk Knight cooks up on “Supaflee” feels reminiscent of the iconic N.O.R.E. single “Superthug” produced by the production duo of all-time The Neptunes & it’s a dope homage if that’s the intention prior to “Highroller” featuring A$AP Ferg teaming up over a boom bap instrumental from Boi-1da so they can talk about blowing the bag. “Ready to Love” combines pop rap & boom bap seamlessly with the help of Hitmaka leading into “BK’s Finest” featuring CJ Fly, Kai Ca$h & Rome Streetz repping their borough over a Statik Selektah beat.

“Underwater” finds himself occasionally feeling trapped & being unable to break free, which may or may not be related to Columbia Records delaying Lonely at the Top earlier this month. Regardless, “3 Feet Away” moves forward with a more trap direction instrumentally talking about putting trust in God just before “Speedin’ Through the Rain” gives off a jazzy boom bap vibe thanks to Jay Versace keeping his foot on the gas pedal traveling the road to riches.

The penultimate song & final single “Still” featuring Ab-Soul removes the jazzier elements of the previous joint talking about knowing that their artistic successes were destined while the title track homages the title track off Gang Starr’s masterpiece Moment of Truth. “ABK” deserves an acknowledgement too because of its fusions between hardcore hip hop, hyphy & boom bap even though it didn’t make the final cut. And of course Jelly Roll revealing the Lonely at the Top cover weeks prior to him tagging with former 14-time WWE world champion, 4-time WWE tag team champion, WWE Intercontinental Champion & WWE United States Champion Randy Orton at SummerSlam XXXVIII.

By far one of the craziest moments of 2025 was when Joey Bada$$, CJ Fly, Kai Ca$h, Jae’Won, Ray Vaughn, Reason, AzChike, Daylyt & Hitta J3 were all trading diss tracks with one another in May & the founding Pro Era member gears up for an upcoming album fully produced by Statik Selektah to come out of the vault with a tight collection of songs culminating in hardcore hip hop, boom bap, jazz rap, pop rap, trap & gangsta rap that are still worth your time even if it’s not up to par with 2000.

Score: 4/5

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Rakim – “The Re-Up” review

This is the 2nd EP from pioneering Long Island, New York emcee/producer Rakim. Notable for being 1/2 of the seminal golden age duo Eric B. & Rakim, they put out 4 classic albums together from the mid-80s to the early 90s, with their debut Paid in Full & the sophomore effort Follow the Leader laying out the groundwork for future generations of hip hop to come. Kid Wizard eventually went solo in late ‘97 signing to Universal Music Group for an acclaimed debut The 18th Letter & the follow-up The Master while not as acclaimed still received positive feedback. Reception to The 7th Seal a decade after The Master was more mixed due to the lackluster production although the lyricism was certainly praised & G.O.Ds Network (REB7RTH) was a step in the right direction despite the heavy features, but Big Ghost Ltd. producing 2 new tracks on The Re-Up minus the 7 remixes raised my expectations greatly as a fan of both him & The God.

“I’m Good” makes for the only track of the 2 piece that doesn’t have a guest on it, but The God still delivers on the mic nonetheless over a boom bap instrumental from none other than the The Hands of Zeus himself whereas the final song consisting of brand new material & it’s sole single “Not to Be Defined” featuring Lazarus is also the sole moment that Big Ghost didn’t produce, leading it up to Dem Jointz showing the rhythm of the souls in both lyricists’ hearts.

I’m only gonna rate this purely based on the short batch of material that we got from The Re-Up because 1 thing that I wanna make clear is that the 5 remixes from G.O.Ds Network (REB7RTH) rival the original versions from the previous EP that I prefer more since that was all new material. Nevertheless, I still believe that the 3 newly recorded cuts are worth mentioning because they continue to exemplify that Rakim is still The God almost 4 decades later. G.O.Ds Network (REB7RTH) 2 has been said to have lesser guests than the predecessor & if that’s true, it could be on The 18th Letter caliber.

Score: 3.5/5

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Pro Dillinger – “Dirtwave 3” review

Haverstraw, New York emcee Pro Dillinger completing the Dirtwave trilogy with his 9th LP. A member of the Umbrella collective as well as 1/2 of The Steiner Brothers, he has released a total of 5 mixtapes along with his last 8 albums & even 7 EPs. Favorites include the Finn-produced debut Pray for My Prey, the Machacha-produced Dirt Don’t Hurt, his 3rd EP MOSFoul, the Sting vs. Flair collab EP with Mickey Diamond & the Steiner Brothers’ eponymous debut. Dirty Work celebrated it’s 1-year anniversary earlier this summer & the dirtiest of the Umbrella brought Sean Kelly back to handle production for Reasonable Dirt much like Forever Foul & more recently the Futurewave produced Dirtwave alongside it’s sequel becoming his most acclaimed work to date. To finish the month of August, a 3rd installment arrives with eager anticipation.

“Follow the $$$” was a drumless chipmunk soul intro talking about the battery in his back getting charged up whereas “King” by The Steiner Brothers featuring Big Trip finds the trio coming together for a luxuriously hardcore boom bap track. “Never Going Broke” chops up a vocal sample to talk about the relatable goal of not losing it all financially while “Church St.” reflects on the days of doing whatever he wanted and on the titular street.

Meanwhile on “Scarface”, we have Pro Dillinger talking about how counting money is a habit for him & not needing any friends because he has a whole lot of enemies as it already is over a boom bap instrumental leading into “Road 2 Riches” breaking down the military minded mentality he & the rest of The Umbrella has. “Fentanyl” featuring Estee Nack links the pair up so they can talk about making it to the big leagues just before “Ain’t No Killer” calls out some bluff.

“Old Lungs” featuring Daniel Son nears the end of Dirtwave 3 with a jazzy boom bap beat talking about being the same despite their respective takeovers of the underground while “Dirtmusic” removes the jazzier elements for a dedication to his fam who got it out the mud. “Bread First” closes up shop with 1 last chipmunk soul cut explaining his prioritization of money coming first.

The original Dirtwave & Dirtwave 2 have been rivaling each other for the past 10 months or so in becoming Pro Dillinger’s finest opuses of his career, but Dirtwave 3 maintains the hardcore hip hop/boom bap fusions that made both it’s predecessors so acclaimed except the production leans heavier towards the jazz rap & drumless chipmunk soul styles in comparison.

Score: 4.5/5

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WTM Solid – “Touropean” review

Detroit, Michigan rapper WTM Solid releasing his 6th EP. A member of the WRLD Tour Mafia, he also embarked on a solo career of his own beginning a few years back with the debut EP Originatour followed by both Matter of Time & What’s the Difference?. Bigg as well as the full-length studio debut album Imagine That at the start of this year elevated himself as an individual amongst the rest of WRLD Tour, following up Killa $eason by taking us through the day of a life of a Touropean.

“Black Eminem” opens with some horns & 808s asking if you’re with it or not so can make sure of it whereas “Better Than Yesterday” carries over the Detroit sound to talk about grabbing whatever he wants when he goes shopping. “Emote :p” has a bit of a hazier vibe instrumentally flexing that the gang never goes out of bonds just before “Aggravated <:” vents about how we haven’t seen him at his best yet.

As for “Kash Doll Skirt”, we have Solid going for a cloudier Detroit trap vibe thanks to WTM Niketech talking about having nothing left to prove at this point in his career leading into “Crucified +” advises those hitting the road for the first time to strap up from another country. “Japan in Paris” talks about running out of paper more than hoes & not letting money change you while “‘25 Finals MVP” shows love to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

“Support > Hate” winds the clock down regarding the 4th quarter of Touropean with a cloudy Detroit sound courtesy of WTM Miles feeling like Bruce Wayne from the Warner Bros. subsidiary DC Entertainment-owned Batman franchise whenever he logs into his bank account & “Break My Arms, Break My Legs” finishes the EP continuing to shed Blood, Sweat & Tours for this shit.

Inspired by spending the last month overseas, WTM Solid comes over 4 weeks after Money Man Miles saved the rap game & the road once he took up the Shortstop position by cooking up an EP that’s only 8 minutes longer than the last one he put out earlier this summer repping the motor city whilst living the WRLD Tour life over in Europe.

Score: 4/5

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Skepta – “Skepta .. Fred” review

London, England, United Kingdom rapper, songwriter & producer Skepta teaming up with local producer Fred again.. for his 3rd EP. A co-founder the Boy Better Know collective, a lot of people in the state including myself didn’t hop on board with him until almost a decade ago when he dropped his 4th album Konnichiwa to critical acclaim. This was followed up a couple years back with both Ignorance is Bliss & All In being welcomed to moderate reception, but the Skepta .. Fred singles had me anticipating this much more.

“Back 2 Back” fuses grime & dubstep together so he can talk about the recognition he’s gotten throughout his career whereas “London” carries over the styles of the previous track preferring to play the villain than the victim. “Last 1s Left” turns the dubstep influences up to talk about being the last of a dying breed while the soulful “21 Years” reflects on these past couple decades. “Victory Lap” co-produced by PlaqueBoyMax ends with a nod to the local community platform of the same name.

Both teasers that we’ve gotten these past few months confirms the speculation I had regarding Skepta doing a whole EP with Fred again.. & as I would’ve thought, it reveals itself to be the most cutting edge project he’s put out since Konnichiwa celebrating it’s 10-year anniversary next spring. Fred’s production plays well into the Boy Better Know co-founder’s grime style that he helped lay out the foundation for & simultaneously places electronic dance music as a secondary influence.

Score: 4.5/5

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Tezzus – “I Phønk, U Phønk” review

Atlanta, Georgia rapper Tezzus ending August with his 3rd EP of the month & his 6th altogether. 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, he’s preluding his upcoming blues project by dropping I Phønk, U Phønk exclusively on SoundCloud.

“Who” featuring Baby Osama opens with a rage instrumental from tana talking about their partners calling them to come back home whereas “Woo” gives off an eerie trap vibe to assure that he’s coming for throats. “Lucid Dreams” fuses hypertrap & phonk so he can talk about the realistic dreams he’s been having of fucking this bitch leading into “Heartbreak King” rounds out the EP by dabbling with chopped & screwed.

Only less than 3 weeks away from his said blues project, Tezzus decides to experiment with sounds for a good 9 minutes venturing out from the both of rage & phonk styles he blew up off of to incorporate elements of standard trap along with chopped & screwed. For only 4 songs, it’s still a worthy testament to his bold artistry & knack for going outside of the box.

Score: 3.5/5

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Westside Gunn – “Heels Have Eyes II” review

This is the 13th mixtape from Buffalo, New York emcee, songwriter, entrepreneur, curator & now professional wrestling promoter after forming the 4th Rope independent circuit promotion Westside Gunn. Proving his legend status & that he’s to be a force to be reckoned with all in nearly a decade whether it be running one of the hottest hip hop labels in recent memory to his first 2 full-lengths FLYGOD & Supreme Blientele. The success of the 4th Rope promotion has included 2-time RoW Heavyweight Champion Zilla Fatu becoming the inaugural 4th Rope Heavyweight Champion carrying on the legacy of his late father in former AJPW世界タッグチャンピオン, FMWハードコアタッグチームチャンピオン and 2-time WWE Intercontinental Champion Umaga as well as former 2-time WWE Cruiserweight Champion Real1 becoming the inaugural 4th Rope Flyweight Champion and even the current 4-time TNA World Tag Team Champions The Hardy Boyz becoming the inaugural 4th Rope World Tag Team Champions, releasing a sequel to Heels Have Eyes.

“Heel Cena” after the “Bommes des Garçon” intro references 17-time WWE world champion, 4-time WWE tag team champion & 5-time WWE United States Champion John Cena’s short run as a heel over a vintage boom bap instrumental from CG whereas “Amira Kitchen” featuring Brother Tom Sos jazzily talking about everything working because God said it would. “Powerhouse Hobbs” featuring Benny the Butcher has to be one of the the grimiest moments here thanks to Denny LaFlare giving a nod to the current AEW World Trios Champion & former AEW TNT Champion alongside former 2-time AEW International Champion Will Ospreay leading into Conductor Williams sampling “Can You Lose by Following God” by Johnnie Frierson for “Mandela” & FLYGOD flowing all over it.

Stove God Cooks joins Westside Gunn on the Harry Fraud-produced “Brikolai Volkoff” referencing none other than the late WWE Hall of Famer & former WWE Tag Team Champion Nikolai Volkoff while “Aunt Gina” featuring Skyzoo dedicates itself to all type of people that they know from those in prison to brick movers. “Glowrealah” gives off a hypnotic boom bap vibe talking about possibly getting him a country chick just before “Prick” featuring Brother Tom Sos kicks the pianos back in effect talking about seeing dope fiends & broken dreams.

The song “Demna Left Balenci” begins the final leg of Heels Have Eyes II with DJ Muggs chopping up a soul sample & a bar referring to another current AEW World Trios Champion & former 2-time AEW TNT Champion Samoa Joe in addition to his reign as AEW World Champion while “Blow Hendry” featuring MIKE drumlessly references former TNA World Champion & the longest reigning TNA Digital Media Champion Joe Hendry, whom I had the pleasure of meeting at Astronomicon 8 this spring. The tape finishes with a sequel to the “Love U” interlude off Hitler Wears Hermes VII being used as an outro this time.

In no way am I trying to discredit the projects that followed Hitler Wears Hermes X because I enjoy And Then You Pray for Me for his attempt at experimenting with trap & Hitler Wears Hermes XI this past Valentine’s Day even if I still maintain that it felt more of a Peace FLYGOD sequel, but Heels Have Eyes II contains some of Westside Gunn’s greatest performances since what was originally the concluding chapter of his infamous mixtape series that continues today going back & forth between drumless & boom bap production with 5 other guests whose pen-games are individually unparalleled.

Score: 4.5/5

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