1300SAINT – “Savior” review

Atlanta, Georgia recording artist 1300SAINT finally releasing his 3rd LP. Known for staying out of the box with a versatile sound & style drawing in listeners from all walks of life painting pictures of all colors & shapes to create a true experience for his audience, the heavy 808 based instrumentals he lays his smooth vocals over on his full-length debut Noir makes you feel every song a little more than usual & led to Young Thug signing him to YSL Records not too long after he came home last Halloween. All Hail marked his debut for the label, preluding Savior with Saint Season as well as 4 & NewDrug. respectively. However, the main course has arrived.

We get some background vocals & hi-hats colliding all over the intro “Bigger Than Life” so 1300 can describe how he’s been feeling this whole entire year to the world whereas “Kyoto” talks about being posted up in the capital city of the 京都 prefecture of 日本. “Stop Playin” finds himself refusing to go back-&-forth with these clowns online including a jab at his former labelmate 9 Vicious just before the cloudy “Slitherin’” talks about having his way.

Lil Gotit fresh off his new collaborative album with his late brother Lil Keed this past Halloween appears on “R.I.P. Pope” so they can sell swag & discuss the way both of them are living while “Heard It All” embraces a hazier trap vibe talking about how that bro shit don’t work with him anymore. “Divine” luxuriously breaks down his expensive habits & assuring the racks don’t speak for him while the flute-tinged “Mona Lisa” talk about possibly needing money counseling.

“Palm Springs” starts the 2nd half of 1300SAVIOR’s sophomore effort for YSL repping his squad for eternity & promising this fine woman that he’s been speaking to that he’ll buy her anything she wants leading into “Slimier > You” boisterously talking about how slimy he is. “Bounty” gives off a shimmery trap atmosphere suggesting you might need another engine to catch up with him while “Soulties” talks about not giving a fuck regarding all these broke ass rapper & not regressing to his past self.

Yung Heir makes the 2nd & final guest appearance of Savior on “Chainz & “Corvettez” decently clarifies they ain’t ever lonely because of the cash flow while “Flaws” talks about getting his killstreak back up. “Return You” likens himself to a pilot the way he make these muhfuckas flying while the “Interlude” feels more like a 3 & a half minutes song talking about going through it all. “Savior Solitude” spaciously concludes by showing off his singing chops over a beat kin to Yeezus.

Now it was confirmed yesterday that 9 Vicious is officially no longer on YSL Records despite Young Thug initially saying he was the weekend Uy Scuti dropped due to Tezzus recently joining the rebuilding label & 9 Vicious having beef with him, 1300SAINT has already paving the way for a new generation of YSL since late February & this could be my favorite project of the 5 he’s dropped since he got signed. The production is more detailed than NewDrug. a few months ago & despite Yung Heir’s feature being the weakest of the 2, I do admire that he & Gotit’s verses make Savior feel less monotonous than All Hail.

Score: 4/5

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Ouija Macc – “America’s Most Wicked” review

3rd album from Las Vegas, Nevada emcee Ouija Macc in 2025 & his 9th overall. Breaking out when the Insane Clown Posse signed him to Psychopathic Records shortly after putting out his debut EP Trashfire independently, Ouija has since proven himself as the hatchet’s biggest solo act dropping his last 8 full-lengths, 2 greatest hits compilations, 8 mixtapes & 5 EPs all in the span of nearly 8 years. He even started his own label Chapter 17 Records, with Darby O’Trill now being the only artist other than Ouija & teamed up with each other 13 months ago for the excellent collab effort Anemoia building up Darcc Planet to become the darccest material of his career last summer. Psycho Babbel came a couple months later, entering the Temple of Ash & Chlorine proved that he’ll always be a scrub no matter how clean he gets. Sunken Church however concluded the story that Darcc Planet began, declaring himself America’s Most Wicked a few weeks after Matt Cardona & The Outbreak became the new JCW World Juggalo Heavyweight Champion & JCW World Juggalo Tag Team Champions respectively on episode 64 of JCW Lunacy. Can’t forget to mention the controversial WWE, WCW & TNA Wrestling writer and WCW World Heavyweight Champion Vince Russo becoming the head writer of Lunacy’s either.

“Rigor Mortis” produced by Devereaux after the “John Walsh” intro begins talking about how juggalos don’t ever die & suggest that all the pussies knock it off with that shit whereas “Old Fashion Horror” locks in with DeadBoyGrim for response to the people asking what happened to traditional horror with a modern wicked shit banger he’s perfected up until this point. “Acqua Panna Tuscany” blends cloud rap & trap to talk about how you can’t fuck with the juggalo like him leading into “Offa Me” talking about giving 0 fucks whatsoever.

Moving on from there, “Stalker Jr.” talks about this woman blocking him & having 30 other different numbers so he can stay in contact with her while “Honky Tonk” boasts that he’ll buy a chainsaw off Amazon for the sole purpose of choppin’ up it’s CEO Jeff Bezos. “Phonky Homicidalyst” cleverly blends horrorcore & phonk music looking for cowards in a droptop until “Juggzilla” talks about being the juggalo version of ゴジラ.

“Let’s All Fly” continues with a ghostly trap vibe wanting the so as if there isn’t a fire blazing on the other side while the eerie lead single “Lil’ 1700” talks about creepin’ out the gutter ready to show the underground what the fuck it is. “Formaldehyde” pulls from the Memphis scene a bit making a dope reference to “Guts on the Ceiling” off Carnival of Carnage at the end of the 1st verse while “S.M.D.M.F.D. (Suck My Dick Muthafucka, Die!)” gives off that exact mentality.

Beginning the final leg of America’s Most Wicked, the cloudy trap crossover “Mama House” issues a warning that you don’t want to see him in Juggalo form while the psychedelic “Bong Rips” comes through with a stoner’s anthem for the playalos. “Cemetery Mane” cloudily talks about being haunted by an entity whispering his name while “Hypnotize” ethereally addresses those who have it out for him.

“Show & Tell” portrays himself as a teacher having the whole class yellin’ after swinging this hatchet & admitting that he likes to load a clip as much as choppin’ up bodies while “The Willows” talks about murdering sex offenders & bigots affiliated with all sorts of hate groups. “Build My Home” ends by suggesting he makes himself at home in a cemetery, unsure if God’s answering his prayers & realization the only thing left is the certainty of death.

Coming fresh off the news of Ouija Macc expecting his 3rd child & him buying a 17 acre farm that he calls Juggalo City, the CEO of the Psychopathic Records subsidiary Chapter 17 Records finishes his 2025 by rightfully claiming the title of America’s Most Wicked a few weeks since Ninja Mack became the new JCW American Champion. Filled with 20 tracks of certified wicked shit with 3 of them not being on streaming due to their extremities, it’s basically a soundtrack to the hypothetical situation of the country burning to the ground.

Score: 4.5/5

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De La Soul – “Cabin in the Sky” review

One of the most beloved hip hop groups of all-time from Amityville, New York consisting of Posdnuos, Dave & DJ Maseo a.k.a. De La Soul. Their first few full-lengths 3 Feet High & Rising, De La Soul is Dead, Buhloone Mindstate & stakes is high under Tommy Boy Records would all become some of the greatest of the late 80s & early/mid 90s. Art Official Intelligence: Mosaic Thump & Art Official Intelligence 2: Bionix were both solid although I wouldn’t call them classics like their earlier material, but The Grind Date might be the most underrated entry in their discography. 1st Serve came out during my sophomore year of high school through Duck Down Music Inc. & it was a fun conceptual listen, putting out & the Anonymous Nobody… under their own label AOI Records almost a decade ago next summer. Dave unfortunately passed away in 2023 of congestive heart failure & he still appears posthumously throughout De La’s 10th album, which marks their debut for Mass Appeal Records serving as the 6th & penultimate installment of their Legend Has It series.

After the “Cabin Talk” intro performed by Giancarlo Esposito from the Breaking Bad/Better Call Saul & The Boys/Gen V franchises, the first song “YUHDONTSTOP” beautifully opens up with the group assuring that the magic will forever come in 3 whereas “Sunny Storms” produced by DJ Premier takes a symphonic boom bap route instrumentally slowing down the sample he used during the final verse explaining there’s no need to grieve over the old you. “Good Health” keeps it dusty thanks to Supa Dave West for an ode to staying healthy in light of Plug 2’s death leading into “Will Be” colorfully talking about nobody stopping them.

Pete Rock flips both “7 Years” by The Impressions & “Uphill Peace of Mind” by Kid Dynamite during the lead single “The Package”for Posdnuos & Dave to trade verses with one another rightfully boasting their status amongst the finest in all of Long Island while “A Quick 16 for Mama” featuring Killer Mike talks about their respective mothers over a soulful Nottz beat. “Just How It Is (Sometimes)” turns up the funk so they can explain the way life goes occasionally until “Cruel Summers Bring FIRE LIFE!!” samples “Everybody Loves the Sunshine” by the late Roy Ayers fighting for love.

“Day in the Sun (Gettin’ Wit U)” featuring Q-Tip reaches the halfway point with the 2nd & final single talking about another day beginning with them having nothing to do while “Run It Back!!” featuring Nas joins forces over more sampling to get in their battle rap bags lyrically. “Different World” soulfully talks about being in a place in their career where they’re no longer tasting the grit that they were craving almost 4 decades earlier while “Patty Cake” heads for a conscious direction thematically over a soothing Jake One instrumental.

Meanwhile on “The Silent Life of a Truth”, we have Premier hooking up a gospel sample cautioning that parents will still push the harsh realities away from children to make sure the fairy tales stay in place & to stay vigilant while “EN EFF” featuring Black Thought jazzily suggests not to make them laugh because muhfuckas be funny out here. “Believe in Him” turns up the gospel influences a lot higher talking about spirituality while “Yours” featuring Common & Slick Rick advises to not to be left astray.

“Palm of His Hands” kicks off the final leg of Cabin in the Sky with some sumptuous pianos talking about not wanting to get any older & the truth being a little heavy to lift up at times while the title track remembers Trugoy the Dove on top of a Supa Dave beat that kinda reminds me of some of A Tribe Called Quest’s material. “Don’t Push Me” finishes De La’s debut for Mass Appeal with a bittersweet self-produced Dave solo joint homaging “The Message” by Grandmaster Flash & the Furious 5 during the hook.

As we prepare for Nas & Premier to end the Legend Has It series in 3 weeks, De La Soul’s return after almost a decade could most likely become my favorite of theirs since The Grind Date & rivals Mobb Deep’s final album Infinite for the right of being called the best entry in this whole run Mass Appeal Records has been on. Posdnuos & DJ Maseo not on oh honor the legacy of Trugoy a.k.a. Dave, but they extending that tribute much further to all the loved ones they’ve lost along the way 24 hours after what would’ve been the late Phife Dawg’s born day.

Score: 4.5/5

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Truth – “Nostalgia ThEraPy 2” review

Brand new EP from Queens, New York emcee Truth. Formerly of the trio Gods’Illa, he would start to build up a solo discography for himself the year after the group’s full-length debut Believe in Gods’Illa however with From Ashes to Kingdom Come. He later followed it up 3 years later by dropping the sophomore effort The Fight for Survival as well as For All Intents & Purposes. The latter of which was also produced by Da Beatminerz fully as was Nostalgia ThEraPy, running it back with DJ Evil D & Mr. Walt for a sequel.

“Painful Truth” set up shop with a gully boom bap instrumental suggesting to try fuckin’ with him in a battle just to see what would happen until “Want It Back” dustily talks about his desire for New York to take it back to it’s roots dismissing “mumble rap” when I feel like we’ve been past that phase for a grip already. “Redrum Seen” brings a murderous vibe from the beat to the relentless penmanship while “Cause for Concern” featuring Psycho Les & Tragedy Khadafi comes together for a lyrical onslaught.

The song “Done Did It” kicks off the 2nd half of Nostalgia ThEraPy 2 by having Truth hopping over some horns mixed with kicks & snares talking about doing this rap shit with ease while “Check It Out” unloads a couple of razor-sharp 16s with more authority than the MTA on top of an aggressive backdrop. “Get to It” featuring Royal Flush finishes the EP with both of them over a soul sample refusing to slow down until they get what’s owed to them.

Hungrier than ever, the 3rd dosage of potent east coast boom bap from Truth & Da Beatminerz continues the former Gods’illa member’s elevation as a solo artist that began nearly 4 years ago with For All Intents & Purposes alongside the original Nostalgia ThEraPy EP celebrating it’s 2-year anniversary in only a couple months. Everything regarding the latter being elevated throughout its follow-up from DJ Evil D & Mr. Walt’s production to the sharp lyricism.

Score: 4/5

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Haley Heynderickx & Max García Conover – “What of Our Nature” review

Portland, Oregon singer/songwriter Haley Heynderickx & Portland, Maine singer/songwriter Max García Conover reuniting for their 2nd collaborative project. Originally joining forces in the fall of 2018 for the final chapter of the Among Horses trilogy following Haley’s debut album I Need to Start a Garden, her sophomore effort Seed of a Seed celebrated it’s 1-year anniversary at the very beginning of the month & looks to recapture the late Woody Guthrie’s spirit from opposite corners of the country on What of Our Nature under Fat Possum Records.

“Song for Alicia” begins with a singer/songwriter intro telling the story of Alicia Rodríguez whilst further explaining that the Proud Boys & the Puerto Ricans are the only 2 groups convicted of American sedition. “Mr. Marketer” goes for a folkier vibe singing about Haley being told she was destined to grow a bold-hearted woman she thought she’d never know just before the stripped-back “Boars” feels optimistic of hipping through the cat grass living like the biggest little sluggers on the farm.

As for “Cowboying”, we have Haley & Max carrying the folky singer/songwriter sound over to sing about being unable to get these horses out of their heads & not being so sure as to what they want to eat while “In Bulosan’s Words” remembers the late Carlos Bulosan to end the 1st half. “This Morning, I’m Born Again” kicks off the 2nd leg with more acoustics singing that there’s only this emptiness against them while “Fluorescent Light” explains that the kind of lighting we’re living under is absorbing electromagnetic radiation.

“Buffalo, 1981” starts What of Our Nature’s final moments seeing about how this country hates the poor when that couldn’t be more relevant because of the whole SNAP benefits situation occurring during the new longest government shutdown while “To Each Their Dot” sings about humanity’s best interest being circular & simply making money off of us fighting the good fight. “Red River Dry” finishes by looking at Haley’s lineage like “Buffalo, 1981” did with Max’s.

Spending the last 12 months sharing creative ideas in the midst of reading Woody Gunthrie’s biographies & slowly exploring a patchwork of Americanism to see where their stories fit, Haley Heynderickx & Max García Conover find themselves with this collection of music Woody left behind channeling the union of spontaneity as well as sweetness & defiance that made him one of the most important figures in all of American folk music over guitars & percussion, carrying on his legacy with a singer/songwriter & indie folk LP that raises the stakes of their creative chemistry.

Score: 4/5

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Ransom – “The Uncomfortable Truth” review

Jersey City wordsmith Ransom dropping his 14th EP a week following its announcement. Coming up as 1/2 of the short-lived duo A-Team alongside Hitchcock, he branched out on his own in 2008 following their disbandment beginning with the full-length debut Street Cinema & the Statik Selektah-produced sophomore effort The Proposal. But it’s been safe to say these last couple years have been his biggest so far whether it be the 5 EPs that he put out produced by Nicholas Craven, 7 based around the 7 deadly sins, Heavy’s the Head entirely produced by Big Ghost Ltd., the Rome Streetz collab album Coup de Grâce, Chaos is My Ladder, Director’s Cut 4 & Deleted Scenes 2. Lavish Misery produced by Harry Fraud was a step above Spare the Rod, Spoil the Child & MadeinTYO producing Smoke & Mirrors last summer was an exciting surprise, coming off The Reinvention produced by DJ Premier this past Halloween to confront The Uncomfortable Truth with Conductor Williams.

“Clairvoyance” ferociously breaks the gate down talking about his ability to perceive events in the future whereas “Blood Stains on Coliseum Floors” works in a crooning soul sample posing the question of why one would believe in faith when every single prophecy he’s familiar with has been ignored. The only single “Bomaye” drumlessly references the Rumble in the Jungle between George Foreman & WWE Hall of Famer Muhammad Ali just before “Temple Run” featuring J. Arrr talks about not reaching their full potentials.

To begin the 2nd half, “Late Replies” keeps chopping up the soul samples apologizing to the love of his life for responding to her calls & texts later than he normally does leading into “The Human Animal” talks about people trying to pass batons in the midst of racing death. “Flowers & Tombstones” featuring J. Arrr reunites the pair 1 last time over a drumless beat to place blossoms on these analytics’ gravesites while “Trigger or Trigga” soulfully ends the EP talking about people falling victim to trigger works.

Wouldn’t have expected The Uncomfortable Truth to drop so soon after The Reinvention almost 3 weeks earlier but unsurprisingly, it’s another one of the greatest extended plays throughout Ransom’s whole entire catalog. Conductor Williams’ production leans heavier towards the drumless side of things contrasting Preemo’s signature boom bap sound of The Reinvention on Halloween & the lyrics are more soul baring, bringing along J. Arrr for a couple appearances instead of holding it down by himself again.

Score: 4.5/5

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Tha God Fahim – “Slam Dump” review

Atlanta, Georgia emcee/producer Tha God Fahim shaking things up a bit with his 67th EP. Starting as an affiliate of Griselda Records & 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 19 on Halloween was technically his most recent solo effort until Slam Dump, starting a new series instead of doing a Lethal Weapon 5.

“Happily Ever After” jumps over a chipmunk soul instrumental talking about there being no happy endings when ever he closes a chapter whereas “All Buckets” chops up another sample cycling through an entire clip until he hears a click. The title track featuring Jay NiCE soulfully talks about this rap shit being easier than breathing prior to “Clean ‘Em Up” also featuring Jay NiCE winning championships without coaching.

Jay NiCE makes his 3rd & final appearance on “International Champs” talking about making sure your “gold” doesn’t turn out to be copper in reality while “1st Strike” make for some of the extended play’s craziest rhyme schemes continuing a legend’s story. “Professional Hits” incorporates more samples to talk about his words representing lightness & “Noble Lineage” concludes with a soulful outro explaining that trials are a part of the process.

Regardless of how long it’ll be until Dump Gawd: Hyperbolic Time Chamber Rap 21 & whether or not it’ll be another collaborative effort with Jay NiCE, I have to appreciate Tha God Fahim for doing a 180° although it wouldn’t surprise me if Lethal Weapon 5 does come to fruition within the next year. Drega33’s production ranks amongst his best as he & FlyG prepare for the MENNBLVCK sequel in less than a couple weeks & the lyricism maintains Hyperbolic Time Chamber Rap 19‘s caliber.

Score: 4/5

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Dave McMurray – “I Love Life Even When I’m Hurting” review

Here we have the 9th studio LP from Detroit, Michigan saxophonist & multi-instrumentalist Dave McMurray. Introducing himself in 1989 off his debut album The Secret Life & returning 7 years later with the sophomore effort The Dave McMurray Show under Warner Records, he would go on to put out Peace of Mind as well as Soul Searching & Nu Life Stories between the late 90s/early 2000s until returning in 2018 by signing to the greatest jazz label of all-time Blue Note Records & made Music is Life his debut for the home of the genre’s finest. Coming off Grateful Deadication & it’s sequel, he wants to make it clear that I Love Life Even When I’m Hurting.

After the spoken word intro “This Life” by Herschel Boone, “The Jungaleers” starts with Shady Records in-house producer Luis Resto alongside drummer Jeff Canady & percussionist Mahindi Masai joining Dave to pull from Afrobeats for a nod to the high school the latter had attended whereas “Just a Thought” dedicates itself to his wife & daughter. “7 Wishes 4 G” blends soul-jazz & deep house for a love letter to “Astral Traveling” by Pharaoh Sanders leading into him covering “We Got By” by Al Jarreau.

“The Plum Blossom” by Yusef Lateef gets covered to start the 2nd half while the title track recruits Blue Note president Don Was to play acoustic bass. “Find Your Peace (4 Tani)” gives his flowers to drummer Tani Tabbal bringing the soul-jazz influences back in full effect to endearing results. “The Wheel” finishes the LP with a cover of the Grateful Dead b-side of the same name & honoring Jerry Garcia’s legacy in his own fashion.

Celebrating the love he has for the Motor City & for the many musicians he’s collaborated with, Dave McMurray comes off the Grateful Deadication series to make his greatest musical statement since Music is Life. Consisting of 6 original compositions & 3 covers in the wake of a friend of Dave’s who succumbed to illness & passed away alone, it’s admirable for me hearing him using that energy to construct a full-length themed around positivity surrounded by the most special people in his life.

Score: 4/5

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Boldy James – “Criminally Attached” review

It’s been 4 months & Detroit veteran Boldy James has finally returned to make his Roc Nation Records debut in the form of his 17th LP. Breaking out in the fall of 2013 off his Alchemist produced debut M.1.C.S. (My 1st Chemistry Set), there was a point where Nas’ independent label Mass Appeal Records had them on their roster for a little while before getting locked up. Once coming home, Uncle Al would help get his name back out there once getting out by dropping the Boldface EP around Christmas 2019 & then the sophomore album The Price of Tea in China. Manger on McNichols produced by Sterling Toles was as equally fantastic & the Griselda Records-backed Versace Tape EP was a tad bit disappointing given how rushed it was. Bo Jackson though would become his most critically acclaimed work to date & Super Tecmo Bo was almost as great for an EP. Fair Exchange No Robbery produced by Nicholas Craven, Penalty of Leadership, Mr. 10-08 produced by Futurewave, the Conductor Williams-produced Across the Tracks the Harry Fraud-produced The Bricktionary & the Carlo Anthony-produced Hidden in Plain Sight were all welcomed to warm reception additionally. Token of Appreciation produced by Chuck Strangers was much better than both Murder During Drug Traffic & Permanent Ink, the Antt Beatz produced Hommage left people divided although I didn’t mind it, coming off the V Don-produced Alphabet Highway & the Killing Nothing sequel Conversational Pieces respectively by showing up Late to His Own Funeral. Signing to Roc Nation not too long ago, he & Craven have decided to run it back with Criminally Attached.

“Walnut Grove” comes out the gate with a vocal sample talking about making money for a long time putting it on his grandmother Mary Lou whereas “No Blemishes soulfully explains that a membership of the gang he’s in cannot be simply claimed.“Infrared.com” talks about still being in the ghetto with all of his Zs getting calls that shouldn’t be answered on speaker just before “Fully Smack” runs up a check quickly to the point where he doesn’t have to wait in a line.

David Hill & 50 Gwuap Taj join Boldy on the soulful “Trifecta” talking about the way they see themselves livin’ leading into “Thumb of Craven” starting the 2nd half continuing the drumless chipmunk soul vibes telling the heavyweights throw up against to walk a little lighter. “Mr. Quaker Oats” featuring Poppy Bricks embraces a jazzier vibe talking about being more Richie than Lionel while “Thread the Needle” suggests you know he came from the bands the way he marches in.

“2 Left Feet” begins Criminally Attached last several minutes talking about not missing a single beat when he’s hustling in the streets over a chipmunk soul instrumental & lastly, “1st Time Around” ends with a vocal jazz flip admitting that he isn’t referring to blank disc when he mentions CDs & advising that one shouldn’t get to acquainted with the 227 Concreatures because of all the excessive gang shit that stays surrounding them.

Hard to say whether or not we’ll still get The Pop Catcher either next month or in 2026 but either way, Boldy James’ official Roc Nation Records debut & his 4th album to be entirely produced by one of my personal favorite producers of this ongoing decade joins Late to My Own Funeral alongside Token of Appreciation & Alphabet Highway for the strongest out of the handful of albums the Motor City’s finest has had to offer in 2025. Gearing up for a Super Tecmo Bowl follow-up next year also, Nicholas Craven’s drumlessly soulful production is unparalleled compared to it’s predecessor 4 months earlier & the same can be said regarding the gangsta-themed lyrics.

Score: 4.5/5

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Oh No – “Nodega” review

Oh No is a 46 year old MC & producer from Oxnard, California known for being 1/2 of The Professionals with his older brother Madlib & of course Gangrene with The Alchemist. His debut album The Disrupt under Stones Throw Records would become a west coast hip hop gem & the sophomore effort Exodus into Unheard Rhythms of course relied on Galt MacDermot samples. Ohnomite & the Chris Keys-produced Ashes would succeed the Oxperiment & Ethiopium beat tapes, returning over a decade after Disrupted Ads for his 6th studio LP after signing to Nature Sounds.

After the “Broken Radio” intro, “No One’s Stop” ruggedly begins with The Disrupt jumping over a gritty self-produced instrumental trying to get guap setting up shop whereas “Community Trenches” by Team Getem featuring Blu, Kazi & M.E.D. finds the quintet advising staying indoors so the war outside can be avoided. Rah Digga & Talib Kweli both rip the mic together for “Around Here” letting it be known that some ain’t allowed to be near their premises while the 2nd & final single “Rooftop Shottas” by Ghostface Killah & TriState finds the pair coming together over a gully beat advising to give up everything they got in the middle of a stickup unless you wanna get shot.

Following the “Dr. Nodega Informercial” skit, “Gutter Streams” reunites Gangrene a year & a half following their comeback Heads I Win, Tails You Lose to talk about making the needle break after shooting dope through people’s veins & after the “Watch Ya Steps” interlude, Guilty Simpson alongside Montage 1 & Vic Spencer along with him for the spaciously raw “Grounding Stars” so they can get at the throats of those who think they be running shit.

J. Sands takes us all on an 103 second “Nodega Run” having some vibraphones backing his storytelling while the lead single “Money Everyday” by Big Twins & Tha God Fahim talking about looking for new ways of getting paid. After the “Nobody Told U” interlude, “How Crime Works” by Crimeapple gets on some boom bap shit explaining his grind up until the “Alley Loitering” interlude.

“No Parking Zone” featuring Logic sets out for all the smoke with the wankstas acting like they really got it while “Czarnobyl Torture” featuring Esoteric carries the battle bars over wanting their opposition to know the applause wasn’t meant to be a congratulatory gesture to them. And after the “Good Beer Therapy (Interlude)”, “Likwit Smoke” by Tash & Wildchild makes it clear they’re still part of the Likwit Crew.

The song “ICU with Bottle Service” featuring Bishop Lamont finishes up our last few minutes of exploring the Nodega with him & Oh No over a Khrysis instrumental sampling what sounds like an SNES video game warning that they’ll let fists fly towards detractors who stay flapping their mouths while “Corner Goons” by Team Getem featuring Jayo Felony concludes with the trio suggesting everybody chillin’ at the corner to move because they carrying weight.

Thematically built around a corner store where all microphone assassins can stop through to lay down their street tales, Oh No cooks up a freshly wild collection of songs as the drama unfolds only contributing a handful of verses & letting his guests shine throughout a good bulk of Nodega. His production is some of the most cinematic he’s ever made & even though his performances are all occasional, a great deal of the veterans that’re brought on board all do what they’ve become known for VERY well.

Score: 4/5

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