Kofi Stone – “The Last Flower to Bloom” review

This is the 4th studio LP from Birmingham, West Midlands, England, United Kingdom emcee Kofi Stone. Making his full-length debut in 2019 with the jazzy yet lo-fi Nobody Cares ‘Till Everybody Does, the sophomore effort 5 years later A Man After God’s Own Heart retained the sounds of it’s predecessor receiving similar praise & All the Flowers Have Bloomed last fall incorporated more contemporary R&B elements. Somewhat ironic since he officially announced this was since announced as The Last Flower to Bloom almost a week since the tragic passing of the inaugural AEW International Champion, former 2-time AEW World Trios Champion, オープン・ザ・ドリームゲートチャンピオン, オープン・ザ・ブレイブゲートチャンピオン, オープン・ザ・ツインゲートチャンピオン, 3-time オープン・ザ・トライアングルゲートチャンピオン, PWG World Tag Team Champion, 2-time NXT Cruiserweight Champion & 2-time NXT Tag Team Champion Pac.

The title track recalls going from a joyful child to an adult filled with emotional suffering over a soulful boom bap beat whereas “Through My Pain” goes for a more drumless vibe instrumentally hoping this person finds common ground some day over some bare pianos. “Dandelions” produced by Joe Corfield bares his soul on top of this lo-fi beat talking about needing to become free while “Sicily” discusses a trip he & his partner took to Italy.

“Baby Love” continues from there with this laidback dedication to Kofi’s ride or die leading into the 2nd & my personal favorite single “No Way!” hooking up a soulful boom bap instrumental from Pitch 92 so he can ask why people want to break his soul. “Dozen Roses” featuring Wiki links up over a string sample desiring to get acquainted with their lovers’ families just before the self-produced “Kofi Says” soulfully talks about simply making it through the day.

Meanwhile on “Soufflé”, we have Kofi over an organ & some crooning vocals pleading for this woman to give him 1 more chance while the luxuriously soulful boom bap pleaser “Ghostflower” that Pitch 92 cooked up talks about hopes of being everything his date likes. “Where Did We Go Wrong?” posed the very question in the aftermath of a breakup until he tells the story of a 28 year old meeting an Instagram model named “Alissa”.

“Little Flower” ends The Last Flower to Bloomtalking about his worries of running out of time despite God knowing everything will sort itself out when it’s all said & done prior to “Gardener Flow” starting a brief deluxe run with a lead single containing 1 last Pitch 92 beat groovily declaring himself the realest of the realest. The other bonus track “Mary’s Gold” properly concludes the album runs it back with Joe Corfield for a jazzy boom bap outro talking about falling in love during the first date.

Becoming one of the UK hip hop scene’s most consistent artists in the last decade, The Last Flower to Bloom celebrates almost an entire year of All the Flowers Have Bloomed with an epilogue that’d go right behind the latter as my 3rd favorite in Kofi Stone’s discography with the debut taking up the #1 spot. The production feels like a combination of the R&B undertones explored throughout the predecessor along with the jazzy, lo-fi boom bap sounds of Nobody Cares ‘Till Everybody Does & A Man After God’s Own Heart, consciously confronting topics like introspection & love from a place of sincerity.

Score: 4/5

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730atMorning – “Antione’s Son” review

Here is the 3rd studio LP from Minneapolis, Minnesota rapper 730atMorning. Someone who would drop 3 extended plays in 2022 including Pots*, untitled & Hi, I’m Alive. He would later follow it up with the Creeper EP, the 7:30* EP, the full-length debut Asphalt, the Guarded EP, the sophomore effort Under the Bridge, the Rotten Fruit EP, his previous full-length Save Your Grievance, the almost inside EP & the Insiders tape. Coming off both I Can’t STFU & 1 Man Band, Antione’s Son has the world waiting a bit longer until Context.

“habitat” opens up with this pop rap intro talking about him staying up in the woods whereas the bouncy “high life” incorporates some heavy synthesizers so he can boast his tastefulness. “Done For” produced by Internet Money Records in-house producer Rio Leyva ranks amongst my top 3 tracks talking about moving slow off lean while “vr” suggests that the people trying to be like him shouldn’t hate themselves for it because it’s no way to live.

southsidesilhouette & Tezzus both save the strongest features for the rage-inducing “foolish” throwing shots at all these dumb muhfuckas leading into “also” talking about this woman he holds dear to his heart always running back to him since she knows they have something. “timeline” suggests for those working dayjobs to clock in & that he isn’t on that type of shit just before another favorite “geeked until the day” hops over a plugg instrumental from Feardorian to talk about his lifestyle.

“withdrawals > betrayal” hits the midway point of Antione’s Son explaining that he doesn’t feel any pain since he’s off percocets, xanax & codeine while “instincts” brings these psychedelic synth melodies in the picture asking figuring out why he makes himself go insane. “sick kid” flexes he’ll pour up 80 like my 2nd favorite basketball player of all-time behind Michael Jordan: the late, great Kobe Bryant while “the king of the fall” talks about love meaning more to him than any amount of money.

Baby Cute appears for the atmospheric “shooting deep” talking about making it to the top together & staying afloat while “feelin’ good” featuring kels!refuses to invest in people who truly don’t support them. “souls attached” talks about being richer than he’s ever been while “amanda” discusses being as smart as the person who this is named after. “don’t get hurt +” realizes he shouldn’t have fucked to give a bitch another chance & “the great escape” ends Antione’s Son professing his love for this person.

Presuming Context will come out at some point in the new year, Antione’s Son distinguishes itself from 1 Man Band rather than expanding the world of that previous EP with a completely separate entity of it’s own & one I enjoy less than the predecessor albeit equally to last Halloween’s I Can’t STFU. It’d be more interesting if he got more interesting names handling the production, but that doesn’t take away the fact 730atMorning’s getting more introspective topically.

Score: 3.5/5

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Mickey Diamond – “B.I.L.L.Y.” review

Detroit, Michigan emcee Mickey Diamond wasting no time to get the 4th quarter going with his 19th studio LP. Emerging at the beginning of this decade off the strength of his debut EP Bangkok Dangerous, the dude has since gone on to turn quite a few heads in the underground by building up the impressive discography for himself with his previous 18 albums alongside 8 EPs & a mixtape. Since 2022 however, Mickey has been consistent putting out some of the best material of his career thus far. This includes the Gucci Ghost series produced by Big Ghost Ltd., the Ral Duke-produced Oroku Saki EP, the Sadhugold-produced Death Threat$ album, the Camoflauge Monk-produced Capital Gains album, the outstanding Oroku Saki sequel Super Shredder & Gucci Gambinos. A new trilogy called The Wolf, The Sheep & The Goat comprised of Wolf Tickets as well as Black Sheep & Blood of the Lamb has spanned across the last 10 months & B.I.L.L.Y. officially ends the saga with an epilogue.

The title track opens up shop with a boom bap intro talking about anyone going against him losing their lives right then & there whereas “Missed Calls II” comes through with a sequel to the highlight off Wolf Tickets. “That’s Diamond” goes for more of a rap rock/boom bap vibe instrumentally so he can tell us what type of guy he is leading into “Higher Steaks” featuring Cise Greeny finds the pair talking about doing this shit legitimately.

“Pat Sayjack” moves on from there with this gritty piano-inflicted beat talking about knocking the heads off your favorite rappers because they’re pussy while the irate yet rugged “D.A.R.E.” confronts these bum ass dudes asking what they want from him. “Lamb Chops” takes a more soulful yet jazzier approach to the instrumental talking about the life of a hustler just before “Goat Cheese” heads for a lavish boom bap direction musically, explaining that money doesn’t make a man.

As for “Invisible Enemies”, we have Diamond talking about his style being too addicting to shake off & people pretending to be authentic when that isn’t the case while “U-Tang Forever” featuring Method Man links up over a crooning beat flexing that they close rappers instead of opening for them. “Ocean Prime” drearily talks about being the friend one can call whenever times get tough while “Statute of Limitations” discusses always playing in the field instead of getting sidelined.

“William” kicks off the other half talking about being the greatest on some eerie boom bap shit while the symphonically raw “Takin’ Respect” cautions not to ever step against him & not finding anyone else who can carry the weight he does. “To Whom It May Concern” talks about still being the same as he was when he began making music despite having over a dozen full-lengths under his belt already while “7 Day Theory” boast the fact everything he writes turns out ill.

Crimeapple appears during the tense “Servin’ & Swervin’” getting in their mafioso bag together pushing dope while “Forbidden Fruit” blends some keys mixed with kicks & snares to talk about him searching for the hidden truth back when he was a kid. “Hallelujah (Amen)” featuring Big Trip kinda has a funkier instrumental combining themes of religion & the gangsta life to it while “School House Rock” ruggedly talks about the realest always selling.

“Goldie Mack” winds down the final act of B.I.L.L.Y. addressing a bitch who introduced herself to him as a lame & wanting her to give him another chance while “X’s & O’s” talks about not being afraid to spend a lot of money considering it’s forever coming & going. “Wire Tap” though wraps up the album alongside The Wolf, The Sheep & The Goat saga altogether with the 3rd & final chapter of the “Missed Calls” trilogy pleading to stop hitting his line in a sketchy manner.

Big Ghost Ltd. has helped Mickey Diamond craft some of his most personal & thoughtful material of his career this past year whether he’s pouring his heart out, reopening wounds, provoking thoughts, looking back at some his own mistakes, challenging the norms of society or making serious conversations with both his loved ones & God. B.I.L.L.Y. closes the book on The Wolf, The Sheep & The Goat story once & for all in the form of a 2-part postscript simultaneously celebrating most of the 7 deadly sins when they’re not glorifying sex, drugs & money since all of it played their own roles in making America what it is presently.

Score: 4.5/5

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Victoria Monét – “Frequency of Love” review

Victoria Monét is a 37 year old singer/songwriter from Sacramento, California who independently released the Nightmares & Lullabies and Life After Love series of extended plays throughout the course of the previous decade with the other 2-part saga coming out through EMPIRE Distribution. Her next EP Jaguar arrived in the summer of the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic & signed to RCA Records afterwards to make a sequel out of the 2023 full-length studio debut, returning for an official sophomore effort.

After the intro, “Come Back to You” samples “Voyage to Atlantis” by The Isley Brothers to sing about returning to this guy repeatedly if she had the choice whereas “Say Dat” produced by DJ Camper following the “Care for Somebody” interlude encouraging her partner to speak what they’re really feeling. “Head to Toe” flips “All the Things (Your Man Won’t Do)” by Joe singing for her man to kiss her all over her body just before “Almost” continues the lustful subject matter.

“Juicy” blends contemporary R&B & boogie so Victoria can plead for her lover not to tease her & not waste any time getting down to business while “You Mean the World to Me” featuring Leon Thomas III after the “Dark Side of the Moon” interlude for a duet dedicated to Victoria’s daughter Hazel Monét. “Maybe” featuring Lucky Daye suggesting morning glory will come if the story goes the way they hope while “You Hurt Me Too” after the “Money” interlude airing out someone for doing what they said they wouldn’t do.

SZA appears during “See You in My Dreams” so they can sing about sleeping on these dude to the point where they fantasize of them at night prior to “That’s Why I Love You” featuring Bruno Mars sampling “Ritornerai” by Bruno Lauzi discussing loving each other until the venues closed & the streetlights come on. “Single” featuring Bryson Tiller puts us inside the shoes of 2 people who’re developing feelings for one another while “Reach Out” combines KAYTRANADA’s signature deep house sound with dance-pop & contemporary R&B singing about wanting to be his forever.

“I Want You” preceding an interlude of the same name interpolates “In My Bed” by Dru Hill while “Lose Myself” featuring Chlöe sings about what they feel like they have to do in order to find the ones they love. The alternative R&B/trap soul lead single “Let Me” tries convincing this person she can’t get enough of to become his piece of mind riding or dying for him & after the “No Love Like Yours” interlude, “For You” finishes Frequency of Love singing about providing a lifetime of stability for her soulmate since their life together has been nothing short of great.

If you take off the ridiculous amount of interludes, there would’ve been a serious chance of me putting Frequency of Love above both Jaguar & Jaguar II considering some of Victoria Monét’s personal material winds up here. The contemporary R&B/smooth soul production DJ Camper handles a vast majority compliments Victoria’s reflections of what she was going through or feeling as she was dating, motherhood, her love for the world & what she wants to see for it.

Score: 3.5/5

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Quadeca – “Life 1” review

Brand new LP & the 5th overall from Los Angeles, California singer/songwriter, producer, YouTuber & rapper Quadeca. His earlier tapes Work in Progress, Nostalgia for the Now, Bad Internet Rapper & Out of Order were all received negatively as was the full-length debut Voice Memos although his sophomore effort From Me to You proved to be decent, with both I Didn’t Mean to Haunt You & Scrapyard under deadAir Records garnering widespread praise for artistically reinventing himself. He would form his own label X8 Music distributed by Virgin Music for his previous full-length Vanisher, Horizon Scraper & following it up with Life 1 merely 14 months afterwards.

The self-produced title track subtitled “Where Did the Time Go?” blends art pop, folktronica, indietronica, glitch pop, neo-psychedelia & UK bass to sing about life flying past us all whereas the lead single “Dark Magic” fuses alternative R&B, pop rap, alt-pop, bedroom pop, indietronica, lowend & drone metal to describe the relationship he has with his audience. “The Hero Never Dies” combines art pop, indietronica, toypop, bedroom pop, chamber pop asking why this person’s too down to look straight in his eyes while “It Goes Like This” colorfully sings about this same person potentially getting the gist of things by now.

“Make You My What” featuring kmoe after the “Celery” interlude hits the midway point of Life 1 discussing romantic commitment over some drums & strings but if I had to pick a least favorite track, the 2-parter “Regular Guy” would take the cake which is disappointing considering the themes of wanting to become a new person. After the “Gambler” interlude, “Like You Always Do” prominently employs the default Logic Pro metronome singing about a cult leader feeling targeted prior to the folk pop, chamber pop, progressive folk, chamber folk, art pop, bossa nova & breakbeat single “Baby Steps” tackles adulthood.

Dance-pop, electro, indietronica, pop rap, 2-step, art pop all collide for the 3rd single “Hell of a Time” looking at a breakup from a more introspective lens expressing that he still enjoyed the moments they spent together regardless of everything not panning out they way they hoped while “Illusion of a Choice” sings about his own experiences of battling suicide ideation & encouraging all to fight those thoughts instead of letting them consume you. “Good grief” mourns the death of someone he knew who tragically took their own life & how much his life’s changed since while “In another life…” concludes the album singing about reincarnation.

Quadeca has said Life 1 was the truest thing he’s ever made & there’s no question in my mind that it deserves the same respect the last 3 projects he’s dropped all received. His indietronica, alt-pop, art pop, bedroom pop, folktronica, alternative R&B, singer/songwriter, glitch pop, neo-psychedelia, UK bass, pop rap, lowend, drone metal, toypop, folk pop, chamber pop, progressive folk, chamber folk, bossa nova, breakbeat, dance-pop, electro & 2-step production extends his evolution with the themes of life & death being stemmed from his own experiences unlike I Didn’t Mean to Haunt You.

Score: 4.5/5

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Alla Xul Elu – “Universal Perverts” review

Kicking off the 4th quarter of the year with Portsmouth, Ohio horrorcore trio & Long Live Evil founders Alla Xul Elu’s 4th extended play. Consisting of Billy Obey as well as Joey Black & Lee Carver, they broke out a decade ago as a duo by releasing their first 2 albums Head of Horns & Sci-Co that same year. This was followed up with their 4/20-themed debut EP Necronomichron in 2017 & adding Carver into the fold shortly after, but it wasn’t until Twiztid signed them to Majik Ninja Entertainment in 2018 when the Xul Boys’ music got increasingly better. Their MNE debut The Almighty is unquestionably the greatest horrorcore album of the 2010s, their 2019 EP Church of Xul took a much darker approach, Mauxuleum made it in the top 10 of my Best Releases of 2020 list despite them ditching their signature boom bap sound for a more industrial, trap metal direction & Necronomichron 2: Dead by Bong was a superior sequel to their 4/20 EP. The Magic Xul Bus preluded their final MNE offering Gods of Evil Rise produced by Mike E. Clark, opening for Psychopathic Records & Juggalo Championship Wrestling (JCW) founders the Insane Clown Posse last Hallowicked. Coming off No Masters however, they’re dropping Universal Perverts in preparation for WHellcome Home at the end of the month.

“Freakenstein” after the “Meet the Monsters” intro references former 3-time CWA Tag Team Champion, WCW World Heavyweight Champion, 2-time WWE United States Champion, 10-time WWE tag team champion, 2-time WCW World Television Champion, 2-time IWGPタッグチャンピオン & 2-time TNA World Tag Team Champion Scott Steiner whereas “Wackula” puts a comedic spin on the idea of masturbation over a boom bap instrumental.

The song “Woofman” winds down the last few moments of Universal Perverts talking about someone they know whom they’ve coined the titular nickname to while “Yummy Gummy Cummy Mummy” spends a couple minutes describing a mummy who’s addicted to performing oral. The beat during the outro reminds me of some 90s hip hop shit, concluding the EP describing a “Creature from the Crack Lagoon” using wordplay to discuss eating ass.

Some would consider Tunnel of Love to be ICP’s freshest sideshow EP although I’d personally put Beverly Kills 50187 above it, but Universal Perverts will certainly appeal to Xuligans in the same way Tunnel of Love did to juggalos or Kool Keith & Necro’s respective 2nd & 4th albums Sex Style & The Sexorcist if you wanna take it a step further since there are underground heads who still revisit tracks off those. That being said: It’s not my favorite EP they’ve made & anticipate WHellcome Home almost 4 weeks from now.

Score: 3/5

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King of Horriblecore – “The Horrible Chronicles” review

The King of Horriblecore is a 42 year old rapper from San Diego, California who originally came up under the original moniker Big Sherm when his first couple extended plays The Lost Flavors & Nitrous’ Escape Room came out. He would follow it up 12 months later with his full-length studio debut Shermology as well as an eponymous EP last Christmas and finally Horrible & Adorable, finally making his Lyrikal Snuff Productionz debut with his sophomore effort after announcing he had signed to the label at the 26th annual Gathering of the Juggalos.

After the intro, “The Horrible Show” by 3 the Horrible Way opens up with a dark trap intro where the trio’s talking about stomping faces out prior to “3rd Eye” making it clear that his mind’s eye isn’t blind at all. “Night Terrors” instrumentally has more of a sinister trap vibe to it talking about feeling unwanted & praying for 1 good dream while “Every Single Halloween” featuring Mikahl Lawless finds the pair relaxing together watching movies around this time of the year.

“S.A.K. (Saw, Axe, Knife)” featuring Scum & produced by Bake Lo links up so they can talk about using all 3 of those weapons for murder just before “My Past” gets more personal with everyone, giving listeners his backstory & encouraging them not to let our past define who we are today over a boom bap beat. “Forget About Me” ends the 1st half talking about his refusal to trust anyone since they doubted him right out the gate while “Friends” takes shots at the people he once considered allies who’re no longer in his life.

As for “Never”, we have the King of Horriblecore continuing the 2nd leg of his LSP debut talking about always taking Ls & dying rather than living over this funereal beat while “Sweet Villian” returns to the boom bap acknowledging that he’s become a villain to someone he wanted sitting at his table sharing steak. “Murdered My Peers” featuring Bake Lo joins forces to talk about fighting back against all of those calling them talentless hacks while “Growth” topically lets go of all the chains he’s bearing from his past.

“TKO” featuring 216zay talks about punching anyone who speaks ill of them in the face while “Putting Bullshit to Rest” featuring Foty gives a middle finger to those trying to take advantage of them. “Legacy” talks about putting an end to the people who thought he’d be a walking joke while “Ghostwriter” featuring Ice Giant explains why they stroll through the cemetery at night. “Oatmeal Cream Pie” featuring RazoR preceding the “Cookies & Milk” outro ends the album on a sexual note.

Originally hearing this guy when he made a guest appearance on Bake Lo’s 5th album Spirals earlier this spring, the King of Horriblecore’s entire style has been summed up best as the musical equivalent to a campy low-budget horror films with a nerdcore twist to it & The Horrible Chronicles makes it’s case regarding why he joined the LSP roster with an LP that I’d put above everything he’s done previously. The production’s a cut above his earlier output & touches base regarding many things in terms of subject matter ahead of his next EP set to drop in 2027.

Score: 3.5/5

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9 Vicious – “Det Hot Shit” review

Already have the 6th extended play albeit 2nd this afternoon from Atlanta, Georgia rapper & producer 9 Vicious. Breaking out in 2024 off the single “U Fancy” despite releasing his debut tape Naz in 2020, he would go on to further introduce himself on B4SA & the full-length debut Studio Addict helped him gain more exposure to the point where Young Thug signed him to YSL Records after B4TM dropped & Tumblr Music wasn’t that bad of a debut for the label other than “Clout Demons”. B4FN & For Nothing have both become the best things he’s made since the YSL deal, leaving when the Uy Scuti Bøyz consisting of diamond* & Tezzus signed. B4EM & Emotions were both welcomed to mixed reception, coming off the widely panned Sedition to further prelude both Sex Money Power & Life’s Beautiful with LA NY ATL & now Det Hot Shit

“Cock” produced by Patrick Garza kicks things off with the worst track of the 3 angrily pleading for his hoe to fondle him regardless of her being unwilling to have sex with anyone unless being paid beforehand & after “Doing Me Wrong” takes a mellower approach instrumentally courtesy of 406ahmad advising this woman to hit up his line so he can tell her not to fuck him over, “Fifa” already finishes the 2nd EP of the day embracing a plugg sound to talk about drugs & sex.

Wasn’t anticipating 9 Vicious to drop twice in the same day but compared to the rest of the EPs in his discography, it should go without saying that most will consider Det Hot Shit to be less enjoyable than LA NY ATL & quite possibly the 2nd worst thing he’s made behind Sedition. The production’s not an issue much like what we got 3 hours earlier considering 406ahmad handles most of it other than Patrick doing the intro, but the performances are significantly worse.

Score: 2/5

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9 Vicious – “LA NY ATL” review

Atlanta, Georgia rapper & producer 9 Vicious uploading his 5th extended play onto SoundCloud without any warning. Breaking out in 2024 off the single “U Fancy” despite releasing his debut tape Naz in 2020, he would go on to further introduce himself on B4SA & the full-length debut Studio Addict helped him gain more exposure to the point where Young Thug signed him to YSL Records after B4TM dropped & Tumblr Music wasn’t that bad of a debut for the label other than “Clout Demons”. B4FN & For Nothing have both become the best things he’s made since the YSL deal, leaving when the Uy Scuti Bøyz consisting of diamond* & Tezzus signed. B4EM & Emotions were both welcomed to mixed reception, coming off the widely panned Sedition to further prelude both Sex Money Power & Life’s Beautiful with LA NY ATL.

“Light It Up” gets things going with this 85 second intro confirming that he’s been banned from his own city because of his countless beefs whereas “Baby Roscoe” produced by Patrick Garza disses YSL for being on what he calls “fake shit” & boasts that Playboi Carti co-signed him on the phone when his OPM BABI diss ranks amongst the worry songs I’ve heard this year. “Net Worth” digs up a microwaved leftover from the Emotions sessions & after reuniting with 406ahmad for “Studio Fein” talking about spending days in the lab, “Wyoming” ends LA NY ATL shouting out the state he visited this spring.

406ahmad has since confirmed he’ll be solely producing Life’s Beautiful when it comes out at the beginning of the New Year & that already tells me we’ll get more gratifying production on there compared to Sedition earlier this month, which I can fortunately say the exact same thing regarding LA NY ATL although I can’t really say the same for his performances considering he goes from confessing the truth of the latter city banning him to adding fuel to that fire literally the next song regardless of Slime Language III being overloaded.

Score: 2.5/5

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Raz Fresco – “Boulangerie II” review

Pretty sure this is the 19th studio LP from Toronto, Ontario, Canada emcee/producer Raz Fresco. Someone I’ve been familiar with since my high school years at this point whether it be some of his features or his own extensive discography including the Magneto Was Right mixtape series, the Futurewave-produced Gorgeous Polo Sportsmen album, the Nicholas Craven-produced Boulangerie album, the Cake beat tapes, the Gia…À La Carte collab EP with Estee Nack, the Cookin’ Soul produced Bakin’ Soul, the Daniel Son collab effort Northside & the DJ Muggs-produced The Eternal Now. Coming off Stadium Lo Champions & the self-produced Y = Self however, Craven’s back behind the boards for a Boulangerie sequel over a week after Priscilla Kelly ended Gisele Shaw’s inaugural reign as MLP Canadian Women’s Champion on TSN2’s MLP Mayhem & the week before the Grizzled Young Veterans become the new MLP Canadian Tag Team Champions at Maple Leaf Gardens for Northern Rising II.

“Blueberry” opens up with this 91 second intro where Craven’s chopping up a soul sample & Raz’s talking about now being his time whereas “Don’t Belong” takes a more drumless approach pulling hallmark cards for a couple minutes. “The Best of Me” further embraces a chipmunk soul vibe instrumentally talking about providing the strongest version of himself as be possibly could prior to “Yesterday” featuring Blu & Cavalier soulfully finding the trio pursuing the cause of all evil.

Meanwhile on “L’ouvre”, we have Fresco over a jazzier beat with some secondary influences of chipmunk soul going within to get the truth just before “New Flavours” comes through with a vibraphone-inflicted stoner’s anthem. “Tip of My Mind” reached the midway point soulfully talking about someone who’s become a shell of their former self while “Things We Do” featuring Estee Nack gets the 2nd half of Boulangerie II going recapturing what made Gia…À La Carte so distinct.

“Golden Brown” compares his prestige to that of WWE Hall of Famer & former SMW Heavyweight Champion Jake “The Snake” Roberts leading into “Checkmate” hooks up some strings to talk about leaving bread spread across the table on some mobster type shit. “Mr. Bean” featuring Jimmie D & The 6th Letter links up so they can bring it hardcore over a synth instrumental while “Offerings” treads the chipmunks soul waters once again letting the world see how it goes around his parts.

Jimmie D & Mike Shabb both appear for the drumless “Old Port Party”, which I’d place above over “Mr. Bean” because of the way they aggressively set out to even the score while “Frogs in the Water” jazzily talks about everyone being in a different maze looking for the exit “More Colour Money” featuring Boldy James finishes Boulangerie II with 1 last chipmunk soul track where he & Boldy can discuss going from underbosses to overlords.

The original Boulangerie ranks amongst the most drumless, jazzy & lyrically abstract material Raz Fresco has recorded & this sequel 4 & a half years later dethrones Y = Self by a hair to become my new favorite album of the 2 he’s dropped in 2026. Nicholas Craven’s drumless production feels more soulful despite him still incorporating elements of jazz rap, there’s more consistency from the guests & it’s another outstanding representation of the authentic artistic exchange between Toronto & Montreal.

Score: 4.5/5

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