billy woods – “GOLLIWOG” review

Washington, D.C.’s very own billy woods making his Rhymesayers Entertainment debut with his 13th studio LP. Whether you know him for teaming up with Elucid as the duo Armand Hammer or his own solo output like History Will Absolve Me & Dour Candy, there’s no denying that he’s been steadily holding it down for the abstract hip hop scene for a minute. 3 years following the Preservation-produced Aethiopes from top to bottom, Rhymesayers has brought him on board for GOLLIWOG.

“Jumpscare” produced by Steel Tipped Dove strips the drums to start us off likening himself to a rag doll playing dead whereas “Star87” turns up the psychedelic vibes thanks to Conductor Williams talking about his phone ringing off the hook tryna find the bodies he hid. “Misery” heavily bases itself around the 1990 film of the same name conceptually with Kenny Segal reuniting behind the boards for him just before “BLK XMAS” featuring Brusier Wolf might hurt R.A.P. Ferreira’s feelings since Sadhugold was involved due to the ongoing beef.

Meanwhile on “Waterproof Mascara”, we have Preservation & Billy throwing it back to the Aethiopes days leading into “Counterclockwise” linking up with one of my top 10 producers of all-time The Alchemist for my favorite song here airing out a serpent moving in the opposite direction of him. “Corinthians” featuring Despot brings the pair together to spit streams of consciousness over an El-P beat, but then “Pitchforks & Halos” finds himself where all the time has gone & idiots thinking he was simply rhyming at the last second.

“All These Worlds Are Yours” by Armand Hammer turns up the abstract lyrics over a DJ Haram instrumental while “Maquiladoras” featuring al.divino gets the 2nd half of Golliwog going talking about time always being on their side. “A Doll Fulla Pins” featuring Yolanda Watson likening herself to a doll with a bunch of pins in it while “Golgotha” keeps Messiah Musik in the fold reflecting on a woman he once loved now coming to terms that it was only a fling looking back at it.

Ant from Atmosphere brings a piano-heavy flare to “Cold Sweat” poking fun at the Pistons picking Darko Miličić over Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh & Dwyane Wade until the conscious lyricism continues during “BLK ZMBY” explaining it’s because of him being very experienced in there being not that many things he doesn’t know from what he understands. “Make No Mistake” hides everything in the rhymes hence why everything needs to be dark when he’s on stage while “Born Alone” breaks down feeling lonely throughout life

The last 2 songs on billy’s official Rhymesayers debut Golliwog are both performed by Armand Hammer using “Lead Paint Test” featuring Cavalier using their childhood homes as a representation of a space haunted by the past & “Dislocated” finishes up the album with both members without any other guest talking about trying to not be found or simply going off the radar completely.

Aethiopes for a few years now has quickly become my favorite billy woods album & his official debut under Rhymesayers Entertainment has already surpassed it similarly to Elucid’s own Fat Possum Records debut Revelator last fall. His conceptually abstract, political/conscious & horror-inspired lyrics are taken from the doll Florence Kate Upton had created centuries earlier & the creatively experimental production points signs towards secondary influences of jazz rap, drumless & sound collage.

Score: 4.5/5

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Weiland – “You Can’t Climb the Mountain in N.Y.” review

This is the 3rd EP from Tampa, Florida rapper, singer/songwriter, producer & audio engineer Weiland. Coming up almost a decade ago off his debut EP Insomnia, his first couple mixtapes Packrunner & Grimey Life resulted in Victor Victor Worldwide signing him for the synthpop inspired Vices to high acclaim. 3 long years later, he’s back with You Can’t Climb the Mountain in N.Y. ahead of him & Victor Victor alumni Summrs’ upcoming collab EP.

“Let You Go” featuring Summrs gives us a taste of what’s to come from the previously mentioned collaborative EP talking about being friend-zoned whereas “The Girl’s Not Mine” blends synthpop & dance-pop together to back off on rumors of a chick claiming he’s their boyfriend. “Promise” works in more synthesizers assuring that things won’t ever be the same going forward & the title track ends with Part Time relying heavier with the synths instrumentally asking if there’s anyone out there.

It’s already been a little over 3 years since Vices helped usher in an exciting new era of synthpop along with The Weeknd’s new trilogy of albums that already rivals his original mixtape trilogy & breaks free from Universal Music Group expanding on the sounds of his last album that marked a stylistic departure from his previous material & showcasing more coldwave influences to a lesser extent even if I prefer Hurry Up Tomorrow a bit more.

Score: 4.5/5

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PinkPantheress – “Fancy That” review

PinkPantheress is a 24 year old singer/songwriter & producer from Bath, Somerset, England, United Kingdom catching the eye of Elektra Records for her first couple EPs To Hell with It including at least 3 remixes I like more than the original versions & Take Me Home to high acclaim. Warner Records later brought her over to establish herself as a dominant force in modern alt-pop & contemporary R&B on her full-length debut Heaven Knows, teasing a sophomore effort with her 3rd EP.

“Illegal” begins the EP sampling “Dark & Long”by Underworld to delve into a relationship that she’s trying to keep on the low with the fear of being caught in mind by the public eye whereas the original version “Girl Like Me” excluding the KAYTRANADA remix samples “Romeo” by Basement Jaxx & Kele Le Roc during the hook talking about not being a fan of the way things are moving.“Tonight” goes for a dance-pop, bassline, speed garage & contemporary R&B direction flipping “Do You Know What I’m Seeing?” by Panic! At the Disco expressing a mature side to herself while “Stars” is pretty much a homage to “Starz in Their Eyes” by Just Jack.

After an intermission, “Noises” explains the feeling of uneasiness while being home alone making good use of a Nardo Wick sample as somebody who’s not a big fan of his own music just before “Nice to Know You” samples “Spiral” by William Orbit, Kenna & the Sugababes singing about being a mess. “Stateside” explores her growth as an artist with it’s use of breakbeat, dance-pop, nu skool breaks, breakstep, UK street soul & big beat explaining her dating life pretty much being only long distance relationships & “Romeo” sampling “Good Luck” by Basement Jaxx finishes likening her & her partner to Romeo & Juliet

Representing everything kitsch & UK-centric, PinkPantheress continues to break ground as one of the biggest popstars of this decade taking on board with what appealed to her during the recording process of Fancy That using dance-pop, UK garage, 2-step, contemporary R&B, alt-pop, breakbeat, nu skool breaks, breakstep, UK street soul, bassline & speed garage to make it feel like a statement is being made with the 9 track EP clocking at 20 & a half minutes.

Score: 4.5/5

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No Windows – “The Great Traitor” review

No Windows are an indie rock duo from Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom consisting of guitarist, bassist & drummer Morgan Morris alongside lead single Verity Slangen. Releasing their first 2 EPs No Windows & Fish Boy independently, they would land a deal with Fat Possum Records to take themselves to the next level on Point Nemo last spring & are back a little over a whole year later to do it again by putting out their 4th EP.

“Brown Bear” is this acoustic intro singing about feeling a lot clearer now than she did in the past whereas “Return” was a great indie rock lead acknowledging not hiding how they feel very well & their uncleanliness with the water being unclear as it already is. “Tricky” keeps it stripped back lyrically exploring the concepts of love & infatuation while “Sugarcoat” sings about being fucked from the start. “Old Chain Pier” is an indie rock ballad finding oneself at a stage in life no longer looking back in disgust & “Easter Island” acoustically wraps up the EP feeling worst in the mornings.

The Great Traitor expands No Windows’ sonic territory even further by leaving the more familiar indie traits behind in favour of lush, psychedelic arrangements that take their cues from 70s chamber pop & Jon Brion. Produced with Ali Chant, the recording process took them out of Morgan’s DIY bedroom set-up & into a studio where they had access to a breadth of instruments that allowed for more exploration across the EP’s 6 tracks marking a transitional period for the duo both as a band & as individuals.

Score: 3.5/5

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Brandon Woody – “For the Love of It All” review

Brandon Woody is a 26 year old trumpeter from Baltimore, Maryland who picked up the instrument for the very first time when he was only 7. Once he graduated from high school over a decade later, he would go on to study under the mentorship of Ambrose Akinmusire & recently signed to the greatest jazz label of all time Blue Note Records this past fall. Almost 6 months to the day, he’s finally ready to make a wider introduction to the world as a composer with his full-length debut studio album.

“Never Gonna Run Away” begins with a jazzy gospel intro clocking in at almost 7 minutes thematically paying tribute to the concept of faith & after “Beyond the Reach of Our Eyes” embraces a more unconventional structuring after being inspired by feeling the movement an unseen energy, “Wisdom; Terrace on St. Paul St.” reflects on hitting rock bottom when dropping out of college.

The composition “Perseverance” starts the 2nd half of For the Love of It All with what could possibly be the finest example of Brandon’s synergetic chemistry with pianist Troy Lon & after “We, Ota Benga” remembers the Mbuti man who was featured in an exhibit at the 1904 Louisiana Purchase Exposition, the closer “Real Love” officially sends off the LP with 1 last post-bop jam inspired by trumpeter & pianist’s bond.

Wrapping the collective intensity of early ’70s post-bop into pieces that feel both driving & remarkably smooth, Brandon Woody’s debut positions himself as both an innovator & a griot balancing technical mastery with a reverence for his roots. Surging with love as an elemental force channeled through sound, it’s his insistent statement that survival is it’s own form of artistry powered by the knowledge of love in all its dimensions binding us across generations.

Score: 4/5

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Knowledge the Pirate – “The Round Table” review

This is the 6th studio LP from New York emcee Knowledge the Pirate. Discovered by Will Smith’s former bodyguard Charlie Mack, he would sign to Interscope Records for a brief amount of time before leaving the game temporarily & re-emerging in the 2010s as a close Roc Marciano affiliate. His full-length debut Flintlock eventually saw the light of day in the summer of 2018, which was followed up with the sophomore effort Black Cesar as well as the debut EP Family Jewels & his 3rd album Hidden Treasures. My favorite in his discography would be the Big Ghost Ltd.-produced Wolves Don’t Eat With Shepherds & having Marci producing The Round Table raised the stacks exponentially coming off of 5lbs of Pressure.

“Eating Etiquette” was a great drumless single to start the rollout giving the ultimate fine dining experience whereas “Golden Rules” works in a boom bap instrumental with a prominent vocal sample talking about trying to keep his team together. “Takes a 10” has a significantly funkier vibe telling us what it was like for him in the grittiest parts of the City of Dreams leading into “The Outfit” stripping the drums again to talk about keeping the flame on the stove.

As for “Magic & Kareem”, we have Knowledge comparing him & Marc to Los Angeles Lakers icons Magic Johnson & Kareem Abdul-Jabbar respectively continuing the pitched sampling just before “Addicted to Danger” maintains a drumless flare altogether so he can talk about his devotion to peril. “Ride wit a P” slickly describes himself as a pimp stealing everyone’s girl in his car while the chipmunk soul infused “Food for Thought” talks about playing.

“Forks & Knives” hooks up a dope gospel flip making way for him & his crew sitting at The Round Table chopping up birds protecting & serving when it comes to the paper, but then the soulful “Gut Feeling” advises that you can’t love every bitch you fuck. “1 on Me” has this quirky synthesizer behind him taking over all the open spots on the block while “Young Thugs” cautions not to talk with your mouth full around him.

The song “Servitude” pushes towards the last several minutes of Knowledge’s best friend work on almost 3 years getting back on the chipmunk soul tip going federal with the love if it’s a crime hittin’ us with a significantly calmer flow & “Receipts” ends album with a crooning sample mixed with some strings talking about the fact that nobody wants smoke with him or the rest of the illustrious pimpire.

Many hardcore Roc Marciano fans, including myself have been waiting a very long time for this day to come and now that it’s finally here it’s very much safe to say The Round Table joins Wolves Don’t Eat with Shepherds as some of Knowledge the Pirate’s strongest material in addition to one of my LPs of the year. Marci’s production here is prominently drumless with the exception of boom bap & chipmunk soul being secondary influences outstandingly soundtracking Knowledge’s mafioso lyrics.

Score: 4.5/5

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André 3000 – “7 Piano Sketches” review

Brand new surprise 3rd EP from Atlanta, Georgia emcee, singer/songwriter, producer, actor & the Prince of hip hop André 3000. Coming up as 1/2 of the greatest hip hop duo of all-time OutKast with Big Boi whom he met at Lenox Square Mall when they were both 16, they were also a part of the Dungeon Family collective & released some of my favorite music EVER! This includes ATLiens, Aquemini, Stankonia & Speakerboxxx / The Love Below. The 2nd disc of which was basically the closest thing we got to a solo album from 3 Stacks up to this point. However after what would eventually be their final album Idlewild serving as a soundtrack to the movie of the same name, they would focus on their solo careers. Francis the Savannah Chitlin’ Pimp mostly notably putting out 3 full-length LPs of his own as well as an eponymous EP as Big Grams & an eponymous debut album as Big Sleepover too. André 3000 however stuck to doing features & pursuing an acting career, putting out an avant-garde jazz EP on Mother’s Day 2018 called Look Ma No Hands & signing to Epic Records for the new age ambient-driven solo debut New Blue Sun to critical acclaim. Moving Day was a fine collection of 2 outtakes from the New Blue Sun sessions & has laid out 7 Piano Sketches out of nowhere.

“Bluffing in the Snow” was a great intro to the EP showing off his keyboardist abilities for 3 minutes whereas “& Then One Day You’ll…” works in some more cumbersome tone to the notes he’s playing further assuming “die” to be the missing word in the title of the composition prior to the 34 second “When You’re a Ant & You Wake Up in an Awesome Mood About to Drive Your Son to School Only to Discover You Left the Lights on in the Car Last Night, So Your Battery is Drained” interlude.

The name “Hotel Lobby Pianos” goes for that exact vibe feeling like I’m walking into Circa Resort & Casino or any other high quality resort on the verge of checking in just before “Blueberry Mansions” turns it up on the luxuriousness for almost a couple minutes. “Off Rhythm Laughter” lives up to its name playing the piano overlapping a laughing sample that’s not on rhythm. “I Spend All Day Waiting for the Night” finishes by adding some drums in the fold for a climatic closer that I can hear at the end of a show or a movie.

Not too shocked to see people complaining about him doing anything except dropping a whole hip hop album but like I said when I reviewed New Blue Sun: André 3000 is literally one of those guys who can do just about anything & can find a way to pull it off. Instead of him using woodwinds like he did on that LP & the previous EP Moving Day, he’s playing the piano with hints of spoken word because of every track starting with the track number & title being said out loud for an easy listening experience.

Score: 3.5/5

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UFO Fev – “Pyramid Schemes” review

This gotta be the 11th studio LP from Harlem, New York emcee UFO Fev. Coming up a little over a decade ago off his full-length debut Around My Way, it wasn’t until 2020 when he saw his biggest year yet by dropping not 1 but 3 well received projects: the Statik Selektah-produced sophomore effort eFresh Air along with the Termanology-produced debut EP From El Barrio, With Love & the Big Ghost Ltd.-produced 3rd album The Ghost of Albizu. This was all followed up with Magnum Opus along with the Vanderslice-produced Enigma of Dalí & 4 EPs: The Most High, Prayer, Weed & Music, E Pluribus Unum, Sunsets in the Ghetto & of course the Finn-produced Blood on the Bills. Last time I covered Fev was last summer when Fredro Starr fully produced Strapped & Vansleazy coming back for Pyramid Schemes was a thrilling surprise.

After the intro, the first song “Snake Charmer” is a jazzy hardcore hip hop opener talking about his lane being him fusing street knowledge with the drug game whereas “Dynamite” featuring NEMS crosses over rap rock & boom bap boasting that they feel like $1B each. “Razor Keys” hooks up some prominent pianos talking about eating all these wack rappers for dinner retiring from pushing dope to rap until “Momotoro” gets back on the rap rock vibe refusing to dumb it down.

“Stunt Squad” featuring Red Inf could’ve been recorded around the same time as their Vanderslice-produced collaborative effort Chemistry last spring although it’s still hardbody & after the “Never Heard of You” skit, “Blue Face Hunnids” brings the keys back in the fold talking about times where he feels like he could’ve been greater. “Hit List” takes a soulful approach quenching for blood while “Money Man Jr.” featuring FLZY finds them exceeding & expanding.

The penultimate song “No Grant Hills” returns to the boom bap talkikg about grinding to the point where he hasn’t even slept in days constantly trapping out the Airbnb & prior to the outro, the closer “Free Sam Bankman” calls for the freedom of FTX CEO & Alameda Research co-founder Sam Bankman-Fried a.k.a. SBF after he was sentenced to 25 years for 2 counts of wire fraud, 2 counts of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, conspiracy to commit securities fraud, conspiracy to commit commodities fraud & conspiracy to commit money laundering.

Even if 1,000 Yard Stare produced by Body Bag Ben slipped through the cracks a little over a month ago & I didn’t make the time to cover it, I still thought it was a great way for him to start his 2025 & now he takes it to a new level with Pyramid Schemes. For the people BY the people, it’s guest list is stronger than that & Painting Houses 2 combined with Vanderslice’s gritty production pulling from boom bap & jazz rap to rap rock.

Score: 4.5/5

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Wish Master – “Kings of Kemet” review

This is the 7th studio LP from St. Paul’s, Bristol, England, United Kingdom emcee Wish Master. Someone who’s dropped a total of 5 extended plays along with his last 6 full-lengths in nearly a decade including his Illinformed-produced 4th album Cold Harbour Tales, which was a bit of a disappointment because it had an excessive amount of features than I would’ve hoped. I was however interested in learning London veteran Micall Parknsun would be fully producing Kings of Kemet coming off the underwhelming reception of His Story merely 7 months earlier.

“No Humble Fashion” kicks things off with a boom bap intro talking about those hating from the sidelines simultaneously following the guidelines of this rap shit whereas “Break the Mould” featuring Axel Holy recaptures the chemistry of their 1st Nature collaborative effort. “180” featuring Gaza Glock & Krush soulfully yet dustily talks about all 3 of them coming from nothing but once “Survived” also featuring Krush applauds those fighting to live, “Stick & Move” ends the 1st leg claiming himself to be an underdog.

To get the 2nd act going, “Trap House” talks about being a boss who lets his employers keep the gold while “Who We Are” featuring Ray Vendetta finds the pair desiring to work overtime to achieve their desires of raising the bar even though they can only be their true selves. “What I Do” featuring King Kashmere aggressively teams up to talk about always having a plan while “Cradle to the Stage” speaks of forever moving forward. “Say Goodbye” appropriately wraps up Kings of Kemet on a soulful note talking about being the one they fear.

As someone who’s enjoyed his appearances on Datkid’s 6th album Wakmo or Illinformed’s full-length debut Illin’ for Meds, I knew Wish Master had the capability of making something that would really stand out amongst the rest of discography & Kings of Kemet makes up for being let down towards Cold Harbour Tales with what I can confidently call his finest collection of solo material. Micall Parknsun’s boom bap production goes harder than His Story’s & it’s refreshing to hear the O.R. Records founder by himself more even if it’s for only half of it.

Score: 4/5

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Devstacks – “4SOULJASONLY” review

Devstacks is a 25 year old rapper & producer from Boston, Massachusetts emerging off the Now They Know Us trilogy with the first 2 installments being EPs & the concluding chapter becoming his full-length studio debut. His 3rd EP Scriptures has proven to become his breakout project, going on to produce for the likes of Ty Fontaine to Kevin Abstract & more recently Diorvsyou the previous weekend. Starting the month of May off, Dev’s getting back on the mic for a sophomore effort.

“Shoutout Jesus Christ” puts a psychedelic spin on rage dropping braggadocio whereas “The Hills” goes for a druggier vibe aesthetically talking about buying stupid shit since he’s stupid rich now. “Soulja’s Coming” cloudily discusses being a heavyweight & geeked up at the exact same time leading into “Why U Make Thay Face?” talking about making bitches go crazy & never having a backup plan.

Everyone who thought he fell off gets clapped back on “Hate the Feeling” blending some pianos & hi-hats to make a killin’ just before “Lmk U Made It Home Ok” heads for more of a pop rap direction asking this woman to show him somethin’. “1of1” picks up from there flexing his unique style crossing over trap & regalia while “Wipe Your Nose” dismisses the supposed swagger of someone who chases hoes instead of chips.

“Thriller” turns the bass up talking about having the baddest woman right beside him & making a movie with her while “parlay” featuring Swapa contains prominent performances from the latter since Dev has a criminally underwritten verse during the middle of it. “Shaderoom” compares the way hoes speaking ill of him to the Instagram news page while “Pictures” talks about his girl wanting to catch some flicks like a photographer.

Starting the final leg, “Sport Mode” breaks down his pockets eatin’ full court & hopping out a 4-door while “To My Crib” talks about his girl knowing exactly what time it is the second she pulls up to his place. “Keep It” ends the LP by advising women to never lie to him under any circumstance homaging the “Keep It Playa” track off Pharrell’s underrated solo debut In My Mind.

Few of his recent producer landings in the past year or 2 was what made me want to listen to 4SouljasOnly & it’s different from what we’ve already heard on Scriptures & the Now They Know Us saga. The sound he goes for on this one mainly departs from the regalia style that made him so popular in favor of standard trap relating to anyone with a soulja mindset clocking at a half hour.

Score: 3.5/5

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