Mr. Cliffnote – “Duly Noted” review

This is the full-length debut solo album from Detroit emcee Mr. Cliffnote. Starting in 2006 off his eponymous debut mixtape, he would form the duo Sidenotes with the homie B-Side a little bit after that & went on to drop the sophomore tape Path to Notification followed by the Note to Self EP a few years ago, the latter of which I reviewed positively. Ahead of Path to Notification 2 however, Cliff’s celebrating his born day by releasing Duly Noted.

“New Jax” produced by Foul Mouth starts with a soul sample & Cliff mapping out the heart of the city instead of tryna party with the now disgraced music mogul Puff Daddy a.k.a. P. Diddy or Diddy whereas “Built fa Dis” takes the boom rap route instrumentally thanks to Nick Speed welcoming y’all to his church & asking to sing him a hymn. “Gonzo Outside” works in more sampling talking about still collecting chickens when he’s dead & gone prior to the slow jam “What’s It Gonna Be?” discussing not hesitating to throw away the goldmine when it’s go time.

Meanwhile on “Win Man”, we have Cliff fusing elements of trap & soul together thanking the most high for collecting all the Ws in his career leading into “Dreamin’ Season” maintains the soulful chops & hi-hats to talk about now being time to put the effort in instead of daydreaming all day. “Would Not Pay” gives off a classy boom bap vibe telling the story of a woman who got him saying all types of shit he wouldn’t find himself saying, but then “We Don’t Know You” featuring Fat Ray & Stretch Money brings the trio together for a nearly 3-minute Detroit trap heater.

“Pose fa da Photo” jumps on top of this delicate sample pointing out that you can get popped in his neck of the woods hence why he always carries a .44 Magnum on him while “Fuck Shit” goes for a summery boom bap flare telling everyone coming at him as a result of Talib Kweli unnecessarily dissing him to get off his dick. “Strathmoor Kid” has my favorite Detroit trap beat on the LP courtesy of DJ Jewels cautioning not to trip when you pitchin’ & them fastballs hittin’ just before “Soul Proprietor” featuring Kuniva finds the pair giving y’all food for thought over a boom bap instrumental that Ilajide cooked up.

Pushing towards the final moments of Duly Noted, the song “Movin’ Up” returns to a Detroit trap sound flexing that they don’t make ‘em like him anymore even if Rich Starz’ auto-tuned hook does absolutely nothing for me with all respect & “Gold Chain” ends on the soulful boom bap note with the help of Sterling Totes telling everyone listening to do things for hip hop culture that others out here won’t even do for themselves.

Kweli going at Cliff was further confirmation of what I said in my Liberation 2 review about Talib & one of my top 10 producers Kanye West in the sense that both of them are established veterans with an insane amount of artistic talent who publicly make asses of themselves on the regular since the apple really doesn’t fall far from the tree in the grand scheme of things other than Kanye having a bigger platform than Kweli does. Duly Noted though has now become Cliff’s best work. The production that Foul Mouth, Nick Speed, DJ Jewels & Ilajide offer a unique mix of old & new sounds within the Detroit landscape & Cliff steps up his A-game lyrically.

Score: 4/5

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Nvy Jonez LKR – “583” review

Brooklyn emcee Nvy Jonez LKR teaming with Man of Many Hats for his 4th EP. Coming up in the summer of 2019 off an eponymous debut EP, he would go on to expand his profile in the underground within the last few years by follow it up in the form of Black Popeye as well as a tetralogy of collab EPs with D-Rell called the Chicken Spot series. Last I covered NVY was his previous EP A.L.T.D. (Angels Loyal to Demons) produced by Accosta the Man & the Undertaker vs. Kane collab EP with Chop the Father, but is starting a new saga of EPs with 583.

After the “All Hands” intro, the first song “Gator” is this boom bap opener flexing that he’s all over the borders with different lawyers whereas “Québec” maintains a darker tone instrumentally welcoming everyone to the danger zone. “R.A.S.” featuring Cruu Lee brings an unsettling atmosphere to the table hoping all the vultures die slowly while “A.E.L.” featuring Sham Blak strips the drums calls these goofies crazier than Gnarls Barkley. The closer “Up 2” drumlessly ends the EP promising it’s forever up & he stay slangin’ truths.

583 tells a wavy & grimy tale of how Nvy Jonez LKR & Man of Many Hats both swerved through life from the streets to the military and back considering the fact that both of them first met in San Diego whilst serving the US Navy. The production is a mix of boom bap & drumless, both features are also fellow veteran artists who just so happen to be making waves in the hip hop scene on their own accords & the New York lyricist recalls sets out to make the future installments of this new series reflecting on his upbringings & time serving our country.

Score: 4/5

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Maddog McGraw – “Michigan & the Mecca” review

Lansing, Michigan emcee Maddog McGraw teaming up with Ras Beats for his 2nd EP. In the last 7 years, he’s gone from his debut EP Green Beret & both Grumpy Old Man mixtapes to the debut album Shit Talking 201 from the summer prior. His uncommon versatility whether it’s vivid storytelling, delivering sensual sexy grooves or rugged & raw bars give a well rounded spectrum of the art form and Michigan & the Mecca caught my attention with Jake Palumbo doing the engineering.

The title track starts with this boom bap instrumental with an organ-sample referring to himself as the underground greyhound whereas “Neanderthal” works in an atmospheric backdrop with kicks & snares dissing those who’re lyrically subpar. “Church” maintains a boom bap sound letting it be clear that this is the end of the search for those who’re looking for hip hop at its purest while “Disorderly Conduct” ruggedly talks about the lyrical aggression poetry packing punches.

“Magnificent Misfit” keeps it in the basement instrumentally serving Fatalities to new jacks on the mic like it’s Mortal Kombat & “Shit Talking 202” serves as a welcoming spiritual successor to his debut. “Right Here” dustily boasts that the neighbors give them studio applause once they’re done & “Rebel Yell” passionately talks about coming too far to fair at this point his career. “Black Man’s Blues” finishes the EP by showing a consciously introspective side to him.

Michigan & the Mecca showcases the different sides of Maddog McGraw’s lyrical ability as he takes you on a tour through Lansing showcasing his Southern roots, storytelling rhymes, clever wordplay & superior braggadocious rhyme schemes so Ras can bring his whole arsenal out by giving Maddog an array of chopped up synths, choirs, horn stabs, basslines, guitars & synths to express himself to.

Score: 4/5

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Tha God Fahim – “Machine Gun Vocabulary” review

I’m pretty sure this is the 23rd full-length studio LP from Tha God Fahim. Starting as an affiliate of Griselda Records as well as being 1/3 of the Dump Gawds alongside Mach-Hommy & Your Old Droog, we also can’t ignore the massive discography that he’s managed to build for himself, some of the standouts include Breaking Through tha Van Allen Belts & Dump Assassins. But dude has been on a CRAZY ass EP run in 2023 with the standouts being the Camoflauge Monk-produced Dark Shogunn Assassin, the Nature Sounds-backed Iron Bull & the Nicholas Craven-produced Dump Gawd: Shot Clock King 4, the Oh No-produced Berserko, Fahim’s last EP Dump Gawd: Rhyme Pays produced by Mike Shabb, Tha Supreme Hoarder of All Pristine Wealth & more recently Supreme Dump Legend: Soul Cook Saga produced by Cookin’ Soul from a few weeks ago. Dump Goat II mixed 9 new songs with 10 previously released joints & some of the guests on Machine Gun Vocabulary produced by Cartune Beatz caught my attention.

The title track starts with a reversed sample mixed with kicks & snares so he can gut & filet all these MCs who wanna battle him whereas “Volatile Vernacular” featuring RJ Payne works in another boom bap instrumental talking about haters meeting all types of death. “Detonate” hooks up some ghostly sampling flexing that his name rings bells like Biggie kickin’ in the door until the piano-driven “Prolific Pen” featuring Cormega finds the 2 talking about their superiority in the long-awaited collab.

“Brilliance” grittily promises this as the start of something big & major leading into the hardcore “Audible Ammunition” featuring Skyzoo talking about nothing controlling them. “What You Wanna Say” featuring Lørd Skø jazzily finds the new poor Lørd Jeff Hardy & the Dump Gawd giving Stone Cold Stunners, but then ”Prove & Show” returns to the boom bap talking not slowing down because he has a family to feed. “Cleanse” nears the end of the album comparing himself to Errol Spence Jr. & “Damages” finishes up with 1 last dusty track maintaining a winning streak.

For this being the 3rd LP of Fahim’s to come out this year, I’d put Machine Gun Vocabulary above Dump Goat II & behind Supreme Dump Legend: Soul Cook Saga. Cartune Beatz’ boom bap production is incredibly consistent over the course of the 27 minute listening experience & even if it’s not a surprise that all the guests killed it with their contributions, the Dump God makes it all live up to the name comparing his lexicon to that of an SMG.

Score: 4.5/5

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King Kong Bundyy – “Tales from Castle” review

This is the 3rd EP from Spring Valley, New York emcee King Kong Bundyy. Originally starting off under the moniker G-Field, he would put out 2 mixtapes Street Credibility & Bail Money before Benny the Butcher signed him to his ever-growing indie label Black Soprano Family Records for his 2019 debut EP Living Life Bundyy. A follow-up EP The Lost Files happened to be unearthed by B$F last Black Friday & now that the 1-year anniversary of the predecessor coming next month, Bundyy’s returning a week after the 4th quarter of 2024 began so he can tell some Tales from Castle.

After the “Heavyweight” intro, the “Where Was You At?“ remix featuring Funch the Camden Kid truly starts the EP with both artists over a piano-trap beat talking about almost giving up wanting to know where the homies were at their lowest whereas “Do or Die” featuring SuperChilly takes a cloudier approach instrumentally asking nothing more than trust. “Gotta Get Mine” works in a soulful boom bap beat to put his life on the line taking risks while “Mozart’s Keys” grittily talks staying in the trap since it doesn’t get boring. “Kan’t Sleep” ends the Tales from Castle soulfully discussing being unable to sleep these days.

Living Life Bundyy & The Lost Files are both good places to start for any B$F fan who has yet to familiarize themselves with King Kong Bundyy, but I’d recommend Tales from Castle since you get a better idea as to who he is & where he comes from in to addition to him artistically himself to a new level. Even if both of the features are ok, the Spring Valley artist gives the listeners a glimpse of the personal experiences that’s he’s had on Castle Avenue with the production healthily balancing the boom bap & trap sounds.

Score: 3.5/5

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Joell Ortiz – “W.A.R. (With All Respect)” review

Brooklyn, New York veteran Joell Ortiz is back for his 9th studio LP. Emerging after being featured in the Unsigned Hype column of the March 2004 issue of The Source Magazine, he went on to sign to Aftermath Entertainment for a brief period of time before leaving to drop his official debut The Brick: Bodega Chronicles under MNRK Music Group. I also can’t forget to mention when Slaughterhouse rose to prominence off their self-titled debut, which led Eminem signing the supergroup to Shady Records a decade ago already. But sadly, their major label debut welcome to: OUR HOUSE that came out the next summer would unfortunately end up being their last & everyone has been doing their own thing since. 3 years since Autograph however, The Heatmakerz are jumping behind the boards throughout the duration of W.A.R. (With All Respect).

“W.A.R. Welcome” featuring I Born starts with a bluesy boom bap instrumental allowing them to open up our minds taking us to war with all respect whereas “Mamma Loves Me” moves forward with a passionate tribute to his mother, who helped pushed him further in his music career. “Fortune 500” keeps it 100 by talking about having 100 less friends since more problems emerge the more money you make, but then “Reaper Man” strips the drums completely telling the grim reaper he’s taken enough.

The atmospherically spacious “So Lost” works in more kicks & snares talking about feeling lost sometimes as of late just before “W.A.R. (Worry, Anger, Resentment)” featuring Styles P peacefully gives thanks to God since every single one of us are in debt to Him. “Imagine That” featueing Ransom soulfully flashes back & fast-forwards into the present doing all they dreamed while “WAR” featuring M.O.P. returns to the boom bap warning that y’all don’t want beef with them.

“Please” brings the soul vibes back for a ballad dedicated to his best friend/1 true love & after the “My Childhood” skit, “All the Years” officially wraps up Yaowa’s first solo effort since H.A.R.D. or the Housing Authority Rap District no longer putting out anymore duo projects with 1 more drumless banger reminiscing over the loved ones who can’t be with him today.

I personally prefer the Signature remixes that L’Orange did for Autograph even though I appreciate the highlights off the original version. Nevertheless, W.A.R. (With All Respect) is easily my favorite of Joell’s since Monday & will arguably go down as one of the best albums that he’s ever made period. The Heatmakerz’ production sticks to their signature, soulful boom bap & drumless sound & Yaowa’s performances are better than the last couple H.A.R.D. efforts.

Score: 4.5/5

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Big Trip – “Honestly Filthy 2” review

Detroit, Michigan emcee Big Trip reuniting with Jamil Honesty for his 4th EP. A member of The Umbrella collective, he introduced himself in 2021 off his first EP Bullet Tooth Tony followed by another one Crasseux & of course the full-length debut album Filth Be Thy Name. All of which showed the underground what Big Trip was capable of doing on his own, but Honestly Filthy would elevate him & the sequel here is shaping to maintain the classic caliber they reached over 4 months ago.

The piano-driven boom bap intro talking about everyone else being unable to come outside until they say so whereas “Wave Runners” featuring Jamil Honesty & Snotty finds the trio aggressively referring to themselves as trendsetters. “Kenny Lofton” takes the soulful boom bap route instrumentally to write pain with a golden glove prior to “Ice Wood” featuring Mvck Nyce paying homage to the late, great Blade Icewood.

“Clout Chasers” hops over a vocal sample observing a drought in real ones out here this day and age while “In the Filth We Trust” returns to the boom bap talking about getting it out the mud with no luck. “Gold Mouth” featuring Mickey Diamond maintains a dusty edge getting on their street shit together, but then the outro brings back the exact same beat as the intro so Trip can body it again talking about being destined to shine.

What made Honestly Filthy the best entry in Big Trip’s whole discography for me personally was the fact that it excellently refined everything that you’ve heard from him previously & the sequel here takes that to a whole new level. His hardcore lyricism & Jamil Honesty’s boom bap production from the predecessor carry their way onto the follow-up, except their chemistry is being elevated.

Score: 4.5/5

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Jelly Roll – “Beautifully Broken” review

Jelly Roll is a 39 year old rapper & singer/songwriter from Antioch, Tennesse who’s been hustling within the underground for over 2 decades already building up a discography of 21 mixtapes as well as 8 full-lengths & 3 EPs. His rise to international stardom began in 2020 when he signed a 2-album deal with the Strange Music subsidiary It Goes Up Entertainment, releasing A Beautiful Disaster & Self Medicated to critical acclaim. Whitsitt Chapel marked his country debut & “Need a Favor” proved to be his biggest hit, eventually signing with Republic Records for his 9th LP after making appearances for both WME Group-owned TKO Group Holdings divisions UFC & WWE.

“Winning Streak” begins his Republic debut in the form of this powerful piano ballad singing about standin’ in the rain just trying to stay dry whereas “Burning” gives off more of a traditional country sound instrumentally asking God to show him another way. “Heart of Stone” in need of a different kind of drug carrying over the sounds of the previous cut onto here, but then the lead single “I’m Not Ok” fuses pop rock & country pop tackling the theme of mental health.

Meanwhile on “When the Drugs Don’t Work”, we have Jelly Roll asking who’s gonna drive you home once the drugs start to wear off putting a bigger emphasis on country pop just before “Higher Than Heaven” featuring Wiz Khalifa finds the 2 talking about smoking weed being their way out of the darkness. The official WWE SummerSlam XXXVII theme song “Liar” heads towards a pop rock direction calling out someone tryna be his friend for cappin’ leading into “Everyone Bleeds” explains that you can only fly so close to Heaven.

“Get By” pulls inspiration from the stomp & holler scene showin’ up Sunday morning lookin’ the same way he did the previous evening while “Unpretty” sings about resenting the man that he used to be radiating a calmer vibe to the beat. “Grace” brings back the country pop influences finding love in the heart of the darkness & hope when the times are the hardest while “What It Takes” sings about a 40 Oz. only numbing the pain.

To get Beautifully Broken’s other half going, “Hey Mama” serve as his passionate country tribute to Jelly Roll’s mother Donna DeFord & the guitar-driven “Time of Day” feels more like an MGK song since he handles pretty much all the verses & not as well as the primary artist himself. “Born Again” clarifies that you can’t kill a man that was born to be born again while “Guilty” maintains the country feeling expressing the love he has for his wife Alyssa.

“Little Light” is this country rock/country pop hybrid encouraging to leave some light since this person is on the close to the edge of letting go while “Hear Me Out” wanting y’all to tell him how he’s always feeling like something’s missin’ & we don’t know all the pain he’s felt. “Woman” gives his flowers to Alyssa once again detailing he won’t understand why she still calls him her’s while “Smile So Much” singing about one understanding why he’s been smiling a lot if you’ve seen him cry.

The penultimate track “My Cross” pushes towards the conclusion of the LP referring to hurt & trauma as a sickness, explaining that he’d rather die than to pass it to either of his 2 children since it’s his pain to bear rather than theirs hoping the apple falls far from the tree & the sins of the father stop with him while “What’s Wrong with Me” ends by singing about being fine with all his flaws. “Take a Bow” featuring Halsey starts the deluxe run promising one another the highest of highs over pianos while “Don’t Want To” featuring Keith Urban is a country duet clarifying just because they aren’t tempting that temptation or lighting up that fuse doesn’t mean they don’t want to.

“Devil Down” featuring Ernest finds the 2 sticking with a traditional country flare asking for God to help them overcome their addictions since it isn’t a strongpoint for them while the acoustic “Really Gone” featuring Russ talks about hearing the special people in their lives who’ve passed through the night sky. The stripped-back “Past Yesterday” with Skylar Grey on the hook asks not to judge him if he gets too high & the final bonus track “Lonely Road” featuring MGK fresh off being in Logan Paul’s corner when L.A. Knight finally dethroned him as WWE United States Champion at SummerSlam XXXVII couple months ago has to be one of the worst singles of the year mutating country pop & emo pop whining about feeling alone.

I’ve always found it ignorant when people say that Jelly Roll is a sellout or a culture vulture or inauthentic because the dude was grinding nonstop for the longest time working with those from Tech N9ne to more recently the closing track of Eminem’s highly conceptual THE DƎATH OF SLIM SHADY (COUP DE GRÂCE) & his Republic debut here stands as the best offering of his ever since he forayed deeper towards country. He’s grappling with his newfound fame during the 83 minute runtime bouncing between country, pop rock & country pop.

Score: 3.5/5

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Dom Kennedy – “Class of ‘95” review

Dom Kennedy is a 40 year old MC from Los Angeles, California who I became a fan of during my adolescence through his 4th & 6th mixtapes From the Westside with Love & Yellow Album respectively. He later made a sequel to his breakout tape as his official full-length debut studio album, going on to release 6 more & of course forming the MC/producer duo Half-A-Mil with Hit-Boy since then. From the Westside with Love III in the fall of 2021 was met with mixed reception & with it’s anniversary coming up early next week, he’s returning for the 8th studio LP in his discography.

“Rich Kids” is this sample-driven trap opener feeling closer to God than ever chasing the money whereas “Leanin’” works in a psychedelic backdrop & some hi-hats boasting he ain’t gotta floss since people tryna stealin’ the sauce anyway. “Legendary” takes the Mobb route instrumentally reaffirming his status in the streets, but then “Casablanca” featuring Polyester the Saint & TROY NoKA talking about everyone knowing he been on.

As for “Slauson Phil”, we have Dom over more atmospheric trap production reflecting on going from selling cans to buying whips leading into “Nowornever” observing that dudes be fuckin’ with the same girl & that being wild to him since it’s a small world we’re in. “Attention” had a syrupy trap flare to the beat tackling the theme of romance just before “Baby James” talks about planting a tree when he was broke & having money now.

“Miracle on 43rd” spaciously finds him mobbin’ on the plane with a Louis Vuttion tote bag while “Rollin’” brings a charming trap flare to the table talking about being as seasoned of an MC he is. “Celine” atmospherically gets boastful giving thanks to God for all the paper he’s made while “Indepedent” shows off his indie status since he’s never signed to a major label & all of his music coming out through The Other People’s Money Company.

Meanwhile on “Loved”, pushes forward the 2nd half of Class of ‘95 with a drumless loop matched with the lyrics about being influential although not as much as J. Cole & that they still love him the same while “Promise” featuring Niko G4 gets on the pop rap tip promising their lovers to stay solid like when they met. “Emergency” smoothly asking if it’s real love if it’s never been tested while “Gallery” talks never dreaming of going mainstream since he’s famous on the block.

“Lonely Hearts” gets the encore of the LP going by hopping over this soulful trap beat dedicating this joint to all the lonely hearts listening while the title track moodily talks about finding a woman that he’s been looking for throughout his whole entire life. The closer “Sketches from Westlake” ties things up keeping money on his mind considering every day to be the 1st of tha Month making it work by stackin’ now & ballin’ later.

Truthfully, it’s been quite a while since I found myself enjoying a Dom Kennedy project & Class of ‘95 surpassed my expectations ahead of it since it could probably be his best solo offering since Los Angeles Isn’t for Sale 2. The production eclectically pulls from trap to soul, Mobb music, pop rap & drumless as Dom pretty much recaps how life’s been treating him in the last 3 years since he last dropped.

Score: 3.5/5

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ovrkast. – “KastGotWings” review

Oakland, California emcee/producer ovrkast. enlisting St. Paul, Minnesota producer/rapper Cardo behind the boards for his 13th EP. In almost a decade, he’s been making waves by releasing a couple mixtapes on top of the last dozen EPs in his discography later landing production credits ranging from MAVI to Earl Sweatshirt & even Drake. Coming off the 1-year anniversary of the predecessor Reset! over the summer & is ringing in the final quarter of 2024 by shaping KastGotWings up to be the most exciting entry in his discography yet.

The opener “UP” gets the ball rollin’ with a rich trap instrumental feeling on the verge of erupting working the hardest he’s ever had whereas “PAYMEAGRIP” works in more hi-hats & a mellow backdrop advising to cough up the dough since they tryna erase the hood he came from. “CUT UP” fuses jazz rap & trap asking what the business is just before “BEAT IT UP!” talks about going harder than muhfucka.

“FREE UP SUM’N” starts the other half of the EP going for a minimal sound wanting to know what’s up with it taking 1 for the team while “SLOW MONEY” shifts into boom bap territory so he can talk about staying golden. The closer “BIPPER’S JOINT” ends KastGotWings by hooking up these piano chords & hi-hats feelin’ like he could possibly make a scene.

When you look at the handful of EPs that ovrkast. has put out since 2015, this new one here unsurprisingly takes the cake as his best one thus far & increases my anticipation for his full length debut studio album whenever that comes. Cardo’s production mainly has a trap vibe with additional elements of boom bap & jazz rap, allowing the Oakland lyricist to drop his most passionate performances.

Score: 4.5/5

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