DOMi & JD Beck – “WHO ASKED?” review

DOMi & JD Beck are a jazz fusion duo from Los Angeles, California consisting of keyboardist DOMi & drummer JD Beck. They would eventually sign a joint deal to Anderson .Paak’s own imprint Apeshit Inc. in tandem with the greatest jazz label of all-time Blue Note Records in 2022, dropping their widely lauded full-length studio debut NOT TiGHT that summer. Exactly 48 months have passed since to celebrate, it only makes sense that the pairing returned for a highly anticipated sophomore effort.

“ÈPiPHANiE” begins with this colorful 2 & a half minute compositional intro I can imagine hearing at the start of a wonderful day whereas “HAD ENOUGH” co-written by Anderson Paak. finds the pair singing about tomorrow possibly being the same despite not being too far. “EXiT” embraces a more autumnal vibe instrumentally assuring this isn’t the end & never showing signs of helplessness just before “SiLHOUETTE” asks if the fear causing doubt in your mind is worth the mind fading out.

Meanwhile on “GROWiNG OLDER”, we have DOMi & JD observing the inevitable process of aging in the midst of seasons quickly passing us by leading into “SOME THiNGS NEVER CHANGE” blissfully sings about staying frozen in place & holding steady since certain stuff remains the same. “RAiN” discussing both fear & comfort over more woodwinds combined with intense drumming until “SMALL EYES” contains a J Dilla influence showing the love they have for their dogs.

“LOVELY MASQUERADE” continues the 2nd half with one of WHO ASKED?‘s most infectious grooves singing about the possibility of being betrayed whilst the puppets dance blindly & after “PUZZLE PiECES” promises us it’s ok if life doesn’t make sense sometimes because there are moments where pieces fall apart for no reason whatsoever, “PHANTOM TREAD” endearingly pays tribute to an individual who greatly helped them at some point in their career.

The song “OUT OF SYNC” finds the pair lost inside their heads while “CONCERTiNO (FOR PiANO, DRUMS & ORCHESTRA)” hits us with another delightful instrumental piece comprised of pianos, flutes, strings & brass. My least favorite track “CLiMBiNG HiGH” awkwardly experiments with J-pop singing about the sky still being above when heading upwards for a better view & the “ÈPiLOGUE” concludes the LP in the form of this orchestral outro that I can imagine hearing in a Disney movie.

Regardless of WHO ASKED? being ranked behind NOT TiGHT in DOMi & JD Beck’s discography, it’s still an exceptional continuation of their music. They swap out the secondary influences of neo-soul & jazzstep to incorporate more elements of chamber music & classical crossover but more specifically, they’re singing a lot more than they did on their debut & I feel like they could make some improvements in that specific department going forward.

Score: 3.5/5

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Arca – “XXXXX” review

Arca is a 36 year old musician, singer, composer, producer, DJ, model & audio engineer from Caracas, Venezuela who dropped her full-length studio debut Xen during my senior year of high school followed by the sophomore effort Mutant exactly 12 months later. Her eponymous 3rd album under XL Recordings elevated herself beyond her earlier out & the same can be said regarding the entire kiCK pentalogy initially conceived in the midst of the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, finally returning following the series’ conclusion for her 9th studio LP.

The intro “No Ends” kicks off the opening 91 seconds sampling “In the Face” for a spoken word passage regarding shadows speaking to her whereas “Willow” somewhat gives me an Aphex Twin vibe instrumentally including a chorus describing a willow tree blowing in the wind. “Eidolon” heads for a deconstructed club direction singing in Spanish about living for the moment & “Heart” continues the Spanish performances calling for everyone to watch her transmute.

“Syncope” keeps things going from there taking a compositional approach & it feels like something the late SOPHIE would’ve made if she was still here just before “Raver” fiercely taking it bake to Arca’s own roots a bit in terms of sound. The minute & a half “Cinch” gives us a brief verse describing a woman who’s moving further into the unknown with her eyes closed while “Fuck” reaches the midway point of XXXXX yearning to have sex like her partner has sincere love for her.

Kicking off the 2nd half, “Finisher” interestingly samples “Family Violence” including these jaw-dropping string serine & an outro explaining you were never alone prior to “Taconeando” fully embraces the Spanish lyricism once again talking about heeling under the lights. “Futurality” lets the instrumental do the speaking for here basically telling us the future has become reality while “Grip” once again feels like a refined version of something Arca would’ve done on Xen.

“Enraptured” winds down XXXXX’s last act continues to refine the Xen aesthetics asking her partner if they’re ready to come & get it while “Throb” has moments that take me back to the “@@@@@“ single she dropped before the pandemic preceding the kiCK saga. “Everything” comes through with an optimistic spiritual successor to “Alive” off Mutant & the outro “Sueño” concludes with a finalized version of “Arpia” previewed last fall.

Many including myself had to ask where Arca would go beyond the kiCK series & XXXXX answers that with a return to form playfully interrupting the rhythm of the rest of her discography. deconstructed club, IDM, epic collage, glitch, UK bass, glitch hop, wonky, glitch pop, ambient pop, wave & progressive electronic production mostly feels like her interestingly trying to perfect what she was doing on her earliest output at many points, rawly exploring a space between worlds where transformation is both terrifying & freeing.

Score: 4.5/5

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Ariana Grande – “petal” review

Boca Raton, Florida singer/songwriter & actress Ariana Grande launching her own imprint Babydoll Music distributed by Republic Records for her 8th studio LP. The very same label who signed her in 2013 after breaking out through the Nickelodeon series Victorious alongside Leon Thomas III & has gradually become one of the biggest pop stars in the entire world since, dropping my personal favorite in her discography sweetener following the moderate reception of Yours Truly as well as My Everything & Dangerous Woman. I also enjoyed thank u, next for what it was following her engagement to Pete Davidson being broke off & Mac Miller’s tragic death even if Positions took it back to the mild feedback of her earlier output, coming off Eternal Sunshine to give us petal in time for July ending.

“kiss me” opens up yearning to be kissed like it could potentially be her final goodbye until “hate that i made you love me” averagely blends alt-pop, contemporary R&B, alternative R&B, synthpop & chillwave for a lead single venting about her divorce from her now ex-husband Dalton Gomez. The title track serves as a metaphor for how flowers can still bloom in the most rigid places just before “stay” detailing yet another corrective experience she had.

As for “oh well”, we have Ariana telling Dalton that more breakup songs about him are on the way & wishing all of the toxic people in her life the best luck traveling to Hell leading into “big feelings” reaching the midway point wanting this person to promise they’ll handle her properly & providing the kind of sex that can make grown men cry. “freak” sings about distancing herself from someone who doesn’t want to get to know her from a personal standpoint but after the “warning signs” interlude, “like i do” gets tongue-in-cheek for a sassy self-confidence ode.

“never get over me” embraces some R&B influenced to finish up petal’s concluding act singing about a unique kind of intimacy with a bridge calling back to “Thinking ‘Bout You” off Dangerous Woman while “bad thing (bunny hop)” finds herself rediscovering her feelings towards photographer & dancer Ricky Alvarez. The closing track “nowhere, nobody” sends off the album choosing to stay present in love regardless of the uncertainty of whether or not it’ll last in the end.

Despite coming away from petal with mixed feelings towards it, I can certainly see myself coming back to it more than I do Positions & Eternal Sunshine since it does have more high points than lows. I think Ariana Grande breaking up with all different kinds of negative attachments throughout her life comes from a sincere place although the alt-pop, contemporary R&B, alternative R&B, synthpop & chillwave production was merely ok. Would love for her to work with someone like Jermaine Dupri.

Score: 3/5

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King Kashmere – “0 Point Modulations” review

Grahame Park, London, England, United Kingdom emcee/producer King Kashmere getting behind the boards for his 8th studio LP. Notable for being a part of several groups or duos over the last few decades ranging from Kingdom of Fear & Invisible Inc. to Gawd Status as well as Old Children & Strange U, he also has 7 full-lengths & a few extended plays under his belt through a multitude of labels from Low Life Records to YNR Productions & Boot Records. The most recent being The Album to End All Alien Abductions & Sounds Like Home via High Focus Records, looking to kick off the 0 Point Modulations series strong.

“Kulcha” by Gawd Status after the intro starts us off with Joker Starr hitting us with skillful lyricism over a boom bap instrumental whereas “Shadows” by Durrty Goodz, Flirta D & Harry Shotta comes through with their own rendition of “Valley of the Shadows” by Origin Unknown. “Big(Bad)” by Dabbla, Genesis Elijah & Killa P aggressively joins forces to piss off their detractors including a brief beat switch prior to “Good Morning” by Harry Shotta, Jaz Kahina & PAV4N spitting flows that’ll leave people impressed.

As for “All Night”, we have Jae Mann taking the mic so he can talk about how it’s always the people who don’t do shit who be disrespecting those that put in the work just before “I.Y.N.K. (Illest You Never Knew)” by Cappo returns to the boom bap ruggedly boasts of reaching a level many wish they could achieve. “Earendel” by Illaman suggests to meet him in the courtyard with bars prepared until Flowtecs & Ramson Badbonez team up for the spooky “Violatorz”.

“Doin’ It” by Micall Parknsun talks about his detractors being pissed that he’s still around making music when it’s their own loss while “I Smoke” by BVA ruggedly discusses being ready to body anyone in a battle. “Alive” by Farma G & Fliptrix wraps up the 1st leg of 0 Point Modulations talking about keeping this shit going strong while “God Complex” by C.o.N-Vers talks about swinging swords whenever it’s time for war.

Verb T gets his own solo track with “Heights” talking about the feeling he has of taking things to higher levels musically while “Dragon’s Lair” by the Double Dragons grittily expresses Ray Vendetta & Tommy Biz’s refusal of surrounding themselves with artists who’re insignificant compared to them. “Is It?” by HPBLK talks about revving a chainsaw after being cast in the dark while “Cooked” by Reign MC dismisses those who claim they can smoke him.

“Classic Style” by Confucius MC dustily talks about the autobiographical subject matter he’s kicking being superior to a simple novel & becoming impactful when it’s laid out on wax but after “No Stress” by Alecs DeLarge poses the question of winning when people aren’t even rooting for themselves to achieve said victories in the first place, “Unfunny” by Truemendous talks about never being apart of a joke she doesn’t find humor in.

The track “Anne Boleyn” by Anyway tha God & Ragga Zulu Rebel references King Henry VIII’s 2nd wife who was beheaded due to fabricated charges of high treason & adultery in the 1500s while “Nuisance” by Fliptrix & JayaHadADream talks about leaving the past behind now that their voices have been found. The final song “Phone on Silent” by Larwood preceding the outro concludes 0 Point Modulations explaining that life’s about timing & making every second count.

King Kashmere has been producing since the late 90s & after fine-tuning that aspect of his career since 2010 when he began evolving behind the boards, 0 Point Modulations officially rings in this new chapter of his storied career shining the brightest light on The Iguana Man’s true calling although I can respectfully understand the 77 minute runtime being lengthy for some listeners. His production experiments with different genres other than hip hop like grime or dub & dubstep developing ways to make the process authentic through sampling & enlisting an all-star cast of MCs representing the UK hip hop scene’s past & present.

Score: 4/5

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Ramirez – “Brabus & Lorinsers” review

San Francisco, California emcee Ramirez ending the month with his 13th extended play. Emerging as a longtime affiliate of the $uicideboy$, he would go on to co-found to the New Orleans-based indie label G*59 Record$ with them & build himself as an artist by dropping 8 mixtapes along with his last dozen EPs & 5 full-lengths. Tha Playa$ Manual was his best LP yet with it’s g-funk production from Rocci, coming off the sequel under his newly formed EMPIRE Distribution imprint Velvet Note Records nearly 13 months earlier following his amicable G*59 departure to drop Brabus & Lorinsers.

“Gran Turismo” begins with this smooth west coast intro rapping about the only thing that stays on his mind is making money whereas “Hacienda” takes a more spacious route instrumentally & getting significantly melodic in terms of performance, exploring his range for an R&B slow jam. “The Harvest” featuring Boldy James finds the pair encouraging everyone to get their paper while “Lil Nameless 2K16” takes it back to his Memphis rap origins.

Kicking off the 2nd half of Brabus & Lorinsers, the song “Too Many Hoes” coasts over a chilled out beat talking about having an excessive amount of women tryna take what’s his just before “Soundscape” cavernously yearns to be held tight & kept close. The lead single “Come Outside” shifts towards a g-funk vibe talking about killin’ bitches softly leaving the candy paint drippin’ while the 2nd single “Dance in White” wraps up the EP with a nu disco outro.

It wouldn’t really be much of a surprise to me if a great deal of Brabus & Lorinsers was made for Tha Playa$ Manual II sessions considering most of it retains the smooth g-funk/Mobb aesthetics of what Ramirez did last summer when he gave us a spiritual successor to the most beloved entry in his discography, but there are some moments that remind me of his early days in G*59 so it’s kinda like you’re getting a mix of his styles both old & new.

Score: 3.5/5

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Dave East – “Price of Pain” review

Harlem, New York emcee Dave East reuniting with Harry Fraud for his 6th solo LP. Breaking out in 2014 off his 8th mixtape Black Rose, this resulted in the man signing a joint deal with Def Jam Recordings & even Nas’ independently owned Mass Appeal Records as well as a spot in the iconic 2016 XXL Freshman Class. However, his full-length debut Survival wouldn’t come out until 3 years later & was very disappointing in the sense that he tried appealing to a more mainstream audience that just didn’t exist. The sophomore effort Hoffa proved to be better as did his final Def Jam offering Fortune Favors the Bold & APT 6E produced by Mike & Keys marked a return to his independent roots, coming off the araabMUZIK-produced Living Proof so he can break down the Price of Pain.

“Papaya Juice” opens up with this soulful intro talking about not wanting to hit a studio unless it’s fireproof whereas “Everything’s Up” featuring Benny the Butcher hops over a sample-driven boom bap beat explaining how they don’t do anything basic. The crooning “Hot Peas & Butter” featuring AZ celebrates the revelation of their lives since making music while “Minding My Business” talks about lasting longer if people follow through with that simple advice.

WWE Hall of Famer Snoop Dogg appears on “Follow My Lead” gives off an opulent boom bap vibe instrumentally cautioning to stay alert just before “Rasta Pasta” talks about having no time to waste at all. “Alley Oop” featuring Styles P wraps up the 1st act discussing that all you have is yourself when your back’s against the wall over a cloudy yet dusty beat while “Clyde Frazier” talks about staying far away from the kind of people who feel like they’re entitled.

“No One Like You” & “Thirsty” are easily the most romantic cuts here even if I prefer the latter’s grooviness while the drumless “Life Cycle” introspectively reflects on his younger days. “Hu$$le in My Nature” featuring Cruch Calhoun finds the 30 for 30 pair standing 10 toes down & after “Stay with Me” soulfully talks about not letting his conscious down ever, the closer “Fill a Casket” asks himself various questions like taking all the homeless people off the street & feeding them lobster.

Starting the deluxe run, “Courtside at the Playoffs” talks about people without resumes who think they know everything while “Miramax” featuring Vado jazzily suggests to make moves that’ll make you rich. “What’s the Problem?” talks about growing up with heavy hustlers over some exuberant keys & once the soulful “Whole Money Outside” advises against giving one’s family a percentage of the paper, the final bonus track “Keke Wyatt” finishes up with this crooning mafioso outro.

People would generally say Dave East’s output since the last time he got with Harry Fraud almost 5 years ago has been average at best, but all 3 of Price of Pain’s singles made me confident of it becoming Dave’s strongest material since leaving Def Jam & I can confirm that’s very much the case. The production takes more influence from boom bap, drumless & chipmunk soul rather than maintaining Hoffa’s jazzy trap sound bringing a tighter guest list on board to describe cost of suffering.

Score: 4/5

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Dog $hit Militia – “C.T.T.C.” review

The Dog $hit Militia is a Detroit trap collective consisting of Babytron, Stanwill, TR Dee, Beannskii, Fordio, MJPaid, 72 Reezy & JuSleaze. I also can’t forget to mention that the late $camaurion, ScrumbleMan, T Bone & TurkeyMan were all apart of the crew at some point until the latter 3 departing & $cam’s untimely passing. Everyone apart of the current lineup except for JuSleaze has released solo material of their own & are surprise-releasing their debut mixtape almost immediately after Maya World, Andrade El Ídolo & Willow Nightingale ended 志田 光, Mark Davis & テクラ’s respective reigns as AEW tbs Champion, AEW National Champion & AEW Women’s World Champion.

“The OG’s” by the ShittyBoyz kicks things off talking about living the way they want since they no longer have to chase dreams whereas “Dubstep” by Babytron, MJPaid & 72 Reezy featuring FTOS Twan & Tae Retro finds the quintet trading bars with each other over a hi-NRG beat. “Cole Bennett” by Fordio & MJPaid takes it back to the chemistry of their Made & $tyle tape while “Chicken & Syrup” by Babytron, Beannskii & 72 Reezy featuring Project Money goes back-&-forth goes each other for a couple minutes.

Beannskii gets his own solo track with “Whitewashed” to conclude the 1st half of the tape spitting some gangsta shit over a saxophone that’s buried in the mix while “Diarrhea” by Beannskii & JuSleaze featuring FTOS Twan, Project Money, Scatz & Tae Retro produced by Danny G continues to pass the mic around even if Scatz has my favorite guest appearance of the 3 personally. “Deadman” by 72 Reezy however kinda has a wavier trap vibe talking about getting sloppy head instead of doing sloppy business

“iSeeYou” by Babytron & Fordio winds down the last leg of the Militia’s inaugural tape warning that anyone beefing with them will be discovered by archaeologists while “Egg Yolk” by Babytron, Beannskii, JuSleaze & 72 Reezy featuring Fat Mike & Luh Gary talks about having motion since they used to hit the Cobo Center over a bell-woven Danny G beat. The closing track “Beetlejuice” by Babytron featuring Fat Mike sends off the tape referencing 17-time WWE world champion, WWE Intercontinental Champion, 5-time WWE United States Champion & 4-time WWE tag team champion John Cena.

These guys have been teasing C.T.T.C. since at least 2023 but now that the Dog $hit Militia has finally made their official debut collectively, I wouldn’t have anticipated it being this average truthfully. I really don’t wanna rule out the possibility of improving themselves if they ever follow thud up with a full-length studio LP because the 5 remaining members excluding the ShittyBoyz all have their own distinct characteristics, it’s just that most of the 6 guest appearances were underwhelming & Danny G’s production towards the backend of it made for some of the half hour’s strongest instrumentals.

Score: 2.5/5

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Roughneck Jihad – “Methanol” review

This is the 11th studio LP from the South Bay Area, Northern California emcee Roughneck Jihad. A member of the trio 3rd Sight, he would go on to drop his last 10 full-lengths along with 10 extended plays & a mixtape in over a decade. The most notable being his 2nd EP The Little Assassination Handbook produced by Brussels, Belgium producer Senz Beats under Boot Records. The sequel Lobespierre came out in 2023 to mixed reception & have gone back to the Manchester, England, United Kingdom indie label 3 years later for the trilogy chapter Methanol.

“Great Like Gonzo” hops over a psychedelic rap boom bap intro with a fuzzy guitar sample talking about keeping his enemies close whereas “PCP Flow” instrumentally gives off a shimmery yet dusty vibe likening his cadence to angel dust. “Tongue Toast” embraces a jazzier sound talking about the karma police needing an injunction of some sorts just before “Circle of Life” incorporates some pianos cautioning that he ain’t the guy one should pester.

As for “Magnetar”, we have the Roughneck Jihad over an groovy beat talking about having the capability of smackin’ styles up similarly to a misogynistic pimp while “Life in the City” reaches the midway point giving us his understanding of living in a metropolis. “New Eugenics” kicks off the 2nd half of Methanol on the bloodthirsty boom bap tip cuttin’ muhfuckas off like weeds while the horn-driven “Barbarella” talks about keeping the tech ready & others needing to catch up to him.

“Doo Doo” gets the 4th quarter going with a shrilling instrumental ripping apart any wack rapper who can’t keep up with him lyrically while “Methanal Flame” talks about executing anything that moves in his vicinity & Hell smelling like napalm in the morning. “Rap in Québéc” discusses there being no artist that can do what he does without paying dues & the outro “Your Favorite” wraps things up getting on his Bay shit, advising to keep ya mouth shut after runnin’ up in cribs.

Both of these guys have each been around for nearly 3 decades but regardless of how some people feel about Lobespierre or even the Def Boys EP that recently came out near this past January’s conclusion, Methanol certainly makes for Jihad the Roughneck MC’s most enjoyable collection of material coincidentally since Boot Records signed him 5 years earlier. He & Senz are pretty much distilling their chemistry rather than providing a weird revolution of the mind, making another great case for the Disgruntled Sound Recordings founder ranking amongst the west coast’s most underrated.

Score: 4/5

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Tash – “Attention is a Drug” review

Tash is a 54 year old MC from Columbus, Ohio who would relocate to Los Angeles, California to form Tha Alkaholiks. He would eventually drop his underappreciated solo debut Rap Life in the fall of 1999 under Loud Records & Columbia Records, which was followed up with the poorly received sophomore effort Control Freak a decade later. This new extended play on the contrary has already been teased for some time already & the Catashtraphe has signed with Fat Beats Records to finally put it out.

“Day 2 Day Basis” featuring Styliztik Jones produced by E-Swift finds the pair smashing on suckas daily whereas the funky title track featuring the entire Likwit Crew along with Q-Tip & will.i.am on the remix talks about the effects social media. “Shoe Fits” kicks off the 2nd half of the EP sharply reminding the world of the fact that the truth always comes around in the end while the closing track “Smokin’ Session” sends it all off entrancingly talking about smoking weed.

Widely considered to be the most lyrically proficient member of Tha Alkaholiks, I’m fairly confident that anyone who was disappointed with Control Freak will come away enjoying Addiction is a Drug more than Tash’s previous LP over a decade ago & hopefully it won’t be as long for him to go solo again. The production’s consistently better than it was back in ‘09 & I’m really happy he’s found the inspiration to continue making music.

Score: 3.5/5

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Point 5ve – “Take a Look at Me Now” review

Point 5ve formerly known as Lil’ ½ Dead is a 51 year old singer/songwriter & former rapper from Los Angeles, California who dropped his full-length debut The Dead Has Arisen & the sophomore effort Steel on a Mission under Priority Records back in the mid-90s. He returned in 2012 for his 3rd album Dead Serious to generally more mixed reception compared to his major label output & over a decade later, WWE Hall of Famer Snoop Dogg has signed him to Death Row Records distributed by gamma. to reinvent himself for a new extended play stylistically departing from the g-funk sound in favor of an R&B direction.

“Grown Man Business” featuring October London on the remix finds the pair singing about maturity while the funky “Unseen Life” produced by Uncle Snoop explains half of his life is nothing more than a film to him. The title track ends the 1st half singing about not being the same as he was while “Now or Never” encourages to wing it & not look back. “Finish Line” describes a relationship falling apart & “Keep It Warm” featuring Kanobby finishes with a duet about companionship. 

Dead Serious came out back when I was in high school & regardless of that still not holding up compared to Point 5ve’s earlier material back in the day, Take a Look at Me Now marks a welcoming celebration of this new era in his career. The production’s obviously much smoother than his earlier material & I’m sure some will find themselves disappointed with the lack of rapping on here, but I was pleasantly surprised to hear how well he could sing.

Score: 3.5/5

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