Tech N9ne – “Bliss” review

If anyone’s been following me long enough up to this point, you probably already know that I’ve covered Tech N9ne quite a bit around here. Starting out 3 decades back as a member of the groups Black Mafia as well as the 57th Street Rogue Dog Villians & Nnutthowze, his profile began to increase in the late 90’s after landing a spot on the Gang Related soundtrack & becoming among the first to join Yukmouth’s then-newly formed collective The Regime. But after having issues with Interscope Records & Universal Music Group following the release of his iconic 3rd album Anghellic, that’s when Tech decided to form his own label with the help of a man at Paradise Originals named Travis O’Guin. Together, they would call it Strange Music & solidified itself as one of if not the biggest indie label in the world. Tech has made it a tradition to drop an album every year since Everready (The Religion) back in ‘06 but after a taking a year off when Asin9ne came out a couple falls ago, N9na’s returning from the snake & bat-cave to unleash his monstrously long 24th full-length album.

After the introductory “Welcome to the P.I.T.S.” skit, the first song “Badge of Honor” is a trap/rock crossover produced by N4 talking about never needing exactly that whereas “Knock featuring Conway the Machine as well as X-Raided & Joyner Lucas all come together for a boom bap-inflicted tribute to the 50th anniversary of hip hop. Conway steals the show with his verse followed by Tech’s, then X-Raided’s & Joyner’s being the weakest in my respectful opinion due to his triteness. “KC Huh? KC What?” goes back into trap territory shedding light on Kansas City, Missouri up-&-comers King D, Lil’ Ava & Roblo Dastar leading into N9na reuniting with The Popper on the catchy “They Know Meh” laced with the help of Dominique Sanders of The Xtraordinaire$ talking about being known everywhere they go.

After the “Y’all Having a Good Time?” skit, “Tell Everyone” is another highlight for me personally as it’s a victorious ode to the Kansas City Chiefs winning this year’s Super Bowl & I acknowledge Pat Mahomes as the best QB in the league even though I’m more of a Pats/Buccs guy leading into “Things I Like” is a groovy rap rock banger talking about everything he enjoys. “3D” has a more atmospheric flare to it declaring he can see you in 1-dimension, but then “W H A T (We’re Hungry & Thirsty)” by BL1GHT featuring Kim Dracula is a decent trap metal “Riot Maker” callback in contrast to Tech & HU$H’s damn-near unlistenable eponymous brostep EP couple years ago.

After the “Crowd Participation” skit, “Wess Paul Bennett” featuring Joey Cool & King Iso find the trio attack everyone who downplays them over a rich trap beat from Wyshmaster while “Pull Out” might be the worst cut on the whole album. Not saying Tech can’t make love songs, he’s done it numerous times in the past whether it be “The Beast” or “Love Me Tomorrow”. It just sounds almost as corny as “Fish in a Pita” back on the Dominion collabos album. “Fatha Fig Ya (Food For Thought)” makes up the cringe with some pianos & hi-hats talking out how days will come while the “Reach Us” featuring X-Raided, 2Gunn Kevi & Head da Don is a cavernously decent trap cut with a lazy hook about haters.

“Red Aura” with Qveen Herby has to be another standout with it’s kicked-back sound & a way better chorus dedicated to his favorite color (& mine personally too) prior to the “Screen” remix featuring Jehry Robinson gives a more heinous trap approach asking why motherfuckers be knocking on the door of their properties. After the “That Was Dope!” skit, “Drill Sergeant” works in some creepy piano chords comparing himself to a noncommissioned officer that trains soldiers in basic military skills prior to “Bro So Mo (Lemony Snicket’s)” getting in his storytelling bag paying homage to Daniel Handler over synths & hi-hats.

The final leg of the album starts with Ubiquitous of prior CES Cru fame coming into the picture for “I Met a Morph” looking back on the old versions of themselves accompanied by symphonics & after the last skit “Problem at the Pump”, the song “Deer Alley” somberly details how much of a super inconvenience it is when you roll in the titular place while the penultimate track “2 Happy” by the Nnutthowze sees the 3 joyfully talking about being proud of being fucked up. “Got What I Wanted” ends the indie hip hop veteran’s 24th full-length with a warm ode to give him what’s his since he’s been all over the world

As a long-time Tech N9ne/Strange Music since high school, what else can I say other than Bliss has left me torn much like Enterfear & Asin9ne? The way he exemplifies just how far away he feels from conflict of any sort comes from a genuine place & the production’s cool, but it didn’t need to be 25 tracks/76 minutes long & the guests all perform on his caliber at best or mid to unlistenable at worst. If he left half of what we got here on the cutting room floor, I would’ve most likely enjoyed what we got here but that’s ok when you have that much of a extensive discography.

Score: 2.5/5

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Nelson Dialect & Verbz – “Sight Beyond Sight” review

This is the collaborative LP between Adelaide, Australia emcee Nelson Dialect alongside Croydon, South London, England, United Kingdom emcee Verbz. The latter of whom made his High Focus Records debut in November 2020 off his sophomore effort Radio Waves & the other introducing himself to the Hove, East Sussex imprint’s roster 15 months ago with his 5th album Ever Since. And what to both of those as well as Where It Started all have in common? Mr. Slipz fully produced all of those projects, so it makes perfect sense for him to get both Nelson & Verbz together so they can elevate their chemistry with Sight Beyond Sight weeks after Connor Mills ended Robbie X’s reign as RPW British Cruiserweight Champion.

These guys make their “Arrival” with an atmospheric boom bap instrumental guaranteeing that shit won’t ever be the same after this whereas the lead single “Strike Back” incorporates some pianos mixed with kicks & snares talking about how it’s either do or die with them. The 3rd single “Beside Me” ghostly suggests for people to stay by them because that’s what all the real ones do just before “Movements” talks about neither of the 2 wanting to hit a dead end.

“Not My Nature” goes for a mellower, somewhat jazzier boom bap vibe assuring they’re still breathing life into those tainted lungs of theirs achieving to escape a place they see whenever they feel glum while the title track marked the 4th & final single teased talking about how the sky isn’t the limit for them anymore, keeping their minds elevated. “Cause & Effect” takes a more conscious approach to their songwriting over a lo-fi boom bap beat while “Regardless” prioritizes progress over paychecks.

Continuing the 2nd half, “Don’t Cry” talks about them writing their longevities down in addition to providing positive energy & death being a certainty. “Set Sail” embraces a funkier sound confessing they’ve lost the plot & haven’t found it since, further advising that listening to the Don should be rule #1 while “Homecoming” soulfully gets too serious for it to be played in the clubs, declaring they’re heading back to the their respective homes after traveling this long road they’ve been going down

“Infinite Avenues” gets back on the jazzy boom bap tip talking about times being hard & watching the way you live because of the high stakes that come with the territory while “Edge of Oblivion” eerily explains that both MCs have been trying to live & learn from past versions of themselves. “Starting 5” featuring King Kashmere, Nuphzed & Renelle 893 concludes Sight Beyond Sight comparing themselves to the starting lineup of a basketball team, with Chuck Enzo & Renelle having my favorite guest verses here.

Considering the fact we’ve heard Nelson Dialect & Verbz cross paths with each other a couple times with tracks like “Hope” or “Oxford Scholars”, I completely understand why they locked in to give us Sight Beyond Sight since I’d tell you I enjoyed it as much as both projects Verbz has done under High Focus within the past few years & more than Ever Since. The jazzy boom bap production Slipz has become known for compliments the introspective themes Nelson & Verbz tackle using the full-length’s title as a metaphor for both escapism & meditation.

Score: 4/5

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Estee Nack & Raz Fresco – “Gia…À La Carte” review

This is a brand new collaborative EP from Lynn, Massachusetts emcee/producer Estee Nack & Toronto, Ontario, Canada emcee/producer Raz Fresco. One getting his start as a member of the Tragic Allies & the other garnering my interest in 2011 when short-lived Odd Future member Ace Hashimoto formerly known as brandUn DeShay had him featured on “Why Bother?” off All Day DeShay: AM. But as the Nackman comes fresh off his Griselda Records debut & one of his best albums of his career Nacksaw Jim Duggan couple months ago, Raz is now teaming up with him & the hottest producer in Montréal, Québec right now Nicholas Craven to take us through Gia…À La Carte.

“Cinque Campi” kicks off the EP with a bare drumless loop as both of them are masterfully mackin’ prior to “Roll Up the Rim” incorporates some strings & crooning background vocals showing y’all some shit referencing WWE Hall of Famer, 6-time WWE world champion, WWE Intercontinental Champion, WWE United States Champion, WWE Tag Team Champion, WWE Hardcore Champion, IWGPヘビー級チャンピオン, the inaugural 6-time TNA World Champion, TNA X Division Champion & 2-time TNA World Tag Team Champion Kurt Angle.

The song “Fleece” goes for a funkier groove getting the bread to bless those below them with crumbs whereas “Whirlwind works in some flutes talking about seeing his shadow on Groundhog’s Day yet pushing it because they’re fearless. Jimmie D, Mike Shabb & The 6th Letter all join Estee & Raz for the climactic 6-minute closer “Born King” discussing being born for greatness with Jimmie & Shabbo’s verses sticking out.

Both of these dudes have crossed paths with one another before on tracks like “God’s Better” or “Mad Scientist”, so to see them come together knocking out a whole EP after a whole meal at Gia Vin & Grill is something that fans of each artist would want to check out. Nicholas Craven’s production is rooted in his signature sound with both MCs taking their chemistry to a new level.

Score: 4/5

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Babyface Ray – “Summer’s Mine” review

This is the 3rd full-length album from Detroit rapper, songwriter & actor Babyface Ray. Starting in 2014 by joining the Team Eastside collective, he has since gone on to drop 5 mixtapes as well as 5 EPs & a well received debut within the last 6-7 years before turning heads worldwide & becoming one of the 2 biggest up-&-comers in the city next to Babytron, both of whom eventually landed spots in this year’s XXL Freshman Class over the summer. But coming off of Mob last winter, Face’s declaring that the summer’s his.

The opener “ScarFACE” starts off with these synthesizers & claps refusing to stop under any circumstances whereas “Donda Bag” hooks up these piano melodies & hi-hats talking about coming through black on black. “Bosses Linking With Bosses” featuring Veeze swaps the chords out for more synths as both of Detroit’s biggest new stars detail being the bosses they truly are that is until the cloudy “Leaving London” cleverly talking about coming through regulating as if he’s Warren G.

“All Star Team” clarified that he’s far from a rookie with a more danceable appeal to the instrumental just before “Luh Tyler Flow” featuring Los & Nutty reincorporated the synthesizers talking about keeping your guard up watching out for vultures. “I75” gives off a more nocturnal feeling to the beat admitting spending too much time on the titular interstate, but then the spacey “Racks N” flexes his wealth & calling a chick’s bestie so he can hit it.

Meanwhile, “Skateland” instrumentally throws it back to the 80s a little telling those who stay talking negatively about him to boss down leading into “Life Full of Lies” jumps on top of some hi-hats & horns asking why he’d listen to anyone when their whole life is cap. “I Can’t Rap Foreva” plans his escape with a cloudier flare that is until “Dancing with the Devil, Pt. 2” is a superior sequel to one of the weakest joints on Face.

“Big Meech Holiday” featuring King Hendrick$ produced by Cardo & Dez Wright moodily calls to give a holiday for infamous Detroit drug trafficker Big Meech while the song “Jackboys” cautions to play this dirty game safe over a groovy beat. The crooning loop throughout “Fly Gods” is well flipped as well as Westside Gunn spits the best guest verse on the entire album talking about being old school & the 4th installment of “My Thoughts” sends of Face’s 3rd album on a more personal note.

Unlike Face seeing him stepping out of his comfort zone to experiment with new sounds & Mob showing a more introspective side to Ray, he pulled a 180° on Summer’s Mine & it’s one that I’m sure fans will keep in rotation until autumn comes around the corner in a couple months. Other than a hit or miss feature list, he goes for a warmer climate appropriately enough & the adamant confidence in his voice is as clear as it could possibly be.

Score: 3.5/5

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che – “closed captions” review

che is a 16 year old recording artist from Atlanta, Georgia emerging as part of the 4ersona collective under the original moniker murkio before settling on cheRomani+ & later abbreviating it. But it wasn’t until more recently where he decided to build a solo catalog for himself by putting out the debut EP 3 over a year ago & followed it up this past February in the form of X, which was supposed to be the original version of his 3rd EP over here to my surprise. So with that in mind, I had to give the final product a listen almost 2 weeks since former MLW National Openweight Champion Alex Kane became the new MLW World Heavyweight Champion.

“blueberry bakwood” was a dope choice for the final single whether it be CXO’s trap production with undertones of both Chicago drill & plugg or che dedicating it to his personal favorite flavor of Backwoods blunt wraps whereas “sativa” works in a more atmospheric instrumental talking about the titular strain of marijuana although I’m more of a hybrids guy personally. The futuristically bombastic “fangs” flexing that he be toting heavy pistols & is able to tell who smokes wack shit, but then “????” gives off a more energetic sound talking about his lifestyle.

Moving on from there, “sol” blends some hi-hats & synthesizers telling his girl to slide through his spot on top of coming clean that he isn’t looking for closure prior to “canary” enhances the euphoric mood refusing to go out bad. The lead single “blac chyna” fuses trap with Chicago drill letting the drum off just before “sos” returns to an otherworldly vibe to the beat talking about his girl calling him papa & copping expensive Balencis.

The penultimate track “draco draco” gives off a more euphoric drill edge instrumentally acknowledging that he still be popping tags & wanting all his bread in the mail while the closer “frank ocean” produced by SOULJASPIRITS talks about not being with the bullshit & getting a foreign hoe some vetements over a wavy ass trap beat. The bonus cut “flip” officially caps off the EP with a synth-laced drill instrumental calling your hoe a dirty skank & going so cray.

Given that 3 was a solid beginning in che’s career & X started off the year by giving us a taste of what was to come, Closed Captions has cemented him as my personal favorite 4ersona member & he has more than enough room to grow artistically down the line. The trap production is cloudier with a hint of Chicago drill mixed in as opposed to some his previous works putting his life on wax by delivering some of his infectious performances of his career

Score: 4/5

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OsamaSon – “Osama Season” review

This is the official full-length debut album from Ohio born/South Carolina based recording artist & producer OsamaSon. Getting his start a couple years ago, he would then start to pump out 3 EPs shortly after I’m da Man as well as Vengeance & Carnival respectively. He returned at the beginning of 2023 by dropping osamavrt, following it up this past spring in the form of slime & Bad Habits However, the sextet of EPs have all been building up to Osama Season & I was intrigued going in because I’ve only heard a couple tracks from him up to this point.

“Leh Go” is a rage-inducing opener produced by Ok to set things off talking about slidin’ up whereas “Werkin’” goes into more synth-heavy turf calling out a whole entire crew for being virgins & floating on the highway speeding. “Vlone” has a dark plugg sound to it warning that those who run up him will get ‘lammed just before “Summer 16” takes the hypertrap route once again ballin’ like it was 2016 all over again, which is understandable considering how massive of a year that was for hip hop.

Meanwhile, “Anti” brings back the synths on top of some hi-hats having exactly in mind what he would do for the plus leading into “Lil O” pulling out another rage beat paying homage to the titular Houston emcee of the same name. “X & Sex” addresses the 2 things he loves the most with a bombastic beat, but then “Kutta” delves further into hypertrap flexing that he got racks & having the ability to do it all.

The synthesizers throughout “Lambtruck” are inebriating looking to take the whip to Japan while the song “Don’t Let Looks Fool” talks about the idea of not judging a book by it’s cover in his own way over a futuristic instrumental. The penultimate track “Pipeup” gives me a robotic trap vibe sonically thanks to boolymon coming through the back with the heater & “Troops” is a more psychedelic choice of a closer talking about being outside with the squad.

Although Smokingskul & Glokk4spazz have both my favorite dark plugg artists within the past 365 days almost, OsamaSon has quickly just entered the ranks on this album. The production is still grounded in his signature sound even though it shifts into rage beats every so often, his songwriting is a lot stronger & I don’t think I’ve ever heard him this hungry. Keep an eye out for him, he’s going places.

Score: 4/5

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Darby O’Trill – “Creek” review

This is the 6th full-length album from Key Largo, Floridian emcee Darby O’Trill. Emerging in the fall of 2018 off his full-length debut Blood, Guts & a Whole Lotta Love, would go on to follow it with Fester almost a year later & has extensively been working with Chapter 17/Psychopathic Records in-house producer Devereaux by bringing him into the cut to fully produce his 3rd album Piecemeal to critical acclaim during the COVID-19 pandemic. Darby’s eventually signed a 1-album deal with Lyrikal Snuff Productionz & fulfilled it over a year ago with Gully, which is a modern day wicked shit classic. Amputate was a solid prelude to The Tomb & the latter was even better, but is sticking with Devereaux once more for his C17 debut Creek.

“The Secret of the Mud” begins our journey with a shimmery trap instrumental & Darb bringing up the fact that pussies get stomped on only to have their bodies dumped in the swamp referencing the Comcast Corporation subsidiary NBCUniversal owned Universal Orlando Resort whereas “Spinal Fluid Smoothie” works in a mystic loop & hi-hats talking about being a piece of shit. “Red Stain on a White Robe” featuring HEXXX has a grungier trap groove declaring no one’s safe with their hatchets on them, but then “A Sense of Entitlement Doesnt Make Up for a Lack of Happiness” morbidly wakes up to scream fuck positivity.

Meanwhile, “The Return of the Paperboy” goes head-on trap metal as he freshly throws it back to his Paperboy days just before “A Moon Fit For Building Castles Under” featuring Ouija Macc has a trippier flare to the beat talking about having hope in death after fearing it for so long. “Whispers From the Medicine Cabinet” experiments with boom bap detailing his degenerate lifestyle leading into the ghoulish trap cut “I Hate People Who Don’t Know When to Shut Up” talking about death surrounding him.

“Within the Realm of Misery” admits that all he’s ever known is misery on top of a moody backdrop & hi-hats while “Neverending Ball Itch” humorously talks about his nuts itching hoping that it’ll go away over a plinky trap beat. “Massive Moron Mode” brings in the heavy guitars & hi-hats yet again having no time for any fuck shit while “The Shaman Requires a Sacrifice for His Services” gives me a woozier vibe talking about dark magic.

Sagan Ummo’s verse during the backend of “Poison in the Junta” is easily the most distinctive feature on the album as they discuss feeling slightly stupid off the loud pack with an aggressive instrumental, but the glitchy “Put a Bullet in the Head of Every Bigot on the Planet” picks things up a bit by setting out to murder every prejudiced person alive prior to the song “Room with a Moose” talks about breaking bodies down into pieces over cloud trap beat.

The penultimate track “All Day I Dream About Suffering” says it all subject matter-wise referencing the KoЯn single “A.D.I.D.A.S. (All Day I Dream About Sex)” on top of a spacious instrumental with hi-hats that is until “I Use Roach Guts to Sweeten My Coffee” rounds out Darby’s official Chapter 17 debut with a distorted trap heater talking about the only way he’ll feel alive is if he crawls in a hole & dies.

Amputate & The Tomb were both phat in their own rights, but Creek over here is right behind Gully for Darby’s strongest album to date & his 2nd modern day wicked shit classic. Devereaux’s production is still rooted into the trap sound for the most part with the exception of a couple stylistic detours, Maezi666’s engineering is top notch & the Key Largo emcee cohesively takes us through what awaits beneath the surface.

Score: 4.5/5

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Nas – “Magic 2” review

This is the 16th full-length album from Queensbridge veteran Nas. The son of jazz cornetist/guitarist Olu Dara, the breakout debut illmatic & & the equally classic sophomore effort It Was Written are widely acknowledged as some of the greatest in hip hop history. I also enjoy stillmatic, The Lost Tapes, God’s Son & Life is Good. Then there was the Kanye West-produced NASIR & The Lost Tapes II, which I felt like they were fine additions to his catalogue even though the overall consensuses were polarizing. But for almost 3 years now, Nas has been working exclusively with Hit-Boy & both of them are a good fit for each other. King’s Disease earned Esco his first Grammy, but the sequel as well as Magic & the 3rd installment of the King’s Disease trilogy each took their chemistry to new heights. But ahead of KDIV, we’re preluded by a sequel to Magic.

After the intro, the first song “Abracadabra” is a glistening trap opener with Nasty Nas promising to do those who want to try him grimy whereas “Office Hours” featuring 50 Cent finds the 2 former rivals joining forces over a soulful boom bap instrumental seeing a bunch of Fredos referencing The Godfather II of course. 50’s verse however could’ve been longer unfortunately. “Black Magic” works in some pianos asking God to protect the G’s, ladies & children just before “Motion” brings back the kicks & snares adding some bells & strings into the fold havin’ exactly that.

“Bokeem Woodbine” keeps it dusty swapping out the bells & strings with more keys providing motivation for the trappers livin’ ounce-to-ounce leading into “Earvin Magic Johnson” assuring to enterprise over a horn-inflicted trap beat. “What This All Really Means” looks back on the first time he ever saw his name on a flyer with lavish instrumentation, but then “Slow It Down” confesses he needs money everyday returning to the boom bap.

The penultimate track yet official closer “Pistols On Your Album Cover” hooks up these kicks & snares with a mellow loop reminding that he can still murder anyone on wax & forget where they’re buried chockfull of clever references that is until the bonus cut “1 Mic, 1 Gun” featuring 21 Savage blends trap & jazz together so both of them flexing that they still gonna do what they did then in the present. Not only was a great way to squash all the drama surrounding 21 & Nas last fall, but I think everyone deluded by the hip hop generation gap can learn something from it too.

Hit-Boy’s run with Nas has been absolutely special & Magic 2 continues to cement that by progressively improving on what made the predecessor alongside the 3rd installment of the KD series the best albums they’ve done together. The eclectic production demonstrates his range & with the pen, Esco feels as if he’s been reborn even though he continues to make history almost 3 decades in.

Score: 4/5

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Valee – “Virtuoso” review

Valee is a 34 year old rapper from Chicago, Illinois making waves by releasing 3 mixtapes & a couple EPs from the span of 2015-2018 until one of my top 10 producers of all-time Kanye West signed him to a joint deal with G.O.O.D. Music & Def Jam Recordings. The next 2 EPs G.O.O.D. Job, You Found Me & Runnin’ Rich helped spread plugg music to a mainstream audience despite both receiving mixed reception to the point where he would go his own way from Thersday onward. It should also be noted that Valee additionally has 2 EPs with AYOCHILLMANN as the duo The TrAppiEst as well as 2 more with ChaseTheMoney as the duo VTM & 1 with Stan Lane as the duo Vlane. But coming off the Vacabularee mixtape this past winter, Harry Fraud’s now being brought in to produce Valee’s official full-length debut from top to bottom & it actually had me looking forward to it. On top of that: His manager is now Andrew Barber of Fake Shore Drive, who has one of the most resourceful Twitter pages ever.

“Sea Bass” is a cloudy trap opener to the album talking about the lifestyle that he lives whereas “About That” featuring 03 Greedo goes into even spacier territory sampling Geno Smith’s iconic line they wrote me off but I ain’t write back though” asking how they supposed to feel about bullshit. “Yea But Um” brings in some wavy synthesizers & hi-hats admitting he forgets the brands when he walks in the store, but then “Vibrant” featuring Action Bronson is a more soulful cut showing off the fresh outfits they walked out with.

Meanwhile, the Z Money feature on “Uppity” is one of his best verses post-1017 Global as he & Valee jump on top of a piano trap instrumental describing their bitches as exactly that leading into “Dutty Laundry” giving off a more psychedelic edge boasting that he’s in Gucci like a mixtape, humorously referencing Gucci Mane’s historically endless mixtape catalog. The woodwinds & synths blended throughout “Not Right Now” work so pleasantly targeting it towards his lover on top of RXKNephew’s invigorating guest appearance truthfully making me a fan of his leading into the quirkily-produced “WTF” featuring Twista talking about their bitches once more & it makes sense considering Kanye had a hand in 2 of the Tung Twista’s biggest hits “Slow Jamz” alongside “Overnight Celebrity”.

The song “Washington Wizard” dives into trillwave turf once more telling his girl he needs space with these luscious synthesizer patterns while the penultimate track/final single “Watermelon Automobile” was actually what prompted me into wanting to reviewing this album especially since MAVI & SABA both appear together for the first time I believe over some keys & hi-hats flexing that they switched the paint. To wrap things up here, “Ufillme” sees the former G.O.O.D. Music artist sets to find out if any of us can feel him on everything that says accompanied by an intoxicating beat.

G.O.O.D. Job, You Found Me was an incredibly underwhelming for a lot of people including myself & here we are 5 years later with Harry Fraud behind the boards for his full-length debut album that completely surpassed all expectations I had going into it. Easily the most well-crafted body of work in Valee’s discography. He has some dope lines, but I can understand that his LUCKI-inspired delivery/flow isn’t for everyone & the vibes from the production are mostly similar to that of one of my favorite Playboi Carti cuts “Location”.

Score: 4/5

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Whyceg – “Cegular” review

Whyceg is a producer, audio engineer & recording artist from Atlanta, Georgia who properly introduced himself to the underground 13 months earlier off his inaugural extended play Grey Areas. His popularity had been growing within the last few months due to producing for the likes of Smokingskul as well as Lil Tony & 2sdxrt3all, the latter of whom dropped his 2nd EP Stop Holdin’ Nuts a month ago. The follow-up to Grey Areas however had me more intrigued after looking at the credits & seeing beatsmiths I’ve been a fan of for a minute making their own contributions.

“Yung N***a” produced by n9ck & ReidMD of Vanguard Music Group boasts of having the ability to turn nerds in a dancers over a plugg instrumental whereas “Wit Me!” refuses to beef with peons because they don’t see shit. Nick Mira & Rio Leyva from Internet Money Records team up behind the boards for “Stuck” giving a fuck less of what the police think about him while “Lapped ‘Em” runs circles around his opponents over a Hariroc instrumental.

SOULJASPIRITS goes for a cloudier more vibe to the beat on “Bad Habit” admitting that he’s fallen out with so many people to the point where he doesn’t know who to trust anymore prior to “Double It” talking about pulling up with a black chopper & he isn’t referring to an Uber ride when he says that. “Hit Me Back” works in some rattling 808s so he can laugh at a dude who’s so broke that he can’t even go rack-for-rack with him while “Sippin’ Red” talks about the consumption of lean & staying in the field throwin’ racks like it’s a game of football.

The self-produced “Locked-N” starts Cegular’s last leg talking about being too tapped in for him to tap out & running it before he’d fall off while “Hungry Like” lets it be known that he can’t relate to anybody who ain’t making the same amount of money he is or isn’t hungry as he is. “Not on This Planet” rounds out the EP with an atmospheric outro talking about standing on business ever since he was young, having to wake up & get the bag every morning because he had it out the mud.

Between this & Grey Areas, I can confidently tell you that Whyceg comes off fully producing 2sdxrt3all’s breakout project earlier this summer to elevate himself as a rapper & putting it all into Cegular ensuring that it would become the greatest thing he’s ever made as a solo artist. The trap/plugg production is significantly more consistent than it’s predecessor was last summer, once again holding the microphone down all by himself for less than a half hour & delivering sharper performances.

Score: 4/5

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