Mickey Diamond – “Death Threat$” review

This is the 8th full-length album from Detroit emcee Mickey Diamond. Emerging at the beginning of 2020 off the strength of his debut EP Bangkok Dangerous, the dude has since gone on to turn quite a few heads in the underground by building up the impressive discography for himself with his previous 6 albums alongside 7 EPs & a mixtape. Gucci Ghost & it’s sequel produced by Big Ghost Ltd. on top of Ral Duke producing Oroku Saki in it’s entirety all became his strongest bodies of work to date. But coming off the Smoke Face EP & the last full-length Nobody Bleeds Like Flair, the hot streak is going by enlisting Sadhugold behind the boards for Death Threat$.

“When a Stranger Calls” is an eerie boom bap opener to party like it’s Mardi Gras whereas “2412” works in an hair-raising loop on top of some kicks & snares referencing WWE Hall of Famer, former 2-time WWE Champion & 2-time WWE Tag Team Champion Yokozuna. “Sleepers” instrumentally is reminiscent to RZA’s production work in the 90’s looking to make & break rules at the same time leading into alarm-ring “Pen Diesel” obviously referring to himself as Vin Diesel with the lyricism only seeing money like WWE Hall of Famer, former WWE Champion, 3-time WWE Tag Team Champion, 2-time NWA National Heavyweight Champion & AJPW世界タッグチャンピオン Ted DiBiase.

Things get drumless on “Tokyo Tea” stretching anyone who dares to fuck around with him, but then the piano sample throughout “Def Leppard” is really nice as he talks about those who choose to be disrespectful getting battered & bruised. “Prime Time Deon” hooks up a bare soul sample cautioning not to press your luck with him just before “Sir Smoke a Lot” gives off an unsettling groove to the beat talking about stepping aside to let him cook.

The penultimate song “Racer X” takes a hazier route sonically to bring on a samurai showdown & shortly after the “Disturbia” interlude, the closer “Death Threats” ends what I personally consider to be Mickey’s best full-length album in 7 months (Oroku Saki was an EP mind you) by returning to the boom bap 1 last time with a groovy guitar passage wailing behind him asking if music nowadays is considered as art or simply something to buy.

Smoke Face & Nobody Bleeds Like Flair both had their highlights, but they didn’t give me the same feeling that both Gucci Ghosts or Oroku Saki as consistent bodies of work. Death Threat$, I can say does. As a matter of fact: I might like it more than the Ral Duke EP by a hair. Sadhugold’s production does more than a fine job at teetering between boom bap & drumless so Diamond can spit some of hardest bars that he’s jotted down all year.

Score: 4.5/5

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Madopelli – “Stories from the Sanctum” review

This is the 3rd full-length album from California City horrorcore duo Madopelli. Consisting of M.A.D & Ant Dog, the pair have also gone on to drop a couple of mixtapes & EPs ever since forming in 2016. But their Lyrikal Snuff Productionz debut albeit sophomore effort from last fall No Bluffin’ proved itself to be Madopelli’s most refined work to date both lyrically & sonically to the point where they were instantly accepted within the Gorehop realm. However as they get ready to hit the road on the Shadow Snuff tour next week, they’re returning to tell Stories from the Sanctum.

“Welcome to the Sanctum” really sets the tone of what’s to come with some pianos & hi-hats greeting those who dare to enter the sacred place whereas “O Yea” takes a more synth-based route instrumentally talking about being gone with the top rolled down & a blunt in hand. “Cali Grown” has a funkier boom bap flare to it as they pay tribute to their west coast roots leading into “Been Straight” featuring Cody Manson jumping on top of hi-hats as well as sub-bass & twinkling keys getting on their California snuff shit.

Going forward from there, “They Don’t Know” gives me a bit of a Memphis rap feel to the beat addressing those who don’t know a goddamn thing about them whatsoever just before “Reflectionz” is a cannier groove asking how they got this far letting & go of the past. “Lost” is more guitar driven getting on some more depressive subject matter, but then “Dark Souls Creep in the Swamp” featuring former LSP alumni & Chapter 17 Records’ newest signee Darby O’Trill goes into rap metal turf bringing it to you hardcore.

“Warning Ya” featuring the Beastmode Warriors goes into cavernous trap territory cautioning that they gon’ find your ass if you slip up while “Pain is Real featuring J Dunja shifts gears by dabbling with a cloudier sound choosing to be something instead of nothing. “Bitch We Smoking” comes through with a euphoric weed smoking banger produced by C17/Psychopathic Records in-house producer Shaggytheairhead while “Look What You Made Me Do” fuses these strings & hi-hats blaming others for their own lives being fucked.

The Gorefather himself Scum reserves his guest verse for last on the minimal trap cut “Chances We Take” pleading not to let your opportunities pass you by while “Problem to the Game” returns to the trillwave by talking about hip hop being unsafe with them around. The final song “Smile Through the Pain” keeps it atmospheric surviving the hard times while the M.A.D. solo cut “Gutted When You See a Scrub” pondering why people feel the way they do over a chill boom bap instrumental. Ant Dog then ties up the album with his own solo joint “Sadistic Symphony” switching up into the trap lane declaring that black magic’s in the wrong hands.

LSP went on one of their most prolific runs ever last year & No Bluffin’ was really a fresh ass way to round it out, but Stories from the Sanctum really takes Madopelli’s artistry to another level & those who have yet to give these guys a shot should be pretty impressed by what they did on their Gorehop sophomore effort. Only a couple features that underperformed, but the stories Ant Dog & M.A.D. tell are more personal than last time as they brought a whole new sound of their own to the underground wicked shit scene.

Score: 4/5

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Black Milk – “Everybody Good?” review

This is the 8th full-length album from Detroit producer, MC & songwriter Black Milk. Making his presence known as a member of the B.R. Gunnaproduction trio, he eventually went solo in 2005 with Sound of the City & followed up on 313 Day 2007 with Popular Demand. The following year, he would dabble with electronic music on Tronic & would later start incorporating live instrumentation on Album of the Year in 2010. His next album No Poison No Paradise eventually became Black Milk’s darkest work yet & it would see a solid sequel If There’s a Hell Below the year after. We saw a comeback from him in 2018 with the politically charged FEVER & is returning to ask if Everybody Good? ahead of the 4 year anniversary of DiVE less than a couple weeks.

“God Willing” starts things off is groovy opener with some angelic background vocals praying to the higher power that everything will be alright & that there’s always a light at the end of the tunnel whereas “For How Much?” works in some uncanny synths talking about the prices on all the souls that you see. The instrumental on “Wait ‘Til Fate” has a heavy Neptunes influence to it that I really like reminding that he was told that he was made to be great, but then “Downs Got Up” is more of a synth-boom bap hybrid talking about standing like royalty fixing those crowns.

The lead single to the album “Is It Just Me?”sonically reminds me of Tronic a bit as Black Milk seeks to get his mind right leading into “The Black Surf (Everybody Good)?” featuring Quelle Chris has a wavier approach talking about trying to making it work comparing life to a tidal wave. The next single “Let Me Know” goes into pop rap turf telling his significant other she’s pressure just before the 3rd & final single “Ain’t Nobody Coming Down to Save You” conceptual is self-explanatory backed by some organs.

After the “Fews & Trues” interlude produced with Karriem Riggins, the song “Feelings Don’t Feel” featuring Phonte returns to the boom bap admitting that summer as you get older doesn’t feel the way that it used to while the penultimate track “No Wish” finds Percy Miracles sticking around 1 last time this time as Raphael Saadiq plays piano & hooks up some handclaps hammering home that there ain’t no genie in the bottle. “Yeah Really” ties up the album with a warm ode to this crazy life that he lives day & night.

His solo output has been getting progressively better as time goes on & his last album for Mass Appeal albeit 3rd project overall further cements that. The concepts here are more personal & introspective in comparison to the streams of consciousness throughout Fever with the production being a melting pot of past sounds from the live instrumentation that Album of the Year began displaying to the jazz elements of his previous full-length & even the electronics of Tronic.

Score: 4/5

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Smiley – “I Did What I Did” review

Smiley is a 25 year old rapper from Toronto, Ontario, Canada starting out as a member of the Garden Gang. He would go on to drop his debut mixtape Buy or Bye in the spring of 2018, which was followed up with 2 EPs & even a couple more tapes before local superstar Drake signed him to OVO Sound a little over 2 years ago already. As for his OVO debut Buy or Bye 2, it didn’t really do all that much in catching my interest or standing out enough to the point where I’d go back to it. But ahead of his 26th birthday next Thursday, I went into Smiley’s 3rd EP albeit 2nd body of work under the 6 God’s wing hoping he would surpass my expectations a little.

“Moderation” is an airy trap opener with Smiley talking about motivating a hoe after taking ecstasy whereas “Benzi Boys” works in some piano melodies & hi-hats as Tay Keith cooking up quite possibly the best instrumental on the whole entire EP preferring Mercedes-Benz over Honda, which rightfully so in my opinion. “Fast Route” goes full-blown drill talking about waking up in the morning to count hundreds just before “Nicky 9 Door” takes a syrupy trap approach details beating it up nice because fuck the plug.

Meanwhile, “How Far” gives off a more triumphant vibe talking about going from his Garden Gang days to being a protege of one of the biggest superstars in the world is profound although it’s way too short. Also, the LeBron James reference during the hook doesn’t do much for me either personally as dope as he is on the court. “Eternals” on the other hand has a hazier trap approach promising tondo it just like his mentor did with eyes green like Jaylen despite the fact that a good chunk of the OVO roster doesn’t really stand out.

The song “You Went Ghost” shifts into cloudy trap territory basically calling out someone that basically did him dirty as fuck while the penultimate track “Cut Her Off” brings in some hi-hats & a vocal sample drowning heavily in reverb talking about having to severe ties with a bitch because he feels like he’s at the point now where he’s better off without her in his life. “Long Nights” is a more stripped back choice of a closer laced by Cubeatz as he makes it known to his new bitch who wants to celebrate that he ain’t in the mood to do so right now.

I’m not trying to hate on OVO because I do appreciate Popcaan for already being a dancehall veteran on top of enjoying PARTYNEXTDOOR’s early stuff, Majid Jordan’s 2nd EP albeit OVO debut A Place Like This & lastly dvsn’s debut album Sept. 5th respectively. And outside a few flashes in the pan, Smiley further proves himself as the weakest link on the label. The production’s ok, but his voice isn’t all that commanding accompanied by songwriting that I’d consider mediocre at best & the lows are cringeworthy.

Score: 1.5/5

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King Von – “Grandson: The Album” review

This is the 2nd posthumous full-length album albeit 3rd & final overall from late Chicago, Illinois rapper King Von. Emerging as a Lil Durk protege signing to Only the Family Entertainment, I wasn’t really too big on his music at first truthfully since Grandson: The Mixtape & LeVon James were both pretty mild. However, he really blew me away once his full-length debut Welcome to O’Block came out over a year ago & a half on Devil’s Night. But as soon as he finally won me over, he was tragically murdered a week later in broad daylight. Von’s last posthumous outing What It Means to Be King was a bit of a mixed bag due to the consistent production yet overloaded with features, so I was a bit curious going into the official sequel to Grandson.

“Don’t Miss” starts off the album by wanting a guy who drew a foul stretched over a synth-drill instrumental from ATL Jacob to my surprise whereas “Real Oppy” featuring G Herbo finds the pair calling out those who be snitching accompanied by pianos & hi-hats. “Hitman” gives off a creepier trap vibe thanks to the Chopsquad DJ talking about being a marksman, but then “Phil Jackson” featuring Polo G discusses calling the shots so Scott Storch can remind us of his talents on the keys & IllaDaProducer supplying the hi-hats.

On the other hand, “Robberies” gives off a more stripped back trap feel admitting something ain’t right to him just before “From the Hood” featuring Durk layers these hi-hats on top of a cinematic loop talking about the Chi-Town slums. “Pressure” shifts gears into more orchestral turf declaring that O’Block can’t be stopped leading into “Jimmy” ominously telling the story of the titular character knowing death’s around the corner.

“Heartless” featuring Tee Grizzley has a more atmospheric trap approach so they can explain that they grew up without a heart considering the cities both MCs hail from while “Jealous” featuring BreezyLYN & Tink has a drearier instrumental from Wheezy talking about being the realest every though Breezy’s verse punched under his weight. The tensional drill beat on “Act Up” is something I enjoy cautioning not to act up around him while the moody “Think I’m a Hoe” addresses those who thought he was a bitch.

Moving on from there, “All We Do is Drill” resurrects the Chicago drill sound once more promising to score first time they slide while “Gangland” featuring 42 Dugg gives off a shimmery trap instrumental from Southside repping the street life. The track “Out of the Streets” featuring Hotboii & Moneybagg Yo has a peppier groove trying to make it out of the trenches alive even though both features mid while the final song “When I Die” until the “Family Dedication 2” outro foreshadows his own fucking death in a powerful fashion.

So we have 2 posthumous full-lengths from Von thus far & I gotta as it that I came away from Grandson: The Album liking it more than I thought I would although by a small margin. The production’s as tight, I love how OtF toned it down with the features in comparison to What It Means to Be King & he channels the same energy that he brought onto that debut tape in bigger capacity.

Score: 3.5/5

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Dave East – “Fortune Favors the Bold” review

Dave East is a 35 year old MC from Harlem, New York 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. But as the 2 year anniversary of the superior Harry Fraud-produced sophomore effort Hoffa approaches at the end of the month, Dave’s dropping off his 3rd album.

After the “Here I Go” intro, the first song “Come 2 Far” is a soulful trap opener produced by Cool & Drealongside 808-Ray asking why he would turn around & walk away from the rap game at this point whereas “Still Here” after the “Pops” interlude gives off a wavier boom bap feeling this time making it known that he ain’t going nowhere anytime soon. “Long Way” featuring Cordae reflects on how far they’ve both come over a bassy, sample-based instrumental just before “DAMN” takes a smoother route thanks to DJ Khalil with co-production from Mike & Keys talking about eating as of late.

“Sex So Good” featuring Coi Leray goes into a more pop rap direction courtesy of Don Cannon going back & forth with one another about how great the intercourse is leading into “Good Good Good” featuring Ghostface Killah finding themselves diving into spacious trap territory with the help of Scram Jones as they find their way out. After the 2nd & final “Pops” interlude, Tyga spits one of the weaker features on “Hustlers” despite the fun beat that the Cannon laced & the lyrics about staying on the grind.

The G-Eazy feature on “WDGAF” is no better although I appreciate the eerie trap instrumental from Mike WiLL Made-It & certainly the whole theme of giving 0 fucks but after the “Kairi” interlude, the mellowly produced “Can’t Make This Up” reflects on when he started with a nickel bag of regular green that is until “Dope Boy” right after the “Still Outside” interlude pays homage to the Brooklyn drill scene a bit talking about of course slanging drugs.

“$1M Off Rap” almost gives off a west coast-flavored groove to the beat boasting that he’s young & fly while the tranquil trap joint “Good Things” with additional vocals performed by Ty$ gets on some Bonnie & Clyde shit for a couple minutes. “Rich Problems” turns into more lavish territory instrumentally venting about the cons of wealth prior to araabMUZIK returning it to the boom bap for “Weirdos” featuring Jadakiss so both N.Y. lyricists can come through by dissing those who be on some weird shit in a cutthroat fashion.

Getting to the final leg of the album, “From the Mud” gives off a morbid tone sonically telling those who want his life to take it from him while Sap makes “It’s a Lot” more piano-driven so Dave can vent about everything that’s been going on. “Like a Rose” is a warmer ballad produced by 1500 or Nothin’promising to grow while “Letter 2 Kobi” sends a profound message to his toughest daughter of the same name. The bonus cut “Hallway Piss” though truly ends the album by saving the best for last from the solemn RZA beat to concept that shit’s bigger than rap.

Despite the fact that I thought Dave’s last EP H.D.I.G.H. (How Did I Get Here?) & even the DJ Drama-hosted Book of David mixtape were both pretty average, I can’t deny that Fortune Favors the Bold surpassed my expectations a bit. Somewhat too long & a couple stale feature performances, but the production’s mostly tight & I do enjoy the concept of recognizing the hustle to stay in real time. If he condensed the tracklist down to half, I’d most likely give it the same rating I gave Hoffa.

Score: 3.5/5

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Ruby da Cherry – “tragic love songs to study to” review

Ruby da Cherry is a 35 year old MC/producer from New Orleans, Louisiana emerging as 1/2 of the $uicideboy$ alongside his cousin $crim. In the span of the decade, they’ve built up an impressively extensive discography & even have their own Virgin Music imprint G*59 Record$ with an ever-growing roster of artists. Budd dropped his full-length solo debut A Man Rose from the Dead in the midst of the COVID-19 to mixed reviews & as the boy$ gear up for Grey Sheep III, it’s only right for Ruby to step up to the plate & drop off a solo EP of his own.

After the “¯\_(ツ)_/¯” intro, the first song “ROUGAROU (i’ve become the monster)” sets the tone for what’s to come embracing the pop punk sound talking about liking to hunt alone whereas “XXL hadron colliderr” following the “where y’at, duckboy?” interlude shifts gears into skate punk territory clarifying that he’s been stabbed in the back. “my love life needs a lobotomy” describes the way he learned to detail his ex & the final song “after further reasoning, i’m going to bed” after 1 last “where y’at, duckboy??” interlude closes the EP with 1 last pop punk jam asking if his soulmate would bring flowers to his grave.

For an EP, I’d still say that tragic love songs to study to is still cuts above A Man Rose From the Dead & I’m actually pretty impressed with the artistic detour he takes in comparison to his $uicideboy$ work. He completely ditches the signature $B sound so he can experiment with pop punk as well as skate punk & easycore. Almost kinda like how ZillaKami of City Morgue dabbled with grunge & alt-rock on his solo debut Dogboy a couple years back.

Score: 3.5/5

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Vega7 the Ronin – “Sleep’s the Cousin” review

This is the official full-length debut from emcee Vega7 the Ronin. Emerging out almost a year & a half ago by enlisting Danish beatsmith Machacha to produce his debut EP The Lead Lined Wall, he would then go on to land feature placement on the 5th & final installment of Ty Farris’ historic No Cosign Just Cocaine mixtape series this past February. But to kick off the 2nd half of 2023, the Ronin himself’s bringing in Germany producer Superior to remind that Sleep’s the Cousin of death which peaked my interest given that Baladas was the first Estee Nack album I ever reviewed right when the pandemic was happening despite being a fan since high school.

“N1 (Sleep’s the Cousin)” is a glistening boom bap opener making reference to WWE Hall of Famer, former 6-time WWE world champion & WWE Intercontinental Champion Randy Savage alongside WWE Hall of Famer Gene Okerlund whereas “‘72 Dolphins” works in some organs, kicks & snares comparing his squad to the Miami Dolphins over 5 decades ago & likening himself to 5-time WWE world champion, 2-time WWE Intercontinental Champion, 2-time WWE United States Champion, 6-time WWE Tag Team Champion, PWG World Tag Team Champion, ROH World Champion & 2-time ROH World Tag Team Champion Seth Rollins married to 6-time WWE women’s world champion & WWE Women’s Tag Team Champion Becky Lynch. “Saleen” kinda has a Latin flare to the bare loop hooked up reminding when they were calling money “C.R.E.A.M.” & the guitars throughout “Enterprise” are really cool expressing his desire for his own business.

“After the “N2” interlude, “Stone Fish Venom” featuring Connecticut born/New York based emcee Cambatta finds the 2 over some bare piano chords & ghostly background vocals calling this truth serum with some intriguing back-&-forth chemistry just before “A Voice in the Wind” brings in a woodwind telling his brothers it’s us against those who show fake love leading into “Buckwheat” featuring Daniel Son joining forces over some blaring horns to throw in a line referring to former 3-time WCW World Heavyweight Champion, 2-time WWE United States Champion, 5-time WWE tag team champion & WCW World Television Champion Diamond Dallas Page.

“Body Count” concludes 2nd leg of the album with some strings & occasionally empowering guitar riffs talking about that being the only stays they check while but then after the “N3” interlude, “NightShade” featuring Lord Owen gives off a spacier feeling as both detail being lost on the road to stardom. The song “M-65 Jackets” fuses boom bap with rap rock declaring to be God’s competent son while the drumless yet climactic penultimate track “The Mutiny” dissing the cowards dishonoring their decrees. “R.E.M.” however is a crooning closer making it safe to call him a carnivore.

Considering the standout feature on “Dope Speak 4 Itself” almost 5 months ago at this point, it makes sense to see all the hype that Sleep is the Cousin has been getting lately because it’s undeniably a promising debut album. Superior’s drumless production is on par with Baladas, Vega7’s lyricism is a cut above the previous EP’s & the amount of features in comparison are similar yet more stronger here.

Score: 4/5

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Lucki – “s*x m*ney dr*gs” review

Lucki is a 27 year old rapper & occasional producer from Chicago, Illinois who began to turn heads in the summer of 2013 when he released his debut mixtape Alternative Trap to critical acclaim. He would later go on to give his fans 6 more tapes & a dozen EPs with the last one being the F1LTHY-produced Wake Up Lucki a week before my 25th birthday in December 2021 & eventually the full-length debut Flawless Like Me last fall. So when it was announced that the sophomore album was gonna start off the 2nd half of 2023 only 48 hours ago, to say I was anticipating it would be an understatement.

“Tunevert” is a top notch opener produced by YSL Records in-house producer Taurus with it’s twangy trap approach boasting that he bossed up a city girl whereas “No Bap” takes a cloudier route talking about being so geeked up. “Super Ski” works in some synthesizers & hi-hats thanks to Cxdy of Vanguard Music Group & Internet Money Records producer Rio Leyva describing his bitch as slimey that is until “Gemini Love” has more shimmery trap vibe talking about a chick who moves sloppy yet stays in shape.

The plugg beat from Cash Cobain on “2021 Vibes” was unexpected considering his sample drill roots & Lucki flows all over it well dropping lines like “Bentley’s talkin’ to myself, Ghazi said it’s sendin’ help” just before “Mubu” points out that he sealed the deal with a seal in hand over a peppily cloudy trap instrumental, but then “Almighty Tune” blends these vain horns & hi-hats boasting that he has different hoes who by different clothes. 

“Str8 Syrup” has a depressing trap vibe to the beat so Luc can pour 4 to make it feel like ecstasy while “Purple Heart Ski” has these psychedelic guitar passages as well as claps & hi-hats telling the world that you can get it like him if you’re patient. “Karma a Bitch” fuses an operatic vocal sample with hi-hats & a booming bass-line admitting that he has to show the way & “Pop Star” is a standout from the futuristically spacious beat. 

Veeze serves as the album’s only guest appearance on “Wholeworldslatt” joining forces with Luc to show everyone how slimey they both are & that they fit in while the song “Bby Pluto” is another favorite off the album paying homage to Future with Tay Keith & Cubeatz experimenting with rock guitars & elements of trillwave. The penultimate track “Chrome Denim” is a trap banger with synths & bells talking about still being too geeked & “New York” rounds out the album coming clean that he’s high on drugs in a S 580 as he was recording.

Between the 2 full-length albums under Lucki’s belt thus far, I feel like s*x m*ney dr*gs has to be a tad bit superior compared to the other & the best thing he’s done in a while. He returns to a form a bit as the production expands the style of his that came into it’s final form last fall alongside delivering better performances & keeping it at a reasonable length by including less filler cuts.

Score: 3.5/5

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Esham – “Purgatory” review

This is the 23rd full-length album from Detroit emcee/producer & Reel Life Productions founder Esham. Widely acknowledged as the godfather of horrorcore alongside his former Natas cohorts Mastamind & the late TNT, his run from 1989-2005 (particularly the albums KKKill the Fetus, Closed Casket & Doubelievengod?) would go on to lay out the groundwork for subsequent horrorcore acts such as the Insane Clown Posse & even Eminem. His output from Sacrificial Lambz onwards (essentially after his 2-album deal with Psychopathic Records from 02-05) has been a little hit or miss even though I love the single “S.S.M.D. (Stop Selling Me Drugs)” & Dichotomy respectively. Psyops however was creative detour for Esham as he self-produced the whole thing for the first time in a while conceptually revolving around what it was like for him living in Minneapolis, Minnesota during the George Floyd protests & a more rap rock inspired sound. But after having the honor of meeting him personally last fall & coming fresh off the 3-Headed Monster’s full-length debut Obliteration last month, East Side Hoes And Money is looking to escape Purgatory.

“Active Shooter” is a rap metal opener with the acid rap pioneer can discuss the issue of kids killing kids whereas the self-produced “Circle of Proud” goes into a more groovy trap direction talking about “white noise”. More specifically: the far-right. “Circle of Wraith” shifts gears into rap metal territory again talking about sacrificing a goat, but then the first of 2 tracks featuring Jack Frost called “Circle of Avarice” has a rawer, drearier approach instrumentally to speak on greed. 

Jack makes his 2nd consecutive & final appearance on the album with “Circle of Gluttony” over a bloodcurdling beat to habitual greed just before “St. Detroit” gives off a more angelic flare musically produced by the Drunken Master to pay homage to the 313, the city where they’ll eat motherfuckers for dinner. The title track embraces a more boom bap sound detailing the place we all fear leading into the acoustic heavy “Circle of Sloth” talking about all your pieces going back in the box when you’re done with the game of life. 

“Bro” makes it clear that he don’t fuck with no rats over some twinkling keys & hi-hats while “Watch Me Do My Dace” kinda has a quirky trap appeal instrumentally telling everyone to witness him do exactly that. “Big Motion” is a synthesizer/boom bap crossover provided by the homie Dead Heat talking about rappers out here being way too dry while the glamorous trap cut “Me” featuring Mastamind getting on the more wicket side of things.

The dejecting piano chords & hi-hats on “El Sicarios” featuring Mastamind for the 2nd consecutive & final time comparing themselves to hitmen while “I Can’t Believe” is a sample-based boom bap joint talking about how wack is wack is regardless of what the streaming stats are which I agree. The song “Woke Up Quick” gives more of a synth-trap feeling doing exactly that simply because he’s from Motown while the atmospheric penultimate track “O.T.B. (Old Thing Back)” takes a trip down memory lane. “It’s a Vibe” is a fun closer celebrating that he’s still alive out here & that they gon’ ride. 

Psyops being a step in the right direction for Esham as it was had me anticipating Purgatory a bit more than I’ve done so with some of his material within the last 15 years truthfully & he continues to move towards that trajectory a year & a half later. The political rap metal influences from that previous album makes it’s way here dashed with boom bap & trap detours too so the Unholy can take us through uncovering the secrets lying beyond the intermediate state after physical death for expiatory purification.

Score: 3.5/5

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