This is the 25th EP from New Orleans, Louisiana duo the $uicideboy$. Consisting of Ruby da Cherry & $crim, these guys released a plethora of projects within the last decade whether it be the Kill Your$elf saga & Eternal Grey or even I WANNA DIE IN NEW ORLEANS & the Travis Barker-produced Live Fast, Die Whenever. The boy$’ sophomore effort Long Term Effects of Suffering followed as did their last album Sing Me a Lullaby, My Sweet Temptation over the summer & are now coming off the EP they dropped last weekend Yin Yang Tapes: Spring Season for the sequel Summer Season.
After the intro, the first song “5 ‘n the Mornin’” is an occult trap opener with the boy$ declaring that players never die while the penultimate track “Starry 9” has more of a Memphis-inspired sound to it à la one of my all-time favorite groups & one of the Nawlins duo’s biggest inspirations Three 6 Mafia sonically so they can rep the 7th ward. “Bloody ‘98” featuring Ghostmane concludes the first half of the Yin Yang Tapes tetralogy with the trio collaborating for the first time with a demonic trap closer & all 3 MCs gelling with one another better than one would anticipate discussing their killer instincts.
I can only assume Fall is coming next Friday & eventually Winter the weekend after, but I really can’t complain because this is a tad bit superior to Spring in my personal opinion & it has me anticipating the 6 songs from the other 2 installments later on in the month ahead of Grey Sheep III afterwards. Blanco & Wetto continue to build upon the cloudy trap sounds of the predecessor with their production here as they keep spitting some gangsta-laced braggadocio for us to vibe to in time for next month.
Heem is a 30 year old MC from Buffalo, New York who caught my attention in 2020 after becoming of a protege of Benny the Butcher & signing to his MNRK Music Group imprint Black Soprano Family Records. He also made a few appearances on the label’s showcase EP prior to dropping his debut mixtape Long Story Short that same winter & a debut EP High Art last spring, but is up next at bat in the BSF camp to drop a full-length debut.
“Reasonable Doubt” is a soulful boom bap opener to kick things off admitting that he’s feeling better than ever since the last time we heard from him whereas “Radio Raheem” has more of a Daringer influence to the beat asking what you really know about dope game cocaine. “Mob Business” featuring Benny the Butcher & Styles P says it all with the strongest instrumental on the album thus far courtesy of Rick Hyde just before “Caper Boy” works in some more kicks & snares talking about running up 7 figures.
Meanwhile, “Black Sheep” picks up with a piano boom bap crossover telling y’all his story as a lil’ ghetto boy from the east side of Buffalo leading into “Cocaine County” featuring Conway the Machine keeps it raw sonically talking about drowning in the dope & calling to send a rescue boat in to save them. “Picture Me Rollin’” goes chipmunk soul acknowledging that he’s come a long way from the hard white, but then “Tears of Blood” is a boom bap-inflicted ode to his real street homies.
“Mamie Lee” chops up what I assume is a gospel sample paying tribute to his grandmother while “Guilty By Association” featuring Rick Hyde returns to the boom bap talking about being products of crack money. “Long Way Home” saying it just might be do or die at the end of the day over a pillowy beat while “The Motto” dives back into the basement talking about being from the streets. The penultimate track “Young N***a Old N***a” incorporates a piano instrumental from DJ Green Lantern calling himself the chosen one & “Same Ole G” jumps on top of some organs making it known he ain’t changed.
Long Story Short was a great introduction to Heem & what he’s capable of doing on the mic, but From the Cradle to the Game gives listeners a more introspective look into his background for anyone wanting to know more about him. Although I think the production on that previous tape is better by a hair, the concept presented here of him growing up a good child & jumping into the game after going to the line is cohesively laid out with a brief yet tight feature list.
Chavo is a 29 year old rapper from Atlanta, Georgia notable for being the son of Benzino & the older brother of Coi Leray. However, my introduction to him was when South Carolina recording artist & producer Pi’erre Bourne signed him to his very own Interscope Records imprint SossHouse Records. His 2018 debut mixtape Hood Luva was solid & the sophomore tape Mixed Emotions was even better in my eyes until the full-length debut Chavo’s World continued to show his elevation. However, the sequel generally received moderate reception & his debut EP Hood Luva 2 is considered to be his weakest body of work. The next EP Blue Hills returned to a more mixed response, but is now re-enlisting Pi’erre to fully produce his 3rd album.
“I Love It” lets it all off with a synthesizer-based trap instrumental explaining that he be getting money whereas “Fort Worth” featuring Sharc works in some strings & hi-hats so they can both talk about pulling up to Texas. “B.M.D. (Bitches, Money, Drugs)” is a flute/trap hybrid detailing the 3 things that he loves the most in this world just before “Black Tint” has a more vibrant feeling to it boasting that he feels like the president when riding around in the titular kind of whip.
Meanwhile, “Queen of the Demand” brings back the synths to acknowledge that his girl is well aware of the fact that Chavo gon’ fuck on her friends if she fucking her also leading into “I.D.W.T.F.N.L.W.U.” (I Don’t Want to Fall n Love With U)” is a shimmering trap cut about not wanting to fall in love with this bitch he’s talking about. “HEY!” keeps things wavy telling this woman who wants to her to smash at a party to not pay attention to nobody, but then “Hoola Hoop” dives into more atmospherical territory talking about spinning around after dropping the addy.
“Procedure” blends the sounds of a submarine & these synthesizers so he can show off his luxuries that come with a life of fame while “For Me (Babygirl)” is a catchy trap ballad with some pop rap elements throughout a confesses that he don’t know if this chick is his soulmate. “Up Up Up” incorporates a booming instrumental telling this woman not to be a stranger while “Postman” featuring Veeze finds the pair over a hazy beat talking about running laps all year long.
Moving on from there, “Call on Me” has a more minimal sound telling his lover to drop the addy whenever while “Hiccups” dives into moodier turf talking about the game needing him & that none of his boys are victims. The song “Serena, Venus” gives off a more trippier aesthetic describing this Brooklyn girl he met seeing the difference between Chavo & her own man while the penultimate track “Shiesty” talks about how reckless the homies be over synth-strings & hi-hats. “System” though is a futuristic closer with his lover making it clear she’ll catch a case for him.
As disappointing as Hood Luva 2 & Blue Hills have been, I still respectfully maintain that this guy has an overall discography superior to his younger sister’s & Chavo’s World 3 further solidifies that because this is a dope return to form for him. Pi’erre’s production here is refreshing considering that was the biggest issue I had with both of those previous EPs & Chavo himself sounds more focused throughout his performances.
This is the debut EP from Japanese-American transplant 8tari. Born in Tokyo, she moved to New York as a child & began piano lessons before returning to Japan at when she was 12. However, a freak accident with a prototype blockchain connected gashapon machine outside of a keki shop near Takeshita Street resulted in 8tari being decentralized & becoming an NFT. Lost in the network & no longer able to physically touch a piano, she began making beats that soon began to fill the back streets of Shibuya after down-resizing them for transmission at human audible levels. Renown west coast producer DJ Muggs eventually took 8tari under his wing & is producing her debut EP in full.
“Neon Sunburn” is a dreary piano opener to the EP that I can only visualize serving as the soundtrack to a rainy ass day whereas “The Guns of Brixton” continues on with a lo-fi instrumental cover of the Clash song of the same name off their iconic 3rd album London Calling. The penultimate track “Paradise” has a more climactic vibe to it almost as if it were playing in the background of an important scene to a really good movie leading into “Bad Scene, Everyone’s Fault” ending the EP with another cover except this time it’s the joint off Jawbreaker’s 4th & final album Dear You.
What we have on Lofi Punk here is essentially Muggs dabbling with chillhop for a duration of 4-songs, 15 minutes & it makes me wonder if he plans on traveling further down this rabbit hole in the future because it’s a really interesting change of pace for the seasoned west coast producer. The covers truly make the EP live up to it’s name, but the 2 original compositions are an even better homage to the style pioneered by the late Nujabes.
This is the 2nd mixtape from Atlanta, Georgia recording artist Sk8star. Getting his footing in the spring of 2021 off Superstar Status, he would go on to follow it up last year with both the B4NWØ EP & his debut mixtape New World Ørder respectively. The latter being my introduction to Sk8’s music after my lil brody UnreleasedSnip put me on, with songs like “Standin’ on Business” & “YSL Flow” being the standouts for me personally. He just put out his previous EP Mogul a month after we saw him live in Brooklyn back in November & eventually rebel at the beginning of this year, but is returning once more to surprise drop whole new meaning.
“new racks” is a cloudy trap opener to the tape produced by Noah Mejia & Toom of Vanguard Music Group with Sk8 blasting about the new money that’s been coming in over his way prior to “mitchell & ness” working in some synthesizer patterns & hi-hats knowing that he’s keep shining when it’s all said, done & over with. “permanent damage” has a more delicate trap sound to it thinking that he needs a bad bitch in his life until the title track brings back the synths & hi-hats once more talking about looking at life in a different way now.
Meanwhile, “say so” discusses being the big dog of this shit with a mystic trap instrumental accompanying him in the background referencing WWE Hall of Famer, 6-time WWE world champion, WWE Intercontinental Champion, WWE United States Champion, WWE Tag Team Champion, WWE Hardcore Champion, the inaugural 6-time TNA World Champion, TNA X Division Champion & 2-time TNA World Tag Team Champion Kurt Angle just before “red dead” talks about doubling his cup & the beat having a more psychedelic groove to it this time around. “love galore” switches it up a bit with the help of Nosaint by diving into glitzier territory by melodically detailing how much of a good heart he has & wanting to see the real her, but then “offering” turns back into a more spacious route talking about doing whatever he wants without anyone having to control him.
“hermès” brings in the rage beats with co-production from fellow Vanguard member & Internet Money Records’ very own ReidMD making it clear to cut the laughin’ since this ain’t no joke whatsoever while “light ice” featuring tana & untiljapan is another highlight on the tape for me personally as the trio hop over a cloudy instrumental talking about riding around the coup in the late night with a minimal amount of ice in their leap cups in their own distinctive styles.
The song “trendy” continues to delve further into a more atmospherical sound courtesy of Cxdy talking about everything he does is fashionable or up to date while the penultimate track “in trouble” is a hazier trap cut PROJECT4PLAY cooked up calling out those who think they’re bigger than him for hallucinating & to watch your back considering the dirtiness of the music industry. And finally, “#staytrue” rounds out the tape with a inspirationally trippy ballad about always being yourself no matter what.
Of the 3 projects that Sk8’s delivered within the last 6 months, whole new meaning is quickly becoming my favorite of the trilogy even though that’s not to throw shade at Mogul & rebel because there are still some rewindable highlights on those EPs. The handful of Vanguard & Internet Money members cook up the most consistent batch of beats he’s rapped over since New World Ørder as he profoundly displays his new perspective of this crazy thing we call life.
Here we have the 7th extended play from Bristol, England, United Kingdom emcee/producer Axel Holy. Originally known under the moniker Baileys Brown producing for several local underground hip hop artists, he would eventually make his full-length solo debut in the spring of 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic with WonderWorld followed by the Jack Danz-produced God Comflex as well as the Micall Parknsun-produced Got It Down & Welcome Back. Coming off Chess however, hearing that Badhabitz of the Split Prophets was fully producing Persian Grillz sounded promising on paper.
After the intro, “Flava” samples “Big Sur Suite” by Johnny Hammond to get things going shouting out all the people who’re still by his side today whereas “Runnin’” goes for a piano-driven boom bap vibe talking about switching up the pace. “Grillz” instrumentally has this nostalgic feeling to it boasting of going toe-to-toe in a battle & after the funky “Bwoyyyy” talks about stealing the show, the outro “Bitch Don’t” ends with a warning not to fuck up his mood.
Welcome Back & Chess both have their individual share of songs that I still enjoy, but Persian Grillz lived up to my expectations that were set when it was announced & joins Got It Down to become yet another crucial EP in Axel Holy’s growing discography as an artist. The production Badhabitz cooked up here’s significantly rawer than last couple EPs we got from Axel & lyrically, he goes a lot harder than he did compared to both of it’s predecessors.
This is the 8th EP from Los Angeles underground mainstay Pawz 1. Breaking out in 2014 off the strength of his full-length debut Face the Facts, he would go on to add a couple more albums & 7 EPs under his belt with the last we heard from him being Random Acts of Violence’s eponymous debut EP last spring, but his returning solo solo in the form of Persona Non Grata ahead of him opening up for Cormega at Catch 1 in Los Angeles a couple months from now.
“Sepekku” is a gully boom bap opener giving all phony fans the finger saying he don’t need them anyway whereas the “Out of Bounds” remix featuring MC Eiht & Ras Kass is superior to the original we heard on his last full-length Watch & Learn. “Welcome Home” has a summery boom bap quality talking about the streets having good intentions prior to the title track has a playful vibe with some kicks & snares saying respect ain’t worth what it used to be.
Meanwhile, “Bad News” starts the final leg of the EP weaves in a twinkling boom bap beat so he can admit that he’d probably be afraid of himself too just before the “Cross Fire” remix keeps it dusty talking about how it be like the roads in the hood. The song “Good with That” gives off a richer groove speaking on learning to accept that things ain’t always gonna be good while the penultimate track “Still” ruggedly says fuck you to all his critics & doubters. We then get treated to the original version of “Cross Fire” which is dope, but prefer the remix a bit more.
As somebody who’s been a fan of Pawz since his debut dropped my junior year of high school, this EP is no question my favorite of his in a while & quite possibly the best body of work that he’s put out in this current decade. The production stays grounded in the traditional boom bap sound as he makes a statement in regards to his surroundings & the music business altogether basically telling any 2-face snake to fuck off.
This is the full-length, major label debut from Seattle up-&-comer Highway. Emerging during the 2020 COVID-19 lockdowns, he would go on to drop 4 EPs & a couple of mixtapes until Brooklyn Haitian-American record executive/manager Steven Victor jointly signed him to his Victor Victor Worldwide imprint with exclusive distribution from Geffen Records last year. So given that, it was only a matter of time until Highway properly introduced himself to a wider audience by dropping Monochrome.
“B & W (Black & White)” starts the album with an atmospheric JetsonMade instrumental saying he don’t got no type of bad bitch & likes them all whereas “Don’t Lie” tells his girl not to front because she does a lot to drive him crazy with the beat having a more roomy feel to it. “Show Goes On” keeps things in cloudier territory saying all he does is rock, but then “All U Needed” featuring Ty$ takes a more moodier route as they talk about needing passengers like their significant others.
Meanwhile, “My Shit” makes it known that nobody built like him over a more calmer instrumental just before “Let Up” is a piano trap ballad talking about not feeling any pressure whatsoever even after the fact that he’s signed now. “Wake Up Early” featuring Seddy Hendrinx aims to blow his money without any worries over some hi-hats & claps leading into “Jet” returns to a cloudier vibe talking about hopping off his flight & knowing his people straight.
“Fuck-a-Rubberband” dives into spacious turf boasting that he does a lot while “on dat shit” returns to a more synth-based sound asking if you can depend on someone you call your brother. The song “Sin City“ happens to keep the synthesizers in tact making it clear he’s focused on his own path while the penultimate track “Gotta Kno” tells his girl not to worry about anyone other than him with a chilled out beat. “And Go” ties things up with a cavernous trap closer feeling’ like a heavyweight champion in his mind.
Compared to his earlier work, you can definitely hear the growth in Highway’s artistry on Monochrome & it makes me excited to see what the future holds for him from this point on. He delves deeper into the murky, R&B-tinged hip hop style that he’s been sporting ever since he came up by refining it to & stepping up his knack for catchy songwriting even though Ty$ had the stronger feature performance than Seddy personally.
Napoleon da Legend is a 43 year old MC born in Paris, France & based in Brooklyn, New York who a lot of underground heads should be familiar with at this point considering the lengthy discography that he’s built up for himself for nearly the past decade ranging from Coup D’État & it’s sequel to Street Universe & Dragon Ball G. But coming fresh off Le Dernier Glacier last month which was disappointing considering the Sicknature-produced Colossus of GOATS & the Giallo Point-produced Buckets were his strongest bodies of work in a while, his 22nd album here fully produced by DJ D-Styles of the Beat Junkies was more than enough for me to hope Napoleon would redeem himself.
After the intro, “Blaktual News” featuring Innocent? & Josiah the Gift kicks off the album with the trio talking about standing by their word protecting it like their kids over a boom bap instrumental whereas “Food” works in some piano chords cautioning that your biggest mistake is not knowing when to shut up. “Rubiks Cube” featuring Amerigo Gazaway finds the pair surviving dark times to face the light over some more kicks & snares, but then “Supreme Haiku” takes a drumless acoustic route talking about not being the one to lie to.
Moving on from there, “Alligator Tears” featuring Aïda returns to the boom bap as the 2 MCs telling y’all to sit back as you watch them do their thing just before “Gods vs. Titans” has a more symphonic groove to it calling out those operating from a distance like a narc. “Games We Play” has a glistening boom bap beat asking if anyone wants to play a game leading into “Snake Oil” lacing some guitar passages discussing the promise of a better life.
“Distortion” starts the final leg of Invincibl Rap Mislz by expressing his desire to have the music bring it out of them instead of just bringing it to the music over a synth-heavy instrumental while the song “Table Manners” featuring Nejma Nefertiti reminds how much of a good combo they are over a dusty beat. The title track has a more nocturnal aesthetic to it sonically dissing those with arms too short to box the God on the mic & “Wu-Masters” is a cool Wu-Tang homage to end the album from the lyrics to even the RZA-inspired instrumental.
If anyone else walked away from Le Dernier Glacier disappointed like I did, then PLEASE check out this new body of work right here because it’s on par with both The Colossus of GOATS & Buckets as far as I’m concerned. DJ D-Styles’ production is more consistent than what we got from Napoleon a month ago, the features list is brief yet tighter & the French-American wordsmith delivers harder performances.
This is the 4th full-length solo album from Copenhagen, Denmark emcee & producer Sicknature. Coming up as a member of the revered German production team Snowgoons, he’s also been showcasing his talents on the mic for nearly 18 years starting with The Outbreak as well as Honey I’m Home & my personal favorite: Nature of the Contaminated. But with the 10-year anniversary of the latter approaching this fall & fully producing The Colossus of GOATs for Napoleon da Legend roughly 5 months ago, the Danish extraordinaire is looking to make a comeback why vividly portraying Paintings of a Withering Forest.
Dette er det 4. fuldlængde soloalbum fra København, Danmark emcee & producer Sicknature. Som medlem af det ærede tyske produktionshold Snowgoons, har han også vist sine talenter på mikrofonen i næsten 18 år, startende med The Outbreak samt Honey I’m Home & min personlige favorit: Nature of the Contaminated. Men med 10-års jubilæet for sidstnævnte nærmer sig dette efterår og fuldt ud producerede The Colossus of GOATs for Napoleon da Legend for cirka 5 måneder siden, søger den danske ekstraordinær at gøre comeback, hvorfor den levende portrætterer Paintings of a Withing Forest.
“A Few Good Paintings” is a piano boom bap opener to the album discussing leaving the past in the past whereas “Dynahmite Harry” works in some heavy kicks & snares talking about how explosive his shit be whether it be his lyrics or his production work. “Plastic Sun” acknowledges that the titular object won’t give you any vitamins with the instrumental kinda giving off a DJ Premier influence which isn’t a bad thing, but then “Street Dance Records” talks about needing more records over a horn-inflicted boom bap beat.
“A Few Good Paintings” er en pianoboom bap-åbner til albummet, der diskuterer at forlade fortiden i fortiden, hvorimod “Dynahmite Harry” arbejder i nogle tunge spark og snarer og taler om, hvor eksplosivt hans lort er, uanset om det er hans tekster eller hans produktionsarbejde . “Plastic Sun” anerkender, at titelobjektet ikke vil give dig nogen vitaminer, og det instrumentale afgiver en slags DJ Premier-påvirkning, hvilket ikke er en dårlig ting, men så taler “Street Dance Records” om, at der skal flere plader over et horn- påført boom bap beat.
On the other hand, “Little Mermaids” weaves some more keys with kicks & snares telling the story of a quiet girl in one of his classes that actually used to be a prom queen leading into “A Nonfiction Story” recalling the 1998 Roskilde festival keeping it in boom bap territory as far as sound goes. “Rewinding the Tape” has a more solemn tone to it sincerely apologizing for getting shit so fucked up just before “Road Walk” vulnerably talks about not looking back because he knows where’s been.
På den anden side væver “Little Mermaids” nogle flere nøgler med spark og snarer, der fortæller historien om en stille pige i en af hans klasser, der faktisk plejede at være en promdronning, der førte ind i “A Nonfiction Story”, der minder om Roskilde-festivalen i 1998. det i boom bap-territorium, hvad lyden angår. “Rewinding the Tape” har en mere højtidelig tone i sig, der oprigtigt undskylder for at blive lort så fucked lige før “Road Walk” sårbart taler om ikke at se sig tilbage, fordi han ved, hvor han har været.
The penultimate track “Lonely Den” brings back the pianos encouraging to come on over to the titular spot because they got better songs & finally to round out the album, we have Sicknature appropriately doing everything he can in his might to “Brush Off” any distractions & encouraging everyone else who may be listening to do the same with another Premier-inspired instrumental backing him.
Det næstsidste nummer “Lonely Den” bringer klavererne tilbage og opmuntrer til at komme videre til titelpladsen, fordi de fik bedre sange og endelig for at runde albummet af, har vi Sicknature på passende vis gjort alt, hvad han kan i sin magt for at “Brush Off” enhver distraktioner og opmuntring af alle andre, der måske lytter, til at gøre det samme med en anden Premier-inspireret instrumental, der støtter ham.
Nature of the Contaminated gives me a lot of high school junior year memories (particularly “Violent Rage” featuring the Heavy Metal Kings) so considering that it’s been nearly a decade since he went solo, I wasn’t sure if this day was ever gonna come & I’m glad it did. The concept of this one is more personal than what he’s done in the past as he puts a more melodic spin on the traditional boom bap sound we know & love.
Nature of the Contaminated giver mig en masse minder om gymnasiet (især “Violent Rage” med Heavy Metal Kings), så i betragtning af, at det er næsten et årti siden, han gik solo, var jeg ikke sikker på, om denne dag nogensinde ville komme til at ske. kom & jeg er glad for det gjorde. Konceptet med denne er mere personligt end hvad han har gjort tidligere, da han sætter et mere melodisk spin på den traditionelle boom bap-lyd, vi kender og elsker.
