Rigz – “Heal In” review

This is the 4th full-length album from Rochester emcee Rigz. Getting his start as a member of Da Cloth, he eventually broke out solo in 2017 off his debut EP Calculated & then the debut mixtape I Got Samples. This was followed up with a sequel tape & then his 2nd EP A Piece of the Action until his popularity began to grow in 2019 off his Chup-produced 3rd mixtape Roach Gutta Slums & then the Big Ghost Ltd. produced collab effort with fellow Cloth member Mooch called The Only Way Out. Then he brought in Futurewave to produce his full-length debut Substance Abuse & the DJ Muggs-produced Gold, but is now returning in the form of Heal In after laying low since.

After the “Full Plate” intro, the first song “Somewhere” kicks off the album with Rigz over a synth-laced instrumental from Chup talking about how he’d rather die than be stuck in projects trying to survive prior to Bishop the Great & Shonyea tagging along for the raw “Pick Ya Poizon” to let y’all know that there ain’t no avoiding them. “Nobody” has a more lavish approach courtesy of Vanderslice admitting the loneliness that he’s felt, but then Rob Gates comes into the picture for the tense “Instacart” to compare their staged blicks to the titular grocery delivery/pickup service.

M.A.V. joins Rigz over a more sample-based beat on “Guide Me” to get 1 thing straight & after the “Revolving Credit” skit, “It’s Fuck Me But Love You” with Asun Eastwood finds the pair over a chilling loop talking about how they fell into themselves as opposed to falling out with others. “Parrying” with Jai Black blends some pianos, kicks & snares so they can flare shit just before the drumless “Masterpiece” talks about the stains his jeans sustained in the midst of making a work of art.

Meanwhile on the Mooch-assisted “Fundamentals”, we have both Rochester lyricists accompanied by a string-tinged boom bap instrumental to get in their gangsta bag whereas “Henny Shards” brings back the keys talking about the broken glass that he’s ran over. The track “Brand Ya Pain” with M.A.V. has a more jazzier tone as they deliver that soul music while the penultimate song “Exhibit R” reminding us of his roots in the dope game before music. The title track however closes out the album with introspective look at the stresses he’s faced within the last year.

Gold was amongst my favorite albums of last year & if anyone has been wondering what Rigz has been up to since then, you’re gonna have to check out Heal In because it’s a great comeback. Couple lackluster feature performances here & there, but most of them manage to come correct as the subject matter is more personal than dude’s previous efforts & combining that with the signatory raw production we all came to know & love Da Cloth for remains in tact.

Score: 4/5

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Lil Keed – “Keed Talk to ‘Em 2” review

This is the 6th & final mixtape from late Atlanta, Georgia rapper Lil Keed. Emerging in 2018 off his first 2 mixtapes Trapped in Cleveland & Slime Avenue, it was enough to catch the attention of local trap pioneer Young Thug & sign him to Thugger’s very own 300 Entertainment imprint YSL Records shortly after. Keed eventually made his YSL debut with his 3rd mixtape Trapped in Cleveland 2 & & eventually landing a spot on the label’s Slime Language compilation that summer. The follow-up Keed Talk to ‘Em on the other hand is undeniably his best tape & Long Live Mexico wound up being a decent full-length album albeit being his only one, but Trapped in Cleveland 3 & even 3.5 were mediocre to say the least. But as I like many others were hoping that he would bounce back last spring, Keed unfortunately passed away of eosinophilia at the age of 24.

“Go See” opens things up with a sample based-trap instrumental as Keed talks about those who thought he was a disgrace were amazed how far he came until his untimely passing whereas “Bags to the Sky” has a more tropical quality to the beat thanks to JetsonMade touching on going from Ralph Lauren to Gucci. ΠΔV tags along for the hypnotic, Bollywood inspired “Muso Kuso” talking about the type of swag they got leading into Keed’s brother Lil Gotit joining him for “SRT” admitting that neither of them wanna fuck over some strings & hi-hats.

However, “Hottest” with Big Sean seems to be an attempt at a spiritual successor to “Hot” by Thug & Gunna down to the instrumental that falls flat on it’s face until the Offset-assisted “How Many” picks things back up with it’s orchestral beat & the lyrics pondering the amount of bitches they took. “Get Money” with Trippie Redd has some more rage vibes surprisingly as they touch on their respective hustles, but then “Think About It” comes through with a heartfelt trap ballad touching on the paranoia that he was feeling.

“Long Way to Go” is a pop rap jam that I think YSL made the right choice of making the lead single as Keed admits that he was feeling like he was closer than ever while “Can’t Fall Victim” comes through with an acoustic trap fusion touching on him feeling the symptoms of being rich. Big Slime dominates “All I Wanna Know” for a compelling ballad produced by London on da Track asking if anyone’s rocking with them as his fallen protege only pops up for the final verse while “Lost My Trust” with Cordae finds the 2 over some woodwinds & hi-hats calling out hoes for sleeping with their homies.

Moving onto “Hitman”, we get a trap beat with some heinous piano melodies & lyrics about how his assassin never takes days off while “Betty Boop” with Karlae comes through with a pop rap/trap crossover providing a strip club ballad for all the baddies out there. Lil Jairmy comes through with one of the weaker feature performances on “Off Land” despite the Einer Bankz instrumental & the themes of stepping on shit like soldiers prior to the Wheezy-laced “Big Bag” with Thugger & Dolly White picking it up with a harp/trap hybrid about wealth.

StickBaby’s verse on the bassy “Kick Back” produced by ilykimchi of Working on Dying is underwhelming although I love how the Render brothers were both thuggin’ à la the greatest Grand Theft Auto game of all-time San Andreas while the song “Self Employed” was my favorite single that was released leading up to the tape with a touching pop rap cut talking about the self paid life that he was living. The penultimate track “Love Me Again” reaches the climax of the tape on an emotional note showing off how young, fly & flashy he was with the gospel flavored closer “Thank You Lord” enhancing the bittersweetness up to 11.

Despite everything that’s been going on with YSL for the past 10 months, Keed Talk to ‘Em 2 is surprisingly the best thing to come from the label since then & a solid sendoff for Keed. The production’s better, the dosage of features are just right although there are only a couple of them who missed the landing & you get a good look as to where here was at in his life before God abruptly decided to call him home. If this is the last time we’ll get a project from him, then they did him right.

Score: 3.5/5

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Ty Farris – “Malice at the Palace” review

Ty Farris is a Detroit underground veteran who came up up under the name T-Flame & wound up being featuring on a lot of projects throughout the mid-2000’s until the very end of the decade. It was at that point where he started to put out solo stuff at a prolific rate by dropping 11 mixtapes, 8 full-length albums & 3 EPs. Standouts include the Room 39 duology & the No Cosign Just Cocaine series, the 5th & final installment of which finally arrived last month. But continuing to balance quality & quantity as always, Ty’s enlisting Danish producer Machacha behind the boards for his 9th album.

After the “Starting Lineup” intro, the first song “Dope Sales to Vinyl Deals” is a powerful opener to the album with T-Flame detailing how the long way that he came from whereas “Sign the Contract” has a more eerier route talking about a fine print on the street agreement. “Bleacher Report” has a spacey boom bap quality to it as the lyrics touch on trying to survive with suicidal thoughts with anonymous sources reporting live & direct leading into Dango Forlaine, Guilty Simpson & Marv Won all joining forces for “4 Point Play” as they really show y’all who the bad boys really are with a suspenseful beat backing them.

Moving on to “Coke in the Locker Room”, we have Ty on top of some more bluesy production with a clever reference to the sample whilst touching on poverty on the lyrical front just before “Flagrant Fouling” returns to the boom bap as he & Mickey Diamond comparing this rap shit to the layup line when it comes to bars. The song “Karma’s the Referee” returns to a bluesier vibe providing y’all the best of him while the penultimate track “Strong Arm Aggression” with Waterr goes into rap rock turf as their chemistry is as strong as it was on their collab EP Bulls vs. Pistons a few years ago. “Bloodstains on the Jersey” ends things with a groovy instrumental & Ty pointing out people wanting to see blood since the gladiator days.

I remember watching the Malice at the Palace live on TV with my dad & my older brother as an 8 year old kid with all of us being in amazed by what was unfolding in front of our very eyes & if you love basketball the way you love hip hop, then you’re gonna want to give this a listen. The themes of the sport are incredibly cohesive as the Detroit wordsmith rips it on top of what I consider to be amongst Machacha’s strongest batch of production to date. Looking forward to seeing him open up for Rome Streetz on the first night of the Kiss the Ring tour this upcoming Wednesday.

Score: 4.5/5

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Acetone Boogie – “Rayamiento” review

Brand new EP from Tucson, Arizona emcee Acetone Boogie. Emerging from the depths of the Dark Carnival a decade ago this spring off his full-length debut studio Karma Circus, the summer of 2017 saw the release of his sophomore effort The Divine Trickster & has since joined the Swamp Society collective forming the Gloom Unit with fellow Swamp Society member Frankie Goldie. So keeping that in mind, it makes sense for Chapter 17/Psychopathic Records in-house producer Devereaux to fully produce Rayamiento.

After the titular intro, “Carousel Spinners” opens with an occult trap instrumental suggests not to be looking his way since he be posted up with the criminals whereas “Oya’s Betrayal” featuring .strife talks about getting cracked in the mosh pit & not wanting problems with either one of them. “Witch Blood” featuring Darby O’Trill gets on some wicked cloudy trap shit asking if you’d die for them while “Spinesnappin’” aggressively takes a couple minutes to find himself breakin’ backs.

“Hitta Licc” starts the final leg of Rayamiento bringing some chaotic trap vibes into the fold with lyrics from a gangster’s perspective & after “All My Heroes Are Dead” featuring Jvztizzo gives off a murky trap atmosphere to the beat referring to themselves as outcasts when that’s what being a juggalo has always been about, “Been Been Wicket Shit” featuring Darby O’Trill closes the EP with both of them channeling Acetone’s southwest phonk style calling to put your middle fingers high.

There were always hints of potential on both of Acetone Boogie’s previous LPs, but Rayamiento elevates himself artistically & has made itself comfortable in being the greatest thing he’s ever done in this decade long career. Devereaux’ production on here is a vast improvement compared to the Tucson artist’s earlier albums & the guests are far stronger than they were during The Divine Trickster, giving Ace the opportunity to step up his pen & that’s what he sure as Hell did.

Score: 4.5/5

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Westside Boogie – “Live at the Novo” review

Westside Boogie is a 33 year old MC from Compton, California who broke out onto the scene in 2014 with his debut mixtape Thirst 48. He would go on to follow it up with The Reachexactly a year later as well as Thirst 48 II the year after that before catching the attention of Detroit icon Eminem & signing to his Interscope Records imprint Shady Records in late 2017. His full-length debut Everything’s for Sale at the beginning of 2019 was a solid way to introduce himself to a wider audience & the sophomore effort More Black Superheroes did it’s job encouraging the world to embrace their powers, but is returning 9 months later in the form of his debut EP.

“Cold as Love” is a spacious trap opener with Superblood Boog talks about being in his head & pondering why one feels so safe yet shady can’t save him after invading his space while the penultimate track “Tell Me” works in a chipmunk soul sample & some hi-hats so Anthony can describe all the things that he wants to be told such as never hearing any kind of sucka shit again or how to fix the hood if he ain’t never in the hood. “Mood” on the other end sends off the EP with Ratchet Boog over a piano trap instrumental dropping some braggadocio for dat azz.

Everything’s for Sale gave a wider audience a good look as to who he really is & the concept of More Black Superheroes is still compelling to this day in my book but if Live at the Novo is only a prelude for his upcoming 3rd album, then I think it’s a solid offering to keep listeners satisfied until then. He delves more into himself lyrically whilst introducing his 2 alter-egos & the trap undertones of his 2 full-lengths are more prominent here than they were in the past.

Score: 3.5/5

Bear1boss – “Blow Up!” review

Bear1boss is a 24 year old recording artist from Atlanta, Georgia who came up in 2015 off his debut mixtape #beentrill#. He has since gone on to build up a lengthy yet impressive catalog for himself including 5 more tapes as well as 21 EPs & even 5 full-length albums. My introduction to his music was last spring when my younger brother & UnreleasedSnip founder Jacob! played me “Fair” & “All Alone” off his 18th EP Dynamic, where I found myself being impressed by unique voice & style to the point where I’ve been following him since. But coming off his last EP Leave Me Alone! exactly a month ago, Bear1’s back for another.

Things kick off with Bear admitting on the opener “Taking It Too Far” that he’s been on shrooms over a digicore instrumental from PROJECT4PLAY whereas “Ratchet” works in some synths & hi-hats talking about how he simply cannot be topped considering the position he’s currently at now in his life. “SRT 4 Leaf Clover” has a more rage inducing vibe to it to deliver some braggadocio just before “Pockets on Evil” comes through with a more bombastic quality to the beat as he flexes his wealth & I love how he utilizes his voice during the hook.

The song “Stick in the Trunk” comes through with a more atmospheric sound with a rubbery bass-line & hi-hats woven into the fold so Bear1 can point out that he is indeed strapped while the penultimate track “Gucci Prayer Sock” returns to a more glitchcore-based sound touching on romance on the lyrical end. “Demise” on the other end finishes the EP by blending hypertrap with plugg by calling out those who wanna be just like him & feeling like that guy.

If you’re not up on this guy yet, then I think you should because you never know what you’re gonna get yourself into considering how experimental he is with his sound & Blow Up!. The production is more rage-centered with some pop rap & digicore undertones throughout the 7-track/18 minute course of the EP & combining that with his signatory fun performances laced with a bunch of crazy vocal effects continues to show as to why he’s one of the most exciting new faces in the trap subgenre.

Score: 3.5/5

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Conway the Machine & Jae Skeese – “Pain Provided Profit” review

This is the brand new collaborative EP between Buffalo recording artists Conway the Machine & Jae Skeese. One being Westside Gunn’s brother & Benny the Butcher’s cousin with the other becoming the first to sign to La Maquina’s very own EMPIRE Distribution imprint Drumwork Music Group a couple years back. Both of them have worked with one another a handful of times since, but are joining forces to deliver Pain Provided Profit ahead of Con’s upcoming 3rd album Won’t He Do It at the end of the month & & Jae prepping his sophomore album albeit Drumwork debut Abolished Uncertainties after coming off his critically acclaimed 3rd EP Authenticity Check last spring.

“Cocaine Paste” is a bluesy opener produced by Graymatter detailing the way Drumwork be landsliding whereas “Metallic 5’s” takes a more rawer approach from the boom bap instrumental referring themselves as 2 of the illest at large. “Stefon Diggs 2” dives into jazzier turf explaining that their story is motivation leading into “Le Chop” displaying a killer back & forth chemistry between the 2 talking about how they gon’ ride for their freedom over some keys, kicks & snares.

The song “Immaculate Reception” is essentially a Jae Skeese solo cut keeping things in boom bap turf acknowledging that they watch his current position in the game while the penultimate track “Promise” is a more inspiring ballad from the beat to the lyrics about grinding for the paper. “Food” with Goosebytheway, SK da King & 7xvethegenius however ends things with a ruthless posse cut advising to get out their way.

Every time we’ve heard Con & Jae on the same song together, it’s always been nothing but pure heat & that’s exactly what I expected going into this EP right here. Lo & behold: It’s most certainly worth the listen for any hardcore Griselda fan like myself to the point where my anticipation for both Won’t He Do It & Abolished Uncertainties have increased as well. The production is hard yet rich as the student & teacher ping off each other as wonderfully as I could’ve imagined. The Drumwork takeover has officially begun & I’m all for it.

Score: 4/5

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Smokingskul – “Smoke Carter 1.5” review

Smokingskul is a 20 year old Swedish-American rapper from Naples, Florida who came up in the spring of 2018 off his debut EP Souls. After going on to drop 25 more down the road, it wasn’t until last September where my little brother & UnreleasedSnip founder Jacob! played some of his shit for me during a smoke session. Namely the singles “Assembly Line” & “Vlone”. I was so impressed by the witty lyricism throughout both of those cuts, that it intrigued me enough to check out the Geffen Records-backed Nat Cap a few days later & that’s where he won me over. I didn’t get to cover the follow-up Swedish Guy, but I did enjoy Bready quite a bit at the beginning of the year & is now following up Death Before Dishonor with his 28th EP.

“pocket money” is a 45 second plugg opener produced by SenseiATL with Skul talking about being in his element & that everyone knows who finna run that shit while the song “kanye” produced by TDF works in some 808s for 53 seconds for 53 seconds starting off with him confessing that he feels like Ye formerly known as Kanye West himself “with the Nazi” obviously poking fun at Ye’s recent antisemitic behavior forever altering his public appearance after calling himself a Nazi & being off the flock. The penultimate track “mom” has a more chaotic vibe sonically thanks to boolymon asking if you want the baby Glock or the bigger straps & to finish things off, we’re treated to an aggressive sequel to “backdoor” reusing the same TDF beat with all new lyrics such as the bar about keeping an Uzi like Autumn! or the Rodneyy diss at the end of his verse.

I’ll admit that I was a bit worried going into this EP considering that it’s 4 joints & 4 minutes long as a whole, but but it surpassed my expectations & I came away from it looking at it to be superior to the EP that he dropped just a few weeks ago. He’s only been getting stronger with the punchlines & I find this here to be more well-produced than the predecessor. Without a doubt my favorite artist in the dark plugg scene right now next to Glokk40Spaz.

Score: 4/5

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Liberation – “Liberation 2” review

Liberation is a MC/producer duo consisting of Brooklyn veteran Talib Kweli on the mic & Oxnard extraordinaire Madlib behind the boards. The pair first linked up in ‘07 off the strength off an eponymous self-titled debut backed by Stones Throw Records & have collaborated with each other a handful of times since, with the last time being Black Star’s long-awaited sophomore album no fear of time* about 10 months ago at this point. An album much like Gotham’s own self-titled debut the year before proved that Kweli can still make great music even though I’m not afraid to acknowledge the fact that he makes a total prick out of himself on social media these days. Nonetheless, Liberation’s returning in effect for a sequel to their debut that’s been 2 years in the making & I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t looking forward to it.

After the “Assata’s Code” intro, the first song “Best Year Ever” sets the album up with a jazzy boom bap instrumental & Kweli talking about how things are only gonna get better from hereon out whereas “Air Quotes” has a more empowering quality to the beat as the subject matter delves into the fakeness & toxicity of everyone else in the rap game. “Nat Turner” with Cassper Nyovest blends trap with afrobeats obviously getting on a more conscious tip lyrically, but then “1 for Biz” with Wildchild works in some pianos along with these kicks & snares to pay homage to the late Biz Markie.

Meanwhile on “Loop Digga’s Revenge”, we have Madlib hooking up a soul sample shouting out those who grew up staring at album covers & encouraging to come to a show if you wanna see the greatest in action just before Pink Siifu tags along for the the slick “Ad Vice” talking about how unapologetic both of he & Kweli are with the latter’s daughter Diani on the hook. “Wild Sweet Love” comes through with a drumless get spacious vibe getting romantic leading into the flute/string-tinged “Wild Beauty” instrumental interlude.

The late Mac Miller slides through for “The Right to Love Us” reminding everyone what our women are fighting accompanied by a jazzy beat with some heavy kicks while “After These Messages” with Amani finds him joining his dad on the mic so the father-son pair deliver a meditation on American racism over some keys, strings & horns. Roc Marciano & Westside Gunn tag along for the sequel to the highlight track “Richies” off Hitler Wears Hermes IX down to the same Soul Superiors sample “Trust in Me Baby” as the trio bring it raw on the mic.

The track “Marathon Through Babylon” has a colder tone instrumentally as Talib & Meshell Ndegeocello both ponder why & when did everyone become such sheep as well as comparing their rhymes to that of alkaline & prior to the “Assata’s Reprise” outro, the final song “Something Special” really ends the album by mixing these synthesizers with jazz-funk icon Roy Ayers on the vibraphones by calling this innovation as opposed to imitation.

I with all respect like to compare Kweli to Kanye in the sense that both of them are established veterans with an insane amount of artistic talent who publicly make asses of themselves on the regular & I say that because when you think about that in the grand scheme of things, the apple really doesn’t fall far from the tree. That being said: Liberation 2 most certainly lived up to my expectations by continuing Talib’s artistic redemption that the Gotham album began & no fear of time* continued on with. Madlib’s production is potently jazzy & dusty with the whole concept of globally unifying through space & time undeniably needed to be heard.

Score: 4.5/5

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Brigid Bites – “Hatchet Girl” review

Brigid Bites is a 35 year old rapper & dancer from Davenport, Iowa notable for creating the juggalette burlesque troupe in 2017 called Juggaleque. They have since become a drawing attraction at the Gathering or the Juggalos since then with her eventually joining Chapter 17 Records CEO/Psychopathic Records recording artist Ouija Macc on stage quite a few times since. But with the announcement of the 23rd annual Gathering being unveiled a couple days ago, Brigid is now delving into music in the form of a 10-minute debut EP.

The title track is a dance-influenced opener produced by Elevated Focusion a.k.a. Jonny Rhythms about pulling out the hatchet out her back & attacking a crooked cop as well as a dude in a mask standing in her kitchen while the song “Incubooty Call” takes a more occult route sonically for a dedication to all the wicked succubi out there. And prior to the “Heartbeat”outro, the final song “Branded” ties things up nicely with a cloudy trap banger courtesy of Devereaux encouraging everyone to burn down the fucking house.

Coming away from Hatchet Girl, it’s most definitely an impressive introduction as to who Brigid is both musically & personally to the point where I’m excited to watch her grow as an artist from hereon out. Jonny Rhythms & Devereaux both cook up song freshly detailed production on their parts as she establishes herself as a fresh new face in the underground wicked shit scene with some cutthroat lyrical performances. As someone who has mad clown luv for all juggalos throughout the history of the Dark Carnival since I too know what it’s like to be misunderstood & an outcast, it’s always exciting to see your homies succeeding

Score: 3.5/5

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