This is the 5th EP from Queens emcee Lex the Hex Master. Breaking out in 2015 with his independent debut album Born in Hell, the demented Detroit hip hop duo Twiztid would go on to sign him to their label Majik Ninja Entertainment shortly after & he has put out a plethora of releases since. This includes The Black Season, Contact, the Mr. Ugly duology, Beyond Redemption, Shadow King, Strictly 4 My N.I.N.J.A.S., Party Castle, Haunted Mansion & Palace of Illusions. But after taking a year off, Lex is finishing the series that began with Party Castle & ending it in the form of Cathedral of Chaos.
“Hallelujah” opens things up with an eerie trap banger warning that it’s a wrap for these bitches now that Lex is back on the scene whereas “Money Back” has a more explosively aggressive atmosphere to it as he talks about the paper. “The Gang” has a more uncanny tone to the instrumental as dude reps his homies leading into Danny Diablo, Jake Palumbo & Madopelli Music coming into the picture for a rap metal/boom bap crossover to leave motherfuckers scared shitless in the terrordome. And prior to the titular outro, the final song “Bongs & Bonfires” ties up the EP with a peppy, tropical ballad about turning the night up.
So after almost 3 years this summer, the tetralogy of EPs from one of the most underrated/underappreciated MCs on the whole entire MNE roster finally comes to an end & it has me anticipating on whatever it is he that he plan on doing next whether it be a full-length or another EP or even another mixtape for that matter. Of the 4 installments, the production on the concluding chapter is predominantly more darker & the cutthroat Queens lyricist comes through sounding recharged on the mic.
Curren$y is a 42 year old rapper, songwriter & record executive from New Orleans, Lousiana that first got his start with No Limit Records in 2002. He would then hop over to Young Money Entertainment & Cash Money Records in 2006, but eventually branched out in 2008 with his own label Jet Life Recordings. The man has since made a name for himself by dropping a handful of projects every single year with my favorites including the Harry Fraud-produced Cigarette Boats, the Alchemist-produced Covert Coup, the prominently Ski Beatz produced Pilot Talk series, The Carrollton Heist, the Lex Luger produced Motivational Speech, the Statik Selektah-produced Gran Turismo & more recently Continuance to name a small handful. But coming off his 19th & 20th albums Spring Clean 2 produced by Fuse before last summer got underway & even a sequel to The Drive In Theatre that same Black Friday weekend, Spitta’s celebrating his born day by having So So Def Recordings founder Jermaine Dupri behind the boards for his 27th EP & the first in a new trilogy together.
“SoSo Jets” opens up the EP by talking about repping the underground as well as how the industry couldn’t change Andretti & the fact that his career has thrived since over some synthesizers, hi-hats & frequent JD adlibs whereas “Essence Fest” has a more traditional bounce vibe to it as he declares himself to be a Chevy on chrome & taking one of the hoes home. “Never Enough” follows that up with an inspiring trap banger about defeat not being an option & going from nothing to something until 2 Chainz tags along for the synth-funk inspired “Off the Lot” to not stop for a bitch.
The song “Screens Fallin” dives into boom bap turf acknowledging that he never said he runs Nawlins yet holds it down for them while the penultimate track “Never Fall Off” with T.I. is a groovy trap cut about never slippin’ with. Fortune 500” though returns to the boom bap 1 last time so he can let everyone in as to where he is in his life now with his paper being up, poppin’ champagne as if he won the championship & even his own son knowing the difference between the startup house & a mansion.
When I first heard that Dupri was gonna be the one handling the beats for this new Curren$y EP, it really had my interest considering how well established he is in the worlds of pop rap & contemporary R&B. We’ve also only seen him land a feature or production credit on occasion for over a decade or so, with the last time that I can recall him predominantly producing a project being Dondria’s full-length debut Dondria vs. Phatfffat nearly a dozen years ago back when she was on So So Def with him mentoring her. But the first installment of the For Motivation Use Only trilogy is a solid way to kick things off & has me intrigued to hear how the rest of the series pans out. Spitta’s subject matter absolutely lives up to his name as JD proves he hasn’t lost a step by resurrecting his signature production style.
Twiztid is a hip hop/rock duo from Detroit, Michigan consisting of Jamie Madrox & Monoxide. Both of whom originally started out as part of the House of Krazees alongside childhood friend The R.O.C. in 1992 before their initial disbandment 5 years later. Almost immediately after, the Insane Clown Posse took Jamie & Mono under their wings by signing them to Psychopathic Records as the demented duo they’re known as today. They would become the label’s 2nd biggest act being their mentors off projects like Mostasteless, Freek Show, Mirror Mirror, The Green Book, W.I.C.K.E.D. (Wish I Could Kill Every Day & Abominationz. Shortly after the latter was released, Twiztid left Psychopathic to form Majik Ninja Entertainment in 2014. Since then they’ve released 7 albums & 7 EPs on their own label, my favorites of which being /ˌrevəˈlāSH⁽ᵊ⁾n/ & even their last full-length Glyph that they dropped over the fall. But as Jamie & Mono hit the road with Static X for their Rise of the Machine Tour, the Astronomicon founders are celebrating by surprise dropping their 15th EP fully produced by Stir Crazy.
“I’m Dead Now” is fascinatingly morbid way to set things off as Twiztid hops on top of a piano/boom bap instrumental vividly portraying themselves as if they were actually deceased while the song “Chops & Sweeps the Leg” delves deeper into a more uncanny vibe sonically as the Multiple Man & the Monoxide Child talk about taking the advice from the millions & millions who’ve told them not to take shit for granted ever again with. The penultimate track “A Demon” has this raw, grungy guitar lead throughout to discuss enough being enough & truthfully feeling stuck in this Hell they’re trying to leave prior to “Slip/Trip” finishing the EP with a trap/rock crossover continuing to spit the wicked shit as a reminder to those who like to lie to themselves that they turned their back on juggalos.
Mirror Mirror has always been my favorite EP from the demented duo, but Echoes from Dimension X is already creepin’ up with Electric Lettuce as the best EPs that they’ve dropped since leaving PSY to start MNE. Stir Crazy’s production is interestingly detailed ranging from the opener kinda throwing it back to the boom bap Mostasteless days to preluding their upcoming album Welcome to Your Funeral with Zeuss by refining the predominantly rock-oriented direction Unlikely Prescription took during it’s 2nd half in the form of blending the rap rock qualities of both Mutant & Generation Nightmare with their horrorcore roots. At this rate, Planet Z’s bound to give us a wicked shit rap rock classic & the best rock album Twiztid has ever done.
Tha God Fahim is a 26 year old MC/producer from Atlanta, Georgia notable for his affiliation with Griselda Records as well as being 1/3 of the Dump Gawds alongside Mach-Hommy & Your Old Droog. We also can’t ignore the massive discography that he’s managed to build for himself, some of the standouts include Breaking Through tha Van Allen Belts & Dump Assassins. But coming off 4 EPs in the last 3 months with my favorites of the quartet personally being the Camoflauge Monk-produced Dark Shogunn Assassin as well as the Nature Sounds-backed Iron Bull & the Nicholas Craven-produced Dump Gawd: Shot Clock King 4 that literally just fucking came out last week, Fahim’s enlisting Oxnard veteran Oh No behind the boards for his 42nd EP in it’s entirety.
“Da Coldest” is a calmly laced opener with the Dump Gawd talking about being unable to see the game holding him back whereas “Faithful” works in some horns to ask why try if you ain’t even giving your all into it. Droog comes into the picture for the crooning “Cobbler” talking about being the ones that supply the product leading into “Tha Haunted” taking a creepier approach in sound to say those who think can fuck with him got it twisted & all he wants to do is run it up counting bands
Jay NiCe tags along for “Axe Pain” brings back the horns as they advise it’s better to be a moving target than simply a sitting duck just before “Bladepoint” talks about his exact line of business & playing to win it all. “Art Official” weaves a bare soul loop into the fold as he makes it clear that he ain’t here to play games with cats & to tighten up, but then “Grind Hard” follows it up with a mellow ode to the hustle.
The song “Megachad Rap” goes full-blown boom bap continuing to flex his greatness while the penultimate track “I Show I Prove” returns to drumless territory as he cashes out. “Nightmares” on the other hand truly ends the EP by talking about watching his back because of how petty some people truly are & that he’ll never retire from this music shit over some chilling vocals & synths.
I know I just said a week ago that Shot Clock King 4 is the best EP that Fahim has dropped in 2023 so far, but there’s no question in my mind that Berserko is on the same caliber. And if he’s continuing to drop EPs every month for the rest of the year like how Flee Lord & Papoose both did respectively, then I’m excited to hear what he has to offer next month. His determination is still clear as day & it’s refreshing to hear Oh No production start to finish not only considering it’s been 3 years since A Long Red Hot Los Angeles Summer Night dropped, but also how equally as talented as he is compared to his older brother.
Juicy J is a 47 year old rapper, songwriter, producer & record executive from Memphis, Tennessee who rose to stardom in the 90s as the co-founder of the seminal Three 6 Mafia alongside his Tear Da Club Up Thugs cohorts DJ Paul & the late Lord Infamous. He’s also had the most successful solo career out of everyone in the Mafia whether it be the Taylor Gang Entertainment/Columbia Records-backed Stay Trippy & Rubba Band Business: The Album or even his last full-length The Hustle Continuesunder his new MNRK Music Group imprint Trippy Music. Last year he dropped Stoner’s Night with Wiz Khalifa as well as Space Age Pimpin’ with Pi’erre Bourne over the summer & the predominantly Lex Luger-produced Crypto Business in the fall, but is surprise dropping his 6th album out of the blue.
After the “Help You Need” intro, the first song “Going Thru Sum Shit” is a dark trap opener detailing the struggles of what Da Juice Man has been dealing with as of late whereas “Gettin’” takes a more chopped & screwed route talking about all the things he’s chasing. Xavier Wulf’s verse on “No Man” is underwhelming despite the slowed down vocal loop, hi-hats & theme of not being able to trust a single soul just before “I’m Stressin’” has more tense vibe sonically opening up about his stresses.
After the “Falso Reality World” interlude, Aleza comes into the picture for the vibrant “Ain’t Cool” to discuss how motherfuckers ain’t cool with one another hence the title even though they from the same hood leading into “Drink to Escape” returning to chopped & screwed turf touching on alcoholism as a way to cope with depression. “Memphis Made It” is a more heartfelt trap ballad paying tribute to the city that raised him, but then La Chat joins him for the bluesy “Deadbeat” portraying a toxic relationship.
“Different Type” weaves in some more hi-hats & a syrupy vocal sample to talk about the new times we’re in while “Demon of Addiction” symphonically tackles the complex disease that there is in fact hope of overcoming. “No Rapper” has a more rowdier vibes calling out the phonies even though Aleza, K Carbon & Slimeroni’s performances don’t do much for me at all with all respect until “Pay Attention” makes up for it with a cloudy trap joint about schizophrenia.
After the “Mental Health Crisis”, the song “Work Out” aggressively asks where the dollas at with a boring Finesse2tymes feature attached to it while the final song “Follow Home Robbers” prior to the “Juicy’s Pain” outro brings the late Gangsta Boo into the fold which is fitting because I’m sure the album as a whole was inspired by her unfortunate passing at the beginning of the to portray themselves as such so vividly over a morbid trap beat.
Some people including myself have felt like Juicy’s last couple solo albums tackle the same subject matter as solid as they all are, but I think Mental Trillness is the most personal we’ve heard from him in a while. The production plays to the Memphis trap sound that he helped popularize when Triple 6 broke out onto the scene & as he gives everyone a look at how he’s been handling Lady Boo’s untimely death throughout the past couple months.
This is the debut EP from everyone’s favorite Las Vegas, Nevada hooligan Big B. Starting out as the frontman for 187, he would go on to join OPM following the demise of 187 & become a household name for the infamous California powerhouse Suburban Noize Records just a couple years later. His first 3 solo albums High Class White Trash, White Trash Renegade & More to Hate would become some of my favorite releases that the label has ever put out. Last we heard from B was during the pandemic when he dropped his comeback album Welcome to the Club only a day after the 7 year anniversary of Fool’s Gold & is reuniting with Michael Bradford on Members Only.
“Too Young to Die Old” is a country-infused opener with B talking about his mind being in his prime as his body declines whereas “Summertime Sunshine” is a more acoustic ballad encouraging to get reckless & party all night long. The song “Killers” melodically details the protection that he has around him while the penultimate track “Here I Am” has a more rock & roll groove to it talking about being as heartbroken as he is. “Clean Hands” though ends things by delving further into rock turf admitting everyone’s hands around his part are dirty.
If anyone enjoyed Welcome to the Club for the more mature direction it took on all fronts, Members Onlycertainly expands on that to a tee & every single fans who’s already in the Felons Club by now should give it a listen. Big B’s songwriting is cohesive, he clearly sounds focused through his performances & Michael Bradford continues to be the perfect guy to bring the best out of his new country style with the production is as potently organic as it was 3 years back.
This is the 3rd EP from Detroit emcee, songwriter & producer Royce da 5’9”. Most notable for being 1/2 of Bad Meets Ǝvil with local sensation Eminem, his mark as one of the city’s illest lyricists has already been made along the way. Especially with releases such as Death is Certain, Street Hop, Success is Certain, Layers & Book of Ryan. Also can’t forget to mention his work with longtime collaborator DJ Premier as the MC/producer duo PRhyme or with the now defunct quartet of all-star wordsmiths that was once Slaughterhouse. But with his previous album The Allegory turning 3 last month, Nickel’s returning in the form of The Heaven Experience.
“Signs” is a Godly trap opener produced by STREETRUNNER dedicating this to those who fuck with him for real whereas “Out the Barrell” works in a sitar-laced instrumental from DJ Pain 1 with hi-hats cautioning those who haven’t been out here long enough to test him. “Look at This” has a more rugged sound thanks to the J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League remembering his uncle Joe while the song “Grown Ass Man” classily makes it clear that he’s about his family. The penultimate track “Royce & Reggie” featuring Redman finds the 2 lyricists over a soulful boom bap beat acting a fool in cyphers to the dislike of others & “Ion Wanna” featuring Courtney Bell sends off the EP with a somber ballad about what goes around comes around.
If this just to prelude listeners for his upcoming 9th album much like how Tabernacle: Trust the Shooter held everyone over until Layers dropped shortly after, then I think people should be more than satisfied with it. I like how Nickel took a backseat on the production by bringing in some established vets to take care of things in that department as one of the best lyricists in the D continues to elevate himself higher & higher in the ranks.
Autumn! is a 25 year old rapper, singer/songwriter & producer from Lafayette, Louisiana who got his start by dropping 19 EPs & a full-length debut on SoundCloud since 2018 prior to signing to Victor Victor Worldwide & Republic Records after the Not Much Left EP. He made his major label debut last spring with his sophomore effort Antagonist!, following it up with ##B4GC2 & Golden Child 2. But with the final chapter of the trilogy in the form of ##B4GC3 a couple months ago, Autumn!’s ending it by delivering his highly anticipated 3rd album.
“God’s Child!” is a spacious trap opener with twinuzis hoping that everyone’s proud of him whereas “All My Duffels Goyard!” blends pop rap with pluggnb talking about just how he likes his duffel bags since he’s finding himself getting back into fashion again. “Chelsea, N.Y.!” works in some pianos & hi-hats for a dedication to the titular spot in the City of Dreams, but then “Backseat!” cautions to watch out for all the hoes you come across in this game over some woozy synthesizers.
Meanwhile on “Tootheache & Gaslighting!” we have Autumn! delivering a 2-parter with a plugg-infused first half with a drum & bass fusion coming in during the latter as he warns not to play him like a fool & everything he says being facts leading into “You > Them (Hate It!)” expanding on D&B even further my blending that with pop rap talking about the trials & tribulations of a relationship he once had. “Them > You!” is basically a counterpart to the previous cut from its piano/drum & bass production to its seductive lyrics just before the intoxicating sequel to “My Collection!” off ##B4GC2.
“No Good!” is a spiritual successor to “No Good 4 U” by Summrs by atmospherically breaking down why he’s bad for this woman he’s seeing while “Still the Same!” has a more playful tone throughout reminding that he hasn’t changed since becoming famous. “Still the Same! 2” samples “If It Means Anything!” off his simp music ❤ EP expands on how he’s living now until the very song that was flipped makes it’s way onto the album with it’s icy synths & lyrics about a failed relationship.
The sequel to “If It Means Anything!” on the other hand chops up “Like a Tattoo” by Sade telling this woman he’s glad she came around even though he misses her & there’s no going back while “Like That!” is a more straight forward trap jam dedicated to all the fine women that New Orleans has to offer. “Girl from the Club! 2” samples “Party” by Beyoncé acknowledging this new chick wants to live in the fast lane while “Cowgirl!” shows her how to ride it over a rattling beat.
Moving on from there with “50M Freestyle!” where uzis admits he can taste his first milli with a peppy instrumental backing him while “Can’t Rent Anymore!” has a more futuristic yet vibrant approach talking about not giving a flying fuck about a rental. “Twotimestwo!” brings a more atmospheric vibe to the table as he paints a picture of his girl bringing her friend with them for a threesome while “Colors!” flexing his hunnids being blue & green with some hi-hats & bass behind him.
“Baby Fewch!” opens up the final leg of the album as Autumn! airing out the lames with a dramatic quality to the beat this time around while the song “Recollections of Fame!” is a catchy plugg banger about his BMW E-31. The penultimate track “I am the Goat!” weaves some more synths & hi-hats discussing his greatness with the closer being “The Remorse!” off ##B4GC3, which is an emotional tribute to his deceased brother.
If any of you were 50/50 on Antagonist!, I think Golden Child 3 will definitely make up for it as twinuzis ends the trilogy with his most well-rounded full-length album so far. The production is well grounded in his pluggnb roots whilst experimenting with drum & bass along the way as his growth throughout the years prevalently shows itself in the 67 minute run.
This is the 2nd EP from Ladera Heights MC, singer/songwriter, producer, actor, visual artist, designer & comedian Tyler, The Creator. Blowing up about 15 years ago as the de facto leader of Odd Future, his evolution both artistically & personally since the collective’s disbandment in 2015 has truly been amongst the most fascinating ones I’ve ever witnessed in my lifetime going from the bratty edginess of Bastard & Goblin to the undeniable maturity & versatility shown on Flower Boy & IGOR. Even Tyler’s last album Call Me If You Get Lost happened to be his best lyrically & as he gears up for his next one this summer continuing the 2-year schedule that he started on, he’s giving fans a collection of outtakes from the CMIYLG outtakes in the form of The Estate Sale.
After the “EVERYTHING MUST GO” intro, the first song “STUNTMAN” with Vince Staples is an energetic trap banger to the EP as they pay homage to “Swagger International” by Pharrell essentially whereas “WHAT A DAY” has a more colorful tone to it thanks to Madlib as Tyler talks about being your biggest cheerleader. WANG$AP reunites for the synth-laced “WHARF TALK” discussing getting lost together with their significant others just before “DOGTOOTH” is a jazzy, dirty south/neo-soul hybrid expresses Tyler’s desire for a woman that he can satisfy. The song “HEAVEN TO ME” details what his version of the pearly gates is over a boom bap instrumental while the penultimate track “BOYFRIEND, GIRLFRIEND” with YG is a funky pop rap ode to love. “SORRY NOT SORRY” however ends the EP with a bare sample of “He Made You Mine” by Brighter Side of Darkness wavering between apologizing both sarcastically & genuinely.
Given the ending of the closer’s music video where the authentic Tyler kills off all his past eras, it’s clear that he’s getting ready to drop his 7th album this summer & I think The Estate Sale is an excitingly short offering that’ll keep everyone satisfied until then. Tyler’s production plays into the mix of styles that Call Me If You Get Lost revealed to have sonically & his still bringing his A-game with the pen. Here’s to the new chapter from hip hop’s most beloved unique personalities in just a few months.
DJ Drama is a 44 year old DJ, record executive & music promoter from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania who got his start by founding Aphilliates Music Group alongside Don Cannon a decade ago. His profile would grow exponentially shortly after by beginning his iconic Gangsta Grillz mixtape series that’s still going 19 years strong today & becoming one of the most in-demand mixtape DJs ever by hosting some of the hungriest tapes from a wide range of already established artists including T.I., Jeezy, Gucci Mane, Lil Wayne & Fabolous. Dude even has 5 solo albums under his belt also, starting with Gangsta Grillz: The Album at the end of 2007 & the previous being a sequel to Quality Street Music the year after founding the Atlantic Records imprint Generation Now Entertainment with Don that initially discovered one of the biggest names the 215 has seen in recent memory: Lil Uzi Vert. Fast forward 5 years later, Drama would see a resurgence in his career after narrating Tyler, The Creator’s 6th album Call Me If You Get Lost fittingly enough since that itself was a homage to the Gangsta Grillz series. So coincidentally as T drops The Estate Sale to hold everyone off until his upcoming 7th album drops later this summer, DJ Drama is coming off hosting the recent mixtapes from the likes of G Perico & Kash Doll to name only a couple to drop HIS 6th album.
“Legendary” by Tyler sets off the album with Yung T detailing the influence that the Dedication mixtape series had on him during his adolescence over a rich, drumless instrumental from the Cannon whereas “Ho4me” by A Boogie wit da Hoodie is a disappointingly mediocre trap/pop rap ballad about taking it slow. “Raised Different” by Jeezy & the late Nipsey Hu$$le has a more somber approach touching on being made in the streets just before “F.M.F.U. (Fuck Me Fuck U)” by Gucci & Wayne find the 2 over some twinkling keys & hi-hats courtesy of CashMoneyAP paying homage to Keyshia Ka’oir Davis & Denise Bidot respectively.
Moving onto “Free Game”, we have Uzi & 42 Dugg joining forces to get in their bag over a Detroit trap beat from Helluva just before “350” by Rick Ross & Westside Gunn deliver some fly braggadocio with some pianos & hi-hats backing them. “Been a While” by G Herbo & Mozzy is a lavish trap banger that Nick Papz & Pooh Beatz laced about how they ain’t going nowhere leading into “No Weakness” by Symba, T.I. & Wiz Khalifa having a more cinematic groove to the instrumental as they remind y’all that no one built like them.
“Mockingbird Valley” by Jack Harlow is one of the weakest cuts on the album despite Don Cannon’s smooth production & that’s primarily because I personally found Jack’s performances to be mediocre until “Forever” by Benny the Butcher, Fab & Jim Jones makes up for it with it’s victorious trap beat & the razor sharp lyricism from all 3 MCs respectively about the lives they live. “Andale” by Moneybagg Yo & Offset is a decently aggressive cut quenching for blood while the song “Iron Right” by Boosie Badazz, OMB Peezy & the late Trouble is another dull moment from the annoying bed-squeaking sounds throughout the slick instrumental given by the late Traxamillion to the lyrics about not being the one to fuck with.
The penultimate track “I Ain’t Gon’ Hold Ya” by Jeezy was originally first heard on the Snoman’s latest effort Snofall that dropped about 5 months ago by now & there’s nothing wrong with hearing it again at the backend of I’m Really Like That since not only was Snofall amongst the trap pioneer’s best in recent memory, but this very song from it that makes it’s way over here just so happened to be amongst my favorites on it. “We Made It” by CyHi the Prynce & LaRussell wraps things up with a heartwarmingly melodic trap song about success.
As someone who also grew up on the iconic Gangsta Grillz series much like Tyler, I personally found Drama’s last 3 solo albums to be subpar at worst & mediocre at best. That however is not the case with I’m Really Like That, as I consider it to be his best full-length in a while & a solid one to make a comeback on. The performances from the guests are more consistent as are the production choices & the theme reflecting on his journey in the game as well as the relationships he’s built over the years further reminds us of his legacy as one of the greatest mixtape hosts ever.
