Violent J – “Bloody Sunday” review

Violent J is a 50 year old MC, producer, professional wrestler/manager, Juggalo Championship Wrestling (JCW) Commissioner & the longest reigning 2-time JCW World Juggalo Tag Team Champion from Detroit, Michigan notable for forming the Insane Clown Posse & co-founding the label that runs beneath the streets Psychopathic Records with Shaggy 2 Dope. He’s also released a few EPs & a full-length on his own within the last 3 decades, with my personal favorite of the handful being Wizard of the Hood. The last we heard from the Duke of the Wicked solo-wise was the Brother! EP on New Year’s Eve 2018, but J is making up for the 3-month delay of his sophomore solo album by giving it to the fans as a Juggalo Day treat.

The intro is an occult trap opener produced by Devereaux with J confessing he doesn’t want to be alive anymore whereas the title track gives me a more slower albeit still morbid approach to the beat thanks to Brian Kuma talking about a never ending cycle. “Clown Blood” returns to trap territory with J showing off some crazy flows as he describes the clown blood flowing through him leading into “In the Hole” blending some hi-hats & synths talking about where your soul will suffer.

Meanwhile on “Pitch Dark”, we have J over a more rugged instrumental describing total blackness just before “No Friends” is a decent guitar ballad about being friendless. “Scatterbrain 2” is a trap-flavored sequel to “Scatterbrain” which has always been one of the best songs off Eye of the Storm in my opinion & picks up where the predecessor left off wonderfully referencing both former 2-time SMW Heavyweight Champion & ECW World Tag Team Champion Tracy Smothers and WWE Hall of Famer, former WWE Intercontinental Champion, WWE United States Champion, 3-time WCW World Heavyweight Champion & WCW World Tag Team Champion Rick Rude until Mike E. Clark returns to lace “The Stiff” with his uniquely quirky sound asking if he made a friend until the end or fucked up again.

“Horrendous Ways” jacks for beats as the Duke of the Wicked asks why great lives end in the titular fashion while “Something’s in My Room” takes a turn into boom bap describing the titular being in his room staring at him. The song “The Hurter” has a more carnivalesque flare to the instrumental courtesy of Shaggytheairhead describing the titular character while the penultimate track “A Harrowing Time” is a bassy trap cut about Satan calling him. “Some Good Pussy” though ends the album with a shitty country rock ballad about a man being unhealthily obsessed with a bitch.

Wizard of the Hood is such a classic EP & I know The Shining gets a bit of mixed reception with a lot of juggalos that I know personally, but it’s most certainly no question that Bloody Sunday stands as Violent J’s finest solo album to date. It’s a lot more darker than the previous efforts that he’s put out on his own, he sounds focused & the production is a healthy mix of both the old & new sounds throughout the 3 decades that he’s been in the game.

Score: 3.5/5

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Sly Moon – “The Ghost of Ungar” review

This is the 2nd extended play from London, England, United Kingdom emcee/producer Sly Moon. A member of the Children of the Damned as well as its successor the Cult of the Damned & the Sohio Players, he made his full-length debut in 2020 with Why Am I So Sly? under Blah Records & later teamed up with it’s founder Lee Scott for the collab effort F.D.M.B. (Flippin’ Dough Makin’ Bread) preceding Banned From the Vic. Nearly 6 months have passed since the latter & The Ghost of Ungar’s begin revealing itself.

After the “Table Talk” intro, the self-produced “Life’s a Scramble” featuring Sniff finds the pair ruggedly comparing existence to a gamble whereas “The Ghosts Comin’” talks about having nowhere to run when the specters arrive. “It’s Not a Game” featuring Sniff reunites both of them so they can jazzily make it clear this isn’t a joke to them while “Eternal Spin” by the Sohio Players featuring Sniff maintains the jazz rap vibes referencing Tony from one of my top 3 shows The Sopranos.

“Dragon Loungin’” kicks off the 2nd half talking about stacking mountains over a jazzy instrumental leading into the sample-driven “When the Chips Go Down” contains a cool Cypress Hill interpolation. “Still Nothin’” soulfully talks about not feeling anything after stealing from the rich & after “Bounty Huntin’” by the Sohio Players featuring Sniff discusses cashing bounties, “Walked Out the Vic” preceding the “Table Talk” outro feels the rain on a sunny day.

Whether it’s another EP or a sophomore effort, The Ghost of Ungar marks a drumlessly jazzy return for Sly Moon exploring the high stakes underworld of London’s casinos with a cigar smoke & cognac scented adventure accompanied by his Sohio Players cohort Salar & Sniff. Why Am I So Sly? was only the beginning of what he can do by himself, since Banned From the Vic & now this further demonstrate his evolution in terms of production & as a performer.

Score: 4/5

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DaeMoney – “Slae Season 3” review

This is the full-length debut from Detroit up-&-comer DaeMoney. Coming up as the nephew of one of the 2 biggest artists in the city right now Babyface Ray as well as a member of the WRLD Tour Mafia collective, he broke out on his own by dropping his debut mixtape Young Sexual Misconduct & his debut EP Slae Season accompanied by his 2nd EP Rockstar Lifestyle & then his previous tape Slae Season 2. But after signing to EMPIRE Distribution this past summer & celebrating in the form of his last EP Slayer’s Coming fully produced by Trees shortly after, Dae’s back in action for the final installment of the Slae Season trilogy.

“Overtime & Overgrind” is a cavernous, west coast flavored trap opener talking about how hip hop has saved him & that he’s the freshest motherfucker that you know whereas “Make ‘Em Say Ugh!” takes a more futuristic route courtesy of Trees giving his flowers to the Colonel of the Motherfuckin’ Tank himself Master P. “No Suits” blends some strings & pianos with hi-hats touching on a groupie asking him what happened to WTM Scoob & if she can get a WRLD Tour tattoo on her breasts, but then “Charles Barkley” turns into cloudier territory talking about showing people time & time again that he’s the one.

Rafa comes into the picture for the highlight track “Letter to Self” with it’s luxurious trap production & them dropping some truly motivational gems on the lyrical end that I think would resonate with the average listener leading into the psychedelic “Keep Hustlin’” obviously talking about the never-ending grind. Babyface Ray joins his nephew for “Basket” to get on their Detroit trap gangsta shit thanks to LulRose just before “Again?” confesses that he’s relapsed on lean tossing a muhfucka off the top rope like WWE Hall of Famer, former 3-time WWE Champion, 11-time WWE tag team champion, the inaugural WWE Hardcore Champion, CWA World Tag Team Champion & TNA World Champion Mick Foley the Hardcore Legend with some hi-hats, claps, occasional bells & a woozy loop.

“So Toxic” is a symphonic trap cut produced by Carlo Anthony clapping back at a groupie hoe prior to LUCKI & Veeze joining Dae for the cloudy “Who is That?” with Face on the hook as the trio talk about murdering everything & the titular question being exactly the ones they want everyone asking. The song “Slaeski Montana” is another highlight for me from the slick trap beat to the lyrics comparing himself to Tony Montana from the iconic film Scarface while the penultimate track “I Love It Here” has a more ethereal approach describing his current position in life. “Pop Star” closes the album out with a rock-trap crossover that Carlo hooked up declaring himself to be a rockstar.

Although I had previously stated last summer that Slayer’s Coming had to be my favorite body of work of Dae’s thus far, he really took it to a whole new level on the concluding chapter of the Slae Season trilogy. The production is more versatile, he assembles his biggest feature-list to date with all of them gelling well & the songwriting is a heartfelt reflection of his past along with his spot today as one of the biggest artists in the city.

Score: 4/5

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joMi – “Too Close” review

This is the debut EP from Oakland emcee joMi. Someone who’s been making his presence in the northern California known by working with the likes of Dizzy Wright, Demrick, 80 Empire & ¡MAYDAY! for over 5 years at this point. He even has a full-length debut under his belt called Samo from 2018 on top of a collaborative album with G. Cardona & Gran Elyan from a year & a half ago. However in light of signing to Soulspazm Records, it’s only right for joMi to properly introduce himself on Too Close.

“Cardona” is an emotional trap opener talking about pulling himself out of this familiar place frequently & after the “My Brother’s Keeper”, skit, Sunny” gives off a chilled out, psychedelic vibe talking about doing right & even apologizing for not being that excited previously. The song “Debo’s Watch, Pt. 2” delves into this whimsically produced trap sequel to the Samo closer & after the “Fallin’ Through the Sky” interlude, “Eye Sell” ends the EP on a groovy note asking who you got time for likening it to fiends on a tightrope trying to get free despite the fact that the time’s slow.

Too Close would be a good place to start in joMi’s discography considering how much it tells new listeners is that this is a guy who’s been dealing with internal growth & internal turmoil all this time. The production is a level up from Samo as he teaches that if you ever get too close to something; you may damage that relationship/object or you may damage yourself instead.

Score: 4/5

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Shaggytheairhead – “Coffee” review

This is the sophomore full-length album from Las Vegas, Nevada producer, rapper & fashion designer Shaggytheairhead. Catching my attention after producing one of my all-time favorite Ouija Macc songs “Nardwuar Glocc” back in 2018, he would back that up with 4 EPs before becoming an in-house producer for Chapter 17 Records & Psychopathic Records alongside his Mythic Mindz cohort Devereaux. Shaggy would drop his last album Wakin’ Up during the 21st annual Gathering of the Juggalos, which was the only Gathering I’ve ever been to & a weekend that I’ll never forget. As far as the actual music on Wakin’ Up, it’s my favorite of his thus far because of how much he improved his lyricism & that he dabbled with a wide range of sounds to show his influences. Following the Gathering of Dreams last summer however, he dropped a producer album called Grin to the Grave featuring a wide range of artists rapping over his production from Ouija to King Iso, Project Pat, Sir Michael Rocks & even Matt Ox. But to honor the 49th birthday of J Dilla & ヌジャベス, Shaggy’s returning in the form of Coffee.

After the “Shaggythelegend 3” skit, “Abyss” comes through with a trap opener calling for all the savages in this bitch prior to Trade Voorhees tags along for “Ima Make It” to talk about getting off your ass & doing something productive today working in some synths & hi-hats alongside a chopped & screwed inspired hook. “Need a Friend” hooks together a syrupy sample à la Three 6 Mafia to seek true friendship just before “Force Fed” dives into boom bap turf speaking to those who be feeling like they’re being imposed upon.

Trade returns on “Grind Everyday” keeping it in the basement encouraging to hustle until “Gotta Ask” continues with some kicks & snares put together with these spacious synth chords curious to know why he got done dirty. Darby O’Trill comes into the picture for the shrilling “Raygun” to bust shots at the zombies & encouraging those who have a problem with him to say something to them about it, but then the YungFiend verse on “Furnace” is probably the weakest feature on the album with all respect even though the atmospheric approach is nice & the themes of proving others how hot they be artistically.

The song “When Will They Learn?” eerily claps back at shit-talkers while “Witch” serves as the official closer to the album as he describes paranormally seeing a woman in the corner of every room that he enters with a dusty boom bap beat yet the “bonus cut” title track is the true finale to the album with it’s minimal yet bluesy instrumental accompanied by the heartfelt lyrics that look back on being down in his luck to eventually hanging with his idols & pursuing his dream in a music career.

Wakin’ Up was a great debut for Shaggy & a year & a half later with Coffee as the official follow-up, it was well worth it in my opinion. His production is continuing to evolve & the feature-list is much smaller than it was on the last album although they manage to do a fine job at bringing their own unique styles to the table. Now that he’s woken up & had his coffee, where do we go from here a year & a half from now? I’m curious to know.

Score: 4/5

Jehst – “Mork Calling Orson” review

Jehst is a 43 year old graffiti writer, MC & producer from Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England, United Kingdom introducing himself by dropping an EP called Premonitions through his own label YNR Productions based out of London. He would go on to drop High Plains Drifter along with his debut album The Return of the Drifter & the sophomore effort Falling Down under the Leeds imprint Low Life Records, following the latter up with the Mengi Bus mixtape & the Nuke Proof Suitextended play. The Dragon of an Ordinary Familyas well as Billy Green’s Dead & Heathens would all come out independently as a result of Low Life’s collapse, returning for his 5th studio LP.

“Cornerstone” starts with this symphonic boom bap beat produced by Sonnyjim talking about being a foundation of the UK hip hop movement when there are no lies being spoken whereas “You” works in some pianos admitting he doesn’t give a fuck regarding this person who isn’t anything like him whatsoever. The self-produced “Footsteps” takes a jazzier boom bap approach instrumentally becoming unsure in the midst of finding his way back home while “Lonely World” featuring SINDYSMAN finds the 2 talking about finding hope over a Sam Zircon beat.

Meanwhile on “Wild Herb”, we have Jehst exploring a bit of a g-funk sound for a look inside of his kaleidoscope leading into “Doctor” talking about life getting lonely without having anyone to hold down & him getting older. “Daily Planet” featuring Confucius MC finds the 2 linking up so they can observe the insanity occurring every single day just before “Flight to L.A.” embraces a more soulful sound thanks to Beat Butcha talking about wanting to hit up the west coast.

“Autumn Nights” featuring Confucius MC drumlessly reunites the pair to discuss making something out of nothing being a part of their daily lives while “1 Horse Town” featuring both Confucius MC & Eva Lazarus brings the trio together hoping a spot is saved in the areas they each call home. “Front Door” takes a slower approach in generally talking about looking out to find the antidote blowing ganja smoke & “Skylines” stripping the drums 1 last time asking who’s to blame for the thoughts polluting his brain.

Heavily sampling the Paramount Skydance Corporation owned sitcom Mork & Mindy, the YNR Productions founder continues to unlock Jehst’s superpower of making the melancholic incisively slice through all before him revisiting topics he’s explored in the past broken down from a brand new perspective. The production’s more jazzier & boom bap instead of continuing the experimentations of Billy Green’s Dead, employing a slower flow & reaching a typically supreme standard of syllables & similes over 2 decades later.

Score: 4/5

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OuterSpace – “Lost Angels” review

OuterSpace is a revered underground duo from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania consisting of Crypt the Warchild & Planetary. Originally a trio alongside Jedeye, they would catch the attention of local emcee Vinnie Paz & joined his Army of the Pharaohs collective following their debut EP Illegaliens. They would go on to drop 4 albums since, with my favorites being their full-length debut Blood & Ashes alongside their last one My Brother’s Keeper. But after laying low for over a decade, Crypt & Planetary are finally preluding Lost in Space in the form of their 2nd EP.

“Pay Homage” is an aggressive boom bap opener produced by MTK with OuterSpace demanding you give them their flowers while the song “Gimme Patience” with Elemxnt takes the trap route courtesy of C-Lance confessing that they’ve been trying to stay strong for too long. The penultimate track “10 Toes Down” returns to the boom bap as the duo strives to stay loyal to everyone on the ground until “Mi Hermano” comes through with a cinematic closer talking having no mercy to give & refusing to swallow their pride.

Lost in Space has been long overdue & if this is just a taste of what’s to finally come, then I’m sure it’ll be amongst the biggest comeback albums in recent memory. You can truly hear the passion reignited in Crypt & Planetary as their chemistry is stronger than it was when they first started 25 years back as the production mainly sticks to a more traditional boom bap sound.

Score: 3.5/5

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Isaac Castor – “The Rabbit Hole 2” review

This is the long-awaited sophomore album from Detroit emcee Isaac Castor. Coming up in 2010 under the original moniker Gameboi, he would go on drop 4 mixtapes & 3 EPs prior to signing to the local underground hip hop powerhouse Middle Finger Music following its formation 8 years later. He then enlisted the label’s co-founder Foul Mouth behind the boards for his full-length debut The Rabbit Hole a month after the world stopped due to the COVID-19 pandemic & both parties are reuniting to deliver a sequel in light of the predecessor’s 3-year anniversary in just a couple months.

“The Sequel” is a psychedelic boom bap opener with Isaac responding to those asking where he’s been all this time prior to Marv Won assisting him on “75 South” talking about how nobody puts it down the way they do accompanied by some keys, kicks & snares. “Eye See” has a more sample-based sound basically touching on life being as wonderful as it is & destined for greatness leading into the dusty “Admit It” comparing his raps to that of pure, uncut coke.

Moving onto “Tourniquet”, we have the Gameboi over a darker instrumental talking about pulling up to murder shit just before Jypsy tags along for the bluesy “Vamanos Pest” dropping some lethal bars for anyone who dares to step up to either one of them in a rap battle. “Nosebleeds” dives into more jazzier territory encouraging the goofy asses to walk back, but then “Cliffhanger” returns to the boom bap once again getting loose at the venues they shut down.

Dango Forlaine & Ronnie Alpha both tag along for the cutthroat “Napalm 8Ball” so all 3 MCs can flex their lyrical prowesses while “Smoke All Night” switches things up with a mystic trap beat & the subject matter of Isaac professing his love for weed is relatable to any stoner including myself. “Power of the Mind” instrumentally has a bit of a J Dilla influence to it advising that one is unable to front on titular topic while “Riddim” with Bang Belushi has a woozily dope sample flip as the pair go on to belittle their opposition.

Meanwhile with “Fall from Grace”, the production & DJ Skyrah’s hypnotic chorus give me quite a bit of Portishead vibes setting the course for Speak of the Devil’s upcoming debut as Xtra Overdoze joins Isaac talk about being stitched together kin to pain & pleasure while “Grand Prix” with Fatt Father & Guilty Simpson is a rock/boom bap crossover with a Pink Floyd sample toasting champagne off the Grand Haven Pier as long as his people are by his side. The song “Studio Vibe” with Bizarre is a mellower cut bringing exactly that while the crooning penultimate track “Still in the Hole” admits he’s finding the steps to climb out to the hole he’s still in. “Yes (Intro in Reverse)” comes through with a horn-inflicted closer attacking wack rappers 1 last time.

Considering the 3 year gap between this & the Gameboi’s full-length debut, it had me anticipating to hear how much dude has grown as artist since then & I happen to enjoy this sequel as much if not more than predecessor. Isaac sounds even hungrier than he did last time with the features all being as well-picked & the production that Foul Mouth cooks up is more eclectic in sound from boom bap to jazz rap & trap. Middle Finger Music always has something exciting going on & The Rabbit Hole 2 is just the beginning of their 2023.

Score: 4/5

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tana – “Gaultier” review

This is the 6th EP from Atlanta, Georgia up-&-comer tana. Coming up in 2018 as a member of the plu2o9 collective under the original moniker BabySantana, he would go on to drop his first 2 EPs Recreation! & Planet Sosa alongside his debut mixtape Quan a couple years later & eventually signed to Lil Tecca’s very own Republic Records imprint Galactic Records the next fall. But coming off his last 3 EPs n(n) as well as Santana & it’s sequel, tana’s ringing in 2023 by making Gaultier his official major label debut.

“y” is a cloudy trap opener to the EP with tana the type of woman to drive you crazy yet the one you’d want to settle down & have kids with whereas “archive” continues to take a more atmospheric route courtesy of Internet Money Records founder Taz Taylor talking about wanting to touch the stars. “saving me” samples “Clairvoyant” by MISOGI confessing that he can’t be saved whatsoever, but then “hell nah” gives me a more psychedelic feel talking about hanging with shooters & telling/showing you how he feels.

Moving on from there with “hell yeah”, we have tana boasting his wealth & being prideful of the position that he’s in currently on top of a pluggy trap instrumental leading into “fear no man” talking about being afraid of anyone or anything over some hi-hats & synthesizers provided by Nosaint & Zodiac from Vanguard Music Group. “gon be ok” keeps things in cloud rap territory promising that everything will work itself out in the end just before the piano-laced “swaggin’ like this”with Lancey Foux finds the 2 showing y’all how they swag out.

The song “as i walk thru the path” speaks on getting faded in light of haters over a peppy trap beat while the penultimate track “hills @ night” has a more wavier groove to it from the synths to the lyrics about wanting to call this baddie his. “hope you feel the same” however is an acoustic-heavy closer to the EP touching on being unable to numb the pain & being stuck in his ways. I also don’t mind the interpolation of “changes” by the late XXXTENTACION at the back-end of the verse either.

Of the 3 protégés that Lil Tecca has taken under his wing & signed to Galactic/Republic so far, I respectfully think tana is the most promising of the bunch & Gaultier further cements that in my personal opinion. From the improved production choices to the passionate performances & catchy songwriting, this is a solid major label debut that demonstrates how much he’s grown as an artist within the last 5 years & gives me the feeling that it’s only the beginning.

Score: 3.5/5

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Lil Yachty – “Let’s Start Here.” review

This is the 3rd full-length album from Mableton, Georgia rapper, singer/songwriter, producer & actor Lil Yachty. Skyrocketing to fame in 2016 by bringing a unique sound & personality to the trap subgenre on his debut mixtape Lil Boat, his subsequent material since then has ranged from being mid at best like Summer Songs 2 or even his previous mixtape Michigan Boy Boat to absolute trash like Teenage Emotions & Nuthin’ 2 Prove. But when I heard that Let’s Start Herewas gonna be a complete stylistic departure for Yachty in contrast to one of my favorite singles of last year “Poland”, I was sold in checking it out.

“the BLACK seminole.” pretty much sets the tone for what’s to come as Yachty sings about his inner self & compares himself to the titular Native American-Africans part of the Seminole people over a Jimi Hendrix/Pink Floyd inspired psychedelic rock instrumental whereas “the ride-“ with Teezo Touchdown takes a more neo-soul route with the 2 singing about needing the special women in their lives by their sides. “running out of time” has a more summery twang to it addressing a relationship that pretty much ran it’s course at this point prior to Foushée tagging along for the atmospheric “pRETTy” singing about dying the pussy.

After the “:(failure(:” interlude, “THE zone~” to go into space rock territory admitting that Yachty feel at home up until he’s by his lonely with Justine Syke counter-parting him telling him she never meant to make him feel alone & asking if he’d put anyone else above her leading into “WE SAW THE SUN!” having a bit of a Tame Impala influence sonically singing about how shit don’t get better & to take picture for proof. The “drive ME crazy!” duet with Diane Gordon has a more synthpop flare to it as they profess their love for one another with Yachty dropping a cool reference to both Kanye’s “Jesus Lord” and later WWE Hall of Famer & unrecognized WWE Champion Ted DiBiase, but then “IVE OFFICIALLY LOST ViSiON!!!!” is an otherworldly experience detailing a bad drug trip over an EPIC guitar riff.

“sAy sOMETHINg” brings back a more mellow vibe instrumentally living the dream & feeling like a teenager again while “paint THE sky” gives me a bit of an art pop feel to it singing about stalling for & overdosing on one’s love. The song “sHouLd i B?” treads the psychedelic pop waters admitting that he needs to do right by his lover & that he ain’t mad at what she did even though he’s unsure if he should be while the penultimate track “The Alchemist.” sings about living a good life over some warm rock production. “REACH THE SUNSHINE.” featuring Daniel Caesar is a 6 minute neo-psychedelic grand finale with them talking about filling a void.

If you told me 7 years ago that the same guy who made “1Night” & “Never Switch Up” would go on to drop a full-blown psychedelic rock album & actually manage to pull it off, I would’ve laughed at you. And if anyone can’t appreciate the artistic growth that Yachty shows throughout Let’s Start Here., then that’s your funeral because the most consistent body of work that I’ve heard from him in a grip. All the artists that he draws inspiration from mentioned throughout the review (i.e. Hendrix, Pink Floyd) have literally made some of my favorite music EVER & the fact that we got a body of work from him in those specific styles of music into his own after being called a “mumble rapper” early on in his career proves ANYTHING’s possible.

Score: 4.5/5