Shakewell – “Pray 4 Shakewell” review

Shakewell is a 30 year old MC from Los Angeles, California who came up in the spring of 2017 off his debut EP Keystone Prince. This was followed up a year later with his 2nd EP Big Juice tha Sip but in light of him signing to G*59 Record$ right when the pandemic started & the 5 year anniversary of Keystone Prince approaching this weekend, Shakewell is finally dropping his long-awaited full-length debut.

“Symphony No. 1” is a quirky yet fun opener talking about getting a new phone whereas “Take the Field” has a earlier tone to it asking why he’s still depressed despite his success. “The Foil & The Damage Done” takes a cloudier route melodically saying that you don’t wanna feel the pain he’s lived just before “Felonious” declares himself as a prodigy over some eerie trap production.

Meanwhile on “Nuestra Señora”, we have Shakewell talks about his ride or die bitch accompanied by a beat with a vintage west coast flare to it leading into the aggressive “Biscuit” produced by Flexatelli confessing that he always rides strapped. “20/20 Vision” incorporates some organs talking about seeing shit clearly, but then Fat Nick tags along for “Survival” to passionately express their hatred for the pigs.

“Late Night” returns to more atmospheric trap territory talking about serving packs to get his change while Boobie Lootaveli comes into the picture with one of the weaker features on “Woke Up” despite the piano instrumental & concept of what kind of man he wants to be today. The $uicideboy$ themselves make up for this on the tropical “Solutions” talking about using drugs to solve their problems while the song “Voodoo Walked” shoots for a more pillowy aesthetic bragging about the famous life.

The penultimate track “5 Ways” returns to a more quirkier yet bassy sound asking his opposition to choose 5 ways he can kill you & last but not at least, “Branzino” ends the album with some ghoulish trap talking about how he’s the type to pull up on you with the sticks.

Coming from someone who got introduced to Shakewell prior to his performance at the 20th annual Gathering of Juggalos the summer before COVID hit, I’ve been waiting eagerly for this full-length debut of his & it just goes to show that he fits right in with G*59. He comes through with some raw pen-game & the production is really interesting from the poppy & trappier cuts to the more hardcore & vintage west coast shit.

Score: 4/5

Ransom – “No Rest for the Wicked” review

Ransom is a 43 year old MC from Jersey City who came up as 1/2 of the short-lived duo A-Team alongside Hitchcock. After their disbandment, he branched out on his own beginning with his 2008 full-length debut Street Cinema & the Statik Selektah-produced sophomore effort The Proposal. But it’s been safe to say these last couple years have been his biggest so far whether it be the 5 EPs that he put out produced by Nicholas Craven & his last EP 7 based around the 7 deadly sins or his previous album Heavy’s the Head produced by Big Ghost Ltd. & the Rome Streetz collab album Coup de Grâce. So given all that, I was very much excited going into his 4th full-length album right here when it was announced a couple weeks back.

“The Hawk” kicks off the album with some heavy horns attacking those who be putting him in a box whereas “Rituals” with 38 Spesh finds the 2 over a joyous trap instrumental talking about being on the deep end trying to swim with no life vest. The Game tags along for the chipmunk soul heavy “Circumstances” produced by the album’s executive producer Nicholas Craven advising “not every friend is loyal, but your wife & kids is dependin’ on you” leading into “Overnight Success” having a more angelic talking about being awoken from the tundra.

Meanwhile on “Compromised”, we have Ransom over some strings calling out those plotting on his demise just before “Makin’ It” takes a soulful route talking about how life what’s you make it. “Redemption” keeps the soul samples coming bringing a light to the dark alley, but then Tyrant comes into the picture for the crooning “Captions” talking about looking good in social media posts & not living half the life.

The song “Imperial Glaciers” with Willie the Kid finds the 2 over these glistening piano melodies into the mix taking shots at the system for malnourishing them while the penultimate track “The Gambler” has more drumless quality to it talking about how he gambled chasing this rap shit. “Beautiful Gravesites” with Black Chakra & J. Arrr ends the album by classily encouraging to bake your own pie compared to everyone else trying to get a slice.

I was honestly expecting him to drop that project with Pete Rock he was talking about last year, but I think No Rest for the Wicked is still a great way to hold everyone over when or if that’s still going to happen. Ransom’s lyricism is some of his most introspective & I like that Nicholas Craven decided to give some shine to some lesser-known producers because I’m very interested in seeing what they all do from hereon out.

Score: 4/5

Autumn! – “Antagonist!” review

Autumn! is a 23 year old rapper/producer from Lafayette, Louisiana who’s made a name himself in the plugg scene by dropping 15 EPs & a full-length debut on SoundCloud since 2018. But in light of him signing to Victor Victor Worldwide & Republic Records following the release of his previous EP Not Much Longer last summer, he’s now returning with his long-awaited sophomore album & major label debut after teasing it for so long.

The self-produced title track opens up the album with some rage beats throwing shots at KanKan, SeptembersRich & Yeat whereas “STFU!” works in some Atari-like synths & some heavy bass talking about not wanting to hear shit unless it’s about the money. “STFU! 2” picks up right where it’s predecessor left off calling out those who backstabbed him, but then “I’m Him!” takes a ghostly route asking “Why these n****s keep playing like I ain’t him?”.

Meanwhile on “Everything!”, we have Autumn! returning to hypertrap territory declaring himself as a boss just before “Bentley Bentayga!” has a more futuristic flare to it talking about the rich lifestyle. “Bentley Bentayga! 2” is a bombastic follow-up to it’s predecessor asking how many bitches can fit in the titular car leading into the rage-sounding “Etiquette!” admits not knowing shit about protocol.

“Jumpin’!” goes into cloudier yet poppy territory thanks to Internet Money Records’ very own Rio Leyva reflecting on being destined for this music shit while “We Adapted!” returns to a more pluggier sound talking about feeling like a bastard & a pastor. The song “Free Bugga! 3” with Goyxrd is the 3rd tribute that Autumn! has made for his uncle Bugga in prison that’s just has touching as the predecessors while the penultimate track “Talk’s Cheap!” keeps the plugg vibes going talking about moving smarter. “1 Way!” eventually closes out the album with a contemporary R&B ballad addressing an ex.

Coming from someone who got put onto him last summer, I think this is a very impressive major label debut for Autumn! & some of the best work that he’s put out so far. The production is diverse in sound ranging from hypertrap to plugg & I admire that he didn’t go crazy for features to demonstrate his vocal/songwriting talents.

Score: 3.5/5

Action Bronson – “Cocodrillo Turbo” review

Action Bronson is a 38 year old MC from New York City who blew up with release of his debut album Dr. Lecter in 2011. He then landed a joint venture with VICE Music & Atlantic Records while following up his debut with a couple EPs & mixtapes. The most notable being the Blue Chips duology, Saab Stories & my personal favorite: Rare Chandeliers. He then put out his major label debut Mr. Wonderful in 2015 & it has some of his best songs on there, but the end result would be a more glitzy mixed bag. He fulfilled his contracts by dropping Blue Chips 7000 & celebrated his freedom the next year in the form of White Bronco which were both solid, but didn’t reach the caliber of Lamb Over Rice the Thanksgiving after. Only for Dolphins though was pretty mid given that some of the production choices were questionable, but I was more optimistic going into his 7th full-length album given the lead single earlier this month.

“Hound Dog” is a rock-tinged opener produced by Daringer declaring himself as such whereas the self-produced “Tongpo” with Conway the Machine goes into bluesier territory with both of them getting in their battle rap bag including a reference to 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. Hologram tags along for the piano-laced “Estaciones” talking about estimation just before “Jaws” works in a flute & guitar so that Bronson can compare himself to that of a crocodile.

Meanwhile on “Sub0”, we have Bronson on top of some more jazzier production provided by The Alchemist delivering some sick punchlines leading into Meyhem Lauren coming into the picture for the dusty “Turkish” talking about needing the money on the table by this morning. “Jaguar” takes a more soulful route thanks to Roc Marciano spitting some witty braggadocio, but then “Zambezi” finds Marci jumping on the mic with Bronson on top of a beat with some rock undertones to it delivering mafioso bars.

The penultimate track “‘91” shoots for a more keyboard heavy sound addressing those who said he disappeared by explaining he was only practicing while “Storm of the Century” ends the album with a drumless instrumental mixing elements of rock & jazz as Bronson talks about doing things that only the devil happens to know of referencing the late WWE Hall of Famer, former WWE Champion, 2-time WWE United States Champion, 2-time WWE Intercontinental Champion, 4-time WWE Tag Team Champion, 2-time WWE Cruiserweight Champion, 2-time ECW World Television Champion IWA World Champion & AAA Mundial Parejas Campeon Eddie Guerrero.

I really didn’t know what to expect from Cocodrillo Turbo given the mediocrity of Only for Dolphins but much like Lamb Over Rice, I came away from this album looking at it as one of his best projects in a while. The production is a lot more consistent than it was 7 months ago & I really admire that Bronson decided to bring back the Dr. Baklava alter ego.

Score: 4/5

Future – “I Never Liked You” review

Future is a 38 year old rapper & singer/songwriter from Atlanta, Georgia who came up as a member of the Dungeon Family thanks to his cousin Rico Wade of Organized Noize. He officially made his debut in 2012 with Pluto & would later follow it up with a hot streak of modern day trap essentials like Honest, Monster, Beast Mode & my personal favorite of his: D.S. 2 (Dirty Sprite 2). However since 2017, Future has mostly been painting himself in a corner & prioritizing quantity over quality. I mean sure HNDRXX took a more sensual approach & SUPER SLIMEY showed a pretty great chemistry with fellow trap trailblazer Young Thug, but Beast Mode 2 was a step down from the predecessor & he got with the late Juice WRLD that same fall to put out a collab tape that literally should’ve never happened: WRLD on Drugs. Finally at the very beginning of that next year, The WIZRD was just passable even though it showed NO artistic evolution whatsoever & Save Me was a decent attempt at being more vulnerable yet versatile. However, his last album High Off Life admirably found him staying true to himself & trying new things. But after spending 2021 doing features, he’s returning in the form of his 9th full-length album.

“7:12pm” opens up the album with some dramatic trap production from Wheezy talking about his ice & bitch pullin’ up his nickname from Google whereas “I’m Dat N****a” works in some suspenseful piano chords thanks to Southside & DY talking about being the shit even though the “Fucked in her ass, made her peepee” line is hilariously bad. Kanye West tags along for “Keep It Burnin’” encouraging to keep the city on fire over an atmospheric instrumental, but then Gunna & Young Thug join him on “For a Nut” to talk about bossing bitches up for such over some hi-hats & heavy bass.

Meanwhile on “Puffin’ on Zootiez”, we have Future coming through with a cloudy smoker’s ode produced by TM88 leading into the vibrant “Gold Stacks” talking about being a rich junkie. Drake comes into the picture for “Wait for U” getting romantic over a guitar from ATL Jacob, FNZ & 1SRAEL of Working on Dying just before the melodically spacious “Love You Better” confronts an ex.

“Massaging Me” has a more energetic vibe to it talking about getting these millions persistent while “Chickens” with EST G. goes into more nocturnal territory saying that’s all they want. “We Jus Wanna Get High” shoots for a more eerie sound talking about being in love with the money while “Voodoo” incorporates some pitched-up vocals & pianos as well as a stellar hook from Kodak Black to tackle the idea of dancing with the devil.

Following that, “Holy Ghost” confesses that nobody speaks the language he does over a bone-chilling instrumental down to the choir vocals while the song “The Way Things Going” is a piano ballad talking about how only family matters. Drake returns for the penultimate track “I’m on One” to brag that they’re built different referencing Washington Capitals captain Alexander Ovechkin over a cinematic beat even though Drizzy decided to pretend to be Blueface at the end of the hook for whatever reason. “Back to the Basics” finishes off the album by saying he doesn’t want to go back to such over a violin.

It’s been almost 2 years since the trap pioneer has made an artistic statement on his own, but I think this is a solid follow-up to High Off Life. Although I personally think the production on the latter album was better, I do admire that Future wanted to put himself out there more so he can learn how to become a better person & succeeded in doing so.

Score: 3.5/5

Darby O’Trill – “Gully” review

Darby O’Trill is a 29 year old MC from Key Largo, Florida who came up in the fall of 2018 off his full-length debut Blood, Guts & a Whole Lotta Love. This was followed up with Fester almost a year later, but it wasn’t until a few months after the pandemic hit where Darby enlisted Chapter 17/Psychopathic in-house producer Devereaux to fully produce his 3rd album Piecemeal to critical acclaim & I’ll forever be grateful that he gave yours truly a shoutout on the closer. But in light of him signing to Lyrikal Snuff Productionz over the fall, Darby & Devereaux are back at it again for his 4th full-length outing.

“Enter the Swamps” is a bass-heavy opener talking about a spot in the swamps where the bodies rot whereas “Terrorizer” gets on his murderous shit over a morbid instrumental. Shaggytheairhead & Yung Strife tag along for the cold “Mac Meaties Burgers” talking about giving no fucks just before the bombastic “Down by the Lake” details how it’s been a long day digging graves.

Meanwhile on “Casey Becker’s Dead”, we have Darby warning everyone that you can’t escape him over an instrumental with an incredibly morbid atmosphere to it leading into “Your God’s an Awesome Fraud” going into more trap territory advising that praying isn’t gonna save you from being killed. Damien Quinn comes into the picture for the piano/bass infused “Bonechillers” returning to their serial killer bag, but then “Forget the Pigs, Feed ‘Em to the Fish” comes through with an outstanding sequel to “I Think You’d Make Excellent Pigfeed” off his last album Piecemeal.

“Puddlemane” details how disgusting he is over an unsettling beat while “Sack Full of Rotting Heads” works in some bells & pianos talking about making his victims suffer. “Sunderland’s Wunderland” has a more suspenseful tone to the production as he twists the lid off the chemicals while “Big Idiot Shit” with Cody Manson finds the 2 over some heavy bass yet again talking about breaking jaws before their balls dropped.

Following that, “Welcome to Primetime” tells the story of Darby falling asleep & seeing a man in a chair who’s been waiting for him over an occult instrumental while “3 Skulls with Blood” goes full blown trap metal talking about all his desires hurting him. “In the Kingdom of the Possums” takes a more murky trap route asking to bury him while “Swampicide” with Scum describes the voices in their head accompanied by a slow yet foggy beat.

Jigsaw Killa’s verse on “The Kirsten Dunst Experiment” has to be my least favorite feature on the entire album even though I love the concept of the problems they have as well as the rugged production while “Tainted Blood Courses Through My Veins” has an icier sound proclaiming the wicked shit will never die. Yung Strife returns for the song “Christ of the Blockheads” to get ready for combat over a blaring instrumental while the penultimate track “Body in a Void” with Insane Poetry sees the 2 talking about laying asses down in a hole over a bloodcurdling trap beat. “When Dust Becomes 1 with the Dirt” ends the album with a guitar & some hi-hats expressing his desire for the pin to be taken away.

I’ve been looking forward to this album for a little over a year now & in the end, Darby gave us his magnum opus with Gully because this is a modern horrorcore classic & further cements him as the future of the wicked shit. Devereaux’s production is a lot more darker than his more recent work with Ouija Macc & as far as Darby’s lyricism goes, he’s at his most macabre.

Score: 4.5/5

Tha God Fahim – “Dump Gawd: Shot Clock King 3” review

Tha God Fahim is a 25 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. He just dropped his 19th album Dump Gawd: 6 Ring Champ last month & now, he’s re-enlisting Nicholas Craven to close out the Dump Gawd: Shot Clock King trilogy.

“Mr. Microphone Menace” kicks off the EP with some astounding guitar riffs declaring himself as such whereas “World Upside Down” goes into soulful territory talking about those who tried to make his life hell on earth. “Non Stop” has more jazzier flare to it saying he’s back cooking again, but then “Will’z Hand” works in some synths talking about fucking with the wrong one.

The song “Love n Hate 2” is a stellar sequel to a 6 Ring Champ highlight from the “it’s just possible” vocal sample to the lyrics expanding on the predecessor’s concept of how people act towards him while the penultimate track “Flex Brolic” follows it up with a passionate ode to those still striving. “From the Ground Up” ends the EP by victoriously bragging about his success.

Despite being an EP, I happen to like this a tad bit more than 6 Ring Champ because I find it to be a worthy conclusion to Shot Clock King trilogy. Nicholas Craven continues to expand on the sounds that be brought to the table on the predecessors & Fahim lyrically is coming for throats for a good portion of it.

Score: 4.5/5

Twiztid – “Nickel Bag” review

Twiztid is a hip hop 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 6 albums & 6 EPs on their own label, my favorite of which being /ˌrevəˈlāSH⁽ᵊ⁾n/. But with the 5th annual Astronomicon going down this weekend, they’re celebrating by dropping their 14th EP limited to only 420 copies.

After the melodic yet chilled out “Smoke” intro which only has Jamie on it, the first song “High Life” starts off the EP with a fun little ode to that good kush whereas the “Hydro” remix is alright even though the main version with Layzie Bone is a highlight off The Green Book & hearing it without the latter’s verse feels kinda weird to me personally. “The Clouds Outside” goes into hazier territory talking about being higher than such & as for the remix of “Come On Let’s Get High” off of The Continuous Evilutions of Life’s ?’s, I actually prefer it over the original. Especially with the horns throughout.

Even though it’s only an intro with 2 new songs & 2 remixes, I still look at Nickel Bag as an acceptable way to hold everyone over until the Unlikely Prescription follow-up Welcome to Your Funeral produced entirely by Zeuss & their “straight up wicked” album. I can do without the “Hydro” remix but other than that, Twiztid & Fritz reunite to deliver something fresh for all the smokers out there.

Score: 3.5/5

Stanwill – “Big $hitter” review

Detroit, Michigan rapper Stanwill making his full-length studio debut. Coming up as 1/3 of the ShittyBoyz with Babytron & TR Dee signing to Lando Bando’s own The Hip Hop Lab Records, he eventually branched out on his own during the COVID-19 pandemic as did the rest of the group off the debut EP $camwill as well as it’s successor Gifted & the debut mixtape Van Gundy. However, the Big $hitter of the Dog $hit Militia collective has revealed himself after going Full Auto.

“When You Dropping?” gets the ball rollin’ with him & the rest of his crew making it seem like they’re working out the way they be flexing whereas “Sandlot” talks about how his lil’ bro been swinging the sticks lately. “Rick Grimes” references the main character of the amc series The Walking Dead’s early seasons while “OMG” finds him & the rest of the squad trippin’ out at the Ritz-Carlton.

4-time WWE world champion, 2-time WWE Intercontinental Champion, WWE United States Champion, 6-time WWE Tag Team Champion, PWG World Tag Team Champion, ROH World Champion & 2-time ROH World Tag Team Champion Seth Rollins gets referenced during “On i94” produced by Danny G leading into “Crash the Whip” talks about shopping with no limits, buying an outfit that cost as much as a whole pint.

“GoldenEye” named after the timeless Nintendo 64 game of the same name flexes that he’ll turn his entire opps into Ronald McDonald the way he be hittin’ ‘em with the Mac-10 leading into “Chemistry” talking about stealing bitches solely off his chain referencing the WME Group-owned UFC president Dana White. “Forever Active” featuring TR Dee finds the pair shit-talking over a Danny G beat while “Real Me” shows the most synthetic version of himself.

Meanwhile on “Tag Popper”, we have Stan describing the type of people he & the rest of the D$M are while “Glock on Stage” talks that he be hanging with the killers staying strapped when performing at shows. “Effortless” boasts that he doesn’t have to box because he keeps the Glock by his side daily prior to “Why the Fuck?” asking for the reason people think they’re part of the Dog $hit Militia.

“Fr Doe” featuring TRL trades the mic back-&-forth with each other decently over a Danny G instrumental while “Poetry” references the New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick the way he draws plays up for bills. “Cooper Kupp” gives a nod to the Los Angeles Rams WR of the same name while “No Lie” talks about him & his crew being sticked up at every single function they pop out at.

We get a cleverly chopped up string sample all over “Violin” looking back on coming from the dirt to the position that he’s in currently with the rest of his D$M family while “Limitless” by Lewis & Clark takes a couple minutes to trade brief verses with one another. “Shit Show” talks about chasing bags being the only thing he knows while “1st Class” explains that he keeps an X on him because he’s an Off-White enthusiast.

“Gladys Knight” winds down the last few minutes of Big $hitter by talking about the idea of becoming broke being exactly like a fish sinking & making the chopper sing while “No Way” featuring Tae Retro wraps up the LP with both parties breaking down the rebel mindset each of them have, refusing to work with anyone who doesn’t have anything to say to them from a financial position.

With 3 EPs & a mixtape under his belt already, Stanwill’s debut album Big $hitter will certainly appeal more tho those who got into him as a solo artist through $camwill or Van Gundy in comparison to the moderate reception of Full Auto although I certainly enjoyed it last fall for what it was. The secondary influences within the production puts an emphasis on more standard trap in addition to the Detroit sound we all know & it’s the most lyrically gangsta he’s been since Gifted.

Score: 4/5

Weiland – “Vices” review

Weiland is a 21 year old rapper, singer/songwriter, producer & audio engineer from Tampa, Florida who came up in 2016 off his debut EP Insomnia. He would follow it up with his first 2 mixtapes Packrunner & Grimey Life but at the beginning of this current decade, Weiland wound up signing Victor Victor Worldwide & they backed his eponymous full-length debut that same fall. But for his sophomore effort over here, he’s decided to experiment with some new sounds & it immediately drew me in.

“Slipping Into the Void” opens up the album with a synthpop banger produced by Mike Dean asking why he’s still alive whereas “Can’t Save Her” tells the story of a hoe pretty much over some new wave production. “Broken Ego” works in some fast drumming with some synthesizers talking about suffering from such leading into “Dangerous Woman”, which has more of a Tame Impala influence to it describing the devil in designer clothes.

Meanwhile on “All the Same”, we have Weiland wishing for a change over some synthwave production just before “Still Chasing After Happiness” goes into coldwave territory asking his ex if she still thinks about him. “Better Place” keeps the synthpop going showing a side of him that’s never been shown before, but then “Hard Time” goes full-blown post-punk confessing that he’s been dealing with a breakup poorly. That being said, it is very catchy & you can hear the pain in his voice.

“Blaming Myself” fuses neo-psychedelia & hypnagogic pop together confessing his emotional dependence on a toxic relationship while the song “Wanted More” talks about the falling out of a relationship over some more synthwave beats. The penultimate track “Mellotron” perfectly lives up to it’s name with it’s colorful production expressing his love for the instrument of the same name & “Farewell” ends the album with 1-last coldwave cut detailing his drug abuse.

Given that his earlier work is deeply rooted into the trap/plugg sound, this wasn’t what I was expecting going into it. That being said, I’m blown away with what I heard & I’ll even go as far to say it’s Dawn FM on Steroids. No disrespect to Abel at all because I thought it was a great follow-up to After Hours, but Mike Dean was the perfect person to help Weiland go into that synthpop territory given the progressive electronic style of his 3 latest solo efforts only to go above & beyond in nearly every aspect.

Score: 4.5/5