Canibus – “Kaiju” review

Canibus is 47 year old MC from Kingston, Jamaica who came up as 1/2 of the duo T.H.E.M. alongside C.I. back in ‘92. They eventually split up a few years later & Bis would blow up in ‘97 after appearing on the LL Cool J song “4, 3, 2, 1” that later resulted in a beef between both parties. He would then go on to make a lengthy yet consistent discography with albums like Rip the Jacker being breathtaking at best & then Mind Control being unlistenable at worst. Last we heard from him was in 2015 with the incredible Time Flys, Life Dies…Phoenix Rise fully produced by Bronze Nazareth & is now enlisting Body Bag Ben for his 16th full-length outing.

“Curmudgeon” sets off the whole album with a symphonic boom bap instrumental killing it for 4-minute about how bad-tempered he is whereas the “Entameta” remix sounds better than the original although the DMX feature is pointless because he doesn’t have a verse at all. “Hydra” takes a more dustier route ripping his opposition to shreds just before the production on “Live Action Role Play” seems ripped out of a horror flick portraying a dystopian future.

I have no doubt in my mind that “Travis Scott Concert” with Body Bag Ben himself & Born Sun was recorded before the ASTROWORLD Fest crowd crush that took place last month, but for him to keep it on the album just seems a little too soon if that makes any sense. However, “Animal Husbandry” picks things back up by declaring not giving a duck about much other than well-prepared bars on top of a dire beat. “COVID Santa” paints some incredibly vivid imagery having a more occult sound to it just before the intimidating “Kaiju Karaoke” continuing to slit doubters’ throats.

Meanwhile on “The Long Road”, we have ‘Bis on top of some dusty drums & shrilling synth melodies to take a ride out to the country side while the song “Verzuz”. As for the last 2 tracks: They’re both unnecessary remixes of the MF DOOM/Kool Keith loosie “Notebook 04” & “Desperados”, which was one of my favorites off Hus Kingpin’s last album The Firm.

For the 6 year wait, this is a fantastic comeback for the rapping scientist & arguably one of the best albums of his career thus far. He sounds incredibly focused continuing to rap circles around cats like it’s nothing & Body Bag Ben knocks it out or the park behind the boards.

Score: 4/5

Rick Ross – “Richer Than I Ever Been” review

This is the 11th full-length album from Miami, Florida rapper, entrepreneur, record executive & Maybach Music Group Rick Ross. Making his debut on wax in 2000 on Erick Sermon’s 3rd album Erick Onasis he would eventually make his full-length debut 6 years later with Port of Miami & was followed up by Trilla. Both of which were just ok, but it wouldn’t be until 2009 that Rozay would really solidify himself as a legend in the game as Deeper Than Rap, Teflon Don, God Forgives, I Don’t & Mastermind are all rightfully regarded as his best bodies of work. Rather You Than Me & Port of Miami 2 were both impressive as well, so to see him come back in the form of Richer Than I Ever Been had me excited given the mediocrity of both Expensive Pain & Folarin II earlier this fall.

The-Dream tags along for the opener “Little Havana” advising listeners that you gotta learn to use your mind to help keep you out of certain situations on top of a Boi-1da instrumental whereas the Timbaland-produced “The Pulitzer”, which has a more ominous sound & boastful lyrics. Benny the Butcher comes into the fold for the lavish “Rapper Estates” talking about living big time, but then “Marathon” weaves in a glistening STREETRUNNER beat reminding that he’s more than rich.

Future accompanies Rozay on “Warm Words in a Cold World” alongside Wale coming fresh off performing during former WWE Champion, NXT Champion, 2-time WWE Intercontinental Champion & 8-time WWE tag team champion Big E’s entrance at WrestleMania XXXVII this past spring although his 2nd reign as WWE Intercontinental Champion came to an end by former WWE United States Champion Apollo Crews for an infectiously fun ballad about icing out their shawties leading into the DreamDoll-assisted “Wiggle” which is basically a failed attempt at strip club banger despite the Don Cannon instrumental.

“Can’t Be Broke” has an admirable concept on top of Johnny Shipes’ production being another notable factor, but Yungeen Ace & Major 9’s performances are both wack as fuck. “Made It Out Alive” has one of the weaker beats on the album even though Rozay kills it lyrically detailing him surviving the hood prior to Gordo, araabMUZIK & Infamous bringing in the horns for “Outlawz” with 21 Savage declaring themselves as such forever.

The song “Imperial High” has a grim DJ Toomp instrumental comparing himself to royalty while the Black Metaphor-produced title track has a more piano heavy sound talking about being at his wealthiest. To finish the album off, “Hella Smoke” with Wiz Khalifa for the glossy weed smoking theme.

Ross has always stayed consistent with his music, but I feel like Richer Than I Ever Been is one of his best albums thus far. The production is top notch as to be expected & lyrically, it’s nice to hear him take listeners through where he’s at currently.

Score: 3.5/5

Endemic Emerald – “The Virux” review

Endemic Emerald is a 42 year old producer from New York City who started putting out projects of his own in 2009 with the full-length debut Terminal Illness. This was followed up with a sequel record nearly half a decade later & now coming fresh off fully producing Darkim Be Allah’s sophomore effort Antediluvian King last fall, Endemic is enlisting a lengthy list of underground MCs for his 3rd album.

After the titular intro, the first song “Militant Ethos” by Royal Flush, Ruste Juxx, Steele, Tragedy Khadafi sets the album off fantastically with a glistening boom bap instrumental comparing themselves to that of a militia whereas “Champion Sound” by Darkim Be Allah & Kasim Allah weaves in some organ melodies talking about being victorious. “The Awakening” by FRD FRLN, Lucky Tatt & Planet Asia sonically picks up where previous cut left off getting spiritual leading into the symphonic “Across 110th Street” by Revenge of the Truence flexing their lyrical abilities.

Meanwhile on “Critical Mae”, we have Rim alongside Innocent & Foul Monday over some more organ loops declaring themselves as that real hardcore just before “Actual Science” by Planet Asia, Sadat X & Darkim Be Allah is chockfull of insightful lyricism on top of some classy production. “They Live” by Chris Rivers & Revenge of the Truence goes into a more eerier direction paying homage to the WWE Hall of Famer Roddy Piper film of the same name.

The song “Battle Zone” by Ruste Juxx, Skanks & Supreme goes back into boom bap turf with some keyboards causing ruckus lyrically while the penultimate track “Yesterday’s Tomorrow by Innocent, Mic Handz & Dready Kruger weaves in a chipmunk soul sample paying homage to the fallen icons of our culture. “The Struggle” by Neek the Exotic & Darkim Be Allah is then a touching closer talking about making a respective hustle.

Coming away from this, I think it could very well be Endemic Emerald’s best solo outing thus far. I think the whole bioweapon concept is very well thought out & despite a few lackluster performances, the MCs manage to do their thing on the mic.

Score: 3.5/5

Juice WRLD – “Fighting Demons” review

Juice WRLD was a 21 year old rapper from Chicago, Illinois who quickly becoming a prominent face in the emo rap trend in the spring of 2018 off the strength of his commercial debut Goodbye & Good Riddance. This was followed up the next year with the sophomore album Death Race for Love but unfortunately, Juice passed away later that same year from a drug overdose. Now even though I personally found both of those albums to be average at best before his untimely death, they eventually grew on me & the kid was undeniably talented. Case in point: “Lucid Dreams” & his astonishing 1-hour Tim Westwood freestyle. Legends Never Die from last summer was a cool little tribute to Juice also but with the 2 year anniversary of his death passing by earlier this week, his estate is dropping his 2nd posthumous album albeit 4th overall.

“Burn” is an bittersweet opener produced by Metro Boomin’ opening up about Juice’s drug addiction whereas “Already Dead” finds Nick Mira of Internet Money Records working in some pianos & the dude is essentially foreshadowing his own death through the lyrics. Gezin keeps the heat going with “You Don’t Understand” talking about never giving a fuck about anything, but then the Justin Bieber-duet “Wandered to LA” just seems like a forced attempt at a radio hit & that’s not Juice’s fault at all.

After the “Eminem Speaks” interlude, we have T-Minus taking the album in a more cavernous direction on “Rockstar in His Prime” with Juice rightfully comparing himself as such leading into Take a Daytrip sampling “High School” by iON LIL GUT for “Doom” which speaks on looking for self destruction. “Go Hard” has one of the weaker instrumentals on the album even though I like that Juice’s basically paying tribute to Ally Lotti & after the “Juice Speaks” interlude, “Not Enough” is a badass rap rock tune about failed relationships.

Polo G & Trippie Redd tag along for “Feline” referencing the WWE’s 2nd flagship program Friday Night SmackDown on the Fox Corporation’s flagship property while “Relocate” almost has a country trap vibe to it talking about his success. After the “Juice Speaks 2” interlude, “From My Window” continues to fuse guitars with snares talking about living like Rambo whereas “Until the Plug Comes Back Around” has a more trippier sound once more detailing drug addiction.

The song “Girl of My Dreams” with SUGA is a pretty awkward romance ballad while the penultimate track “Feel Alone” sees Danny Wolf bringing in some somber guitar chords with Juice talking about depression. And to finish off the album, “My Life in a Nutshell” goes into a more cloudier route noting the fact that people knew him for his music & not his struggles before he passed.

I was honestly a bit worried about how this album was gonna turn out, but I ended up enjoying it quite a bit & it’s definitely one of the better posthumous outings I’ve heard all year. Only a couple of the joints on here seem cobbled together, but the rest is just fully fleshed out AND they’re actually enjoyable for the most part.

Score: 3.5/5

O.T. the Real – “Broken Glass” review

This is the 3rd album from Philadelphia emcee O.T. the Real. Coming up in 2016 after coming home from prison & dropping his debut single “Papercuts”., his profile began to grow from there after showcasing his skills on radio stations as well as dropping an eponymous full-length debut & 2 EPs. His sophomore album Evil Empire just came out at the beginning of the year & celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with the Heatmakerz-produced The Irishman, but is now finishing 2021 by enlisting DJ Green Lantern to produce Broken Glass from start to finish

The title track is a cold blooded opener talking about coming up from the mud whereas the piano laced “Coke & Guns” with Benny the Butcher perfectly gets in their mafioso bags. “4 Wheeler” has a more drearier sound talking about being remembered when he’s gone leading into Millyz tagging along for the combative “Go to War”.

Meanwhile on “The Wheels Fall Off”, we have O.T. delivering a powerful piano ballad about riding until the end just before “The Details” has a more chipmunk soul vibe spilling his come-up on wax. Eto & Uncle Murda come into the fold for the downhearted “So Foul” calling out the industry, but then “You Do It” goes into a more bluesy direction talking about how there’s rules to life even though it ain’t no game.

“Serious Shit” hauntingly advises listeners that this is as real as it gets even though SKNJ’s verse is a bit underwhelming & the “You Are Who You Eat With” sequel is arguably better than the predecessor down to the organ-laced beat. The song “Philly Streets” basically tells you how it is in O.T.’s hometown over a groovy instrumental while the penultimate track is a wig-flipping freestyle lasting 3 minutes. The album ends with the guitar-driven “I Got You”, where O.T. pretty much looks back on his life up to this point.

I know I said that The Irishman was O.T.’s best work thus far, but he really might outdone himself on this one. The lyricism is continuing to level up at mindblowing rate & DJ Green Lantern’s production on here is much more darker than The Heatmakerz’ even though I love their signature sound.

Score: 4/5

Russ – “Chomp 2” review

Russ is a 29 year old rapper, producer & singer/songwriter from Secaucus, New Jersey who’s released a total of 11 mixtapes on SoundCloud from 2011 up to 2014. He wound up signing Columbia Records in 2016 & made his full-length debut the year after with There’s Really a Wolf, quickly becoming one of hip hop’s most polarizing figures in recent memory. Primarily because of being a “fake activist” against drugs & then there’s his infamous 2016 interview with DJ Vlad the culture vulture where he literally said “we need to blame producers for all the wack music today”. His 2018 follow-up ZOO kinda caught my interest due to “The Flute Song”, but the end result of it being taken over by this annoyingly bitter demeanor. Shake the Snowglobe was slightly better & his debut EP CHOMP last year ended up being his best work so far, although it’s because the features & producers carried. But to close out the year, Russ bringing an all-star cast of well-respected names for his 12th mixtape.

“Sheep” kicks off the whole thing with a skeletal boom bap beat from Jake One with fake woke lyrics attached onto it whereas “Blue Chip” works in a groovy mR. pOrTeR instrumental & Ransom’s verse at the backend is more aggressive than Russ’ at the start. “Bucket Hat Low” has some cool background vocals & Papoose’s verse starts it off well, but Russ’ signature narcissistic attitude at the end straight up kills it. Hi-Tek provides a more west coast sound for “Nothin’ New” where The Game’s wordplay is really the star of it all leading into the soulful “Salute” produced by 9th Wonder which starts off with a mediocre verse, but then Styles P & Westside Gunn pick it back up talking about being undisputed.

Meanwhile on “Faith”, we have Jadakiss accompanying Russ to encourage trusting yourself even though the beat is plain as fuck just before the DJ Premier-laced “Free” goes into boom bap turf talking about being only human as Big K.R.I.T. & WWE Hall of Famer Snoop Dogg dominate it. “Top of the World” with Jay Electronica has an airy Harry Fraud beat serving as a cool victory lap referencing the current 2-time WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns whose late brother Rosey was a former FMWハードコアタッグチームチャンピオン& WWE Tag Team Champion, but then “Note to Self” feels like a microwaved leftover from Big Sean’s latest EP What You Expect? down to the Hit-Boy instrumental.

“Hustler” is basically a short yet decent freestyle with a more interesting Jake One beat while “Distance” has a NASTY boom bap instrumental from The Alchemist taking shots at their doubters even though it doesn’t sound like Conway the Machine or Ghostface Killah are throwing a temper tantrum on wax. The song “Get It” fuses some dusty drums & pianos with the help of Statik Selektah motivating listeners with CyHi the Prynce & Lloyd Banks’ verses not sounding forced while the penultimate track “Enjoy the View” has an explosive Bink! beat & Russ keeps up with Mozzy talking about letting the success continue to roll in. “Golden” then ends the album with a wintery Boi-1da instrumental addressing people turning on him & the hook is just atrocious.

I will say that this tape is better than it’s predecessor, but by a small margin. Much like the first Chomp, the features & production are all A1. However, it’s Russ’ actual songwriting & performances that bog it down. Like it’s cool for him to bring these bigger names on board, but they shouldn’t have to carry a whole project from him or anyone. Out of touch old heads will still eat it up though.

Score: 2.5/5

Mach-Hommy – “Balens Cho” review

This is the 11th EP from New Jersey emcee Mach-Hommy. Blowing up in the underground off his Griselda-backed sophomore effort H.B.O. (Haitian Body Odor), he & Tha God Fahim fell out with them shortly after only to reconcile this past Christmas & then Mach returned to the label over the spring with one of best albums of the year: Pray for Haiti. But in light of his Dump Gawds colleague Your Old Droog dropping Space Bar last week, Mach is continuing to apply pressure by dropping Balens Cho.

After the “La Prèmiere Bougie” intro, the first song “Labou” starts the whole thing off with Nicholas Craven weaving in some incredible saxophones wittily talking about being the new Rick Rubin & Russell Simmons whereas “La Deuxième” is just a decent interlude. “Separation of the Sheep & the Goats” incorporates a sweet vocal sample humbly opening up about his blessings leading into the “Magnum Band” sequel produced by the late Ras G which I’ll go as far to say is superior & darker than the predecessor.

After the “La Troisième” interlude, we have Mach talking about playing with the Heat longer than Udonis Haslem on “Lajan Sal” accompanied by an instrumental that gives me crazy Italian monster vibes just before the “La Quatrième” interlude comes into play. “Wooden Nickels” is probably the most heart-wrenching cut on the EP cautioning shady motherfuckers while the song “Traditional” cleverly uses the same rhyme scheme throughout over a healthy mix of horns & whistling even though it could’ve been a little bit longer.

After the “La Cinquième” interlude, Tha God Fahim tags along for the penultimate track “Money Magnets” getting on some boom bap shit talking about dominating the rap game & “Self Luh” finishes the EP with Mach encouraging listeners to treat their bodies like it’s the only one they got on top of a comforting beat from Conductor Williams.

I’ve been fiending for this shit hard ever since it was originally announced a month ago & my God is it a great follow-up to Pray for Haiti. The excessive amount of interludes are annoying because they’re all so short that there’s no point of them being on there, but the production is as equally fantastic & Mach still manages to drop bars that’ll make you run it back.

Score: 4/5

al.divino – “2 Nights in Marrakesh” review

This is the latest full-length album from Massachusetts emcee/producer al.divino. For the last 4-5 years, the dude has been steadily dropping music ranging from the Dump Gawd: Divino Edition duology to the Futurewave-produced Kataklizm & the DJ Muggs-produced Kilogram. He’s also dropped a total 6 EPs & 2 mixtapes throughout 2021, but they’ve have been either hit or miss unfortunately. That being said though, I was undeniably excited for 2 Nights in Marrakesh given that one of my favorite producers in recent memory Big Ghost Ltd. was lacing the whole thing from front to back.

“Locusts” is a disgustingly ill opener weaving in a bare guitar loop talking about he’s trying to get rich than drunk whereas “Premium Octane” gets on the hustler shit & the jazzy production is super fresh to me. “Aqua Pyro” goes on to tell the listeners to trust what he rights with a fittingly Hellish tone to the instrumental, but then “Derelict Wisdom” talks about wetting up the block & the drumless beat enhances the seriousness of it to me.

Meanwhile on “Fuck the Covenant”, we have al.divino just going in on top of another guitar wailing in the background proclaiming himself as a product of the ghetto leading into the “Alhambra” interlude which has some dope vibraphone embellishments. I like how “Drunken Monk” sounds like something from a blaxploitation chase scene spitting that blick talk just before “Estevanico” brings in some soothing horns calling out those tough talking through cyber space.

The penultimate track “Malevolence” perfectly lives up to it’s name lyrically & the instrumental that Big Ghost brings to the table send chills straight down your spine. “Byzantine Slang” then finishes the album off on a more calmer note sonically wisely & compellingly encouraging to teach the babies.

To me, this is the most consistent divino project I’ve heard since Kilo. My only real complaint about it is that it could’ve used a feature or 2 because it can be a tad bit 1-dimensional as far as the rapping goes, but he really sounds focused & it’s very interesting for Big Ghost to go into a more Moroccan-inspired sound through his production.

Score: 4/5

Marv Won – “Hagler” review

Marv Won is a 40 year old MC/producer from Detroit, Michigan who came up as a part of the world famous Fat Killahz. He’s gone on to become well respected in the battle circuit & has released a total of 4 solo albums, with the previous one being Sooner Than Later last winter. However just a few months after dropping his 2nd EP Rabbits Can’t Shoot over the summer, he’s ending the year by dropping his 3rd EP.

The title track is a perfect opener with it’s boom bap production paying homage to the Marvelous Marvin Hagler himself whereas “Bread Crumbs” takes a more melodic route saying he don’t know why he would want to be like other cats & The Olympicks’ production has this jazzy undertone to it that I just love. “King & Duck” gets back on the boom bap tip as his partner in rhyme Quest MCODY helps take their battle bar skills on wax very well, but then “Salt N Pepper” switches things up by emotionally talking about his father’s death.

The song “Holy Spirits” has a fitting organ-laced instrumental throughout powerfully comparing a liquor store in the hood to a church while the penultimate track “Back at It” by the Twin Towers weaves in a more uncanny beat talking about how it’s all trouble when they get together & rightfully so. Finally, the Chanes-produced “Heavy Bag” couldn’t have finished off the EP any better by sending warning shots at those who want beef with him.

Although I loved the previous EP, Marv really outdoes himself with Hagler over here. It’s refreshing to hear him bring outside producers into the fold with his lyricism being a healthy mix of battle raps & some personal confessions of what’s happened in his life within the last few months.

Score: 4/5

Lucki – “Wake Up Lucki” review

Lucki is a 25 year old rapper & producer from Chicago, Illinois who started to turn heads in the summer of 2013 when he released his debut mixtape Alternative Trap to critical acclaim. This was followed up with 5 more tapes & a dozen EPs but after finishing his tour promoting his 7th mixtape over here, he’s enlisting F1LTHY of Working on Dying to produce the whole thing from front to back which is very intriguing given that he was responsible for a couple of my favorite cuts off Playboi Carti’s sophomore album Whole Lotta Red last Christmas like “M3tamorphosis” & “New Tank”.

“USED 2 B” is a dope, electronic/trap-tinged opener saying he knows who really loves him whereas “NEPTUNE VS. INDUSTRY” follows it up with an underwritten cut about being geeked despite it’s glistening production. “STILL MISS YA” works in some synthesizers to pondering why this bitch would trust him even though it could’ve been more fleshed out, but then “U.G.K.” talks about how he was just racin’ & I really dig the psychedelic feeling of the production.

Meanwhile on “2019”, we have Lucki on top of a pleasantly cloudy trap instrumental telling his lover how much he needs her just before “WHERE I BE” does a good job at spaciously detailing his Roxy suite calling him. “NEEDED” lyrically details how “It’s not good I need it, but I said it cause it’s true” with a beat that’s danceable as fuck leading into “CRYOUT” talking about being in the mixer & the atmosphere of it is really nice.

“SPARKS VISION” has one of the weaker instrumentals on the tape telling this bitch he’s giving her heart away while the song “BUSY DAY” is a spacey storytelling banger of why he missed his girl’s calls & messages all day. The penultimate track “LOVE IS WAR” is a decent attempt at going emo rap & “OUTRO” finishes the tape well by talking about how high he got with a perfectly chilled out beat.

In my personal opinion, this is one of my favorite Lucki projects yet & hopefully this is the last precursor to his full-length debut Flawless Like Me whenever that drops (fingers crossed next year). It’s a completely different sound than his previous efforts & his knack for catchy songwriting stays in effect for a good portion of it.

Score: 4/5