Gift of Gab – “Finding Inspiration Somehow” review

Gift of Gab was a 50 year old MC from Sacramento, California who came up as 1/2 of the duo Blackalicious & a member of the Quannum Projects collective almost 3 decades ago. However, it wasn’t until the spring of 2004 when he broke out solo by dropping 4th Dimensional Rocketships Going Up. This was followed up with Escape 2 Mars as well as The Next Logical Progression & Rejoice! Rappers Are Rapping Again! but with his passing over the summer, he was able to complete 1 last album & Nature Sounds is now putting it out.

After the intro, the first song “Slaugtah Dem (Godly)” has a thunderous instrumental with Gab getting in his battle rap bag whereas “Going Farther” works in a boom bap instrumental with some plinky keys & the title basically speaks for itself in terms of content. “The Gentrification Song” has a moodier sound addressing his feelings on the process of changing the character of a neighborhood through the influx of more wealthy residents & businesses just before “You Gon’ Make It in the End” with Lateef the Truthspeaker & Vursatyl is a touching moment on the album telling the listeners to push on.

Meanwhile for “Vice Grip”, we have Gift of Gab switching in between rhyme schemes over an explosive beat from Nick Andre leading into him describing “The World Without Money” & the instrumental is funky as Hell. I like the atmospheric shift on “Alchemy” as Gab tells the listener to keep it going, but “Enter the Dragon” has a more cinematic sound ascending to another level.

“A Weekend in Venice” is more of an R&B-tinged interlude while the song “The Idea of America” has a funnier sound with Gab continuing the streams of consciousness. The penultimate track “Breathe In” is a more tropical cut saying all you need is love & then “Back to the Light” couldn’t have ended the album any better by providing a beautiful glimmer of hope despite the dark days.

Overall, I think Finding Inspiration Somehow is a bittersweet swan song from the late Sacramento emcee. It showcases why a truly one of a kind lyricist lyricist he was, the production’s on point & I love the miniminal amount of guest MCs being featured. Just exactly how he would’ve wanted it to be.

Score: 4/5

Baby Keem – “The Melodic Blue” review

Baby Keem is a 20 year old rapper, singer/songwriter & producer from Carson, California who actually happens to be Kendrick Lamar’s younger cousin. He’s gone on to drop 4 EPs & 2 mixtapes in the last few years, with his sophomore tape Die for My Bitch being the one that helped boost him to the point where he rightfully earned a spot on the 2020 XXL Freshman Class. However now that he’s signed to K. Dot’s newly formed pgLang with distribution from Columbia Records, we’re finally being treated to a full-length debut from the promising West Coast up-&-comer.

“trademark usa” starts off the album with a 2-parter produced with Ging & Rogét Chahayed shouting out the dead & being the same dude in 48 states whereas the self-produced “pink panties” embraces a funkier vibe singing about lust. “scapegoats” takes a more soulful turn thanks to DJ Dahi & FNZ telling us he thought there was redemption in the 4 ethers while “range brothers” by The Hillbillies boisterously divides itself in 3 portions thanks to both 30 Roc & Dez Wright, although the “top of the mornin’” hook during the final part has since become a meme.

As for “issues”, we have Keem taking a more minimalistic sound opening up about the memories of certain people in his life leading into “gorgeous” telling his bitch that she’s a dime on top of a synth-heavy instrumental. “south africa” hooks up some pianos talking about him & his girl both having the money while “lost souls” featuring Brent Faiyaz on the remix moodily declares all these hoes as such with an equally catchy outro telling his woman that he’s on her side.

“cocoa” featuring Don Toliver finds the 2 teaming up for a playful club banger & I love how “family ties” by The Hillbillies begins with Cardo & Outtatown bringing in these horns for Keem’s verse & later taking a grimier turn for Kendrick to smoke your top 5. “scars” climatically asks God why life is so hard & once “durag activity” obviously takes a psychedelic route as Travis Scott comes into the picture flexing their wealth, “booman” has a jazzier vibe talking about being a barbarian.

The song “first order of business” has a bit of a more ambient sound talking about loyalty & gratitude while “vent” brings Kendrick back 1 last time even if it’s only for a chorus, viciously ask if you’ve ever been punched dead in the face & letting his cousin channel his anger through a singular verse. “16” ends asking Keem’s girl won’t she think about them while “hooligan” starts the deluxe run by having Oogie Mane of Working on Dying combining trap & pop rap so Keem can talk about his reckless lifestyle.

“no sense” fuses pop rap, trap & cloud rap sidestepping all the bullshit that comes around him while “a life of pain instrumentally gives off a Halloween type mood spitting a whole verse flexing of doing his dance in areas & not feeing strange about it. “killstreaks” featuring Don Toliver reunites the pair so they can hypnotically talk about their partners having them running around the country while the “patience” interlude slathers his vocals in auto-tune & takes a more repetitive approach to his songwriting.

Cardo flips “Everlasting Bass” by Rodney O & Joe Cooley on “naked” admitting he’s too impatient hence why he missed the possibility of the hoes at the function getting undressed while “fine china” samples “Real Recognize Real” by Doe Boy & Roddy Ricch expressing his desire of caring for the woman he bags. Tae Beast samples “Killing Me Softly with His Song” by the Fugees during “highway 95’” detailing why they call him 2 Phone Keem & the final bonus track “bank account” featuring Lil Uzi Vert boasts their riches.

I’ve always suggested to check out Die for My Bitch for those who’ve never heard of Keem, but now I have to recommend The Melodic Blue because he really outdid himself on here & has already proven himself to be the most talented pgLang signing of the label’s only 2 artists. His lyrical skills have increased as did his production & his versatility from the energetic trap, hardcore hip hop & pop rap joints to the infectious alternative R&B cuts is really admirable.

Score: 3.5/5

Twiztid – “Unlikely Prescription” 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 5 albums & 4 EPs on their own label, my favorite of which being /ˌrevəˈlāSH⁽ᵊ⁾n/. But for their 15th full-length right here, the Astronomicon founders are making a complete stylistic departure from the horrorcore sound they became known for.

“Corkscrew” is an electronic rock opener produced by A Danger Within talking about breaking down & asking for God to forgive them whereas “Twist & Shatter” gets on some emo shit talking about pulling apart again. “Broken Heart” goes into industrial rock territory with the help of drummer Drayven Davidson addressing an ex, but then “Confused” has a bit of an airy backdrop during the verses as the guitars dominate the majority of it. Lyrically, they’re talking about going from being hated to being famous.

Meanwhile on “Neon Vamp”, we have Cradle of Filth frontman Dani Filth joining Twiztid for a blatantly pure industrial hip hop banger encouraging the listener to go crazy leading into the hard rock banger “Comes with an Apology” talking about dealing with life until they’re gone. “Rose Petal” fuses together industrial music & rap metal going at the throats of judgmental people, but then “Dead Instead” has some killer guitar work despite the verses being mixed low & I appreciate the message of metaphorical walls closing in their minds.

“Parasite” has these infectiously catchy riffs as Jamie & Mono say they’ll never conform whereas the ScatteredBrains-produced “Perfect Problem” has to be my favorite on the album, being a straight up rap rock riot starter declaring themselves as such. “If I Get Things Right” asks to stop with the pretending on top of some killer drums & the hook one of the catchiest on the album, but “More Than a Memory” somberly tells the listener to remember their names in the end.

The song “Envy” is basically a mediocre attempt at a radio rock hit even though I can commend the message about how jealously can be the end of someone while the MIKE SUMMERS a.k.a. 7-produced penultimate track “No Change” with Matt Brandyberry sounds like a cheesy entrance theme you’d hear on WWE nowadays. “World of Pretend” ends the album on a victorious note, with Twiztid talking about what it feels like when you’re reeled into such.

These guys have ALWAYS had elements of rock in their music but now that they took on that sound for the length of an entire album, I’m on the fence with it. Half of these joints actually sound really good & the other doesn’t do all that much for me personally. That being said: I am looking forward to the successor Welcome to Your Funeral produced by Zeuss because he did a great job on the mastering, so I have a feeling he’s gonna help refine the style of rock Jamie & Mono wanna go into. Hopefully they give us more shit like “Empty”, “Wrong with Me”, “Alone”, “Darkness” & “Familiar”.

Score: 2.5/5

Yeat – “Up 2 Më” review

This is the full-length debut from Portland, Oregon rapper Yeat. Breaking out in 2018 off his debut EP Deep Blue Strips, he would go on to follow it up the next year with his debut mixtape I’m So Me. Then after dropping We Us & Hold On, it’s safe to say that 2021 is his biggest year yet. Especially given the success of Alivë & 4L. But now with a month since putting out Trëndi & earning a co-sign from Drake, he’s continuing the hustle with Up 2 Më.

“C’mon” is a cloudy opener about killing pussy whereas “Morning mudd” works in some synthesizers from Bugz Ronin to say he had to get up & chase a bag. “Got rich” goes for a more rage-inducing vibe thanks to none other than F1LTHY of Working on Dying with Yeat bragging about his newfound wealth just before “Lët ya know” has a more futuristic sound telling us this might be his last song.

Meanwhile on “Stayëd tha same”, we have Yeat jumping on top of some snares & bells from BNYX to talk about never switching up despite his recent success leading into “Gët Busy” having a bit of a retro video game feel in the beat with boastful lyrics. “Rokstar” boisterously details his new lifestyle, but then SeptembersRich tags along for the rubbery “Trëndy way” talking about how they do shit.

“Swërved It” has some incredible organ harmonies talking about calling out those fronting on him while “Ya Ya” produced by Internet Money Records in-house producers Rio Leyva & Synthetic mixes a bass-line higher than the synths answering “yes” to all these questions people been asking him. “U could “tëll” grimly proclaims his top dog status whereas “Factz” brings in a flute saying he didn’t get this shit for free. “ Bak on ‘ëm” takes a murkier direction speaking on being in a rich climate, but then the instrumental “Hëy” brings to table sounds more robotic & Yeat taking about punching these bitches off the Earth.

“Turban” has a more chaotic sound continuing to detail where he is now leading into the unhinged “Twizzy Rich” proclaiming it’s all on him. The wobbly instrumental on “Told ya” is dope with Yeat saying he just caught the vibe, but then the rubbery synth banger “Monëy so big” that Trgc cooks up talking about his wealth increasing within the last few months due to his newfound popularity.

“Dëserve it” brings back the bells to speak on needing it all while the song “K’ant changë” is a rowdier cut continuing the theme of not letting fame get to him. The penultimate track “Callin’ më” serves as a response to the labels & old friends/bitches contacting him again now that he’s famous & then “Lying 4 fun” is a skeletal closer telling us he’s livin’ life just how he dreamed of it.

Even though I’d have to say 4L & Trëndi are his finest bodies of work to date, I think Up 2 Më continues to build up to Yeat’s hype. I could’ve done without like 5-6 joints & some of them could’ve been more fleshed out, but his unique personality is still shining as bright as it ever did.

Score: 3.5/5

SK da King – “Horus” review

SK da King is a 31 year old MC from Baltimore, Maryland who came up as part of the Checkered Flag Boyz under the original moniker Paul Skola. However, it wasn’t until this past spring where he signed to Conway the Machine’s recently formed Drumwork Music Group as a solo act. And since the whole crew is starting to hit the road for the Love Will Get You Killed Tour tomorrow, it’s only right for SK to drop a debut EP to get new listeners familiar with him.

The opener “I’m God” starts off with a slowed down vocal sample that later transitions into a rich trap instrumental talking about rising to the throne whereas “Blood in My Eye” works in some strings to say he was made for this rap shit. “Dancing Wit the Devil” takes a much more darker approach detailing his lifestyle just before “Actions” calls out those putting on a front.

Meanwhile on “Different”, we have SK delivering an uplifting ode to turning a new page leading into the celebratory “Winners”. The song “P.M.D.” is another upbeat cut talking about doing it on his own while the penultimate track “Ventin’” gets confessional with an instrumental soothing to the ear. “Horus Flow” ends the album with a more minimal sound flexing his lyrical abilities.

Cloud 9: The Update was cool tape, but I think Horus is SK at his best so far & I can’t wait to hear how he’ll carry that over for a full-length capacity because this would be an ideal place for new listeners to start. He sounds a lot more hungrier lyrically & the production sounds crisper too.

Score: 3.5/5

Substance810 – “A Righteous Offering” review

Substance810 is a 37 year old MC/producer from Port Huron, Michigan emerging in 2006 with his debut The Definition under his original moniker Tekneek. Since then, he’s gone on to build up an impressive catalog for himself whether it be the sequel The Definition Of… or the conceptual EP Chess Pieces from last year. He just dropped Makin’ Waves at the end of January & the Hobgoblin-produced The Hanging Gardens over the spring, but is continuing to stay busy by tapping in Onaje Jordan to produce his 9th full-length album from top to bottom.

The opener “Watercolores” with Lupus Dei is a pillowy boom bap opener comparing themselves to Jean-Michael Basquiat whereas the Killy Shoot-assisted title track works in some piano chords to bring a blank canvas for all to see. ethemadassassin tags along for the orchestral “Euro” saying they’re from a hip hop galaxy landing in a foreign planet just before “Savage Lands” starts out with an organ-infused beat & lyrics about making a fire from a calm flame, with “May It Be Swift” switches into a guitar & talking to a human sacrifice.

Meanwhile on “Fool Proof”, we get a hypnotic vocal sample as Substance810 says he don’t trust nobody leading into him & philmatic365 going into a smokier direction for “The Pulpit” talking about wanting to reach the highest of highs. Josiah the Gift comes into the fold on the hypnotically-produced “Power Barz” comparing themselves to the final boss of a video game, but then Chuck Chan slides through for the unsettling “Lake of Fire” telling their opposition that they ain’t saying shit unless their bars are heavy.

ethemadassassin returns on the piano-laced “Grim Predictions” going at those testing their pride whereas “Hometown Hero” lavishly declares himself as such. The song “That’s My Heart” with M.A.V. finds the pair going into chipmunk soul turf talking with a sinner’s peace while the penultimate track “Road 2 Glory” with Deuce Hennessy has some great background harmonies for them to search for the true them. “Memorabilia” then finishes things off with Substance810 & J. Arrr jumping on top of a jazz loop taking a thousand words to make a picture.

For this being the follow-up to The Hanging Gardens, it’s not bad. I dig what Onaje Jordan’s doing behind the boards & I appreciate the fact that Substance810 picks up where the previous album left off lyrically, but they kinda overloaded themselves on the feature end of things.

Score: 3.5/5

Drake – “Certified Lover Boy” review

This is the 6th full-length album from Toronto, Ontario, Canada rapper, singer/songwriter, actor, producer & entrepreneur Drake. Skyrocketing in 2009 off his 3rd mixtape So Far Gone, the success of this groundbreaking project resulted in a contract with both Young Money Entertainment/Cash Money Records & helped put out the man’s full-length debut Thank Me Later the next summer. His sophomore effort Take Care the year after would be even better & I enjoyed Nothing Was the Same too but after If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late & then What a Time to Be Alive with Future (both of which came out in 2015), that’s when the quality in Drake’s music really began to take a nosedive. VIEWS was a terrible foray into dancehall, More Life was mediocre despite being stylistically eclectic, his YM/CM swan song Scorpion was a disappointingly failed attempt at making a double disc album showcasing his hip hop/R&B sides of his music respectively, Care Package is decent collection of 17 loosies from 2010-2016 that we’ve all heard before & Dark Lane Demo Tapes was a failed attempt at experimenting with new songs. However, I was curious going into Certified Lover Boy given the 4 singles that he dropped leading up to it.

“Champagne Poetry” is a top tier Drake opener, rapping his ass off over a chipmunk soul sample & a gospel flip from 40. The next song “Papi’s Home” is basically his version of Montell Jordan’s “Daddy’s Home” proclaiming himself as a top dog whereas “Girls Want Girls” with Lil Baby will go down as one of the worst Drake songs ever, them asking “You a lesbian? Me too”. Then we got Lil Durk tagging along for “In the Bible” as they try to hit on religious women just before Drake & JAY-Z spaciously calling out those who turned their backs on them on “Love All”.

Meanwhile with “Fair Trade”, both Drizzy & Travis Scott jump on top of a Charlotte Day Wilson sample from WondaGurl talking about losin’ friends & findin’ peace leading into him making his own version of “I’m Too Sexy” with Future & Young Thug on “Way 2 Sexy” for whatever reason produced by TM88 shockingly. “TSU” is a simp anthem telling a stripper to get her life together sampling *NSYNC & R. Kelly, but then “N 2 Deep” with Future is more of a great sequel to “Life is Good”.

The vocal sample from Leon Thomas III on “Pipe Down” is hypnotic with Drake telling a bitch to chill out & after the “Yebba’s Heartbreak” interlude, “No Friends in the Industry” bitterly disses G.O.O.D. Music & for some reason Kendrick. I dig how he & 21 Savage flipped Project Pat for the gangsta rap-themed “Knife Talk” produced by Metro Boomin’, but then “7AM on Bridle Path” takes a moodier route with the help of Cardo dissing Kanye once again.

“Race My Mind” is an R&B/hip hop fusion detailing his lover being drunk as fuck, but the Tems-duet “Fountains” has a catchy instrumental despite the songwriting being below average. “Get Along Better” has a luxurious trap beat from 1985 addressing an ex, but then “You Only Live Twice” with Lil Wayne & Rick Ross is an amazing sequel to “The Motto” laced by B!nk of all people.

The song “I.M.Y.2. (I Missed You 2)” with KiD CuDi has a pillowy sound asking how they’re supposed to move while the penultimate track “Fucking Fans” takes a cloudier turn with the help of PARTYNEXTDOOR looking back on his failures. “The Remorse” ends the album by showing love to the people over at his OVO Sound label & asking not to Google his net worth.

As much as I enjoyed “Laugh Now Cry Later” & Scary Hours 2, this album as a whole was NOT worth the hype & I was very disappointed by the outcome of it. Not just because it didn’t need to be an hour & a half long, but he’s really not saying anything new here at all. By that I’m not saying he needs to get political or conscious, that’s NEVER been him. Just feels like we’ve all heard this from him before.

Score: 2/5

Confucius MC – “Somewhere” review

This is the sophomore effort from London, England, United Kingdom’s own Confucius MC. Making his full-length debut with The Highest Order produced by Keor Meteor in the spring of 2014 under the historic London underground hip hop label YNR Productions, he would go on to follow it up with his 2017 debut extended play The Artform & later form the MC/producer duo Old Paradice alongside Morriarchi. I was however intrigued upon the pairing that made The Highest Order would be reuniting for Somewhere.

After the “Welcome to Somewhere” intro, “Land of the Free” opens up with a boom bap beat talking about how sometimes things are hard to see in the titular location just before “Robots on Mars” preceding the compositional “Shadows of Yesterday” embraces a soulfully jazzier vibe instrumentally observing the crowd following the same wagon the clown borrows because they won’t listen to the return of artistry until the claps come rollin’ in. 

“Light Years” talks about the easiness of dodging the truth rather than looking back at it prior to “World Stage” featuring Jehst references WWE Hall of Famer Mr. T for a jab at those dumbin’ down their respective styles. “Gazpacho Soup” after the “Sea of Life” interlude kicks off the 2nd half of Somewhere talking about goin’ round until he burns out & vanishes while “Lanterns” featuring Jehst, Sonnyjim & Verbz finds the quartet teaming up to discuss the blue marble being under critical condition.

We have Confucius over some horns confessing he feels like he’s in the middle of somewhere between “War & Peace” until King Kashmere & Lee Scott appear for “Cicada 3301” so everyone can bring it hardcore. The soulful “Solstice” talks about developing a reputation for his high blessed poetry but once “Eyes Don’t Shine” mellowly tells the story of a man selling himself out for respect, “Song for Everyone (Somewhere)” co-produced by Jehst concludes with an appealable outro.

Experiencing a sequence of life-altering events when recording Somewhere, the Confucius MC’s chemistry with Keor Meteor retains the same energy of The Highest Order whilst aiming to give the world a deeper understanding of the mental state Confucius was in when these songs were being conceived. Keor Meteor’s jazzy production Telemachus’ mixing enhances hasn’t lost a step 7 whole years later, breaking down a mindset that allows us to see beyond the reality of our situations & where our inner selves can find solace.

Score: 3.5/5

Carter-N-Newton – “The Field Report” review

Carter-N-Newton is a newly formed West Coast duo consisting of Los Angeles’ own ethemadassassin & Tacoma emcee 7 da Pantha. They first got together on “Claimed Throne” off the Dior Lansky EP Distortion that came out last thanksgiving, but have decided to band together for a full length debut with with D.R.U.G.S. & Slidebeatz both handling the production end of things throughout it’s half hour run.

After the “What Makes Wolves” intro, the first song “Trying” is a passionate opener about change whereas The American Dream” luxuriously talks about chasing legal checks. “We’re Not the Same” takes a grimier route detailing those who aren’t cut from the same cloth as them & after the “Seize the Moment” interlude, Ricky Vega tags along for the organ-laced “Push the Line” saying the wrong people are watching you.

Meanwhile on “A Better Day”, we have Tay da Crown teaming up with Carter-N-Newton to smoothly display optimism despite dark days just before “Hunger Pains” has a more mystical sound getting in their battle bag. “R.N.E. (Real N***a Energy)” is a rowdier cut bringing you just that & after the “Build” interlude, the song “Give & Go” cinematically asks if people still listen to the streets talking. The penultimate track “Getting Over” is a much more sadder cut on the album talking about life being a gamble & “Greatness” finishes things off with a chipmunk soul sample speaking on their prowesses.

If these guys are gonna continue to put out music together, then I wouldn’t mind it at all because I thought The Field Report is a pretty good listen. I appreciate that the features are kept to a minimum, it’s well-produced & I think there’s more chemistry between both MCs.

Score: 3.5/5

Bread – “A Breath of Fresh Air” review

Bread is a 45 year old MC from Los Angeles, California who first emerged in 1999 as a member of the group Kaliwild. He eventually went solo a couple years back by dropping his debut EP New Bread but after signing a joint deal with SomeOthaShip Records & Fat Beats Records, he’s ready to drop a full-length debut on top of everyone’s heads.


“Let Us Begin” is a 2-minute synth-laced opener saying it’ll be as it was in the beginning once it’s all said & done whereas the peaceful “Star” with Lord Jamar & Sadat X finds the trio saying they’re happy as such. Gemini, Keak da Sneak & UR67 tag along for the shimmering “Feels So Good” talking about being happy with where they are now just before the Nottz-produced “What Love Is” goes for a moodier sound & the lyrics detail the definition of love according to Bread.

Meanwhile on “Christie”, we get a slap happy tribute to a woman whom Bread proclaims as a mistress leading into him going into a more summery vibe asking for “Worldwide Peace”. He later boasts his rapping prowess with the luscious “Cornbead” while the song “Eye 4 Eye” works in a keyboard & dusty drums to get political. The penultimate track “God’z Return” with Planet Asia has a more minimal sound telling the Devil to get the fuck out & the Big Shug-assisted closer “Nice Like That” is a jazzy tribute to the late Guru.

As solid as New Bread was, I think A Breath of Fresh Air happens to be his best work yet. He achieves his goal of showing listeners that the style of hip hop that he brings to the table is still thriving with it’s refined production & improved lyricism.

Score: 4/5