Nas – “King’s Disease II” review

If you know a single thing about hip hop, then you should know who Nas is. His first 2 albums illmatic & It Was Written are widely acknowledged as some of the greatest in hip hop history, but I wanna remind everyone that those aren’t the only 2 good albums he’s ever made. I also highly enjoyed stillmatic, The Lost Tapes, God’s Son & Life is Good. Then there was the Kanye West-produced NASIR & The Lost Tapes II, both which received polarizing responses even though I felt like they were fine additions to his catalogue. Then came the Hit-Boy-produced King’s Disease last summer, which I maintain is what the untitled album should’ve been. However after winning his first Grammy back in March, the pair are reuniting for Nas’ 14th full-length album.

“The Pressure” is an airy boom bap opener saying he has to inspire people like he hasn’t already whereas “Death Row East” recalls his run-ins with Suge & the instrumental has a bit of a Middle Eastern flare to it. “40 Side” goes into more trap territory recalling the place where he saw it all while “EPMD 2” serves as a sequel to “EPMD” off the Judas & the Black Messiah soundtrack, except Eminem & EPMD themselves actually pop up.

Meanwhile on “Rare”, we go back into boom bap turf saying he’s in the zone just before he & A Boogie wit da Hoodie talk about getting places poppin’ off when they pop up on the trap banger “YKTV”. The soul sample “Store Run” works in is sweet as Nas pays homage to those we’ve lost in the last 8 months leading into the nostalgic “Moments”.

“Nobody” has a bit of a jazzy feel in the production with him & Lauryn Hill about a place that you wouldn’t know problems whereas “No Phony Love” is a mediocre sex cut if you couldn’t tell by the title. “Brunch on Sunday’s” works in some keyboard melodies getting in his Esco bag whereas “Count Me In” drearily exposes who the fake really are.

The song “Composure” with Hit-Boy himself finds the 2 jumping on top of a jazzy beat co-produced with Rogét Chahayed talking about them raising the totem while the penultimate track “My Bible” gets spiritual from the lyrics to the gospel-tinged instrumental. Lastly, the closer “Nas is Good” brings back another soul sample to lyrically annihilate everything in his path.

I was a bit worried about this going into it because sequel albums usually don’t live up to the hype of the predecessor, but that is NOT the case for King’s Disease II. Hit-Boy shows his versatility as a producer, Nas sounds more sharper lyrically & it doesn’t seem like a bunch of leftovers from previous sessions.

Score: 4/5

Creatures of Habit – “Parasite’s Paradise” review

The Creatures of Habit are a boom bap trio consisting of Bristol, England, United Kingdom emcees Eric the Red & Sean Peng alongside London producer Illinformed. Introducing themselves collectively in the fall of 2016 off their debut album Test Subjects under Real Life Drama Records, these guys would go on to spend the next 5 years focusing towards their own individual endeavors & have decided to make a comeback in the form of a sophomore effort through the Glastonbury, Somerset underground imprint for old time’s sake.

“Faking No Moves” cooks up a horror-inspired boom bap instrumental to start us off talking about having 0 time to be doing that bullshit whereas “Still Buggin’” works in some pianos mixed with kicks & snares to describe courts wanting to search on top of the police duckin’ ‘em. “I Keep It Me” featuring Datkid goes for a jazzier vibe talking about staying true to themselves just before “No Smoke” ruggedly dismantles anyone wanting beef with them.

Leaf Dog & Pertrelli join the Creatures on “Won’t Lie” combining more keys, kicks & snares to talk about always blowing out speakers in addition to rocking out guest appearances leading into “2 Tokes” featuring BVA links up for a playfully jazzy weed smoker’s anthem. “Bug’s Life” sounds more like a brief Eric the Red solo cut clocking at only 66 seconds in length while the soulful “Alone” featuring Leaf Dog regroups to talk about loneliness.

“Deadly Techniques” continues the 2nd half of Parasite’s Paradise trading hardcore verses with one another over a rigged boom bap beat regarding their lyricism still being gruesome as it was when they initially formed & after “The Devil’s Hands” talking about crime paying although those committing them eventually taking responsibility for their actions in due time, “Strange Trip” featuring Jack Jetson crosses paths with one another to drop 3 verses of speaking of their status amongst an endangered species of MCs.

The song “Brain Surgery” by Sean Peng counters Eric’s solo joint “Bug’s Life” earlier on turning the jazz influences to instrumentally leaving the people who fall in traps right where they are while “Wormhole” brings both spitters back together on the mic so they can take a few minutes to talk about the world becoming more dystopian than science fiction. “Hands of Time” finishes the Creatures’ return wraps things up with 1 last jazz rap/boom bap fusion confessing that there are moments in their lives where they wish they’d go back & fix which I do to, but we can’t.

It’s not very often when the Creatures of Habit appear on a song or make a musical statement of their own considering the gap between this & Test Subjects, but what I can say regarding their 2nd album is that I like it a lot more than it’s predecessor 6 years prior. Illinformed’s boom bap production is a lot more jazzier than Test Subjects’ was for fans of jazz rap like myself, there’s a respectably shorter guest list & the chemistry between Eric the Red and Sean Peng continues to elevate one another in terms of performances.

Score: 4.5/5

Yeat – “Trëndi” review

Yeat is a 21 year old rapper from Portland, Oregon who first emerged in 2018 off his debut EP Deep Blue Strips. He just dropped his 3rd mixtape Alivë back in April as well a 4th tale 4L just a couple months back but with his next full-length Up 2 Më in the works, Yeat has decided to give listeners an appetizer before the main course with his 5th EP.

“Mad ‘Bout That” kicks things off with a grisly sequel to “Sorry ‘Bout That” whereas “Fukit” is an energetic follow-up based around the expression of nonchalance. The penultimate track “Insidë Out” with SeptembersRich finds the 2 flexin’ over an instrumental from Rio Leyva of Internet Money Records that sounds clearly inspired by Playboi Carti’s Whole Lotta Red & then the closer “Tonka 2” serves as a wavy sequel to “Tonka” off Alivë produced by BNYX from Working on Dying.

This kid’s profile has only been increasing within the last couple months & it’s really not hard to see why. I think he has a unique voice, the hunger is there in his performances/songwriting & has a decent ear for production. At this rate, Up to Me will definitely propel him to the next level.

Score: 3.5/5

Daniel Son – “JWP” review

This is the 5th EP from Toronto, Ontario, Canada emcee Daniel Son. Coming up as a member of the Brown Bag Money collective, his profile began to rapidly increase in the underground off projects like his debut mixtape The Gunners or the sophomore album Yenaldooshi. He recently dropped the Cuns-produced EP Dojo back in March to commemorate the 1-year anniversary of his previous album Dirty Dishes, but is now enlisting Ramzee for JWP.

“Above the Law” has a bit of a woozy feel in the instrumental with Daniel talking about how the cops will never catch him whereas “Tempo” is an airy boom bap cut saying he used to smell the hate on the new believers. “Haunted” goes into a more jazzier direction talking about your girl checking him naked just before proclaiming he’ll make sure the coast is clean on the soulful “Pinot Gris”. The penultimate track “Fried Burbot” works is a rap rock cut detailing the mud life while “The Ends” finishes off has a great trumpet loop & lyrics about the struggle never ending.

Dojo was good, but JWP to me is a much more consistent product. I like how Ramzee’s production ranges from boom bap to jazz & at this point, I think Daniel Son could very well be my favorite lyricist in the Canadian hip hop scene right now. I hope this & Dojo are warm-ups for a new album because I would love for him to get an all-star lineup of beat-makers on it.

Score: 4/5

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

This is the latest EP from Atlanta, Georgia emcee/producer Tha God Fahim. Coming up as an affiliate of Griselda Records alongside Mach-Hommy & Your Old Droog, he also has a incredibly vast discography with a couple of standouts being Breaking Through tha Van Allen Belts & Dump Assassins. His 18th full-length album Dump Gawd: Stock Lord just dropped a little over a month ago & after Nicholas Craven teased a project with him on Twitter recently, we’re finally getting it in the form of Dump Gawd: Shot Clock King.

“Dear Friend” is a beautiful piano ballad to open up the EP with him & Your Old Droog saying they’re always cooking referencing 14-time WWE world champion, WWE Hall of Famer, 5-time WWE Intercontinental Champion, 3-time WWE tag team champion & current WWE COO Triple H alongside 2-time WWE Hall of Famer, 6-time WWE world champion, 4-time WWE United States Champion, 14-time WWE tag team champion, 2-time WWE Hardcore Champion, RoW Tag Team Champion & TNA World Tag Team Champion Booker T whereas “Look What You Done” takes a more soulful approach talking about being strapped. Droog returns to ask the listener introspective questions on the lachrymose “Lost His Way”, just before dedicating the heartfelt “Wit Out a Question” to his peoples. Especially with the chilling vocal loop.

The song “Big George Bombs” is the only one on the entire EP that Craven didn’t produce, but I love the harmonious sample Fahim flips for him to say he’s loading up like George Foreman did to Joe Frazier. The penultimate track “Crypto” goes into chipmunk soul territory talking about that’s what he blew his $100K on while “Bitter End” serves as a jazzy closer calling out those who’re trying to keep him piss poor.

Stock Lord was good, but I like this a lot more & I’ll even go as far to call it one of the best Fahim projects yet. He’s at his most genuine on some of these cuts & Nicholas Craven continues to solidify himself as one of the best producers in the underground today.

Score: 4.5/5

Ace the Legynd – “W.O.L.F. (What if Our Lives Failed?)” review

Ace the Legynd is a 23 year old MC from Hempstead, New York who came up a couple years back off his debut EP Lone Wolf Pack. He would follow it up a year & a half later with his 2nd EP Skar Tissue but to commemorate the 1-year anniversary of that project & his birthday being a couple days after, Ace is returning in the form of his full-length debut.

“Karasu” is a soulful opener talking about seeing devils & angels as the same whereas “Marvin” takes an upbeat trap route reflecting on why his hometown hasn’t been the same since he was 12 years old. “Dreams Come True” brings back the soul samples talking about dreaming he could buy his way to heaven leading into Cash Johnson tagging along for the funky “No Weapon” encouraging not to get slain.

Meanwhile on “Espionage”, we have Ace & Alpha Rellix grimly coming together to talk about being more focused than ever just before the F50-assisted “Wild Love” incorporates some chilling background vocals & hand claps calling out those trying to revoke his funds. “Medal of Honor” brings some pianos into the mix telling everyone to stay in their lane, but then “Sheep’s Clothing” cinematically opens up as to why he can’t lose.

“Post Traumatics” with Dre Smoove mixes some keys & soul samples to talk about how it’s been a minute while the song “Howlin’ at the Moon, Pt. 2” is a worthy sequel to my favorite joint off Lone Wolf Pack from the dusty production to the subject matter confessing he never thought he’d attend a funeral through Zoom. The penultimate track “Stained Glass” pulls some R&B influences confessing he’s living life too fast & “Red Tears” ends the album continues to delve deeper into the melodic side of things talking about having a bounty put onto his soul.

For a full-length debut, I’m very impressed with how W.O.L.F. (What if Our Lives Failed?) introduces the world to Ace as a person & am interested to hear where he goes from here. The production is incredibly detailed & I admire the way he acknowledges the struggles with mortality coming from the places that we do from his very own perspective.

Score: 3.5/5

Melo Meezy – “Sol Food” review

Melo Meezy is a 26 year old MC/producer from Compton, California who first emerged in the fall of 2019 when he dropped his debut EP No Wolves in the Circus. However for this short follow-up right here, he’s enlisting local producer Ra to jump behind the boards from start to finish.

After the “Seek Out Life” Intro, the first song “Cruise Control” is a hazy opener talking about getting it on his own whereas “Yours Truly” has a jazzy yet soulful tone instrumentally saying he’s gonna take it all win or lose. “No Options” takes an atmospheric turn thanking God for his accomplishments while the penultimate track “The Games We Play” works in a slowed down vocal sample as Melo asks what the word is. Then there’s “From the Sol”, which is a peaceful closer saying he plays to win.

Coming away from this EP, I can definitely hear the potential in Melo. The hunger is undeniably there when you ready into his lyrics & Ra reveals himself as one of the most promising producers on the come up right now because he totally hones in on the smoky sound he goes for on here.

Score: 3.5/5

Tha Dogg Pound – “DPG 4 Life” review

Tha Dogg Pound is a renown hip hop duo consisting of Long Beach emcee/producer Daz Dillinger & Philadelphia emcee Kurupt. I really shouldn’t have to say much about their 1995 full-length debut Dogg Food since it’s widely recognized as one of the last great albums that Death Row Records ever put out. They’ve gone on to release some music here & there since but just 11 years after their last album 100 Wayz, they’re reuniting for their 8th full-length album.

“Ghetto” kicks things off with a chilled out depiction of having bills to pay & them doing fine whereas “We Rollin’” goes into a funkier direction with them stuntin’. “Dissolution of Marriage” featuring October London is a calmer tune talking about a relationship that sadly results in divorce, but then “Used 2” follows it up going into a more depressive tone.

Meanwhile on “Bottom Bitch”, we get a classy theme for all the pimps out there right before WWE Hall of Famer Snoop Dogg comes into the picture for spacey sex anthem “Nice & Slow”. The highnamic trio stick around for the g-funk thug anthem “Skip Skip” prior to going back to the romance tip on the atmospheric “Baby I Want U Bac”.

“It Ain’t Nuthin’” is an auto-tune trap ballad talking about smoking in an old school Chevy while “I’m On It” with Soopafly works in some snares & squeaking synths to talk about being hustlas. The song “Let’s Roll” serves as a melodic cut talking about partying with their ladies while the penultimate track “Hood Girl” brings in some keys to talk about their taste in women. Then they put the feel-good West Coast tribute “LA Here’s to U” off of Kurupt’s 2013 sophomore mixtape Money, Bitches, Power for the closer.

We’ve had to wait a little over decade for Dillinger & Young Gotti to reunite in a full-length capacity. The end results are a bit of mixed bag for me personally. I think the lovey dovey shit sounds forced even though “Let’s Play House” is one of my all-time favorite DPG songs but when they’re on their g shit, it sounds more natural.

Score: 2.5/5

Skepta – “All In” review

Skepta is a 38 year old rapper, songwriter & producer from Tottenham, London, England, United Kingdom notable for co-founding the Boy Better Know collective just 16 years back. However, a lot of people in the state including myself didn’t hop on board with him until 2016 when he dropped his 4th album Konnichiwa to critical acclaim. This was followed up a couple years back with Ignorance is Bliss but after laying low throughout 2020, he’s preluding a new album by dropping a sophomore EP.

“Bellator” starts things out with a wavy tribute to Pop Smoke whereas “Peace of Mind” with KiD CuDi & Teezee is a clubbier tune about how fine their bitches are. The song “Nirvana” with J Balvin takes a turn into Latin territory saying they’re gonna take their women to a place of happiness while the penultimate track “Lit Like This” is just him flexing & the instrumental almost has a dancehall quality to it. Then there’s “Eyes on Me” which samples “Oi” by Platinum 45 & says no one can diss them.

Overall, I like All In a tad bit more than Ignorance is Bliss. Despite being an EP, I admire how he shoots for many different production styles & you can tell he really took his time with it, as he hadn’t recorded anything this year prior to. Hopefully this next full-length of his can reach the bar that Konnichiwa did.

Score: 3.5/5

Scum – “Dyin’ World Chroniclez 2: Red Groundz” review

This is the 13th full-length album from Russian-American horrorcore veteran Scum. Coming up as the founder of the local independent powerhouse Lyrikal Snuff Productionz, the man has literally dropped dozens of projects either on his own or with side projects like M.M.M.F.D. & the 4 Horsemen. Dude just dropped Dyin’ World Chroniclez: Grey Skiez about 5 months ago & after a couple of new singles following that, we’re being treated to the sequel Dyin’ World Chroniclez 2: Red Groundz.

After the intro, the title track works in some violins for him & King Gordy portraying their own different versions of Hell whereas “Beyond Comprehension” is a trap banger talking about how his intentions are clear. S.O.S. reunites to let people know they’ll remain underground on the frosty “My Damnation” just before trapping cats into a “Lion’s Cage” with a demented instrumental.

Meanwhile on “We the Onez”, we have M.M.M.F.D. jumping on top of a skeletal trap beat to talk about parents warning their children of them leading into “Wonder” continuing to delve into that sound except it has more meat on the bone & Scum pondering what’s going through his victim’s mind. “Groundhog (Fri)day(13)” is an aggressive, high-tempo anthem to murder whereas “Intrauterine Cannibalistic” with Hex Rated goes into trap metal territory talking about making cats bleed when they catch ‘em.

The song “Humpty Dumpty” speaks on cracking people’s heads over a nocturnal instrumental while the penultimate track “Keep That Shit” works in some keyboards & hi-hats to admit that he’s sick in the head. Then it rounds out with “Nevaendin’ Story”, which is Scum talking about murder being addictive accompanied by a misty beat.

Scum has been putting it down for the underground wicked shit scene for a very long time at this point & the whole Dyin’ World Chroniclez series that he’s been doing lately turning out pretty hard. In comparison to the previous installment, I think this one sounds darker & rawer in terms of production choices & pen-game.

Score: 3.5/5