S.O.N. – “Grant Us Eyes” review

S.O.N. is an MC from Sharon, Pennsylvania notable for his associations with the Legion Realm & the Hivemind movement. But for his official full-length debut over here, he has enlisted Billy Obey produce the whole thing from top to bottom which immediately caught my attention given that Billy is 1/3 of what I personally believe to be the greatest horrorcore act to come up within the last decade: Alla Xul Elu.

After the “A Terrible Fate” intro, the title track is a Hellish opener speaking on dark energy surrounding him whereas “E.V.I.L. (Everything Vile Inside Legion)” takes a turn into boom bap territory repping the Legion Realm. “King of Dark Energy” proclaims himself as such on top of an occult instrumental while “Breathe” somberly depicts a dark messiah encouraging this man & woman to become a part of him.

Meanwhile after “The Descent” interlude, but “The Mouth of Madness” grotesquely depicts a place where only the strong survive just before Xul themselves tag along to embrace their sins for quasi-rap rock tinged “Amen”. He later fucks with Samaritan witchcraft on the misty “The Bridge” leading into him talking about losing his mind for the dusty “What’s That Noise?”.

Following the “Order of the Blue Rose” interlude, “Feed the Beast” takes the trap route to describe the antichrist whereas the heinous “Eye for an Eye” talks about a demon being summoned by the tears of the broken. The penultimate track “The Blessing” calls to a higher power in wicked boom bap fashion & then the closer “The Hive” talks about a beast that goes by many names accompanied by a buzzing instrumental.

I can only imagine S.O.N. going places from hereon out because I highly enjoyed what he brought to the table with Grant Us Eyes. Dude’s lyrics are amongst the darkest that you’ll hear all 2021 & of course Billy Obey knocks it out of the park on the production end of things.

Score: 4.5/5

Madchild – “Shane” review

Madchild is a 45 year old MC from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada coming up as part of the trio Swollen Members & the founder of Battle Axe Records, but would be until 2012 when he officially broke off solo with his Suburban Noize Records-backed debut album Dope Sick. He would later go on a hot streak of follow-ups including Lawnmower Man, Silver Tongue Devil, the Evidence-produced The Darkest Hour & Demons. But even though he went into a more trap direction on The Little Monster LP last winter, the results of that stylistic change weren’t all that interesting & the sequel he dropped back in the spring The Little Monster LP 2 were slightly better. Nonetheless, I was still very much interested in seeing what Madchild would pull off this double disc 8th full-length album of his.

“Alone” starts off the album with a downcast ballad produced by Jimmy Donn venting about never feeling so lonesome whereas “Boxed In” is a trap cut saying he feels brand new. “MVP” goes into boom bap territory with the help of C-Lance going on about how he “ain’t putting any food on anybody’s plate unless they’re on my team” before declaring himself as an alpha male on the vibraphone heavy “Suck It”.

Meanwhile with “Lone Wolf”, we get a Hellish ode to the 1 Man Gang movement just before jumping on top of a comatose trap beat saying he’s “Underrated”. Of course “Not in Control” addresses his past drug use on top of a post-&-pans instrumental whereas “Mental Hellth” is SLATHERED in auto-tune talking about being the Devil’s play-thing. “God’s Child” works in a symphony saying he was failing the higher power while “Evolved” goes back into that trap sound saying he’s a changed man.

The song “Why I’m Mad” is a misty warning saying you shouldn’t fall for bullshit while the penultimate track “Forgiveness” is a piano ballad apologizing to everyone he’s hurt. Finally there’s “Cojones”, which is an almost electronic-tinged closer talking about swimming with the sharks & dancing with the wolves.

Madchild been grinding hard all year & it’s really been paying off because I think this is a solid effort from him. Dude really takes you through how much he’s bettered himself in the last couple years & the production choices have improved also. I know he said Shane 2 is coming soon & I’m curious to hear where that goes.

Score: 3.5/5

(həd) p.e. – “Sandmine” review

This is the 6th EP from renown Huntington Beach g-punk outfit (həd) p.e., which has always been masterminded by Jahred Gomes despite it’s revolving door of members throughout the 27 years they’ve been together. Standouts in the crew’s discography include their self-titled debut, Broke, Back 2 Base X, Insomnia, New World Orphans, Truth Rising & even their previous album Class of 2020 that came out the day before Broke’s 20 year anniversary last summer. It was originally intended to be the group’s last effort for a while but due to the COVID-19 pandemic as well as the 2020 presidential election & the birth of Jahred’s daughter, (həd) p.e. is channeling all of their inspiration from all 3 of those events into Sandmine with the help of Suburban Noize Records backing it.

The title track is a thrashy opener quenching for blood whereas “False Prophets” serves as a punky jab at Donald Trump. The song “R.T.R. (Respect The Republic)” goes into rap rock territory talking about rebellion while the penultimate track “Deathtrip” is a skate punk joint with Jahred talking about risking his life. Finally there’s “Let Me Know”, which is a reggae rock cut trying to figure out what’s on his lovers’ mind.

Class of 2020 was a great throwback to (həd) p.e.’s roots & Sandmine is just as great to me personally. Once again, they’re taking it back to the basics except Jahred & company sound a lot more pissed off than they did when we last heard them 11 months prior.

Score: 4/5

Destroy Lonely – “XO” review

Destroy Lonely is a 19 year old rapper from Atlanta, Georgia notable for being the son of former Disturbing tha Peace Records signee I-20. He’s released a total of 10 EPs since originally breaking out through SoundCloud a couple years back & with his born day coming up next Friday, he’s celebrating by dropping a 11th EP out of nowhere further garnering interest of record labels eager to make him a part of their roster.

“tokyoto” is a spacey, boisterous way to kick things off whereas “i got ‘em” shows off the shit he has now on top a peppy trap beat from Ginseng. The song “okay ya!” takes a more lo-fi direction to address those who say he changed up while the penultimate track “do the most…” works in some heavy bass & vintage video game samples from Clayco saying he didn’t have to ask for shit. Then there’s “Ok (What I Do)”, which is a cloudy finisher saying they can’t replicate him.

Personally, this could very well be my favorite EP that Lonely has put out thus far. His songwriting is catchy as are the performances & his ear for production is admirable too. Definitely someone to be looking out for in the SoundCloud scene right now. Looking forward to what he has to offer on No Stylist.

Score: 3.5/5

UFO Fev – “Enigma of Dalí” review

This is the 5th full-length album from Harlem emcee UFO Fev. Coming up in 2014 off his debut album Around My Way., it wasn’t until 2020 when he saw his biggest year yet by dropping not 1 but 3 well received projects: the Statik Selektah-produced sophomore effort Fresh Air along with the Termanology-produced debut EP From El Barrio, With Love & the Big Ghost Ltd.-produced 3rd album The Ghost of Albizu. Dude just dropped Magnum Opus last month & is already enlisting Vanderslice for the follow-up Enigma of Dalí.

After the titular intro, the first song “Crack Shifts” is an eerie boom bap opener with him & Flee Lord talking about that’s exactly what they be workin’ whereas “Moody Bass” has a more rich instrumental & Fev saying he’s gonna take this shit mainstream. Red Inf tags along for the mellow “Pack Flip” talking about a plan to wake up the masses just before advising to keep it off the speakerphone when talking money on “Home Team”, which has some amazing sampling throughout.

Meanwhile with “Artfully Done Street Shit”, we have Red Inf returning over a guitar & some dusty drums calling out those stealing the sauce leading into him saying he’s too far over the top on the dusty albeit piano-laced “Scroll Music”. The song “Jazz Criminals” with SmooVth fittingly has a jazzy beat with both of them getting mafioso while the penultimate track “Scarlett Letters” jumps on top of some violins to state that he’s painting like Salvador Dalí. Then there’s the closer “All That Glitters”, where Fev & Sure Shot come together for a slick romance ballad.

Magnum Opus was cool, but I personally prefer Enigma of Dalí better. Vanderslice’s production is much more consistent than it was on Fev’s last album & the dude continues to reveal himself as one of the illest MCs in the New York underground right now.

Score: 4/5

KSI – “All Over the Place” review

KSI is a 28 year old YouTuber, rapper & boxer from Watford, Hertfordshire, England, United Kingdom who broke out in ‘09 by uploading videos of himself playing the FIFA games. However his music career dates back to 2015, teaming up with P Money for his debut single “Lamborghini”. He later went on to release 4 EPs before the full-length debut Dissimulation last spring & is already following it up by dropping a sophomore album.

“The Moment” starts out the album with a generic trap cut about how he has no fear whereas “#2” with Future & 21 Savage uses the title as a corny metaphor for being “the shit” despite the chilled out instrumental. “Patience” with Polo G takes a turn into nu-disco saying that’s all they need while “You” is a hideously sung ballad to his partner & I almost wanna say the production kinda reminds me of Drake’s “Passionfruit” for some reason. Meanwhile on “Don’t Play”, we get a mediocre dance-pop duet with Anne-Marie telling each other not to fuck around before asking his lover all these questions for the UK Garage-influenced “Really Love”.

JAY1 tags along for the loyalty-themed “Gang Gang” & even though I like the groove of the instrumental, it sounds out of place for a song like this. “Rent Free” calls out a woman who be running her mouth about him going back into electronic territory before bragging about himself on the UK drill-flavored “Madness”. Bugzy Malone comes into the picture to get “Silly” on top of a rubbery trap beat referencing 2-time WWE Hall of Famer, former 16-time WWE world champion, WWE Intercontinental Champion, 6-time WWE United States Champion, 6-time WWE tag team champion & 9-time NWA World’s Heavyweight Champion Ric Flair leading into him trying to making his doubters into believers for the piano-heavy “Flash It”.

The song “No Time” with Lil Durk luxuriously goes on about fake love while “No Pressure” is another attempt at being sexy, but falls flat on his face although the tropical instrumental is cool. The penultimate track “Holiday” is a God awful contemporary R&B joint saying this woman makes him feel alive & then “Sleeping with the Enemy” speaks on someone watching him over a plinky trap beat.

Even though I will say All Over the Place is better than anything KSI has done before, it’s only by a small margin. I genuinely appreciate him for going taking a more versatile route, but there are more points where he misses the mark than sticks the landing.

Score: 1.5/5

Pop Smoke – “Faith” review

This is the sophomore album from New York rapper & singer/songwriter Pop Smoke. Emerging in the summer of 2019 off his debut EP Meet the Woo, things were looking like the Brooklyn drill pioneer was just about to take off until he was tragically murdered in a home invasion less than 2 weeks after Meet the Woo 2 dropped last February. Pop’s full-length debut Shoot for the Stars, Aim for the Moon was later completed by the hands of his idol 50 Cent & just celebrated it’s 1-year anniversary at the beginning of the month. As for the actual music on that album: I personally was indifferent towards it because as much as I adore 50’s output both solo & with G-Unit from 2002-2006, he made it sound a lot more commercial than it really needed to be. So to see he had no involvement with Faith gave me hope that I’d like it more than Shoot for the Stars, Aim for the Moon.

After the “Good News” intro, the first song “More Time” is an endearing piano ballad produced by 808Melo about how that’s all he needs whereas “Tell the Vision” featuring Pusha T finds the duo boasting their success on top of a menacing trap beat from FNZ & Kanye West. I also dig Push acknowledging Call Me If You Get Lost as the 2021 AOTY so far as well as teasing his upcoming album & calling someone who I refuse to acknowledge on my platform a clown without sounding like beating a dead horse. He & Rick Ross get murderous on the soulful “Manslaughter” that Jake One laced leading into the acoustic materialism anthem “‘Bout a Million” with 21 Savage & 42 Dugg.

Meanwhile on “Brush ‘Em”, we have Rah Swish tagging along over a chilling sample to spit that gangsta shit just before the triumphant “Top Shotta” featuring Pusha T & TRAVI along with The Neptunes behind the boards. Bizzar Banks comes into the picture to talk about being sleazes on the cinematically produced “30” while the spacious “Beat the Speaker” grimly talks about Pop being the man. “Coupe” has a nocturnal instrumental whilst returning to the gangsta rap themes just before he & Takeoff talk about having a lot of guns for the cavernous “What’s Crackin’?”. The choir vocals on the Lil Tjay/Swae Lee assisted “Genius” are chilling as the trio are proclaiming themselves as such while he & Future talking about 100 bitches that’s ready to fuck.

After the pointless “Woo Baby” interlude, the actual “Woo Baby” song itself is an attempt at a radio hit saying he & Chris Brown like their yummy yellow whatever the fuck that’s supposed to mean while the moody Dua Lipa duet “Demeanor” finds the 2 talking about his shawty. “Spoiled” even though it’s 2 minutes long is what “Woo Baby” should’ve been while the song “8-Ball” with KiD CuDi serves as a guitar ballad produced by Swizz Beatz about robbin’ ‘cause they never had nothing. The penultimate track “Back Door” with Kodak Black & Quavo sees the trio lavishly looking back on what their mothers had told them growing up & the closer “Merci Beaucoup” beautiful tells listeners that he ain’t got shit to prove to nobody.

Now I like this a bit more than the previous Pop Smoke album, but just by a very small margin. Some of the features either hit or miss & I really appreciate how it doesn’t try as hard to appeal to a nonexistent radio market like Shoot for the Stars, Aim for the Moon did.

Score: 3/5

xhulooo – “Rude & Reno” review

xhulooo is a 16 year old rapper from Atlanta, Georgia who first emerged through SoundCloud at the very beginning of 2019. He’s gone on to drop a total of 6 EPs since then but after taking a 9-month hiatus following the previous one ##Enigma: Uncut from last October, the up-&-comer is reemerging with a 7th EP.

“42” kicks the EP off with some strings & hi-hats to talk about putting a motherfucker in the woods whereas “Red Hair” jumps on top of a cloudy beat to say he doesn’t blame anyone who hates him because he’s getting money.

The song “Bathing Ape” flexes over an uptempo instrumental while the penultimate track “Fresh” is a rubbery homage to the late Bankroll Fresh. Finally there’s “Promise”, which has a euphoric ring to the production & Xhulooo to acknowledge that they’re watching him.

Overall, I’m pretty impressed with what this kid had to offer with Rude & Reno. I like the playful production & his performances are super catchy. Whenever he drops a full-length debut down the road, it’s bound to be his magnum opus.

Score: 3.5/5

Ali Cashius Jr. – “Flight Club” review

Ali Cashius Jr. is a 35 year old MC from Detroit, Michigan who first emerged a decade ago off the strength of his debut album A Message 4 tha People. This was followed up with The Barrio Boombox in 2018 & after dropping a handful of well-received singles within the last 3 years, Ali is back in effect for his long-awaited 3rd album.

“1985” serves as a hypnotic boom bap introduction to the world that created him whereas the Joell Ortiz-assisted “No Justice No Peace” serves as a passionate response to George Floyd’s murder. He delves into spirituality with the somber “Bismillah” before hoping his pain will be taken away on the jazzy “Broken”. Meanwhile for “Rude Boi”, we have Ali & Big Preme taking things into reggae territory leading into him & HK Meek propping up their “Day 1’s”, which almost has a west coast flare to it instrumentally. Futuristic tags along to ask if they can hear them now on trap-tinged “Hello” leading into the seductive “Parallel Parking”.

“Leave Me Alone” reunites Ali with HK Meek to say they have a lot on their mind over a guitar & hi-hats, but then Big Preem shows back up for “Caribbean Blues” to say they wrote the song for their beautiful warrior. “Desperados” is a slow trap cut opening up about seduction while “Tina’s Song” is a beautiful dedication to Ali’s older sister of the same name. Then there’s the title track, where Ali & Dags come together to victoriously talk about ballin’ in the skyline.

I really enjoyed a good portion of the singles that this guy has dropped in the last few years, so I was curious to hear how he would sound on this album & I ending up digging it. I feel like he kinda overdid it with the features since nearly half the songs on here have one, but his the production is on point & his pen-game is relentless.

Score: 3.5/5

IDK – “USEE4YOURSELF” review

This is the sophomore album from Bowie, Maryland by way of Clapham, London, England, United Kingdom rapper, singer/songwriter & producer IDK. Breaking out in the mid-2010s off his first 3 mixtapes under his original moniker Jay IDK, his profile began to significantly increase in 2017 when he signed to William Street Records put out a 4th tape entitled IWasVeryBad to critical acclaim. This was followed up with the debut EP IDK & Friends as well as his first full-length Is He Real? but with the 1-year anniversary of IDK & Friends 2 passing a couple weeks ago, Jay is delivering the long-awaited USEE4YOURSELF.

After the 301–809-1821 intro, the first song “Santa Monica Bvld.” is a bassy celebratory opener about him winning whereas “Dogs Don’t Lie” works in an alluring vocal sample to talk about trust. He also disses Anthony Fantano for giving Is He Real? a 6/10, which is bitter because many other people gave it the same score including ShawnCee’s annoying ass & even myself. “Truth” is a 30-second ambient cut saying he’s focused on money leading into Young Thug tagging along for the braggadocious “PradadaBang” produced by Denver Nuggets center JaVale McGee of all fucking people.

Meanwhile on the 5th & final WWE NXT WarGames theme song “Shoot My Shot”, we get a vibrant trap beat from T-Minus along with Offset accompanying IDK to be flirtatious just before Westside Gunn & Jay Electronica come into the picture to help discuss gold diggers on the luxurious trap banger “Red”. After the “Jelly” interlude, the Lucky Daye-assisted “Puerto Rico” serves as a corny ode to “5-star bitches” whereas “Temporary Love” is pretty much a 1-minute SiR song with little to no IDK presence whatsoever.

“10 Feet” with T-Pain is a lukewarm attempt at a strip club banger, but then “Keto” makes up for it with it’s synth-laced instrumental from The Neptunes to the charismatic performances from IDK alongside Rico Nasty & Swae Lee. He later compares himself to the great Michael Jordan on the minimal “1995” & then the “Payback’s a Dog” sample that “Peloton” brings to the table is so well played for him to talk about a woman who made his ego so high.

The track “Hey Auntie” with Slick Rick is a keyboard-heavy tribute to both of their respective aunts while the final song “Cry in Church” has a tension-building beat & lyrics about how IDK would rather be. Finally, “Closure” serves as a spoken-word outro with IDK talking over the phone saying that mockingbird represents innocence to him.

Coming away from this album, my feelings on it are pretty mixed. I think the concept of toxic masculinity being instilled in his mind at the early age is intriguing, but nearly half the cuts on here are so short that there’s literally no point of them being on here & most of the features hardly have any presence to them.

Score: 2.5/5