Detroit veteran Ty Farris teaming up with Apollo Brown to produce his 12th LP. Emerging up up under the name T-Flame being featuring on a lot of projects throughout the mid-2000’s until the very end of the decade, it was at that point where he started to put out solo stuff at a prolific rate by dropping 11 mixtapes, all 11 of his previous albums & 4 EPs. Standouts include the Room 39 duology & the No Cosign Just Cocaine series, the Machacha-produced Malice at the Palace & the Graymatter produced Sounds That Never Left My Soul. Coming off Enigma with an Attitude & Timing of a Tarantula, we have 2 of the Motor City’s finest joining forces suggesting you Run Toward the Monster.
After the “Run” intro, the first song “Follow My Soul” makes for a passionate boom bap intro talking about listening to his intuitions in this cold game whereas the 2nd & final single “No Celebrations” speaks of the relentless grind it takes to reach the top. “Details” disses wankstas who portray fictitious crime they’ve committed in their music while “Authenticity” featuring Mickey Diamond finds 2 talking about their legitimacies.
“Ctrl Alt Delete” brings a bit of a psychedelic, boom, bad vibe instrumentally proclaiming his 3rd eye doesn’t ever sleep leading into “Beautiful Struggle” talks about the journey to where he is now wasn’t an easy one, but he wouldn’t have changed shit. “Sacred” works in some sampling for Ty to explain the way he feels every time he’s in front of a microphone just before “Cold is the Gun” talks about never buckling under pressure.
Kicking off the final leg, “Street Patriots” speaks of another day in the battlefield for his kind of people chopping up a vocal sample while “Traffic” talks about still going although most who were hustling beside him have fallen off. The lead single “Flawless Victory” featuring Top Hooter teams up over a flute warning of what their results will be in any beef until finishing up by asking God to have mercy for the “Young Rebels” trying to survive the fight.
A fitting soundtrack for the cold months & colder realities, Run Toward the Monster reserves the arguable right of possibly becoming the greatest musical statement of Ty Farris’ entire career for it’s grittily emotional & unapologetically honest. Apollo Brown’s production has a heavily grimy, soul-drenched grit to it compared to Funeral for a Dream earlier this summer & T-Flame’s lyrics are amongst the most mature he’s ever penned, tackling issues like survival or self-awareness & standing your ground.
Oh No is a 46 year old MC & producer from Oxnard, California known for being 1/2 of The Professionals with his older brother Madlib & of course Gangrene with The Alchemist. His debut album The Disrupt under Stones Throw Records would become a west coast hip hop gem & the sophomore effort Exodus into Unheard Rhythms of course relied on Galt MacDermot samples. Ohnomite & the Chris Keys-produced Ashes would succeed the Oxperiment & Ethiopium beat tapes, returning over a decade after Disrupted Ads for his 6th studio LP after signing to Nature Sounds.
After the “Broken Radio” intro, “No One’s Stop” ruggedly begins with The Disrupt jumping over a gritty self-produced instrumental trying to get guap setting up shop whereas “Community Trenches” by Team Getem featuring Blu, Kazi & M.E.D. finds the quintet advising staying indoors so the war outside can be avoided. Rah Digga & Talib Kweli both rip the mic together for “Around Here” letting it be known that some ain’t allowed to be near their premises while the 2nd & final single “Rooftop Shottas” by Ghostface Killah & TriState finds the pair coming together over a gully beat advising to give up everything they got in the middle of a stickup unless you wanna get shot.
Following the “Dr. Nodega Informercial” skit, “Gutter Streams” reunites Gangrene a year & a half following their comeback Heads I Win, Tails You Lose to talk about making the needle break after shooting dope through people’s veins & after the “Watch Ya Steps” interlude, Guilty Simpson alongside Montage 1 & Vic Spencer along with him for the spaciously raw “Grounding Stars” so they can get at the throats of those who think they be running shit.
J. Sands takes us all on an 103 second “Nodega Run” having some vibraphones backing his storytelling while the lead single “Money Everyday” by Big Twins & Tha God Fahim talking about looking for new ways of getting paid. After the “Nobody Told U” interlude, “How Crime Works” by Crimeapple gets on some boom bap shit explaining his grind up until the “Alley Loitering” interlude.
“No Parking Zone” featuring Logic sets out for all the smoke with the wankstas acting like they really got it while “Czarnobyl Torture” featuring Esoteric carries the battle bars over wanting their opposition to know the applause wasn’t meant to be a congratulatory gesture to them. And after the “Good Beer Therapy (Interlude)”, “Likwit Smoke” by Tash & Wildchild makes it clear they’re still part of the Likwit Crew.
The song “ICU with Bottle Service” featuring Bishop Lamont finishes up our last few minutes of exploring the Nodega with him & Oh No over a Khrysis instrumental sampling what sounds like an SNES video game warning that they’ll let fists fly towards detractors who stay flapping their mouths while “Corner Goons” by Team Getem featuring Jayo Felony concludes with the trio suggesting everybody chillin’ at the corner to move because they carrying weight.
Thematically built around a corner store where all microphone assassins can stop through to lay down their street tales, Oh No cooks up a freshly wild collection of songs as the drama unfolds only contributing a handful of verses & letting his guests shine throughout a good bulk of Nodega. His production is some of the most cinematic he’s ever made & even though his performances are all occasional, a great deal of the veterans that’re brought on board all do what they’ve become known for VERY well.
It’s been 4 months & Detroit veteran Boldy James has finally returned to make his Roc Nation Records debut in the form of his 17th LP. Breaking out in the fall of 2013 off his Alchemist produced debut M.1.C.S. (My 1st Chemistry Set), there was a point where Nas’ independent label Mass Appeal Records had them on their roster for a little while before getting locked up. Once coming home, Uncle Al would help get his name back out there once getting out by dropping the Boldface EP around Christmas 2019 & then the sophomore album The Price of Tea in China. Manger on McNichols produced by Sterling Toles was as equally fantastic & the Griselda Records-backed Versace Tape EP was a tad bit disappointing given how rushed it was. Bo Jackson though would become his most critically acclaimed work to date & Super Tecmo Bo was almost as great for an EP. Fair Exchange No Robbery produced by Nicholas Craven, Penalty of Leadership, Mr. 10-08 produced by Futurewave, the Conductor Williams-produced Across the Tracks the Harry Fraud-produced The Bricktionary & the Carlo Anthony-produced Hidden in Plain Sight were all welcomed to warm reception additionally. Token of Appreciation produced by Chuck Strangers was much better than both Murder During Drug Traffic & Permanent Ink, the Antt Beatz produced Hommage left people divided although I didn’t mind it, coming off the V Don-produced Alphabet Highway & the Killing Nothing sequel Conversational Pieces respectively by showing up Late to His Own Funeral. Signing to Roc Nation not too long ago, he & Craven have decided to run it back with Criminally Attached.
“Walnut Grove” comes out the gate with a vocal sample talking about making money for a long time putting it on his grandmother Mary Lou whereas “No Blemishes soulfully explains that a membership of the gang he’s in cannot be simply claimed.“Infrared.com” talks about still being in the ghetto with all of his Zs getting calls that shouldn’t be answered on speaker just before “Fully Smack” runs up a check quickly to the point where he doesn’t have to wait in a line.
David Hill & 50 Gwuap Taj join Boldy on the soulful “Trifecta” talking about the way they see themselves livin’ leading into “Thumb of Craven” starting the 2nd half continuing the drumless chipmunk soul vibes telling the heavyweights throw up against to walk a little lighter. “Mr. Quaker Oats” featuring Poppy Bricks embraces a jazzier vibe talking about being more Richie than Lionel while “Thread the Needle” suggests you know he came from the bands the way he marches in.
“2 Left Feet” begins Criminally Attached last several minutes talking about not missing a single beat when he’s hustling in the streets over a chipmunk soul instrumental & lastly, “1st Time Around” ends with a vocal jazz flip admitting that he isn’t referring to blank disc when he mentions CDs & advising that one shouldn’t get to acquainted with the 227 Concreatures because of all the excessive gang shit that stays surrounding them.
Hard to say whether or not we’ll still get The Pop Catcher either next month or in 2026 but either way, Boldy James’ official Roc Nation Records debut & his 4th album to be entirely produced by one of my personal favorite producers of this ongoing decade joins Late to My Own Funeral alongside Token of Appreciation & Alphabet Highway for the strongest out of the handful of albums the Motor City’s finest has had to offer in 2025. Gearing up for a Super Tecmo Bowl follow-up next year also, Nicholas Craven’s drumlessly soulful production is unparalleled compared to it’s predecessor 4 months earlier & the same can be said regarding the gangsta-themed lyrics.
Buffalo, New York emcees Che Noir & 7xvethegenius joining forces for a collaborative full-length studio LP. One of whom blew up after 38 Spesh signed her to TCF Music Group & the other would sign with Conway the Machine’s own Drumwork Music Group, although they have since started their own labels Poetic Movement Records & Broadband Sound respectively. We’ve heard them cross paths with each other several times over the years, elevating their chemistry in part of their quest of their Desired Crowns.
After the “Trapped in the Silicone” intro, the first song “Topanga” produced by Lord Sear sets it all off with a soulful sample for both ladies to body for a few minutes whereas “Not Me” locks in with Chup so they can talk about going pound for pound. The 3rd & final single “Sum of 2 Evils” hooks up a crooning boom bap instrumental from Conductor Williams flexing that they could fit all the money everyone’s bragging of in their purses leading into “Amina” talking about making it because of survival.
Reason joins Che & 7xve on “Flight” recalling the best thing that their mothers told them was that the sky limit’s over a V Don beat & after the “Love You” interlude, Che Noir herself works in a soul sample during “Conquer” talking about making waves by following moves. “Town Ballroom” brings a dustier vibe thanks to Khrysis coaching shit ain’t funny despite them smiling while “Breaker” prior to the “Black Girl” remix ends with them in disbelief over the goals they’ve achieved.
Almost 4 years in the making, Desired Crowns progresses a chemistry that previous cuts like “Bless the Food” or “Neck Protected” have already captured previously except 2 of the illest women in Buffalo have grown a lot artistically throughout this ongoing decade & that’s a reoccurring reminder of this album now that they’re both doing their own thing. Appropriately, Che Noir & 7xvethegenius only have 1 guest to accompany them to put all their energy towards their synergetic bonds over a consistent batch of beats for nearly a half hour.
Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England, United Kingdom singer/songwriter & dancer FKA twigs releasing a sequel to Eusexua with her 4th album. Notable in the art pop scene for her XL Recordings subsidiary Young Recordings debut EP2 after her eponymous debut EP along with her full-length debut LP1 & her 3rd EP M3LL155X. Her sophomore effort Magdalene was also acclaimed with many saying it’s better than LP1 & the same goes with her Atlantic Records-backed debut mixtape Caprisongs, releasing Eusexua at the beginning of 2025 & has followed it up almost 10 months later with Afterglow.
“Love Crimes” makes for a post-dubstep intro singing about the best time being the hardest ones to let go & advising her lover to take things slow whereas “Slushy” blends alternative R&B & glitch pop so she can create some harmony by painting her own utopia with her mind. “Wild & Alone” featuring PinkPantheress finds the 2 joining forces over a UK garage be at to sing about loving a celebrity who constantly has the feeling of isolation leading into ”Hard” pulling inspiration from Janet Jackson a little describing the way she wants to be loved.
Trip hop, illbient, alternative r&b, future garage, chopped & screwed, ambient dub and eccojams all collide on the final single “Cheap Hotel” yearning for her & her romantic interest to go all night with each other sexually at a spot behind the club just before “Touch a Girl” shifts more towards an alternative R&B vibe singing about a clever man leaving her spinning although he’s not good with women. The lead single “Predictable Girl” comes across as an internal monologue blending UK bass, 2-step, glitch pop deconstructed club, future garage & industrial techno while “Sushi” starts the 2nd half singing about wanting to take this guy out.
“Piece of Mine” starts the final moments of Eusexua 2: Afterglow balancing glitch pop & alternative R&B advising the man she’s with to relax his mind because he’s a part of her while “Lost All My Friends” could be my least favorite track here due to be heavily repetitive songwriting despite the EDM approach instrumentally. “Stereo Boy” finishes twigs’ 2nd full-length of 2025 singing about hearing the static within the titular character’s heart, allowing him to drive herself off the edge if she can land in his oils although her pain has remained even after she changed the station.
Maintaining than continuing the primary electronic dance music influences of it’s predecessor & swapping out the art pop elements in favor of alternative R&B, what was originally set to be an expansion of Eusexua has become a spiritual successor that’s more experimental than it’s counterpart. The production additionally exploring sounds of UK garage, post-dubstep, glitch pop, UK bass & deconstructed club expands on the feelings that come after experiencing Eusexua & transmuting them into a soundtrack for the hours after the rave tackling themes of freedom alongside pleasure & maximizing every moment to the fullest.
Brooklyn, New York skateboarder, MC, producer, songwriter, visual artist & model Navy Blue starting the week off with his 8th studio LP. Breaking out a decade ago off his debut EP According to the Waterbearer, he would go on to drop 9 more EPs & 6 full-lengths before signing to Def Jam Recordings for his previous album Ways of Knowing produced by Budgie to critical acclaim. Coming off last summer’s Memoirs in Armour EP however, The Sword & The Sword has arrived as we reach the halfway point of the month.
“The Bloodletter” begins by hooking up a drumless piano from Chris Keys advising that you don’t have to die in order to live again whereas the only single “Orchards” takes the boom bap route instrumentally with some strings to talk about being on an other journey of self-discovery. “God’s Kingdom” produced by Graymatter gets back on the drumless vibes finding himself unable to cry lately since his uncle Carl passed while “Sunlight of the Spirit” soulfully talks about life being to beautiful to hide the way he’s living.
Moving on from there, “Guardadas” keeps it drumless calmly desiring for peace & recognition just before “My Heartbeat” heads for a jazzier boom bap direction talking about not being defined by who he’s living for soaring through an existential war. “Tale of the Truth” strips the drums once again trying to tone down the voices depriving him of his patience leading into the self-produced “Fight On” talking about love being the very thing he’s fighting for.
“Kindred Spirit” starts the 2nd half remembering the late Ka in light of his tragic passing 13 months earlier over a saxophone while “If Only…” brings a bluesy guitar in the fold apologizing for not returning calls due to falling back. “Illusions” maintains a drumless sound talking about looking high & low when he was high & low while “24 Gospel” featuring Earl Sweatshirt finds the 2 abstractly bodying a gospel sample that Animoss flipped.
To kick off The Sword & The Soaring’s final quarter, “Here & Now” jumps over a sampled piano for a couple minutes explaining his pain is where his day resides while Sebb Bash gives “Soul Investments” an appropriately soulful edge to it asks why he’s on with keeping lesser if he has more to gain. “Sharing Life blends these luscious keys & a flute talking about fatherhood while “The Phoenix” comes to the realization that the trials & tribulations have taught him he’s worthy of affection.
Navy Blue’s entire discography has been defined by his introspectively abstract lyricism & drumless production, but his newest album takes his use of music as a therapeutic outlet to newer territories having The Sword thematically representing an earthly tool used for the battle he’s cohesively describing or in this case grief & The Soaring symbolizing the heavenly council. The production on this one is soothingly peaceful handling only 25% of it himself & Ka would certainly be proud of the way he’s being honored if he was still here.
Hatch Wiseguy is a 37 year old MC from Detroit, Michigan making his full-length debut 2 decades ago with Wise Guy & following it up with an EP called Likewise. He would later go on to receive co-signs from local veterans like Royce da 5’9″ & Trick-Trick to established icons like The LOX & the late DMX, even forming a duo with Pony Evans called Role Idols. I also thought that he had the best performance of the 3 on the track he contributed to off Blizzard’s debut album Duel with Death, so hearing that he was returning for a sophomore effort felt long overdue in my personal opinion.
“To Whom It May Concern” produced by Foul Mouth starts off by hooking up a piano-based boom bap instrumental playing with fiery Hell like 2 magnums whereas “Pop Off” featuring Astray & Paradime finds the trio over a more jazzily soulful instrumental from Blizzard talking about needing head doctors since they’re so crazy. “Prolific” flexes his status with the pen continuing to demonstrate Foul’s ear for sampling just before “Foreigner” lavishly talks about popping overseas with his Gs.
38 Spesh joins the Wiseguy on the grimy boom bap collaboration “Yikes” giving no fucks as to what these pussies are like out here these days leading into “Snakes” featuring Astray reuniting the 2 to call out those exact kind of people scheming behind their backs over a dusty beat. “We Outside” featuring Bizarre gets together to give the audience that raw shit prior to “Leap Frog” featuring Marv Won talking about both of them hurdling over all these bitches, with Hatch referencing WWE Hall of Famer Mike Tyson alongside the greatest basketball player of all-time Michael Jordan & the late king of pop Michael Jackson.
“It’s Not Ok” featuring KXNG CROOKED begins the 2nd half with both artists looking to keep angels by their side whenever they’re out because of devils following them while the drumless “Make You Proud” talks about having to learn some lessons the hard way & seeing his father pass away in front of him. “Seeing is Believing” brings the kicks & snares back in the fold humbly living his dreams until “Chill” scoffs at these group of people acting like bitches. “Bare My Soul” featuring Astray explains that he made this album because there’s not enough love being spread these days & “Nincompoop” wraps things up with some shit-talking.
Intentionally making this a niche boom bap project for those who truly appreciate the craft & artistry of lyricism & hip hop at it’s most traditional instead of the casual rap listener or a sing-a-long crowd, Dirt & Diamonds checks all the boxes in regards of making it a triumphant comeback from very personal moments to bangers, stories, lyrical exercises & some good ol’ bops. Pulling a lot of strings to include some of the top talents in the genre from features to production & even live instrumentation, it’s like he’s catching up with all of us as to what’s been going on with him & his growth since the last time he dropped forever ago.
Lefty Gunplay is a 29 year old rapper from Baldwin Park, California who began his music career in 2023 after a prison stint. He has since dropped 6 full-lengths & an EP, including an outro on “tv off” from Kendrick Lamar’s 6th album GNX around this time 12 months ago. Can’t Get Right produced by Jason Martin formerly known as Problem would become his most celebrated work this spring, coming off Ghetto Heisman‘s mixed reception to have Jason produce his 2nd EP alongside Mike & Keys.
“C-Murder Flow” opens with a homage to the wrongfully incarcerated member of TRU himself almost 2 weeks after No Limit Records smoked Cash Money Records at the Verzuz occurring at ComplexCon whereas Jiggy works in a vocal sample so he can talk about nobody being in his division. “Califa” featuring MC Davo & pfacebabyy finds the trio decently flexing that they’re catching fades throughout the city leading into “M.W.A. (Mexican With an Attitude)” eerily talking about being Hispanic & having an N.W.A mindset.
The song “She Fell in Love with an Ese” beginning the final leg of I Told You So asking if there’s a single person out in the streets who can outrun his gun while “Story of My Life” featuring Coyote, Cricket, Jason Martin & pfacebabyyy gets together over some horns so they can talk about being in the position of making their own rules. The title track ends the EP in the most appropriate way imaginable from the summery guitar instrumental to the lyrics promising that he wouldn’t break his lovers’ heart.
Ghetto Heisman earlier this fall was a little disappointing compared to Can’t Get Right mainly because the production & guests simultaneously felt all over the place in terms of consistency, not quite reaching the bar of WC’s sophomore effort of the same name under Def Jam Recordings over 2 decades earlier. Now regarding I Told You So, it comes off to me as an amalgamation of Ghetto Heisman‘s inconsistencies & Can’t Get Right‘s refinement of Lefty Gunplay’s whole entire Chicano/west coast style.
This is the 8th EP from Seattle, Washington up-&-coming rapper & producer Tayo. Originally starting under the moniker ByeTayo, he started on SoundCloud close around Halloween 2021 off his first few EPs Crash on Purpose as well as Inside Voices & PM the following year. He would later go on applying pressure with couple more EPs in wintr & a sequel to PM, coming off Thank You Tayo taking himself to newer levels both artistically & personally on Bye this past spring. Merely 6 months later, he’s setting out to do it again with Goodbye.
lade takes up a bulk of the intro “strawberry” aside from the hook melodically talking about getting fly & wanting to know who has a better closet just before the 70 second “wells fargo” produced by Pi’erre Bourne asks his this woman trusts him or not. “fitch” brings a pluggnb vibe to the table courtesy of Goyxrd for a woman to continuously question his feelings towards her while “Pull Out More” featuring Ppgcasper talks about oxycontin taking over
“icarly” references the Paramount Skydance Corporation owned Nickelodeon franchise of the same name & after a 90 second Tooly? solo joint disguised as an interlude, “fake bby” locks back in with Goyxrd for another foray into pluggnb talking about relationships. The self-produced “that part” brings a standard plugg flare to the table while “lil peep” featuring Tooly? finishes Goodbye on more of a rage-inducing note remember the emo rap pioneer.
Looking to take the evolution Bye began embracing to the next level, Tayo’s 2nd extended play of 2025 improves from the previous one we got in May & could easily become the greatest body of work in the 4 years he’s been making music. Goodbye’s plugg & pluggnb production feels stronger than its predecessors obviously since he’s generated enough buzz to lock in with some of the greatest trap producers & the Seattle artist’s hunger hasn’t waned.
Rosalía is a 33 year old atypical pop star from Sant Cugat del Vallès, Catalonia, Spain introducing herself in 2017 with the new flamenco full-length debut Los Ángeles. Her sophomore effort El Mal Querer under Columbia Records would catapult her into stardom for embracing a more experimental flamenco sound & Motomami conceptually built itself around the way she was feeling during the 17-month studio sessions that conceived it. Preparing for a deeply personal return, her 4th studio album & it’s only single unsurprisingly marked a stylistic change of pace.
Rosalía es una estrella del pop atípica de 33 años, originaria de Sant Cugat del Vallès, Cataluña, España, que se dio a conocer en 2017 con su primer álbum de flamenco, Los Ángeles. Su segundo trabajo, El Mal Querer, con Columbia Records, la catapultó al estrellato por adoptar un sonido flamenco más experimental, y Motomami se construyó conceptualmente en torno a cómo se sentía durante las 17 meses de sesiones de estudio en las que lo concibió. Preparándose para un regreso profundamente personal, su cuarto álbum de estudio y su único sencillo marcaron, como era de esperar, un cambio de ritmo estilístico.
“Sexo, Violencia y Llantas” starts with some strings & pianos dichotomizing the physical & spiritual worlds that we’ve all become too familiar with while “Reliquia” works in more keys & violins to sing about wanting this person to take a piece of her with them as an heirloom. “Divinize” embraces a heavy art pop sound feeling more alive than she ever has whereas “Porcelana” tells the story of a 17th century Japanese nun named 良年幻象.
«Sexo, Violencia y Llantas» comienza con unos acordes de cuerda y piano que dicotomizan los mundos físico y espiritual con los que todos estamos tan familiarizados, mientras que «Reliquia» utiliza más teclados y violines para cantar sobre el deseo de que esa persona se lleve un pedazo de ella como reliquia. «Divinize» adopta un sonido art pop pesado que la hace sentir más viva que nunca, mientras que «Porcelana» cuenta la historia de una monja japonesa del siglo XVII llamada Ryōnen Gensō.
We get an art pop/classical crossover with “Mio Cristo Piange Diamanti” to conclude the 1st quarter singing about a friendship considered contemplative until the only single “Berghain” fuses those 2 previously mentioned genres with orchestral music, opera, choral & romanticism referencing the famous Berlin techno club. “La Perla” featuring Yahritza Y Su Esencia conceptually feels reminiscent of “Promesa” off RR’s eponymous debut EP leading into “Mundo Nueveo” reinterpreting “Quisiera Yo Renegar” by La Niña de los Peines to renounce the world entirely.
Con «Mio Cristo Piange Diamanti» obtenemos una mezcla de art pop y música clásica que concluye el primer cuarto, cantando sobre una amistad considerada contemplativa, hasta que el único sencillo, «Berghain», fusiona los dos géneros mencionados anteriormente con música orquestal, ópera, coros y romanticismo, haciendo referencia al famoso club techno de Berlín. «La Perla», con Yahritza Y Su Esencia, recuerda conceptualmente a «Promesa», del EP homónimo debut de RR, que da paso a «Mundo Nueveo», una reinterpretación de «Quisiera Yo Renegar», de La Niña de los Peines, para renunciar por completo al mundo.
“De Madrugá” produced by Pharrell & former G.O.O.D. Music in-house producer Noah Goldstein hooks up these violins for Rosalía to conclude the 1st half assuring that revenge’s seeking her & having 1,000 tongues of fire in her hair prior to “Dios Es un Stalker” topically stalking a man that she has her eyes on to make him fall in love with her. “La Yugular” goes bilingual singing in Spanish & Arabic promising that she’ll tear down the sky & destroy Hell for the love she has for this man while “Focu ‘Ranni” takes inspiration from Santa Rosalía de Palermo.
«De Madrugá», producida por Pharrell y el antiguo productor interno de G.O.O.D. Music, Noah Goldstein, acompaña a Rosalía con violines para concluir la primera mitad, asegurando que la venganza la busca y que tiene mil lenguas de fuego en su cabello antes de «Dios Es un Stalker», que acosa temáticamente a un hombre al que le ha echado el ojo para que se enamore de ella. «La Yugular» es una canción bilingüe, cantada en español y árabe, en la que promete que derribará el cielo y destruirá el infierno por el amor que siente por este hombre, mientras que «Focu ‘Ranni» se inspira en Santa Rosalía de Palermo.
The desire of purging all things materialistic creeps up during “Sauvignon Blanc” no longer being afraid of the past over a piano while “Jeanne” bases itself around the Joan of Arc, entrusting herself to God’s wishes. “Novia Robot” takes a jab at the men who prefer their women to be pliantly emotionless while “La Rumba del Perdón” sings about a stereotypical dad leaves for cigarettes & doesn’t come back situation without making it sound cliche.
El deseo de purgar todo lo materialista se apodera de nosotros durante «Sauvignon Blanc», en la que ya no tememos al pasado acompañados por un piano, mientras que «Jeanne» se basa en Juana de Arco, que se entrega a los designios de Dios. «Novia Robot» critica a los hombres que prefieren que sus mujeres sean dóciles y sin emociones, mientras que «La Rumba del Perdón» canta sobre la situación estereotipada de un padre que sale a comprar cigarrillos y no vuelve, sin que suene a cliché.
“Memória” featuring Carminho pushes further towards the final moments of Lux combining art pop & fudo pondering if anybody will remember who they are after enough time has passed sharing the microphone together while “Magnolias” finishes up the LP by summing up her own funeral, singing to be honored with delicacy & love when she’s not here anymore having the flowers that symbolize the presence of Christ in the deceased thrown at her grave.
«Memória», con la colaboración de Carminho, avanza hacia los momentos finales de Lux, combinando art pop y fudo, reflexionando sobre si alguien recordará quiénes son después de que haya pasado el tiempo suficiente, compartiendo el micrófono juntos, mientras que «Magnolias» cierra el LP resumiendo su propio funeral, cantando para ser honrada con delicadeza y amor cuando ya no esté aquí, con las flores que simbolizan la presencia de Cristo en los difuntos arrojadas sobre su tumba.
To enhance the classical crossover experience she was aiming for, Rosalía brought the London Symphony Orchestra in ensuring Lux would become the most universal listening experience of her career split in 4 different movements performed in 14 different languages to stick out in the divided world we’ve come to know. The production eschews the reggaeton influences of Motomami to additionally pull from orchestral music, flamenco pop & singer/songwriter for a conceptual look at her relationships both from a romantic & a religious standpoint.
Para mejorar la experiencia de fusión clásica que buscaba, Rosalía contó con la London Symphony Orchestra para garantizar que Lux se convirtiera en la experiencia auditiva más universal de su carrera, dividida en cuatro movimientos diferentes interpretados en catorce idiomas distintos para destacar en el mundo dividido que conocemos. La producción evita las influencias del reguetón de Motomami para inspirarse adicionalmente en la música orquestal, el pop flamenco y los cantautores, con el fin de ofrecer una visión conceptual de sus relaciones tanto desde un punto de vista romántico como religioso.
Score: 4.5/5
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