Vince Staples – Self-Titled review

This is eponymous 3rd full-length album from Compton, California rapper, singer/songwriter & actor Vince Staples. Coming up as a close affiliate of the now defunct Odd Future crew, he would go on to release 4 mixtapes before signing a joint deal with Blacksmith Records & even No I.D.’s very own Def Jam Recordings imprint ARTium Recordings. My personal favorite of which being Stolen Youth, which was entirely produced by the late Mac Miller. His first major label outing Hell Can Wait was a dope little EP preluding the full-length debut Summertime ‘06, which became one of the best double disc albums of the previous decade. Vince later detailed the pitfalls that came with his success on the next EP Prima Donna, but the dude’s last album Big Fish Theory was unquestionably his most experimental work yet. But ever since linking up with Kenny Beats at the tail-end of 2018 for the radio show-themed EP FM!, we’ve heard very little from Vince. So given the 3 year gap & him jumping ship from Def Jam to Motown Records, to say I was excited for him to finally make a comeback is an understatement.

“Are You With That?” kicks things off with a wonky trap instrumental from Kenny Beats (who produced the whole album start to finish) & Vince saying all he wanted was to be a thug growing up whereas “Laws of Averages” is much more slower in terms of production with lyrics about how “I don’t trust no bitch with my government”. Vince jumps on top of a slowed down sample on “Sundown Town” to talk about running wild before taking things into a murky trap direction for “The Shining”.

Meanwhile on “Taking Trips”, we go into more psychedelic territory for Vince to bug out over leading into an interlude entitled “The Apple & The Tree”. He later expresses homesickness with the R&B flavored “Take Me Home” while the penultimate song “Lil Fade” serves as a symphonic ode to all his homies in the pen. After the “Lakewood Mall” interlude, the closer “MHM” works in some synths & rubbery bass to spit that gangsta shit.

For the 3-year wait, I think this self-titled joint was well worth it. Wish it was longer than 22 minutes, but Vince takes through events in his life that he’s never put out there before & he sounds a lot better with Kenny Beats than he did on FM!. Looking forward to hear what route he takes for Ramona Park Broke My Heart.

Score: 4/5

Cabal – “The Watchers” review

Cabal is a newly formed supergroup consisting of Bukshot, Lo Key & Mr. Grey. Up to this point each of the members have worked with one another, but we haven’t heard them all together at once. Bukshot just dropped Double Dragon’s self-titled debut with Kung Fu Vampire back in February & just about a month ago, Lo Key put out a his Metanoia EP paying homage to nu metal. I also loved Gorilla Voltage’s 2 albums through Majik Ninja Entertainment (especially Gods & Claws), so I’m very excited to see what they trio are gonna pull off on this debut album of theirs. Especially since they got MIKE SUMMERS a.k.a. 7 behind the boards for the whole thing.

After the “Monolith of Xaos” intro, the first song “Horn of Hades” is a heinous look at the trio having crazy thoughts as of late whereas “Shadow People” goes into a trap direction talking about being stuck in a familiar place referencing BJW認定デスマッチヘビー級チャンピオン & WWE Hall of Famer Abdullah the Butcher. The title track works in some haunting synth melodies saying they don’t like what they see & after the “Dark Assembly” skit, the trio come back to in action to proclaim themselves as “Death Merchants”. Meanwhile on “The Spawning”, we get a dastardly depiction of Cabal being Hellspawn just before taking listeners through their inner turmoils on the petrifying “Madness in Me”.

I think “Devil Inside” has the best hook on the entire album as the trio speak on something in them wandering the darkness spiritually & after the “Offering of Souls” skit, the song “Don’t Go in the Basement” works in some organ & synth melodies to paint a picture of Hell. The penultimate track “Maelstrom” with the Super Famous Fun Guys & the Venomous 5 finds the 10 emcees aggressively proclaiming themselves as the wickedest creatures, but then “Phanchasm” ends the album by talking about learning things you should never learn.

If you loved Double Dragon’s self-titled debut that dropped at the beginning of 2021, then you might enjoy The Watchers just as much it not more. All 3 of the members have great chemistry with one another & 7 just knocks it out of the park in terms of the overall sound of it.

Score: 4.5/5

Deuce Ellis – “Acid” review

Deuce Ellis is a 33 year old MC/producer from Buffalo, New York who first emerged in the scene just 8 years ago off the strength of his sex comedy-themed debut Spread. This was followed up in 2018 with Goodbye Blue Monday & now with the 1 year anniversary of Midnight Ouroboros creeping up in the fall, Deuce is keeping it rolling by unveiling his 4th full-length album.


“Spit Acid” kicks the album off with Deuce & Che Noir showing off their rapping prowesses on top of some dusty drums & a funky bass-line whereas “Planet America” is a somber boom bap cut with some social commentary being presented through the lyrics. Homeboy Sandman tags along for the insightful “Outlaw Magicians” leading into the luxurious “Electric Soul”, which is about him walking through walls these days. Then there’s “Loosin’ My Mind”, which is pretty much a brief soul interlude.

Meanwhile on “Ciao Boom”, we have Deuce seeming revenge on top of a psychedelic boom bap instrumental just before the slick yet raunchy “Solar Power”. The song “Steam” with Sauce Heist works in some weepy guitar passages to speak on the way they paint pictures while the penultimate track “Smirking Revenge” with Napoleon da Legend drearily addresses betrayal. And finally, “The Yield” contains a meditative beat & he tells us what it was like for him quarantining during COVID.

Now if you ask me, Deuce has been putting out quality music for almost a decade at this point. However, Acid could very well be his magnum opus. He has a unique production style that sounds no different on here & lyrically, he hasn’t even hit his final form yet.

Score: 3.5/5

Damien Quinn – “The Great Red Dragon” review

Damien Quinn is a 33 year old MC from Kenosha, Wisconsin gaining notoriety in the underground as part of the horrorcore duo Dark Half. They only put out 2 critically acclaimed albums together until his partner in rhyme Geno Cultshit passed away of a drug overdose in 2015, but Damien kept himself busy by dropping a handful of EPs leading up to his official solo debut Disorder a couple summers back. But after a few delays, he’s finally following it up with a sophomore effort.

“B.M.A.L.” begins the album by talking about making them all bleed accompanied by an electro-trap beat from Devereaux whereas “Acadia” takes things into a more trap metal direction talking about the apocalypse. “Unconscious” is an awkward cover of Monoxide’s solo cut off the House of Krazees’ 1994 sophomore album Season of the Pumpkin as much as I love the original, but makes up for it with the demonic “I Can Make Them Change”.

Meanwhile on “Cursed”, we have Damien expressing his desire to watch the world burn on top of a manic instrumental leading into the eerie serial killer themed “Manhunter”. He later takes a shot that those who thought they’d try to kill him whilst reviving the trap metal sound on “Ready-Set-Assemble” with that type of production further carried into the mosh pit anthem “Panic Button”.

“ĆVND1RÜ” is a distorted call to expose the bones of the mistreated & unknown while “Hausu” addresses his lover with the production taking a stripped back detour. “The Woman Clothed in the Sun” works in some keyboard melodies attached to mythological lyricism & finally there’s the closer “Chapter 54”, which is a misty declaration of not conforming.

Of all the projects that Damien has dropped on his own since Geno’s untimely passing, this is finest one of them all. The production choices have significantly improved & we get a very well-told story of who The Great Red Dragon really is.

Score: 4/5

Peezy – “Free Rio” review

This is the 8th mixtape from Detroit, Michigan rapper Peezy, Coming up as a part of the Team Eastside collective about a decade ago, he would later go on to release about a dozen solo projects beginning with Mud Muzik in 2014 & subsequently became one of the most prominent figures that the Motor City’s distinct trap scene has to offer. Dude just got out of prison back in February for racketeering & is now celebrating his freedom by dropping Free Rio.

“The Intro” opens up the tape by saying life is good on top of a synth-induced trap beat & some bells leading into the grim 6th installment of his ongoing “I’m Good” series. “I Don’t Know” is a hyphy banger about how he don’t miss whereas the Pooh Beatz-produced title track calls for Rio da Yung OG to be released from prison. Meanwhile on “Build a Bear”, we get an stripped back trap cut about making it out the jungle just before the lively d-boy anthem “We Don’t Scam”.

He continues on to declare himself as the “Million Dollar N***a” accompanied by a glossy instrumental, but then “Perc 10” works in some strings & rubbery bass to talk about sex. The penultimate track “Rio Flow” speaks on taking over the game attached to climatic production with the closer “Good & Bad” speaks on life shit & having a more lavish sound.

He’s pretty much a hometown O.G. at this point & Free Rio most definitely has to be amongst my favorite bodies of work that Peezy has released yet. You should already know what you’re getting yourself into in terms of the overall sound on here since the Detroit trap sound has it’s own ring to it, but dude’s bravado is charming as Hell & is paying homage to the very first artist that he ever took hunger his wing.

Score: 3.5/5

G Herbo – “25” review

G Herbo is a 25 year old rapper & songwriter from Chicago, Illinois breaking out in 2014 off his debut mixtape Welcome to Fazoland. This resulted in him earning a spot in the legendary 2016 XXL Freshman Class along with 5 full-length albums, the previous ones being PTSD last February & the sequel PTSD 2 a few months later. But after dropping a couple singles back in the spring, Herbo dropping his 6th full-length album on everyone’s heads.

“I Don’t Wanna Die” kicks things off with Herbo expressing his fear of death over a chilling Southside instrumental whereas “Cry No More” with Lil Tjay & Polo G is a piano-heavy plea to not suffer any more losses in all 3 of their lives. OZ works in a high-pitched vocal sample on the hungry “Stans the Rain” just before 21 Savage tags along for the braggadocious T.O.P. produced by Hitmaka.

Meanwhile on “You Can’t”, we have Gunna assisting Herbo on top of a trippy Turbo beat to address those who missed them when they were broke leading into the powerful “No Jail Time”. He later recalls witnessing a murder at the age of 9 on the wrenching “Cold World”, but then Don Cannon helps take things into gospel territory for “Whole Hearts”.

Tay Keith’s production on “2 Chains” seems somewhat influenced by Three 6 Mafia with Herbo flexing his wealth while the Rowdy Rebel-assisted “Drill” brings in a violin-infused drill instrumental for them to paint pictures of Chiraq. “Trenches Know My Name” is a climatic confession about how he can’t stay out of the hood whereas “Doughboy” continues to flex once more except the beat has a more victorious tone to it.

“Demands” has kind of a more folkier quality in the production with Herbo talking about “Make the Hood Great Again” & Jake One provides a soul sample to discuss what “Loyalty” means to him. “Pray for My Enemies” contains these cinematic horns & lyrics about how he’s willing to go up to the furthest length under any extent, but the standard edition closer “Turning 25” brings in some keys & hi-hats to describe how he felt on his 25th birthday.

The first bonus track “Statement” flips the Dipset joint “I Really Mean It” to address the fraud charges he’s currently facing whereas “Really Like That” has a more synth-based sound along with lyrics about how he raps for the streets & you rap for the feds. Finally there’s “Break Yoself”, which is atmospheric cut saying that he’s gon’ be rich forever.

To me, Herbo’s latest output is somewhat overlooked & 25 serves as his most personal album he’s put out yet. You get a good look how he’s been doing in the last 9 months & despite a few misses in the production, a majority of them are pretty tight.

Score: 3.5/5

Montener the Menace – “Anyone Home?” review

This is the sophomore effort from Croydon, South London, England, United Kingdom emcee & Hidden Hobby Records founder Montener the Menace. We first caught wind of the guy last spring when he released his full-length studio debut I Have a Hidden Hobby in which dude was rapping his ass off, but was overloaded with features & the instrumentals sorta sounded similar to one another. Not even a year has passed & Montener is continuing to stay busy by dropping Anyone Home?, bringing an interesting list of veterans on board that raised my expectations in comparison that previous album.

After the intro, the first song “We Need to Talk About Kevin” works in a chipmunk vocal sample to talk about being hurt whereas “High Noon” featuring Fatlip, Masta Ace, Rah Digga & Wordsworth compares themselves to that of outlaws over an old western loop. He later addresses his flaws on the twangy boom bap cut “Imperfections” just before he, Craig G & Ed O.G. return things to the essence on the violin-heavy “Take It Back”.

“The Struggle” featuring El Da Sensei, Guilty Simpson & Micall Parknsun is a icy look at everyone’s own problems that they face while “Dog Food” is an orchestral depiction of being homeless. After the “Anyone Home?” interlude, “It’s Always Sunny in Croydon” is a decent little posse cut showcasing Montener’s homies from the titular London city leading into him & A.G. talking about their legacy on the uplifting “Legends Never Die”.

The song “I Can’t Resist Hearing…” is an endearing tribute to fatherhood while the track “Feed the Foxes” featuring bood uses the title as a metaphor for giving to the poor accompanied by a bluesy beat. Then just before the outro, the final song on the album “Bloody Marvelous” featuring Keith Murray finds the 2 flexing their rapping prowesses over a rich instrumental.

To me, Anyone Home? is exactly what I wanted out of I Have a Hidden Hobby & it gives me a good impression that Montener the Menace could top this at some point later this decade. The features are toned down to an appropriate amount, Montener’s lyrical topics are more serious & I also like how he refines the traditional old school sound he goes for by dabbling with a variety of different styles.

Score: 3.5/5

Declaime – “In the Beginning” review

This is the 11th full-length album from Oxnard veteran Declaime. Debuting on “WLIX” off Tha Alkaholiks’ sophomore album Coast II Coast in 1995, it wouldn’t be until 2001 when Dudley Perkins started putting out albums under his own name by dropping Andsoitisaid. Last we heard from him was in 2017 when he released Young Spirit but as the 4 year anniversary of that album approaches next month, dude is unearthing 13 joints that were recorded with longtime collaborator Madlib from 1993-1996 & putting them out to the public in the form of In the Beginning.

“Enuff” kicks things off with Declaime & even Madlib himself jump on top of some bass licks & handclaps talking about not letting stress wound, but then “One on One” works in a lo-fi beat & battle rap lyricism. The pair later go into boom bap territory on “Cool Ways” saying he’ll never slip up whereas “2 to da Head” has these dusty drums & what sound like Seagull noises addressing the days we’re living in.

Meanwhile on “Madman”, we have Dudley giving us a rowdy look at someone who’s insane before diving into the “Declaime Speaks” interlude as well as the fuzzy “Black” jabbing at the racist system. “Wake Up” is yet another boom bap cut themed around battle rap while “Out Like Dat” has these vinyl cracklings throughout it’s 2 minute run & Declaime saying there’s no turning back when you hit the street.

After the “Meltdown” interlude, the track “All Over the World” with M.E.D. serves as a funky crowd-mover propping up both the West & the East while the last actual song on the album “2 MC ‘95” is a keyboard-laced take on the Hamlet quote “To be or not to be”. Then there’s “Outrose”, which serves as a 2-minute instrumental piece to finish the album off.

Although the material In the Beginning presents to us was recorded 25-28 years ago, it still sounds really good now & that shouldn’t come a surprise given how well these guys have bounced off each other in the past. Madlib’s production is much more rawer on here & the topics that Declaime covers range from social commentary to braggadocio.

Score: 4/5

Tha God Fahim – “Dump Gawd: Stock Lord” review

Tha God Fahim is a 25 year old MC/producer from Atlanta, Georgia notable for his affiliations with Griselda Records as well as Mach-Hommy & Your Old Droog. He also has a incredibly vast discography, some of the standouts include Breaking Through tha Van Allen Belts & Dump Assassins. He & Droog just dropped their collab effort Tha YOD Fahim back in February & after taking a 4-month break, Fahim is making a comeback with his 18th full-length album.

The opener “Lonely Girl” details a woman acting crazy cappin’ over some jazzy keys & dusty drums whereas “Grassroots” works in a soul sample with Fahim saying he’s got something to prove. He later takes things into luxurious boom bap territory to declare himself as the “Future of the Game” as well as telling his competitors that they have no style on “Logos” & the sound Camoflauge Monk goes for feels like some Italian mobster shit.

Your Old Droog makes his first of 4 appearances on “Bubble Rap” with Fahim working a melodic vocal loop in the beat before detailing that he lives, loves & learns for the low-spirited “Long Term Goon”. Things take a more mellow turn on the boastful “Pay-per-View” leading into the piano heavy “Rhyme Equity” detailing the story of black man who rose above all evil in the world.

Meanwhile, Droog returns for the hypnotic “Check Up” saying their moves can’t be copied just before the self-explanatory string/inflicted “I Prep’d It”. He later flexes his rapping prowess on the Sadhugold-produced “Penalty” with Thrasherwulf coming in the picture to fuse a bass-line with train sounds for Fahim to say he’s “Stuck in My Dumpin’ Ways”.

“Pick a Side” is a jab at people living in disguise accompanied with a somber instrumental whereas “All These Gems Precious to Me” speaks on not wasting spare time & the drums on here just hit you in the chest. The piano/boom bap vibes continue with “Ain’t Nobody Safe” once again going at any opposition & I love the harp on “Prestige Fabric, which is a statement of Fahim’s uniqueness.

Your Old Droog pops back up for the orchestral “Closed Curtains” saying they keep a certain dialect & makes his final appearance on “Fah Knew”, which has a woodwind-infused beat & is about how “their messages are testaments for how the real represents”. Then there’s “I Been Made It”, which contains a mind-altering instrumental & speaks on being established for a minute.

The song “Ain’t No Skipping Leg Day” brings in the violins spitting that goon talk while the penultimate track “It Iz What It Iz” is a summery response to those who be wasting his time. Finally, the closer “1 Luv” serves as a hand-out to those in his life whoever need backup with a rich beat.

It’s been a little over a year since this guy has dropped a solo project & Dump Gawd: Stock Lord serves as a pretty solid comeback effort from the man & it makes me hope that we get Don’t Get Scared Now 2 sooner rather than later. I think it could’ve been trimmed down by like 6 cuts, but Fahim’s pen-game is just as sharp as production skills.

Score: 3.5/5

Hiatus Kaiyote – “Mood Valiant” review

Melbourne, Australia neo-soul band Hiatus Kaiyote consisting of lead singer/guitarist Nai Palm, bassist Paul Bender, keyboardist Simon Mavin & drummer Clever Austin are back with their 3rd studio LP. Their debut album Tawk Tomahawk was impressive although my sophomore effort Choose Your Weapon the month I graduated high school in 2015 was my introduction to them & I loved how they fused it with soul jazz, acid jazz, funk music, nu jazz, progressive pop & neo-psychedelia. Flying Lotus’ has since signed them to Brainfeeder Records distributed by Ninja Tune & are prepping their comeback with Mood Valiant.

After the “Flight of the Tiger Lily” intro, the opener “Sip Into Something Soft” gets things going by channeling some heavy D’Angelo vibes for an 104 seconds warmup whereas “Chivalry Isn’t Dead”fuses alternative R&B, glitch pop, nu jazz, breakbeats & neo-soul sings about gallantry being alive & well. DJ Khalil’s remix of “And We Go Gentle” is a lot stronger than the original even if the first couple verses are incredibly repetitive & I also loved Georgia Annie Muldrow’s remix of “Get Sun” equally.

“All the Words We Don’t Say” reaches the halfway point with what could be the most complex song they’ve ever conceived due to it’s countless rhythm & time changes but after “Rose Water” succeeding the “Hush Rattle” interlude comes through with a love letter to the Middle Eastern culture Nai was exposed to through the people she loves, “Red Room” continues with a psychedelic neo-soul vibe with a trip hop twist to it celebrating the gratitude of having a roof over your head .

The song “Sparkle Tape Breakup” chains a MiniMoog Model D, a Mellotron Micro, a Roland JX-3P & another polysynth to suggest maybe she’d still be with this guy if she was more harder than emotional while “Stone or Lavender” hooks up some strings & pianos to passionately sing about her breast cancer diagnosis which resulted in the mastectomy that saved her life. “Blood & Marrow” sends it all off remembering her late ring-neck parrot Charlie who passed away in 2019 & although I’ve always considered it to be a suiting outro, Stro Elliot’s remix of it is better personally.

I consider Choose Your Weapon to be one of the greatest neo-soul albums of the 2010s, so Mood Valiant’s been a long time coming & it’s more exciting to see the Brainfeeder deal propelling Hiatus Kaiyote further considering that it’s right behind the predecessor in becoming the 2nd best of their discography & further proves they were meant to be on the label. Their production complexly incorporates elements of psychedelic soul, progressive soul, nu jazz, jazz fusion, samba soul, jazz-funk, trip hop, glitch pop & breakbeats with their neo-soul style & Nai returns by giving us a glimpse of the new perspective she’s had overcoming all of her health complications.

Score: 4.5/5