Conway the Machine – “You Can’t Kill God with Bullets” review

Brand new LP & the 5th overall from Buffalo, New York emcee Conway the Machine. Blowing up a decade ago as part of the 3 OGs of Griselda Records alongside his brother Westside Gunn & their cousin Benny the Butcher, the trio have had hip hop on lock ever since their arrival by their constant work ethic balancing quality & quality as well as vividly detailing their lives in the streets. Con’s full-length debut From King to a God was my Album of the Year for 2020 & the Shady Records-backed sophomore effort God Don’t Make Mistakes is the most personal he’s ever been. Last we heard the Drumworm Music Group founder by himself was S.F.K. (Slant Face Killah), marking his Roc Nation Records debut with You Can’t Kill God with Bullets.

“Lightning Above the Adriatic Sea” produced by the J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League after the “Gun Powder” intro talks about this being the musical equivalent to the Super Bowl whereas “B.M.G. (Black Man is God)” goes for a soulful boom bap vibe thanks to Sndtrak so he can discuss African American excellence. “Diamonds” featuring Roc Marciano references former WWE Intercontinental Champion, WWE United States Champion & 2-time WWE tag team champion Carlito over a Conductor Williams beat while “Hell Let Loose” featuring Tony Yayo admits that being called names doesn’t mean shit to them.

Timbaland’s instrumental on “Crazy Avery” was fortunately better than I had initially expected it to be due of his recent AI shenanigans talking about his mind being deeper than the deepest river just before “The Painter” reunites with Daringer breaking down all the problems others don’t need in their lives. After the “Undying” interlude, “Nu Devils” featuring G Herbo takes the trap route courtesy of both araabMUZIK & Beat Butcha spittin’ that gangsta shit together while “Otis Driftwood” talks about him getting better with time over a JR Swiftz beat.

“Mahogany Walls” continues the 2nd half promising that Drumwork will reign for all of eternity bringing Conductor’s lo-fi boom bap sound back in the fold while “Parisian Nights” takes a moment to celebrate success over an E. Jones instrumental with chopped & screwed vocals at the backend of it. The lead single “17.5” goes for a drumless direction stylistically using the pen to paint imagery of the gangsta lifestyle while “Attached” featuring Lady London talking about the future being nonexistent when you’re living in the past.

Apollo Brown chops up a soul sample throughout “Never Sleep” adding some kicks and snares into the picture, asking God to forgive him for his foul ways while “Hold Back Tears” talks about the feeing of losing someone in your life that was close to your heart. The Alchemist strips the drums 1 last time during “Organized Mess” detailing the life money has brought him for the past 10 years & the closer “Don’t Even Feel Real (Dreams)” sends it all off on the soulful boom bap tip talking about his success being surreal to him.

Conway taking more time with You Can’t Kill God with Bullets than he did Won’t He Do It & S.F.K. (Slant Face Killah) was a very smart idea in my opinion because as much as I love both it’s predecessors, I can certainly tell you that this is the most I’ve enjoyed an album from him since God Don’t Make Mistakes. He takes a relatable approach to songwriting relating to whatever many are doing in life whether be celebrating, dating, lost someone special or struggling with mental health all whilst maturing the feeling of Reject 2 & G.O.A.T. (Grimiest Of All-Time).

Score: 4.5/5

Keep up with @legendswill_never_die on Instagram & @LegendsllLiveOn on Twitter for the best music reviews weekly!

Mikahl Lawless – “Cult” review

Here we have the 5th EP from York, Pennsylvania rapper Mikahl Lawless. Introducing himself in the summer of 2019 off his debut EP Pen to Paper, he would go on to follow it up with Overture for the Ill & Broken Hearted as well as 13 & Kisses to Nowhere until Cody Manson made him a member of his Trife Life collective. Cody eventually introduced Mikahl to Scum, impressing The Gorefather enough to give him his own deal with Lyrikal Snuff Productionz & introduce himself as part of the roster on Gangri-La. Commemorating the 1-year anniversary of The Snuff Gremlin later this weekend, he’s ending LSP’s year by releasing Cult.

“Ash” starts with a trap metal intro talking about what‘s left of him being blackened whereas “Cold Snow” blends this cloudy backdrop & live drumming telling how he’s feeling on the inside. “Ghost” reaches the halfway point by throwing it back to LINKIN PARK’s earlier output while the title track embraces a synth-pop vibe singing to bleed out beside him. “Prey” shifts back in nu metal turf comparing himself amongst the hunted & the same can be said regarding the outro “In Absence”, singing about him wishing he found nothing.

Many of the previews sounded nothing like Gangri-La & The Snuff Gremlin whatsoever, which gave me the impression of Mikahl Lawless venturing out artistically throughout the duration of Cult & he does it well enough to the point where I can confidently say that it could be the boldest musical statement he’s ever made. The production’s more versatile exploring trap metal, nu metal & synthpop in addition to the horrorcore lyrics being primarily sung as opposed to rapped.

Score: 4/5

Keep up with @legendswill_never_die on Instagram & @LegendsllLiveOn on Twitter for the best music reviews weekly!

Verb T – “To Love a Phantom” review

London, England, United Kingdom emcee Verb T running it back with Vic Grimes for his 14th studio LP under High Focus Records. Most notable for being a member of The 4 Owls, he’s also been carving a path of his own for nearly 2 decades putting out over a dozen LPs & 8 EPs in that span of time. I didn’t care for Restoration as much as The Tower Where the Phantom Lives & the same can be said regarding both Homer Loan & it’s sequel, hoping To Love a Phantom would continue the momentum of it’s predecessor ahead of Jay Joshua becoming the new RPW British Heavyweight Champion along with the longest reigning RPW British Women’s Champion ending the current champion Mercedes Moné’s reign & Joe Lando being crowned the new RPW British Cruiserweight Champion respectively this past week.

We get a somber boom bap instrumental all over the intro “Through the Wall” talking about moving more cautiously whereas “Introvert” describes a man who consistently lies with a straight because the facts are hysterical. “Illusion of Self” featuring BVA & Farma G brings the trio together so they can talk about the very thing they’ve seen many people fall victim to just before “Absorbing Imagery” captures pieces of his soul within the screen of this machine he’s lost in.

“Distraction” brings a bit of a funkier vibe to the beat making his opponents fall backwards after zapping their energy leading into “See the Truth” featuring Leaf Dog goes for a boom bap vibe once again hoping that everybody listening has all of their doubts erased & becomes proud of who they genuinely are. “Change” featuring Verbz stays in the basement instrumentally refusing to freeze when the pressure hits while “Motivation, Pt. 2” featuring Karizz finds the pair asking what their motives are.

Nearing the end of the 1st half, “Alien Concept” talks about having to shake things up to create a distance from a group of people whose conscious has been invaded by a foreign idea while the vibraphone-inflicted “No Expression” featuring Scorzayzee & Teach Em discusses their expressionlessly deadly statures. “Adrenaline” featuring Beano hops over some horns to talk about feelin’ like their hearts have been displaced while “Suspense & Tension” featuring Harry Shotta & Jah Digga describes a situation overcome with those 2 emotions.

“To Kill a Phantom” begins the 2nd act with a funkier beat talking about a ghost-hunting woman who stays stalkin’ on the ghost train while “Not There” speaks of his presence being felt even when he isn’t around at all. “Anti-Stress” talks about building himself up from ruins & not letting anyone tell him he can’t do it while “1,000 Features 2” fully colors the sketch of dreams he’s been drawing, only for his sorrow to be interrupted by the thought of his squad’s gratitude.

Vic hooks up some jazzy pianos during “Swerve a Lot” talking about being way too avoidant lately only for a switch-up to occur midway through while the laidback “By Myself” describes what it’s like whenever he’s alone. “Minimal” featuring Truemendous talks about both of them trying to take a more scarce approach to their lifestyles while “Don’t Waste Time Rushing” featuring Jayahadadream tackles the idea of making every minute count.

“Prior to Existence” smoothly advises the crowd of people whose souls have been crushed to say whatever they want as long as one learns to control their own noise after “Bring It All Together returns to the boom bap with some horns talking about combining fractured pieces, “Late to School” featuring Donkobz swaps out the horns in favor strings breaking down a gravitational pull they experienced that forced them to make a move.

The song “Rejuvenate” featuring Fliptrix starts To Love a Phantom’s final moments fusing jazz rap & boom bap talking about healing through the body, mind & soul while “Everything” featuring Isaiah Dreads explains that things around us were always meant to be connected. “Phantom Laugh” finishes up Verb’s best offering in a couple years trying to figure out if the echoing laughs of a ghost are actually a memory haunting him & the only thing he learned was to never conform.

Noticeably more ambitious than The Tower Where the Phantom Lives was a couple years earlier, Verb T bounces back from Restoration & both installments of the Homer Loan series’ averageness with a sequel to his greatest 2020s offering for an adventurous double full-length. Blurring the everyday with the supernatural conceptually, the cast of UK underground guests including the other 3 members of The 4 Owls all add their own distinctive flare to the wider narrative & Vic Grimes’ production marks a huge improvement over Verb’s recent extended plays.

Score: 4/5

Keep up with @legendswill_never_die on Instagram & @LegendsllLiveOn on Twitter for the best music reviews weekly!

Sugar Cherry – “Land of Pine” review

Sugar Cherry a.k.a. Rozey is a rapper, singer/songwriter & producer from Detroit, Michigan now based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania who began as an emo trap metal rapper on SoundCloud under his original Lil Rozey moniker & became 1/2 of the duo Plastic Dagger alongside ITSOKTOCRY. He would later drop an electronic ambient EP in 2023 called sugarcherrykisses, going for an indie folk direction for Isn’t It Wonderful? as well as It Was Almost You & the self-titled EP later that same year. Death Trap came out this past spring & Anything Instead of Anything celebrated Halloween with a brief collection of shoegazey goth rock cuts, signing to Quadeca’s very own Virgin Music imprint X8 Music for what has been described as Sugar Cherry’s only studio album on my 29th birthday.

“Every Knife in the House is Mine” begins with a lo-fi indie folk opener singing about missing warm summer days & for people to gather around the picnic whereas “Heaven” gives off a more prominently compositional tone aside from a few occasional lines working in these fuzzy piano chords to wish he was at the pearly gates with the person he has in mind. “It’s Her Moon” goes back to a lo-fi indie folk direction singing about a woman in his life who had passed a week earlier while “Irish” takes the loner folk route wishing that summer would come to an end.

The downer folk influences get amplified on “In a Lonely Place” singing about this person finding a reason to move forward & that he hasn’t just before “I’ve Known for a While” takes the slacker rock route hoping that it isn’t the last time he sees the one he wants to get away with for an unspecified period of time asking if it really matters when he’s already dead. “The Detroit Strangler” blends loner folk & indie rock together for a 91 second single sampling the Paramount Skydance Corporation’s faithful adaption of Revolutionary Road for the outro while the violin-heavy “Flowers (When You Come Home)” sings about blood moving slower his partner’s home.

“Bird Violence” continued with an indie/loner folk crossover wanting his lover to know she’s all he needs & the distancing between them taking a toll on his mental state while “Veins” compares his love interest to heroin, returning to the shoegaze sound that was all over Anything Instead of Anything nearly 6 weeks ago. “I Just Want You to Like Me” would have to be the weakest link if I had to pick 1 mostly due to it’s incredibly receptive approach to songwriting. “Beautiful World” sings about feeling like a ghost for the past 7 days getting fed up with being sick & alone when he awakes in the morning while “If I Come Home” trades off between a chorus & an instrumental breakdown.

As for “Heroin”, we have more elements of wombadelia being incorporated singing about crying for the last time & an individual who he thought was safe until they came his way while “Somehow a Part of Me Still Thinks You’re Coming Home Because In My Dreams I Got to Kiss You Goodbye” addressing someone he wants to see soon even if he can’t. “Surf David Surf” sings about the same old trick he plays on his that he’s been sobering up & doing well when none of those things are accurate while “October Sky” depressingly assures a deceased colleague he’ll join them when it’s time.

“Et Je Vous Montrerais Les Feux” continues the loner folk atmosphere wanting be loved in the midst of him trying to maintain his sobriety while “10,000 Pines” officially wraps up the LP in the form of this an 8 & a half minute ambient outro with a lo-fi edge to it. “A Killer” starts the deluxe run telling a friend named Darren that his life’s been falling apart, buying a gun for the sole purpose of murdering every last one of his friends in cold blood while “Sugar” admits to being unsure regarding whether or not he’ll have the ability of reuniting with a loved one in heaven.

Moving on from there, “Oh God” turns up the shoegaze undertones freaking out on the floor over the realization that he had let down an individual that he wants back in his life while “Scottish” sings about fleeing to the Scotland region of the United Kingdom or the country of Ireland only because he had planned on doing so with a woman who can’t be here with him presently. “Even If the Sky Turns Black” promises his soulmate that he’ll go to rehab again & get clean off drugs for hopefully the last time only for her sake while the slacker rock/outsider folk fusion “Shoobie” recalls seeing his late girlfriend by the Oceanside staring in one another’s eyes.

“The Way You Live” somberly sings about being unable to live without his partner as evident when she walked away while “The Great Big Fire in the Sky” likens his love for this woman to the usage of heroin, becoming self-aware of her hating the person he’s become & injecting her in his veins if he had the opportunity. The indie rock-flavored “Change (It Must Be)” sings about something in his life needing to be switched up while “Smiley” could’ve easily been combined with the previous cut serving as more of an interlude from my perspective.

Influences of loner folk bleed heavier during the single “On October 14, 2021, I Visited Lake Michigan & Saw My Own Reflection Staring Back at Me Drowning in the Water” confessing that he doesn’t know whether he’s in Hell or something closer to it while “I Can’t Feel You When You’re High” addresses a person he doesn’t recognize anymore, hating their own body as much as he hates his own. The final bonus track “Dog Food (Fall Time)” suiting for the season of autumn expressing true hatred for a junkie’s new friends.

With the exception of 3 newly recorded tracks, Land of Pine most likely concludes Sugar Cherry’s music career by making his own version of Minor Threat’s complete discography compilation after 6 years in the making & I say that because most of the full-length’s material has already been previously released as singles or originally appearing on Rozey’s earlier EPs like Isn’t It Wonderful? or self-titled. You might’ve also noticed almost all of his previous output has been scrubbed off the internet and it only makes this collection of singer/songwriter, indie folk, loner folk, tape music, slacker rock, shoegaze, dream pop & bedroom pop songs more poignant slowly pulling the layers back of his artistic growth from the late 2010s to now.

Score: 4.5/5

Keep up with @legendswill_never_die on Instagram & @LegendsllLiveOn on Twitter for the best music reviews weekly!

Diorvsyou – “Pre Gamé” review

New surprise EP & the 6th overall from Atlanta, Georgia recording artist Diorvsyou. Coming up in 2021 off his inaugural extended play Scoreboard, it wasn’t until I saw him open up for southsidesilhouette in Brooklyn the following November where I was personally introduced to his music & I was actually impressed with his set. w.t.f.i.dvy? (who the fuck is diorvsyou?) marked a bigger breakthrough for him artistically & returned up from the Ashes almost a year since Diorvsrxlvnd’s eponymous debut. The last few EPs Untitled EP.9 as well as So Cunt. & Paussus.99 have all been received positively, dropping Pre Gamé in the midst of his ongoing Twitter beef with Destroy Lonely alongside ApolloRed1 & 9 Vicious.

“Options” starts with a plugg instrumental from 406ahmad & an eyebrow-raising bar about wanting to sleep with this hoe’s friend despite being underage whereas “Pullup!” goes for a pluggier vibe thanks to n9ck telling all the hoes to come where he’s staying at. “H8 da Real Meh” heads for cloudier territory explaining that he drinks in the middle of the day because of self-hatred & after “Dope!” bodies a Pi’erre Bourne beat to send off the Pre Gamé talking about all his women doing drugs, “High Schøøl” featuring EAtj starts the deluxe run taking the rage-inducing route looking back at when they didn’t have shit during their adolescence.

EAtj sticks around 1 last time for “2 Shows” talking about the women they’re dating having their own styles while “Manual” has an angrier atmosphere generally responding to people saying he sold his soul after meeting with Interscope Records. “Fukitup!” featuring Reezy X & Tezzus talks about derailing their opps while “Hell of It” boasts of him having tons of hoe’s for fun. “Cannibal” compares the head he’s receiving to the act of cannibalism itself & the final bonus track “1st Off” goes back-to-back with Pi’erre.

I truly couldn’t tell you whether he’s being serious about the minor bar during the intro or if it’s a jab at the fact 9 Vicious put the worst song of his entire career “Clout Demons” on his YSL Records debut Tumblr Music at the end of March but either way, a great deal of this EP teases what’s to come of Diorvsyou’s forthcoming debut album Soirée a year from now putting out a 10 minute 4-pack improving from Paussus.99’s production & performing by himself for most of the time other than a few guests.

Score: 3.5/5

Keep up with @legendswill_never_die on Instagram & @LegendsllLiveOn on Twitter for the best music reviews weekly!

RRoxket – “Geek Monster” review

Here we have the 4th mixtape from Atlanta, Georgia rapper RRoxket. Emerging in 2022 off his debut EP Rixhie Rixh & the full-length debut album R.I.P. RRoxket, he would go on to drop 3 more EPs Happy Birthday RRoxket as well as RRoxket Valentine and Red M&M ahead of his debut tape Red Ranger that was preluded by his last EP High School Flunky. He put out a fun self-titled effort last Black Friday after officially signing to Sony Music, coming off Rixhie Rixh II to tell the tale of the Geek Monster.

“Purple” starts with a plugg intro referencing the titular protagonist of the Warner Bros. subsidiary DC Entertainment franchise Static Shock who was not only homaged during former AEW World Champion & AEW World Tag Team Champion Swerve Strickland’s entrance at Dynasty II in April, but I can’t forget to mention Netflix’s reasonably controversial purchase of WB earlier this past weekend either. Anyway, “Last Sound” goes for more of a dark plugg vibe instrumentally talking about wanting money & wanting to go much farther.

Things go for a terror plugg approach on “Raiders” repping black & white like the Las Vegas Raiders although I’m much more of a Vegas Golden Knights fan personally prior to “WOAH!” produced by Cade sticking out amongst my favorite tracks here talking about sending shots at people’s families. “Trip” meshes gangsta rap lyricism with plugg production for a few minutes while “BLAAATTT” ends the 1st half talking about being able to quick-draw because of the Glock by his waistline.

“Rowdy” begins the 2nd act of the Geek Monster taking a moment to address his darling just before another highlight “RR” jumps over a pluggy Hariroc instrumental talking about his stick blowing up like it’s dynamite. “Sweet Angel” continues by heading towards a pluggnb direction getting more lustful in terms of lyricism while “Addy” works in a joyful plugg beat from  boolymon so he can talk about taking both percocets & adderrall.

The song “2 Faced” pushes further towards the back end of the tape once again combining the gangsta lifestyle imagery & plugg instrumentation while “Fuxk Blueface” obviously serves as a diss track towards Blueface, who recently came home from a 2 year prison bid last month. “Lifeguard” finishes by blending synthesizers & 808s talking about putting motherfuckers in Lost & Found if they got a firearm on them.

Something that I think should be mentioned until I get to my closing thoughts is that RRoxket has likely completed his Sony deal when Rixhie Rixh II came out this spring, so for him to finish his 2025 with an independent tape that rivals the successor to his inaugural extended play almost 4 years ago already by continuing to solidify his status in the plugg, cloud rap & dark plugg subgenres of hip hop has me looking forward to this next chapter of his career.

Score: 3.5/5

Keep up with @legendswill_never_die on Instagram & @LegendsllLiveOn on Twitter for the best music reviews weekly!

TM88 – “F.I.L.A. (Forever I Love Atlanta) 25” review

TM88 is a 38 year old producer & songwriter from Atlanta, Georgia known for being a founding member of the 808 Mafia alongside Lex Luger & Southside respectively. He would also form the TGOD Mafia trio with rappers Juicy J & Wiz Khalifa in addition to producing Lil Uzi Vert’s biggest hit: “XO Tour Llif3”. However in light him forming his very own EMPIRE Distribution imprint Crash Dummy Records, one of trap music’s greatest beatsmith has celebrated with his own debut album.

After the “Vet Radio” skit, “Juiceman” by OJ da Juiceman co-produced by Zaytoven begins comparing his wrist to Fruity Pebbles whereas “Wrong with That” by Jose Guapo & Quez finds the 2 talking about a shawty who wants to fuck their partners. “B.A.B. (Break a Bitch)” by Tracy T breaks the law down to become a boss just before “Layers” by iMcFli references Tubi, the home network of the WWE’s secondary development brand EVOLVE.

“Grady Baby” by Yung Ralph gives the world insight in regards to what things where like for him growing up as an 80s baby while “Return of Church” by Mucho flexes that he sent a freaky hoe to H-Town coming off a jet. “Quadruple” by Futuretalks about sleepin’ with women in 4s off of nothin’ leading into “Friday Night” by iMcFli, Luchee Mulan & Quez sampling “Issa Party” by Jose Guapo, Shad da God & Young Dro to recall how they used to spend their Friday evenings.

DJ Spinz gets behind the boards for “Lies” by Baby D & Travis Porter bridging together the crunk & futuristic swag eras while “Make Em Get the Money Right 25” by Pastor Troy serving as a spiritual successor to the D.S.G.B. track off their final album ‘Til Death Do Us Part. “Ice Cream Truck” by Travis Porter throws it back to the futuristic swag days again while “Extra” by Shad da God talking about having his old shit with him.

“Kick In (Oww)” by Fabo of D4L starts the 2nd half explaining that he’s experienced some shit in his life because of being born in the hatred while “Shake Sum” by Travis Porter & 2 Chainz comes together for an ATL strip club heater. Fabo returns with Moneymyface so they can get “Geeked Up” together to mixed results while “I Want That” by Sosotrap talks about being anything but average throughout his career.

Preceding the “Crash Out Radio” skit, “B.D.A. (Bounce Dat Ass) by 4Batz’ wife Anycia continues to channel that strip club energy handling a sole verse wedged between a repetitive Waka Flocka Flame hook while “Take It Away” by T.I. & Young Dro talks about their respective legacies. “What’s This?” by T.I. & 2 Chainz links up to speak of materialism while “Stuff Man” by Yung L.A. could be his dopest song since “Ain’t I”.

“Twin Bruddaz” by Waka Flocka Flame talks about feelin’ a way he hasn’t felt since Slim Dunkin’ was murdered during my freshman year of high school while the “F.I.LA. (Forever I Love Atlanta) Tribute” by Blanco Brown finishes in the form of this passionately sung dedication to Trouble, Bankroll Fresh, Rich Homie Quan, Young Scooter & Takeoff. Maybe the greatest song of his career considering that a great deal of his music isn’t for me at all.

Being a genuine fan of TM88’s production work ever since my adolescence, hearing that he was putting out an entire LP containing other artists performing over his beats from start to finish had me excited from when it was announced because I believe he could curate something special if he wanted to. F.I.L.A. (Forever I Love Atlanta) 25 however has me a little divided due to the inconsistency amongst the guest & most importantly, parts reminiscent of Metro Boomin’s 2nd mixtape A Futuristic Summa & Jermaine Dupri’s 3rd album Magic City.

Score: 3/5

Keep up with @legendswill_never_die on Instagram & @LegendsllLiveOn on Twitter for the best music reviews weekly!

October London – “For You, My Love” review

This is the 7th EP from South Bend, Indiana singer/songwriter & producer October London. starting out in 2013 off his debut EP The Introduction & both installments of the Color Blind series, he eventually caught the attention of Long Beach icon & WWE Hall of Famer Snoop Dogg by signing to Doggystyle Records for his 4th EP Please Leave a Message before moving over to Death Row Records not too long after Snoop bought the label he started out at. October has since released his first 2 albums & a couple more EPs through the revived west coast powerhouse with Crypto Winter, Technicolor, The Rebirth of Marvin & The Greatest Gift. His last LP October Nights refined his soulful contemporary R&B style & has dropped off For You, My Love to begin the final month of 2025.

“Christmas Gift” starts by singing over a drumless self-produced instrumental eager to kiss the love his life by the tree & after “Naughty List” works in some jazzy pianos wanting this chick to put him on her list, “Rudolph Guide Me Home” sings for the Red Nosed Reindeer to lead him back to the crib so he can see his woman. “Where You’ll Go for Christmas” hopes she winds up in his arms this holiday season. “Happy Holidays My Love” pulls from jazz music a bit singing that he was his lover for Christmas & “Frisky on Christmas” finishes with a 3 minute holiday experience.

I’ve already made it clear a couple times in the past by now that Christmas projects generally tend to be hit or miss for me, but I didn’t mind what October London was going for throughout For You, My Love because it’s a slight improvement over The Greatest Gift roughly 25 weeks ago. I commend him for penning the whole thing by himself & focusing more as a producer than he did on October Nights, celebrating the most wonderful time of the year better than he has previously.

Score: 3/5

Keep up with @legendswill_never_die on Instagram & @LegendsllLiveOn on Twitter for the best music reviews weekly!

PlaqueBoyMax – “Too Much Music” review

Here we have the 5th EP from West Orange, New Jersey recording artist, producer, audio engineer, media personality & streamer PlaqueBoyMax. Catching on to him at the beginning of the year after calling out DJ Akademiks for being a child groomer, he has since stayed busy by churning out 4 EPs in the quick amount of time he’s been in the spotlight signing with Field Trip Recordings & Capitol Records. 5 Forever a little over 6 months ago wasted some genuinely solid production on Max’s weakly performed raps & looks to end the year with Too Much Music.

“Instahoes” made for an underwhelming intro talking about women on Instagram fuckin’ around too much whereas “RealSpill” takes 88 seconds to get on his young & rich shit except his flow reminds me of Tony Shhnow, who’s far more entertaining lyrically. My favorite beat on the extended play goes to “InTheMorning” produced by Maajins telling his girl he’s coming home from Chicago soon while “WakeUp” talks about being a rockstar.

The song “MalibuTides” starts the 2nd leg of Too Much Music boasting that he’s out in the Los Angeles beach city catching a vibe by watching the ocean tides while “Do2Much” has another great instrumental from Four3va this time telling a woman he fumbled that he wishes she got to know him a lot better. “FellOff” sends it all off continuing the themes of heartbreak, wanting the chick he fucked things up with that he misses her.

I still think Atlanta is the best thing that PlaqueBoyMax has ever put together & it was a step-up from London in terms of showcasing what he can do as a curator, which I’d tell you is his strongest focal point musically because I didn’t really care for Too Much Music any more or less than 5 Forever & it doesn’t make me excited for the sophomore effort Prince in a couple months. It all goes back to my critiques of that inaugural LP: Great production with subpar rapping.

Score: 2/5

Keep up with @legendswill_never_die on Instagram & @LegendsllLiveOn on Twitter for the best music reviews weekly!

Jane Remover – “♡” review

This is the 5th EP from Newark, New Jersey musician Jane Remover. Known for pioneering the Dariacore microgenre, they made their breakout debut in the fall of 2021 with Frailty under deadAir Records & it wasn’t until exactly 24 months later when former BROCKHAMPTON leader Kevin Abstract called Jane Remover’s sophomore effort Census Designated his favorite album of that year where I personally got introduced to their music. Revengeseekerz came out in April to widespread acclaim, returning 8 months later with ♡.

“Magic I Want U” begins with an alternative R&B, glitch pop, breakbeat, Atlanta bass, alternative rock & digital cumbia loving the way this guy uses his hands & words whereas “So What?” was notably sampled throughout “All4U”, which was the stunning closer off Danny Brown’s latest album Stardust last month additionally interpolating their own singles “JRJRJR” & “Turn Up or Die” respectively.

To finish the 1st half, “Music Baby” contains probably the most repetitive songwriting structure throughout the entire extended play giving a fuck less of what people think of them while “Flash on the Pan” blends alternative R&B, emo rap, sexy drill, indie rock, shoegaze & dream pop basically remixing a cover they did of one of my personal favorite Britney Spears tracks “Hold It Against Me” back when I was in my final year of middle school.

“How to Teleport” starts the final moments of ♡with an extended version of a digital cumbia b-side to “Magic I Want U” pleading to not be awoken from this dream they’re experiencing because they can’t fall back in the fountain of youth again while the closer “Dream Sequence” & the b-side to “Flash in the Pan” covers “Aberdeen Dream Sequence”, which is widely considered to be the greatest slacker rock/slowcore singles that Jane Remover has ever made under the venturing moniker.

Serving as a prelude to their upcoming 4th album next year, Jane Remover compiles a brand new EP consisting of 3 covers & 3 newly recorded songs focusing more around alternative R&B as well as glitch pop & alt-pop as opposed to Revengeseekerz’ heavy digicore/EDM sound earlier this spring even if some of the material predates Jane’s biggest high in their career yet. The secondary influences within the production get shaken up in favor of alternative rock, breakbeat, sexy drill, east coast club, Atlanta bass, digital cumbia, emo rap, shoegaze & dream pop teasing another exciting artistic reinvention.

Score: 4.5/5

Keep up with @legendswill_never_die on Instagram & @LegendsllLiveOn on Twitter for the best music reviews weekly!