Ouija Macc – “Zodiac” review

This is the 4th EP from Las Vegas, Nevada rapper Ouija Macc. Coming up in 2017 as a protege of the Insane Clown Posse & signing him to their label Psychopathic Records, his 2018 full-length debut Gutterwater saw him putting his own spin on the SoundCloud aesthetics & has consistently been grinding since with videos as well as mixtapes like Waterdamage & Resistance: The Walk to Wasteland, he just dropped Resistance II: Hell’s Holotape back in May & now after putting out PRETTY/UGLY just a couple months ago, Ouija is teaming up with Ayshon for Zodiac.

The opener “Fucc Face” is a moshpit anthem with rambunctious instrumental while the next track “Pussy Murda” gets sexual over a skeletal beat. The song “Pew Pew” taunts his haters over a plinky instrumental while the title track talks about receiving head from a Cancer bitch over a druggy beat.The song “Vertigo” continues the shit-talking while the track “Something New” talks about how he’s been working like crazy over a beat with a dark atmosphere to it. The song “Trash Can” talks about being built as if he was a dumpster over a demented instrumental & then the closer “Can’t Even Tell” talks about those who he thought were on his side over a cloudy beat.

Even though I prefer Resistance II: Hell’s Holotape & PRETTY/UGLY, this EP is still enjoyable. It’s refreshing to hear Ouija work with a different producer again & he continues to present himself as a unique face on the Psychopathic roster.

Score: 3.5/5

Public Enemy – “What You Gonna Do When the Grid Goes Down?” review

Public Enemy is an iconic political hip hop outfit from Long Island, New York lead by Chuck D. Their first 5 albums are hip hop essentials as what Chuck & company were saying on all of them are still very much relevant today. They ended up leaving Def Jam Recordings in ‘98 after releasing the He Got Game soundtrack, but have put out a total of 10 albums independently. But with everything that’s happened in 2020, the group has seen fit to return to Def Jam for their 16th full-length album.

After the George Clinton intro, the first song “Grid” featuring Cypress Hill finds the 2 groups talking about the current digital age over a funky instrumental from my homie C-Doc while the track “State of the Union (STFU)” takes a jab at Donald Trump over a hypnotic boom bap beat from DJ Premier. After the “Merica Mirror” interlude, the song “Public Enemy Number Won” with the Beastie Boys & Run-D.M.C. is a modern version of “Public Enemy #1” off their 1987 debut Yo! Bum Rush the Show down to the Fred Wesley & The J.B.’s sample while the track “Toxic” continues to take aim at Trump over an doomsday-sounding beat.

The song “Yesterday Man” with Daddy-O ponders what happened to hip hop over a rap-rock instrumental & after the “Crossroads Burning” interlude, the following track is a star-studded sequel to one of PE’s most iconic joints: “Fight the Power”. The song “Beat ‘Em All” talks about being ready to fight over a dusty instrumental while the track “Smash the Crowd” with Ice-T & PMD discusses how great they are over a dynamic beat.

The track “If You Can’t Beat ‘Em Join ‘Em” is a noisy & repetitive interlude while the song “Go at Me” with Jahi talks about revolution over a beat with some more rock influences to it. The track “Rest In Beats” with The Impossebulls pays tribute to all the hip hop legends we’ve lost over a forlorn beat co-produced by Easy Mo Bee. Then before finishing with the “I’m Black” outro, the closer R.I.P. Blackat” is a Flavor Flav solo cut paying tribute to Clyde Bazile Jr. with a melancholic instrumental.

If anyone asks me, this is Public Enemy’s best effort in a while. The lyrical content is as stronger & thought-provoking than ever before, but what makes this stand out more than a handful of their output in the past 21 years is that it’s a lot more well-produced. However, I don’t get why 6 songs on here from the group’s previous album Nothing’s Quick in the Desert reappear on here. Nonetheless, definitely worth checking out for the current times.

Score: 3.5/5

eLZhi – “7 Times Down, 8 Times Up”

eLZhi is a 42 year old MC from Detroit, Michigan rising to prominence as a member of Slum Village shortly after the departure of J Dilla in 2002. Fast forward to 2008: His solo debut The Preface would go on to be a hometown classic & was followed up 8 years later with Lead Poison. Last we heard from eLZhi was in 2018 when he formed Jericho Jackson with Khrysis & dropped their critically acclaimed self-titled debut that same year but almost 3 years later, eLZhi is returning with JR Swiftz for his 3rd full-length album.

After the “Foolish” intro, the first song “Smoke & Mirrors” talks about seeing through the lies over a luxurious instrumental while the next track “EarlyBird NightOwl” talks about how they can’t bar him to death & likening himself to a fighter signed to the WME Group-owned UFC over a cloudy boom bap beat. The song “Hot Winter Cold Summer” talks about being a problem over a euphoric instrumental while the track “Light 1 Write 1” over a boom bap beat with a harp & occasional background vocals.

The song “Ferndale” talks about memories with a significant other over a slow instrumental while the track “Guns & Boats” with Fes Roc sees the 2 painting vivid street imagery over an atmospheric beat. The song “THUGGed Out Zombies” talks about racial injustice over a rock-influenced instrumental while the track “Potential” talks about how he wishes they could’ve seen that in him over a punchy beat. The song “G.O.D. (Gold, Ore & Diamonds)” talks about materialism over a meditative instrumental while the penultimate track “Master Class” talks about the lyrical level that he’s on over an eerie beat. The album finishes off with “JASON”, where eLZhi analyzes himself over a droney instrumental.

Man, this is on par with The Preface for his magnum opus & one of the greatest albums I’ve heard all year. The cohesion is off the charts, JR Swiftz kills it behind the boards, the themes of resilience being presented in eLZhi’s lyrics throughout sure need to be heard after all we’ve been through in 2020.

Score: 4.5/5

Da Cloth – “Da Fixtape” review

Da Cloth is a hip hop outfit from Rochester, New York consisting of Mooch, Rigz, M.A.V., Rob Gates, Times Change, Illanoise, Symph & Speed. They first started making noise in the underground in 2016 when the group put out The Fixtape & then Broad Day Kidnaps the following year, but their profile grew as each member starting putting out projects of their own. Whether that be Mooch’s Boss Sauce, Rigz’ Roach Gutta Slums, M.A.V.’s Hoodlum, Rob Gates’ Rob Like Get Robbed as well as their respective collab albums The Only Way Out & The Dark Side of Nature (the latter of the 2 both feature Big Ghost Ltd. production front to back). But to continue their prolific year, everyone’s getting back together for another collective mixtape.

The tape starts off with “Last Dose”, where Da Cloth paint some vivid street imagery about over a deadly instrumental. The next song “Count Us In” is a Mooch solo cut about how his crew is gonna be winning over a boom bap beat while the track “Back Door” talks about the block being hot over an eerie instrumental. The song “Ask Me Why” opens about the ugly shit they’ve been through over an weepy loop provided by Nicholas Craven & after the “Hardest Out” skit, the track “When the Studio Talked Back” sees Rigz going solo to demonically attack wack rappers over an gritty boom bap from Chup.

The song “Shake ‘Em” gets violent over a chilling sample while “Speaker of the House” sees M.A.V. on his own talking about turning nothing into everything over an instrumental with a depressing atmosphere to it. The song “All About the Money” lyrically needs no further explanation with spine-tingling beat from Eto while the track “Role Models” celebrates their success over a boom bap beat with a killer guitar passage throughout.

The song “Hobbies” is a Rob Gates solo cut about busting his gun for fun over a grim instrumental from V Don while the track “Too Much” with Tekk 9 talks about there being enough nonsense & bullshit over a beat with a somewhat whimsical feel to it. The song “31 to 62” gets on their hustling shit over an electrifying instrumental while the track “Stretched” gets back with Tekk 9 once again to call out the rats over a boom bap beat with a bleak piano loop.

The closer “Ready” shows how ambitious they are over a rock-flavored instrumental while the first bonus track “Da Big Fish” talks about being top dogs over a desolate beat. The other bonus cut “Made Me What I Am” then discuses how they became the men they are today over some icy keyboards.

We all know Griselda have been the current Kings of New York for quite some time now but if you ask me, Da Cloth is right behind them. Each member continues to stand out in their own unique way & given how much all 8 of them have evolved in the last 3-4 years, hearing the crew together again in full effect has made them stronger than ever before.

Score: 4/5

Wise Intelligent – “Omnicide” review

Wise Intelligent is a 50 year old MC from Trenton, New Jersey coming up as a frontman of the Poor Righteous Teachers, who put out 4 albums together before disbanding in the mid-90’s. Since then, the man has kept himself busy by putting out a number of solo projects. The latest being this new 4-track EP produced entirely by the Snowgoons.

The EP kicks off with the title track, where Wise Intelligent talks about a number of things from Jeffrey Epstein to Trump originally planning to hold a rally in Tulsa on Juneteenth over a woodwind-infused beat. The next song “Possibly?” ponders a number of things over an instrumental with a relaying, high-pitched vocal sample & an organ while the penultimate track “Before I Wake” talks about fighting the power over a shadowy beat. The EP then finishes with “His-Story”, where Wise Intelligent talks about the things people have said to him throughout his life over a symphonic instrumental.

Overall, this is a solid EP. I wish we got like 3 more joints, but the Snowgoons never disappoint behind the boards & everything that Wise Intelligent does a good job of tackling the issues that we face in the world today.

Score: 3.5/5

Lil Tecca – “Virgo World” review

Lil Tecca is an 18 year old rapper, singer/songwriter & producer from New York City who blew up in 2018 off the single “Ran$om”. It would later be included on his debut mixtape We Love You Tecca that same year & would receive lukewarm reception. Fast forward a couple years later, Tecca is delivering his full-length debut.

The album kicks off with “Our Time”, where Lil Tecca calls out people using him for his newfound fame over an outdated dancehall beat. The next track “Actin’ Up” talks about his shawty over a rubbery instrumental with some luxurious keyboards while the song “When You Down” with Polo G & Lil Durk finds the trio touching down on loyalty over a trap beat with some impassioned piano embellishments.

“Back It Up” talks about an ex of his over a flute-inflicted instrumental Leon Thomas III co-produced while the song “Chemistry” talks about his new chick over another boring dancehall beat. The track “Royal Rumble” compares his newfound fame to the annual event created by WWE Hall of Famer, the inaugural WWE Intercontinental Champion & WWE Hardcore Champion Pat Patterson over a hyphy beat whereas “Foreign” produced by Rio Leyva & Taz Taylor of Internet Money Records is less of a song & more of a contest with to ΠΔV to see who can bore you the most.

The track “Selection” is a half-assed piece about wanting this woman to be his best friend over a decent instrumental from Skrillex & DJ Scheme while the song “Take 10” is pretty much the same thing except the beat is more undistinguished. The track “Dolly” with Lil Uzi Vert finds the 2 getting braggadocious over an intoxicating instrumental while the song “Insecurities” talks about how he adores this woman no matter what over a cheerful beat from Nick Mira.

“Tic Toc” talks about how no one wants beef with him over an instrumental kin to “When You Down” that I mentioned earlier while the song “Miss Me” talks about how he’s that guy over a somewhat quirky instrumental. The track “True to the Game” with Guwop Reign sees the 2 talking about them never changing over a violin-tinged instrumental while the song “Closest to Heaven” gets back on the romance shit over a woozy beat.

The track “Level Up” talks about hoping this woman means it when she says she loves him over a more soothing instrumental while the song “No Answers” talks about a chick acting stupid over an unexciting beat. The penultimate track “Last Call” over an acoustic trap instrumental from Cxdy & then the album ends with “Out of Love”, where Tecca talks about how fucked up the world is over a trap beat from Internet Money with a gorgeous piano loop.

I don’t mean any disrespect to the kid at all when I say this, but I think this album just goes to reveal Lil Tecca as a 1-hit wonder. The production choices are mostly bland & the rapping is more underwhelming than it’s ever been to the point where it just puts me to sleep. Pasto Flacco on the other hand is someone to look out for.

Score: 1.5/5

Krizz Kaliko – “L.I.F.E. (Legend Immortal Forever Eternal)” review

Krizz Kaliko is a 46 year old rapper & singer/songwriter from Kansas City, Missouri known for being a Day 1 signing to Strange Music along with Kutt Calhoun. He’s put out a total of 6 albums & 2 EPs through the label since, with the latest prior to this being G.O. (God’s Order) in 2016. And even though that record was predominantly R&B, it was still damn-near perfect. However after a nearly 5-year hiatus, Krizz is returning with his 7th full-length album.

Things start off with “21, where Krizz & Tech N9ne talk about celebrating their birthday over a lively beat from Wyshmaster. The next song “Little” with Stevie Stone sees the 2 talking about having trouble on their minds over a nocturnal trap instrumental while “The Recipe” tries to seek answers from God over a suspenseful beat. The track “S.O.B.” calls out the frauds over a druggy instrumental while the song “Get Chose” talks about him freaking out.

The track “Borrowed Time” talks about how life is catching up to him over a moody N4 instrumental while the song “Bitches I Know” talks about how he be popping over a beat with some plinky keyboards. The track “Follow the Drip” links back up with Tech talk about how to find them over a monstrous trap instrumental while the song “What Do You Mean?” with King Iso finds the 2 talking about their grind over a skeletal beat.

The track “You” talks about being bottled up over a forlorn instrumental while the song “Drunk White Girls” with CJ Hicks is a humorous club banger backed by an off-the-wall beat from MIKE SUMMERS a.k.a. 7. The track “Let You Tell It” talks about how he’ll never leave the rap game over a druggy beat while the song “Amen” talks about being 95% here over a beat with some tavern sounding piano chords.

The track “Didn’t Need Woes” looks back on his childhood over an instrumental that kinda has a jazzy feel to it while the song “Foolish” with Rittz sees the 2 getting reckless over a cavernous trap beat. The track “Avoiding Mirrors” with Jelly Roll & Merkules finds the trio talking about being all fucked up over a chaotic instrumental while the song “Mad” with JL sees the 2 clapping back at people talking shit behind their backs over a trap beat with some keys & a rubbery bass-line. The closer “Coloring Book” talks about how they can never get him right over a dim instrumental & then the bonus cut “Understood” with Tech finds the duo talking about how they don’t sleep over a violin-inflicted beat.

Been a long-time coming but at the end of the day, this is a great comeback effort for Krizz. It’s got everything you love about him: Great rapping, even greater singing, well-written verses/hooks, banging’ ass production suiting the tone of each song & some well-incorporated features. Legend definitely solidifies Krizz as an OG of the culture & here’s to more albums from him in the near future. Welcome back, Kali!

Score: 4/5

Lex the Hex Master – “Haunted Mansion” review

This is the 3rd EP from Queensbridge emcee Lex the Hex Master, an artist who I’ve been keeping up with since late 2015 when he became one of the first artists to sign with Majik Ninja Entertainment. His latest EP Party Castle that dropped just a few months ago was the 1st in a 4-part series & even though it was more trap-flavored than anything he’s done before, it was a great way to kick the series off. But as fall approaches, Lex is already delivering the 2nd installment.

After the 9-second intro, the title track sets the tone for whole project as Lex talks about getting lit over a C.G. instrumental sampling Justin Timberlake’s “SexyBack” whereas the next song “Be Gone” takes aim at those who’re hating on MNE over a trap beat from Poetics with some melancholic piano-chords. “The Life” sees Lex showboating over an energetic beat while the track “Take It Off” is a wild strip club banger.

The song “S.A.L. (Sorry Ass Loser)” to me seems like a darker, modern version of 7L & Esoteric’s “Herb” while the penultimate track “Insane” with Blaze Ya Dead Homie & Boondox finds the trio talking about staying that way until the very end over an instrumental that has somewhat of a crunk feel to it. The EP finishes with “Bruja”, where Lex talks about a witch over a tribal beat from Charlie Beans.

This whole ongoing EP series are quickly becoming some of my favorite projects that Lex has ever put out point blank period & I’ll even say this is Party Castle on steroids. The club bangers on here in comparison to it’s predecessor are more refined from the hooks, production choices, lyricism & performances. At this rate, the next 2 installments are bound to be even better.

Score: 4/5

Armani Caesar – “The Liz” review

Armani Caesar is a 31 year old rapper from Buffalo, New York with a couple of mixtapes under her belt already. She just signed with Griselda Records at the beginning of 2020 after being featured on Westside Gunn’s FLYGOD is an Awesome God II, Armani is now making her debut on the label with a brand new EP.

After the “Sissy Intro”, the first song “Countdown” takes aim at those who think they can double-cross her over a boom bap beat from JR Swiftz with an old timey piano sample whereas the track right after “Macs 10s for Everybody” looks back on when she used to struggle over a sumptuous instrumental. The titular song shows off some clever wordplay over a lush beat while the track “Gucci Casket” with Conway the Machine sees the 2 rightfully proclaiming themselves as bosses referencing WWE Hall of Famer, former 6-time WWE world champion & WWE Intercontinental Champion Randy Savage over a boom bap beat with some twinkling keyboard arpeggios.

The song “Drillarama” with Benny the Butcher finds them flexing over a vibrant trap beat from the 808 Mafia, but then they hook back up on the track right after “Simply Done” to give the listener some facts over some nostalgic DJ Premier production. The song “Yum Yum” gets raunchy over a rubbery beat while the track “Palm Angels” talks about how her new man makes her ex look like shit over a sensual instrumental from Animoss. The song “Ginger Rothstein” charmingly brags over a glamorous instrumental & then the EP finishes off with a short freestyle on top of the instrumental to one of my personal favorite songs of all-time: “Searching” by Roy Ayers.

I was curious to hear what Griselda would do bringing a female spitter on the roster & Armani manages to hold it on her own pretty well. In contrast to her previous efforts, the sound on here is a lot more boom bappy as to be expected from the camp & her lyricism has improved as well. She can only go up from here if you ask me.

Score: 3.5/5

YoungBoy Never Broke Again – “Top” review

YoungBoy Never Broke Again is a 20 year old rapper from Baton Rogue, Louisiana with a plethora of mixtapes under his belt throughout the last 5 years of his career. However it wouldn’t be until 2017 when he dropped his full-length debut Until Death Called My Name which was not only pretty decent, but arguably his best work. But after a 6 month hiatus, YoungBoy is back with his sophomore effort.

The album starts off with “Drug Addiction”, where YoungBoy talks about being the life of the party over a bassy instrumental with some keyboards. The next song “Cross Roads” talks about being too rich for drama over a trap rock beat while “The Last Backyard…” talks about catching his haters in person over a menacing instrumental. The track “Right Foot Creep” talks about how he walks with a gun over an instrumental that doesn’t really have anything to it with an genuinely catchy bass-line while the song “Dirty Stick” talks about passing hollows to dudes over an dramatic instrumental.

The track “Kacey Talks” is actually a profound dedication to YoungBoy’s 1-year old daughter while the song “My Window” with Lil Wayne sees the 2 talking about collectin’ them dollars over a bouncy beat. The track “I’m Up” talks about how he’s still thuggin’ despite his fame that over an acoustic trap instrumental from Wheezy while the song “Off Season” is a painful love ballad with a buttery beat.

The track “All In” talks about making it out of the dirt pile over another acoustic guitar-tinged instrumental while the song “Dead Trollz” talks about catchin’ a body over an abrasive instrumental. The track “Fuck Ya!” talks about him shining over an uneventful instrumental while the song “Big Bankroll” redundantly flexes his wealth over a bland beat.

The track “Boom” boasts about how he gets places poppin’ over a dull instrumental the song “Reaper’s Child” pretty much says fuck how people be feel towards him over a dreary instrumental. The track “Murder Business” of course talks about killing people over a shadowy instrumental while the song “Sticks with Me” talks about all he ever needs over a mundane beat.

The track “House Arrest Tingz” talks about being damaged over a completely unexpected Buckethead sample while the song “To My Lowest” tries so hard to impersonate Young Thug down to the hook. The penultimate track “Peace Hardly” talks about his recent mental struggles over a beat with a slick guitar passage & then the album ends with “Callin’”, where YoungBoy gets on his gangsta shit with WWE Hall of Famer Snoop Dogg & they both coast on top of the instrumental finely.

If anyone has paid attention to my reviews in the past, then you should already know that I’m very accepting of trap music. That being said: Top is just as boring as almost every other project I’ve ever heard from NBA YoungBoy. I wish him well in his ongoing mental health struggles, but absolutely nothing about this dude’s music interests me whether it be the basic production or his lowbrow presence on the mic

Score: 1/5