Isaac Castor – “The Rabbit Hole” review

Isaac Castor is a 24 year old rapper from Ann Arbor, Michigan who I first caught wind of through his association with Middle Finger Music a few years ago. He eventually landed a contract with the label & now he’s hooking up with it’s co-founder Foul Mouth for his full-length debut.

The album kicks off with “Homesick”, where Isaac talks about how he’s ready to take over the game & I love the meditative boom bap production as well. The next song “Retrospect” with Bub Rock sees the 2 reflecting about their past & how they’re doing better now over a beautiful soul sample while “The Sickness” charismatically shows off his skills over an organ-inflicted boom bap beat. The song “Regal” talks about how raw his music is over an instrumental that sounds like something RZA would’ve made in the 90’s while the track “Fire Drill” talks about being built for this over a jazzy boom bap beat.

The song “Headless Horsemen” with Fatt Father & J-Classic sees the 3 challenging their competition over a boom bap beat with a psychedelic guitar lead while the title track talks about partying over a woozy beat. The song “Name 5 Songs” talks about groupies over a fast-tempo trap beat while the track “Guess What?” talks about this girl he was seeing running off with another guy over a funky beat. The song “That Ain’t Love” pays tribute to those who’ve been heartbroken over a boom bap beat with some somber piano chords while the track “Paramount” with A-Minus sees the 2 talking about earning their stripes over an upbeat instrumental.

The song “Green Pill” with Aztek the Barfly sees the 2 talking about how no one’s on their level over a suspenseful instrumental while the penultimate track “Can’t Decide” talks about his demons over some strings. The album finishes off with “Challenged”, where Isaac talks about being blessed in the moment over an energetic beat. There is a bonus track worth mentioning called “Excuse My English” referencing UFC President Dana White.

What a fantastic debut. Foul Mouth reminds us why he’s my favorite producer out in Detroit with his versatile sound whereas Isaac really shines on here as his pen-game sounds smarter than ever & you really get a good look at who he is as a whole. Really looking forward to watch him grow in the future & to see what else Middle Finger Music has in store for the new decade.

Score: 4/5

Westside Gunn – “Pray for Paris” review

Westside Gunn is an MC & entrepreneur from Buffalo, New York that made his mark on hip hop in 2016 with his debut album FLYGOD. This has been continued with a handful of mixtapes, his 2018 sophomore album Supreme Blientele, inking a management deal with JAY-Z’s Roc Nation & his own label Griselda Records even signing a distribution deal with Shady Records. In 2019, we saw Westside drop his 3rd album FLYGOD is an Awesome God in the summer & then the 7th installment of his infamous Hitler Wears Hermes series 4 months later. However to kick off his final year of making music allegedly, he’s coming through with his 4th full-length album.

After the $4M + Tax” intro, we get into the first song “No Vacancy”. Where the FLYGOD of course talks about pushing & slamming muhfuckas on their necks like the longest-reigning WWE Champion, former 3-time WWE tag team champion & WWE Hall of Famer Bruno Sammartino over a blissful DJ Muggs instrumental. The next track “George Bondo” with Conway the Machine & Benny the Butcher sees the 3 talking about going from selling dog food to being successful & impacting the culture like former WCW senior VP, Monday Night RAW GM, TNA Executive Producer & WCW Hardcore Champion Eric Bischoff over a grimy Daringer/Beat Butcha instrumental while the song “327” with Joey Bada$$ & Tyler, The Creator sees the 3 flexing over a mellow boom bap beat.

The track “French Toast” with Wale sees the 2 talking about crushing their competition over a piano-inflicted boom bap beat & while the song “Euro Step” may have my least favorite instrumental on the album, I do like how Westside pays tribute to everyone he knows who’re still slanging yay. The track “Allah Sent Me” with Conway & Benny sees the 3 trading bars back & forth with each other like it’s nothing over a menacing Daringer beat while the song “$500 Ounces” with Freddie Gibbs & Roc Marciano sees the 3 getting mafioso over a jazzy Alchemist beat.

The track “Versace” talks about how he’s never going back to being broke over a harmonious vocal sample while the song “Clairborne Kick” with Boldy James sees the 2 talking about their dealing days & I really love the atmosphere that Uncle Al provides them with as well as nod to current WWE Champion Drew McIntyre’s finisher. The track “Shawn vs. Flair” shows off his wordplay over a flawless boom bap beat from none other than DJ Premier while the song “Party with Pop Smoke” finds Westside bragging & Keisha Plum closing it out with some beautiful poetry over a colorful Tyler, The Creator instrumental. The album then finishes with “Le Djobila”, where we get a very short verse & some really awesome tap-dancing over a soulful beat

If this really is Westside’s final year rapping because everyone has said it at some point, then what a way to kick it off. He sounds as passionate as ever, the big name features all come together fantastically & the production is easily some of the best that the man has EVER gotten his hands on.

Score: 4/5

Tech N9ne – “ENTERFEAR” review

Tech N9ne is an MC from Kansas City, Missouri who really doesn’t need an introduction at this point. The man has put in an insane amount of work over the course of his nearly 3 decade career from starting up the most successful independent label in hip hop Strange Music to a lengthy discography including Anghellic, Absolute Power, Everready [The Religion], K.o.D. (King of Darkness) & Special Effects. The last we heard from Tech was just about a year ago with N9NA & with the 1 year anniversary of that coming up, he’s back with his 22nd album.

The album kicks off with “Just Die?”, where Tech takes aim to those saying it’s falling off over a rap metal beat. The next song “Suckseed” with King Iso sees the 2 telling everyone to suck their dicks over a rock/trap fusion while the track “Outdone” talks about going from rapping for the first time in 1985 to being co-signed by some of the greats & I love how layered the beat from MIKE SUMMERS a.k.a. 7 gets as it progresses. The song “Look What I Did” with the Flatbush ZOMBiES talks about making it in the industry over a cavernous trap beat while the track “Yeah No!” talks about being reclusive now over a dark instrumental.

The song “Dr. Sebagh” with Landxn Fyre sees the 2 showing off their skills over a spacious beat while the track “Question Mark This!” with Lex Bratcher sees the 2 talking about backstabbers over a druggy beat. The song “Snake & the Batman” is a short yet merciless flex over a slow yet suspenseful instrumental while the track “Feel So Sad!” talks about how he isn’t perfect over a dreary acoustic instrumental.The song “Leave It on the Flo!” talks about hooking up with 2 women over a sensual beat & an awkward Landxn verse in the middle while the track “Phonk” with Merkules & Scru Face Jean is a decent sequel with a soulful boom bap beat.

The song “Angel Baby” talks about all the times he’s survived death over a funereal instrumental while the track “On the Outside” talks about getting money over an upbeat instrumental. The song “Smell Good” with Krizz Kaliko sees the 2 getting flirtatious over a smooth instrumental while the track “Stoli Doli” continues the same themes over a more meditative beat.The song “For Ya Love” talks about this woman holding a grudge over an intoxicating beat while the track “B.I.B. (But I’m Blessed)” sees Tech & Krizz talks about being grateful despite their shortcomings over a calming yet atmospheric beat. The song “Saw Somethin’” with Iso sees the 2 talking about the supernatural over a ghostly instrumental & then the closer “KC Smile” pays tribute to his hometown over a jazzy beat.

Tech has always been one of my favorite artists in all of hip hop & this just goes to show why. A couple of the features could’ve been better at points, but I really like how the album takes a much more darker approach than N9NA did.

Score: 3/5

R.A. the Rugged Man – “All My Heroes Are Dead’ review

R.A. the Rugged Man is an MC from New York that’s been at it since the very early 90’s. However it wouldn’t be until 2004 that he would make his full-length debut with Die, Rugged Man, Die. This was followed up in 2013 with Legends Never Die which was so fantastic, that it actually gave this reviewer inspiration to name himself Legends Will Never Die. Fans have been waiting for a 3rd album & 7 years later, here we finally are.

The album kicks off with the title track, where R.A. triumphantly announces his return & I love how dynamic the production gets. The next song “Legendary Loser” talks about being a scumbag over a vintage boom bap beat from Psycho Les while the song “Golden Oldies” with Slug sees the 2 paying tribute to their influences over a soulful boom bap beat. The song “Wondering (How to Believe)” gets conscious over a gorgeous piano instrumental while the track “Dragon Fire” with Ghostface Killah, Kool G Rap & Masta Killa shows that all 4 still got it lyrically over a grimy beat.

The song “All Systems Go” references the late WWE Hall of Famer & former WWE Tag Team Champion Big John Studd over a slowed down sample & after the “Cancelled” skit, the track “Angelic Boy” talks about killing a 6 year old boy & getting killed by the cops over a tense instrumental. The song “Gotta Be Dope” with A-F-R-O talks about being ill on the mic over a boom bap beat with C-Lance with a vintage sample while the track “First Born” talks about becoming a father over a Mr. Green instrumental that enhances the emotion. Especially with that piano loop.

The song “E.K.N.Y. (Ed Koch New York)” with Inspectah Deck sees the 2 talking about growing up in the Big Apple over an eerie beat while the track “Hate Speech” talks about just that over an ominous boom bap beat. The song “Living Through a Screen (Everything’s a Lie” gets back on the conscious tip over a somber instrumental while the track “Contra-Dictionary” talks about hypocrisy over a hypnotic beat. “The Slayer’s Club” is a phenomenal all-star posse cut while the song “Life of the Party” speaks for itself over a classy boom bap beat from Prince Paul.

“The Big Snatch” takes a look into what’s in R.A.’s world over some plinky keys & a tuba while the track “Who Do We Trust?” with Immortal Technique sees the 2 talking about the system over a sitar-inflicted boom bap beat. The penultimate song “Malice of Mammon” stays on the political tip over a haunting beat & then after the “Sean riP” interlude, “The After Life” pays tribute to Sarah Smith over an angelic boom bap beat.

For the long wait, it’s pretty solid. A little too long running at 77 minutes but the feature list is top notch, the production’s on point & R.A.’s lyricism has only gotten more clever with time. If you wanna see someone remind you why he’s a veteran in the underground, then give this a listen.

Score: 4/5

The 4 Owls – “Nocturnal Instinct” review

The 4 Owls are a boom bap quartet from London, England, United Kingdom consisting of BVA, Fliptrix, Leaf Dog & Verb T. Making their full-length debut Nature’s Greatest Mystery under High Focus Records during my freshman year of high school, their sophomore effort Natural Order came out a few months prior to my graduation & have since considered “Think Twice” to be the greatest single of their career. 5 years later, the group’s returning for their 4th studio album a month since the COVID-19 pandemic began globally.

“Sound the Alarm” featuring Smellington Piff begins with all 4 of them over a boom bap instrumental from Leaf Dog promising to behead everyone questioning their leadership whereas “Coming Home” find the Owls talking about dumping every & all toxic styles into the wasteland. Kool G Rap joins forces over a vocal sample during “Pioneer” to see who has the most intricate pen of the 5 just before “Be Free” carries forward talking about the whole idea of freedom.

The 2nd single “Honor Codes” ponders if one’s capable of making the right choices & making changes to their lives while “Life Lines” continues to let Leaf Dog’s ear for sampling shine dropping off 4 rapid-fire verses in the midst of it all. DJ Premier returns behind the boards for the 3rd & final single “100%” assured their story will be told like Atilla the Hun while “Air Strike” featuring R.A. the Rugged Man references Black Sabbath frontman & WWE Hall of Famer Ozzy Osbourne.

“Dark Days” featuring Roc Marciano continues the 2nd half with an organ-heavy boom bap beat ripping it hardcore for almost 5 minutes without the need of a hook & after “Let Go” confesses the Owls’ awareness of having things they need to stop holding onto like giving a fuck about whatever others nearby think of you over an orchestral flip, “Deadly Movements” featuring Masta Killa tells the story a man with a heart of gold becoming increasingly weaker as he gets older going from a once sharp & full mind that’s now clouded & diseased.

To start Nocturnal Instinct’s encore, the song “Lessons” blends kicks & snares with a guitar sample talking about studying the essence while “I Got You” speaks of the Owls trying to free themselves mentally whilst searching for another world & feeling something within the air once they’ve gone through the open portal over this boom bap instrumental radiating a mafioso atmosphere to it. Regarding the outro, we’re presented a soulful sequel to “All My Life” off Nature’s Greatest Mystery revisiting the predecessor’s themes nearly a decade earlier.

Yearning to elevate themselves further, The 4 Owls recruit a handful of East Coast veterans to accompany them behind the mic besides Smellington on the intro to further exemplify their status as the greatest boom bap group that the UK hip hop scene has to offer only a few months deep into this new decade. The production is a lot similar to Natural Order’s in that it’s almost entirely handled by Leaf Dog with the exception of Preemo doing a track & every single member pushing themselves lyrically farther than they did over the course of their last couple LPs.

Score: 4.5/5

Donnie Darko – “Before the World Got to Us” review

This is the latest EP from East Coast hip hop artists Sutter Kain & Donnie Darko. The first of whom is a producer, DJ & occasionally MC from New York & the latter being an MC from New Jersey. The 2 have been collaborating with one another pretty much since the beginning & to kick off the 2nd quarter of 2020, they’re coming together for Before the World Got to Us.

The opener “Gladys” finds Donnie talks about growing up in Newark over a slowed down loop of “Giving Up” by Gladys Knight while the next song “Block Game, Pt. 3” pretty much addresses the current state of the world over a boom bap beat flipping Debbie Taylor’s “Let’s Prove Them Wrong”. The track “Driving My Crazy” addresses how the world today is insane over a flawlessly incorporated soul sample while the song “Life, Pt. 4” is essentially about how rough life is over an instrumental that kinda has an Alchemist influence to it.

The track “Shadows” talks about almost dying twice over a mesmerizing beat while the song “Feelings” goes at those who rap alike over a boom bap beat. The penultimate track “As the Beat Cries, Pt. 2” standing ground despite life being rocky over a flute & some humming then the closer “Loser, Pt. 10 (Before the World Got to Us)” tackles depression over a boom bap beat over a hypnotic vocal sample.

It’s more an EP to me, but still great nonetheless. Sutter Kain’s production has only gotten grimier with time, Donnie Darko’s sounds angrier than ever & the 2 continue to bring the best out of each other after all the extensive collaborating over the years. Really looking forward for the sequel After the World Got to Us next month.

Score: 4/5

Thundercat – “It Is What It Is” review

This is the 4th full-length album from Los Angeles, California musician, singer/songwriter & producer Thundercat. Emerging in the 2000s as the bassist for Suicidal Tendencies, he would subsequently sign to Brainfeeder Records & make his full-length debut The Golden Age of Apocalypse nearly a week before I started high school. He would follow it up with the sophomore effort Apocalypsea couple summers later & his debut extended play The Beyond / Where the Giants Grow a month succeeding my graduation became popular due to the inclusion of his most lauded single “Them Changes”. It would eventually be included on his previous LP Drunk, which is his most cohesive musical statement & an essential within the Brainfeeder discography. 3 years later, he’s accepting that It Is What It Is.

The 5th & final single “Interstellar Love” co-produced by Flying Lotus after the “Lost in Space / Great Scott / 22-26” intro embraces a heavy nu jazz fusion sound with elements of psychedelic neo-soul singing about us decaying over time whereas “I Love Louis Cole” featuring the real Louis Cole himself finds the 2 describing their friendship. The 2nd single “Black Qualls” featuring Childish Gambino & Steve Arrington goes for a funky psychedelic soul vibe singing about the state of no longer living in fear leading into “Miguel’s Happy Dance” going synth-funk offering a tune to dance your pain away too.

After the “How Sway?” interlude, “Funny Thing” takes it back to the Drunk era conceptually describing himself at a part that’s on the verge of reaching it’s peak just before the funky “Overseas” reaches the halfway point singing about a chick who blows his mind. The 3rd single “Dragonball Durag” ranks amongst his greatest blending neo-soul, psychedelic soul, nu jazz, funk, alternative R&B & acid jazz looking to be accepted by a woman no matter what it takes while the lead single “King of the Hill” after the “How I Feel” interlude samples “Girl Dinner.” by THABANG! thanks to BADBADNOTGOOD wondering how different things would be if they focused on the more important things.

“Unrequited Love” details the actual experience of romance from what some would call “the one that got away” to different shades of what people would think love is while the 4th single “Fair Chance” lets Lil B & Ty$ handle the verses over a funky alternative R&B/psychedelic neo-soul instrumental Sounwave helped cooked up remembering the late Mac Miller. After the 51 second “Existential Dread” interlude, the title track written after learning of Mac’s passing spans the last 5 minutes saying goodbye to their late friend while “Bye for Now” featuring Michael McDonald technically ends with the pair singing about the struggles of moving on.

Mac Miller was a very close friend & collaborator of Thundercat’s, so it was a guarantee that It Is What It Is was going to be dedicated to his memory & I wouldn’t say it’s better than Drunkalthough it lands close to The Beyond / Where the Giants Grow amongst his top 3 projects. The production between him & Flying Lotus feels like a continuation of sorts to the neo-soul & psychedelic soul sounds that made Drunk additionally taking inspiration from jazz fusion, nu jazz, alternative R&B & synth-funk to lesser extents & he retains his signature sense of humor in the midst of grieving Mac’s death.

Score: 4/5

Watson & Holmes – “The Case of the BPM Killer” review

Watson & Holmes are an East Coast hip hop duo consisting of Stu Bangas on production & Blacastan on the mic. They made their debut together in 2014 with a fantastic self-titled album, which was followed up with The Uncanny Adventures of Watson & Holmes in 2017. been another 3 years, the duo are reuniting for what would unfortunately by their 3rd & final full-length studio album.

After “After Intro”, we get into the first song “Bull’s Eye”. Where Blacastan talks about how skilled he is about over an eerie instrumental. The track “Crumpets” is a continuation of where “Bull’s Eye” left off despite only being a minute & a half then the song “Don’t Judge Me” with SmooVth sees the 2 talking about growing up in the 90’s over a boom bap beat with a cumbersome guitar in the background.

The track “Sincere” lyrically is probably the most introspective cut on the entire album & the beat is pretty calming too whereas the song “Crawl Space” with Goretex sees the 2 getting murderous & the instrumental fits the vibe like a glove. The track “Behold” talks about his longevity over a suspenseful beat while the song “23 x 1” talks about how sharp his lyricism is over a daunting instrumental.

The track “Bookies” with Nowaah the Flood has a mobster feel to it down to the Italian-flavored beat while the song “Styles” talks about how original Blacastan is over a cutthroat instrumental. The track “Hair Pins” finds the duo linking back up with SmooVth to go at their competition over a buzzing instrumental with 80’s-like synths & then before the outro, the final song “Grand Imperial” with Marvalyss is just a decent riot starter.

If you wanna get into Watson & Holmes, I’d recommend their first 2 albums. However,  what they do on this new one is still dope. The chemistry between Blacastan & Stu Bangas is still there without a bit of doubt but the features are hit or miss & it’s too short, only running at 27 minutes.

Score: 3.5/5

Conway the Machine – ” LULU” review

Conway the Machine is an emcee that blew up as 1/3 of the trio Griselda with Westside Gunn & Benny the Butcher. Last year we saw him droping a total of 3 short projects last year & now with the 1st quarter of 2020 coming to a close, he’s enlisting West Coast veteran The Alchemist to produce his 6th EP in it’s entirety.

After the intro, we get into the first song “14 KI’s”. Where Conway of course talks about pushing coke over an ominous beat. “The Contract” speaks on how nobody’s on his level over an orchestral instrumental while the song “Shoot Sideways” with ScHoolboy Q sees the 2 talking about murder over a boom bap beat. The track “Calvin” talks about being the big homie over a demented beat while the song “They Got Sunny” with Cormega sees the 2 going at wack rappers over a grimy boom bap beat. The EP finishes off with “Gold BBS’s”, where La Maquina talks about gunning down those who oppose him over a boom bap beat with a spooky vocal sample.

To me, this is easily one of the best things Conway has ever put out. He sounds a lot more focused than he did on the 3 projects that he dropped last year & the production is more consistent too because you can’t really go wrong with The Alchemist.

Score: 4.5/5

Vanderslice – “Trendsetter” review

This is the 3rd EP from Phoenixville, Pennsylvania veteran Vanderslice. A man that made a name for himself by producing for the Army of the Pharaohs on numerous occasions since the mid/late 2000s & just last spring, he produced Diabolic’s 3rd album Collusion in it’s entirety & that has quickly become my 2nd favorite release of his. But as the 2nd quarter of the year is starting to begin, Vansleazy’s hitting us with Trendsetter.

After the intro, the first song “ Cold Winter” by Vic Spencer is a minute & a half of witty battle bars over a grimy instrumental. The next track “Christmas Night Heist” by Ty Farris talks about being from Detroit over a tense boom bap beat while the song “Barry White Shit” by G Perico talks about ballin’ over an organ. The penultimate track “Puzzles” by Daniel Son gets on the mafioso too over an intoxicating beat & then before the outro, the closer “Shell Casings” by Capo talks about killing his competition over an suspenseful instrumental.

Vanderslice has always been one of the illest underground producers of all-time & this just solidifies it. It’s only 10 minutes long, but the sound on here is like no other & the guests fit in very well on top of his production.

Score: 3.5/5