$uicideboy$ – “STOP STARING AT THE SHADOWS” review

This is the 9th mixtape from New Orleans, Louisiana duo the $uicideboy$ consisting of Ruby da Cherry & $crim. The founders of G*59 Records have been releasing a plethora of EPs & mixtapes since 2013, but it wasn’t until 2018 that they made their full-length debut with I WANNA DIE IN NEW ORLEANS. Last time we heard from them was last May with the Travis Barker produced Live Fast Die Whenever EP & now 9 months later, they’re hitting fans with Stop Staring at the Shadows.

The opener “All Dogs Go to Heaven” finds the duo getting bloodthirsty over a bass trap beat with some Atari-esque synths & then the next song “I Wanna Be Romanticized” talks about being on the verge of killing themselves over a moody beat. The track “One Last Look of the Damage” talks about making it to 30 over a cloudy beat while the song “[whispers indistinctly]” talks about death over a woozy beat. The track “MEGA ZEPH” gets apocalyptic over an frightening trap beat while the song “Putrid Pride” speaks on time moving fast over a dreary beat.

The track “That Just Isn’t Empirically” talks about losing their minds over a bleak instrumental while the song “What the Fuck is Happening?” thematically picks up where the previous joint left off over an abrasive beat. The track “Bizarro” is a horrifically delivered drug anthem backed with an intoxicating beat while the song “Scope Set” talks about murder over some sirens & loud bass. The penultimate track “Fuck Your Culture” is a dedication to 2 of their late homies that appear on the refrain over a spooky instrumental then the closer “…& to Those I Love, Thanks for Sticking Around” reads off as a suicide note backed with a cumbersome instrumental.

While it’s not a cut above Eternal Grey & I WANNA DIE IN NEW ORLEANS as hyped up to be, this is still a solid tape from Ruby da Cherry & $crim. It’s a little too short running at only 26 minutes but both of them still go hard in terms of delivery, lyrics & their Three 6 Mafia-influenced sound.

Score: 3.5/5

Vinnie Paz – “as above so below” review

Vinnie Paz is an underground veteran from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania known for being the MC of Jedi Mind Tricks & the leader of the Army of the Pharaohs collective. He put out his first 2 solo albums Season of the Assassin & God of the Serengeti in 2010 & 2012 respectively, but returned in 2016 with The Cornerstone of the Corner Store. Last time we heard from him solo-wise was with The Pain Collector in 2018 & with Valentine’s Day arriving, he’s back with his 5th full-length album.

It all starts with “Crime Wave Tehran”, where Pazzy talks about shooting someone over a minimalist yet intimidating instrumental from Giallo Point. The next song “Scorched Earth” with Estee Nack & Jay Royale sees the 3 spitting some vicious mobster-style lyricism over a Stu Bangas beat with some prominently harmonious vocals while the track “I’m the Chaos” reminds us of Paz’s place in this culture over a boom bap/rock fusion from Vic Grimes. The song “Mabuhay Gardens” talks about how nothing other than death is guaranteed referencing WWE Hall of Famer Captain Lou Albano over a somber beat while “The Conjuring” compares himself to that of a magician over a Bronze Nazareth beat with a relaying vocal sample.

“The Black Hand” with Demoz sees the 2 talking about murder over a cavernous beat from C-Lance supplied with a hook delivered in this weird faux-Jamaican patois while the song “Mock Up on Mu” sends a message to his competition over a suspenseful instrumental. The track “Ankle Bracelets” talks about wanting to be alone over a calming beat & a stellar hook with Queen Herawin while “The Conpleat Witch” with Nowaah the Flood finds both MCs painting some vivid street imagery over a boom bap beat with some creepy keyboards.

The song “Hannibal” is laced with gun talk over a boom ball beat with a luxurious pianos lead while the track “Silician Bull” compares himself to just that over an ominous beat. The song “Cero Miedo” gets confrontational over an eerie beat. The song “Spilled Milk” is a tear-jerking tribute to his father with a piano instrumental to enhance the emotion while the track “Vahid Moradi” with Rigz sees the 2 talking about staring into Satan’s eyes over some strings.

The song “I’ll Buy All the Uranium You’ve Got” talks about being strapped over a boom bap beat with a prominent vocal sample while the song while the track “Doomsday Machine” with Demoz & Vast Aire sees the 3 talking about how ruthless they are over an instrumental with a beautifully dark atmosphere to it. The song “Serve the Creator” with Recognize Ali sees the 2 talking about Allah over a soul sample & some horns then the closer “The Gone-Away World” gets conscious over a killer rock instrumental Vinnie made himself with co-production from Scott Stallone.

Paz’s discography has always been known for being consistently hardbody & this is no exception. A couple of the features could’ve been better to me personally, but his lyricism has gotten sharper over time & the production is as equally gritty.

Score: 4/5

Denzel Curry – “UNLOCKED” review

This is the new surprise EP from Carol City’s very own Denzel Curry. A man that got his start as a member of the Raider Klan, founded by SpaceGhostPurrp. His 2013 debut Nostalgic 64 was nice, but the next 2 albums he would put out Imperial & TA13OO would show his talents much more clearer. Last time we heard from Zel was this past spring with ZUU & not even 9 months later, he’s teaming up with Kenny Beats for UNLOCKED.

After the predominant spoken word intro “Track 01”, the EP’s first actual song “Take_it_Back_v2” finds Denzel lashing out & getting wreckless over a dystopian instrumental. The track “Lay_Up.m4a” talks about fighting haters over a spacious beat while the song “Pyro (leak 2019)” speaks on being on a God-level over a woozy. The track “DIET_” is pretty much Zel bragging over a trunk-knocking beat while the song “So Incredible.pkg” talks about how great he is. After the “Track 07” interlude, the closer “Cosmic.m4a” drops knowledge to the phonies tryna bite him over a hypnotic instrumental.

Didn’t think Denzel would drop new music this quickly but nonetheless, I’m very pleased with the outcome of UNLOCKED. The concept is a lot more interesting than ZUU as much as I enjoyed that previous album, Kenny reminds us that he’s one of the best producers out right now & Denzel continues his reign as the King of the Florida hip hop scene.

Score: 4/5

Boldy James – “The Price of Tea in China” review

This is the long-awaited sophomore album from Detroit emcee Boldy James. A man who rose to fame with his Alchemist produced 2013 debut M.1.C.S. (My 1st Chemistry Set). This resulted in a contract with Nas’ independent label Mass Appeal Records, but unfortunately Boldy got locked up for a while. He eventually made his comeback a few years ago with his House of Blues mixtape & now after reuniting with the Uncle Al on his Boldface EP a couple months ago, they’re back again with The Price of Tea in China.

The album kicks off with “Carruth”, where Boldy reminisces on his past over some piano chords & a chilling vocal sample in the background. The next song “Giant Slide” gets mafiosio over a boom bap beat laced with these eerie whistling noises while the track “Surf & Turf” with Vince Staples sees the 2 talking about being overlords backed by this intoxicating instrumental. The song “Run-Ins” talks about being chased by the cops over a repetitive vocal sample that fits in flawlessly, but then it switches into a grimy ass beat leading into the track “Scrape the Bowl” with Benny the Butcher as the 2 talk about smuggling coke to their respective hometowns. The song “Pinto” talks about being rich from the drug game over a beat with these luscious string sections while the track “Slow Roll” finds Boldy flexing over an intimidating instrumental.

The song “S.N.O.R.T.” essentially gets back on the coke tip alongside Freddie Gibbs over a gritty beat then the track “Grey October” with Evidence sees the 2 pouring their hearts out over a psychedelic instrumental. The song “Mustard” has a funereal feel to it that I really like despite being way too short while the penultimate track “Speed Demon” talks about criminal activity over a boom bap beat with some nice horn samples. Then there’s the closer “Phone Bill”, which is about going from broke to rich over a calming beat.

For a comeback album, it’s damn near perfect to the point where it almost feels like Boldy never left. His pen game is still razor sharp as it was on the debut & Alchemist continues to provide him with brilliant musical soundscapes that help bring his bars to life.

Score: 4.5/5

Valid – “Plum Brandy” review

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This is the brand new EP from Detroit emcee Valid, who made his solo debut in 2015 with Reach High. The album was followed up just last year with the man’s most personal work to date Mihajlo & now 9 months later, he’s back on the scene with Plum Brandy.

The opener “January 8th” itself is a cool nod to Serbian Christmas & I really like the mellow boom bap production on here as well. The next song “Pops” is a touching dedication to Mihajlo’s father over a soulful instrumental while the track “Foreign Forever” with Boldy James sees the 2 talking about their ancestry over some gorgeous strings. The song “ULUV’ gets more on the romantic side of things over a funky instrumental while the penultimate track “Take Me Down” continues to get flirtatious over intoxicating instrumental. The EP then finishes with “Paper” where Valid gets with Smoke Mardeljano & Struka to talk about money over a woozy instrumental.

This is a pretty interesting release in Mihajlo’s catalog. For him to showcase his Serbian roots from the samples to the production choices & even most of the features is a pretty cool move on his part & I think he did a pretty good job at it.

Score: 3.5/5

Lil Wayne – “Funeral” review

This is the long-awaited 13th full-length album from New Orleans veteran Lil Wayne. Who signed to Cash Money Records at the age of 9; becoming 1/2 of The B.G.’z, 1/4 of the Hot Boy$ & 1/6 of the Cash Money Millionaires. His first 3 solo albums Tha Block is Hot, Lights Out & 500 Degreez were average at best but we then found him improving in the mid 2000’s with Tha Carter, Tha Carter II, Dedication, Dedication 2, Da Drought 3 & my personal favorite Tha Carter III. He then started his own label Young Money Entertainment & followed his magnum opus up with a God awful “rock” album Rebirth along with the mediocre I Am Not a Human Being. He was able to bounce back in 2011 with Tha Carter IV, but things looked rough once again with the horrendous I Am Not a Human Being II in 2013 & then being entangled in legal issues with Cash Money from 2014-2018. Wayne eventually broke free from Birdman & was able to release Tha Carter V in 2018 to celebrate his 36th birthday. But to end the first month of 2020, Weezy is coming back with Funeral.

The title track that kicks the album off is a proper introduction as Wayne makes numerous references to death over some strings, but then it transitions into a grimy trap beat. The next song “Mahogany” gets braggadocious over a soulful trap beat from Mannie Fresh while the track “Mama Mia” continues to flex over an abrasive beat. The song “I Do It” with Big Sean & Lil Baby sees the 3 describing their work ethics over a bland instrumental while the track “Dreams” talks about his fear of losing it all over an atmospheric instrumental.

The song “Stop Playin’ with Me” speaks for itself over a weary instrumental while the track “Clap for ‘Em” is an ass-shaking anthem with a Jahlil Beats instrumental that sounds vaguely similar to T.I.’s “Ball”, on which he was featured on. The song “Bing James” with Jay Rock sees the 2 showing off over an eerie instrumental as well as a 24-second tribute to the late Kobe Bryant at the start while the track “Not Me” talks about his haters over a somewhat-cloudy StreetRunner beat. The song “Trust Nobody” has a great message about backstabbers & the guitar instrumental is pretty, but Adam Levine’s hook is just ok.

The track “Know You Know” sees ColleGrove getting together to talk about this hoe over a keyboard-inflicted trap beat while the song “Wild Dogs” talks about how much of a savage he is over a luxurious instrumental. The track “Harden” talks about how he isn’t the perfect lover over a grand instrumental while the song “I Don’t Sleep” with Takeoff sees the 2 talks about their grind & I really like the woodwinds in the production.

The track “Sights & Silencers” is an awkward love ballad with The-Dream & a buttery Mike WiLL Made-It instrumental while the song “Ball Hard” with Lil Twist sees the 2 talking about their hustle over an ominous trap beat. The track “Bastard (Satan’s Kid)” reflects about his childhood over a cavernous beat while the song “Get Outta My Head” with the late XXXTENTACION sees the 2 talking about fighting their inner demons & the instrumental has this horror-esque feel that fits in pretty great. Although Wayne’s lyricism gets more annoyingly repetitive on “Piano Trap”, I do like how it lives up to the title as he’s delivering these bars over a trap beat that later switches into a piano instrumental.

The song “Line ‘Em Up” gets confrontational over a Murda Beatz instrumental with an organ & a sample that gets so played out once the joint ends whereas the track “Darkside” talks about going to war over a grim instrumental. The song “Never Mind” compares himself to that of a pimp over a mellow acoustic instrumental & while the penultimate track “T.O. (Terrell Owens)” talks about selling coke over this lifeless trap beat, the O.T. Genesis feature is the most awkward part about it easily. Then the album ends with “Wayne’s World”, where Weezy talks about partying hard over a rubbery instrumental.

I thought Lil Wayne redeemed himself with Dedication 6 & Tha Carter V, but this was SUPER disappointing. He still has his passionate & witty moments on here, but it’s overloaded with filler & the production choices are pretty weak as well. If this is the way he’s going out, then I’d say it’s a mediocre one.

Score: 2/5

Russ – “Shake the Snow Globe” review

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Russ is a 26 year old rapper, producer & singer/songwriter from Secaucus, New Jersey who’s released a total of 11 mixtapes on SoundCloud from 2011 up to 2014. He wound up signing Columbia Records in 2016 & made his full-length debut a year after with There’s Really a Wolf, quickly becoming one of hip hop’s most polarizing figures in recent memory. Primarily because of being a “fake activist” against drugs & then there’s his infamous 2016 interview with DJ Vlad the culture vulture where he literally said “we need to blame producers for all the wack music today”. His 2018 follow-up ZOO kinda caught my interest due to “The Flute Song”, but the end result of it being taken over by this annoyingly bitter demeanor. However, my morbid curiosity got the best of me for this new album based on the features & the production credits. Will he finally wow me? Let’s find out.

The opener “NEED A MINUTE” is actually ok as Russ talks about what he’s achieved so far over this mellow acoustic instrumental & while the following song “GUESS WHAT” has a vibrant instrumental from Boi-1da, the bragging on here is more egotistical than charming & the Rick Ross verse is pretty weak. “A LOT MORE” also produced by Boi-1da has a more woozier sound to it with Russ’ verses about having more to accomplish sounding completely genuine & while I can appreciate the uptempo beat on “CAN’T GO ON”, it’s theme about breaking up with this woman is melodramatic to me. The song “ASSHOLE” is a temper tantrum about why people don’t like him similar to that on ZOO backed with a redundant Bugus verse whereas the track “NIGHTTIME” is less of an interlude & more of a poorly-delivered relationship ballad. Then there’s the Kiana Ledé-duet “ALL TO YOU”, which is reminiscent to MGK & Camila Cabello’s “Bad Things”.

The alcohol anthem “SHOTS” doesn’t have the invigorating delivery that I’d normally expect on songs like these despite the vibrant !llmind instrumental & despite the cloudy production on “PATIENCE”, it truly lives up to its title as it delivers more patience-testing relationship melodrama. Not only is “I THOUGHT YOU GOT ME” is about how this woman is unlike any other over a skeletal instrumental, but even Benny the Butcher’s verse on here isn’t all that good & this is coming from someone who’s been praising Griselda’s music for years. Devin the Dude easily has the best feature on the entire album on the song “FOOT ON THE GAS”, which is a decent tune about living life to the fullest. The acoustic/boom bap infused “MOMMA” is a tribute to Russ’ mother that sounds like it comes from the heart & despite the bouncy instrumental on the penultimate track “CIVIL WAR”, the whole comparison of a relationship to a civil war is just corny to me. Then it finishes with “BEST ON EARTH” with BIA, which is another “Bad Things” rip-off.

While it is titled Shake the Snow Globe, it’s not really rocking my world at all. There are aspects about this album that I enjoy more than previous efforts like how he brought some more outside producers to the table as well as more features, nothing about him continues to stick out to me. Especially as a performer & songwriter. I really don’t get how he rips on the current state of hip hop for being too materialistic when he‘s made gotten materialistic on cute himself in the past, including on this album. And while I‘m not against pop rap or love songs AT ALL, I just can’t imagine his take on it getting anyone in that mood.

Score: 1.5/5

Whitney Peyton – “Alpha” review

Whitney Peyton is a 25 year old MC from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania who rose to prominence in the underground by releasing 3 albums, 2 mixtapes & 4 EPs all independently. She recently signed to Burbank, California powerhouse Suburban Noize Records this past fall & to ring in the new decade, she’s making her Subnoize debut with her 4th studio album.

Things kick off with “Villain”, where Whitney compares herself to a bad guy over a suspenseful instrumental. The next song “Double Up” flexes over a nocturnal trap beat while the song “Enemy” sees Whitney teaming up with her Keyed Up cohort Gina Fritz to detail a break up that she went through over a cavernous instrumental. The track “I Got It” fires back at everyone who doubted Whitney over a dark, rubbery trap beat while the song “Kick It” is intoxicating anthem about mellowing out.

The track “No Time” is a fun, vibrant club banger where was the song “Better Be” talks about how this dude shouldn’t be lying over a woozy instrumental. The track “Smile” is a beautiful positivity anthem while the song “Like You Mean It” talks about her haters over spacey trap beat. The album then finishes with “Not the Same”, where Whitney talks about her new life competition over a bass-heavy instrumental.

For years I’ve been Whitney to come through with that 1 album that’d solidify her place in the game & I think she finally did it on this one. Her lyricism has gotten better with time, the passion is there, the production is off the wall & it’s a great representation of who she is & where she’s at now. Really looking forward to see what she does with Subnoize in the future.

Score: 4/5

The Professionals – Self-Titled review

The Professionals are a hip hop duo from Oxnard, California consisting of Oh No on the mic along with his older brother Madlib on production. Both of whom have made household names for themselves in the West Coast underground in their own rights. An album together has been long overdue in my opinion & has been hinted at since 2008, but it seems like we’re finally getting it a little over a decade later.

After the “My House” intro, we get right into the first song “The Pros”. Which is a very short but gritty way for the duo to reintroduce themselves to the listener. The next track “Payday” of course talks about making money over a nondescript instrumental while the song “Give N Take” tells the story of Oh No trying to sleep with a woman at 3am over a somewhat funky instrumental with this vocal sample relaying in & out like a radio transmission. The track “Superhumans” with Chino XL & eLZhi sees the 3 comparing themselves to superheroes over a haunting instrumental while the song “Buggin'” talks about people annoying him over a somber beat.

The track “CDP Breakdown” talks about wanting to fight someone referencing the current 2-time UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones over a grimy boom bap beat while the song “Timeless Treasure” gets conscious over a tense instrumental. The track “I Jus Wanna” talks about wanting to relax over a mellow boom bap beat while the song “Away Too Long” talks about the rap game over an extravagant instrumental.

“Make Due” is a dedication to people putting their last buck on trying to get it over a gorgeous instrumental while the song “Tired Atlas” is another politically charged cut much like “Timeless Treasure” over a hypnotic loop. The album then finishes with “Dishonored Valor”, where Oh No talks about the soldiers who went A.W.O.L. over a vintage sample.

I personally have been waiting on this album for a long time & now that we finally got it, it’s not as perfect as I’d hoped yet solid. Madlib’s production is creative always & Oh No’s rapping is sharp, but it could’ve used a couple more features in my opinion. Nonetheless, I’m still happy with the outcome of what the 2 legendary Oxnard siblings did together.

Score: 4/5

Mac Miller – “Circles” review

This is the 1st posthumous outing & 6th full-length album overall from Pittsburgh’s very own Mac Miller. The man exploded onto the scene in the 2010s with a handful of projects including K.I.D.S. (Kickin’ Incredibly Dope Shit), Macadelic, Watching Movies with the Sound Off, Faces & GO:OD AM. Last time we heard from Mac was in August 2018 with Swimming, an album inspired by his breakup with Ariana Grande. However, Mac unexpectedly & tragically passed away just a month later. A sequel to Swimming was already in the works at the time of his death with the very album we see here, as Jon Brion was brought forward to complete what Mac had started.

It all begins with the title track, where Mac vents about being lost over a mellow instrumental. The next song “Complicated” vents about depression over a Neptunes inspired instrumental while the track “Blue World” talks about Ariana Grande over a glitchy instrumental. The song “Good News” talks about wanting to suppress any negative thoughts over a tropical instrumental while the track “I Can See” makes a bunch of gorgeous spiritual references over a dystopian instrumental.

The song “Everybody” is a decent cover of Arthur Lee’s “Everybody Gotta Love” while the track “Woods” wonders if he can get enough love over a woozy beat. The song “Hand Me Downs” talks about needing someone to keep him sane over a soothing instrumental while the track “That’s on Me” finds Mac blaming himself for his Ariana breakup over a blissful instrumental. The song “Hands” is a positivity anthem with a slow beat while the penultimate track “Surf” talks about growing over an acoustic guitar. The album then finishes with “Once a Day”, where Mac provides wisdom over a minimalist instrumental.

While I’m not a big fan of posthumous albums, this was bittersweet. There are a few weak moments, but it really sounds like a complete product from Mac’s vocals down to Jon’s stellar production. If this is the last we’ll ever hear from the man in a full capacity, then it’s a beautiful swan song.

Score: 4/5