XXXTENTACION – “Bad Vibes Forever” review

This is the 2nd posthumous outing yet 4th & final album from Floridian rapper, singer/songwriter, instrumentalist & Members Only co-founder XXXTENTACION. The kid became an overnight sensation in 2017, making onto the XXL Freshman Class & came out with his debut “album” if you wanna call it that 17 that same year. A record that saw X departing from his signature hardcore sound for a more lo-fi acoustic emo direction & failing miserably. X’s sophomore album ? last March while still not all that good was a bit more longer & showed a lot more musical variety. But sadly, X was murdered 3 months after that album’s release. His estate then released his first posthumous effort Skins last winter, which is a horrifically cobbled together cash grab. Almost 365 days have passed since then & X’s mother is putting out what’s left of his unreleased material.

After the intro, the first song “Ex Bitch” directs itself towards Geneva Ayala over an acoustic instrumental. The next track “UGLY” talks about it being out of it over a grungy instrumental while the titular song feels like a leftover from Trippie Redd’s latest album ! since X only handles the hook. The Wheezy-produced “School Shooters” sounds as if it could be a Carter V outtake as Lil Wayne pretty much dominates it whereas the song “I Changed Her Life” is literally a demo with an underwritten Rick Ross verse overtaking it.

The track “Triumph” gets annoyingly repetitive lyrically while the song “LIMBO” with Killstation actually sounds like a finished trap banger. The track “before i realize” sounds like a bad 17 outtake but then on the song “Ecstasy”, X sounds barely awake over this cavernous beat & the Noah Cyrus feature doesn’t help at all. The track “Kill My Vibe” by Tom G talks about haters over a generically cloudy trap beat while the song “Hot Gyal” with Mavado & Tory Lanez is an outdated dancehall joint.

“THE ONLY TIME I FEEL ALIVE” with Craig Xen sees the 2 getting vicious over a bassy-trap beat & then after the tedious piano-lead “interlude that never ends”, the song “Dæmons” with Joey Bada$$ & Kemba sees the 3 getting spiritual over some drums & keyboards. It’s ok though, because at least Joey isn’t talking about “catching all diseases in the world so the world don’t have no more diseases” again. The track “ATTENTION!” sees X flexing over a bland beat while the song “Eat It Up” gets raunchy over a distorted Ronny J beat. The track “Voss” by Sauce Walka sees him flexing over a trap rock fusion from Gordo while the song “Royalty” with Stefflon Don & Vybz Kartel another boring dancehall cut.

The track “wanna grow old (i won’t let go)” by Jimmy Levy is comatose on all musical fronts while the song “HEARTEATER” is a mediocre, melodramatic pop rock cut. The track “NorthStar” with Joyner Lucas sees the 2 boasting over a rubbery trap beat while the song “CHASE (glass shards)” with ikabodVEINS sees the 2 talking about death over a demented beat. The penultimate track “numb the pain” is yet another terrible 17 demo & then the album ends with “IT’S ALL FADING TO BLACK”, which is pretty much a sappy blink-182 song with an X hook.

Not much for me to say about it beyond that, this was a dreadful listening experience & has been widely regarded since as one of if not the worst posthumous album that had ever been conceived. Sure this is the longest body of work that’s ever had XXXTENTACION name & it’s obviously not his fault, but it’s just as sloppily cobbled together as Skins & it doesn’t really do his artistic legacy all that much better justice in the process even if he was bettering himself near the end of his life.

Score: 1/5

CZARFACE – “The Odd Czar Against Us” review

CZARFACE is an East Coast supergroup consisting of Inspectah Deck of the almighty Wu-Tang Clan as well as 7L & Esoteric of the Army of the Pharaohs. They first formed like Voltron in 1999 with “Speaking Real Words” but after getting together again on “12th Chamber off the final 7L & Eso album to date 1212 in 2010, that’s when the trio decided to form a trio together. Their 2013 self-titled debut along with their 2015 sophomore album Every Hero Needs a Villain would both become modern underground classics in my opinion. Last time we heard the supergroup on their own was in 2016 with A Fistful of Peril, as they’ve been putting out collab albums with both MF DOOM & Ghostface Killah throughout the last couple years. However, they’re ending off the 2010s with their 4th full-length album.

The opener “Bizarro” finds Deck & Esoteric challenging their opponents referencing former WWE Tag Team Champion Adrian Adonis over a druggy instrumental whereas the next song “Call Me” is a 7L & Esoteric cut about people trying to hit em up over an instrumental kin to A New Dope. “The Gift That Keeps On…” sees the trio reforming to use the title as a beautiful metaphor for the trio’s music over a meditative instrumental while the song “Me’s Company” is Esoteric talking about keeping his circle small over a funky beat.

The track “Dear Computer” is Deck & Esoteric talking about going viral over an electro-boom bap beat while the song “Burrito” sees Eso telling the story of being at a Mexican place over a beat with some dope bass-playing throughout. The track “Brother Marquis” then finds CZAR trading bars with each other over a warping beat.

The track “Couch” is Esoteric about being lazy over a suiting instrumental while the song “Double Dragon” references former NWA World’s Heavyweight Champion, 4-time WCW World Television Champion, 8-time WCW World Tag Team Champion, WWE Hall of Famer, 5-time WWE United States Champion & WWE Intercontinental Champion Ricky Steamboat. “The Problem with Frank” sees Eso comparing himself to the Punisher over an eerie beat while the penultimate track “Dog” finds him paying tribute to his Lab over an atmospheric beat. The album then finishes with “Czartis Gilmore (The Cool Down)”, where Esoteric gets back with Inspectah Deck to talk about wack rappers over an alluring beat.

As a huge fan of CZARFACE, this was ok. The pen game is undeniably killer but it seems like there’s a lack of focus as the album seems half CZARFACE, half 7L & Esoteric. Nonetheless, I’m excited to see what they’re gonna do going into the 2020s.

Score: 3/5

B-Side – “B-Side Wins Again” review

B-Side is an underground veteran from Detroit, Michigan known for being 1/2 of the duo Sidenotes. Last time we heard from him in a full capacity was his Vertigo 1.5 mixtape in 2013 but after a long hiatus, he’s following it up with a new compilation.

The opener “Righteous Anger” finds B-Side venting about being a best kept secret over a soulful boom bap beat from Foul Mouth & then the next song “We Don’t Fight Fair” is a lethal Sidenotes reunion. The track “Dangerous” with A.R.E.S. talks about being just that over a clunky instrumental while the song “Guillotine” showcases his sharp lyricism backed with a slick boom bap beat.

“The Funk” with Alius Pnukkl & Konphlict sees the 3 charismatically talking about how hot they are on the mic over an instrumental that suits the title while the next cut is a solid freestyle over Nolan the Ninja’s “Harvest”. The track “Don’t Say Shit” with Smoke the Motor City Menace sees the 2 talking about bums over a funky beat while “The Whole Crew” talks about knocking out his opponents over an instrumental with a vintage sample.

The track “Greyscale” with Faze Blue Le’Goon, Leif Erikson & Philosophy Cole is a deadly collection of witty bars over a jazzy instrumental while the song “Funk Worm” finds A.R.E.S. forming with Sidenotes like Voltron over a trunk-knocking instrumental from DJ Los. The track “Smash” flexes his prowess over a vibrant instrumental while the song “Burial” with Aztek the Barfly, Dadga & Foul Mouth sees the 4 talking about ending their competition over a gloomy beat. The album then finishes off with a dope remix of “The Vices”, which was my personal favorite song off The Vertigo 1.5.

This was a dope collection of tracks. The production is on point, B-Side sounds refreshed on the mic & the features add a lot into the equation. Really looking forward to his debut album The Essence at some point in the future.

Score: 3.5/5

Jam Baxter – “Off Piste” review

This is the 2nd solo EP from London, England, United Kingdom emcee Jam Baxter of the Dead Players & Contact Play. Signing to High Focus Records, his 2010 solo debut Rinse Out Friday / Spack Out Monday was received positively & the sophomore effort The Gruesome Features would see a lot more critical acclaim. …So We Ate Them Whole in 2014 remains amongst High Focus’ most celebrated releases ever, following up Mansion & Touching Scenes to drop Off Piste with less than a month left of the decade.

“Red Hawaiian” produced by Dr. Zygote starts off with a boom bap opener by talking about what he’s got inside his bag whereas “All Clear” featuring Lee Scott finds the 2 speaking of pulling your brain out of your mouth & giving us the all clear. “Drowned Dogs” featuring Datkid teams up over a Dirty Dike instrumental trading verses back-&-forth with each other while “The Stump” advises on top of a Telemachus beat that one should’ve stayed true to themselves from the start.

Coinciding with a brand new book of the same name, Jam Baxter takes a couple loose singles & combines them with 2 previously released songs to craft an extended play that I enjoy a lot than the one he put out 5 years prior. The production’s a cut above Fresh Flesh’s in addition to reaching the same pedestal Touching Scenes did 12 months earlier, spending half of it holding down the fort by himself & the other bringing a couple of his labelmates beside him to add their own distinctive flavors regarding cadences or general mood.

Score: 4/5

Roc Marciano – “Marcielago” review

1ea131c7809f5de6d3330466a697136d.1000x1000x1.jpg

This is the surprise 8th full-length album from Long Island heavyweight Roc Marciano, who started out as a member of the Flipmode Squad from the late 90s & early 2000s. He then went solo in 2008 & has dropped 7 critically acclaimed albums since, with his last 3 all coming out just last year. But after laying low throughout a good bulk of 2019, he’s finishing off his prolific decade with Marcielago.

After the “Select Few” intro, the first song “Molly Ringwald” finds Marci gets flirtatious over a lush instrumental from Animoss. The track “Choosin’ Fees” spits that drug game over a soulful beat while the song “Richard Gear” gets reflective over a lavish instrumental. The track “Ephesians” by Metal Clergy sees Marci getting mafioso whereas Ka gets conscious over a nocturnal instrumental while the song “Tom Chambers” with Knowledge the Pirate sees the 2 tells their competition not to get into their way over a jazzy beat.

The track “I.G.W.T. (In God We Trust)” talks about only having one another over a piano & a soul sample while the song “Puff Daddy” with Cook$ gets bloodthirsty over sinister instrumental. The track “Boosie Fade” with Westside Gunn sees the 2 spitting battle bars over a suspenseful beat while the song “Bomb Shelter” with Willie the Kid sees the 2 flexing over a soothing jazz sample.

The track “Saw” gets back on the mafioso tip lyrically over a haunting instrumental from The Alchemist while the song “SAYLAVI” is a clever play on the French phrase “c’est la vie“ & I like how trippy the Animoss beat is. The track “God Loves You” gets on the more motivational side & the church-like instrumental suits it fantastically, but the hook is just alright. Then before the “Legacy” outro, the final song “Joe Jackson” finds Marci bragging over a blaxploitation-esque instrumental.

Roc truly has been a leading figure in hip hop’s East Coast renaissance throughout the 2010s & this was a fantastic way for him to finish it off. There are a few spotty moments on here, but it feels like the musical equivalent to a crime film from the production to Roc’s lyricism getting sharper & sharper over time. Can’t wait to see what he’ll do going into the new decade.

Score: 4/5

Griselda – “W.W.C.D. (What Would Chinegun Do?)” review

Griselda is a hardcore hip hop trio from Buffalo, New York consisting of Westside Gunn, Conway the Machine & Benny the Butcher. All 3 of whom have made names for themselves throughout the latter half of this decade with modern East Coast classics like FLYGOD, Supreme Blientele, Reject 2, G.O.A.T. (Grimiest Of All-Time), Tana Talk 3 & The Plugs I Met. Now despite all those projects being put out independently under Griselda Records, the trio have seen fit to team up with Shady Records & make their collective debut album their inaugural release on a major label.

After the spoken word intro from Raekwon, the first song “Chef Dreds” finds all 3 members trading bars back & forth with each other over a chilling boom bap beat from Daringer & Beat Butcha (both of whom produced the entire album by themselves). The track “Moselle” serves as the theme song for crack dealers over a frightening instrumental while the song “Cruiser Weight Coke” references current AEW manager, WWE Hall of Famer & former SMW Heavyweight Champion Jake “The Snake” Roberts over an organ-inflicted beat.

The track “Freddie Hotspot” talks about drug dealing tip over a haunting instrumental while the song “DR. BIRDS” sees the 3 flexing over a grimy beat. “The Old Groove” then talks about life in Buffalo over a ghostly instrumental while the track “Scotties” continues to display their amazing chemistry over a demented beat. After the “Kennedy” interlude, the song “City on the Map” with 50 Cent pays tribute to NY over a cold blooded instrumental & in a way it’s like 50 passing the torch down to Griselda.

“May Store” makes reference to WWE Hall of Famer, former 6-time WWE Champion, 2-time WWE Intercontinental Champion, 2-time WWE United States Champion, 5-time WWE Tag Team Champion & NWA World Tag Team Champion Stone Cold Steve Austin over an ominous instrumental & then after the “Lowery” outro, there’s the bonus track where Westside Gunn & Benny add verses to the decent “Bang” single that Conway dropped with Eminem over the summer.

For a major label debut, this is damn near perfect & easily one of my Top 5 releases of 2019. Other than wishing that both Conway & Marshall recorded new verses for the “Bang” remix, I really admire how Griselda didn’t change up their lyricism or production trying to appeal to a crowd that doesn’t exist & just stayed being themselves.

Score: 4.5/5

Rittz – “Put a Crown On It” review

Rittz is a 39 year old rapper from Gwinnett County, Georgia that rose to prominence with his 2011 mixtape White Jesus, which lead to Tech N9ne signing him to Strange Music. He released a total of 4 albums on the label with each one showing his fantastic growth both as an artist & as a person: The Life & Times of Jonny Valiant, Next to Nothing, Top of the Line & Last Call. Once the contract with Strange was up, Rittz formed his own label CNT Records & is making his independent debut with his 5th full-length album.

The opener “Asian Fusion” flexes over a clever Chinese sample & then the next song “Feet Up” with Paul Wall talks about being made over a trunk-knocking beat. The track “Sound Check” with Jelly Roll talks about their haters over a tear-jerking instrumental while the song “Politically Correct” is a criticism of just that over a cavernous trap beat. The track “Toxic” talks about relationship issues over an acoustic-trap beat while the song “Wake Up Call” with Twista & Yelawolf sees the 3 talking about being underrated in hip hop over a rubbery instrumental.

The track “On the Line” talks about being alone & stoned over a gloomy instrumental while the song “Paranoid & High” with Dizzy Wright speaks for itself over an acoustic instrumental. The track “Fake Smile” talks about those frontin’ on him referencing WWE Hall of Famer Gorgeous George over a bassy beat while the song “Twin Lakes” talks about recovering from addiction over some somber piano chords. The penultimate track “Name Tattoo” with Big Hud & Too $hort sees the 3 getting raunchy over a hyphy instrumental & then then album finishes off with “Live It Up”, where Rittz & Futuristic talk about enjoying life over a tense trap beat.

Even though I personally enjoyed his last 2 albums a lot more, this is still a solid album. The production could’ve been better at some points, but Rittz definitely shows that he’s earned his spot as one of the new kings of the south as his lyricism is still as sharp as it was when he was on Strange.

Score: 3.5/5

The Game – “Born 2 Rap” review

This is the 9th album from Compton rapper The Game. Initially taken under the wing of JT the Bigga Figga, his 2002 debut mixtape You Know What It Is would catch the attention of Dr. Dre & 50 Cent. Both of whom signed Game to a joint venture to their individually respective labels Aftermath Entertainment & G-Unit Records, distributed by Interscope Records. With their help, his debut album The Documentary the following year would go on to become a West Coast essential. However, a falling out between Game & 50 just months after the album’s release would result in Game moving over to Geffen Records to complete his 5-album contract. His next 4 albums Dr.’s Advocate, LAX, The RE.D. (RE-Dedication) Album & Je5us PiecE all showed that Game didn’t need Dre or 50 to make quality music. Once fulfilling his major label obligations, he went the independent route by founding his own label Numinati Records & showcasing the artists with a compilation entitled Blood Moon: Year of the Wolf in 2014. Game then put out an overloaded yet decent sequel to his debut with The Documentary 2+2.5 the next year as well as his previous album 1992 the year after. Fast forward to his 40th birthday, Game’s celebrating with his 2nd retirement album Born 2 Rap.

After the “City of Sin” intro from Ed Sheeran, we get into the first song “No Smoke”. Where Game challenges his competition over an atmospheric instrumental. The track “$500 Candles” gets braggadocious over a smooth instrumental & not only is the messaging on “The Light” is a nice callback to Je5us PiecE, but the harmonious boom bap beat on here is gorgeous. The track “Carmen Electra” with Mozzy & Osbe Chill sees the 3 talking about mobbin’ over a sample of D’Angelo’s “Devil’s Pie” while the song “Dead Homies” is a trite metaphor for a woman over a skeletal instrumental. The track “Gold Daytonas” with Dom Kennedy sees the 2 flexing over the same sample Junior M.A.F.IA. used for “Get Money” while the song “West Side” talks about life in Compton over a ghostly instrumental. The track “40oz Love” gets on the positivity tip lyrically over a soulful beat while the song “Gucci Flip Flops” talks about death over a slick instrumental from Swizz Beatz.

The title track talks about being the greatest over an instrumental that’s sweet to the ears while the song “Welcome Home” with the late Nipsey Hu$$le sees the 2 talking about staying woke over smooth instrumental. After the “Help Me” interlude, the fittingly titled “I Didn’t Wanna Write This Song” pays tribute to Nip as Focus… supplies a depressive instrumental. “The Code” with 21 Savage then sees the 2 talking living & dying by the rules of the streets over an instrumental that doesn’t really suit the tone while the song “Stay Down” with Bryson Tiller is of course a buttery love anthem. The track “Hug the Block” shows off over a somber beat while the song “Ask for Me” tells the story of & later forgetting her name over a grand instrumental. The track “Stainless” pays tribute to many West Coast artists over a smooth piano instrumental while the song “Gangsters Make the Girls Go Wild” is of course a tepid attempt at a radio hit.

“Blood Thicker Than Water” is self-explanatory backed by a churchy-trap beat from StreetRunner while the song “Rewind II” is a decent sequel to the Nas joint “Rewind” off his 2001 album Stillmatic. The track “1 Life” with J. Stone sees the 2 getting motivational over a bleak instrumental while the song “Cross on Jesus Back” with D Smoke is pretty much a response to Kanye West’s Sunday Service performances that he’s been doing all year. The album then finishes with “Roadside”, where Game reflects on his past life over an acoustic instrumental.

If this really is the last time we’ll ever hear Game in a full-length capacity, then I’d say it’s a mixed bag & I didn’t really enjoy it as much as 1992 a few years earlier. The passion is definitely there, but some of the production is hit or miss with me personally & I feel like it really didn’t need to be 91 minutes long. Really if you took roughly half of the material here & left the rest on the cutting room floor, I would’ve liked it a more than I actually did for sure.

Score: 2.5/5

Mars – “Locked Up a Broad” review

 

 

img_1416-1

This is the 3rd full-length studio album from Bay Area horrorcore veteran Mars, who made his debut in 1998 with S.I.D.S. (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome). He would go on to drop 2 EPs in the mid-2000s, a mixtape in 2012 & his sophomore full-length entitled Glockcoma just a couple years ago. But just a month after his 3rd EP Murder, Mars is following it up with Locked Up a Broad.

After the intro, we go into the title track. Where Mars touches down on sexual slavery over a woozy instrumental. The next song “Hemophobia” talks about murder over an airy trap beat & while I love how slow the track “Keep Ya Voice Down” is, it’s way too short. The song “Throw It All Away” gets reflective over a pretty acoustic instrumental whereas the track “Isolation” vents about being alone over a cold trap beat.

The song “In My Basement” talks about kidnapping a woman over a nocturnal trap beat while the track “Monster” speaks on what he has become over a spacey trap beat. The song “Obsession” gets stalky over a melodic instrumental while the track “Do What It Due” tries to foresee his own death over a trap rock fusion. The song “Freakin’ Me Out” with Kung Fu Vampire sees the 2 talking about murder over a trap beat with some plinky keyboards & then the album finishes off with “I Got a Mask”, where Mars gets personal over a piano instrumental that enhances the emotion.

Overall, this was a solid album from the man. In contrast to the Murder EP trying out new sounds, here we have Mars going back to his horrorcore roots with Clayton Van Pelt backing him up with some pretty dope production.

Score: 3.5/5

Beck – “ハイパースペース” review

This is the 14th studio LP from Los Angeles, California musician, singer/songwriter & producer Beck. Releasing his full-length studio debut Golden Feelings & Stereopathetic Soulmanure independently until signing to DGC Records for his most celebrated opus Mellow Gold preceding 1 Foot in the Grave. Odelay, Mutations, Midnite Vultures, the Geffen Records-backed Sea Change, his Interscope Records debut Guero, The Information & the Danger Mouse-produced Modern Guilt were all equally praised although his ongoing Capitol Records tenure has been hit or miss. Coming off Morning Phase & Colors, the Fonograf Records founder’s going to ハイパースペース amid his divorce from Marissa Ribisi.

“Hyperlife” produced by Pharrell was a mediocre ambient pop, alt-pop, chillwave, alternative R&B, space ambient & chillsynth intro singing about heartbreak & loneliness whereas “Uneventful Days” blends synthpop, electropop, alt-pop & trap to delve more into separation topically. “Saw Lightning” blends alternative dance, country rap, breakbeat & electroclash for a tiring lead single discussing his divorce again leading into “Die Waiting” takes a folkier approach using heavy bass singing about waiting for his ex-wife until the very end.

We get some heavy synthesizers throughout “Chemical” aside from Brent Paschke playing guitar so Beck can compare to that of an addictive substance just before “See Through” goes for a tropical direction instrumentally courtesy of Greg Kurstin to kick off the 2nd half, confessing to feeling ugly whenever Marissa looks past his bullshit. The title track runs it back with Skateboard P for a more fleshed out version of the intro while the self-produced “Stratosphere” melancholically remembers a friend of his who died in 2000 of a heroin overdose.

“Dark Place” winds down the last few moments of ハイパースペース with Pharrell throwing it back to the Mellow Gold days with this synthpop, psychedelic pop, neo-psychedelia & dream pop single singing about being unable to get Marissa off his mind in addition to coping with the loneliness of her leaving him while “Star” takes inspiration from both D’Angelo & the late Prince portraying a 2-faced psycho. “Everlasting Nothing” sends off the album with this average psychedelic pop, art pop, neo-psychedelia, dream pop, psychedelic folk & synthpop outro singing to his younger self.

Pharrell’s one of my top 5 producers of all-time & that includes everything he’s done with Chad Hugo as 1/2 of my favorite production duo The Neptunes, so hearing that he was going to produce more than 1/2 of ハイパースペース gave me hope of it potentially becoming the best thing Beck’s done since the Capitol deal came about earlier this decade & that unfortunately isn’t the case. Maybe the most mediocre he’s ever made mostly as a result of the synthpop, alt-pop, dream pop, neo-psychedelia, electropop, vapor, ambient pop, alt-pop, chillwave, alternative R&B, space ambient, chillsynth, synthpop, electropop, trap, alternative dance, country rap, breakbeat, electroclash, psychedelic pop, neo-psychedelia, art pop & psychedelic folk production lacks the intricacies of his earlier output than the divorce themes.

Score: 2.5/5