Benny the Butcher – “The Plugs I Met” review

Benny the Butcher is a 34 year old MC from Buffalo, New York who came up as the leader of the Black Soprano Family as well as a signee to Westside Gunn’s label Griselda Records. His first official release on the label was his Butcher on Steroids mixtape that dropped on his birthday in 2017, but it wouldn’t be until last November that he made his full-length debut on the label with Tana Talk 3. However, he’s coming back with his 4th EP inspired by a line on his last album.

After the intro skit, we dive into the first song “Crowns for Kings”. Where the Butcher teams up with Black Thought get motivational over an orchestral DJ Shay beat. The song “Sunday School” with Jadakiss & .38 Spesh get confrontational over a piano-inflicted boom bap beat from Daringer while the track “Dirty Harry” with Conway the Machine & RJ Payne is filled with battle bars including a reference to WWE Hall of Famer & inaugural ECW World Heavyweight Champion Jimmy “Superfly” Snuka over an eerie instrumental. The song “Took the Money to the Plug House” of course talks about hustling over a gloomy Alchemist beat while the penultimate track “18 Wheeler” with Pusha T gets mafioso over a godly boom bap beat & then the EP finishes off with “5 to 50”, where the Butcher reflects on his past over an atmospheric Alchemist beat.

The production’s just as raw & the Butcher’s street tales are a lot grimier. Yet another example of Griselda being one of the hardest camps in hip hop at the current moment.

Score: 4.5/5

Bang On! – “Defo Not Normal” review

Liverpool, Merseyside, England, United Kingdom emcee Bang On! dropping his 3rd EP fully produced by London beatsmith & audio engineer Reklews. Making his full-length studio debut in the spring of 2012 with the moderately received sic, he would go on to sign to Blah Records at the beginning of 2018 & make his debut for the label with The Power of Not Being Arsed. He only dropped Str8 2.mp3 a few weeks earlier & is continuing the summer by making it clear that he’s Defo Not Normal.

We get a cloudy hardcore opener in the form of “Fuck That Shit” suggesting people get with the program since there’s no plan B for him whereas “Girls” takes the boom bap route instrumentally basically doing his own take on the JAY-Z single “Girls, Girls, Girls” down it being sampled during the hook taking a more melodic approach to delivery after the 1st verse. “Smoking Weed” reaches the halfway point of the EP making up for the previous track by cooking up a stoner’s ode.

“No Graft, No Gain” gets the other leg of Defo Not Normal started by going for a grime vibe sonically talking about people not having any glory if the don’t have the guts leading into some rap rock influences seeping through so he can tell those anyone sleeping on him that they’re gonna “Find Out” rather quickly. “The Right Coat” spends the last few minutes talking about him feeling as if no one likes him, which resulted in him becoming emotionlessly cold as fuck.

Of the 2 extended plays that’ve come out in less than month, I had higher expectations for Defo Not Normal & would consider it to be an improvement above it’s predecessor. Reklews’ production is more versatile than the traditional boom bap sound that the Children of the Damned or it’s successor the Cult of the Damned & Hock Tu Down have all become known for & Bang On! gets more serious topically rather than continuing Str8 2.mp3‘s satirical commentary.

Score: 4/5

Lil Keed – “Long Live Mexico” review

Lil Keed is a 21 year old rapper from Atlanta, Georgia that first gained attention when he landed a contract with Young Thug’s 300 Entertainment imprint YSL Records last year, eventually landing a spot on the label’s Slime Language compilation that summer. He eventually made his YSL debut with his 3rd mixtape Keed Talk to ‘Em which was alright, but I was REALLY curious to hear what he was gonna do on his full-length debut over here.

The opener “Ride the Wave” is a hilariously delusional way to start off the album, especially since he’s talking about how he’s paved the way for today’s hip hop landscape when he literally just started. The next song “Oh My God” talks about his come up over a bland beat while the song “Anybody” with Gunna & Lil Duke talks about how they came a long way over an instrumental kin to BEAUTIFUL THUGGER GIRLS. The track “Rockstar” with ΠΔV is a vapid look into the titular lifestyle with a generic beat while the song “Million Dollar Mansion” with Young Thug sees the 2 charismatically boasting over an bass-heavy Pi’erre Bourne instrumental.

The track “H.B.S. (Hood Baby Shit)” is a decently druggy brag while the song “Tip Top” by Guap Tarantino & MSA PG feels totally out of place since Lil Keed has little to no presence at all despite the soothing Turbo instrumental. The track “Child” with Moneybagg Yo sees the 2 talking about their hustling days over a horror-esque trap beat while the song “Snake” is a diss towards an unnamed person over Pyrex Whippa & Cubeatz instrumental that has a bit of a country twang to it. The track “Pass It Out” with Lil Gotit is a party anthem with a Godly instrumental from Metro Boomin’ while the song “Pull Up” with Lil Uzi Vert & YNW Melly talks about their new lifestyles over a vibrant instrumental with a prominent woodwind.

The track “Real Hood Baby” with Stickbaby talks about growing up in the gutters over a nondescript instrumental while the song “Fear of God” talks about loyalty over a spacious beat. The track “Make U Proud” is a playful love tune while the song “On Everything” talks about this freaky chick over a luscious beat, although it’s less effective as the previous cut. The track “Dragon” with Roddy Ricch sees the 2 is a generic braggadocious cut while the song “Higher N Higher” with Karlae triumphantly talks about their success over a buttery instrumental.

The track “Ride wit You” is an annoyingly repetitive romance cut with a beautifully synthesizer-heavy instrumental while the song “Just a Dream” is actually a pretty cool continuation of the last track with an atmospheric beat. The album then finishes off with “Proud of Me”, where Keed & Young Thug pay an endearing tribute to the legendary Gucci Mane over a piano-inflicted trap beat.

Overall, this was just ok. The beats are slightly better than last time & even though I feel like Lil Keed is showing his potential a little bit more, he’s also still living in the shadows of his mentor. Hopefully he’ll come more into his own on the next project, because he’s definitely one of the best YSL signees currently.

Score: 2.5/5

Future – “SAVE ME” review

Future is a 35 year old rapper & singer/songwriter from Atlanta, Georgia who came up as a member of the Dungeon Family thanks to his cousin Rico Wade of Organized Noize. He officially made his debut in 2012 with Pluto & would later follow it up with a hot streak of modern day trap essentials like Honest, Monster, Beast Mode & my personal favorite of his: D.S. 2 (Dirty Sprite 2). However since 2017, Future has mostly been painting himself in a corner & prioritizing quantity over quality. I mean sure HNDRXX took a more sensual approach & SUPER SLIMEY showed a pretty great chemistry with fellow trap trailblazer Young Thug, but Beast Mode 2 was a step down from the predecessor & he got with Juice WRLD last fall to put out a collab tape that literally should’ve never happened: WRLD on Drugs. Finally at the very beginning of this year, Future’s previous album The WIZRD was just passable even though it showed NO artistic evolution WHATSOEVER. All that being said, I was curious in trying out his debut EP over here that he randomly decided to drop.

The opener “XANAX DAMAGE” is a mindnumbingly repetitive piece about venting to this chick over a trap beat with a depressing acoustic guitar passage while the next track “ST. LUCIA” produced by Fuse sounds like it could’ve been on Future’s last album, really. The song “PLEASE TELL ME” is a simp anthem a spacey beat from Richie Souf while the track “SHOTGUN” is a horrifically corny ballad with an annoying hook & a buttery instrumental.

The song “GOVERNMENT OFFICIAL” talks about the party life over a haunting trap beat & while the penultimate track “EXTRA” has an endearingly depressing tone to it, the producer FXXXXY sounds EXACTLY like Drake on the post-chorus & it’s SCARY. The EP then closes out with “LOVE THY ENEMIES”, where Future vents about his insecurities over an gloomy guitar passage.

I wasn’t expecting much from this & the end result was pretty average. It’s interesting to hear him going into a more emo direction on a few cuts, but the songs don’t sound fully complete to me. If we’re truly getting a HNDRXX 2 at some point, then I hope it’s better than this.

Score: 2.5/5

Big Shoes – Self-titled review

Big Shoes is a super-duo from Detroit, Michigan consisting of House Shoes on the boards & Big Tone on the mic. The 2 have made names for each other over the years whether that be House Shoes’ Let It Go or Tone’s The Drought & The Art of Ink. However after knowing each other for their whole lives, it was only right for them to team up & release their self-titled debut together.

The album opens with “Autobiography”, where Tone reflects on his career up until this point over a synth-heavy instrumental. The next song “High Velocity” talks about living life fast over a J Dilla-inspired beat while the track “From My Mouth to God’s Ears” gets conscious over a laidback boom bap beat. The song “King Shit” with Denmark Vessey & MosEL sees the 3 talking about how they do it over a prominent woodwind sees the 3 while the track “Exodus (Fly Away)” gets ambitious over a soulful beat. The song “No Guest List” with Quelle Chris is an ode to those down for the cause over a spacious beat while the track “Homage” pays tribute to the OGs over a luscious beat.

The song “8th Day” with Ta’Raach & 87 sees the 3 getting thankful over a menacing boom bap beat while the track “Most of Us” continues to get conscious over a punchy beat with some skittering synthesizers. The song “Haze” is a soothing weed anthem while the penultimate track “Beautiful Mind” with Blu sees the 2 talking about their blessings in the game over a victorious beat. The album ends with “True Story”, where Tone talks about how this album came together over a soulful beat.

This was just as fantastic as I expected. House Shoes’ production is some of his best yet & the stories that Big Tone tells are very touching. If you wanna hear 2 underrated legends from Detroit teaming up to tell an emotional story together, then PLEASE give this a listen.

Score: 4/5

Kovax – “Manifestor” review

Kovax is a MC from Detroit, Michigan who’s been at it for quite a while now. I personally started noticing him when he opened up for LARS last year, but his set during the show left me impressed to see what he would do in the future. And that leads us to his 5th full-length album, in which he enlists Foul Mouth to produce it in it’s entirety.

It all kicks off with the title track, where Kovax brags about his skills over a trap beat some haunting background vocals. The next song “Dread of Winter” vents about some personal issues over a gloomy beat while the track “Special” talks about his place in the game over a rock/boom bap fusion. The song “I’m So Beat” talks about the positives & negatives of life over a jazzy instrumental while the track “Buzz Kill” is filled with charismatic battle bars over a beat with some prominently somber guitar licking. The song “Ashes” with Xtra Overdoze sees the 2 displaying a vicious chemistry over an eerie trap beat while the track “Heat” talks about how dope he is over a soulful beat.

The song “Desk Job” talks about how trash his competition is over a horror film-esque trap beat while the track “$1.25” talks about his hustle over a trap beat with an immensely dark atmosphere. The song “Popov” takes a jab at his naysayers over a beautiful soul sample while the track “Empathy” talks about someone he’s beefing with over a minimalist beat. The closer “I Won’t Fall” gets triumphant over a joyful beat & then there’s the bonus track “Egodeth”, where Kovax destroys the confidence of all wack rappers over a grimy boom bap beat.

This is easily the man’s best work yet. It’s a little too short, but Foul Mouth continues to prove that he’s the best producer in hip hop right now with his varied instrumental palates & Kovax’ lyricism is more gruesome than ever before.

Score: 4.5/5

Elcamino – “Lot & Abraham” review

Elcamino is an MC from Buffalo, New York that I discovered when he dropped his self-titled EP with Griselda Records in November of 2017. He then followed it up with his debut mixtape Walking on Water last summer & now just 2 months after his debut album Don’t Eat the Fruit, he’s already delivering his 2nd EP with DJ Shay producing it in it’s entirety.

After the intro, we go into the title track. Where Camino reflects on his past over a mellow beat with some horns. The song “2-Tone Joint” talks about his crack dealing days over a soulful beat while the track “Formula” pays tribute to Camino’s mother over some background vocals & a piano load.

The song “Break Bread” talks about knowing his time is coming with over an orchestral beat while the track “Strolling Down Rodeo” continues to brag over some joyous piano chords. The song “Gutta Shit” lives up to it’s title lyrically over some strings & then the EP ends with “Can’t Be Saved”, where Camino talks about people he knew over some guitar licking.

This is honestly tied with the self-titled EP for Elcamino’s magnum opus. The lack of features can leave it somewhat monotonous & a few of the tracks sound unfinished, but his lyrics are sharper with each release & DJ Shay solidifies himself as one of the best producers in the underground right now.

Score: 4.5/5

Denzel Curry – “ZUU” review

Denzel Curry is a 24 year old MC from Carol City, Florida who came up as a member of the Raider Klan, founded by SpaceGhostPurrp. He caught my attention in 2013 with the release of his debut album Nostalgic 64 which was good, but it wouldn’t be until 2016’s Imperial in 2016 & then last summer’s TA13OO that he would top it. However almost a year after the release of his magnum opus, he’s hitting us again with his 4th full-length album.

It all kicks off with the title track, where Zel pays tribute to his hometown & the FNZ beat has a really pretty atmosphere to it. The official WWE NXT TakeOver: WarGames theme song “RICKY” pays tribute to his father over a dirty south style-instrumental while the song “WISH” with Kiddo Marv is a mediocre sex tune a cloudy beat. The track “BIRDZ” with Rick Ross sees the 2 getting confrontational over an eerie trap beat while the song “AUTOMATIC” gets braggadocious over a bass-heavy trap beat from Tay Keith.

The track “SPEEDBOAT” pays tribute to XXXTENTACION over a trap beat with somber piano chords & after the “BUSHY B” interlude, the equally long “YOO” is a pretty decent skit. The track “CAROLMART” talks about how fresh he is over a bouncy beat while the song “SHAKE 88” is an really cool Miami Bass booty anthem. Then after the “Blackland 66.6” skit, the closer “P.A.T.” with PlayThatBoyZay is a fighting anthem with a distorted Ronny J beat.

Despite being worried at first, this wasn’t bad as I feared. Could’ve been padded out with a few more tracks, but it’s a short but fun concept album about Zel’s hometown.

Score: 3.5/5

NEMS – “Gorilla Monsoon” review

NEMS is an MC from Brooklyn, New York who first gained attention in the battle rap field. He made his debut in 2010 with Prezident’s Day & followed it up in 2012 with Coney Soprano but now after years of mixtapes, he’s coming back with his 3rd album.

The album kicks off “Step Aside”, where NEMS is spitting battle bars over a sinister boom bap beat from JAZZSOON (who happens to be the sole producer of the project). The next song “Where You Know Me From?” with Conway the Machine details the gritty street life over a nightmarish instrumental while the track “Timb Boots” gets into fight mode over a funky beat.

“Gahbage” is a ruthless diss towards wack rappers who shove their music down everyone’s throats while the track “Kings” is a dedication to how good NEMS is living over a soulful beat. The song “Lil Niggas” gets back on the battle bar tip over a grimy boom bap beat while the track “Who Got Ya?” brags about his prowess over a piano driven boom bap beat.

After the “Intermission”, the song “200” with Spit Gemz sees the 2 bodying off their competition & their families like disgraced IWGPジュニアヘビー級チャンピオン, 2-time WWE world champion, 4-time WWE Intercontinental Champion, 5-time WWE United States Champion, 7-time WWE tag team champion & 3-time WCW World Television Champion Chris Benoit over a beat that sounds inspired by a horror film. The track “Heavy Metal” reflects on his past over some prominent drums while the song “Leave Me Alone” gets motivational over a punchy beat.

The penultimate track “No Reggaeton” with Al Doe & Axel Leon is an intriguing Puerto Rican flavored cut & then the album ends with “Token of My Gratitude”, which is essentially a beautiful 3 & a half minute song combined with a 13 minute spoken word outro.

Personally, this is easily NEMS’ magnum opus. There are a couple tracks I could’ve done without but for the most part: JAZZSOON’s beats are hardcore, the rhymes are deadly & it really seems like he put his heart into it.

Score: 4/5

Jim Jones – “El Capo” review

Jim Jones is a legendary rapper from the Bronx who came up as a member of The Diplomats at the beginning of the decade. He released a few albums throughout the 2000s, but he went off the radar after 2011’s Capo. It wasn’t until last year’s Wasted Talent that he would make his comeback & now a year later, he’s delivering his 7th full-length album with The Heatmakerz producing it in it’s entirety.

The album kicks off with “Cristal Ocassions”, where he talks about his rise from nothing to fame over a soulful boom bap beat. The next track “Love of the Hustle” minimalistically recalls his drug dealing deals whereas “Make No Issues of It” brushes off ignorance over some harmonious background vocals. The track “NYC” with Fat Joe pays tribute to their hometown referencing WWE Hall of Famer Mike Tyson over a joyous beat while the song “Good Die Young” is a tribute to all of the homies he lost over a beautiful soul sample.

The track “State of the Union” with Rick Ross sees the 2 getting conscious over a mellow beat while the song “Pity in the Summer” with Cam’ron & Fred the Godson is a decent club banger. The track “My Era” with Maino reflects on their pasts over some prominent drums with a soul sample in the background while the song “Nothing Lasts” with Fabolous vents on some life issues over an infectious beat.

The track “Cocaine Dreamin'” with Dave East talks about how their lives a like a movie over a boom bap beat with a sped-up vocal sample. The track “Mama I Made It” with Cam is of course a triumphant success anthem with a nice church choir while the song “To Whom It May Concern” is a fantastic Dipset/Griselda posse cut.

The track “Sports Cars” is all about just that with a decent beat & a perfect Curren$y verse & while “Song Boxing” is short, it’s very cutthroat. The penultimate track “Bread Right” boasts about his money over a dreamy beat & then the album finishes with “Don’t Know What They Took Him For”, where Jim gets with Jadakiss & Philthy Rich to talk about death over a soulful beat.

Overall, this is easily Jim’s best work yet & really the album that I’ve always wanted to hear from him. There are way too many features, but a good chunk of them do their thing. And on top of that, Jim steps his pen-game up continuing the elevation shown on Wasted Talent & The Heatmakerz as Dipset’s in-house production team show why they’re one of the most underrated producers ever.

Score: 4.5/5