Erick Sermon – “Vernia” review

Erick Sermon is a 50 year old MC & producer from Islip, New York known for being a member of EPMD & the Def Squad. However, it was’t until the early/mid 90s where he made his solo debut No Pressure & followed with a sophomore effort Double or Nothing under Def Jam Recordings. Following the DreamWorks Records-backed Erick Onasis as well as Music & React under J Records, he contemplated retiring in the summer of 2004 with Chilltown, New York under Universal Music Group. He fortunately made a flawed yet solid comeback over a decade later with E.S.P. (Erick Sermon’s Perception) & he’s at it again with his 8th full-length album.

After the “Payne Intro”, the first song “Wake Up (No Fear)” brags about his skills over a futuristic instrumental while “Da Wave” continues the lyrical themes of the previous joint over a vintage Rockwilder beat. “Tha Game” featuring AZ & Styles P sees the 3 dissing people only out for the fame over a bass-line & a soul sample while “Go” with No Malice talks about life in the streets over a luscious boom bap instrumental.

“My Style” with N.O.R.E. & Raekwon sees the 3 showing all of their unique styles over a laidback soul sample while “That Girl” with Big K.R.I.T. is a smooth dedication to Southern womenz “Cabinet” shouts out a plethora of legendary MCs over yet another funky instrumental & “Stay Real, Pt. 2” with Keith Murray & Nature is a fantastic sequel to a highlight off No Pressure.

The song “Zion” with Xzibit alongside David Banner & even Shaquille O’Neal spit battle bars over a boom bap beat with a sinister piano lead while “May Sound Crazy” with Devin the Dude & Too $hort finds the trio getting romantic over a g-funk beat from DJ Battlecat. “300 E” is essentially E-Dub charismatically boasting over a beautifully futuristic instrumental from Rockwilder album & it all finishes with the Apathy produced title track, which is a heartwarming dedication to his grandmother.

E.S.P. (Erick Sermon’s Perception) still has its after all this time, but Vernia sticks out as the greater album of the 2 he’s given us since making music again. Only a couple tracks I could’ve done without yet through it all, Erick really sticks to his guns lyrically remembering his late grandmother Vernia Mims with the guests mostly adding into the equation & the production mostly handled by The Green-Eyed Bandit himself is top notch including the contributions from a few noteworthy great producers.

Score: 4/5

Tech N9ne – “N9NA” review

This is the latest full-length outing from the highest-selling independent hip hop artist of all-time; the King of Darkness himself: Tech N9ne. If anyone is far behind in his catalog, the dude has made himself one of the hardest working men in the culture by dropping at least 1 or 2 albums a year since 2016 & his previous one Planet ended up being one of his best ones yet. However with a new tour starting earlier this week, he’s celebrating by releasing his 21st album.

After the “Le Horde” intro, we dive straight into the first song “Lord of Weird”. Where Tech pretty much proclaims himself as just that over a gloomy trap beat. The title track serves as a reintroduction for N9na’s new fans with MIKE SUMMERS a.k.a. 7’s trunk-knocking production fitting like a glove while the song “Hit the Ground Running” with JL & King Iso sees the 3 talking about how no one can stop them over a trap beat with some acoustic strumming over an eerie beat. The track “Like I Ain’t” reflects on his accomplishments while the song “Green Lit” with Iso alongside Tech’s latest Strange Music signee Maez301 sees the 3 calling out people who double crossed them over an infectious instrumental.

The track “Chuki Fever” is a shot at everyone jealous of his success over a somber trap beat while the song “Fuckin’ Do It” with Futuristic & JL is a decent alcohol anthem with a skeletal trap beat. The track “Don’t Let Me Fall” is a boring diatribe of a 1-night stand with a simplistic beat while the song “You Line!” with Krizz Kaliko viciously attacks frauds with a perfectly suiting beat. The track “EDI’s” serves as a tribute to edibles with a monstrous beat while the song “Rata” takes a surprising direction in Latin territory & it somehow works.

The track “F.T.I. 2.0” serves as a vicious sequel to the iconic “Fuck the Industry” off his 2001 classic Anghellic while the song “She Fell” is a moody sex tune with a horrendous hook. The track “Sink” talks about depression with a gorgeous bass-line while the song “H.O.B. (History Of Bitches)” talks about crazy chicks trying to come back into his life over an atmospheric beat. The track “Ion Memba” recalls his past addiction with an average C-Mob verse over a spacey bass-heavy beat while the song “Active” talks about gang life over a nocturnal instrumental.

The track “EF U (Easier For You)” with Jelly Roll is a heartfelt dedication to the broken with a pretty guitar passage while the song “I’m Caught Crazy! (4Ever)” is essentially Tech embracing his insanity over a nocturnal instrumental. The closer track “I’m Sorry” is a triumphant ode to his family & then there’s the bonus track “Disparagement”, where he & King Iso diss their haters over a generic trap beat.

While I personally prefer Planet, this is still a solid listen. Of course Tech brings his A-game lyrically & I like how he kept the features minimal just like that previous album, but some of the production choices on this one in comparison could’ve been better.

Score: 3.5/5

SOB x RBE – “Family Not a Group” review

SOB x RBE is a hip hop quartet from Vallejo, California consisting of Slimmy B, Yhung T.O., DaBoii & Lul G. I first caught wind of them last year with the song “Paramedic!”, which was a personal highlight for me on the soundtrack for the near perfect Marvel film Black Panther. They quickly followed this up by releasing their first 2 albums with EMPIRE Distribution entitled GANGIN’ & GANGIN’ 2, but both of them were incredibly average. However after striking a new deal with Def Jam Recordings, they’re now teaming up with Hit-Boy to deliver their 3rd EP.

The opener “Chosen 1” has a spacey instrumental & while I can appreciate the message, it doesn’t even sound fully written. The next track “Both Sides” sees all 4 talking about choosing sides over an eerie bass-heavy trap beat while the song “Stuck in the Streets” gets murderous over a druggy beat while the titular song gets braggadocious over an atmospheric beat.

The track “Can’t Fold” viciously flexes their wealth over a hyphy beat while the song “W.Y.O. (What You On?)” is a buttery, mediocre sex tune. The track “Ran Off wit It” reminisces about all the crazy things they did before the fame over a smooth instrumental while the song “Young Wild Niggas” is self-explanatory & the instrumental is monstrous. The EP then finishes with “Scoring”, where the group celebrates their newfound success over a pretty piano instrumental.

This is EASILY the group’s best outing yet. The production that Hit-Boy brings to the table is more hard hitting than that of SOB x RBE’s last 2 albums & everyone sounds hungrier than ever.

Score: 3.5/5

Split Prophets – “The Forecast” review

The Split Prophets are a hip hop collective from Bristol, England, United Kingdom consisting of Datkid, Upfront MC, Res 1, Joey Paro, Bil Next, Flying Monk & Badhabitz. Forming in 2012, they would go on to drop their first couple of EPs The High Life and Southbound & Down the following year. They would eventually make their full-length debut at the beginning of 2016 with Delta Bravo Kilo, returning 3 years later with their 3rd extended play.

Datkid & Upfront MC hop over a jazzy boom bap beat during the intro “Bad News” pleading to stop with all the nonsense whereas “Mustard” goes for a cavernously raw approach instrumentally talking about how every single member has been taking their own steps in becoming more successful. “Paperback Book” blends a guitar sample with some kicks & snares for a hardcore hip hop joint reminiscent of the ‘90s just before “You Do You” comes across a bit more atmospheric talking about doing your thing.

“My Team” gets the 2nd half going aggressively making it clear that nobody can match their individual flows while “6 Deep” brings back the jazz rap influences so they can tell all their haters that they’re never quitting & the haters can live with it in misery as far as the squad’s concerned. Joey Paro & Upfront MC team up on “The Monsoon” going back-&-forth with each other over an organ sample leading into Flying Monk joining them for the intro “Oii”.

Needless to say: the Split Prophets has collectively been on a musical hiatus since Delta Bravo Kilo with everyone focusing on their solo careers but whenever they’re ready to reunite for a sophomore effort, The Forecast hints at what we can expect from them in the best ways imaginable. Badhabitz’ jazzy boom bap production feels reminiscent to Illinformed’s & lyrically, they’re aren’t too far behind from the Cult of the Damned in the sense that every MC has their own way of sticking out.

Score: 4/5

Camouflage Regime – Self-Titled review

The Camouflage Regime is a newly formed hardcore hip hop duo consisting of 2 East Coast underground heavyweights: former Juice Crew member Tragedy Khadafi & Army of the Pharaohs leader Vinnie Paz. The 2 have collaborated with each other a couple of times in the past (most notably the iconic Jedi Mind Tricks joint “Genghis Khan”) but now, they’re teaming up for their highly anticipated debut.

The album kicks off with “Bloody Jungle”, where Paz & Tragedy get murderous over an eerie Stu Bangas beat. The next song “Canaan’s Bracelet” with Agallah sees the 3 spitting that gun talk referencing WWE Hall of Famer, former WWE Champion & WWE Tag Team Champion The Iron Sheik over a piano-inflicted boom bap beat while the song “A Warrior’s Fate” is laced with vicious battle bars over a sinister beat. The track “Cinematic Echo” boasts about their skills over a soulful beat while the song “Jummah Rituals” gets back on the violence tip over an apocalyptic beat.

The track “Fibre Optic Weapons” with Ill Bill sees the 3 vividly describing life in the streets over an ominous beat while the song “Nocturnal Militia” talks about how they ain’t ready to die over another keyboard-inflicted boom bap beat. “The Most Gracious” pretty much speaks for itself over a piano & some strings while the song “Thought Machine” gets conscious over an abrasive beat. Lastly, the closer “Persian Legacy” talks about being military minded over a boom bap beat with some keys & a killer guitar.

It’s been a few years coming & at the end, I enjoyed it. Paz & Tragedy could’ve padded it out with a few more tracks, but their chemistry really shines & the raw production suits them fantastically.

Score: 4/5

Anderson .Paak – “Ventura” review

Anderson .Paak is a 33 year old rapper, singer/songwriter & producer from Oxnard, California who gained notoriety by landing a handful of features on my all-time favorite producer Dr. Dre’s 3rd & final album Compton: A Soundtrack by Dr. Dre in 2015 as well as forming the duo NxWorries with Knxwledge & signing to Stones Throw Records together that same year. He then dropped one of the best R&B albums of the decade with Malibu at the beginning of 2016 & that lead to Dre officially signing him to Aftermath Entertainment a few weeks later. But with his fantastic major label debut Oxnard dropping 5 months ago, it seems like .Paak is now delivering a follow-up.

Things start off with “Come Home”, where .Paak & André 3000 fresh off his role in the A24 Films sci-fi horror High Life ask for their former lovers to reconcile over a jazzy beat & a WWE reference during 3 Stacks’ verse. The next track “Make It Better” talks about mending over a smooth instrumental from Fredwreck & The Alchemist alongside a gorgeous Smokey Robinson hook while the song “Reachin’ 2 Much” is an infectiously funky odyssey about this woman who is excessive for him. The track “Winner’s Circle” is a lust anthem over a beautifully minimalist instrumental while the song “Good Heels” with Jazmine Sullivan sounds like an unfinished duet.

The track “Yada Yada” brushes off his naysayers over a mellow instrumental while the song “King James” of course pays tribute to the Los Angeles Lakers player LeBron James over a funky instrumental. The track “Chosen One” is a dedication to .Paak’s potential soulmate over a spacey beat while the song “Jet Black” talks about this couple peakin’ over a laidback beat. The penultimate track “Twilight” is about this woman who puts .Paak back in place over a vintage Pharrell instrumental, but then the closer “What Can We Do?” is a duet with Nate Dogg about moving on from a past relationship over an uplifting instrumental.

Yeah, it’s just as amazing as the last 2 albums were. There are a few underwhelming moments, but .Paak’s sticking to his R&B guns again in contrast to Oxnard & he continues to show how dynamic of an artist he really is.

Score: 4.5/5

Diabolic – “Collusion” review

Diabolic is a legendary underground MC from Long Island, New York who made a name for himself by battle rapping in the very late 90’s/early 2000’s. However, it wouldn’t be until 2009 that he would release his debut album Liar & a Thief. Which was solid, but he would eventually outdo himself 5 years later with the release of Fightin’ Words. But now, another 5 years has passed & he has teamed up with Vanderslice to help him return with his 3rd full-length album.

After the intro, we go into the first song “Think of That”. Here, Diabolic talks about returning to the throne of hip hop over a soulful boom bap beat. The track “Jitterbug” talks about not crossing him over an instrumental with a prominent keyboard & synthesizer while the song “Normalize” vividly describes the criminal activity he involves himself in over a perfectly sinister boom bap beat. The track “See the Light” with NEMS gets cold-blooded over an eerie beat while the song “Who We Are” with Tre Mark Star, Coast & John Jigg$ is about how living rough made all 4 of them the people they turned out to be today over a spacious instrumental.

The track “Other Side” talks about living like he’s on his way to death over a vicious beat while the song “Once Again” is laced with deadly battle bars over a jazzy beat. The track “Simon Phoenix” boasts about his skills over a haunting beat referencing WWE Hall of Famer Pete Rose & before the album finishes with the outro, the final song “Last Day” with Coast sees the 2 talking about keeping it live forever but the beat on here is just ok to me.

All that being said: I think this was a dope comeback for Diabolic. It’s a bit too short as it only runs a little over a half hour, but he & Vanderslice display a pretty great chemistry together from start to finish.

Score: 3.5/5

Iglooghost – “Clear Tamei / Steel Mogu” review

Shaftesbury, Dorset, England, United Kingdom electronic music producer Iglooghost fulfilling his Brainfeeder Records contract with a double extended play & his 6th overall. Dropping his debut mixtape Comet_Camping (Brkfstttt) in 2013, he would go on to follow it up with his debut extended play Twenteen & its successor Treetunnels preceding Flying Lotus signing him to Brainfeeder. His debut for the label Chinese Nü Yr on Devil’s Night 2015 became some of the most creative wonky music of that year, looking to further the critically acclaim of full-length debut Neō Wax Bloom by compiling Clear Tamei & Steel Mogu.

After the “Påleo Mamu” intro, “New Vectors” gets things going with this genius 3 & a half minute opener working in some xylophone-like synthesizers & strings whereas the Disc 1 title track combines drill & bass, wonky, experimental hip hop, glitch hop, bubblegum bass, grime, liquid drum & bass, deconstructed club, neurofunk, halftime & hardcore breaks for a chaotic single. “Namā” might be the only track on Clear Tameisince it feels like he’s playing things safer leading into “Shrine Hacker” featuring BABii reaches the halfway point on an orchestrally bass-heavy note.

Disc 2’s titular song succeeding the “1st Vōids” intro wasn’t as strong as the latter’s & starts the other portion of the EP on a bit sourly just before “Black Light Ultra” makes up for it by sampling “Ain’t It Funny” off Danny Brown’s masterpiece Atrocity Exhibition. “Mei Mode” whips up a futuristically energetic wonky, bubblegum bass, hybrid trap, deconstructed club, brostep & grime single that can be rhythmically quirky at times “Niteracer” wraps it up with this wonky, hybrid trap, UK bass, drill & bass, glitch hop, EDM trap, grime & bubblegum bass outro.

When it comes to Iglooghost’s EPs, I’ve always had Chinese Nü Yr as my favorite but I’m gonna have to put Clear Tamei / Steel Mogu above it considering we get some backstory behind the English producer’s full-length debut out of it. Both sides contain similar production styles including wonky, UK bass, hybrid trap, drill & bass, glitch hop, deconstructed club, hybrid trap, bubblegum bass & glitch hop except Steel Mogu’s significantly darker than Clear Tamei & we’re conceptually being introduced to young God in-training named Tamei who winds up in combat against a group of mysterious beings 3 millenniums preceding the events of Neō Wax Bloom.

Score: 4.5/5

Conway the Machine – “Everybody is F.O.O.D. 3” review

Conway the Machine is a 37 year old MC from Buffalo, New York who has been hustling mad hard with his brother Westside Gunn & their label Griselda Records throughout the past couple years. He just dropped his 9th mixtape Everybody is F.O.O.D. last summer with a sequel this past winter & now with his Shady Records debut coming in June, he’s decided to drop a 3rd installment out of nowhere.

The EP kicks off with “Everbody is F.O.O.D.”, where the Machine spits battle bars keeping elbows flying like the late WWE Hall of Famer, 6-time world champion & Intercontinental Champion Randy Savage over an eerie boom bap beat. “The Basement” challenges his competition over a prominent guitar while the song “Country Mike” continues the confrontational themes over some somber keys. The track “Richest in the City” talks about that over a a nocturnal boom bap beat & while I do like the fitting sample as well as the drug dealing story being told on “Egyptian Cloth”, it sounds unfinished. The song “London Pound” with Berner gets boastful over a mediocre trap beat from Cookin’ Soul & then after the “Survival” interlude, the closer “Don’t Judge Me…” picks up as Conway talks about how he speaks his mind over a gloomy boom bap beat.

All & all, this definitely has me looking forward to The Machine’s upcoming Shady Records debut even more. Conway sticks to his guns lyrically & he returns to his boom bap roots for the most part on this one in comparison to the previous installment being more diverse, but it works out fantastically. However, my big complaint is that he could’ve fleshed out a couple tracks & add about 2 more songs in the mix. Nonetheless, great EP.

Score: 4/5

Yelawolf – “Trunk Muzik 3” review

Yelawolf is a 39 year old rapper, singer & producer from Gadsden, Alabama who first came onto the scene in 2005 with a mediocre debut album Creekwater. It wasn’t until the kickstart of 2010 with the release of his breakout tape Trunk Muzik that he would gain attention, eventually signing to Shady Records/Interscope Records & releasing his sophomore album Radioactive: Amazing & Mystifying Chemical Tricks the following year. A focused grouped, yet still fun major label debut. He then returned in 2015 with Love Story, where he started to incorporate country & rock music into his style. But when his childhood friend Shawty Fatt passed away at the tail-end of 2016, it caused him to disappear from the scene for a while. He fortunately returned with his previous album Trial by Fire, which is pretty much a self-produced & refined sequel to Love Story. Now after dropping a total of 8 vicious freestyles, he’s returning with his 5th full-length album & his last with Shady/Interscope.

The intro kicks things off fantastically, as it pretty much serves as a sequel to Trunk Muzik‘s title track from Yelawolf’s angry bars down to WLPWR sampling the original “Trunk Muzik” song itself. The next track “Catfish Billy 2” of course is a gritty follow-up to the cut that introduced the world to Yelawolf’s alter ego to begin with & even though I appreciate the song “Rowdy” for being a description of coming from the gutter as well as an abrasive beat from DJ Paul (who also provides an adrenaline pumping hook), the MGK verse is laughable. The track “Special Kind of Bad” is a violin & bass-heavy love ballad that’s goes over very well, but the next song “Like I Love You” is a cringey follow-up to it with a moody trap beat. The track “Drugs” is a look at addiction over a somber beat while the song “Trailer Park Hollywood” talks about looking country fresh & the beat is perfect for the whip.

The track “No Such Thing as Free” with Caskey & Doobie is a jab at people who talk crazy over an eerie beat while the song “We Slum” with Shawty Fatt & Big Henri is self-explanatory over a banger beat. The track “Box Chevy VI” with Rittz & DJ Paul is a tribute to old school Chevrolets over a vintage Paul instrumental while the song “All the Way Up” with MopTop & Cub da Cookup Boss is a look at their feelings on fame over some keyboards & skittering snares. The track “Over Again” is a somber breakup anthem with a cloudy beat while the song “Addiction” tells the depressing story about a friend of Yelawolf’s over a piano infused boom bap beat. The album then closes out with “Over Here”, where Yelawolf disses rappers who’re only out for the fame over a settle guitar & some thumping kick-drums.

With Yelawolf’s tenure at Shady Records being over, this is the best full-length album he’s released yet. The features are hit or miss, but it’s a great return to form of his earlier work from his deadly lyricism all the way down to the menacing production. Really looking forward to the future as he is now a fully independent artist.

Score: 4/5