Brennan Jones – “Brennan” review

This is the 2nd EP from Jacksonville, Florida recording artist Brennan Jones. Originally known as a fashion influencer on the Meta Platforms-owned Instagram social media platform, Edward Skeletrix would later inspire him to pursue a music career & released an eponymous debut EP 11 months ago to mixed results despite a couple standout tracks including “Crispy” & “wawawawawa”. However, I went into Brennan hoping he would capitalize on his full potential with more consistently brief musical opus the way his breakout single “Fashiontrappin'” did.

“in frontofmygranny” starts with a 97 second cloudy trap intro talking about pulling out a whole stack with his grandmother near him whereas “young & restless” promises to have crews hit if they dare fuck with him. “Brush It Off My Shoulder” dismisses the pressure surrounding him for the past year & after the cringey “she suck on the dick like a dick” line on “Fashion Shit” despite the nocturnal instrumental, “Lick Yo Tattoo” produced by Toom of Vanguard Music Group ends with Brennan talking about being the man.

As much as I want to like Brennan Jones’ newest extended play & the one we got from him almost a year ago because loose singles like “Affairs” or “Jewelry” still make fine examples of his artistic potential, Brennan isn’t that much better unfortunately & it’s a bigger disappointment when you take in consideration of him being independent now. The production is somehow a step down from the last project ditching the dark plugg, rage & experimental hip hop undertones in favor of conventional plugg & cloud rap with Brennan drowning so heavily in his influences to the point where it’s distracting.

Score: 2.5/5

Keep up with @legendswill_never_die on Instagram & @LegendsllLiveOn on Twitter for the best music reviews weekly!

Tezzus – “Backrooms” review

Atlanta, Georgia rapper Tezzus coming off his new Søufside collaborative EP with Percaso only a week ago to put out his 4th solo EP. Introducing himself with his first few EPs Hard2Kill as well as Hellraiser & Everyday’s Halløween, his debut mixtape Tezzus Khrist last holiday season would significantly elevate his profile locally as did the handful of appearances he made on The XA Tape earlier this year. Another weekend later & Backrooms arrives merely hours following its announcement.

“Back” opens with a horn-laced trap instrumental fearing nobody talking because he rules whereas the rage-inducing “Rich Gang” takes a couple minutes to boast his wealth. “50 Cities 50 Nights” featuring Boofinesse works in some 808s to talk about only trusting the money leading into “10th Grade” goes for a hypertrap vibe again calling himself a Guitar Hero the way he rocks stages. “Øh My Gød” featuring diamond* ends the EP with both of them suggesting for others to come to grips with their successes.

Continuing to prepare for his debut album & the sophomore effort done in the styles of R&B & phonk respectively, Tezzus diverts from the Søufside journey that was embarked on merely 7 days ago & releases a 5-pack clocking in at 11 minutes that’s still worth your time even if it it’s a minor step down from Tezzus Khrist. The production here ditches the secondary tread & plugg influences of his debut tape to focus more around trap & rage and the few guests do their job of keeping the same energy.

Score: 3.5/5

Keep up with @legendswill_never_die on Instagram & @LegendsllLiveOn on Twitter for the best music reviews weekly!

Timbo – “Perfect Imperfections” review

Timbo is a 26 year old rapper from Louisville, Kentucky notable for being the eldest son of Mobstyle Music founder Bukshot. The latter of whom you may be familiar with either through his solo material or his memberships with groups like The Underground Avengers, The Horde, The Berzerkers, Cabal & Double Dragon spanning in a nearly 3 decade career. Following his dad’s footsteps, none other than MIKE SUMMERS a.k.a. 7 has locked in with Timbo for the latter’s official debut EP.

“Silence” opens with a cloudy ratchet instrumental talking about being the type to refrain from wasting his time on some minimal bullshit whereas “Duck Down” throws it back to The Neptunes’ late 90s sound feeling like he’s had enough with all the questions getting thrown towards his direction. The jazzy trap crossover “Ordained” finds himself flexing that no one can fuck with him & the lo-fi “Cool Breeze” advises not to come at him unless it’s purposeful.

It’s a bit different in sound compared to what we’ve gotten out of Mobstyle Music for nearly 3 decades at this point, but Timbo’s inaugural body of work makes an impressive introduction as to who he is both artistically & personally dissecting his Perfect Imperfections over MIKE SUMMERS a.k.a. 7’s expectedly detailed production carrying on his father’s legacy by coming to his own.

Score: 4/5

Keep up with @legendswill_never_die on Instagram & @LegendsllLiveOn on Twitter for the best music reviews weekly!

Dro Kenji – “The End of Nothing 2” review

Summerville, South Carolina rapper, singer/songwriter & producer Dro Kenji is back for his 3rd EP. Signing to both Internet Money Records & 10K Projects not even 365 days after he began making music, he has since put out 7 full-length studio LPs along with a couple EPs & a mixtape. The End of Nothing earlier this summer marked a return to form after experimenting with rage beats & a sequel’s here 6 weeks later.

“Fade” made for an emo rap intro confessing to his lover that he feels as if his heart’s beating I it of frame & the fear of showing how he feels whereas “Stay Focused” finds himself maintaining his concentration asking if he does too much when he’s off the drugs. “Outlandish” talks about never leaving his romantic interest stranded & wanting her to fall in love while “Plug’s House” poses the question of his authenticity being legit or not.

The End of Nothing 2’s final leg starts with “Joggin’”, where Dro hops over a melancholic guitar with more hi-hats talking about running to the bread. “Hookup 4 Anything” looks to start a catastrophe with his partner & realizes he possibly knows her more strongly than himself prior to “Annoying” getting to the bottom of whether or not he’s aggravating her.

Dro Kenji’s previous EP at the beginning of the summer welcomingly took it back to his emo pop rap/trap roots after experimenting with rage beats on Valentine’s Day, but I came away from The End of Nothing 2 liking it only slightly less than I did the predecessor. He’s topically sticking to his bread & butter which isn’t a criticism, except the production on here compared to the original End of Nothing doesn’t catch my attention similarly.

Score: 3/5

Keep up with @legendswill_never_die on Instagram & @LegendsllLiveOn on Twitter for the best music reviews weekly!

Amaarae – “Black Star” review

Amaarae is a 30 year old singer/songwriter from The Bronx, New York by way of Accra, Ghana independently releasing her 2017 debut EP Passionfruit Summers followed by the 2020 full-length studio debut The Angel You Don’t Know through her own label Golden Child Entertainment. The latter of which caught Interscope Records’ attention, who signed her for the highly praised sophomore effort Fountain Baby & looks to raise the stakes even higher with the 3rd LP becoming the most personal of them all.

“Stuck Up” opens with a reference to Spike Lee ahead of his upcoming A24 Films neo-noir crime thriller Highest 2 Lowest coming to theaters next weekend whereas the boldly audacious “Starkilla” sings about serving ketamine, cocaine & ecstasy. “ms60” contains one of my favorite instrumentals on the album from WondaGurl responding to those calling her stuff like bitch, villain & a controversial diva while “Kiss Me Thru the Phone 2” featuring PinkPantheress samples “Thong Song” by Sisqó for a homage to Soulja Boy.

As for “B2B”, we have Amaarae singing about bisexuality sampling “Maybe” by Toni Braxton just before “She’s My Drug” heavily interpolates “Believe” by Cher asking if one believes in love when sobered off the drugs. The lead single “Girlie-Pop!” however excitingly blends Jersey club, dance-pop, tamborzão, alté & alternative R&B embodying the feeling of a kiss from your favourite person in the world.

“S.M.O. (Slut Me Out)” combines dance-pop, gqom, Bacardi Burger-Highlife, Detroit techno, electro & hiplife for a cross between Donna Summer & Control era Janet Jackson while “Fineshyt” makes for the 2nd & final track to be produced by BNYX of Working on Dying sings about her bisexual experienced wanting to buying the woman she’s currently in love with whatever kind of clothes she wants on top of the inability of leaving her by herself.

To get the 4th quarter’s clock winding down, “Dove Cameron” calls back to her previous LP singing about people referring to her as “Fountain” & showing off all the money she’s been making while “Dream Scenario” goes alternative R&B desiring for her lover to tell her what they want. “100drum” finds herself confronting the familiar feeling of paranoia brought on by an unnamed adversary & “Free the Youth” ties it all up by singing about not getting too pumped because she’s fucked up.

Familiarizing myself through her collaborations with the likes of KAYTRAMINÉ or Janelle Monáe to Bas & Childish Gambino, the 2nd major label offering in the Amaarae canon playfully embraces her Ghanaian heritage. It’s production leans heavier towards dance-pop & electronic dance music compared to Fountain Baby additionally pulling further inspiration from funk brasileiro, alternative r&b, house, alté, pop rap, African music, Afroswing, gqom, Bacardi Burger-Highlife, Detroit techno, electro, hiplife, Jersey club, tamborzão & alté to confidently explore her identity as an artist & as a woman.

Score: 4.5/5

Keep up with @legendswill_never_die on Instagram & @LegendsllLiveOn on Twitter for the best music reviews weekly!

Ethel Cain – “Willoughby Tucker, I’ll Always Love You” review

Ethel Cain is a 27 year old singer/songwriter, producer & model from Tallahassee, Florida releasing 3 EPs building up towards her widely received full-length studio debut Preacher’s Daughter. Her most recent EP Perverts a week into 2025 already ranks right behind the new Roc Marciano EP The Coldest Profession produced by DJ Premier for the greatest extended plays of the year, continuing her hot streak with a sophomore effort & a couple teasers in the midst of the rollout.

“Janie” gets the ball rolling on the LP with an endearingly profound tribute to her best friend of the same name whereas “Fuck Me Eyes” after the “Willoughby’s Theme” composition sings about Holly Reddick over a combination between synthpop, dream pop, ethereal wave, synthwave & big music. “Nettles” the lead single masterfully blends Americana, singer/songwriter, ambient Americana, slowcore & alt-country feeling a burden of life post-graduation leading into the “Willoughby’s Interlude”.

To start the 2nd half, “Dust Bowl” delves deeper into the ambient Americana vibe feeling like she’s already broken a death pact that she made back in the 8th grade while “A Knock on My Door” gives off a heavier singer/songwriter direction questioning herself for the first time since the current relationship she’s involved in began. “Tempest” after the “Radio Towers” instrumental piece samples “Doe Hunting” for the only moment where we get a look at Willoughby’s perception & “Waco, Texas” references the infamous Branch Davidians siege 3 decades previously.

Willoughby Tucker, I’ll Always Love You predates the events of it’s predecessor traveling back almost 4 decades earlier revolving around his & girlfriend’s adolescence, raising the stakes regarding Ethel Cain’s artistic potential both Preacher’s Daughter & Perverts began revealing. Slowcore’s most gifted songwriter of the modern era minimizes the dream pop influences of her debut production wise to experiment with ambient music, post-rock, Americana, ambient Americana, synthpop, ethereal wave, synthwave & big music.

Score: 4.5/5

Keep up with @legendswill_never_die on Instagram & @LegendsllLiveOn on Twitter for the best music reviews weekly!

Gunna – “The Last Wun” review

College Park, Georgia rapper Gunna releasing his 5th studio LP. Beginning over a decade ago off his debut mixtape Hard Body, he would eventually catch the attention of local phenomenon Young Thug just 3 years later & would go on to sign to his 300 Entertainment imprint YSL Records. However it wasn’t until the release of his debut EP Drip or Drown & his 4th mixtape Drip Season 3 in late 2017 & early 2018 respectively where Gunna’s profile increased significantly. Drip or Drown 2 though was a mediocre full-length debut & W.U.N.N.A. (Wealthy Unapologetic N***a Naturally Authentic) wound up being one of the best trap albums of 2020, but the 4th & final installment of the Drip Season mixtape series aged like milk. A Gift & A Curse and One of Wun were both mediocre in their own ways & The Last Wun looks to officially complete his YSL/300 deal.

“many nights” was a derivative trap intro with a chill guitar melody talking about letting his hoe count up his racks millions of times whereas the cloudy “let that sink in” produced by Turbo explains that your shit doesn’t bend or break when you’ve built everything off faith. “just say dat” talks about singles becoming outdated with the continuously adapting state of the music industry leading into the half-baked pop rap joint “gp”.

NASH of Internet Money Records’ instrumental on “sakpase” stood out to me staying connected to the checks with pounds of cake leading into “at my purest” featuring Offset saving the best of 5 collaborations for the very beginning talking about their influence being valuable. “biting my game” accompanied by an acoustic trap instrumental vents over other artists jackin’ his style when nobody post-2022 has really done so while “prototype” responds to Thug tweeting for him to stop actin’ like they’re friends online.

“w.g.f.t. (we gettin’ fucked tonight)” featuring Burna Boy finds the pair uniting for a moody pop rap song breaking down sexual themes once again as does “forever be mine” featuring Wizkid, except both of them are talking about being one of a kind compared to the ex-boyfriends of the women they’re currently seeing. “again” works on some pianos & hi-hats expressing his desire to make love again while “endless” tries to insert himself into the “GOAT” convo when his post-prison material has been mid.

Nechie links up with Gunna for “i can’t feel my face”, which makes me appreciate “ADDYS” more comparison from the beat to the performances of both artists while “podcast” gets the 2nd half of The Last Wun going by talking about getting back up on his feet again after being down bad. “club house” simultaneously likens his bank account to a goldmine & wanting to be paid in full while “Satisfaction” featuring Asake ironically doesn’t feel very satisfying musically.

“fuck witcha boy” goes for a smoother trap vibe instrumentally talking about wanting to take a helicopter so he can fly out to Punta Cana while the generically atmospheric “on me” suggests that men shouldn’t be trusted, willing to take it a step further & putting it all on himself. “rare occasion” brings some refreshing synthesizers into the fold referencing the greatest QB of all-time & 7-time Super Bowl Champion Tom Brady while “made for this shit” talks about the days when he used to pray to reach the heights he has.

Meanwhile on “c.f.w.m. (can’t fuck with me)”, we have Gunna over a country trap hybrid flexing that he’s untouchable when his last couple duds & his falling out with Young Thug both proving otherwise while “what they thinking” tries to figure out what the bitches around him want & what other guys around him are thinking. “showed ‘em” kinda gives me deja vu of “Do Better” except it’s not as profound, except the amount of money he has doesn’t change him snitching.

“won’t stop” addresses the whole Alford plea situation from his perspective promising not to stop making music while “him all along” talks about steadily chasing his goals & staying strong with all the motions he’s been going through. “Got Damn” didn’t even make the final cut, but I’m glad it wasn’t included because it wasn’t even that memorable of a trap/pop rap single.

8 months ago when Lil Baby got divisive feedback for W.H.A.M. (Who Hard as Me?), I didn’t have any hopes left of The Last Wun outdoing that or It’s Only Me since the production department of Gunna’s music has been gradually declining in the last 26 months other than Turbo. And whatever’s next for him following the YSL deal ending, it’s difficult to tell whether or not he’ll make anything of Drip Season 3 or W.U.N.N.A. (Wealthy Unapologetic N***a Naturally Authentic)’s bar of quality ever again.

Score: 2/5

Keep up with @legendswill_never_die on Instagram & @LegendsllLiveOn on Twitter for the best music reviews weekly!

Roc Marciano – “The Coldest Profession” review

Long Island, New York emcee/producer Roc Marciano preluding his forthcoming 13th LP Criminal Jazz with a brand new EP. Beginning in the very late 90’s as a member of the Flipmode Squad, he then went solo in 2008 to drop classic albums that would pave the way for those like Griselda such as Marcberg & Reloaded. He would begin focusing on producing projects for other artists like Flee Lord & Bronze Nazareth following Mt. Marci & of course returning to enlist The Alchemist  to produce The Elephant Man’s Bones & The Skeleton Key couple years apart from each other, both of which I gave perfect scores to. Once I heard one of my top 3 producers DJ Premier was fully producing The Coldest Profession, chances of it reaching the same caliber as those albums with Uncle Al were extremely high.

After the “Arrival” intro, the lead single “Armani Sections” was a fly boom bap opener staying freshly dressed whereas the final single “Prayer Hands” dustily talks about constantly being a thinkin’ man instead of wingin’ it. “Good to Go” gives off an eerier boom bap atmosphere lookin’ to leave people slumped over the steering wheel just before the funky “Glory Hole” talks about shooting holes in the wall with firearms.

The Coldest Profession’s final leg starts with “RocMarkable” hooking up another boom bap instrumental justifiably explaining that you can’t get the feeling of this music both these guys are making from any other narcotic in a ziplock that while “Travel Fox” talks about the numbers being unsolvable even if algebra was used to crack the code. 

“Execution Style” finishes what could be a candidate for EP of the Year referencing the late アイアンマンヘビーメタル級チャンピオン, TNA World Tag Team Champion, WCW World Television Champion, 2-time WWE United States Champion, 7-time WCW World Tag Team Champion, 4-time WWE Intercontinental Champion & 2-time WWE Hall of Famer Scott Hall.

Mass Appeal Records has already made it known Nas’ upcoming 18th album will be fully produced by DJ Premier before 2025 is over & as a warm up, the latter & Roc Marciano join forces for an immaculately crafted EP combining the Gang Starr beatsmith’s signature sound with Marci’s endlessly smooth lyrics portraying himself as the illustrious pimp we’ve come to know him as.

Score: 5/5

Keep up with @legendswill_never_die on Instagram & @LegendsllLiveOn on Twitter for the best music reviews weekly!

J.I.D – “God Does Like Ugly” review

Atlanta, Georgia emcee & singer/songwriter J.I.D releasing his highly anticipated 4th LP. Coming up 15 years ago off his debut mixtape Cakewalk & joining the Spillage Village collective lead by the EARTHGANG around that same time frame, he dropped a couple more tapes as well as DiCaprio after that & signed to J. Cole’s very own Interscope Records imprint Dreamville Records in 2017. He has since made himself home there with The Never Story followed by DiCaprio 2 & more recently The Forever Story, having God Does Like Ugly precede JIDTRO fully produced by Metro Boomin’.

“YouUgly!” opens with J.I.D taking a ceiling challenge to shows he’s above his peers & a beat switch talking about not being the same as an individual tryna stand out in a crowd amongst fools whereas “Glory” produced by Lex Luger delves into his spirituality. “WRK” was a dope trap single talking about relentless hustle being required to achieve his ambitions while the crooning boom bap crossover “Community” featuring Clipse finds the trio looking back on their early days & wanting to shoot Bob the Builder.

Hearing “Walk” by Comethazine getting sampled on “Gz” was an unexpected welcome talking about car robberies while “VCRs” featuring Vince Staples continues the gangsta rap themes over a Jay Versace instrumental. “Sk8” featuring the EARTHGANG reunites the trio for an Atlanta bass cut talking about claiming your side whether it be north, south, east or west just before “What We On” featuring Don Toliver teams up for a psychedelic slow love song DJ Chase B helped put together.

6LACK appears for the tranquil “Wholeheartedly” wanting their partners to promise that they won’t ever switch up against them while “No Boo” featuring Jessie Reyez gives off a more cumbersome approach asking each other if they’re tired of being alone. After the “& We Vibing” interlude, “On McAfee” slaughters this nasty beat from Boi-1da, Vinylz & Cubeatz warning that nobody’s safe while the 3-parter “On Blue” featuring Mereba talks about finding a place to feel safe.

“K-Word” balances drumless & trap hopping over some strings to address the topic of karma prior to “For Keeps” chopping up a jazzy soul sample talking about the feeling he’s been trying to find for so long hitting him right when it seems like the mojo is gone & nothing having the ability to make him step away from the mic. The album officially finishes with an extended version of “Sun” featuring Anycia, which was previewed during his Dreamville Fest last spring.

Starting the “preluxe” run, “Behold” boisterously talks about giving 2 middle fingers in a picture so they don’t ever forget while “Beau” dustily compares himself to Rambo. “Knew Better” by the BlakkBoyz stands at the dawn of a new era while “Lisa” asks not for his high to get fucked up. “Animals” featuring Eminem fresh off the latter’s appearance in Happy Gilmore 2 with the longest reigning AEW World Champion MJF now becoming the new CMLL Mundial Peso Semicompleto Campeon and the current WWE Women’s Intercontinental Champion Becky Lynch reunites for a breakbeat “Fuel” sequel.

Prioritizing lyricism & artistry above everything else, God Does Like Ugly continues to exemplify J.I.D’s status as the best artist on the entire Dreamville Records roster with a supple prelude to JIDTRO & a virtuous successor to The Forever Story realizing the potential we initially heard almost a decade ago emphasizing the previous’ Christian themes. You’re still getting doses of trap, neo-soul, jazz rap & boom bap within the production except the Southeast Atlanta native’s wordplay keeps getting better with time almost a decade since his major label deal got inked.

Score: 4.5/5

Keep up with @legendswill_never_die on Instagram & @LegendsllLiveOn on Twitter for the best music reviews weekly!

Young Nudy – “Paradise” review

Here is the 4th studio LP from Atlanta, Georgia rapper Young Nudy. Although he & 21 Savage are cousins, he eventually carved a lane of his own in the last decade with 10 mixtapes (the most notable ones being the Pi’erre Bourne-produced Sli’merre & it’s sequel) followed by his previous 3 full-lengths. I heard at some point last fall when Sli’merre 2 came out that Nudy had an album fully produced by Metro Boomin’ coming down the pipe but regardless when or if that happens, he’s taking us on a trip to Paradise.

“17” made for a cloudy intro produced by Kid Hazel talking about his young shooter layin’ bodies out whereas “What’s Happenin’?” featuring Latto finds the 2 pairing up over a Coupe instrumental so they can stay turnt in the club. “Pull Up” works in some strings & hi-hats for a homage to “Throw Some D’s” by Rich Boyleading into the Atlanta bass strip club heater “B.T.A. (Bounce That Ass)”.

The title track finds himself in the middle of a block party getting back on the trap vibes with some horns added to the equation just before “GOAT” bombastically talks about not wanting smoke with him at all. “Big Bad Wolf” featuring BabyDrill has a quirkier drill sound to it likening themselves to a pack of wolves while “Super Slime” talks about a woman falling in love with him because he ain’t no scrub.

21 Savage joins his cousin to make the Memphis rap banger “Iced Tea” basically saying you don’t get to eat if you don’t hustle while “Sugar” combines these pianos & hi-hats likening himself to Tony Montana of Scarface. “Mop Stick” has an eerier trap flare to it expressing is dislike for people cappin’ in their raps while “Snake” talks about the needing to clean up the streets & watch out for any rats.

“Chains On” nears Paradise’s final minutes to show off the ice around his neck over a trap beat with some vibraphones not having to flex shit because the girl he’s currently seeing is already well aware of him making money while “4 God” properly ties up our journey in Nudy’s Paradisewith some 808s & ominous synthesizers promising to put anyone who goes against him on a white tee shirt only driving fast.

Young Nudy & Coupe have crossed paths with one another countless times in the past already, using half of Anyways… or a great deal of both DR. EV4L & Gumbo as examples. Point is: The unique chemistry they’ve always had together still makes for a fun listening experience whether it be the trap, cloud rap, Memphis rap, pop rap, dirty south & rage production or Nudy’s explicitly gangsta approach to his songwriting.

Score: 3.5/5

Keep up with @legendswill_never_die on Instagram & @LegendsllLiveOn on Twitter for the best music reviews weekly!