Elucid – “I Guess U Had to Be There” review

This is the 5th studio LP & Rhymesayers Entertainment debut from Queens, New York emcee/producer Elucid. For nearly 2 decades, he’s been making a name for himself whether it be his 10 mixtapes & 2 EPs that he’s released by himself or becoming 1/2 of the abstract duo Armand Hammer. His full-length solo debut Save Yourself came during the spring of 2016, which was followed by I Told Bessie as well as the Fat Possum Records-backed Revelator & Interference Pattern. Given that 2 of 2025’s most celebrated albums Golliwog & Mercy both came out under Rhymesayers, it was only a matter of time for I Guess U Had to Be There to drop & my anticipation was raised after learning Sebb Bash was fully producing it.

“1st Light” began the rollout with this drumlessly abstract lead single talking about being on farmer time whereas “Cantana” works in some exuberant pianos & a soul sample wanting to be left the fuck alone in addition to being on his 8th life. “Hands n Feet” featuring Estee Nack finds the 2 leaning towards a hardcore boom bap vibe dropping bars that they assume will go over people’s heads more than Israeli drones, but then “Make Me Wise” strips the drums again describing the government pairin’ propaganda with a pie in the face when that & the drone line on the previous track aren’t entirely wrong.

My favorite track here would easily be “Coonspeak” from the abstractly conscious lyricism to the experimentally wicked & drumless loop just before “Equiano” reaches the halfway point bringing the drums back in whilst turning up the psychedelia telling it straight how it is. Armand Hammer reunites for the 3rd & final single “The Lorax” returning to the boom bap & including a reference to the infamous Malice at the Palace brawl which occurred when I was about to turn 8 while “Fainting Goats” featuring Breeze Brewin’ hop over this drumless chipmunk soul beat talking about their reaffirmations of nobody having harder motion than them.

“I Say Self” rounds out 3rd with a sinisterly dark approach instrumentally talking about his refusal to put swine above himself while “Visitation Place” shifts towards a psychedelic direction with the beat tearing apart the type of people who should be doing more when they don’t & seeing it in their eyes that nothing’s adding up when he can’t either. “Alive Herbals” turns up the funk looking to the paint the block blue with money inside his shoes & “Parental Advisory” ends the album on some drumless psychedelic rock shit wondering if his firearm awoke anyone from their sleep.

Receiving a huge co-sign from one of my top 10 producers of all-time The Alchemist calling him “his favorite producer today”, Sebb Bash validates that by linking up with Elucid to surpass Revelator to become the greatest entry in his entire solo catalog & continues to ring in this new era for Backwoodz Studioz since they’ve signed this distribution deal with Rhymesayers Entertainment last spring. His abstractly conscious & hardcore lyrical style has been progressively improving & Sebb cooks up some of his greatest production built around drumless, boom bap, psychedelia & chipmunk soul.

Score: 4.5/5

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Stacc Styles – “Stacc of Spades” review

Tucson, Arizona recording artist Stacc Styles is back with his 4th studio LP. The founder of Dope Shop Records, he introduced himself in the spring of 2015 off the debut album Inside the Ride followed by the sophomore effort Mr. Purple in the fall of 2020. Stacc has also been an affiliate of Suburban Noize Records dating back to being a roadie for the punk band Mower, eventually signing to the west coast underground imprint in 2024 & his last full-length Live Your Best Life refined his whole artistic identity. Almost a couple years later, he’s returning with a Stacc of Spades.

After the titular intro, the first song “God Mode Activated” makes his return over a funereal trap beat talking about being the head honcho whereas “Still Riding High” leans towards a g-funk vibe for all the stoners out there. “Relentless” goes for a more rugged vibe instrumentally & takes a hardcore approach to his songwriting prior to “What You Mad About?” posing a question for all the haters who’ve been detracting him since signing to Subnoize.

“Knife Rips” embraces a more celebratory tone refusing to stop because it’s only gonna go up from here just before “Pounds to Grams” featuring D-Loc & Judge D of the Kottonmouth Kings finds the trio getting back on their weed smoking shit. After the “Sub Noize Legacy” interlude throws it back to the Tsunami Bros.’ only album King Harbor with a full-blown turntablism cut, “Stamina” works in some pianos & guitars boasting that no one has his kind of endurance while “Modern Day Hero” talks about how dreams do come true.

Preceding the “Message from Munchies” skit, “Take Your Time” hops over a bluesy boom bap instrumental wanting the world to know everything will be ok in the end while “To the Dome” featuring the DG@F General himself Chucky Chuck & the late Saint Dog comes through with an old school 90s west coast heater. “How You Living” goes g-funk again wanting everyone to ride with him into this new era & once the original Kottonmouth King Johnny Richter appears for the reggae-inflicted single “More Peace of Mind”, the closer “Anything’s Possible” featuring Too Rude frontman Dog Boy ends the album on an optimistic note.

Live Your Best Life was a solid refinement of Stacc Styles’ whole sound that Suburban Noize Records laid out the blueprint for & not only does Stacc of Spades take it to the next level with his magnum opus, but also one of the greatest things Subnoize has done over the course of the 2020s along with Obnoxious’ debut album Sic Audio & the King Klick’s self-titled extended play. From the incredible list of the label’s most celebrated alumni to Stacc’s own performances & the production, it feels like their way of moving forward whilst celebrating 3 decades of it’s foundation.

Score: 4.5/5

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Nezzy – “The Infamous N.E.Z.” review

Brand new LP & the 4th overall from Sandusky, Ohio emcee/producer Nezzy. Emerging within the underground in 2022 off his first 2 EPs Subject to Change & Pyramids, he went on to follow this up by releasing the full-length debut Hippie Thug in the spring of 2023 & subsequently his 3rd EP New World Disorder a couple months later. Hall of Infamy & his previous album Worm Food from last summer have both elevated him in terms of popularity containing some of the greatest tracks of his career, dropping The Infamous N.E.Z. almost 9 months succeeding it’s predecessor.

“The Infamous” produced by C-Lance gives his flowers to one of the greatest hip hop duos of all-time Mobb Deep fresh off their final album Infinite this past fall whereas the self-produced “Mysterioso Pizzicato” maintains a gritty boom bap vibe instrumentally talking about cremating any rapper who thinks they’re hot. “Cuckoo!” wasn’t my favorite single of the 3 although I do appreciate the old school east coast hip hop just before “Raiders of the Lost Art” featuring Ja’king the Divine teams up over a Stu Bangas beat talking about hip hop being more than fame & riches.

We get a cool tribute to the classic video game “Def Jam Vendetta” although I prefer Fight for New York like most people & Icon was complete garbage, but then “Gein’s Theme” ruggedly talks about how there won’t ever be another MC of his caliber. “Vat of Acid” gets the 2nd half going admitting that he’s been a bastard from the very beginning while the lead single “Kaboom Bap” talks about being the man with the plan.

“Riddle Me This” rounds out 3rd with this eerie boom bap beat suggesting to keep your head on a swivel & stay vigilant while “Most Writeous” featuring Copywrite finds the 2 promising over some horns issuing a promise of snatching microphones from anyone who’s spitting wack rhymes. “N.E.Z.” lastly sends it all off saluting The Notorious B.I.G. & the late Prodigy on top of promising to go crazy musically until the day he can’t anymore.

Nezzy has been constantly turning heads by evolving his whole style known for combining hardcore vulgar references filled with deeply introspective conscious rap full of uncompromising rhyme schemes & thought-provoking choice of words ever since opening for opening for Psychopathic Records alumni Anybody Killa & DJ Clay at the co-headlined Welcome Home Party couple years ago, to which The Infamous N.E.Z. feels like a refinement of Worm Food in terms of lyricism & production.

Score: 4/5

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Lamb of God – “Into Oblivion” review

Lamb of God is a groove metal band from Richmond, Virginia comprised of bassist John Campbell, lead guitarist Mark Morton, rhythm guitarist Willie Adler, drummer Art Cruz & frontman Randy Blythe. Introducing themselves a quarter of a century ago off their full-length debut Burn the Priest & the sophomore effort New American Gospel, As the Palaces Burn would catch the attention of Epic Records & their major label debut Ashes of the Wake remains my personal favorite in their discography even now. Sacrament, Wrath, Resolution, VII: Sturm und Drang, self titled & Omens were all solid in their own rights although I personally prefer some more than others. They’ve been teasing a new era since this past October right around the time a video of theirs appeared on season 11 of the MTV hit-series Beavis & Butt-head marking their debut for Comedy Central & it’s finally here with their 11th album.

The title track & 3rd single incorporates some metalcore influences into their signature groove metal sound singing about being the face of tyranny in the age of conspiracy whereas the 2nd single “Parasocial Christ” sprinkles some hints of thrash metal throughout for a statement criticizing the current age of social media. The lead single “Sepsis” combines thrash & groove metal with sludge metal for a throwback to their Burn the Priest days except Randy’s noticeably angrier now that he’s older while “The Killing Floor” feels reminiscent to the As the Palace Burns era following the name change.

“El Vacío” reaches the halfway point embracing more somber guitar tones singing about a monster sleeping in their home state while “St. Catherine’s Wheel” kicking off the 2nd leg. After the 4th & final single “Blunt Force Blues” blends groove metal & metalcore for a reflection of the various skills they’ve accrued over the course of their career, “Bully” taps back into the band’s typical angst some have come to know them for while “1,000 Years” sings about unleashing the dogs of war to fill his crimson glass. “Devise / Destroy” spends the last 4 minutes riding off Into Oblivion by taking a more antagonistic approach to delivering the social commentary Randy wants to get off his chest.

Self-titled & Omens were both alright to me personally, but the teasers we got in preparation for Into Oblivion gave me the impression that it would be their best since VII: Sturm und Drang after I had graduated high school over a decade ago & I can definitely say with confidence that it joins the likes of that as well as Sacrament & As the Palace Burn in comprising the other 4 albums I would have join Ashes of the Wake to comprise my top 5 favorite full-lengths throughout the Lamb of God canon. The groove metal veterans take secondary inspiration from metalcore, thrash metal & sludge metal to issue a warning regarding people accepting what would’ve horrified them 2 decades ago.

Score: 4/5

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James Blake – “Trying Times” review

This is the 7th studio LP & Virgin Music debut from Enfield, London, England, United Kingdom singer/songwriter & producer James Blake. Someone who would move over to Republic Records after making his eponymous debut in 2011 under A&M Records by dropping Overgrown, The Colour in Anything, Assume Form, Friends That Break Your Heart & Playing Robots into Heaven over the course of a decade. I can’t forget to mention when he & Lil Yachty got together for their collaborative album Bad Cameo a couple years ago, marking his independence from a major label in an attempt to make something that would help people overcome these Trying Times.

“Walk Out Music” begins with a neo-psychedelic synthwave intro singing about being no good to anybody whereas “Death of Love” fuses alternative R&B, post-dubstep, trap soul & UK bass sampling “You Want It Darker” by the late Leonard Cohen to describe the internet’s progressively dark downfall. “I Had a Dream She Took My Hand” combines singer/songwriter, alternative R&B, brill building & adult contemporary flipping “It Was Only a Dream” by Thee Sinseers sings about wanting to know what it means while the soulful singer/songwriter title track desiring to die & stay alive for this person after everything going on these past couple weeks.

Things kinda take an indie rock turn whilst suggesting to his partner that they “Make Something Up” leading into Monica Martin joining James for the 2-parter “Didn’t Come to Argue” singing about taking her hand with no plans of doing so. “Days Go By” experiments with chipmunk soul & post-dubstep passionately admitting he let the enemy get the best of him in the midst of nothing getting done the more time passes while “Doesn’t Just Happen” featuring Dave continues the 2nd half of the album singing & rapping about how falling in love doesn’t occur out of the blue.

“Rest of Your Life” after the vocally repetitive “Obsession” interlude kicks off the 4th quarter of Trying Times embracing an EDM sound wanting to know where this person’s gonna spend the remainder of their existence & wanting to spend it with them while “Through the High Wire” was originally conceived when one of my top 10 producers of all-time Ye formerly known as Kanye West were working on a cancelled collaborative album called War & I’ll still take this final version for what it is. “Feel It Again” incorporates these bare synthesizers asking himself if he really came all the way here to be someone’s friend & “Just a Little Higher” ends with him singing about adjusting your sights because we’re all getting played.

Spending the last quarter of a century waking up to do what he loves, James Blake commemorates 15 years of introducing himself with self-titled by dropping what the multi-talented recording artist himself would consider the strongest possible foot he could put forward & takes over Playing Robots Into Heaven’s spot as the guest thing he’s done in this ongoing decade. His production explores art pop, alternative R&B, alt-pop, post-dubstep, UK bass, trap soul, neo-soul, singer/songwriter, brill building & adult contemporary to confidently give us his experiences of being in love in the middle of him battling the limits of the self against a backdrop of global uncertainty.

Score: 4.5/5

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Lice – “Miami Lice: Season 4” review

This is the surprise 4th extended play from New York abstract hip hop superduo Lice. Consisting of Aesop Rock & Homeboy Sandman, both highly revered wordsmiths in their own fields would make their eponymous debut together in the fall of 2015 under Stones Throw Records & followed it up with the sequel Still Buggin’ a year later through Rhymesayers Entertainment. Next summer will be a whole decade since they’ve dropped their last EP Triple Fat Lice, making a comeback by presenting season 4 of Miami Lice.

“Who Sent You?” begins with both of them spitting abstract verses over a bass guitar from Aesop Rock himself whereas “Uh-Oh” takes the boom bap route instrumental working in some sampling talking about the muzzle being warm for those claiming they don’t want trouble with them. “Moving Day” hooks the kicks & snares back up so both of them can get abstractly hardcore for a couple minutes leading into “Burnt Mauve” cavernously trading the mic back-&-forth with each other

To get the other half of the EP going, “The 1” embraces a funkier boom bap vibe talking about the kind of artists they‘ve become known for while “Homework” replaces the funk elements with electronic music suggesting for everyone to do their research on them if they don’t know who they’re fucking with by now. “The Burgers” puts a more conscious spin on the abstract penmanship that’ve defined their whole style while “Evolution” sends it all off on an experimentally drumless note talking about having days that’re both good & bad

I’ve already been anticipating Elucid’s upcoming 5th album albeit Rhymesayers debut I Guess U Had to Be There produced by Sebb Bash this weekend, but Miami Lice reunites Homeboy Sandman & Aesop Rock after 9 whole years of focusing towards their own solo endeavors for the EP that I’ve always wanted them to make ever since their formation. Aesop solely handling the production on this one was a smart move considering how experimental I Heard It’s a Mess There Too was this past Halloween, soundtracking their abstract synergies meticulously.

Score: 4.5/5

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Santana Fox – “Gunmetal” review

New York emcee/producer Santana Fox is back for her sophomore effort. The daughter of the late Prodigy of Mobb Deep fame, she eventually followed in her father’s footsteps making music of her own couple years after his untimely passing putting out a handful of singles up until the full-length debut Girl Next Door. Eye Candy was a crucial moment in her career not only for her producing it all by herself, but her improved lyricism too. She’s a Rebel! wasn’t necessarily as great for it’s own set of highlight tracks & has returned to drop Gunmetal.

After the intro, “Lovesick” whispers over a self-produced instrumental about how her romantic interest got her addicted whereas “Control Me” shows a bit of a rock influenced expressing that she gives no fucks. “Sigils” featuring Vicious Vampira aggressively responds to all the bitches who think they’re sweet just before “Hourglass” darkly talks about only gaining to collect & always getting the job done.

“Grasshopper” embraces a trap metal sound assuring that she’ll keep the lights on while the title track heavily addresses the people wondering how it feels to be on her level of success or notoriety. “Neuroscience” confesses to an inability of taming herself whenever the person she’s addressing speaks to her while “POV” sings about wishing she could show her partner all the tricks she has up her sleeve & what her love feels like.

Rounding out 3rd, the song “Sweat It Out” has a psychedelic soul feeling to it wanting to be taken to a higher level while “Fly on the Wall” talks about the way it’s gonna be with a person who’s dead wrong once again leaning towards her trap metal influences. “Lost Ya Mind” takes the drumless chipmunk soul route talking about her unwillingness to lose everything she’s ever built for over a dumb muhfucka while “Mr. Hyde” ends by talking about learning from the best when there isn’t any lies told there.

Spending the last 5 months finding her own sound, Santana Fox’s latest album continues to capture her artistic self-sufficiency a lot similarly to Eye Candy except this surpasses the predecessor in terms of her greatest body of work. Her production versatilely blends alternative hip hop, nu metal, boom bap, trip hop, jazz, drumless, chipmunk soul, psychedelic soul & trap metal and I appreciate her dialing it back with the features so she could focus on her range as a vocalist. I said her dad’s looking down on her proud of the musician she’s become when Eye Candy dropped & it couldn’t be truer presently.

Score: 4.5/5

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slayr – “Half Blood” review

slayr is an 18 year old recording artist & producer from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania introducing himself in 2022 off the Lost Files, Destruction & B34 My Creation extended plays. Chaos: B4Gaia, the entire Gaia series, Stay Safe, 17, Enter My Mind for a Second & the debut album HeavenTunes all followed. The latter of which up until this point was considered to be the finest entry in his discography. However, his 2nd mixtape has been getting a lot of love compared to his previous material & a couple of noteworthy guests made me want to give it a shot.

“Love Blur” gets things going with this self-produced digicore intro describing a love blur he had experienced yearning to be the one she wants forever whereas “Demigod” talks about being the son of Zeus over a rage beat & opposing everyone. “Sloppy Joe” colorfully breaks down the nickname for his love interest the way she gives him brain leading into “Never Go Down” shifting towards a sonically quirkier vibe talking about Nicki Minaj being his dream hoe, which isn’t the best look considering she’s been actively protecting predators & more recently burning bridges with the LGBTQ+ community when they’ve literally supported her from Day 1.

ezcodylee appears on “Wipe Yo Nose” so they can serve crack like it’s the ‘80s combining both rage & digicore while “24/7” interpolates the Playboi Carti outtake “XTC (Cartier Lens)” from the Whole Lotta Red sessions talking about a woman who’s in his sights every day & hour of the week. “Phone” feels like more of a TJAYY song despite the Graduation/808s & Heartbreak vibes considering that slayr only appears during the hook, but “Power 4” boldly flips “What I Believe” by Skillet to break down all the things that come with fame.

“Holding” references the Warner Bros.-owned DC Entertainment franchise Hellblazer in the midst of the Paramount Skydance Corporation outbidding Netflix regarding the monopolizing purchase of WB while “Death by MP3” fuses digicore & hypertrap once again talking about making the 808s lose their minds. “The Sky” confesses to his partner that he wants her to focus on her own goals rather than piggybacking or gold digging while “Set in Stone” explores pop rap, rage, rap rock, 16-bit, digicore & new jazz referencing former 17-time WWE world champion, WWE Intercontinental Champion, 5-time WWE United States Champion & 4-time WWE tag team champion John Cena.

After the “If I Ever” outro, “Brain Fog” starts the deluxe run talking about his indecisiveness while “Hard Knock” interpolates both “On That Time” from Whole Lotta Red itself & “Holding” getting high whilst staying fashionably sharp. My only complaint regarding “Flashout” however would be him using a fascist regime when talking about the presidents in his pockets, which I suppose adds more context to the Nicki line near Half Blood’s opening moments. “Daytona” featuring Lucy Bedroque entertainingly unites 2 of digicore’s biggest artists within the last year to talk about their luxurious ways of living while “Toxic” comes through with a 2-parter admitting he has too big of a heart to fuck with the poisonous type of women.

“Eyesight” melodically reflects on his continued popularity & talking about following your heart while “Brand New” addresses someone who had him in his feelings for far too long as well as switching their energy now that he’s been going up. “Racks” produced by prettifun expresses his desire to see the light before it all gets worse for him & after “Paint a Picture” holds himself accountable for a previous breakup, the final bonus track “Died But Came Back” energetically sends off the tape taking inspiration from EDM to talk about his struggles with relationships & drugs.

HeavenTunes indicated a huge point in slayr’s career where his true artistic potential began to reveal itself & Half Blood takes it even further by crafting what will most likely be considered amongst the greatest mixtapes of this entire decade. The production refines his artistic range making rage, pop rap, digicore, electronic dance music, rap rock, new jazz & 16-bit transitioning into 1 another rather intricately & simultaneously upgrades his performing abilities whether it be the songwriting or vocally. Much like iyrus, it wouldn’t surprise me if Lil Uzi Vert signs this guy to their newly formed Roc Nation imprint Cor(e) when the time’s right.

Score: 4.5/5

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DJ Paul – “Goat of All Goats” review

This is the 9th solo LP from Memphis, Tennessee rapper, producer, DJ, entrepreneur & record executive DJ Paul. The co-founder of the Three 6 Mafia alongside Juicy J, he would eventually carve a path of his own in the early 2000s with Underground Vol. 16: For da Summa followed by Scale-A-Ton & A Person of Interest. Then came Master of Evil under Psychopathic Records on Devil’s Night 2015, which is my personal favorite of his a decade later. Year of the 6 & Year of the 6, Pt. 2 through Slumerican Records were both enjoyable too although the Power, Pleasure & Painful Things EP was overloaded with skits. 6 years later, the Goat of all Goats is back 3 weeks after Arianna Grace & Trey Miguel became the new TNA Knockouts World Champion & TNA International Champion respectively.

After the “Goat Welcomes You” intro, the self-produced opener “Straight Out the Jets” talking about having extra homies looking after his other extra of friends in every city whereas “I Beat the Odds” speaks of overcoming every obstacle in his life. “Throw Some Money” featuring the Seed of 6 & Too $hort finds the quartet teaming up for a playful strip club anthem while “Find Out” featuring Freddie Gibbs talks about shooting faces off anyone who dares to fuck with them.

“Stupid Ass Bitch” featuring the late Lord Infamous & Snow Tha Product continues Memphis vibes so all 3 of them dismantle all of these dumb hoes leading into “12 at Night” talking about his rims being so black, that one would presume it’s the evening already. “Bad Motherfucker” featuring the Seed of 6 reunites the trio so they can discuss having motion in the streets while “I’m From the M” represents his hometown to the fullest, talking about the fact that it’s hard ever safe around those parts.

Lyfe Jennings joins Paul on “Free My Dog” calling for each of their friends who’re currently behind bars to come back home while “She Gone Up” featuring Duke Deuce & the Seed of 6 decently talks about hoes throwing it back for a couple of thugs. “Fading” featuring Lord Infamous comes at the throats of all these pussies & the line at the end of the latter’s verse accepting his death might send chills down your spine, but then “Popped Out of a Slingshot” featuring RiFF RAFF reaches the halfway point getting boastful over a trap instrumental.

“Wellness Check” kicks off the 3rd quarter to checkup on his haters who’re constantly dying for attention while “From the Bottom of the Bottom” feels a lot like an interlude considering how heavy “Robbers” by the late Koopsta Knicca is being sampled. “3 the Hardest Way” featuring Yelawolf & Young Buck co-produced by TWhy flips “Knock tha Black Off Yo Ass” for a southern hardcore hip hop banger while “Uhaulin” shifts it’s appeal back to the clubs so all the women listening can shake ass & hit the poles.

Akon & Krayzie Bone both appear for “We Made It”talking about the amount of people who didn’t think either of them would have their own individually established legacies while “Came from Nothing”featuring Krayzie Bone & the Seed of 6 describes going from rags to riches. “Drugs in Me on Cielo Drive” featuring Lil Wyte talks about both of them being under the influence of recreational drugs hence why they’re moving slow while “Munyun” featuring Jucee Froot observes the amount of individuals who claim to have bread when they don’t.

“Every City Got Gangstas” featuring Lil Wyte reunites both Hypnotize Camp Posse members 1 more time pondering if one’s running the streets or their mouths while the final song “OMG!” by Yelawolf & Young Buck preceding a spoken word outro finishes the album with Paul taking a backseat vocally, let both of his guests spit a cutthroat verse of their own sampling “Murder (Killin’ Spree)” by Tommy Wright III talking about each of them being born to raise Hell & not giving up on anything.

Power, Pleasure & Painful Things still has some of DJ Paul’s greatest material in recent memory despite all of the excessive intermissions & Goat of all Goats reintroduces himself by making a statement regarding his longevity & the lasting impact the rest of the Three 6 Mafia has had on hip hop culture 3 decades since Mystic Stylez became the Memphis scene’s groundbreaking masterpiece. He’s still got it behind the boards & on the mic, furthermore amassing a list of local newcomers & his most notable collaborators who mostly stick the landing.

Score: 3.5/5

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Trae tha Truth – “Farewell” review

Brand new extended play from Houston, Texas veteran Trae tha Truth. A member of the Screwed Up Click collective, he would go on to join the Guerilla Maab & ABN with over a dozen solo efforts under his belt. Restless being widely considered to be the crown jewel of his discography. Stuck in Motion & Crowd Control were both received mixed-to-negatively within the past couple years, coming off the tribute to his daughter Angel last summer by hinting at retirement with Farewell.

“Amaze Ya” hops over a sample-based trap instrumental to talk about not needing a cast because he’s the motion picture itself whereas the title track explains that sometimes we have to leave when we don’t want to. “4:16am” strips the drums so he can talk about his presence being heavy while “My N****z” flips a guitar to shout out all of his homies. “Heartbreak” soulfully talks about nobody picking him up when he falls & “All for You” woozily finishes by speaking of going crazy in the jungle.

Part of me doesn’t believe that Trae tha Truth will actually retire from making music considering the ever-growing list of artists who make that claim only for them to continue dropping afterwards, including Z-Ro. Either way: I wish him all the best in whatever he does beyond this point & would consider Farewell to be a solid batch of material to end on if that were to be the case even if it had to be pushed back a couple weeks, flowing all over these beats without a single guest needed.

Score: 3.5/5

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