This is the surprise 5th EP from Detroit rapper WTM Solid. A member of the WRLD Tour Mafia. he also embarked on a solo career of his own beginning a few years back with the debut EP Originatour followed by both Matter of Time & What’s the Difference?. His previous EP Bigg a little over 13 months ago as well as the subsequent full-length studio debut album Imagine That at the start of this year elevated himself as an individual amongst the rest of WRLD Tour, making a return 4 months later in time for Killa $eason.
“Honda or Ferrari?” gets the ball rollin’ with a Detroit trap intro produced by Carlo Anthony unnaturally talking about seeing goats whenever he looks at himself in the mirror & after the title track homages the former Dipset leader & current It Is What It Is co-host Cam’ron, the song “Different Town” humorously asks for the pronouns of these bitch ass dudes hating.
Starting the 2nd half, “Hate When Girls Die” dabbles with plugg a little interestingly promising you want see any snakes around him since he cut the grass with a chopped & screwed effect on his vocals until “$.A.$.R. ($uper Awesome $uper Rich)” creates a new acronym using the Slam A Slut Records initials. Finally, the close “Ws in the Chat” finishes the EP comparing bystanders to cops due to the way they be on his dick.
In an effort to make a point that he can make a whole 6 track EP better than most Detroit trap rappers’ whole entire careers, Killa $eason takes Solid’s penmanship even farther than he did on Imagine This when that initially dropped 4 months ago. I didn’t really expect a whole lot in terms of production since he & the rest of Slam A Slut are pretty well known in Detroit trap, but he really sharpens himself lyrically & keeps making his case of what makes him stand out out individually compared to the rest of the group.
The newest YSL Records signee 9 Vicious coming straight outta Atlanta, Georgia preluding his upcoming 3rd album For Nothing with a new EP. Breaking out last summer off his debut single “U Fancy”, he would go on to further introduce himself on B4SA & the debut album Studio Addict helped him gain more exposure to the point where Young Thug signed him to YSL after B4TM dropped & Tumblr Music wasn’t that bad of a debut for the label other than “Clout Demons”. Over a couple months later, B4FN gives a taste of what the LP’s gonna be.
“So For Nothing” was a delicate trap intro produced by 406ahmad looking back on when he was suicidal during his college days & having to read the Bible after putting his trust in God whereas “I Miss You” cloudily talks about missing his ex. “Movin’ On” works in a plugg instrumental finding himself not looking back on his previous flings while “Fuck Yo Gang” with Patrick Garza talks about these opposing “gangs” ain’t being shit. “Me N Slime” flexes that he & the whole squad stay stealing hoes until “A Song” finishes with a 2-parter asking why his partner’s love is this crazy.
Putting the “Clout Demons” controversy aside, 9 Vicious’ popularity in the trap underground has grown enough to the point where he & Opium’s newest signing ApolloRed1 are putting out a collab tape soon called YVLFN. But if For Nothing is gonna sound anything remotely like B4FN, it could really reach or surpass Studio Addict in his discography. What he delivers here is a mix of that debut & The Life of Pablo.
untiljapan is a 19 year old recording artist from Atlanta, Georgia putting out 5 EPs & was featured on “light ice” off Sk8star‘s 2nd mixtape whole new meaning until his own full-length studio debut album Safe Travels established him as an up-&-comer in trap, emo rap, cloud rap, alternative R&B & neo-psychedelia. Diorvsyou most recently had untiljapan on “west” off his newest EP Paussus.99 few weeks ago, with the elusive underground trailblazer signing to Interscope Records & generating buzz surrounding a sophomore effort.
“Shoot for the Moon” was a regalia intro shouting out the people in his life who’ve shown him love & the women who took him in whereas “Yayo / White Paris” shakes it up with a 2-parter flexing that he made it snow out in France with all that white powder in the street. “More Moët” hooks up a crooning sample giving a glimpse of his $1M habits prior to “Born 2 Be Great” sampling “Bonnie & Clyde” by Tink talking about working all day.
Moving on from there, “Kiss tha Ring” works in another sample & turns up the bass to tell his girl he’s on a plane to go see her just before “Broad Day” cautions of the people around you who’ll eventually try & fuck you over in the end when you least expect it. “Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing” gets on some drumless rap rock shit unable to get the thought of homicide out of his head leading into “Watch Yo Back” talks about how sad it is the real players ain’t in the game no more.
“1 Helluva Drug” cacophonously gets in his breakup bag talking about an ex-girlfriend being a memory after she blocked his number while “Pyramidz” produced by Nosaint & ReidMD of Vanguard Music Group was a great cloudy trap single throwing a hint of alternative R&B in too talking about life moving fast with the squad. “Just Breathe” heavily builds itself around a harp & acoustics not showing away from sending shots to the soul if he has to while “Coast 2 Coast” talks about his colleagues being in the east & the west.
The song “Die Like This” begins the final minutes of untiljapan’s sophomore effort albeit major label debut sampling “Larabar” by Wet addressing individuals who didn’t like exactly how hot he broke out in the music scene & “Goodbye, Come Again” closes the LP with a Moses Ideka sample speeding on the highway since he’s in the fast lane along with blowing up the phone of a woman he told he loved on the verge of puttin’ him down.
“Mercedes. 2005” starts the deluxe run sampling “Indecision” by Sampha talking about having a close call & asking where he stands with a flight attendant while “Tightropes” flips “Ropes” by Scott James asking if she remembers the night he said he wouldn’t ever leave her. Clayco chops up “DNM” by Mk.gee & “enemy” by Charli XCX for my favorite bonus track “Old Vices. New Cities.” becoming my favorite 2-parter by a mile & “London Nights” samples “How Many Miles?” by Mk.gee looking for love during the evening riding around.
Often cited as one of the most promising artists in underground trap today, his major label debut elevates himself from his debut celebrating it’s 2 year anniversary this fall & catapulting himself in the same conversations as his Interscope labelmates Destroy Lonely & Nettspend. In terms of production, he completely comes into his own artistically & his feature-less performances are a testament to some of his recent guest appearances.
Right here is the 6th album Charlotte, North Carolina recording artist BigBabyGucci. Start in the summer of 2016 off his debut EP ART HOE Collection, he would continue to build a name for himself by putting out 19 more EPs as well as his last 5 full-lengths & a couple mixtapes along the way. When U Wake Up, When You Go to Sleep, Baby 5 & the heavily alternative ANTI have all become his strongest material of the 2020s although I can’t the same for Isolation 2.5 a month after the latter. 6 months later, he’s redeeming himself with Internet Explorer.
“Full House” experiments with this synth-trap intro talking about the crib being packed & vacant simultaneously whereas “Switch ‘Em Down” keeps the synthesizers in tact flexing that he ain’t giving fucks no more. “I Don’t Like My Conscience” industrially advises there isn’t any easy street to take when asked to go down a road he’s already traveled while “Dusse” eagerly talks about his excitement for the check hitting.
Meanwhile on “Remedy”, we have BigBabyGucci over a more glitchy instrumental to discuss being out of his mind just before “My Worst is His Best Day” talks about being in the same place as he’s been at for a while & someone he knows not getting sick of switching gangs. “Freakhoesripspeakerknockers” shouts out the freaky bitches on top of refusing to take any Ls & hoping you run from the stray bullets, but then “Bags in the Wynter” talks about a girl wanting to fuck him because her last one didn’t.
“Trap Kitchen Gucci Ramsey” was a wavy end to the first half of Internet Explorer airing out a certified geeker for talking shit & wanting a feature from him while the rage-inducing “Yea Yea” suggests he might change the weather by making it rainy with the bands he has these days. “Vendetta Music” gives off a psychedelic approach providing the soundtrack for the 17 fans he claims he has seeking vengeance while “Can’t Go Back Home” talks about not letting anyone get too close to him without tripping on anything.
Moving on from there, “Hell Yea Brother” heads for an industrial direction once again prevailing through any hate that others try to send his way while “Tryna Be Me” gets even heavier with the synths talking about the envious type wanting to follow in his footsteps. The latter half of “Tales from Houston” has an acoustic pop rap flare to it following a boastful start while the pluggy “Tainted” talks about aiming his gun at your chin.
“Stain My White Tee” draws closer to the conclusion of Internet Explorer swearing that the new girl he’s been seeing hasn’t ever met anything like him in the past flexing he’s more slicker than here & “My Mama Don’t Recognize Me” sends off the LP with 1 final synthesizer heavy cut talking about being unrecognizable to his own mother, his hard to please demeanor & getting closer to his dreams of making it.
ANTI over 6 months later was a great capitalization on his versatility since he went for a more alternative direction on there & Internet Explorer has pushed himself into an experimental route considering the industrial hip hop influences on here occasionally venturing out in favor of pop rap or plugg & a hint of rage sprinkled in. Dude really pushes his artistic boundaries on this one & I respect him greatly for that.
London, England, United Kingdom emcee, singer & actress Little Simz releasing her 5th album a month after its initial date. Getting her start at the beginning of the 2010s, she would go on to drop 4 mixtapes & 10 EPs alongside all of her previous LPs. GREY Areashowed some serious artistic evolution & S.I.M.B.I. (Sometimes I Might Be Introvert) wound up being my 2021 Album of the Year, even giving a perfect 10. The follow-up No Thank You barely made it on my Best of 2022 list since it came out days after my 26th birthday, finally giving space for the Lotus to bloom.
“Thief” essentially starts off by dissing Inflo after giving her a £1.7M loan in 2023 that she has yet to pay back whereas “Flood” fuses post-punk, art punk, afro-rock, psychedelic rock & experimental hip hop asking to be kept away from Satan’s palm walking a wicked ground. “Young” was my least favorite single of them all despite the blend post-punk & new wave with dance-punk & chap hop in addition to the humorous lyrics, but then the crooning “Only” talks about about solely having love in her heart.
Neo-soul, jazz rap & pop rap collide on “Free” highlights the power of love to set people free in contrast to fear just before “Peace” strips the drums completely so she can talk about finding her peace of mind. “Hollow” keeps it drumless suggests the individual she has in mind is for the cult instead of the culture referring to gaslighting as the work of a deeply insecure person while “Lion” goes for a jazz rap vibe talking about caring less of what they say.
“Enough” warns to not make her pull the plug since she’s fed up bringing a dance vibe to the table instrumentally leading into “Blood” featuring Cashh & Wretch 32 talking about family being their armor in the muddiest of waters. The title track predicts a long night ahead if she’s gonna get high going from being in hiding to the mountains while “Lonely” talks about the loneliness she feels making 4 versions of Lotus as a result. “Blue” ends with 1 more drumless cut advising to carry on with the light at end.
One of my homies Oojadan out in New Orleans once said to me that Little Simz deserves the same amount of respect that Doechii’s getting & I can agree on it since she has a flawless album in this decade. Nevertheless, Lotus reflects the evolving artistry of the London trailblazer & showcasing life’s intricate phases through neo-soul, conscious hip hop, jazz rap, afro-funk, experimental hip hop, afrobeat, psychedelic soul, post-punk, art-punk, afro-punk, pop rap, dance-punk, chap hop & new wave.
New Orleans, Louisiana emcee, singer/songwriter, record executive & entrepreneur Lil Wayne continuing one of his most beloved sagas on his 14th studio LP. Signing to Cash Money Records at the very age of 9, he would go on to become 1/2 of The B.G.’z as well as 1/4 of the Hot Boy$ & 1/6 of the Cash Money Millionaires. His first 3 solo albums Tha Block is Hot, Lights Out & 500 Degreez were average at best but we then found him improving in the mid 2000’s with Tha Carter, Tha Carter II, Dedication, Dedication 2, Da Drought 3 & my personal favorite Tha Carter III. He then started his own label Young Money Entertainment & followed his magnum opus up with a God awful “rock” album Rebirth along with the mediocre I Am Not a Human Being. He was able to bounce back in 2011 with Tha Carter IV, but things looked rough once again with the horrendous I Am Not a Human Being II in 2013 & then being entangled in legal issues with Cash Money from 2014-2018. Wayne eventually broke free from Birdman & was able to release Tha Carter V in 2018 to celebrate his 36th birthday returning to form. Funeral however was a step-down in comparison & Tha Carter VI has finally come over 5 years later.
After the “King Carter” intro, the first song “Welcome to Tha Carter” was a soulful boom bap intro eating rappers he’s already heard as if they’re appetizers whereas “Bells” samples “Rock the Bells” by LL Cool J to boast how hot he’s been on the mic for 2 decades almost. “Hip Hop” featuring Jay Jones works in a trap instrumental from Infamous & Einer Bankz with a vocal sample for a representation of the culture that I’d like more without Jay’s verse while “Sharks” featuring Big Sean & Jelly Roll finds the trio talking about snakes not always hiding in the grass over a guitar-based beat from Boi-1da.
“Banned from New Orleans” featuring Nicki Minaj on the remix gets in their dirty south bag flexing that they’re sellin’ chromes to bricks out here leading into “The Days” recalling being in a hospital bed after one of the countless epileptic seizures he’s had since childhood blending rap rock & boom bap together. “Cotton Candy” by ColleGrove interestingly fuses jazz, trap & pop rap all into 1 for a collab that’s primarily compared to most of what was on Welcome to ColleGrove even with the reference to former IWGPヘビー級チャンピオン as well as a 10-time WWE world champion & former UFC Heavyweight Champion in both TKO Group Holdings divisions Brock Lesnar just before “Flex Up” continues with a mildly boastful cloud rap cut.
One of my least favorites easily has to be “Island Holiday” & not because of the subject matter of getting away on vacation, but rather because of the performances heavily slathered in auto-tune. “Loki’s Theme” turns up the rap rock influences courtesy of DJ Clue? of all people to my surprise talking about getting it out the mud while the acoustic “If I Played Guitar” throws it back to “How to Love” down to the sung vocals a little except not as good.
“Peanuts 2 N Elephant” links up with Lin-Manuel Miranda of Hamilton fame for a spiritual successor to “6 Foot 7 Foot” featuring Cory Gunz with what sounds like a Crash Bandicoot level while “Rari” hops over a joyous trap instrumental from Wheezy talking about driving around Los Angeles in a sports car. “Maria” featuring Wyclef Jean hooks up an opera sample from the latter discussing a party girl waking up in the underworld while “Bein’ Myself” stays true to himself over a soulful Mannie Fresh beat.
The song “Mula Komin’ In” featuring Wayne’s son Lil Novi has little to no presence from Weezy F. Baby other than his verse at the backend of it although I very much appreciate what he was trying to do giving more exposure to Novi’s own music career while “Alone in the Studio with a Gun” featuring Kodak Black & MGK sticks out as the worst collab here since Young Money General washes both of the guests on it. “Written History” finishes C6 with spoken word passages from the late WWE Hall of Famer Muhammad Ali speaking on his legacy in hip hop while “Momma Don’t Worry” featuring Lil Baby advises their mothers not to stress out since they birthed real ones over an ATL Jacob instrumental.
Some will argue that him signing Drake & Nicki has tainted Wayne’s legacy considering “Big Foot” & “The Heart 6” have both been mocked equally as much as “Ghoulish”, to which I understand completely. Anyway, I went into Tha Carter VI with fingers crossed that it would reach the level of quality as Tha Carter V did 7 years ago & it makes me sad to call this the weakest installment of the series. Weezy can very much rap his ass off & I won’t deny that, my issues are more towards some of the guests & production choices.
The High & Mighty is a duo from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania consisting of emcee Mr. Eon & deejay/producer DJ Mighty Mi. Signing to Rawkus Records, the Eastern Conference Records founders’ 1999 debut Home Field Advantage would become an underground classic & notably had an Eminem verse on it right when he started to become an international superstar. The Highlite Zone & The 12th Man were also well received when they came out during the first half of the 2000s, reuniting after 2 decades for their 4th album & signing a new distribution deal with Soulspazm Records in the process.
“2 Man Crew” was a gritty choice of an intro mixing hardcore hip hop & turntablism ripping it up as if the world renowned never took 20 years off whereas “Zounds” talks about his mental being unable to be fucked with as long as they’re back. “Pinky Tuskadero” featuring Kool Keith soulfully sends a message to the people all over the world just before “6ers & Squires” featuring Skillz aggressively talks about how they can’t be stopped.
Breeze Brewin’ teams with The High & Mighty on “Super Sound” heads for a boom bap direction so both parties can paint lyrical visuals together leading into “The Rose Bowl” featuring Your Old Droog hopping over a soul sample from The Alchemist talking about being pimps on a hoe stroll decked in polo. “Dubbs Up” featuring King T works in some g-funk undertones showing a boastful side to them while “Prism” featuring Large Professor & Tash cultivates from the rooftops over a cavernous boom bap beat.
After the “Mighty’s Big 5 (Live from the Palestra)” turntablism interlude, the Smut Peddlers reunite on a piano-driven instrumental during “Most In Outs” talking about never being cancelled while “I. Goldberg” featuring MC Serch & Sadat X continues to bring it hardcore over more boom bap production. “Funk ‘O’ Mart” featuring Chubb Rock dedicates itself to a record shop where DJ Tat Money once worked while “Spaceport” featuring Chill Rob G & Copywrite suggests to hide your kids when they ride the rhythm.
“Highest Degree” featuring O.C. kicks off Sound of Market’s final moments referencing former NWA World Tag Team Champions, 2-time IWGPタッグチャンピオン, the inaugural 2-time TNA World Tag Team Champions, WWE Hall of Famers & former 18-time WWE tag team champions The Dudley Boyz while “2 High Whiteys” caps off the comeback with a blues flip heavily revolving around a line in “Acknowledge” by Masta Ace stemming from a misunderstanding that Eon & Mighty Mi had dissed Ace at one of their shows a quarter of a century ago when that wasn’t even the case. Can’t exclude the Stu Bangas joint “Be Excited” featuring Esoteric either since 7L & Esoteric have been compared to these guys.
Discovering these guys after hearing the Eminem verse on their debut as a kid, it’s so awesome to see The High & Mighty joining the likes of LL Cool J or MC Lyte to name a couple releasing some of the best music in their whole careers in the mid 2020s adds to their longevities & the Eastern Conference fans can rejoice. DJ Mighty Mi’s boom bap production still sounds great today as does Mr. Eon’s passionate hardcore performances & the guests range from O.G.s to newer underground artists.
Atlanta, Georgia recording artist Destroy Lonely preluding his 2nd mixtape </3³ with his 12th EP. The son of former Disturbing tha Peace Records signee I-20, he’s released a total of 11 EPs since originally breaking out through SoundCloud in 2019 prior to Playboi Carti signing alone to his Interscope Records imprint Opium Records to surprise drop his last tape No Stylist in light of his ongoing tour with fellow label-mate Ken Carson last summer followed by the full-length debut If Looks Could Kill. Love Lasts Forever was disappointing in comparison & hoped See U Soon </3 would at least surpass it.
“Nylon” produced by Clayco throws it back to Lone’s early days for an intro preluding his upcoming 3rd album Drop Dead Gorgeous whereas the cloudy “SDP” courtesy of Cade homages an interlude off Travis Scott’s sophomore effort Birds in the Trap Sing McKnight that I personally find the original version of being far superior to the shortened final version you can hear on whatever streaming platform you use.
The instrumental on “See Ur Face” kinda feels reminiscent of “Tryna Get Down” by Carti despite the themes of love while “Super Serum” keeps his head up after some personal stuff he dealt with in 2024 unbeknownst to the public. “SRTBBL” featuring Ken Carson finishes by showing a back-&-forth chemistry over a beat from F1LTHY of Working on Dying ahead of the 00pium Twins’ upcoming collab tape.
Some feel that Lone’s output since his label deal hasn’t really lived up to the hype </3 & most of those in his fanbase will find themselves satisfied with what See U Soon </3 has to offer giving a taste of what </3³ will sound like when he feels the time is right for him to put out the tape: A return to his roots musically except he has a new perspective of things since he’s gotten older & the popularity continually growing.
Brand new EP from Newport Pagnell, Buckinghamshire, England, United Kingdom recording artist Niko B. Starting at the very beginning of this current decade off the strength of his debut single “Marry Berry”, he popularity began to grow exponentially a few months later after putting out his next track “Who’s That What’s That” & the full-length debut album dog eat dog food world last spring being well received enough where people were recommending it to me. A whole year later, Niko’s preluding an upcoming sophomore effort by holding fans off with people.
“Hairclips” was a tight hip house intro telling this woman he’s hitting on how much he loves her hair being able to tell she doesn’t give a fuck by the way she cuts it while “I Like the Way You Talk Looking at Me” fuses hip hop with house & funk music asking if his partner enjoys how he speaks when they’re making eye contact with one another. “What Am I to Do?” rounds out peoplewith 1 more hip house jam talking about optimism being amazing from his perspective.
You know? It’s actually pretty awesome that people dropped on the same day as Little Simz’ brand new album Lotus because Niko B a lot like Simz sticks out to me as one of my favorite UK hip hop artists of the current decade. The production on this one is prominently centered around the hip house sound & you get to see a more optimistic side of Niko.
Chicago, Illinois emcee D2X coming off his first EP The Hunger Era last summer to put out a 2nd one. Releasing his full-length studio debut album The Color Blue in the spring of 2021 & later the sophomore effort Hotel 1105 a couple summers later. Like I said earlier: The Hunger Era was essentially a love letter to the Windy City that made him sending bigger shockwaves in the underground than his first couple LPs did & was wondering if Boy in the Blue Hoodie could reach or surpass that same level.
The harps at the start of “‘Twas the Day” are pleasant to the ear until the chipmunk soul instrumental comes in full effect making way for the Chicago MC to tell the story of a young boy’s dream & finding his peace in mine for the next album whereas “Light Up the Lake” takes a jazzier approach with the horns & a soulful sample making a love letter to a better version of himself. After the spoken word jazz “Miles Away” interlude, “Blue Ocean Water” sends off the tale of the Boy in the Blue Hoodie with a beat kin reminiscent of The Heatmakerz calling himself a future hall of famer.
Understandably, D2X’s continuation of The Hunger Era goes from paying homage to the City that made him giving the world an idea of where he’s from to a more introspective side of himself letting people inside of who he is as a person & his background. One of the coolest things Boy in the Blue Hoodie is that he balances the jazz rap sound he’s always been known for with the chipmunk soul style of production that RZA, Ye or formerly Kanye West, Just Blaze & as I mentioned earlier The Heatmakerz have all pioneered & popularized retelling his life’s story.
Legends Will Never Die 