Diorvsyou – “So Cunt.” review

Atlanta, Georgia up-&-comer Diorvsyou with his 2nd EP of the year & the 4th in his discography overall. Coming up in 2021 off his debut EP Scoreboard, it wasn’t until I saw him open up for southsidesilhouette in Brooklyn the following November where I was personally introduced to his music & I was actually impressed with his set. The next EP w.t.f.i.dvy? (who the fuck is diorvsyou)? marked a bigger breakthrough for him artistically & returned up from the Ashes almost a year since Diorvsrxlvnd’s eponymous debut. The previous EP Untitled EP.9 came out a couple months ago & is already keeping himself busy with So Cunt..

“Slit Ya Throat” produced by Devstacks & Goxan is this regalia intro looking to swag all of his sorrows away & tryin’ not to pop shit even if it may seem difficult whereas “Nosferatu” works in a psychedelic trap instrumental talking about feeling like an extraterrestrial vampire. “I.S.S.” brings a plugg flare to the table thanks to Devstacks once more telling his hoe to be grateful & keep faithin’ leading into “I Wonder” taking a moment to think about whether or not if any of this shit means anything to him & Devstacks applying even more pressure behind the boards. 

The quirky synthesizers from 406ahmad on “Outta Hea” are a nice touch being on whole new levels of zooted just before Cade gives “1 Mistake” a cloudier vibe referencing Boston Celtics player Jayson Tatum. “Rob a Bank” gets back on the plugg tip having his twin watching his flank during a robbery while “Royal Rumble” makes comparison to WWE’s signature 30-man battle royale in light of this year’s winner Jey Uso dethroning Gunther to become the new World Heavyweight Champion last weekend. “Pissed” closes with an ode to the rockstar life that MexikoDro laced wanting to die in a mosh pit.

Dior is somebody in the regalia subgenre of plugg music I’ve been covering for several years up until this point & I would HIGHLY suggest you listen to So Cunt. or really the whole Diorvsyou catalog for anyone reading this who got introduced to regalia through the new Dave Blunts album You Can’t Say That getting the polarizing reception it deserves. The best regalia producer in the game Devstacks producing half of this was a great call & Dior is a far more captivating performer than Dave Blunts ever could be.

Score: 4/5

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

Salami Rose Joe Louis – “Lorings” review

This is the 6th studio LP from San Diego, California singer/songwriter & producer Salami Rose Joe Louis. Coming up almost a decade ago off her full-length debut Son of a Sauce!, the subsequent sophomore effort Zlaty Sauce Nephew caught the attention of Flying Lotus & he wound up signing her to Brainfeeder Records distributed by Ninja Tune. Her debut for the label Zdenka 2080 would become the most revered entry of her entire catalog, coming off Chapters of Zdenka & Akousmatikous to invite us all on a personal exploration of her own through Lorings.

“Inside” begins with a 2nd single fusing elements of neo-psychedelia, art pop, indietronica & space ambient singing about being lost inside this person’s love whereas “Motorway” finds Flanafi bringing in a guitar & some percussion to express hope of those roaming the unfamiliar streets having mercy on her. “That Must Be Hard for You” sticks out to me as a least favorite of mine & it has to do with the repetition than the subject matter until the 5th & final single “A Sauna Sized Pill” sings about Michael Caine hiding under a rock in plain sight.

Meanwhile on “I Dunno Ways”, we have Lindsay spending 72 seconds repeatedly singing about her being unable to play the game because she doesn’t know the way while the minimalistic “I’ll Never Say” finds herself refusing to show this person what’s really deep inside of her mind. “Crow, Friendship” sings about carrying a loaf of rye on here trying to befriend a group of birds she regularly sees outside of her apartment leading into “Hobbies” opening up regarding her stepfather telling her to find a pastime, which I’d have to assume is music.

“Basketball” ends the 1st half with this 2 & a half minute composition that feels bittersweet just before the lead single “Arm Fell Asleep” blends neo-psychedelia, art pop, indietronica & ambient pop sings about an experience she had when going boat sailing. The 4th single “Fill the Void” kinda reminds me of Toro y Moi in a way explaining that she likes to ride on faith until “Upstairs” relies itself upon its dreamy instrumentation.

One of my favorite tracks would be “Wet Log” simply because of the raw emotion packed into only a minute & a half while “Dribs & Drags” sings about getting up off the ground & wanting to see the person she’s addressing being content with life. After the melancholic “A Pool to Cry In”, the final song “Farewell” preceding the “ Fill the void // house by the lake // coda” outro ties up all loose ends confessing that she wants to start a family in addition to making her family proud & wanting her partner to be more stable.

Compared to Zdenka 2080 & Akousmatikous, I’m a bit disappointed to say Lorings could be the weakest opus of the 3 she’s dropped since signing to Brainfeeder since I’d rank it above it’s predecessor & place Zdenka 2080 above it. I have no issue with the vulnerably introspective approach to indietronica, neo-psychedelia, art pop, ambient pop, bedroom pop & glitch pop carving out her personality over the course of 43 minutes. That said: There are a handful of moments where it feels like I’m listening to half baked demos due to the amount of ideas that sound incomplete.

Score: 3/5

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

Fordio – “Fordi Milligrams” review

Michigan rapper Fordio releasing his full-length studio debut. Emerging in 2022 off his debut EP Foreva$camz, the follow-up Blame It on My Cup resulted the ShittyBoyz making him a member of their Dog $hit Militia collective signed to Lando Bando’s own The Hip Hop Lab Records dropping the Made & $tyle collab project with MJPaid & recently the Forever Juggin’ EP almost a year ago already. We literally got MJPaid’s own debut Paid Ponzi at the beginning of 2025 & here we are 3 months later with Fordio applying pressure on Fordi Milligrams.

“Rackz on Rackz” made for a cloudy Detroit trap intro imaging the YC & Future single of the same name whereas “No Lol” completely blocks out all the hate being spewed from the nosebleed section. “Aha” gives a spacious yet funky feeling to the beat making those who’ve turned on him regret their decisions while “Tell Me Sum” puts his faith in the drugs since he can’t trust a soul.

That subject matter gets delved deeper onto “Ain’t Feeling Luv” talking about taking percocets to help put him in a better mood leading into “Tryfe Lyfe” featuring Babytron refusing to give slices of their cheese since they’re too stingy with it. “Hot Boyz” featuring G.T. brings the pair together suggesting that people out here are more broke than they are tough while “Not Too Long” produced by Danny G talks about pouring up with 5 folks.

“Run” reaches the halfway point of the LP vowing to sprint until his legs don’t work anymore & counting his bread up until his hands go numb while “Dirty $oda Club” if you clearly couldn’t tell speaks of his love for sippin’ lean. “Jugg Anthem” experiments with plugg advising not to come around him if the loot isn’t a priority while “Y.N.B.W. (You N****s Better not Wait) talks about seeing millions coming in his dreams.

As for “IDK”, we have Fordio dismissing what others gotta say since he’s been in the v-cut & “PA All-Stars” featuring MJPaid & 72 Reezy unites the trio to talk about being the worst nightmare of any individual with nothing in their pockets until Baby Ghost outraps Glockboyz Teejaee on a song named after 6-time WWE world champion, WWE Intercontinental Champion, WWE tag team champion, 2-time AEW World Champion, inaugural ROH Hall of Fame inductee, ROH World Champion, 2-time ROH World Tag Team Champion & former UFC fighter “CM Punk” finally getting his WrestleMania main event last weekend.

“Leanin’” featuring Certified Trapper kicks off the 4th quarter of the tape trading verses over a lowend instrumental while “Overtime” suggests not to mind him or the crew whenever they pull up to your town. “72mg” oozes of psychedelia explaining that his heart is beating fast due to the drugs he’s consuming while “NeedDat” finishes the album talks about not being a fool whenever it comes to the bag.

Not too far off from Paid Ponzi several months back, Fordi Milligrams similarly to what that previously mentioned debut had done displays what Fordio has to offer by himself & makes me hope the other 2 members of the collective catch up to them with projects of their own. The production is a step up from that early material & despite a few features I could’ve done without, many of their verses rival Fordi’s.

Score: 4/5

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

Tom MacDonald – “Proud to Be a Problem” review

Tom MacDonald is a 36 year old rapper, singer/songwriter, producer & former professional wrestler from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada breaking out in the late 2010s off some of the worst singles of the previous decade from “Whiteboy” to “Everybody Hates Me” & “Straight White Male”. Tracks like “If I Was Black” & “People So Stupid” have also publicly professed himself as a racist & a transphobe, deciding to follow in the footsteps of Post Malone’s latest album F-1,000,000,000,000 by putting out a country LP of his own & his 9th overall.

“Can’t Cancel All of Us” is this country alt-right intro claiming the right-wing can’t be criticized for being what they’re are & denying that they have prejudice against minorities when he’s made numerous racist or transphobic lines in some of his previous material whereas “I’m a Rock” compares himself to his father. “Bad Bitch” bitterly wishes death on every ex-boyfriend this crazy woman he knows has ever had just before “Wildfire” sings about his life being a wildfire.

The religious themes of “Man in the Sky” as a spiritual person feel inauthentic when you think of “Hide a Body” singing about his murderous tendencies offering to hide corpses for the safety of his loved ones right away later. “Watch You Leave” disturbingly expressed the joy & sadness he simultaneously feels seeing this woman being taken away by the police, but then “Diana” likens people fiending for clout referencing the late Princess Diana’s tragic death.

“Walls” tries to gaslight Tom’s critics by playing the victim blaming other’s for his shortcomings when he’s done this numerous times in his career to this very day leading into “Broke My Heart” wining about a breakup that he caused himself. “Good Die Young” sings about the “hardships” that he goes through when his supposed struggles are pandering towards the right-wingers who self-victimize as much as him while “Superman” fuses country pop & singer/songwriter asking for the Warner Bros. subsidiary DC Entertainment-owned hero who’s set to begin the DC Universe media franchise & shared universe this summer to appear.

As for “Sinner”, we have this cringeworthy comparison of his love towards his girlfriend of 8 years Nova Rockafeller to the Heroin Hero joke in the timeless Paramount Skydance Corporation-owned Comedy Central series South Park’s parody of the Guitar Hero franchise almost 2 decades back while “Hell & Back” sings about being called a loser since 2nd grade when I find that to be the case almost a decade into Tom’s popularity. “Do Me Wrong” warns what will happen to those who’ll end up crossing him when I guarantee you he’s pussy as the rest of the edgelords he appeals to while “Ugly” deflects his girl’s self-image so he can make it into a “woe is me” type deal.

“Still Need Saving” seems like a deliberate & embarrassing bite of “I’m Not Ok” off Jelly Roll’s major label debut Beautifully Broken while “Good Man Badass” sings about being the capability of being those 2 things at the same time when he’s simply an bigoted, intolerant asshole more than anything. “Under Construction” dejects the idea of self-destructing when he’s literally selling himself out stylistically trying to make a bigger breakthrough than he should’ve had while “Perfect” serves as a failed attempt at tackling the insecurities women find themselves facing.

The song “Drunk Dial” reads as a conservative country answer to my favorite Drake alternative R&B cut “Marvin’s Room” with Tom getting completely shitfaced on the alcohol taking it upon himself to contract a girl he’s no longer seeing at 3 in the morning assuring she’s still in love with him when she most likely moved on like he did because “Goodbye Joe” by GFBF comes off as a forced Joe Biden diss. The title track further embraces a country sound in general for the final time continuing to pander towards the far-right suggesting that they should be proud of being unsolvable.

Like I said when I reviewed WWE Hall of Famer Kid Rock’s most recent album Bad Reputation: I’m NOT democratic OR republican because I personally believe both sides of our 2-party system are flawed as much as most people don’t want to have that discussion unfortunately. However, Tom MacDonald’s music throughout his career has appealed to closeted racist white men to feel he represents them by crying about the struggles he suffers as a white man & he’s been only amplifying it the last year or so. Hip hop never has & never will be the culture for a far-right white agenda, end of story.

Score: 0/5

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

Zukenee – “Slaytanic” review

Here we have the sophomore effort from Atlanta, Georgia up-&-comer Zukenee. Starting in the spring of 2021 off his debut EP Undiscovered, he would continue to make a name for himself in the underground by putting out a couple more EPs in Castle & Playful alongside the debut mixtape Stop Playing last summer. Subsequent exclusive singles like “OJAYS” & “Chest” would later become amongst his best singles since both of them were released in the span of a year & a half until Player Slayer came last spring. Cade was brought in to produce the highly acclaimed Guillotine EP the previous summer, coming off Birth of St. Slay from on Halloween with Slaytanic.

“Cut Ya Hand” is an anthemic regalia intro with strings, organs & retro trap drums referencing one of my favorite clothing brands ア・ベイシング・エイプ founded by ニゴー whereas “Game Winner” produced by Cade & Murda Beatz talks about the real relating to him in addition to the fakest backstabbing him. “Bromance” shows off an effortlessly distinct flow admitting that he’s fallen in love with the money he’s been making prior to “Hindu” finds him rapping as if the rent is due.

Meanwhile on “Roof Roof”, we have Zukenee boasting about this girl being just as equally wild as he is mixing that with some street talk just before “Stoopid Fool” talks about his preference in women who’re insane to the point where they gotta have new screws in their heads. “Gimmie Gimmie” boasts catching the Holy Spirit the way he baptizin’ these racks leading into “Nun” embarking us on a trip to the trap house right ‘round the village.

“Sticks & Swords” pulls influence from Playboi Carti’s new album MUSIC down to the Cardo instrumental & “Yoga” finds him flipping a 0 into a 100 until “Spontaneous Slay” speaks on living that Slayer life the weekend after former Slayer guitarist Kerry King performed during the intro of former ROH World Television Champion, World Heavyweight Champion, WWE United States Champion, 4-time WWE tag team champion & NXT North American Champion Damian Priest at WrestleMania XLI.

The song “Hot Ass Greece” boasts that nobody out here is poppin’ on the exact same level as he is preferring to count his wishes whilst blowing that stick simultaneously & the closing track “In the Woods” details his life in the streets along with the violence that comes with it, his sexual relationships, what it was like for him growing up in the hood & the constant conflict with the police conveyed through medieval metaphors.

Yes I didn’t get the chance to cover Birth of St. Slay, but I still thought it was fun way for him to celebrate the Halloween season listening to it almost 6 months ago & would tell you that Slaytanic in comparison reaches the same quality of trap his debut Player Slayer taking it a step or 2 down from Guillotine. The unique production on this one is prominently influenced by plugg pioneer Zaytoven, presenting a dark take on late 2010s pop rap & the early mixtape days of the 2000s.

Score: 3.5/5

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

Mike Dean – “4:25” review

This is the 6th studio LP from Houston, Texas producer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist & one of the greatest audio engineers of all-time Mike Dean. Pioneering the dirty south sound in the 90s as an in-house producer for Rap-A-Lot Records, one may also know him for engineering nearly all of Ye formerly known as Kanye West’s output up until his 2022 antisemitic meltdown calling himself a Nazi on InfoWars. 4:20 was a 90 minute exploration into progressive electronic & the nearly 2 hour sequel 4:22 continued towards that trajectory. Smoke State 42222 went for more of a straight-forward electronic sound with additional elements of space ambient & even Mike’s last LP 4:23 went head-on synthwave, landing a spot on my Honorable Mentions of 2023 list as a result of being more well-put together than his last couple solo efforts. Almost a year to day since 4:24, I wasn’t too surprised regarding 4:25

“In Paradisum” keeps the tradition alive hooking up these prominent synth-organ melodies that immediately grab your attention whereas “Scream” kinda gives me a progressive electronic vibe that I generally enjoy with this shrilling scream sample occasionally popping up. “Late Night” shows off the space ambient influences that’ve been prevalent since when he began making solo output 5 years ago.

Meanwhile on “Colour”, we have Mike blending elements of synthwave that’ve also been displayed on 4:20 just before what could probably be my personal favorite song here “Sax Sector” goes full-blown nu jazz & pulling it off as perfectly as I would’ve expected him to. “Trancy” gets back in his progressive electronic bag for roughly 3 minutes until “Messenger” embraces the synthwave elements once more as

“Bluey” not to be confused with The Walt Disney Company owned Disney Jr. hit series phenomenon in the midst of having a theatrical film set to be released in 2027 continues to bring a progressive electronic flare to the guitar including an electric guitar during it’s final moments, but then “Eyes Closed” swaps out the prog-rock undertones of the previous joint in favor of ambient to a similarly lesser extent.

The song “Half Awake” hits the backend of 4/25 maintaining the prog electronic edge throughout except now the hints of prog-rock & ambient are borrowing from western classical musical becoming not as a prevalent as the other 2 were while “411425” goes full-blown drum & bass to my excitement. As far as the closer “The End”? It’s an exciting collision between these guitars & synthesizers.

Halfway through the decade that he started carving a path for himself as a solo artist & 4:25 encapsulates everything that has made him stood out on his own individually from when he first started. His progressive election heavy production additionally pulls from synthwave, nu jazz & space ambient carrying on what Kraftwerk laid the foundation for half a century ago at this point.

Score: 4/5

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

Ghost – “Skeletà” review

Ghost is a hard rock/heavy metal band from Linköping, Östergötlands län, Sweden consisting of percussionist Olivia Morreale, keyboardist/percussionist Mad Gallica, keyboardist/percussionist Laura Scarborough, baritone guitarist/percussionist Jutty Taylor, drummer Hayden Scott, bassist Cos Sylvan, rhythm guitarist Randy Moore, lead guitarist Per Eriksson & of course frontman Tobias Forge. Breaking out nearly 15 years ago off their debut Opus Eponymous, their sophomore effort Infestissumam marked their debut on Loma Vista Recordings to initially mixed reception although it’s viewed more favorably in retrospect. Meliora came out after I graduated high school was my introduction to them, seeing the band on the tour they did for it & put on a theatrically superb performance. Prequelle toned it down on the heaviness although “Dance Macabre” got the stamp of approval from former NXT Champion, AEW World Trios Champion & PWG World Tag Team Champion Aleister Black married to the new WWE Women’s United States Champion Zelina Vega in addition to the inaugural AEW World Champion, FTW Champion, 2-time ROH World Champion, ECW World Television Champion, IWGPインターコンチネンタルチャンピオン, WCW World Television Champion, 6-time WWE world champion, record 9-time WWE Intercontinental Champion, 2-time WWE United States Champion, 7-time WWE tag team champion, 4-time WWE Cruiserweight Champion & WWE Hardcore Champion Chris Jericho and Impera is widely regarded as their weakest effort so far, taking 3 years off to focus on the band’s 6th studio LP.

“Peacefield” sets the tone of what’s to come with it’s prominent AOR & hard rock influences with additional elements of heavy metal dashed in describing at present a state of chaos & despair whilst instructing how to achieve renewal whereas “Lachryma” talks about being done crying over the restrictions of religion. “Satanized” maintains a hard rock/AOR vibe sprinkling a couple heavy metal & glam metal undertones asking to be saved from the monster eating inside of him, but then “Guiding Light” continues with a soul searching epic ballad.

To end Skeletà’s first half, “De Profundis Borealis” pays homage to one of the most important bands in the Norwegian black metal scene Immortal while “Cenotaph” receives affirmation of eternal presence of the memory of a loved one who has passed away. “Missilia Amori” sings about someone excited to be his demise just before “Marks of the Evil One” references the antichrist further including a line that had me think of the Death Riders led by the current 4-time AEW World Champion, former AEW International Champion, 2-time CZW World Heavyweight Champion, GCW World Champion, IWGPヘビー級チャンピオン, 2-time IWGP USヘビー級チャンピオン, WWE Champion, 3-time WWE Intercontinental Champion, WWE United States Champion & 2-time WWE tag team champion Jon Moxley. “Umbra” puts their love in the darker shadows & “Excelsis” embraces us all meeting or demise 1 day.

Nevertheless of Impera’s mixed reception, Ghost recovers by delivering their most unflinchingly introspective work to date including lyricism of the newly instated Perpetua & showcasing a variety of distinct individual emotional vistas embracing the sounds of hard rock, occult rock, AOR, pop rock, heavy metal & glam metal. Almost a decade this summer since I became a fan & I’m only happy they made up for the predecessor’s mixed discourse.

Score: 3.5/5

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

Samia – “Bloodless” review

Samia is a 28 year old singer/songwriter from Los Angeles, California introducing herself in the summer of 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic by signing with the Fat Possum Records subsidiary Grand Jury Music for her acclaimed full-length debut The Baby for it’s take on singer/songwriter, bedroom pop, indie folk & indie rock. Her sophomore effort Honey later came out at the start of 2023 to more moderate reception in comparison to The Baby although the alt-pop & ambient pop influences were a nice change of pace, coming back almost 2 & a half years later for her 3rd studio LP.

The first song “Bovine Excision” after the “Biscuits” intro was a great choice of a single from it’s singer/songwriter, indie rock, alt-country & indie folk sound to the lyrics expressing her desire to be untouchable whereas “Hole in a Frame” sings about a fascination with disappearing & the power of absence. “Lizard” describes wanting to live up to the person she became in someone’s head until “Dare” finding this person’s intentions unclear.

“Fair Game” promises that said individual won’t get their blood back regardless if they can go outside on a hot night & clap, but then “Spine Oil” sings about coming to terms with her joy constantly being mistaken for weakness & everything not coming down easy whatsoever. “Craziest Person” admits to always trying to find anyone who sticks out as being the most unhinged whenever she steps in a room while “Sacred” sings about an ex never losing her the way he hates her presently.

Meanwhile on “Carousel”, we have Samia blending indie rock, art rock, neo-psychedelia slacker rock, neo-psychedelia & singer/songwriter showing a cathartic side to her songwriting abilities while “Proof” is an apology to those she’s pushed away as soon as they started to know me. “North Poles” takes inspiration from her close friend & collaborator Raffaella that is until “Pants” delves into the endless often fruitless search for a version of ourselves.

Almost 2 & a half years later, Samia endeavors to disinter the self buried beneath these carefully constructed personas by reaching a place of acceptance for her whole & imperfect being. She confronts the person she became in order to impress this imagined figure inseparable from who she is today displaying influences of singer-songwriter, indie folk, indie rock, indie pop, bedroom pop, indie rock & alt-country.

Score: 4.5/5

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

Kardashev – “Alunea” review

Kardashev is a deathcore & deathgaze band from Tempe, Arizona consisting of drummer The Great Filter, bassist Alex Rieth, guitarist Nico Mirolla & frontman Mark Garrett. Introducing themselves a decade ago off their full-length debut Peripety, they returned in 2022 by signing with Metal Blade Records for their sophomore effort Liminal Rite putting a bigger emphasis on post-metal. However, they’re linking back up for their 3rd studio LP & the 2nd since Metal Blade brought them onto the label.

“A Precipice. A Door” explores themes of loss, memory & the search for identity in a post-apocalyptic setting to kick off their sophomore effort under the high profile indie label whereas “Reunion” fuses deathcore, post-metal, post-rock, shoegaze, progressive metal, technical death metal & doomgaze singing about responsibility & the ethics of creation.

The final single “Seed of Night” works in elements of progressive metal, post-metal shoegaze, post-rock, deathcore reclaiming all what is gone from their perspective leading into “Speak Silence” featuring Genital Shame brings in these clean vocals at the start ahead of the breakdown asking what came before the sounds of silence did leading into “Truth to Form” sings about finding identity & morality during the human experience.

“Edge of Forever” & “We Could Fold the Stars” featuring Pawel J.J. Przybysz starts the final portion of Alunea by taking Kardashev’s ability to create massively soaring moments & crank them all the way up to 11 that is until the closing track “Below Sun & Soil” found them challenged to keep the spirit of the 2012 track “Pillars of Creation’s” spacey emptiness & turn it into a story closer humanizing it’s characters & indulgers alike

A direct sequel to the events of The Almanac & picks up right where the song “Beyond Sun & Moon” leaves off, Alunea tells the story of the main character from The Almanac meeting a being created in the song “Continuum” from Excipio that becomes a philosophical examination of where responsibility & duty intersect. Kardashev doesn’t explicitly attempt to answer those questions, yet rather examine them deeply.

Score: 4/5

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

Fly Anakin – “(The) Forever Dream” review

This is the sophomore effort from Richmond, Virginia emcee Fly Anakin. Starting out roughly a decade ago, he first caught my attention in 2018 after being featured on Ankhlejohn’s magnum opus Van Ghost & started to gain even more exposure when he & Pink Siifu dropped their collaborative effort FlySiifu’s. His full-length debut studio album Frank that celebrated its 3-year anniversary last month was a great way of him honoring his father & is coming back to address  (The) Forever Dream.

“Good Clothes” starts by talking about getting his mind right around the time of the COVID-19 lockdowns in 2020 & not needing to ask for forgiveness since he’s been taking what’s his whereas “Teen Summit” strips the drums thanks to Quelle Chris so he can try to build before going back. “My N***a” featuring Big Kahuna O.G. & $ilkMoney samples “Awaking of Our Senses” by Argo for a dedication to brotherhood while “Lil One” addresses an individual who wants something when he already owes something over a Micall Parknsun beat.

Lojii appears with Fly Anakin on the drumless chipmunk soul track “Check on Me” produced by August Fanon asking for their romantic interests to check & see how both of them are doing just before “Not Too Shabby” featuring Nickelus F, Quelle Chris & $ilkMoney brings the quartet together to talk about being closer to their dreams. “Lord Forgives, I Hold Grudges” featuring Denmark Vessey & Pink Siifu is pretty much their way of saying “god forgives, I don’t” leading into the string-laced “The Times” talks about his squad having most of their heads screwed on.

“Forever Dream” takes the drums out of the equation again painting a picture as if he’s Vincent Van Gogh while “Corner Pocket” featuring BBYMutha produced by The Alchemist gives a shoutout to themselves since they got money on the way. “YOUGOTME!!” after the “Dr. Phil” skit discusses being heartbroken after giving this woman everything & after the “Foreverever Dream” interlude, the soulful closer ”Say Thank You” featuring Pink Siifu & Turich Benjy ends by poignantly giving thanks to God.

Some of the most experimentally ambitious material of Fly Anakin’s career winds up on (The) Forever Dream bringing together a collection of bright, diverse & downright gorgeous underground hop hop hip hop that’s so light-on-its-feet to the point where it can sometimes feel like it’s sweeping you off yours. I prefer the production here a little more than Frank because of the way utilizes relentlessly sunny & imaginative instrumental flourishes tilting its tracks from laid-back to cocksure to thoughtful with the elegance of a well-executed magic trick.

Score: 3.5/5

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