This is the 5th EP from Compton, California experimental hip hop duo Paris Texas. Consisting of Louie Pastel & Felix. These guys started to become popular several years ago after their first few EPs I’ll Get My Revenge in Hell alongside Boy Anonymous & Red Hand Akimbo. Their debut album Mid Air garnered co-signs from Ye formerly known as Kanye West & Tyler, The Creator with the latter having them open on his ongoing Chromakopia Tour. Their previous EP They Left Me with the Sword came out last weekend & are quickly putting out They Left Me with a Gun as a successor.
“Superstar” breaks the door off the hinges with this rap rock intro talking about the way they be living now that they’re becoming famous whereas “Twin Geeker” kinda gives me a Gorillaz vibe instrumentally talking about having everything you don’t because of you going idle. “Stripper Song” blends rap rock, post-punk revival & synth-punk for a refreshing strip club joint while “mudbone” maintains a synth-punk/hip hop vibe. “H A L O” asks to be let in out of desperateness & “No Strings” refuses to go back to their previous selves.
Keeping a prominently hardcore west coast hip hop vibe to the table, they completely ditch the trap undertones that were shown during the EP these guys put out last weekend so they can keep the experimental details in the picture & putting a bigger emphasis on the rap rock influences that made them so popular making up for it not being as prominent a week ago in addition to both synth-punk & post-punk revival.
This is the 8th studio LP from Philadelphia emcee O.T. the Real. Getting his start in the underground back in 2016 after coming home from prison & dropping his debut single “Papercuts”, his profile began to grow from there after showcasing his skills on radio stations or dropping his last 7 albums as well as a mixtape & 8 EPs. My favorites being the Heatmakerz-produced 3rd EP The Irishman & the DJ Green Lantern-produced 3rd album Broken Glass that dropped on my 25th birthday & the Statik Selektah produced Maxed Out. No Matter What, Desperation of December, It’s Almost Over & Red Summer were all hit or miss for me until O.T. finally signed to Black Soprano Family Records & enlisted araabMUZIK for Zombie to critical acclaim. Prepare for War & Pale Horse were ok, following up Moving Base O.T.’s eponymous debut showed improvement as did the Nickel Plated produced Cost of Living, so Nickel returning for The Devil You Know only makes sense.
“GOATS” grimly starts with this boom bap opener warning to watch what you say around him because you might wind up dead because of it later on at some point whereas “Silverspoon” morbidly keeps it in the basement instrumentally talking about making it out on his own. The beat on “Wall” kinda gives me a Griselda feel to it giving praise to the plug who helped him get into his current position while “Countryfried” featuring Smoke DZA cops a turkey on the low without knowing what it took.
As for “Highland”, we have O.T. over an uncannily raw instrumental suggest to watch who you servin’ just before “Eyes” ruggedly demand you show him the product & the bread right on the spot. “Insane” maintains the boom bap sound talking about staying outside trappin’ for what his leading into “Talez” taking about the stories of a hustler & wanting others to have his back whether it’s right or wrong.
“Devil” aggressively kicks off the final leg of The Devil You Know with O.T. getting right back in his zone over this rap rock/boom bap crossover while “Friends” featuring Dun Dealy finds the 2 talking about being unable to enter Canada & having homies out in Mexico. The song “Damn” is a dreary one reflecting on a homie texting him saying he needed to talk to him & “62” ends by explaining his come up was a dream come true.
Starting the deluxe run, “Bracelets” brushes off any notion of his competition being anything like him while “After Midnight” featuring SKNJ decently trades the mic back-&-forth with each other. “Carved” talks about being the only one who can see the blood on his hands while “Dead Opps” featuring Lik Moss talks about how nasty it is out here. “Lows” speeds up his flow over a piano-driven boom bap beat & the final bonus track “Junkie’s Son” coincides with his Long Bright River appearance.
Both You Are Who You Eat With & Cost of Living remain quality bodies of work within what’s already an impressive discography for O.T., unless The Devil You Know can now be included during conversation. Nickel Plated’s production for a good run of it primarily sticks out as being based around boom bap locking in with the Philly standout for another round of pressure.
Los Angeles, California rapper Big Hit dropping his 3rd studio LP from behind bars. The father of Hit-Boy, he was found guilty & convicted of a hit & run resulting in great bodily injury almost a decade ago & unlawfully being sentenced to 12 years & 4 months in prison including a 5-year GBI enhancement connected to Count 1. His petition for a writ of habeas corpus was later granted & became a free man on his son’s 36th birthday. Hit would have his father join forces by making Surf or Drown 2 a collab effort tailored for Father’s Day Weekend & put out a debut album of his own The Truth is in My Eyes only 6 months later. Blacks & Whites produced by Hit-Boy & The Alchemist outdid the debut last spring, finding himself incarcerated again 4 months ago & Surf Club Inc. has put together Free Big Hit.
“The Game Just Forced Me” is this summery intro talking about wanting to live his life & not wanting to make any sacrifices whereas “Got What You Need” featuring WWE Hall of Famer Snoop Doggshows off their mob ties over a west coast trap instrumental from Hit-Boy. “It’s Obvious” featuring Lefty Gunplay & X4 cloudily brings the trio together to talk about being allergic to the bullshit while “Slow Your Roll” featuring Ty$ melodically breaks down the coldness of the ghetto.
Meanwhile on “Bigger Than Life”, we have Big Hit on top of more sampling aiming to plan for the future in the midst of the price increasing with the appetite just before “Fuck Me Back” featuring the Baby Stone Gorillas was an underwhelming choice of a single that came out couple months back when winter began. “Thug Love” featuring Jay Worthy & TeeFLii makes up for it with a dedication to the thugs leading into “Awake” featuring Hit-Boy stands a warming father-son moment.
“Beyond Solid” continues to push further towards the 2nd leg of Free Big Hit with a boastfully cloudy trap heater assuring that he still has it even with all the bullshit he’s been dealing with these last few months while “Crunch Time” shows a bit of a jazz rap flare instrumentally heading for the riches. “They Say They Proud of Me” featuring Joe Moses ends with them addressing everyone who claims to be happy for their success.
Wouldn’t be fair at all to say it’s Big Hit’s fault that this album didn’t do as much as his last couple did because he’s back on prison for some bullshit, but Free Big Hit even with the highlights it has could quite possibly be his most average listening experience. His performances are unquestionably on par with The Truth is in My Eyes and Blacks & Whites, the guests’ though either come off as exciting or disappointingly underwhelming.
New York emcee Queen Herawin returning ahead of her solo debut Metamorphosis turning 10 this spring with a sophomore effort. A member of the Juggaknots, she eventually went on to drop an EP after her debut The Space Between Things & appeared on Vinnie Paz’ 5th album as above so below only a month away from the world changing forever because of the pandemic. However after some recent singles, she’s teamed with Coalmine Records to help distribute Awaken the Sleeping Giant.
“Focus” is this spacious boom bap intro exploring the idea of resetting perspective until the aperture is properly set & allowing you to see things from a much more clearer perspective whereas “Anger” talks about time feeling like a ticking bomb to her occasionally through genuine angst. “Gluttony” featuring Breeze Brewin’ works in this crazy gospel sample venting that their people feel like straight meat sometimes just before “Denial” featuring Illa Ghee & Pretty Bulli finds the trio on a blink away from savagery.
Open Mike Eagle joins Herawin on the synth-heavy “Shame” delivering a relentless verbal onslaught over some additional organs leading into “Anxiety” produced by J. Depina somberly opening up about her struggles with the universal plague of anxiety & showing how her lyrical craft becomes her remedy. “Power” featuring Ke Turner hits y’all spiritual sound codes on top of these pianos & strings while “Arrogant” featuring Poison Pen ruggedly takes charge thanks to Johnny Slash.
“Love” featuring Aaqil Ali continues to go for a darker sound portraying 2 romantic partners wonderfully referencing to one another as their favorite monsters, but then “Manifest” featuring Apathy & Mickey Factz concludes the Sleeping Giant being awoken with them showcasing their elite style of lyricism each of them are known for in the underground & Supastition showing off some crazy sampling with the guitar flip he has to offer.
A whole entire decade after her solo debut, the Queen of the Juggaknots returns with a musical memoir of waking up to your true self, to your inherent power, embracing it & celebrating the entirety of who you are with a cathartic blend of stunning tales of her own personal growth addressing issues that she wanted to bring more awareness to with raw speaker-shaking production & consistent performances amongst the guests.
1300SAINT is an Atlanta, Georgia up-&-comer known for staying out of the box with a versatile sound & style drawing in listeners from all walks of life painting pictures of all colors & shapes to create a true experience for his audience. The heavy 808 based instrumentals he lays his smooth vocals over on his debut album Noir makes you feel every song a little more than usual, catching Young Thug’s attention & signing him to YSL Records after coming home last Halloween for 1300SAINT’s official sophomore effort.
“Never Them” starts with a trap instrumental working in some sampling talking about this not being a homecoming whatsoever from his perspective whereas “Venom” talks about him chilling with the snakes in the pit now that he has a label deal. “I See Red” gives a glimpse of what’s in his cup & not wanting problems with him, but then “Out Bad” produced by Jwade fuses trap & rock reflecting on being at his lowest when he was 18 compared to his current status.
Meanwhile on “LCKY NMBR 7”, we have 1300SAINT over this cloudy trap instrumental reflecting on the days when he was playing on the block as if it was Tetris just before “Everything Slatt” really represents YSL to the fullest on here & he more than deserves it. “Life of a Don” blends an atmospheric trap backdrop with a guitar showing off what it’s like to be a Don & after the Young Thug interlude, the sample-based “Safe & Sound” suggests he & a romantic interest lay back some time.
“Gallery” calls out those who taught them the way they should be moving for not giving him credit for it while “BTTR & BTTR” talks about his evolution. “Cayenne” has these crazy synthesizers throughout observing the dog eat dog world for what it is while “Sunsex” melodically shows a sensual side to him. “The World is Yours” wraps it up with him getting everything he asked for.
It’s no secret YSL Records was in a rough patch for almost 3 years because of everything that went on & they really needed to bring someone on board who fits in with the rest of the roster keeping up with the modern trap sounds. 1300SAINT was the right person they could choose. As far as production goes, it’s a cut above his previous material & he holds the fort with no guests for 37 minutes.
Here we have the 10th studio LP from Bronx, New York rapper Jim Jones. A member of The Diplomats in the 2000s, his first 5 full-lengths from 2004-2011 had some highlights in them even if they were all average at best as whole albums. However it wouldn’t be until 2018 after dropping Wasted Talent where he would really start putting out his best material ever & then came out with his magnum opus the following year El Capo. El Capo 2 & the Harry Fraud-produced The Fraud Department continued the acclaim up until the Hitmaka-produced Back in My Prime proved to be disappointing. Over 2 decades after his debut, he’s arrived At the Church Steps.
“Jomo” produced by 1982 is actually a great sample-driven opener to get us started reminding everyone who he is 21 years later whereas “Genesis” fuses gospel & trap courtesy of Jim himself talking about half these dudes out here being broke to the point where they can’t pay their debts. “Seen It All” discusses getting it all in & never falling because of his shoes being tied, but then “Make It Out” maintains a trap vibe thanks to Hitmaka talking about him & Cam’ron falling out with each other again a month ago.
Conway the Machine & Keen Streetz join Jimmy for “Walking on Business” working in a boom bap instrumental to follow through with their actions & sticking to their values just before “White Lines” talks about being obsessed with spending money & refusing to back down for anybody. “Call on Me” goes for a solemn trap vibe again with the help of Smatt Sertified feeling like the world’s falling on him leading into “Opp Thot” featuring Fabolous talks about the L only being a loss if you’ve learned your lesson.
“This Shit Still in Harlem” embraces the Brooklyn drill sound representing the Manhattan neighborhood further proving Cam’s point that he isn’t from Harlem at all while “Dope Boy” featuring Keen Streetz ominously suggests to let them do their dance. “Cinema” featuring Fivio Foreign & Keen Streetz takes another shot at the New York Drill sound missing the landing even harder than previously & after the “Ray Ray” skit, “Back in My Bag” returns to the boom bap getting in the mix again.
Dave East appears with Jim on “What’s Going On?” so both of them can break down shit being different nowadays while “Back in the Day” by The Lobby Boyz keeps the traditional boom bap sound in tact getting reflective. “End of Summer” atmospherically asks God to make space in heaven for him & “Church Steps” ends with a gospel-inspired closer that The Heatmakerz cooked up talking about arriving at the steps of a place of worship.
“Outside” starts the deluxe run with Ron Browz going sample drill behind the boards talking about being out here with that shit on while “Shop” offers a weak take on cloud rap pointing out that some like to take out fires & others letting them burn. “Walk with Me” featuring Keen Streetz cavernously talks about their street mentality & legitimacy while the industrial hip hop joint “Fashion Killa” shows off his taste in drip.
Keen Streetz links back up with Jimmy on “Hoodie Season” providing an average anthem for that specific time of year when it starts to get cold out while “Hustlers” featuring Keen Streetz jazzily talks about being go-getters. “Swerv” featuring G Herbo takes another jab at sample drill doing it just as good as “Outside” did earlier while the trap rock hybrid “Civil Rights” shows a more conscious side to the Vamplife Records founder.
“Ring” slickly pleads for someone to call him while the underwhelming “Skin” fails in terms of an attempt at sexy drill. “Deep End” featuring Rick Ross intriguingly shows off their riches while “No Love” featuring YG shows absolutely 0 affection for these bitches while “Vamp Ooter’s” featuring Dilla illa & 34Zeussy doesn’t represent the VL label that well personally. The final bonus track “Flu Game” featuring Trinidad Jame$ is only slightly better, soulfully talking about being ok.
Some of the singles building up to At the Church Steps including the feature-heavy tracklist truly had me a bit torn on the sequel to the ByrdGang leader’s solo debut unlike the high praise I gave to El Capo, El Capo 2 & The Fraud Department. Now that I’ve actually heard the whole entire thing, I’m still a little iffy on it. Jim’s growth in the past 2 decades is there, except a lot of the hooks are cringe & some of the production tends to falter occasionally.
This is the 5th mixtape from Carson, California rapper Reason. After releasing his first 4 tapes, Top Dawg Entertainment signed him in the middle of 2018 by reissuing the one that landed him the contract in the first place: There You Have It. However, his official full-length debut album New Beginnings received more mixed reception when it came out the fall where COVID had the whole world shut down & Anthony “Top Dawg” Tiffith’s son Moosa subsequently got into a heated exchange of words with Reason the week Porches dropped saying former employee & pgLang co-founder Dave Free regrets even signing him in the first place. Understandably, he left TDE & is returning to his independent roots by telling the game I Love You Again in light of starting his own label Do More Records.
“Fly Away” is this 1 minute drumless intro tackling the theme of escapism whereas “MY Own” featuring Junii takes the trap route instrumentally talking about keeping your head up whilst treading them waters. “Stuck on Moments” featuring Kota the Friend goes for a summery vibe to the beat taking a road different from the proper trail just before “Fleece” hooks up these pianos & hi-hats showing off his young ghetto n***a status.
The soul-trap hybrid on “Not What You Think” featuring Bas crosses the halfway mark of I Love You Again nicely turning all of their demons into meanings but after the “Do More with Thoughts & Ideas” interlude, Ben Reilly joins Reason for “100” going off the top together that is until “Hol’ That” featuring Coyote & Ransom reveals to be the most fun collab here. The final song “Cross the Waters” ahead of the “I Really Do Love You Memoir” outro wraps it up with him & Hit-Boy sharing a moment on the mic together over a Supah Mario instrumental.
After the “I Still Love You Memoir” interlude, “Count It Up” gets on a soulful trap note taking happiness over money & fame while “Tears Over Rose Petals” featuring Cozz cumbersomely talks about wanting people to feel the words they’re speaking instead of simply listening. “On Site NE” hooks up a vocal sample & some finger snaps saying he needs his paper pronto & after the “Spin the Block Memoir” interlude, “I Hate You. I Love You.” dustily breaks down his love/hate relationship with the game.
Once the final bonus track “Home to Me” featuring Chris Patrick excluding the “Support Ya Ppls” outro finishes the deluxe run with a pop rap joint feeling safe around the love of their lives, I wanted to take an opportunity to discuss both “The Dead Apple” & “New York Crash” since both of them were released in the midst of Ray Vaughn & Joey Bada$$’ series of friendly competition disses. The first is a 2-parter replying to a jab Joey threw during “The Finals” & the other finds himself tempted carrying a .40 on him at all times.
Sitting in the weight of reflection, contemplation & healing, one of the industry’s most compelling young voices renowned for his gift for narrative & storytelling prowess makes his highly anticipated return as he embarks on creating his own path & proves that his star is as bright as ever now that’s independent free to drop whenever he wants as opposed to a major label holding his creativity hostage.
Deep Sea Diver are an indie rock band from Seattle, Washington consisting of drummer Peter Mansen, guitarist Elliot Jackson, bassist Garrett Gue & frontwoman Jessica Dobson. Their 2012 debut History Speaks followed by Secrets & Impossible Weight were all solid in their own rights, eventually garnering the interest of the biggest local indie label Sub Pop Records & them fittingly signing the hometown act for their 4th full-length studio album in their discography having the potential to become their most important one ever.
The title track mixes indie rock, dream pop, neo-psychedelia, indie pop, new wave & post-punk revival together singing about welcoming the future by letting go of it whereas the existentially tongue-in-cheek “What Do I Know?” asks why Jessica feels so complicated. “Emergency” turns the punk influences back up warning she doesn’t anyone shit when she really doesn’t while “Shovel” blends new wave, post-punk revival & alternative dance gets at Jessica’s most angular & dualistic.
“Tiny Threads” comes through with a sweeping anthem for anyone trying to hold anything together just before “Loose Change” brings a heavy singer/songwriter vibe to the table with it’s acoustic heavy sound singing about all of us standing up to our mistakes. “Always Waving Goodbye” goes for their signature indie pop/indie rock sound hoping that we all stop hiding one day while “Let Me Go”featuring Madison Cunningham stands out with them giving flowers to PJ Harvey.
To begin the encore of Deep Sea Diver’s official Sub Pop debut, “Be Sweet” calls for everyone to give her more flowers than she can take only for the sole purpose of smelling them in the flesh & promising we’ll survive the bullshit in the past month or so while “See in the Dark” sings about having the ability of having night vision & there being no need for anyone else around her to find another way out. “Happiness Isn’t a Given” concludes the band’s most exciting offering perceiving joy as not being specified.
For a personal breakthrough that prompted an artistic one, Billboard Hearts exemplifies Seattle’s biggest label signing the local act & they hand them a defiant & brilliant exclamation mark at the end of a long period of wandering. They expand the indie rock/indie hybrids they’re known for venturing out in favor of new wave, synthpop, shoegaze, garage rock revival, post-punk revival, singer/songwriter & dream pop peeling back a renewed self of self Jessica has.
Boldy James teaming up with Chuck Strangers for his 12th full-length studio LP. Breaking out in the fall of 2013 off his Alchemist produced debut M.1.C.S. (My 1st Chemistry Set), the Detroit lyricist would later go on to land a contract with Nas’ independent label Mass Appeal Records for a little while before getting locked up. Once coming home, Uncle Al would help get his name back out there once getting out by dropping the Boldface EP around Christmas 2019 & then the sophomore album The Price of Tea in China. This was followed up with the Sterling Toles-produced Manger on McNichols which was as equally fantastic, but the Griselda Records-backed Versace Tape EP was a tad bit disappointing given how rushed it was. Bo Jackson though would become his most critically acclaimed work to date & Super Tecmo Bo was almost as great for an EP. Fair Exchange No Robbery produced by Nicholas Craven, Penalty of Leadership, Mr. 10-08 produced by Futurewave, the Conductor Williams-produced Across the Tracks, the Harry Fraud-produced The Bricktionary & the Carlo Anthony-produced Hidden in Plain Sight were all welcomed to warm reception as well so I went into Token of Appreciation hoping it would be better than both Murder During Drug Traffic & Permanent Ink.
“B.O.B. (Big Ol’ Business) is this calming opener with Boldy making it very clear what he’s standing on regularly whereas “Whale Fishing” works in a drumless chipmunk soul instrumental talking about being aware of this shit coming with gun-smoke or a jail cell. “Big Paws on a Puppy” hooks up this piano refusing to lack & staying in double action while “Unapologetic” strips the drums again so he can talk about trying to a catch a blessing recollecting.
The synth-organs on “Lop Sided” are the most attentive detail about Chuck’s beat here zip-lining through the ghetto with his Concreature family just before “Global Telling” brings psychedelic jazzy flare to the table talking about his mother being extremely proud of his career taking off. “Thank God” continues the sampling giving praise to the Most High, but then “UPS” hops over a harp laying the demo down soon as they get ups.
“Fail Proof” officially gets the final leg of Boldy’s Token of Appreciation rollin’ to observe a plain that wasn’t protected from fallin’ flat on it’s face while “3rd Little Piggy” goes for a richly groovier vibe instrumentally unsurprisingly fucking with the bricks. “Bird’s Eye View” properly finishes the best thing that Boldy has made in the first 2 months of the year telling everyone the sky’s the limit from that very perspective.
Seeing people on social media saying Boldy’s beginning to fall off because Murder During Drug Traffic & Permanent Ink were both mid really must’ve caught his attention because he & Chuck Strangers just made every one of those idiots eat their words with an album on 2/27 Day that clears both it’s predecessors. Chuck’s production is far more well detailed than what we got from Boldy last month & his rapping sounds better in comparison.
Here is the 10th EP from Athens, Georgia rapper Babystaydown. Somebody who’s spent the last couple years on SoundCloud with all 9 of his previous EPs under his belt already including PL Top Recruits, 1,350, Drugz Sex & Money and it’s sequel, 17, Genesis, his Cegular Records/Sony Music debut Hate da Way Um Livin, Saint & Pain Before Pleasure. Exactly a week after Pradabagshawty’s brand new EP B What You B, the Cegular crew isn’t wasting any time to drop Chief 13.
“Flyest & Highest” begins by flexing that he’s the dopest & the most stoned out of everyone in his vicinity over a cloudy trap instrumental whereas the pluggier “Perfect Timing” produced by Whyceg & SOULJASPIRITS talks about sending muhfuckas to the sky. “You Don’t Relate” cloudily asks how the fuck someone gonna push down since leaving’s forbidden while “Green Like Neon” featuring Pradabagshawty proves why we need a collab project from them.
Starting the 2nd half of Chief 13, we have Babystaydown going off the top for 2 & a half minutes during the synth-woven “Sun Up” talking about balling in a party with a Glock on him while “It’s Alright” suggests that one better keep their fight instead of going out sad. “Dirt Work” talks about being unconfident even after taking all the drugs he’s been on & “Need You Around” closes with him telling a woman how badly he desires to have her by his side.
Ever since Babystaydown signed to Cegular Records last fall, Whyceg has really done an outstanding job elevating him & Pradabagshawty because they’re already climbing the ranks in terms of becoming one of the most interesting plugg labels out currently. Things in the production department having been progressively strengthening for the Athens artist these past 5 months, which Chief 13 further exemplifies & the hungry gangsta lyrics.
Legends Will Never Die 