Buffalo, New York emcee Jae Skeese is back for the 4th EP in his discography. Starting in 2010 off his debut mixtape W.A.C.K. (Women, Alcohol, Cash & Kicks), it wasn’t until a decade later where he & 7xvethegenius gained wide exposure as the first signees to Conway the Machine’s very own Drumwork Music Group. The Big Ghost Ltd.-produced 3rd EP Authenticity Check & the sophomore effort Abolished Uncertainties both elevated Skeese’s popularity in the last couple years. Coming off the Superior-produced Testament of the Times & elevating from Ground Level though, he’s starting 2025 right by putting 40 Hours in.
“Balance Inquiry” is this jazzy boom bap intro wanting to know what the holdup exactly is whereas “Rotary Phone” talking about the real ones always breaching through the walls at the end of the day. “Buffganistan” featuring Glueski dabbles with trap trading back-&-forth refusing to go broke while “FedEx” works the kicks & snares back up to talk about piecing it all together.
The song “Strike!” featuring K Pi$tol & Lil Jonezy reaches the backend of 40 Hours vibrantly boasting that this shit be larger than life itself leading into “Way Up” featuring Scoop Dolla fusing soul & jazz rap 1 time for ya mind. “Round & Round” concludes the EP hopping over a sample to read between the lines talking about finding once you set out to seek. The first bonus track “Toast Up” links with Ill Tone warming up for something greater & “Banditland” featuring Chasè Scanz ends the deluxe with a triumphant ode to Buffalo.
Looking to put on a handful of local artists & a couple producers, Skeese delivers vibes & bars for the Drumwork fanbase although I personally find myself gravitating towards the Ground Level mixtape that he delivered last summer. The production a lot like that previous body of work balances boom bap & trap except its predecessor contains stronger feature performances.
Remember when I said Tha God Fahim & one of the best producers of this decade Nicholas Craven wrapped up the Hyperbolic Time Chamber Rap trilogy couple weeks ago? They’re picking up where they felt off on Fahim’s 50th EP. Starting as an affiliate of Griselda Records as well as being 1/3 of the Dump Gawds alongside Mach-Hommy & Your Old Droog, we also can’t ignore the massive discography that he’s managed to build for himself, some of the standouts include Breaking Through tha Van Allen Belts & Dump Assassins. That said: He’s been on a CRAZY ass run in 2023 with the standouts being the Camoflauge Monk-produced Dark Shogunn Assassin, the Nature Sounds-backed Iron Bull & the Nicholas Craven-produced Dump Gawd: Shot Clock King series, the Oh No-produced Berserko, Dump Gawd: Rhyme Pays produced by Mike Shabb, Tha Supreme Hoarder of All Pristine Wealth. Supreme Dump Legend: Soul Cook Saga produced by Cookin’ Soul & Machine Gun Vocabulary produced by Cartune Beatz. Continuing the Dump Gawd: Hyperbolic Time Chamber Rap saga that later had a 2nd & 3rd installment of their own however, Dump Gawd: Hyperbolic Time Chamber Rap 4 is now upon us.
“GFY” is this sample-driven opener flexing that he fathered some of these styles in the underground with a resume that very much checks out whereas the soulful “Got Game” reminding everyone that it’s about what you bring to the table. “I Don’t Care” hooks up some strings so he can call himself the final boss of rap & the classy “Muscle Mass” talks about seeing people do a whole switch.
The song “Plot Armor” gets the other half of the EP going for a soulful boom bap route instrumentally referring to himself as a metric ton being compared to grams while “Questions & Answers” keeps the kicks & snares in tact to talk about his colossal posture sampling soul music once more. “Righteous Skills” wraps up Dump Gawd: Hyperbolic Time Chamber Rap 4 with a jazzier sound flexing that he’s turned negatives to positive many times in his career.
Many people regard the original Hyperbolic Time Chamber Rap trilogy to be mid, but he’s continuing the saga by ending 2024 strong & coming in 2025 even stronger since it’s general sound is more very compared to its predecessors. Nicholas Craven’s sample-heavy production draws inspiration from boom bap to drumless, chipmunk soul & jazz rap dumpin’ lyrical heat for 17 minutes.
Bristol, England, United Kingdom emcee Eric the Red starting 2025 with his 3rd studio LP. Known for being the brother of Illinformed & Real Life Drama Records co-founder Leaf Dog of The Four Owls, he would also become 1/3 of the Creatures of Habit & 1/4 of NLP in addition to forming his own label Lost Scroll Records almost a decade ago. His compositional solo EP Basement Blues dropped in 2016 & the In My Element beat tape followed as did the Illinformed-produced debut album Caught Red Handed. Coming off Broken Ear Drum & more recently the sophomore effort Painting da Town Red under Illin’ for Meds Records, he’s having Leaf fully produce The Red Alert a few weeks after Michael Oku became a 2-time RPW British Heavyweight Champion.
“Wins & Sins” begins with a symphonic boom bap instrumental talking about having to risk yourself in part of making your dreams come true whereas “The Good, the Bad & the Druggies” works in some pianos speaking of benefiting his by pushing buggies or moving weight for baby necessities. “Place of the Lost” featuring Verbz finds the 2 dismissing their competition’s reputation for being a parody of itself just before the crooning “Champagne” featuring Leaf Dog talks about delivering Christmas presents via a spaceship in 2021.
“Candies”, we have Leaf flipping organs mixing some kicks & snares in the picture for Eric to get more sexual lyrically leading into “Black Hole Wisdom” featuring Killah Priest soulfully linking the 2 up so they individually hold their own composure dissecting the track together. “The Fish Scale Tale” chops up more soul samples talking about the downsides of cocaine addiction while the jazzy boom bap fusion “Bentley” talks about people becoming envious of Lost Scroll’s success.
“Bad Luck” reaches the halfway point of The Red Alert hauntingly shrugging off the idea that he’d look back at his past feeling remorseful while the 109 second “Asgard” featuring Leaf Dog jazzily reunites the 2 siblings on the mic to drop lyrical braggadocio. “Shut It All Down” also featuring Leaf Dog sticks around so both of the Leigh Brothers can talk about being professionals with the mic while “Don’t Be Scared” features Leaf Dog again likening themselves to sleeping giants.
Eric holds the fort down by himself again for “Duck & Dive” hopping over a violin-infused beat talking about conquering the whole entire map with Leaf but after “Takes Practice” carries over the orchestral boom bap aesthetics explaining that it takes preparation to acquire the kind of skills has, “Sepia” soulfully advises those looking for a sign to hold their loved ones closely & grief doesn’t become easier the more time passes.
“Pappa’s Brothers” featuring Leaf Dog kicks off The Red Alert’s final moments talking about burning weed tags by the numbers & laughing at undercover cops driving past them due to them being so wild while “3 Kings” featuring Leaf Dog & Sonnyjim hops over a prominent woodwind for all 3 of them to flex their royalty status. “Last Lesson” finishes with Eric talking about smoking kush to help him sleep at night & his squad being a bunch of baboons hopping off the balcony spraying up houses.
I’ve been hoping for Eric the Red to have Leaf Dog produce an entire body of work for a minute now & since The Red Alert has arrived, I’d comfortably rank it in the top 3 amongst the Lost Scroll CEO’s discography alongside Caught Red Handed & Painting da Town Red. Leaf’s boom bap production is more rawer than Illinformed’s jazzier sound obviously, his 6 guest appearances all combined make a great showcasing at both Leigh’s’ performative chemistry & Eric going as hard as he did a year earlier.
San Bernardino, California emcee Doggystyleeee linking up with longtime collaborator AC3Beats for his 4th EP. Emerging in the fall of 2019 off his full-length debut Into Somethin’, he would go on to put out his last 3 EPs as well as 5 mixtapes & a couple more albums garnering interest to the point where WWE Hall of Famer Snoop Dogg whose cousin Mercedes Moné is the current AEW tbs Champion, 新日本プロレス STRONG女子チャンピオン & now RPW British Women’s Champion this past week following the current AEW International Champion 竹下 幸之介 becoming the new NEVER無差別級チャンピオン at レスリング • キングダム19 almost signed him to Death Row Records not too long after purchasing the label from MNRK Music Group to revive it. His last tape No Features Needed dropped last summer holding down a half hour’s worth of material by himself without any guests.
“Nightmare Off Evan’s St.” samples the Halloween theme for a g-funk intro warning that you’ll get shot if you fuck around with him whereas “Bacc on My Bullshit” throws it back even further to the early 90s west coast scene refusing to hang with lames. “Don’t Claim Me” clarifies that he doesn’t have a bitch currently while “Footsteps” embraces the g-funk sound further telling his new romantic interest to keep it g.
Trizz joins Doggystyleeee on “I Bet You Never Had” maintains a g-funk flare as they tell the women that they’re currently seeing they ain’t never had anyone like them just before “Nothin’ Like Yo Last” featuring Big Motion, Judy Drama, Rae Monique & $inClar3 comes off as a female counterpart of the previous track. The song “On Safety” brings the g-funk vibes back tryna find his way & “Nothin’ 2 Somethin’” ends by reflecting on his success.
Gearing up for his upcoming 4th album set to come later on in the year, Blame It on My Crippin’ preludes it with Doggystyleeee got one of the very producers who’s always brought the best outta him since he started to blow to help him craft a 24 & a half minute 8-track EP putting a bit of a new school twist on the g-funk gangsta rap that dominated the westside 3 decades ago.
This is the sophomore full-length studio LP from Flint, Michigan rapper & M.I.N.E. Entertainment founder Rio da Yung O.G. home from behind bars. Breaking through the local trap scene during the latter portion of the previous decade under the mentorship of Peezy signing to #Boyz Entertainment in tandem with EMPIRE Distribution, he has since put out his last 9 EPs as well as a full-length debut album & a handful of collaborative projects under his belt all over the duration of 7 years. Rio Circa 2020 was a solid EP celebrating his 30th birthday & we’re here 8 months to celebrate Rio Free.
“Yung O.G.” happens to be this synth-driven Detroit trap intro demanding everyone brings their cheddar out now that he’s in the streets again whereas “Shake Back” comes through with a club banger clarifying his only concern being getting his weight back. “Do Dat” tears down his competition mixing Detroit trap & Mobb music leading into “Me & Marc” talking about going from sitting incarcerated to a Maybach.
Moving on from there, “Uncle Sam” warns that he might pull up with a strap & everything he says ain’t cap at all just before “Off-Rap” wanting to know how he got indicted when he ain’t ever cooked powder. The title track makes a clear statement that it’s his time now while “We Dem Niggas” reps M.I.N.E. & #Boyz Entertainment while “W.Y.D.T. (What You Do Today?) asks a question for the broke. “Rap War” concludes Rio Free by daring everyone to bring their dogs out.
“Something Happen” kicks off the deluxe run with some bells gearing up to a start a fire up in this muhfucka while “4 Minutes of Hell” holds it down for that exact length of time rappin’ without a hook. “Coincidence” asks how the fuck y’all became broke when he was in jail & him being rich soon as he came home while “Booked Summer” talks about his son loving money as much as he does never wanting any toys.
As for “Make a Way”, we have Rio assuring that he still has the wheel except he can’t steer straight these days getting by with 25 racks while “We Need a Pilot” talks about needing to sit down for a minute due to him consuming too many pills. “2:52am in Atlanta” lays a trap out in order to catch a mouse while “Cousin Killed” talks about slime shit resulting in his cousin’s death. “Crash Dummy” admits that he cries even with his gangsta status & the final bonus track “Claressa Shields” gives his flowers to the Flint boxer & MMA fighter.
For only a 54 minute follow-up to the full-length debut turning 5 this spring, Rio da Yung O.G. gears up for his homecoming show at the Masonic Temple tomorrow by dropping one of the most pivotal offerings in his discography yet. He refrains from having any guests join him in contrast to Rio Circa 2020 containing features half of the time letting the Detroit trap scene that he’s a key figure of know that he’s returned as if he was never locked up.
The Bronx, New York emcee/producer Diamond D continuing the final installment of The Diam Piece trilogy. A mentor of Jazzy Jay, he would then form the D.I.T.C. collective alongside Lord Finesse & Showbiz in ‘92 only to put out his classic full-length debut Stunts, Blunts & Hip Hop shortly after. D went on to drop 6 more albums & a couple mixtapes of his own, the latest being Gotham’s acclaimed self-titled effort & The Rear View. The Diam Piece & it’s sequel left most of the rhyming to the guests, coming off Initium from this summer by putting out Duo.
“I’m Not Crazy” by B-Real & Everlast is this rap rock intro suggesting that the whole world’s insane whereas “T.S.N.Y. (The Sound of New York)” by NEMS, Prayah, Saigon & Tons takes the boom bap route instrumentally telling everyone who ain’t with the vibes to get lost. “My DJ Spits Betta Than U” by Da Inphamus Amadeuz, Doo Wop & Kid Capri samples “Monochrome” by Alan Parker boasting that the DJs are better on the mic than a lot of these guys nowadays leading into “Casket Fresh” by Chip Fu, Kardinal Offishall & Peedi Crakk brings the trio together to make sure you look good when they bury you.
Diamond D himself temporarily joins Sadat X on the funky, flute-tinged “Get with It” talking about everyone being a rapper now just before “Hyenas” by Reef Hustle, Shortee Sha & Tek returns to the boom bap bringing it hardcore. “Weed, Sex & Cars” by Camp Lo playfully expresses their desire for all those things leading into the synth-driven “It’s Up 2 Me” by Junk & 4-IZE talking about being here for a while. “Ride the Wave” energetically shares the mic linking up with Aftermath Entertainment in-house producer Focus… telling everyone to approach them with caution prior to “Keep on Steppin’” by Boog Brown, Camari & Lady Luck finishing it up with a cool gospel flip as the ladies speak to the Higher Power.
Of the 2 installments of The Diam Piece trilogy chapter, I find myself preferring Initium still in comparison although I still very much enjoy it whether it be continuing the series’ knack for allowing Diamond D to take a backseat as an MC with a few occasional spots here & there allowing a myriad of guests to do what they do best over his signature boom bap production. I’d finally be remised if I didn’t mention there are some dope influences of rap rock along with funk & a hint of gospel music including a sample I haven’t heard since one of my all-time favorite 7L & Esoteric cuts “Watch Me” off their classic sophomore effort Dangerous Connection.
This is the 13th studio LP from Chicago emcee Novatore & his Goon MuSick sophomore effort. Emerging as a member of the Infamous Crew, he’s also built up an impressive solo career over nearly a decade by dropping 4 EPs & an acclaimed collaborative effort with A.M. Early Morning produced by Stu Bangas called Kingdom of Criminality on top of all the previous LPs that he’s dropped along the way. Other highlights include Louie, Louie II, Embrace the Darkness, Portrait of a Madman, Embrace the Darkness II: Explorers of Experience, Master of Morbid Creations & Living in the End Times, Alchemy & Black Magic & following up his Goon MuSick debut The 87 Arsonist by discussing a Brenx-produced Agoraphobia.
After the intro, the first song “No Restraint” featuring Lord Goat is this boom bap opener with both of them showing off their top notch lyricism whereas “Blood Pies” delivers further down a morbid atmosphere talking about murdering those who can’t compete. After the “Voicemail” skit, the title track featuring Termanology works in more kicks & snares pleading to be taken out the house prior “Knives” featuring Jak Tripper bringing it hardcore for 2 & a half minutes.
“Piano Man” hops over a piano-driven boom bap beat hence the title admitting that he barely leaves the house likening himself to that of a black widow while “Blacksmith” featuring King Magnetic & Recognize Ali finds the trio aggressively boasting that their pens are sharper than ever before. The grisly “Water Shadows” laughs off anyone who comes at them without any skill & finally, “Killer Instinct” ends Agoraphobia by angrily talking about his murderous tendencies.
Loosely basing it’s concept around the fear of leaving one’s home, Novatore’s follow-up to The 87 Arsonist remembers the late Cast Gawd after he was killed in the middle of a shootout with the Arizona police department last spring by giving the underground another reason as to why he fits in so well on the Goon MuSick roster. Brenx’ production here is on par with its predecessor rooted in the traditional boom bap sound, I like that he got lesser guests & even the cohesiveness in general.
Detroit rapper Rafa is back with his full-length debut studio album. Coming up as a member of the WRLD Tour Mafia a couple years ago, he would also begin a solo career of his own starting on Thanksgiving 2020 with his debut EP Not for Household Use & followed it up earlier this year in the form his debut tape Dog$hit & Ammunition. The eponymous mixtape was a pivotal point in his career & Good Girls Don’t Exist from last spring was a superior EP, so it’s cool for him to breakdown the changing of his moniker from WTM Milt to R.A.F.A. (Rockstars Are Fucking Awesome).
“Diary of a Madman” mixes Detroit trap & rock music admitting that he can’t make up for all the damage since he’s a bandit whereas “Fashionably Late” takes a more psychedelic trap route instrumentally talking about never being early. “Get It Back” turns the psychedelia even higher advising y’all to sit & watch him making this bread while the rage-inducing “U R Special” encourages everyone not to let anyone discredit their worth.
As for “IDGAF”, we have Rafa assuring everyone that he’s seeing the bigger picture lately blending Detroit trap & psychedelic rock leading into “Roller Coaster” playfully boasting that all this shit made him. The bassy “Floatin’” suitably lets us know that’s exactly how he’s feeling while the rock-trap hybrid “Linger” wishes an ex good luck. “R J L” cloudily compares himself to the late John Lennon that is until “WATTB” takes it all in for the final moments.
Self-titled & Good Girls Don’t Exist both contain some of my favorite material in Rafa’s whole entire solo catalog, but R.A.F.A. (Rockstars Are Fucking Awesome) takes it to a whole new level by revealing itself to be his boldest work yet. He expand beyond the Motor City’s unique take on trap music in favor of rap rock, cloud rap, rage & psychedelia breaking down the meaning behind his current stage name.
This is the 3rd overall project between Brooklyn, New York duo Stuyville consisting of emcees Eddie Kaine & Rim. Both of whom initially got together over 4 years ago on Devil’s Night 2020 for their moderately received 1st collab effort BK Caminates produced by iamT2 followed by the Meta EP a couple summers later to more mixed reception across the spectrum. Welcome to Stuyville on the other hand here had high potential of surpassing both of it’s predecessors soon as it was announced than 38 Spesh & Camoflauge Monk would both be producing it on top of Holy Toledo Productions & Compound Interest Entertainment backing it.
“What’s This” eerily welcomes everyone to Stuyville by spitting that real shit over a grisly boom bap instrumental from Camoflauge Monk whereas “Ice Cold” takes a more soulful route thanks to 38 Spesh talking about their hearts being as cold as they are refusing to fold. “Never Stop” featuring Che Noir hooks up an organ with kicks & snares promising not to hang it up leading into “Check Check” talking about bench-pressing whenever they be lifting weight off the scale.
Hus Kingpin joins Eddie & Rim on “Da Whispers” fusing cloud rap & boom bap into 1 boasting that all 3 of them stay war ready & keepin’ it gutter while “Stay Focused” motivationally talks about still getting to the dough even when the odds are against them. “Salute” featuring Benny the Butcher goes drumless as the trio do exactly what they have to, but then “Breakfast” talks about focusing on being great.
“Reminisce” featuring Kurupt begins the final leg of Welcome to Stuyville on a jazzier note reflecting on the fact that the block ain’t the same these days while “Chop House” strips the drums again in favor of a bare flute suggesting not to ride the wave if you ain’t the skipper. The closing track “Made Men” featuring the late Fred the Godson finishes the LP with everyone talking about their successes in the rap game.
Only a week into the new year, Welcome to Stuyville greatly surpasses BK Caminates & META in being the best collaborative effort that Eddie Kaine & Rim have done with one another & an early Album of the Year candidate that’ll hold it’s strength until next winter. Camoflauge Monk & 38 Spesh’s production here is more palatable than the last couple & the chemistry that the individually talented Brooklyn lyricists share gets elevated.
Bayamon, Puerto Rico rapper, singer/songwriter, producer, actor, occasional WWE in-ring performer since WrestleMania XXXVII, real estate agent, Super Bowl LX halftime show performer & the King of Latin Trap himself Bad Bunny dropping his 6th studio LP only a week into the new year. Emerging in 2018 after being featured on Cardi B’s only full-length to date Invasion of Privacy, his own debut X 100pre that Christmas Eve was a decent Latin Trap debut followed by the 2020 sophomore effort Y.H.L.Q.M.D.L.G. (Yo Hago Lo Que Me Da La Gana) showing a heavy reggaetón influence & El Último Tour Del Mundo infused the sounds of it’s predecessors with rock music. Un Verano Sin Ti decently put a cumba & indie pop spin on reggaetón & Nadie Sabe Lo Que Va a Pasar Mañana proved to be the worst offering in his discography his negatively received appearances on Travis Scott’s 4th album Utopia & a week after Drake’s 6th album For All the Dogs. However, I did enjoy his most recent WWE appearance to date at Backlash XVIII in the José Miguel Agrelot Coliseum earlier that spring & a month after Endeavor purchased the company from Vince McMahon to merge it with the UFC’s parent entity Zuffa & form TKO Group Holdings. DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS on the other hand coming off his feature on ¥$’ sophomore effort Vultures 2 has been widely singled out as his best material yet & convinced me to dive into it.
Bayamón, rapero puertorriqueño, cantante / compositor, productor, actor, intérprete ocasional de la WWE en el ring desde WrestleMania XXXVII, agente de bienes raíces, artista del espectáculo del descanso de la Super Bowl LX & el Rey del Latin Trap en persona Bad Bunny dejando caer su 6º LP de estudio solo una semana en el nuevo año. Surgido en 2018 después de aparecer en el único larga duración de Cardi B hasta la fecha Invasion of Privacy, su propio debut X 100pre esa víspera de Navidad fue un decente debut de Latin Trap seguido por el segundo esfuerzo de 2020 Y.H.L.Q.M.D.L.G. (Yo Hago Lo Que Me Da La Gana) mostrando una fuerte influencia reggaetón & El Último Tour Del Mundo infundió los sonidos de sus predecesores con música rock. Un Verano Sin Ti puso decentemente un giro cumba & indie pop en reggaetón & Nadie Sabe Lo Que Va a Pasar Mañana resultó ser la peor oferta en su discografía sus apariciones negativamente recibidas en el 4 º álbum de Travis Scott Utopía & una semana después del 6 º álbum de Drake For All the Dogs. Sin embargo, disfruté de su más reciente aparición en la WWE hasta la fecha en Backlash XVIII en el Coliseo José Miguel Agrelot a principios de primavera y un mes después de que Endeavor comprara la compañía a Vince McMahon para fusionarla con la entidad matriz de la UFC, Zuffa, y formar TKO Group Holdings. DeBÍ TirAR MáS FOToS, por otro lado, saliendo de su largometraje en el esfuerzo de segundo año de ¥$’ Vultures 2 ha sido ampliamente destacado como su mejor material hasta ahora y me convenció de sumergirme en él.
“NUEVAYoL” pays tribute to “Un Verano en Nueva York” by El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico & Andy Montañez giving it a more urban touch packed with Puerto Rican & Dominican references whereas “VOY A LLeVARTE PA PR” takes the reggaetón route making makes an invitation to a woman with whom he wants to get involved to visit Puerto Rico with him & go partying. “BAILE INoLVIDABLE” homages salsa music addressing a woman with whom he had a romantic relationship & that he still can’t forget, but then “PERFuMITO NUEVO” featuring RaiNao is this reggaetón duet portraying 2 lovers.
“NUEVAYoL” rinde homenaje a “Un Verano en Nueva York” de El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico & Andy Montañez dándole un toque más urbano repleto de referencias puertorriqueñas y dominicanas mientras que “VOY A LLeVARTE PA PR” toma la ruta del reggaetón haciendo una invitación a una mujer con la que quiere involucrarse para que visite Puerto Rico con él y se vaya de fiesta. “BAILE INoLVIDABLE” rinde homenaje a la música salsa dirigiéndose a una mujer con la que tuvo una relación romántica y que todavía no puede olvidar, pero “PERFuMITO NUEVO” con RaiNao es un dueto de reggaetón que retrata a dos amantes.
Chuwi joins Bad Bunny on “WELTiTA” giving off a heavy Caribbean flare taking each other for a walk on the beach while “VeLDÁ” featuring Dei V & Omar Courtz mixes early 2010s reggaetón with elements of it’s present for the trio to talk about a woman whom the interpreters try to conquer & tempt to see each other. “EL CLúB” brings hip house, chillwave, melodic house, synthwave & future house together inspired by an ex-girlfriend of his leading into the synth-reggaetón hybrid “KETU TeCRÉ” singing about her acting wild now that she’s moved on from him.
Chuwi se une a Bad Bunny en “WELTiTA” desprendiendo un fuerte aire caribeño dándose un paseo por la playa mientras que “VeLDÁ” con Dei V & Omar Courtz mezcla el reggaetón de principios de 2010 con elementos de su presente para que el trío hable de una mujer a la que los intérpretes intentan conquistar y tentar para verse. “EL CLúB” aúna hip house, chillwave, house melódico, synthwave y future house inspirado en una ex-novia de él que desemboca en el híbrido synth-reggaetón “KETU TeCRÉ” cantando sobre ella actuando salvajemente ahora que ha pasado de él.
“BOKeTE” tells a story of heartbreak between Bad Bunny & a woman with whom he maintained a relationship that cooled & turned off over time that gradually ending in distance & loss of communication on both parts accompanied by soft & melodies from a bachata rhythm guitar appears progressively while synthesizer-heavy reggaetón cut “KLOuFRENS” awkwardly admits that he stalks an ex only to see how she’s doing these days. “TURiSTA” embraces a Hispanic American Folk Music vibe singing about someone who was a tourist in his life just before “CAFé CON RON” featuring Los Pleneros de la Cresta gets back on the Caribbean tip drinking coffee in the morning & rum in the afternoon.
“BOKeTE” cuenta una historia de desamor entre Bad Bunny y una mujer con la que mantuvo una relación que se enfrió y apagó con el tiempo y que poco a poco terminó en distancia y pérdida de comunicación por ambas partes acompañada de melodías suaves y de una guitarra rítmica de bachata que aparece progresivamente mientras que el corte de reggaetón con sintetizador “KLOuFRENS” admite torpemente que acosa a una ex sólo para ver cómo le va a ella estos días. “TURiSTA” abraza un ambiente de música folk hispanoamericana cantando sobre alguien que fue turista en su vida justo antes de que “CAFÉ CON RON” con Los Pleneros de la Cresta vuelva a la punta caribeña bebiendo café por la mañana y ron por la tarde.
The final single “PiTORRO DE COCO” that came out couple weeks ago was a cool foray into bomba, son cubano & Christmas music while “LO QUE LE PASÓ A HAWAii” addresses the loss of identity suffered by the state of Hawaii & wanting to keep the Puerto Rican culture intact. “EoO” samples “Perreo Baby” by Héctor & Tito taking us to the disco while “DtMF” expresses hope that his people never move away. “LA MuDANZA” profoundly closes the album profoundly talking about going from the oldest of 6 working since he was a kid to a millionaire without ever leaving the hood.
El último single “PiTORRO DE COCO” que salió hace un par de semanas fue una incursión genial en la bomba, el son cubano y la música navideña mientras que “LO QUE LE PASÓ A HAWAii” aborda la pérdida de identidad sufrida por el estado de Hawaii y el deseo de mantener intacta la cultura puertorriqueña. “EoO” samplea “Perreo Baby” de Héctor & Tito llevándonos a la discoteca mientras que “DtMF” expresa la esperanza de que su gente nunca se aleje. “LA MuDANZA” cierra profundamente el disco hablando de pasar de ser el mayor de 6 trabajando desde niño a millonario sin salir del barrio.
Ironically as somebody who never liked his features on “K-Pop” or “Gently” as a big Travis Scott fan & someone who enjoys Drake’s music from 2007-2015 as well as For All the Dogs, I have to admit that DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS is by far the strongest & most personal entry in Bad Bunny’s discography thus far. It’s sound is heavily based around Carribean music & reggaetón further showing influences of salsa plena, bomba, jibaro, Latin electronic, chillwave, son cubano, Christmas music, hip house, chillwave, melodic house, synthwave & future house centering Puerto Rico in his work moreso than in the past & celebrating various musical styles within it’s legacy.
Irónicamente como alguien que nunca le gustó sus características en “K-Pop” o “Gently” como un gran fan de Travis Scott y alguien que disfruta de la música de Drake de 2007-2015 así como For All the Dogs, tengo que admitir que DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS es, con mucho, la entrada más fuerte y más personal en la discografía de Bad Bunny hasta el momento. Su sonido está fuertemente basado en la música caribeña y el reggaetón, mostrando además influencias de salsa plena, bomba, jíbaro, electrónica latina, chillwave, son cubano, música navideña, hip house, chillwave, house melódico, synthwave y future house, centrando a Puerto Rico en su trabajo más que en el pasado y celebrando varios estilos musicales dentro de su legado.
Legends Will Never Die 