A-F-R-O – “No More Patience…” review

Here we have the 15th EP from Los Angeles, California emcee/producer A-F-R-O. A protege of R.A. the Rugged Man after winning the Definition of a Rap Flow contest, his Duck Down Music Inc.-backed 5th EP A-F-R-O Polo produced by Marco Polo introduced himself as a promising up-&-comer within the underground. The Drawing Board alongside the Stu Bangas-produced The Bad & the Ugly: The Goods Always Die First and Crimson Fury have all testified to his vengeful return in recent memory, coming off The Bad & the Ugly II to declare he has No More Patience… left in him.

“Who’s Dat?” starts with a vintage boom bap instrumental talking about being that muhfucka & assuring those who ain’t with the flow won’t rock the same as him leading into “Cross da Line” referencing current AEW performer & commentator as well as former 7-time WWE world champion, 11-time WWE Tag Team Champion, WWE Intercontinental Champion, WWE United States Champion & 3-time WWE Hardcore Champion Paul Wight.

Meanwhile on “N.B.N.A. (No Bitch N****s Allowed)”, we have A-F-R-O sharpening his pen so he can show off his wordplay abilities leading into “Hillz Have Eyes” featuring Illa Ghee & Rim uniting the trio so they can talk about committing mass murder. “U Ain’t” might be my favorite track here from the Erick Sermon beat to the confrontational lyricism while “Cyanide” featuring Johnny Smoke finds the 2 showing off their mean styles.

The self-produced “Things I Do” starts the final moments of No More Patience… talking about always checking his surroundings because things in life are always changing while “Da Formula” cites the late Sean Price of Heltah Skeltah & the Boot Camp Clik amongst his biggest lyrical inspirations, going from being a student to a professor himself. “Sittin’ on Top ov da World” concludes the EP feeling alone at the top of the underground, announcing his full-length debut will come within the next 12 months.

Said to be the most aggressive work of his whole entire career, A-F-R-O’s 5th & final extended play of 2025 finishes up the west coast lyricist’s year with my 3rd favorite of the quintet placed in the middle between My Mind’s My Biggest Gun & the final chapter of the AFRODEEZEAK trilogy behind it and Fromage & Crimson Fury above. Most of the production doesn’t interest me the same way the latter did or The Bad & The Ugly II aside from a couple notable moments, but No More Patience…will still satisfy many hardcore hip hop fans who’ve stuck around for the past decade.

Score: 3.5/5

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A-F-R-O – “The Bad & the Ugly II” review

Los Angeles, California emcee/producer A-F-R-O running it back with Stu Bangas for his latest LP. A protege of R.A. the Rugged Man after winning the Definition of a Rap Flow contest, his Duck Down Music Inc.-backed 5th EP A-F-R-O Polo produced by Marco Polo introduced himself as a promising up-&-comer within the underground. The Drawing Board alongside The Bad & the Ugly: The Goods Always Die First and Crimson Fury have all testified to his vengeful return in recent memory, preluding his upcoming 14th EP No More Patience with The Bad & the Ugly II.

A sequel to “Lost Souls” off the original Bad & the Ugly begins assuring that he still sees the finer things despite having glaucoma whereas “Pack It In” mixes sampling with kicks & snares calling back to the House of Pain single “Jump Around” in that battling him’s a sin. “Bring Ya Best Army 2” featuring One Be Lo dustily picks up where the predecessor left off last Halloween leading into “Mastermind” featuring Wordsworth talking about life ain’t a game to them.

“Use Your Brain” pushes towards the end of the 1st half advising one to think prior to stepping up to the microphone just before “Conductor” hops over an organ-inflicted boom bap instrumental to talk about conducting poetry whenever he’s in the booth. “Man of God” featuring Motion+ finds the 2 speaking being beyond blessed with their lives & having no tolerance towards disrespect while “My Saloon” talks about pouring up lyrical brew & not allowing any punk muhfuckas in his bar.

We get some pianos & a drum machine on “The Quick & The Dead” addressing the type of rappers who think they slick by busting their rhymes with speed when they’re really not while “No Regrets” featuring 4-IZE talks about living life without any remorse. “D’Amalfi” produced by Young Bangas marks the only track that Stu didn’t produce soulfully discussing being on this grind, but never thought he’d still be dreaming.

“Pandemic Posse” featuring Blaq Poet, EKYM1536, Emsee Prospekt, Horror City, Motion+ & Pulse Reaction takes up the next 6 minutes properly introducing themselves collectively while “Glistening” asks all the party people if they’re still listening to him rock the stage. “Stairway 2 Heaven” finishes with some rap rock undertones explaining that God told him to use his mind as a weapon.

The Bad & The Ugly II might be a little more heavier on the features compared to the original that came out last Halloween, but I’d certainly put it above Crimson Fury by only slight margin as much as I highly enjoyed that conceptual self produced extend extended play 5 months ago. The production almost entirely handled by Stu Bangas of course recaptures the flawlessly raw energy of The Bad & The Ugly, with A-F-R-O’s pen leveling up in terms of gruesomeness.

Score: 4/5

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A-F-R-O – “Crimson Fury” review

Right here is the 12th EP from Los Angeles, California emcee/producer A-F-R-O. A protege of R.A. the Rugged Man after winning the Definition of a Rap Flow contest, his Duck Down Music Inc.-backed 5th EP A-F-R-O Polo produced by Marco Polo introduced himself as a promising up-&-comer within the underground. I got to cover his self-produced 9th EP The Drawing Board last spring & of course the Stu Bangas-produced The Bad & the Ugly: The Goods Always Die First surpassing it as his best material. Another spring later & Crimson Fury comes out on Bandcamp exclusively.

After a titular intro, The Cell” opens the EP with a villainously self-produced boom bap opener talking about the protagonist being trapped in a high security prison where the absolute worst occurs whereas “Brawl in Cell Block 29” keeps it in the basement instrumentally painting the image of a riot breaking out within the facility. “Shoot the Messenger” maintains a dusty vibe thanks to C-Lance talking about being ambushed right when he identifies as a free man leading into “Ricochet” featuring Percee P & Pulse Reaction bringing the trio together making their enemies sleep with the fishes.

“At All Costs” works in a jazz sample to point out the fact he sacrificed his freedom to get revenge on the very person who set him up while “The Gauntlet” featuring EYKM1536 & Motion+ over another boom bap instrumental so all 3 of them could sign up for an open challenge ready for any war when they get on their bloodsport. “No Escape” reunites with Stu Bangas evading captivity by switching uniforms safely making it out with the penitentiary exploding behind him & “Dinner with Death” marks a climactic point in the tale getting the vengeance he’s wanted.

Prominently conceptual than most of A-F-R-O’s earlier material, he portrays the role of a man named Archie who becomes incarcerated after killing the men who murdered his best friend when he was completely innocent. Once finding out another friend orchestrated the murder & framed Archie, he vows to break out of prison so he can finish the job himself & succeeding in the end. Every track ties into one another cohesively & the plot is exceptionally mapped out with the traditional boom bap sound backdropping the tale.

Score: 4/5

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A-F-R-O – “The Bad & the Ugly: The Goods Always Die First” review

Los Angeles emcee/producer A-F-R-O teaming up with Boston, Massachusetts underground veteran Stu Bangas for his proper full-length debut studio album. A protege of R.A. the Rugged Man after winning the Definition of a Rap Flow contest, his Duck Down Music Inc.-backed 5th EP A-F-R-O Polo produced by Marco Polo introduced himself as a promising up-&-comer within the underground. I got to cover his self-produced 9th EP The Drawing Board earlier this spring & while thought that it was his best work yet, The Bad & the Ugly: The Goods Always Die First surely had more than enough potential to top it.

“Hip Hop Tournament” starts with a horn-inflicted boom bap instrumental addressing those who wanna battle him whereas “Bring Ya Best Army” brings an uncanny atmosphere to the table keeping it raw talking about his opposition bringing the best out of their arsenal. “Lost Souls” works in more kicks & snares to discuss the titular kind of people wandering around his parts just before “From Dusk ‘Till Dawn” featuring Lil D ruggedly talks about being unstoppable.

Moving on from there, “Pay Attention” maintains a boom bap edge advising y’all to actively listen to him very carefully as he shows how it’s done leading into “Hallucinogenz” sampling a bit of psychedelic rock with nothing on the mind but the dimesack. “Story of a Scumbag” grimly gets in his storytelling bag discussing a young kid with a cold heart prior to “Eyes Closed” boasting that he could do this shit in his sleep.

“Breakadawn” featuring Horror City & Motion+ nears the conclusion of The Bad & the Ugly: The Goods Always Die First by linking the trio up promising that they’ll always keep it moving prior to “Run 4 Ya Life!” rounding things out in the form of this murderous closer advising for everyone listening to bring a pen & a mic instead of a gun clarifying that your demise will be a good time for him.

For over a decade, I’ve always felt that A-F-R-O had more than enough potential to make a classic studio LP someday & it finally happened on Halloween wiping almost everything else that he’s done up until this point. The features are just ok, but Stu Bangas’ production top to bottom reveals itself to be a great match for A-F-R-O’s cutthroat lyricism.

Score: 4.5/5

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A-F-R-O – “The Drawing Board” review

This is the 9th EP from Los Angeles emcee/producer A-F-R-O. A protege of R.A. the Rugged Man after winning the Definition of a Rap Flow contest, his Duck Down Music Inc.-backed 5th EP A-F-R-O Polo produced by Marco Polo introduced himself as a promising up-&-comer within the underground. He would eventually end up only doing features up until making his official return last summer putting out 3 more EPs, the latest being New Colonel in Town only 5 months ago. However, he’s going back to The Drawing Board.

The title track is a symphonic boom bap opener talking about feeling like he’s the greatest & the most underrated at the same time whereas “Next 2 Shine” works in more kicks & snares with synths breaking down that some of y’all really don’t know him & telling everyone who don’t rock with him to step to the side. “Wing Chun” boasts about things turning lethal every time he drops over a string-laced boom bap instrumental just before “Gone 4 a Second” takes a cloudier route instrumentally acknowledging that he’s been taking time off from music.

“Behead the Beat” speeds up his flow a bit maintaining his prosperity & seeing clarity these days over an orchestral sample while “Old Tyme’s Sake” returns to the boom bap talking about sticking to the script refusing to change it up. “Redemption” mixes synths & hi-hats explaining that he’s found the light in his soul painting his story on the canvas of his own production prior to “Battle Royale” featuring Blind Toxic, EKYM1536, Felcon, Pulse Reaction, SuperBrownBum & 60 East rounding out the EP with an average posse cut.

I admittedly wasn’t sure what was going on with All Flows Reach Out until he made his comeback last year, but The Drawing Board has to be the best EP that he’s put out since he started dropping music again almost a year ago by now & the most that I’ve enjoyed something from him since A-F-R-O Polo the year after I had graduated from high school. His lyricism gives listeners a more personal side to himself & his beats generally stick to the traditional boom bap sound.

Score: 4/5

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