eLZhi – “Heavy Vibrato” review

One of the greatest Detroit emcees of all-time eLZhi teaming up with Oxnard producer Oh No for his 5th LP. Rising to prominence as a member of Slum Village shortly after the departure of the late J Dilla about 2 decades ago, he eventually saw success of his own with his classic solo debut The Preface in the summer of ‘08 & was followed up 8 years later with Lead Poison. 7 Times Down, 8 Times Up is my 2nd favorite of his behind The Preface due to JR Swiftz’ stellar production as well as it’s resilience heavy concept & the last album Zhigeist produced by Georgie Anne Muldrow was a boom bap/neo-soul love letter to people of color. But with Oh No fresh off producing Berserko for Tha God Fahimthis spring, eL’s keeping it rolling on the Nature Sounds roster for Heavy Vibrato

After the “What Is Heavy Vibrato?!?” intro, the first song “Trick Dice” starts the album by mixing these vibraphones with kicks & snares detailing the type he is & that he stays on point whereas “In Your Feelings” featuring Dankery Harv gives off a suspenseful boom bap approach instrumentally blasting those who be squealing on them. After the “Doc No Check Up” interlude, “R.I.P. (Radio International Programming)” featuring Guilty Simpson continues to move forward hoping on top of pianos declaring this shit ain’t real now just before “Possessed” shifts gears into darker turf talking about not being sent to another dimension in this lifetime.

“Bishop” works in more kicks, snares & pianos admitting that he’s been feeling like it’s him against the world as of late leading into “Fireballs” keeps in to the basement musically talking about what’s exactly going to happen when you speak ill on his name. “Smoke” featuring Blu as well as Oh No himself & Phez Roc strips the drums in favor of a jazzy loop admitting that they’re from another space & time occasionally, but then “Twilight Zone” talks about opening up the doors with the keys to imagination over a fragilely calm beat. The penultimate track “Say It Don’t Spray It” draws near the end of the album by bringing it hardcore responding to shots being fired & to wrap up Heavy Vibrato, the closer “Last Nerve” admits that there are only a few things in this life that be getting on his nerves over another boom bap instrumental.

You can’t really go wrong with eLZhi’s discography since he’s been constantly putting out quality material in the last 25 years, but I happen to like Heavy Vibrato slightly more than Zhigeist. Oh No‘s production here is more jazzier in comparison to Georgia’s swapping those elements out for neo soul last time & the storytelling from the Detroit lyrical wizard is cinematic top to bottom.

Score: 4.5/5

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Busta Rhymes – “Blockbusta” review

Brooklyn emcee, songwriter, producer & actor Busta Rhymes has returned for his 11th full-length solo LP. Coming up as a member of the Leaders of the New School, he would go on to turn heads in the spring of ‘92 off the strength of his verse on “Scenario” off of A Tribe Called Quest’s iconic sophomore album The Low End Theory. The dragon would see greater success as a solo artist with full-lengths like The Coming, When Disaster Strikes…, E.L.E. (Extinction Level Event): The Final World Front, Anarchy, Genesis & The Big Bang. However when E.L.E. 2 (Extinction Level Event 2): The Wrath of God dropped a couple Devil’s Nights back, it would find Busta returning to form considering the mixed to subpar reception of B.O.M.B.S. (Back On My Bullshit) & the Cash Money Records-backed Year of the Dragon. However after preluding Blockbusta last year by putting out The Fuse is Lit to mixed responses, Busta’s ringing in Black Friday put unveiling his Epic Records debut.

“The Statement” asks how many times does Busta have to remind everyone that he’s one of the greatest over a cloudy trap beat from Timbaland whereas “Remind ‘Em” featuring Quavo finds the 2 talking about running it up over some hi-hats attached to a loop with this Godly aura surrounding it. “Beach Ball” featuring BIA draws inspiration from snap music thanks to Hitmaka boasting that they blow money faster than Rozay just before “OK” featuring Young Thug details both of their lifestyles over a celebratory Cool & Dre instrumental.

Moving forward, “Could It Be You” featuring Yung Bleu brings the 2 together on top of a bass guitar explaining that the way they live is different & the bag chase is consistent leading into the funky “Luxury Life” featuring Coi Leray laced by Swizz Beatz displaying a back-&-forth chemistry from both artists getting lavish. “Big Everything” featuring DaBaby breaks down the big money & dreams that they both envision even though the instrumental doesn’t catch my interest, but then “Roboshotta” featuring Burna Boy talks about fucking everything up & Pharrell bringing a tropical vibe musically.

“Tings” aesthetically picks up where the last cut left off keeping it equatorial so Busta can boast his lyrical abilities while “The Return of Mansa Musa” gets in his warrior bag over a tribal beat that I personally find to be appropriately fitting. “Stand Up” featuring JNR CHOI dabbles with drill music a bit sampling “Gangsta’s Paradise” by the late Coolio as both of them call out those whom they initially thought were loyal individuals while “Open Wide” featuring Shenseea fuses elements of dancehall with hip hop tackling themes of romance.

Meanwhile, the woodwind-heavy “Hold Up” that Dez Wright helped Timbo cook up flexes that he be showing up on every single block while “The Hive” featuring Giggs returns to trap territory to warn everyone that’s tuning in that their killer bees do in fact sting. “Homage” featuring Kodak Black addresses going from Y.G.s to O.G.s. in the rap game with Wheezy supplying one of the best trap instrumentals on the album while “Legend” talks about everything being legendary letting her see the way he does it & the beat here is actually underwhelming.

The song “Slide” warns not to get caught up inside another trap & that he’s steppin’ over an infectiously catchy instrumental from DJ Ted Smooth while the penultimate track “Legacy” featuring his children Cacie, Mariah & Trillian is a family affair lavishly telling everyone to show them some love. Things end with a cutthroat sequel to “If You Don’t Know Now You Know” produced by Cardiak & Focus…, which was a bonus cut off B.O.M.B.S. (Back On My Bullshit.

Considering how great of a comeback E.L.E. 2 (Extinction Level Event 2): The Wrath of God was & the 3 executive producers that Busta brought in for his first major label outing in almost a decade, I didn’t really have any reason to be concerned about Blockbusta. Now that the final product is in front of us, I’m admittedly torn on it unlike that previous LP that we got during the pandemic. He returns to a more commercial sound compared to the predecessor’s rawness which I completely understand, it’s just hit or miss sadly.

Score: 2.5/5

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Living Legends – “The Return” review

The Living Legends are a west coast alternative hip hop outfit now consisting of Aesop, Bicasso, The Grouch & Eligh, Luckyiam, Scarub & Sunspot Jonz. Forming in ‘96 with Arata & most notably MURS, it wasn’t until the new millennium where they started dropping as a unit introducing themselves on Angelz Wit Dirty Faces & following it up with Almost Famous. They returned in ‘04 to discuss Creative Differences & their previous LP the following year Classic. But 15 years after their 2nd EP The Gathering, the Living Legends are making a comeback by unleashing their 5th full-length album.

After the “Jimi is a Star” intro, the first song “Letterman” featuring Reverie is a hardcore opener produced by Trox reminding y’all where the name comes from whereas “Front to Back” featuring Brother Ali & Opio takes a groovier approach instrumentally so everyone can get the party started properly. “Baggage” dives into boom bap turf thanks to Eligh talking about something weighing down your mind, but then “Monday Morning” gives off a mellow trap vibe looking to give thanks at the top of the week.

The title track featuring Del the Funky Homosapien returns to the boom bap courtesy of Statik Selektah getting in their hardcore bag just before “Tricky” hooks up this off-the-wall trap beat pointing out the fact they tried to warn us shit can be like that sometimes. “Distance” blends these hi-hats with a nocturnal loop talking about being on the road to nowhere leading into the soulful “Money 4 Nothin’” breaking down all the ways that people be chasing the paper this day in age.

“1 Kiss” shows off a bit of sensuality to the Living Legends with the help of former Zion I beatsmith Amp Live behind the boards while “Father’s Day” featuring Atmosphere weaves some pianos into the fold alongside kicks & snares from none other than Ant of course essentially likening hip hop to a father figure profoundly. “In God’s Hands” gives off a peppier flare to the beat expressing their gratitude while “If I Was a Car” featuring N8 the Gr8 is simply perfect for blasting in the midst of driving around Cali.

The song “We Gon’ Eat” featuring Pep Love grimily displays their hunger assuring that you’re never dead if you really got that love while the penultimate track “Gettin’ Up” featuring Jay Worthy & notably Trade Voorhees behind the boards pushes near the end of the group’s comeback effort by spaciously encouraging the listener to believe in themselves. “Break My Heart” ties up the album solemnly talking about how the waves crashed down.

Wasn’t sure if this day was ever going to come but after almost 2 decades, it finally did & The Return actually could be the best full-length that the west coast alt-rap crew have done in the 25+ years that they’ve been around as a unit. The production is a mix of old & new sounds, the guest performances are primarily consistent & the septuplet all sounds happy to be together again after so long.

Score: 4/5

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RXKNephew – “Life After Neph” review

I believe this is the 10th full-length studio album from Rochester, New York emcee RXKNephew. Noted for his use of atypical beats & his comedic gangsta raps, he’s already built quite the catalog for himself since 2019 with his last 9 LPs as well as over a dozen mixtapes & EPs. Most notably Slitherman Activated, the Shawty RXK Too trilogy, the Crack Therapy series or singles like “Slitherman Conspiracy”. I was highly impressed with his feature on former G.O.O.D. Music artist Valee’s debut album Virtuoso earlier this summer so when it was announced a couple months ago by Andrew Barber of Fake Shore Drive that Harry Fraud was producing Life After Neph, I was ecstatic going into it.

“Pebble Beach” is a soulful trap opener telling the listener to come get some drugs calling himself “Uncle Jemima” whereas “Authority Figure” featuring Valee works in some synthesizer leads & hi-hats so both of them can team up to talk about refusing to let anyone take their spots in the game. “RX Instructions” by Neph & Pap takes a more drumless route as the 2 frequent collaborators join forces getting on their g shit just before “How I’m Coming” talks about spending time with himself over a jubilant beat.

Meanwhile, “Dub 4 U” shifts into groovier territory appreciating the beauties of life leading into “All Gone” featuring former 1017 Global artist Z Money brings the pair together over a more somberly instrumental asking where it all went. “Gotta Eat” gives off a cloudier flare explaining that we all gotta survive, but then TedsBudz has the album’s weakest feature on “The Roundtable” despite the atmospheric production & the lyrics about him grinding for a minute.

The song “Fine Wine” with Valee on the hook details his lifestyle & has a little bit of a cavernous trap vibe to the beat poppin’ shit every day talkin’ his shit while “Hunnid on the Dresser” clarifying that this ain’t a love track & that he’s puttin’ it on over a tropical loop hooked up to some hi-hats. And to end Life After Neph, the closer “Top Chef Neph” mixes these finger-snaps with synths to go on the grill real quick because “fuck the microwave”.

As someone who’s been relatively new to RXK for the past few months since Virtuoso, I highly recommend checking out some of that earlier material I mentioned in the beginning because this is an excellent way to introduce Neph to someone who isn’t familiar with him by now. His signature Lil B-inspired style combined by Harry Fraud’s signature sound truly happens to be a highly entertaining match & the guest contributions are mostly consistent.

Score: 4.5/5

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Blockhead – “The Aux” review

Manhattan producer/DJ Blockhead returning with his 12th full-length solo LP & only 2 years since his last one Space Werewolves Will Be the End of Us All. Notable for being 1/2 of the Party Fun Action Committee, he’s also built a solo career for himself putting out his first 5 albums through Ninja Tune. But when I heard he signed to Backwoodz Studioz for The Aux & called up guests for every song, it was enough to intrigue me to cover it.

“AAU Tournaments” by billy woods & Navy Bluefinds the 2 over some jazz rap production admitting time’s short yet they’ve never taken time off whereas “The Cella Dwellas Knew” by Quelle Chris talks about too many rappers existing in the land of the lost over a groovy, whistling instrumental. “Mississippi” by Aesop Rock hooks up these jazzy horn sections with kicks & snares building upon the concept of counting the name of the titular state just before “Mastering How to Land” by The Koreatown Oddity & Open Mike Eagle has this fuzzy revered rock guitar loop talking about a new daydream making money like Tone-Lōc in FernGully: The Last Rainforest.

Meanwhile, “Lighthouse” by UGLYFRANK weaves this eerie boom bap beat into the picture getting in his hardcore bag lyrically leading into “Hater Porn” by Breeze Brewin’ & Casual finds the 2 over a organ as well as kicks & snares to spit some battle bars. “Give Thanks” by Armand Hammer says it all conceptually over a sample-based boom bap instrumental, but then “Papi Seeds” by Bruiser Wolf brings this mystically occult vibe talking about how God took his time with this an unnamed adversary.

“God is Busy” by AKAI SOLO goes drumless with this guitar loop admitting that he’s eager to downsize his inventory even though that’s a whole different story of it’s own while “Ponzu Sauce” by Aesop & Breeze has this uncanny groove to the beat with it’s title originating from a line at the beginning of the Syosset wordsmith’s verse. “Sad Vampire” by Brian Ennals talks about puppies not turning into wolves or kittens turning into lions either over a boom bap instrumental with a high-pitched vocal sample while “Gargamel” by Defcee & ShrapKnel goes into cavernous turf referencing a 1-legged evil wizard.

The song “Pink Lemonade” by RXKNephew brings out his Mr. Been Ballin’ persona accompanied by a shimmery trap instrumental while the penultimate track “1970’s Post Apocalyptic Skin Flick by Creaturenomics & Fatboi Sharif ruggedly talks about the Glock being on fire returning to the boom bap. “Now That’s What I Call a Posse Cut Vol. 56.”, feat. billy woods, Bruiser Wolf, Danny Brown & Despot ends the album with the 4 underground’s emcees over a more psychedelic beat with the best verses going to both billy & Danny.

Last time we saw Blockhead do an producer album with a predominant amount of guests had to be Free Sweatpants at the beginning of 2019, so to hear him recapture that energy & refine it was a great listening experience & has to be my favorite solo album of his in recent memory. The guests’ performances are tight as they spit in their hardcore/abstract styles over his signature sound.

Score: 4/5

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E-40 – “Rule of Thumb” review

Vallejo, California emcee, songwriter, entrepreneur, actor & Sick Wid It Records founder E-40 releasing his long-awaited 19th full-length solo LP only 4 years after his last one Practice Makes Paper. However: It’s his 27th album if you don’t count Revenue Retrievin’: Day Shift & Night Shift, Revenue Retrievin’: Overtime Shift & Graveyard Shift, The Block Brochure: Welcome to the Soil, Vols. 1-3 & subsequently Vols. 4-6, Sharp On All 4 Corners & The D-Boy Diaries all as individual albums. Anyway some heads like to disrespect him, but he’s been putting it down for the Bay Area for over 3 decades at this point. My favorites in his catalog include In a Major Way, The Mail Man, The Element of Surprise, Charlie Hu$tle: The Blueprint of a Self Made Millionaire, My Ghetto Report Card & The Block Brochure series to name a few. He’s also a member of The Click with 3 of his blood relatives & the supergroup Mount Westmore, the latter of whom put out their debut album last winter. However after releasing 2 Curb Commentator EPs during the pandemic, 40’s making a comeback on Rule of Thumb.

“Lift It” encourages those to lift the plastic if it’s the shit over a somber hyphy instrumental from Rick Rock to start off the album whereas “AYE!” hooks up the malicious horn melodies & finger-snaps warning that the law is coming asking if you hear him. “Does That Make Sense” gets on his mobb shit speaking the real just how he feels leading into the summery “GPS” featuring Larry June talking about how maybe it‘s the g in them.

Meanwhile, “The Game” returns to a hyphy-based sound saying maybe he’s doing exactly that prior to the woodwind/trap hybrid “Bay Warren Buffet” produced by his son Droop-E flexing his entrepreneurship for 2 & a half minutes. “High End” featuring B.G. who just got out of prison with Gucci Mane & Philthy Rich brings the 2 Bay emcees & both Atlanta representatives together over some synthesizers & hi-hats from DJ Daryl boasting their first class statuses, but then “Off Dat Mob” floats over this angelic vocal sample woven into a mobb beat explaining he grew up off this shit hence the title obviously.

“Green Light” featuring B-Legit finds the cousins returning to their hyphy roots detailing that it’s on site while “Water” featuring LaRussell goes into synth territory talking about how they’ll take their way. “Show You How to Do It” featuring G5, O.T. Genasis & Zoe Osama has some of the most underwhelming guest appearances on the LP despite the synths making their way back into the picture courtesy of ProHoeZak & the subject matter of showing y’all how it’s done while “Billionaire Dreams” expresses his desire to become a billionaire over a trunk-knocking beat.

To start off the 2nd half of the album, “Pickin’ Up What I’m Puttin’ Down” keeps it hyphy reminding that you’ll drown if you can’t swim while “Lemme Go” featuring Mistah F.A.B. & Too $hort sees the 3 Bay vets aggressively declaring that they can’t be held back. “I’m Just Spazzin’ appropriately gets a glimpse of 40 spazzin’ over a futuristically bouncy instrumental while “It’s Complicated” goes into smoother turf asking what is it that people are hooked on something getting faded.

“Pressure” featuring Bosko throws it back to the 80s sonically looking to apply pressure while “Succaz” featuring Trae tha Truth explains that it’s dark, but it’s from the heart also over a solemn hyphy beat. “Get My Life Right” featuring YoungBoy Never Broke Again gives off a melodic trap tone looking to have their lives straightened out while “Stop Actin’ Like a Weirdo” needs no further explanation over a piano-driven instrumental.

The song “The Bay” is an off-the-wall club banger laced with the help of Hallway Productionz that you might as well leave up to him to murder while the penultimate track “Lovin’ Somebody” gets on the grown man tip from the soul-heavy production to the sensual themes. “Dose of Game” ends the album by admitting that this music feel as good as the old school stuff & telling those in need of advice to play the game for what it’s worth.

I think the last time I mainly enjoyed a new album from 40 was The Block Brochure series throughout my first half of high school, as everything else since had been average or subpar since. Needless to say: Rule of Thumb is a step in the right direction. Some spotty production & guests here & there, but it makes me happy to hear him let the features they only take up 34% of the LP so he can sound more focused than he did on some of his past recent material.

Score: 3/5

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André 3000 – “New Blue Sun” review

It’s still surreal to me that I’m actually fucking saying this but this is the official solo debut album from Atlanta, Georgia emcee, singer/songwriter, producer, actor & visionary André 3000. Coming up as 1/2 of the greatest hip hop duo of all-time OutKast with Big Boiwhom he met at Lenox Square Mall when they were both 16, they were also a part of the Dungeon Family collective & released some of my favorite music EVER! This includes ATLiens, Aquemeni, Stankonia & Speakerboxxx / The Love Below. The 2nd disc of which was basically the closest thing we got to a solo album from 3 Stacks up to this point. However after what would eventually be their final album Idlewild serving as a soundtrack to the movie of the same name they would focus on their solo careers. Francis the Savannah Chitlin’ Pimp mostly notably putting out 3 full-length LPs of his own as well as an eponymous EP as Big Grams & an eponymous debut album as Big Sleepover too. André 3000 however stuck to doing features & pursuing an acting career most recently in the A24 Films comedy drama Showing Up, putting out an avant-garde jazz EP on Mother’s Day 2018 called Look Ma No Hands. So considering that, I’m not too surprised by New Blue Sun expanding on jazz music in a flute-heavy fashion because I like to consider Dré as the Prince of hip hop in the sense that he can do just about anything musically.

“I Swear I Really Wanted to Make a Rap Album, But This Is Literally The Way The Wind Blew Me This Time” is a peaceful 12 & a half minute opener to the LP that I can imagine hearing after waking up on a beautiful morning whereas “The Slang Word Pussy Rolls Off the Tongue with Far Better Ease Than the Proper Word Vagina. Do You Agree?” takes the atmospheric route instrumentally & I absolutely agree with the question. “That Night In Hawaii When I Turned Into a Panther & Started Making These Low Register Purring Tones That I Couldn’t Control…” makes me feel like I’m walking through a jungle for 10 & a half minutes in the best way possible, but then “BuyPoloDisorder’s Daughter Wears a 3000® Button Down Embroidered” sounds like he made this 13-minute piece in the midst of watching The Mandalorian or something.

To start the 2nd half of the album, “93 ‘Til Infinity & Beyoncé” is the shortest cut on the entire LP yet still absolutely euphoric from start to finish just before “Ghandi, Dalai Lama, Your Lord & Savior J.C. / Bundy, Jeffrey Dahmer & John Wayne Gacy” keeps the peaceful vibes in tact. The penultimate “Ants to You, Gods to Who?” goes for a futuristic approach sonically & “Dreams Once Buried Beneath the Dungeon Floor Slowly Sprout Into Undying Gardens” is a magical 17 minute closer.

Like I said on Twitter at the beginning of the week: I’m not even mad at 3 Stacks for doing an ambient, new age spiritual jazz album because he’s just one of those guys who can do just about anything & it makes me very happy that this day has come as a long time OutKast fan because this is way better than Look Ma No Hands over 5 years ago. His production also showcases elements of progressive electronic, tribal ambient, Andean new age & Native American new age in the most soothing ways you can imagine.

Score: 4.5/5

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Vinnie Paz – “All Are Guests in the House of God” review

This is the 8th full-length solo LP from Philadelphia underground veteran Vinnie Paz. Breaking out as the MC of Jedi Mind Tricks & the leader of the Army of the Pharaohs collective, he put out his first 2 solo albums Season of the Assassin & God of the Serengeti in 2010 & 2012 respectively until returned in 2016 with The Cornerstone of the Corner Store. The Pain Collector would become my favorite of his since his first 2 but since as above so below, Paz has been staying consistent by delivering a new solo effort every year. And to commemorate the 1-year anniversary of Tortured in the Name of God’s Unconditional Love, the Verbal Hologram is assuring that All Are Guests in the House of God.

“Drug Church” is an ominously drumless start to the album that K-Nite 13 helped cook up calling out those who be sleeping while the feds are watching them whereas “Oil Drums” featuring Freeway works in a soulful boom bap instrumental from Leaf Dog talking about taking them to the ocean to throw them overboard. “Koresh Babylon” fuses this beautiful loop with kicks & snares provided by Giallo Point trying to get away from those who be tailing Paz leading into “The Jungle’s a Shapeshifter” featuring Trxstworthy finding the 2 joining forces for a rugged hardcore anthem.

The lead single “2000 Shot Barrage (Return of Hell’s Messenger)” produced by C-Lance is an incredibly raw sequel to a highlight off The Thief & The Fallen just before the flute/boom bap hybrid “Nero Caesar” featuring Smif-n-Wessun that Farma G laced continuing to get on their battle rap shit. Meanwhile, the suspenseful atmosphere that Vic Grimes brings to “Impaler” is absolutely perfect advising not to play with these kids prior to “Swift Chancellor” experimenting with trap a bit talking about his squad really gunning out here.

“Slow March to the Burial” featuring Ransom brings the 2 wordsmiths together over dusty kicks & snares spitting more hardcore lyricism, but then “Peace Means Violence” featuring Saigon begins the 2nd leg of All Are Guests in the House of God with an eerie boom bap beat from Stu Bangas getting murderous. “Terry Funk Ain’t Wear a Mouthpiece” continues to offer offering that pain remembering the titular WWE Hall of Famer, former 2-time ECW World Heavyweight Champion, ECW Television Champion, 2-time WWE United States Champion, WWE Tag Team Champion, NWA World’s Heavyweight Champion, the oldest JCW World Juggalo Heavyweight Champion & the oldest 3-time WCW Hardcore Champion who gave FMW founder 大仁田厚 the best match of his career over more kicks & snares that is until “Yemeni Telephone Number” featuring the Timbo King ruggedly talking about the aura of hell-gazers.

Moving on from there, “Balla Ejj” mixes pianos with a foreign vocal sample comparing himself to that of a craftsmen while “Beausoleil Wiretaps” by the Heavy Metal Kings featuring Lord Goat sees the trio over a Middle Eastern/boom bap blend spitting the aggressive lyricism that all 3 of them have made themselves known for. “Praise the Witch” featuring Young Z locks in with EYEKETYSON to grimily tell those that if they’re gonna do something, they should do it properly & Young Bangas whips up the best trap instrumental on the album with “La Pulga” talking about Vinnie meaning what he says.

“Valentino Dueling Gloves” weaves a flute into the fold admitting that there ain’t a whole lot of time here & that nobody else is moving as long as the Ikon’s still around, but “Murder is an Artform” featuring the late Blacastan & Tha God Fahim officially ends the LP with the 3 over a somber boom bap instrumental continuing to deliver further down the murderous rabbit hole referencing WWE Hall of Famer, former 3-time WWE Champion, 11-time WWE tag team champion, the inaugural WWE Hardcore Champion, CWA World Tag Team Champion & TNA World Champion Mick Foley.

Odrama vin Laden never disappoints as his solo output accompanied by the number of group material he has in his back pocket are generally consistent within the underground & hip hop heads at large. Needless to say: I like All Are Guests in the House of God more than the one we got almost a year to the day ago in Tortured in the Name of God’s Unconditional Love. There are some occasional trap elements to the production even though it’s grounded in his traditional hardcore boom bap sound & a bit less misses with the guest performances.

Score: 4/5

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Danny Brown – “Quaranta” review

This is the 6th full-length LP from Detroit emcee Danny Brown. Emerging as a member of the Rese’vor Dogs in the mid-2000s, he would go onto form the Bruiser Brigade at the start of the previous decade & put out his debut album The Hybrid shortly after. This resulted in him signing with Fool’s Gold Records & delivering a near perfect sophomore effort XXX the next year, which was followed up with Old in 2013 as well as his 2016 magnum opus & Warp Records debut albeit Fool’s Gold’s last Atrocity Exhibition. But coming off the uknowhatimsayin¿ & more recently Scaring the Hoes with JPEGMAFIA this past spring, Danny’s finally releasing Quaranta as his final Warp album.

The title track is a cavernously dark opener with Danny talking about turning 40 a couple years ago whereas “Tantor” fuses elements of hardcore, abstract & experimental hip hop with elements of rock & even punk music thanks to The Alchemist looking to dock in the low tide & that it’s time for him to spit. Quelle Chris & Chris Keys both whip up a shimmery boom bap vibe for “Ain’t My Concern” reminding that “when it’s time, it’s time” that is until “Dark Sword Angel” talks down on the Bruiser Brigade leader’s competition over a dusty rap rock hybrid.

“Y.B.P. (Young, Black & Poor)” featuring Bruiser Wolf finds the 2 discussing the way they both came up over an uncanny trap instrumental from Skywlkr leading into “Jenn’s Terrific Vacation” brilliantly tackling the themes of gentrification fusing glitch hop, nu jazz & broken beat. Paul White provides groovier aesthetic to “Down wit It” detailing the lifestyle of this music shit just before the spacious “Celibate” featuring MIKE admits that they used to sell a bit and they don’t fuck around with the streets no more at this point in their careers.

The song “Shakedown” gives off a cloudier tone instrumentally provided by Kaelin Ellis advising to get your head out of the clouds & get yours now while the crushing “Hanami” talks about age catching up to him so he’s running from death as a result. “Bass Jam” fulfills Danny’s deal with Warp & ends Quaranta by atmospherically looking back on the days where it was hard for him to sleep as his mother played many classic bops.

“Cheaters” featuring Bruiser Wolf starts the deluxe run with both of them over this funky Black Milk beat pointing out the fact that those who cheat never win in the end & the final bonus track “Keep It to Me” was actually supposed to be the original closer, grimly linking up with Black Noi$e for this incredibly depressing cut revolving around drinking the pain away hoping things’ll change & smoking until he’s free from being trapped within his own thoughts.

For him to sign off on Warp Records by reflecting on the past 4 decades of his life is actually an album that’s more darker & personal in comparison to uknowhatimsayin¿ is exactly why he’s one of the illest to come out of this reviewer’s hometown in recent memory because this is his best since Atrocity Exhibition. It’s more predominantly conscious & experimental with some additional elements hardcore & abstract lyricism.

Score: 4.5/5

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ColleGrove – “Welcome 2 ColleGrove” review

ColleGrove is a southern hip hop duo consisting of Atlanta, Georgia rapper & songwriter 2 Chainz as well as New Orleans, Louisiana emcee, singer/songwriter, record executive & entrepreneur Lil Wayne. Both of whom have known each other since Tity Boi was Weezy’s weedman, which lead to Wayne appearing on the Playaz Circle’s debut album Supply & Demand and the rest is history. They eventually formed ColleGrove in 2016 & put out a decent eponymous debut album that same year, but was credited as a 2 Chainz solo effort due to Tunechi’s issues with Cash Money Records at the time. So it makes absolute sense to me for ColleGrove to put out a sophomore effort & be properly credited as a duo.

After the titular intro, the first song “G6” starts off the 2nd LP with an underwhelming trap instrumental despite the lyrics justifiably boasting themselves as the realest ones here whereas “Big Diamonds” featuring 21 Savage picks things up from the ratchet Mannie Fresh beat to the subject matter about being big dogs. “Presha” works in some whistling & hi-hats courtesy of Bangladesh looking to apply pressure of course, but then “Long Story Short” has a more soulful flare thanks to Big K.R.I.T. admitting this life they live are gonna be the death of them.

After the “Duffel Bag Boys” interlude, the horns from Apex Martin & Mike Dean on the official theme song for the WME Group-owned TKO Group Holdings division WWE’s developmental NXT brand “Millions from Now” are pretty fun talking about not remembering certain people once they become rich leading into the mediocre “Crazy Thick” jumping over a bass-heavy instrumental talking about thick women. “Transparency” strips the drums completely in favor of synths provided by Hitmaka seeking clarity just before “Significant Other” produced by Honorable C.N.O.T.E. & 30 Roc is a 2-parter that’s pretty much ColleGrove’s equivalent to “Life is Good” by Future & Drake except better.

After the “Ladies Man” interlude, “P.P.A. (Pretty Pussy Award)” featuring Fabolous has this sweet vocal sample chop throughout as the trio tell the special women in their life exactly what they deserve while “Oprah & Gayle” featuring Benny the Butcher moves on from the romantic themes in favor of dropping nothing but bars for 5 minutes over an exuberant DJ Toomp beat. Havoc’s sampling throughout “Shame” is absolutely crazy promising to leave your homies’ brains on you that is until “Bars” ruggedly talks about the disease they have.

After the “No Fent” interlude, “Godzilla” featuring Vory asks what’s a gorilla to the titular kaiju with the hi-hats being added after Vory’s sung-verse while “Crown Snatcher” talks about being exactly that over an explosive Murda Beatz instrumental. “Can’t Believe You featuring Rick Ross tackles the theme of untrustworthiness on top of a soulful STREETRUNNER beat & after the “Never Was Lost” interlude, the Dem Jointz-lazed closer “Moonlight” profoundly asks why we don’t run away referencing Mayweather Promotions founder Floyd Mayweather.

Truthfully: I had put ColleGrove eponymous debut on one my top 10 worst albums of 2016 list and it hasn’t grown on me a little bit over the course of the past 7 years since, but Welcome 2 ColleGrove is way more cohesive than the predecessor. The production’s tighter, you get a better look at their chemistry since the original had 2 Chainz solo joints on there & the features all give solid performances along the way.

Score: 4/5

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