Trippie Redd – “Mansion Musik” review

Trippie Redd is a 23 year old rapper & singer/songwriter from Canton, Ohio who came up in the 2017 off the first 2 installments of the A Love Letter to You mixtape series. The kid would continue to grow after dropping his full-length debut Life’s a Trip & then A Love Letter to You 3 the following year. However, the quality of his music started to take a nosedive given the mediocrity of ! & A Love Letter to You 4. If you thought it couldn’t get any worse, Pegasus was a bloated mess & the Travis Barker-produced pop punk foray Neon Shark vs. Pegasus is barely better. Last time we heard Trippie though was a year & a half ago now when he dropped Trip at Knight, where nearly every song sounded similar to one another. But for his 6th album, he’s tapping in with the Drill God himself Chief Keef to executive produce it.

The title track is an uncanny trap opener with Trippie dropping some braggadocio whereas “ATLANTIS” finds him & Keef linking up over some rage beats showing off their extravagant lifestyles referencing the longtime Warner Bros. franchise Looney Tunes. Future tags along for the chaotic “PSYCHO” talking about losing their sanity, but then Lil Baby accompanies them both on the bassy banger “FULLY LOADED” talking about being strapped.

“KNIGHT CRAWLER” feels more like a Juice WRLD song featuring Trippie Redd with the main artist himself encouraging to start a riot & Juice plotting to take over the world just before “VAN HELSING” talks about being a chameleon over some synths & hi-hats. “FREE RIO” comes through with a Detroit trap influenced dedication to Rio da Yung O.G. leading into “KRZY TRAIN” with Travis Scott going full-blown trap metal to discuss being married to the game.

Moving on from there with “MUSCLES”, we have Lil Durk coming into the picture as he & Trippie rep their respective gangs up in this bitch over a spacious trap beat while “GOODFELLAS” with Nardo Wick has one of the weaker feature performances with his verse near the end despite the piano instrumental & the subject matter of hustlin’ out kin to one of the greatest movies ever. “KILLIONAIRE” talks about being an achiever backed by some suspenseful production while Big30’s verse on “HIGH HOPES” is no better as much as I enjoy the beat that Chopsquad DJ brings to the table & Trippie’s performances.

“DIE DIE” with LUCKI finds the 2 back in hypertrap territory talking about the city being theirs & being to fly while the blaring “WHO ELSE!” with Rich the Kid address their mob ties with Rich’s verse being a bit mediocre. “BIGGEST BIRD” produced by Zodiac of Internet Money Records & Vanguard Music Group sounds like it was made for Summrs’ latest album Fallen Raven since Trippie’s only on the hook & I’ll still take it since that’s his best full-length to date, but “HIDEOUT” with Fijimacintosh kinda gives me sci-fi vibes instrumentally & both showing off mansions.

Rylo Rodriguez’ verse on the energizing “WITCHCRAFT” is underwhelming as the lyrics address recklessness while “TOILET WATER” with Ski Mask the Slump God picks things back up as both parties deliver a grim ballad belittling anyone who dares to step up to them. “PURE” with G Herbo works in some organs as they talk about how they’ve been trapping since they were kids prior to Chief Keef returning 1 last time on the triumphant “Rock Out” speaking on being big dogs.

“ARMAGEDDON” with Rob49 brings back the rage beats warning that they have 100 round drums on them while the song “NUN” being one of the weakest cuts as there is “nun” really going on with DaBaby’s verse although the subject matter of not being told shit is relatable & the production is alright. The penultimate track “Swag Like Ohio, Pt. 2” is a remarkable sequel to one of The Almighty Based God Lil B’s greatest hits with him even dropping a verse at the back-end & “Colors” with Kodak Black ends things with a pluggy Pi’erre Bourne instrumental showing off their Rollie’s.

As critical as I’ve been with Trippie Redd’s most recent output, I actually think Masion Musik is a slightly-above average step in the right direction for him & it has me anticipating A Love Letter to You 5. I like how he switched up his sound quite a bit & But improved his vocal performances, it’s just that the album’s too long & would’ve been better if you took off the joints where the features were punching under their weight.

Score: 3/5

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Skyzoo – “The Mind of a Saint” review

This is the 8th full-length album from Brooklyn veteran Skyzoo. Emerging in the underground off the 9th Wonder produced Cloud 9: The 3 Day High, he continued to make a name for himself with a lengthy yet very consistent discography. Highlights include The Salvation, the !llmind produced Live from the Tape Deck, A Dream Deferred, Music for My Friends, the Apollo Brown produced The Easy Truth, In Celebration of Us & my personal favorite: the Pete Rock produced Retropolitan. Last time we heard from Sky was a year & a half ago when he dropped the gentrification-themed All the Brilliant Things, but is returning to dedicate The Mind of a Saint to one of my favorite shows ahead of it’s final season next month: Snowfall.

“Eminent Domain” is a jazzy boom bap opener produced by The Other Guys encouraging to picture opportunities by rewriting the rules whereas “Views from the Valley” takes a more soulful route in terms of sound acknowledging how the angels look different on the other side of the city. “Panthers & Powder” brings back the jazz with some kicks & snares admiring the beauty within all of it leading into the spacious “Straight Drop” talking about how it’s God levels in the town when they up.

Moving on from there with “100 to One”, we have Sky acknowledging that he has more to say than a few 16 bars & a hook on here saying it’s best to act like you ain’t know over a swooning beat with some trumpets leading into the piano-infused “Bodies!” opening up about everyone Franklin has killed so far deserved to die. “The Balancing Act” blends some horns & crooning vocals together talking about being the messiah type while “Brick by Brick” returns to the boom bap kicking that outside shit for the 1 time. The penultimate track “Apologies in Order” is an endearing open letter with the beat having a glistening quality to it & “Purity” is a solemn 7-minute closer with talking about becoming the oracle.

“Cold Kiss” starts the deluxe run on a soulful boom bap note calling the pallbearer “the right plug for you” while “Recipe for Desire” smoothly talks about making biblical money. “My Crescendo” returns to a jazzier vibe discussing redemption with a pistol out the window while “God Bless the King” hops over kicks, snares & horns seeing if he match the rain out in South Central even though it’s not a frequent occurrence. After the “People Pleaser” interlude, the 7-minute “Give You Anything” discusses Franklin’s mother going to prison for killing Teddy McDonald & “The Freedom Dance” ends the bonus track run seeing Franklin at rock bottom much like the series finale itself.

There’s always been a source of inspiration for every single body of work that Skyzoo has put out & it’s amazing how he continues to be consistent after all these years because I don’t see how anyone who has the sane amount of love for hip hop & Snowfall would dislike this album. He excellently captures what Franklin Saint’s innermost thoughts could be when dealing with the world he’s caught within & the production playing to the conventional jazz/boom bap hybrids we’ve come to know & love him for.

Score: 4/5

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Declaime – “In the Beginning 3” review

This is the 14th full-length album from Oxnard veteran Declaime. Debuting on “WLIX” off Tha Alkaholiks’ sophomore album Coast II Coast in 1995, it wouldn’t be until 2001 when Dudley Perkins started putting out albums under his own name by dropping Andsoitisaid. But coming fresh off LMD’s long-awaited debut Flying High last summer, he’s linking back up with Madlib for the 3rd installment in the ongoing In the Beginning series where the 2 dig up some of their earliest & previously unreleased work together.

“Ill Minded” is a bit of a hazy opener with Declaime talking about verbally abusing those who dare step up to him whereas “Laff Now Cry Later” goes into more boom bap turf advising people that your day will come sooner or later. The cassette demo version of the “Andsoitisaid” title track is interesting to hear considering the version we got 8 years later has a different beat & is a little bit longer just before Roc C tags along for the lo-fi “Come with the Ill Grammar” advising to have some dope ass syntax when speaking to them.

The remix of “Why Do We Go Out Like That?” is cool even though I personally prefer the version we have on [the Lootpack’s rarities compilation The Lost Tapes leading into “Too Much Clout” returning to the boom bap flexing his lyrical prowess. God’s Gift’s verse on the battle rap-themed “12th Floor” is just ok with the sounds of ocean waves in the beat gives it a bit of a calm atmosphere prior to the raw sounding “Next Episode” with Christopher McCray showing y’all how they move it. “Ass Will Get Dropped” with M.E.D. finds both Oxnard emcees letting y’all know what’ll happen whenever C.D.P. pulls up to your spot over a mellow instrumental & prior to the outro beat skit, we’re treated to the original version of “Rollem Right” off Dudley’s debut EP Illmindmuzik as the official closer.

If you’ve been keeping up with the In the Beginning series, you should already know what you’re gonna be getting yourself into & I don’t mean that in a bad way because all 3 installments thus far are must-listens for any hardcore Madlib fan. His production pulls from funk, jazz, soul & psychedelia with Declaime continuing to pay homage to the city that he came from by further presenting his early days on the mic. However, one of the biggest criticisms I have is that I feel that the intros to 6 of the 11 actual songs we get here are kind of annoying especially since the track listing is prominently intro & song back to back.

Score: 3.5/5

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Mickey Diamond – “Gucci Ghost 2” review

Mickey Diamond is an up-&-coming MC from Detroit, Michigan who first emerged at the beginning of 2020 off the strength of his debut EP Bangkok Dangerous, the dude has since gone on to turn quite a few heads in the underground by building up the impressive discography for himself with 5 full-lengths alongside 5 EPs & a mixtape. He literally just dropped his last album Gucci Ghost produced by Big Ghost Ltd. at the beginning of the month & have now decided to drop a sequel 3 weeks later out of nowhere.

After the “Tax Evasion” intro, the first song “Paolo’s Ghost” kicks off the album with some sample-based boom bap production & Mickey declaring himself to be a troublemaker prior to Hus Kingpin & Mondo Slade both assisting him on “Vanity Fair” taking a more dejecting tone instrumentally as the trio leave the scene bloody lyrically. Especially with the hilarious thumbdrive line during the first verse. The electric guitar throughout “Gucci Godzilla” is absolutely badass confessing that he feels like an iced-out version of the King of Monsters referencing former NWA World Tag Team Champion, 3-time WWE tag team champion & 6-time WWE Hardcore Champion Bob Holly just before “Gold Grill Villains” featuring Eddie Kaine & Mooch has a more rawer approach in sound as the 3 spit some ruthless battle bars.

“Aldo’s Interlude” is a self-described brief intermission with some down-tuned synths & a bass guitar layered on top of some kicks & snares discussing how no one can fuck with him leading into “Nowhere to Run” explains that the hood’s the only life he knows over a desolate boom bap beat. The song “Dapper Dan War Suits” brings back the rap rock vibes with some minimal drums talking about being dressed to kill while the penultimate track “Blood on the Runway” is a symphonic boom bap posse cut showcasing the Umbrella collective with each member standing out in their own way. “Death By Designer” ends things by reminding us that our demises are always 1-step away with a climatic instrumental.

When we initially got Gucci Ghost at the beginning of the month, I had stated that it was Mickey’s most well crafted body of work to date. Fast forward literally weeks later & here we are with a sequel that’s on par with if not superior to that of the predecessor. Dude’s continuing to reveal himself to be amongst my favorite lyricists within the Umbrella by continuing to sharpen up his pen-game & Big Ghost Ltd.‘s production is more versatile than it was on the last album.

Score: 4.5/5

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Gotti Mob – “Don’t Be Stupid” review

The Gotti Mob is a newly formed hip hop duo consisting of Kurupt & C-Mob. One is a Philadelphia, Pennsylvania born albeit Los Angeles, California bred veteran notable for being 1/2 of Tha Dogg Pound alongside Daz Dillinger & the latter coming straight outta Marion, Indiana turning heads in the underground since 2005, particularly within the horrorcore scene. They’ve only crossed paths with each other on wax a few times over the years, but are linking together & putting their chemistry to the test with a full-length debut.

“Mid West” is a grim piano/boom bap opener produced by Tone Spliff to start off the album talking about being so much more than the images that both MCs have portrayed whereas “Want Smoke!” works in some melodic vocal chops & dusty drums courtesy of Johnny Slash acknowledging that people don’t wanna fuck with them. Too $hort tags along for “Dumb Shit (Delirious)” to talk about not dealing with stupidity over a syrupy sample just before “I Ain’t Even Know!” has a more spacious sound speaking on living their lives & not trying to do anyone wrong.

Moving on from there with “Player’s Ball”, we have WWE Hall of Famer Snoop Dogg joining the Gotti Mob over some production blending g-funk & boom bap referencing the titular gathering of pimps that takes place in Chicago every year leading into “Da Buzine$$” diving into trap territory talking about doing big business only. After the “Game Recognize Game” interlude, Sacramento veteran & the newest addition to the Strange Music roster X-Raided comes into the picture for the bell-infused “Often” advising to take caution prior to the bouncy “Take Me Away” showing a more romantic side lyrically.

“Medicine” with MC Eiht finds all 3 of them over a dark trap beat asking if one wants to do some gangsta shit or handle a certain situation like gentlemen while the song “Move Nice” pulls from hyphy music instrumentally recommending that one needs to be aware of all the tension surrounding them. The penultimate track “Wanna Be a Ho” returns to the trap sound 1 last time telling their significant others to be themselves around them, but then “Everywhere” with KXNG CROOKED & Spice 1 truly ends the album with a delirious ballad about being all over the place.

Now despite already being familiar with Kurupt at a young age due to his history with Death Row Records & the D.P.G.C. collective, I personally haven’t really heard much of C-Mob’s own material outside of some features he’s done for artists like Tech N9ne & Kung Fu Vampire throughout the last 3 years. All of that being said: the Gotti Mob gave us a pretty solid debut here & only time will tell if they plan on working with one another more down the road. The production from start to finish is trunk-rattling & the styles of both MCs gel with one another impressively.

Score: 4/5

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Ransom – “Chaos is My Ladder” review

Ransom is a 44 year old MC from Jersey City who came up as 1/2 of the short-lived duo A-Team alongside Hitchcock. After their disbandment, he branched out on his own in 2008 beginning with his full-length debut Street Cinema & the Statik Selektah-produced sophomore effort The Proposal. But it’s been safe to say these last couple years have been his biggest so far whether it be the 5 EPs that he put out produced by Nicholas Craven, 7 based around the 7 deadly sins, the Big Ghost Ltd.-produced Heavy’s the Head, the Rome Streetz collab album Coup de Grâce, his previous full-length No Rest for the Wicked earlier this spring & his latest EP This Life Made Me in the fall. But to ring in the winter, Ran’s enlisting V Don to fully produce his 5th album.

“Hit List” featuring 38 Spesh starts things off with a menacing boom bap of opener as the pair go back & forth with one another getting ready to go to war whereas “All In” with Eto works in some lavish piano chords with the 2 talking about how tigers don’t dance in the desert. Both J. Arrr & Mad Squablz tag along for the chipmunk soul infused “Blissful Agony” to drop some battle bars just before the orchestral boom bap ballad “Lone Wolf” declares himself as such.

After the “Calm Before the Storm” interlude, we have Ransom coming together with “A Most Dreadful Symphony” calling out those who glance over the scripts & never knowing the plots over some string sections leading into the angelically produced “Toxic Love” with the title speaking for itself as far as subject matter goes, but then “Burning Bridges” goes drumless with it’s bare piano instrumental continue to be more introspective with the lyrics.

The song “Chaotic Ceremony” has a more luxurious groove to it talking about liking action & making shit happen while the penultimate track “Short Notice” with Lloyd Banks finds the 2 wordsmiths talking about how it’s time to even the score over a jazzy beat. “Late Nights Early Mournings” however closes out the album on a symphonic note proclaiming only the strong survive so the weak ends.

Between this as well as No Rest for the Wicked & This Life Made Me, there’s not a single doubt in my mind that Chaos is My Ladder is the best of the 3 projects that Ransom has dropped throughout 2022. The production that V Don cooks up is a tad bit more consistent than what we heard on the last EP with no disrespect intended towards Mayor whatsoever as the lyricism continues to remind everyone that there aren’t many who’re on Ran’s level.

Score: 4.5/5

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Ab-Soul – “Herbert” review

Ab-Soul is a 35 year old MC & singer/songwriter from Carson, California who came up as 1/2 of the duo Area 51 alongside Snake Hollywood. The pair would be short lived however, as Soulo would go on to sign to Top Dawg Entertainment & has remained under Top Dawg’s wing since. Dude’s first 2 mixtapes Longterm & Longterm 2: Lifestyles of the Broke & Almost Famous would begin to turn heads & I can’t forget about his first 2 full-lengths Longterm Mentality & Control System going on to become the Black Lip Bastard’s most acclaimed efforts to date, but These Days… & Do What Thou Wilt. were both released to mediocre reception from many including myself. That being said though, I was definitely looking forward to Soulo’s 6th album here as TDE comes fresh off SZA‘s long awaited sophomore effort S.O.S. last Friday & of course Kendrick’s final offering with the label Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers over the spring.

“Message in a Bottle” is a 2-part boom bap opener with Soulo talking about being close to the edge whereas “No Report Card” takes a peppier Route promising not to stop. “Hollandaise” starts off going into trap turf with some cloudy/pluggy undertones talking about being locked in with no fucks given prior to a jazzy switch-up during the final verse, but then Joey Bada$$ tags along for the “Moonshooter” remix weaving a chipmunk soul sample & some dusty drums to get more conscious lyrically.

However on “F.O.M.F. (Fuck Out My Face)”, we have the Black Lip Bastard over a horn-inflicted trap instrumental advising the bitch-made to back up from him leading into Punch coming into the picture for the soulful boom bap cut “Goodman” talking about being righteous & good men turning tyrant. “Do Better” samples “Green Twins” by Nick Hakim dropping some more uplifting lyricism just before the Fre$h-assisted “Gang’Nem” embraces a cloudier sound getting on a whole lotta gang shit.

“The Wild Side” returns to the boom bap with some piano chords woven in speaking on turning their lifestyles into their careers while “Art of Seduction” is of course a decently moody love ballad. “Bucket” hooks up a vocal loop talking about controlling this system & not to worry about a damn thing while “Go Off” with Big Sean & Russ has a wavy trap groove with the trio giving off big sick energy. The verse from the latter at the middle is kinda cringey especially with the line about not teaching a girl how to arch since she’s from St. Louis, but Sean comes out swinging with a crazy Stone Cold Steve Austin reference once he starts spitting near the end.

Moving on from there with “Fallacy” featuring Alemeda, it’s only right for Soulo to declare that the real is back over some airy boom bap production from Hit-Boy while the title track brings a sample-based trap beat into the fold talking about how he’ll never be understood. “Church on the Move” is a gospel/trap hybrid keeping the faith while the piano-heavy “It Be Like That” admits his fuck-ups with a melodic outro. The penultimate track “Positive Vibes Only” speaks for itself with a triumphant beat & “Gotta Rap” finishes the album with the God of Boom Bap himself DJ Premier behind the boards to flex Ab’s lyrical abilities.

As someone who adored this guy’s first 2 full-lengths during my adolescence, I’ll admit that I had some doubts going into Herbert considering how underwhelming his last 2 have been. However, there’s no denying that this is the best he’s sounded since Control System. Given the title, I admire how he decided to get more personal be detailing his upbringings accompanied by some versatile production pulling from boom bap to trap & even gospel music.

Score: 4/5

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Little Simz – “NO THANK YOU” review

This is the 5th full-length album from London, England, United Kingdom emcee, singer & actress Little Simz. Getting her start at the beginning of the previous decade, she would go on to drop 4 mixtapes & 9 EPs alongside her previous LPs. GREY Area showed some serious artistic evolution & S.I.M.B.I. (Sometimes I Might Be Introvert) wound up being my 2021 Album of the Year, even giving it a perfect 10. So considering that, anticipation going into No Thank You after Simz announced it early last week was definitely high.

“Angel” is a crooning opener with Simz rapping about praying for a sign & how good things aren’t granted to you whereas “Gorilla” has a bit of a boom bap quality to the instrumental she she can go ape shit lyrically after being fully charged & bared up. “Silhouette” has a more angelic approach sonically encouraging the listeners to look inside oneself & that what she sees in certain people now in contrast the light shining on them at one point, but then “No Merci” works in some orchestral influences talking about doing yourself a favor & not sell your soul to those undeserving of it.

However with “X”, we have Simz on top of a gospel-inspired beat admitting that she needs God & that her pain will be adored someday leading into the soulful yet symphonic “Heart on Fire” talking about her life being a blessing & being unable to take all the stresses that come with it. “Broken” weaves some strings & swooning background vocals throughout to discuss what it means to feel hopeless just before “Sideways” takes the chipmunk soul route talking about cautioning not to get attached to the version of her you see today & removing toxic people from her presence. The penultimate track “Who Even Cares?” has a more woozier groove to it talking about not being afraid of shit & “Control” is a piano-heavy closer asks her lover to promise not to let go of her hand because their love is all she has left.

Simz has already proven herself to be the most exciting hip hop artist in the UK today with GREY Area & especially S.I.M.B.I. (Sometimes I Might Be Introvert), so it really shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone that she goes for a 3-peat on NO THANK YOU here. She wonderfully details the point she’s at now without holding anything back & Inflo’s production still has the jazzy/neo-soul undertones of the predecessor with the exception of swapping out the orchestral influences of the last album with gospel.

Score: 4.5/5

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Mount Westmore – “Snoop, Cube, 40, $hort” review

Mount Westmore is a California west coast supergroup consisting Snoop Dogg, Ice Cube, E-40 & Too $hort. Each member being veterans in their hometowns of Long Beach, Inglewood, Vallejo & Oakland respectively. We never heard all 4 of them on a track together until after they formed in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic & after releasing their full-length debut Bad MFs over the summer exclusively as an NFT, they’re finally putting it on streaming services 6 months later backed by MNRK Music Group & with some new cuts sprinkled into the mix.

“California” is a hyper opener produced by Rick Rock representing their home-state whereas the bouncy “Motto” lets everyone know what the maxim exactly is. “Big Subwoofer” blends hyphy with trap thanks to Kato dropping some braggadocio leading into “Too Big” pulling from snap music interestingly enough going back & forth with each other talking about just exactly how they prefer to do shit.

However with “Activated”, we have Mt. Westmore explaining that everything’s imitated rather than calculated over a g-funk instrumental just before “Have a Nice Day (Fuck You)” has a soulful boom bap quality provided by Fredwreck & Dem Jointz basically telling everyone to kiss their asses & I actually like the latter’s hook quite a bit although my only complaint is that the first verse he delivers was redundantly short. “Ghetto Gutter” brings back the hyphy courtesy of 40 Water’s son Droop-E with co-production from Ant Banks acknowledging that it’s how you come prior to the rubbery-synth-laced “Free Game” dropping precisely that.

“I Got Pull” returns to g-funk turf advising to ask your boss if you don’t know who they’re are while “Up & Down” comes through with my least favorite track on the album personally, as it happens to be an awkward ode to all the thick bitches out there. “Do My Best” picks things back up with a smoother ballad produced by Soopafly referring to themselves as champions while “Lace You Up” has a more peppy quality to the beat giving the listeners some advise.

Meanwhile with “Tribal”, all 4 of them talk about how it takes a village to raise the real ones over more hyphy production while the song “How Many” goes back to the g-funk spitting that gangsta shit. The penultimate track “On Camera” is an eerie trap cut feeling like that they’re being watched primarily because of how quick things tend to go around on social media these days & “Mash” is menacing closer getting quite mobbish.

I know some people were quick to write off the supergroup’s debut since it was initially released exclusively as an NFT back in June, but I knew they’d have to put it up on all streaming services at some point & I gotta admit that the material that we got out of it is pretty impressive. It’s interesting to hear how all 4 MCs’ unique deliveries mesh with one another & the production representing the state of California as a whole by blending g-funk with hyphy.

Score: 3.5/5

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Kool G Rap – “Last of a Dying Breed” review

This is the 6th full-length album from Queens icon Kool G Rap. Coming up as a member of the Juice Crew collective & dropping 3 classic albums alongside DJ Polo from 1989-1992, he would eventually go on to build a solo career for himself in the fall of ‘95 beginning with 4, 5, 6. Last we heard from G Rap was in the summer of 2017 when he enlisted Toronto, Ontario, Canada producer MoSS behind the boards for Return of the Don, but has seen fit to re-emerge a little over 5 years later in the form of Last of a Dying Breed.

“Dying Breed” is a horn/boom bap opener with G Rap talking about how there ain’t many like him left this day in age whereas “Scared Money” works in some synthesizers to talk about not fearing a goddamn soul. Royal Flush & Vado tag along for the dusty piano-laced “Never Be” bragging that they be sippin’ on the finest champagnes just before Big Daddy Kane comes into the picture for the glistening “Fly ‘Till I Die” talking about being those motherfuckers until they both stop breathing.

Meanwhile on “Critical”, we have NEMS & the Genius of Rap coming together on top of some keys welcoming you to the dark side leading into the AZ/38 Spezh-assisted “Born Hustler” detailing the mafiosi lifestyle. “Official” hooks up some organs talking about being too certified with some jazzy undertones throughout the book, but then “Donald Goines” embraces a more triumphant sound taking you in as to how them boys be cooking.

The song “Million Reasons” with Al Skratch finds the 2 over a trap instrumental with an eerie vocal sample talking about being off the deep end while the penultimate track “Winning Hand” lets y’all know who you dealing with & the Lil Dee verse has gotta be the weakest feature on the album respectfully. “Born n Raised” with Grandmaster Caz & Doo Wop however ends things with an old school-flavored closer representing New York proudly.

Return of a Don was a great comeback for G Rap considering the mediocrity Riches, Royalty, Respect when it came out in the spring of 2011 & he goes back-to-back with Last of a Dying Breed here. A couple lackluster features here & there, but Domingo’s production is on par with MoSS’ with one of the greatest MCs in the history of our culture Giancana sounding like he has a fire under his ass lyrically.

Score: 4/5

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