$crim – “Lonely Boy” review

This is the sophomore full-length solo LP from New Orleans, Louisiana rapper, producer & deejay $crim. Coming up as 1/2 of the $uicideboy$, the duo has been impeccably consistent since their formation over a decade ago & Wetto here was actually the first one to branch out on his own by dropping the solo debut A Man Rose to the Dead during the COVID-19 pandemic to mixed to negative reception including from myself. However since Ruby da Cherry’s been grinding with a couple of skate punk EPs since last summer, it’s only right for Budd Dwyer to introduce us to the Lonely Boy.

“destination: home” is a cloudy trap opener co-produced by G*59 Record$ in-house producer Dynox encouraging to dream on whereas “a boy whistling in the graveyard” displays a more melodic delivery over an atmospheric instrumental with some hi-hats hoping that he gets right. “maserati slick” shows off the new whip that he just copped accompanied by a psychedelic trap beat leading into “who saves the savior?” asking who could love what he’s become going for a Memphis-influenced sound this time.

Meanwhile, “night gallery” continues forward by working in this vast instrumental keeping the hi-hats into the fold just before “demo demon” looks to pull up on his opposition. The synth-heavy title track goes into territory addressing the loneliness that he feels, but then the meditative “don’t know why” rides around town so fucked up to the point where he can’t even see

“blam!” experiments with rage beats talking about unloading the chopper on anyone who goes against his set prior to “4muhslime #freethug” paying tribute to Young Thug & the beat giving off a solemn vibe. “devil’s revenge using god’s subjects” sets out blow all these racks with a bitch blowing his high shooting for a moodier aesthetic while “i just hope that my death makes more cents than my life” delves into hypertrap turf flexing that his money keeps going up.

Starting the 2nd leg, “new glock 4 my opps” continues to blend buzzing synths with repetitive chord progressions & melodic synth leads looking to make the block hot while “1st things first” admits that he doesn’t go outside much although everyone should pray whenever he does returning to a relaxed, dream-like & reverb-heavy production style. “north pontchartrain blues” suggests to come spend the night & never leave him over a slick trap instrumental while the bass-heavy lead single “paradise” describes his ideal place.

“just because you’re paranoid doesn’t mean you’re wrong” atmospherically laces $crim’s feelings with drugs clarifying he can’t help but go when they call him while “a man touched the sky” talks about refusing to take any chances over another trillwave beat. “all graves go unvisited in the end” dejectedly confesses to people betraying him when he never thought they would while “nightmare on the northside 2” is a worthy sequel to a highlight off A Man Rose from the Dead.

Moving on to the final quarter of the LP, “chrome cowboy” looks to do whatever it takes to keep catching those Ws trying to give off a vibrant approach generally while the rage-inducing “die4me” asks if anyone’s loyal to him. “1-800-PAIN” is cloudy a reminder that shit ain’t sweet when you look in his eyes while the trippy “marlboro country” talks about a whole new vibe he’s been on. The angelic/trap crossover “a nice place to visit” heads back west & lastly, “levitate” ends Lonely Boy on an upbeat note riding & dying by his shawty.

Granted it kinda seems like $crim heard Destroy Lonely’s last album If Looks Could Kill since it was also 26 tracks & nearly 90 minutes long when we first got it last spring, yet Lonely Boy still shows significant improvements over A Man Rose from the Dead. It’s refreshing to hear Budd experimenting with new sounds & his performances actually sound invigorated as opposed to being monotonously boring on the predecessor.

Score: 3.5/5

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K.A.A.N. – “Peace of Minds” review

Maryland emcee/producer K.A.A.N. reuniting with Aftermath Entertainment in-house producer Dem Jointz for his 24th full-length studio LP. a name for himself in the underground over the course of the past decade by delivering standouts in his ever-growing discography like Black Blood, the Ski Beatz-produced Requiem for a Dream Deferred & the Big Ghost Ltd.-produced All Praise is Due, Mission Hillz or recently The Death of a Rapper & The Nightly News both produced by former Strange Music in-house producer MIKE SUMMERS a.k.a. 7. But after being teasing Peace of Minds since September, it’s only right for the Maryland lyricist & the Compton producer to link back up to start the 2nd month of the new year.

After the “Wake Up” intro, the first song “Corner Store” is a 2-part trap opener talking about how they wanna see him fall whereas “A.S.C. (Ain’t Shit Changed)” keeps the hi-hats in tact making it known that things are still the same with him. “Living n Fear” has a groovier vibe to it explaining that his whole house on fire prior to “Destination” shifts into boom bap territory talking about what you get when you follow false prophets.

“Dying Breed” goes into a drumless direction likening himself to a group of people that’re slowly fading away as time goes on leading into “Hurry” bringing the kicks & snares back into the picture manically getting in his hardcore bag lyrically. “Basque” is an organ boom bap hybrid produced by Black Milk asking what the fuck he’s gotta do to prove who’s who, but then “Prize” aims to keep his eyes on the finish line over more trap production.

To start the 2nd half of the album, “Designer Drug” goes into a psychedelic direction admitting that he went down the rabbit hole for all the wrong reasons just before the atmospheric “Smoking Section” slides through for an anthem dedicated to the smokers out there. “F.Y.F. (Fuck Yo Feelings) says it all conceptually over a dusty instrumental while the rock-inspired “Past That” talks about moving on from the bullshit.

“Footsteps of Greatness” begins the encore of the LP by speaking from experience on top of an unsettling & lastly, “Katch Up” closes out Peace of Mind by hooking up this delicate back drop with some hi-hats thanks to fellow Aftermath in-house producer Focus… so K.A.A.N. can get into his shit-talking bag 1 last time talking about all the ways that people be envying him ever since his career took off really.

Mission Hillz was more trap-based unlike both Black Blood & Pure Intentions, so it doesn’t really surprise me to hear that Peace of Mind continues to expand on the sounds of the previous LP that K.A.A.N. & Dem Jointz did with one another. The latter’s production continues to show progression over the last 7 years of working together dabbling with psychedelia, boom bap, drumless & a hint of rock suiting the Maryland emcee’s potent topics.

Score: 4.5/5

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Mvck Nyce – “Nyce to Meet You” review

Detroit emcee Mvck Nyce of the Umbrella collective picking up where the predecessor left off almost 11 months ago with his sophomore LP. Emerging in 2018 off the full-length debut InMyDarkestHour, he has since continued to turn heads by continuing to release a couple EPs Supernyce & Lord Be Whit Me along with the Circa ‘16 compilation more recently as the 1-year anniversary of that approaches next month to be exact. I was also anticipating Nyce to Meet You considering some of Mvck’s recent features for Bizarre of prior D12 fame, Dango Forlaine or even his Umbrella brethren Mickey Diamond, Substance810 & Snotty.

“Master” is a morbid boom bap opener calling anyone to try to master his style whereas “Hockeytown” explains that this the type of shit that gets motherfuckers icy over a rugged instrumental. “Ghetto Gold” works in more kicks & snares with this eerie backdrop boasting that these try-hards can’t even fuck with him or his set leading into “Professionals” going for a solemn boom bap vibe grinding all night long until the sun comes up & calling out those sounding unconfident in their raps.

The aptly titled “Hound Flow” has a mellower sound admitting that he’s feeling like he’s back just before “Fully Automatic” brings the kicks & snares back in the picture talking about getting with it or getting lost at the end of the day. “Yesterday” flips a gospel sample confessing he doesn’t know where to go even though he did his thing & made his lane, but then the instrumentally dejecting “Cups & Carats” talks about how many want to calm him down.

“Dirty” begins the encore of the album by telling y’all to shut the fuck up & sit the fuck back over a dusty ass beat while the jazzy “Gotham Nights” talking about the fact that everybody tryna be a hero. The eerie boom bap closer “Me Against the World” properly sends off Nyce to Meet You with one of the best songs I’ve ever heard from him passionately rapping that he let his demons out in broad day hoping that it would work.

Considering the 7 year gap between Nyce to Meet You & InMyDarkestHour along with the feature performances that I had mentioned at the beginning, I was highly anticipating to hear how much the Nycest of the Umbrella collective has grown since then & he definitely didn’t pull any stops on that at all here. Unlike that previous compilation, we have a more well thought-out & linear reintroduction from the Detroit emcee to the public eye altogether.

Score: 4/5

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Icewear Vezzo – “Live from the 6” review

Easily one of the biggest names in the Detroit trap scene today & Iced Up Records founder Icewear Vezzo finally releasing his Quality Control Music debut album although the 4th full-length overall in his discography. For over a decade now, this dude has been making waves locally by releasing the Rich Off Pints trilogy of LPs & over a dozen mixtapes. The previous Paint the City hosted by DJ Drama over a year ago being Vezzo’s first project to come out though the Motown Records imprint & it was a solid prelude, so it definitely increased anticipation for his major label debut Live from the 6.

After the intro skit, the first song “Class of 2024” starts off with some synthesizers & hi-hats so Vezzo can remind us all that he inventing sippin’ mud despite the fact that he’s clean these days whereas the atmospheric “Projects” flexes that he’s a multi-millionaire in the trenches. “Perfect” featuring DaBaby is anything but since the latter’s appearance might be the weakest on the album although I do appreciate the luxurious instrumental & Vez’ braggadocio, but then “Rap Game takes the soulful Detroit trap route celebrating like a parade goin’ down.

“Momma Mil” goes for a darker approach to the vibes of the previous cut minus the soul sample making it clear that his mother didn’t raise no hoes & the “Motion” remix featuring Babyface Ray is superior to the original boasting that that’s exactly what they got over a synth-based Detroit trap beat. “Ain’t Enough” gives off an eerier atmosphere explaining that he needs $2M since $1M isn’t enough just before “Come Outside” featuring YTB Fatt is another underwhelming collab although the message of people dying out here in the D is accurate.

Picking things back up, “I Ain’t Mad at Ya” fuses cloud rap & Detroit trap addressing all the “fuck n****s” out there leading into “Chose Me” featuring Chuckie CEO talking about choosing himself over a ghoulish instrumental & Chuckie punching under his weight. Beginning the encore of the album however, “Different Day” almost has this pluckier tone to the beat talking about the concept of “same shit, different day” & “I’m the One” closes Live from the 6 with this futuristic trap banger talking about being him.

Vezzo’s verse on the “Detroit vs. Everybody” remix made me a fan of his when it came out on my 18th birthday & this major label debut similar to Paint the City continues to show improvement in Vezzo. Yeah the features are kinda underwhelming for the majority of it, but it’s more well-produced than some of his previous material & I admire that he pays homage to 6 Mile as a fellow Motor City native myself.

Score: 3.5/5

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Confucius MC – “Stop Signs” review

London, England, United Kingdom wordsmith Confucius MC teaming up with Dublin, Ireland producer Pitch 92 for his 3rd studio LP. Known for being 1/2 of the Old Paradice and CoN & KwAkE, he introduced himself in 2014 off his full-length debut The Highest Form followed by The Artform a few years later & the sophomore effort Somewhere another few years after that. Familiarizing myself with him through his features throughout several High Focus Records projects over the years, it only makes sense to have one of the label’s in-house producers coming in the picture for Stop Signs.

After the “Leisure Time” intro, “Maintenance” begins with a funky beat advising to slow down whereas “Paper Champs” takes the boom bap route instrumentally seeking truth in an ocean of lies. “Missing Persons” brings the funk back with a slicker twist to it talking about someone disappearing every 2 minutes leading into “Raised by Wolves” featuring Renelle 893 links up so both of them can discuss their own upbringings.

“Loneliness in the City” has a somberness to the beat describing this epidemic around his parts & after an intermission, “Cognitive Behavior” featuring King Kashmere finds the 2 talking about being tired of the games. “Days Hours Minutes” featuring the latter’s Kingdom of Fear partner-in-rhyme Jehst speaks of time forever flying past us while “Burden” soulfully talks about not letting anything take a load on you.

Nearing the conclusion of Stop Signs, the song “Blue Skies” hops over a lo-fi boom bap l instrumental that sounds like it could’ve appeared during a bumper on the Discovery Global owned Cartoon Network late-night block [adult swim] asking for his spirits for them to tell him to read the signs & “Respite” concludes the EP with a 77 second outro structured similarly to “Leisure Time” the moment anyone giving this a spin would hear right when they press play.

The Highest Form still has it’s moments a decade later, but I truly think Stop Signs might’ve surpassed it although I’m not sure why Confucius MC didn’t have High Focus Records distribute it because it very much sounds like something that would’ve come out of the renown Hove, East Sussex imprint. Pitch 92’s jazzy production is a huge step above Somewhere carrying the torch of Jaylib’s spirit further & Confucius’ poetic lyricism is at it’s most conscious, joined by a couple of artists on the current High Focus roster & none other than the YNR Productions founder himself.

Score: 4/5

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Tha God Fahim – “Supreme Dump Legend: Soul Cook Saga” review

Tha Dump Gawd himself Tha God Fahim from Atlanta, Georgia beginning the 2nd month of 2024 by linking up with Cookin’ Soul for the 21st full-length LP in his ever-growing discography. 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. But dude has been on a CRAZY ass EP 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 4, the Oh No-produced Berserko, Fahim’s last EP Dump Gawd: Rhyme Pays produced by Mike Shabb & even the previous album Tha Supreme Hoarder of All Pristine Wealth. So hearing that Big Size would be behind the boards to begin the Soul Cook Saga of the Supreme Dump Legend series, I was certain it had to be the best body of worked they’ve ever produced for another MC.

After the intro, the first song “Blood Sport” starts things off with this cinematic boom bap instrumental likening himself & his squad to champions whereas “Get Ur Weight Up” takes a more lo-fi route working in thee kicks & snares so tha Dump Gawd speaking on some advice that was given to him. “Economics” featuring The Musalini who signed to Jamla Records last year talks about turning rhymes into heavy cash over a boom bap beat with this infectious sample, but then “Guillotine” hooking up more kicks & snares with this psychedelic backdrop referencing 10-time WWE world champion, 2-time WWE Intercontinental Champion, 5-time WWE Tag Team Champion, United Football League (UFL) co-owner, the newest member of the WME Group-owned TKO Group Holdings’ board of directors & $7 Productions co-founder The Rock whose daughter Ava is now the GM for WWE’s developmental NXT brand.

“Shark Biting Vampires” featuring Dano makes it clear that they don’t want anyone sounding like them on top of some woodwinds & just before “Heavy” featuring Raz Fresco makes up for Dano’s guest appearance on the previous cut which might be the weakest feature on the album. Here though, Raz & Fahim discusses the heaviness of words sometimes over this spacious boom bap instrumental. “Pedal to the Floor” kinda gives me a bluesier vibe making it clear he ain’t new to this leading into the dusty “Safe Hands” looking to make other rappers look bad. The orchestral sendoff “The Way of the Samurai” lastly portrays another day in the Shogunn saga.

Breadrick Douglas is said to be have Dump Goat II, 3 more projects with Monk, 3 with Craven, another one with Cookin’ Soul presumably titled Supreme Dump Legend: Soul Cook Saga 2 & a self-produced one all coming down the pipe in the future & Supreme Dump Legend: Soul Cook Saga. Cookin’ Soul’s boom bap production is consistent top to bottom, I enjoyed nearly every feature & Fahim indeed cementing himself as the strongest performer Size has worked with on a full project to date.

Score: 4.5/5

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Benny the Butcher – “Everybody Can’t Go” review

Buffalo emcee Benny the Butcher ending the first month of 2024 by releasing his 4th full-length LP & major label debut under Def Jam Recordings. Being in the game for 2 decades already, it wouldn’t be until 2016 where he alongside his cousins Westside Gunn & Conway the Machine would take the culture by storm off projects like Tana Talk 3 & The Plugs I Met. Harry Fraud came in for a sequel to the latter following the mature Burden of Proof & finally, Tana Talk 4 took it back to the basement a couple years back. But for the butcher’s Def Jam opus, he’s having Hit-Boy produce half of it & leaving the other half to The Alchemist.

“Jermaine’s Graduation” sets the tone of what’s to come with a luxurious instrumental explaining that he doesn’t need a trophy because he is the trophy whereas “Bron” goes into a triumphant boom bap direction likening himself as the LeBron James of this rap shit. “Big Dog” featuring Lil Wayne works in this reversed loop talking about being too dogs, but then the title track featuring Kyle Banks on the hook giving back to the game accompanied by a soul sample & some kicks & snares.

Meanwhile, “T.M.V.T.L. (Trust More Valuable Than Love)” has some dynamic production throughout expressing the importance of trust over love just before “Back Again” returns to the boom bap with additional vocals from WWE Hall of Famer Snoop Dogg talking about being gangstas. “1 Foot In” featuring Stove God Cook$ starts the 2nd leg of the album admitting he was a foot out the game after that freestyle with Funkmaster Flex over a hard-hitting beat leading into “Buffalo Kitchen Club” featuring Armani Caesar blending these piano chords & hi-hats together reminding that nobody fucking with them.

“Pillow Talk & Slander” featuring Babyface Ray & Jadakiss sees the trio telling their older selves to watch out for these hoes over a rich trap instrumental while “How to Rap” takes it back to the basement showing everyone how it’s done. “Griselda Express” featuring Conway the Machine & Rick Hyde begins the encore of the LP by saying they ain’t stopping on top of a solemn beat & “Big Tymers” featuring Peezy ties things up with 1-last trap cut boasting their current statuses.

A lot people who started with Benny or played a part ain’t make it since some are no longer with us, in prison, taking other paths or others that just weren’t built for it. With the help of Hit-Boy & Uncle Al, he puts the biggest lesson he took from that on full display for his major label debut. The production is versatile, the guests match his intensity & the Butcher inviting y’all to his world.

Score: 4.5/5

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Crimeapple – “El León” review

New Jersey emcee Crimeapple enlisting New York producer Preservation for his 12th studio LP. Becoming a fan of his in the fall of 2017 with his 4th EP Sweet Dreams along with the Big Ghost Ltd. produced full-length debut Aguardiente that following spring, his profile in the underground grew exponentially from there. Discography standouts include the DJ Skizz-produced Wet Dirt, the DJ Muggs-produced Medallo, Cartagena, Breakfast in Hradec & Sin Cortar. However coming off a sequel to the Kilómetros EP few months ago, El León to me personally was already destined to become the most I’ve enjoyed Crime’s music in nearly a year & a half.

The title track starts the LP with heavy horns & pianos saying he doesn’t care if he was acquired for your tastes or not whereas “Don’t Mention It” featuring Sadat X keeping it drumless talking about how this shit isn’t a joke to them at all. “Lion vs. Panther” has this crazy vocal flip comparing himself to a lion & everyone else in his way as panthers prior to “Hunting Methods” bringing this infectiously drumless loop flexing that he doesn’t wait in line.

“Melena Dorada” featuring RLX talking about how blessings are all copious over some strings just before “Fumemos” goes into a stripped-back direction dedicating this one to all the smokers. “Camino Solitario” talks about traveling down a lonely road over a boom bap instrumental, but then “Vida Mantequilla” hooks up these kicks & snares with heavy horns having fun with a blonde on a Friday.

The song “Paw Prints in the Sand” wants to know how anyone is qualified to go up against him over a nightly beat while the penultimate track “Quanto Te Quiero” shifts into more delicate territory talking about a romantic interest. Finally to end the album, “Bulevar” is a deadpan closer dodging stress in favor of catching fish on a boat & might even give you some game if you ask him correctly.

It’s been quite some time since I personally have covered a project of Crime’s as his discography tends to be a little hit or miss sometimes, but El León unquestionably lived up to my expectations becoming the most I’ve enjoyed a project of his in a year & a half. Preservation’s predominately drumless production is more consistent than a lot of his output in 2023 & we get a metaphorical beacon for the unyielding hunger that the lyrical predator has always shown.

Score: 4.5/5

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Static-X – “Project: Regeneration 2” review

Static-X is an industrial metal band from Los Angeles, California now consisting of frontman Edsel Dope, bassist Tony Campos, lead guitarist Koichi Fukuda & drummer Ken Jay. Formed by their original frontman Wayne Static, their 1999 debut Wisconsin Death Trip would become a breakthrough for them in the nu metal era & went on to release 5 more albums until Wayne tragically passed away in the fall of 2014. They reformed in Wayne’s memory in 2020 on their last LP Project: Regeneration mixing old sounds with new along with their new frontman Edsel Dope recording brand new vocals mixed with posthumous Wayne vocals that I found myself liking as much as their debut. So with the 25-year anniversary that & the 10-year anniversary of Wayne’s passing, they’re commemorating it with a sequel to their previous album.

“Stay Alive” is this great industrial metal opener with Wayne & Edsel sharing the mic talking about seeing red & needing this person in their lives whereas “Z0mbie” continues to incorporate the abrasive & heavy sound from industrial music into a heavier context by using elements from post-industrial like synthesizers & drum machines so Edsel describing a psychotic bitch. Wayne & Edsel link back up on “Jic Boi” admitting they’re strung out experimenting with cyber metal leading “Black Star” finds Wayne bringing the band back to their signature industrial metal sound solely talking about losing his mind over the course of what time he had left.

Moving on from there, “Kamikaze” screamed by Edsel kinda gives me a nu metal vibe a bit looking to go Hiroshima just before “No Hope” dabbling with alternative metal so Wayne can talk about needing something to die for. “Take Control” sees Tony Campos & Edsel on vocals together continues to fuse industrial & metal music in their stylistic fashion suffering from hallucinations, but then “Tone” delves further into industrial metal with Wayne talking about all that ever knew was fear along with joy & destruction.

“Run for Your Life” switches it up by going cyber metal again & Edsel confessing to being the enemy that’s dead inside while both Wayne & Tony join him for “Dark Place” so the 3 can sing about individuals searching for something to take away from tomorrow’s sorrow returning it to their industrial metal wheelhouse. “Disco Otsego” with Edsel on vocals is a cyber metal dedication to the titular city of this reviewer’s home state of Michigan while “From Heaven” hauntingly takes a darker tone & Wayne morbidly likening his life to a disease.

The penultimate track “Terrible Lie” begins the encore with this boring industrial/nu metal cover of the 9 Inch Иails song of the same name with some cyber metal undertones to it that both Edsel & Wayne sing together prior to the closer “Groove Yoda Data 14” ending Project: Regeneration 2 by putting a bigger emphasis on cyber metal & both of them talking about no pain killing them & that it’s cold inside.

Before I begin my concluding thoughts: It made me happy that Twiztid opened for these guys on the Rise of the Machine Tour as someone who considers “Push It” to be such a classic single & as a Detroit juggalo who’s been following the Majik Ninja Entertainment founders since their Psychopathic Records days. As for the music itself, this sequel expands on everything that made the predecessor great. They continue to balance the sounds they came up on & dabble with new ones along the way with Wayne & Edsel continuing to show chemistry 1 last time.

Score: 3.5/5

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Lyrical Lemonade – “All is Yellow” review

Lyrical Lemonade is a multimedia company founded by Illinois music video director, videographer, businessman & music promoter Cole Bennett. For over a decade now, he has directed visuals for some of the biggest names in hip hop from the late Juice WRLD to even Eminem & Drake. I’ve even experienced a couple people likening me to Bennett at least a few times over the years along with Anthony Fantano & I’ve never spoken about it publicly, but since I might as well since here we are. The Needle Drop, I can see 110% & I’ve stated numerous times that he’s the reason why I started writing reviews myself. Lyrical Lemonade on the other hand, no I never understood that. Primarily because I write music reviews as opposed to directing music videos for other artists & the fact that every video Lyrical Lemonade puts out always gets 1M views within the first 24 hours. No disrespect intended whatsoever because I’m actually a fan of Cole’s videography myself, otherwise I wouldn’t be writing this. Anyway as for the very debut compilation in front of our very eyes that’s been in the making for 5 years, Def Jam Recordings is helping back All is Yellow.

“Fly Away” by J.I.D, Sheck Wes & Ski Mask the Slump God starts the comp with a thunderous trap instrumental expressing their desire to grow wings sometimes so they can do simply that whereas “Guitar in My Room” by KiD CuDi & Lil Durk shoots for a more stripped-back vibe trying to tell everyone who they really are. “Say Ya Grace” by Chief Keef & Lil Yachty mixes a crooning soul sample with hi-hats referencing to the Superman franchise owned by the Warner Bros. subsidiary DC Entertainment just before “This My Life” by The Kid LAROI, Lil Skies & Lil Tecca experiments with drill music talking about how it’s all timing.

Cochise, Denzel Curry, Juicy J, Lil B & Teezo Touchdown all join forces on “First Night” showing off multiple beat-switches admitting that they just wanna fuck that is until “Special” by Aminé, Latto & Swae Lee talks about wishing they could un-love someone on top of this crooning trap beat. “With the Fish” by $not & the late 6 Dogs tells y’all to meet them at the mountain top over a cloudy instrumental, but then “Doomsday” by Cordae & the late Juice WRLD goes back & forth with one another sampling “Role Model” by Eminem

It only makes sense for Em to do “Doomsday, Pt. 2” as the sample from the predecessor is slowed down & he makes it clear he’s been at J. Cole’s current level for quite some time & asking who had the 2nd best verse in “Forever” when I can answer that by saying Lil Wayne prior to “Fallout” by Gus Dapperton, Joey Bada$$ & Lil Yachty shifting gears into indie/alt-pop turf with additional elements of pop rap & synthpop describing a love that’s death row while “Equilibrium” by Babytron & G Herbo brings this luscious trap beat into the fold chilling with their millions waitin’ ’til the billions come.

“Hello There” by Black Kray, Corbin & Lil Tracy is this underwhelming emo rap/alternative R&B talking about being ghosts inside their exes’ beds interpolating “I Miss You” by blink-182 while “Hummingbird” by SahBabii, Teezo Touchdown & UMI taking a settler approach promising to wait by the door telling you all their stories facing the sun. “Stop Giving Me Advice” by Dave & Jack Harlow acoustically ends the compilation on a self-explanatory note & of course Dave outrapping Harlow.

When it comes to curating albums, Westside Gunn & Metro Boomin’ been doing what DJ Khaled thinks he’s been doing this whole time & the one that Cole Bennett gives us here as much as I enjoy his music videos myself is just okay as a full-listening experience. The production is fine as far as mainstream pop rap goes, it’s that the performances from the guests themselves are hit or miss. Another compilation in the future was hinted at & hopefully it’ll be a cut above, but I’ll take the highlights until then.

Score: 3/5

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