Downtown Boys – “Public Luxury” review

The Downtown Boys are a hardcore punk rock band from Providence, Rhode Island consisting of alto saxophonist Will Cioffi, guitarist Joey DeFrancesco, tenor saxophonist Emmett Fitzgerald, drummer Norlan Olivo, bassist Dan Schleifer & lead singer Victoria Ruiz. Making their eponymous full-length debut back in 2012, they went on to follow it up with the sophomore effort Full Communism as well as the Sub Pop Records debut Cost of Living. Almost a decade later, they’re returning for their 4th studio LP.

“No More Jodas” begins with an urgent lead single singing in Spanish about this person being the disaster Victoria wants prior to her stating that “The City Begins” where many assumed it would end over some punk rock riffs. The 3rd single “Sirena” uses a handful of metaphors to symbolize empowerment singing in Spanish once again dabbling with new wave just before the 4th & final “Yellow Sun” addresses Israel occupying Lebanon for the past couple years giving a shot at goth pop.

Meanwhile on “Viva La Rosa”, we have Victoria & Joey breathing new life into a song that was initially conceived during their Malportado Kids days take inspiration from skate punk leading into “Enemy Without” throwing the it back to the Downtown Boys’ earlier material stylistically. The 2nd single “You’re a Ghost” combines dance-punk & industrial rock so they can critique the rise of fascism in the United States while “Albuterol” treads the synth-punk waters singing about smoking in bed.

“Mi Concha” wraps up the final moments of Public Luxury with another Malportado Kids rendition singing about Victoria’s shell not being white enough for others amplifying the new wave elements while “Public Works” starts with some galloping punk riffs & commanding vocal performances preceding the synthesizers & even an occasional saxophone. The title track spends the album’s last couple minutes blending more synths with a piano for a delicately electronic outro.

Amplifying the primary post-punk influences of their 2017 debut for Sub Pop, the Downtown Boys make their return after 9 long years with the most expansive entry in the band’s entire catalog & definitely the strongest since getting signed. They also incorporate influences of hardcore punk, garage punk, art punk, dance-punk, industrial rock, new wave, synth-punk & skate punk to make some bilingual political commentary regarding the people having it all in the end.

Score: 4/5

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Naomi Sharon – “No Sleep in Paradise” review

This is the sophomore effort from Rotterdam, Zuid-Holland, Netherlands singer/songwriter Naomi Sharon. Starting in 2018 with her debut single “Breeze”, she would go on to release 4 more singles until Toronto, Ontario, Canada superstar Drake signed her to OVO Sound for an impressive debut Obsidian giving a refreshing take on the way the label delivers alternative R&B going beyond that in favor of neo-soul, afrobeats, afro house, downtempo, sophisti-pop, deep house, ambient pop & smooth soul. Coming off The Only Love We Know however, she’s been getting No Sleep in Paradise.

“I Know” blends deep house & alternative R&B to kick things off singing about being built from broken time & stitched with 2nd chances whereas “Miss That” experiments with Afropiano admitting that she’ll miss the way her ex used to pull her in & kiss her back. “Weak” fuses alternative R&B with Afrobeats asking if this person even realizes that she’s hurting her while “Try” produced by KAYTRANADA & Jordan Ullman sings about having the whole night to reach the sun.

Moving on from there, “If You Wanted to You Would” brings the deep house elements back in the picture demanding to know why this person said they need her in their life just before the spacious “Starting Fires” encourages her partner not to hesitate with her heart. “Was It Ever Love?” finds herself questioning if her ex truly loved her since all he never showed that he sincerely cared while “Better Days” sings about her praying & waiting for things in her life to improve.

“Celebration” gets the 2nd half of No Sleep in Paradise going pleading to be drowned in the truth without any hesitation while “Pink City” sings about rivers & skies collide when stars surround you over a moody beat from Noel Cadastre. “Untitled” addresses an individual who waits & lets her bleed rather than chasing & pleading while “Half a Lie” sings about her always having to fake her peace along with desiring truth instead of perfection.

The song “Leaving” winds down the album’s final moments explaining to her partner that she can’t carry the weight of their paradise & getting out of their presiding town while “Light My Soul” sings for her lover to elevate her & kiss the fire in the middle of him lighting her soul over an Afropiano instrumental. The title track appropriately concludes No Sleep in Paradise confessing to her carrying love similarly to baggage she forgot to claim.

In only less than 3 years, Naomi Sharon has quickly risen above the ranks to become the most talented signee on the OVO roster & her 2nd album No Sleep in Paradise continues to validate that even if I’d put Obsidian above it. She might be the best songwriter on the label even if the neo-soul influences are being decreased compared to her last couple projects in favor of the production taking it’s inspiration from alternative R&B, alt-pop, sophisti-pop, Afropiano & deep house.

Score: 3.5/5

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Ouija Macc – “Sixela” review

2nd studio LP of 2026 & the 11th overall from Las Vegas, Nevada emcee Ouija Macc. Breaking out when the Insane Clown Posse signed him to Psychopathic Records shortly after putting out his debut EP Trashfire independently almost a decade ago, Ouija has since proven himself as the hatchet’s biggest solo act dropping his last 10 full-lengths, 2 greatest hits compilations, 8 mixtapes & 5 EPs all in the span of almost 9 years. He even started his own label Chapter 17 Records, with Darby O’Trill now being the only artist signed. He has since declared himself America’s Most Wicked back in November, coming out of the Pyramid of Skulls to have Flexatelli fully produce Sixela a week after Caleb Konley & Dani Mo ended CoKane & J-Rod’s reigns as JCW World Juggalo Heavyweight Champion & JCW Women’s Champions respectively.

“Sixela Legna” opens up with a sinister trap intro talking about him being on the verge of losing his mind whereas the 3rd single “Zombie Walkin’” gets back up on his bullshit, crushin’ something soon as he steps up in the function. “Sour Dough Toast” talks about the feeling Ouija has of him not belonging on this planet because it’s a curse just before the lead single “Phonky Phonky Sh17” embraces a phonk sound & infusing it with horrorcore lyricism.

As for “Kerosine Flex”, we have the C17 CEO getting busy on ‘em returning to a trap sound while the 5th & final single “Corpse Boy” talks about spraying a fully loaded clip at all the dorks who come around his way & being an MVP when it comes to the art of murder. “That Dust” continues from there telling us what it was like for Ouija growing up in the deserts of Sin City leading into “Murda Mission” talking about slaughtering his opposition & torturing them until he’s done.

“Out da Jungle” reaches the halfway point of Sixela speaking of him hanging out with the dead because the living are unable to stand him while “Set Trippin’” continues the 2nd leg talking about Chapter 17 being the very reason why throats are left slit & killing anyone who fucks up his mood. “Sally Mander” includes a shoutout to Death Grips during the final verse that I loved as a fan of theirs since high school while “God’s Ashtray” asks listeners for their interpretations of Hell.

After an “Internal Monologue” detailing suicide ideation, the song “Demon Juggalo” cloudily talks about pullin’ up to the spot like he owns that hoe while “Calculator” boasts of his status as a calculated killer doing numbers. “Dracula” talks about eating the pussy at the red light because he’s that much of a perv & the outro “Elote” concludes Sixela singing that looking into the eyes of his newborn child makes him feel as if he passed away.

Devereaux’s normally credited for producing a great deal of Ouija Macc’s discography other than a few notable exceptions, but I’m very much appreciative of what he was trying to do with Sixela even if I prefer the previous album 3 months earlier as my favorite thing he’s done in 2026. Flexatelli’s production is certainly refreshing for anyone who wanted Ouija to work with someone else behind the boards & it compliments the latter’s wicked lyricism.

Score: 3.5/5

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T.I. – “Kill the King” review

Atlanta, Georgia rapper, songwriter, actor & record executive T.I. calling it a career with his 12th & final studio LP. Amongst “the big 3” trap pioneers alongside Gucci Mane & Jeezy respectively, he would go on to drop a few classics back in the early 2000s including the Atlantic Records-backed sophomore effort Trap Muzik as well as King & Paper Trail. Last time I enjoyed a full-length from the Grand Hustle Records founder was Dime Trap under Epic Records back in 2018, coming off his beef with 50 Cent to Kill the King.

After the “King’s Thought” intro, “See Wh’am Sayin’” opens up with him talking about taking the crown back home over a DJ Toomp instrumental whereas “Let ‘Em Know” incorporates a trap beat from Pharrell for the new theme song of the WME Group-owned TKO Group Holdings division’s WWE Friday Night SmackDown program on USA Network. “Where I’m From” produced by Dr. Dre & Dem Jointz talks about the ATL being the home of the scandalous leading into “Rant” addressing the biggest misconception of his career: That he gives a fuck.

“Mr. Him” runs it back with Pharrell chasing the vision instead of a bag just before “How It Went” featuring The-Dream joins forces for a trap/R&B duet recalling the way their careers panned out for them. “Dope Boys Academy” featuring Jeezy & 2 Chainz finds the trio talking about their days of slanging drugs while “Pistol on the Dance Floor” takes a funkier approach to conclude the 1st half of Kill the King & getting significantly flirtatious through the lyrics.

Kicking off the 2nd leg, the final single “And Won’t” has more of an underwhelming pop rap vibe suited for radio play talking about him folding for a bitch while “Gorgeous” instrumentally slows things down courtesy of Young Fyre admiring the beauty of this woman who he can’t get enough of. “We On” talks about him doing it big over a Turbo beat while “Llogclay” featuring YoungBoy Never Broke Again finds the pair telling listeners to choose between growing old or dying young.

“Ego” winds down Kill the King’s last moments standing by nobody being able to fuck with him while “Trauma Bond” samples “Ballan’ Parlay” by the late Big Pokey so he can talk about his legacy being celebrated. “Represent a Time” featuring Young Dro warns to be cautious of what we put next to the flame over an Organized Noize beat & after “Big Dog” soulfully gets boastful for a couple minutes, “Continental” ends the album getting reflective over a Juicy J instrumental.

The L.I.B.R.A. (Legend Is Back Running Atlanta) left me disappointed when T.I. had initially made his EMPIRE Distribution debut during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic & I can understand if some don’t care for Kill the King that much either, but it’s definitely the most enjoyable full-length in his catalog since Dime Trap since this egotistically self-gratuitous persona that kinda enters the room before he does physically gets sent off permanently because of the fulfillment he feels towards his music career.

Score: 3.5/5

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YG – “The Gentlemen’s Club” review

Compton, California emcee YG back for his 4th LP & 10K Projects debut. Coming up in 2009 off his debut mixtape 4Fingaz, this was followed up with 4 more tapes prior to Jeezy discovering him in 2013 & landing him a deal with his Def Jam Recordings imprint CTE World. YG’s potential would begin to show in the form of his full-length debut My Krazy Life & came into his own on the sophomore effort Still Brazy launching his own label 400 Records around that same time period, but the next 4 tapes Stay Dangerous as well as 4Real 4Real, My Life 400 & I Got Issues all received mixed to poor responses as did the 3rd installment of the Just Re’d Up series. However, he’s opening up The Gentleman’s Club to celebrate the summer.

After the intro, “OMG” featuring Pusha T begins with both of them over a sinister beat although there’s a questionable line during Push’s verse whereas “Kudos” incorporates a harp instrumental talking about saying goodbye to everything to made him. “Hitman” has a more aggressive vibe in general promising to be the last one standing while “Simon Says” featuring Isaiah Falls & Odeal derails it with a hideous pop rap cut.

“On the Low” featuring Tyler, The Creator & produced by Ty$ was highly anticipated by me talking about dressing like Vogue models just before the nervous “We Know the Truth” confesses to not having Drakeo the Ruler murdered. “Hollywood” featuring the Shoreline Mafia finds the trio hitting us with more traffic music detailing their gangsta upbringings while “Gang Bizness” featuring PayGotti kicks off the 2nd half with a gangsta rap single that I found myself enjoying less than the one prior.

We have YG responding to the “Hitman” who tried to claim his life on “Ready to Die” hooking up some prominent pianos & capitalizing on his ability of telling stories but after “Writing My Wrongs” leans towards a more cavernous vibe instrumentally talking about all the mistakes he’s made in his life, “Dinner Dates & Heartbreaks” has a cloudier approach to the beat lividly airing out a bitch for lying to him & demanding that she gives him the truth for once.

“Tiffany” splits itself into 2 separate portions recalling an encounter Chris had with the titular character whom he met at the club who happened to be transgender while “Insecure” featuring Ab-Soul & J.I.D was my favorite single of the bunch, talking about their own personal insecurities. The closing track “Mid Life Crisis” spends The Gentlemen’s Club’s final minutes hopping over a Jay Versace beat looking to get all the bullshit off his mind.

The Gentlemen’s Club is noticeably more conceptual than a lot of YG’s recent material & I’m happy that he came to the realization of throwing shit at the wall to see if it sticks wasn’t entirely the best way to get out of his contract since his discography suffered as a result. Some of the contemporary R&B/pop rap-flavored cuts still don’t do it for me although the elements of hardcore hip hop, conscious hip hop, gangsta rap & nervous music are all higher quality material.

Score: 3/5

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Key Glock – “Project X” review

Here is the 5th studio LP although his 2nd for a major label from Memphis, Tennessee rapper Key Glock. Notable for being the cousin of the late Young Dolph, he signed to Paper Route Empire in 2017 after his debut mixtape Whole Lotta Errthang & has since released 4 more tapes in addition to an EP & his last 4 full-lengths. The most notable being Glockoma 2 & his previous one Glockaveli. Over a year later since making his debut for Republic Records, Project X has arrived in time for summer.

“Mannish” produced by the late Tay Keith who unexpectedly passed yesterday afternoon opens up with a cloudy trap intro talking about having too many hoes whereas “50 Hoes” flexes that he has bitches in every state over some pianos & hi-hats. “Hardknock” talks about embracing the rockstar lifestyle now that he’s been blowing up over an eerier instrumental while “Face Down” runs it back with Tay Keith again for an effective club anthem.

As for “Big 5”, we have Glock slowing the pace for a groove-heavy cut talking about standing on business every single time leading into “6AM” discusses waking up early in the morning so he can make some bread. “Dummy” acknowledges his continued success over a boisterous Tay Keith beat with co-production from Cubeatz looking to add more commas to his bank account just before “Drug Luv” talks about women being in love with drugs & guys staying bitter.

“Work It” hits us with another club anthem although I don’t think it’s better than “Face Down”, but then “Faded” ends the 1st half of Project Xexperimenting with plugg to talk about getting fucked up. “Sick” kicks off the 2nd leg flexin’ without having to go to the gym over an Honorable C.N.O.T.E. instrumental & making it clear that he ain’t nothing like these bitches while “SRT Muzik” talks about nobody being able to compete with him musically.

Tay Keith returns behind the boards once again for “Benzo” showing off this new Benz that he copped while “Cash Money” pays tribute to Mannie Fresh, who’s certainly underappreciated for architecting the titular Republic imprint’s signature sound 3 decades earlier. “Cherry on Top” talks about poppin’ his shit with confidence over a more psychedelic trap instrumental while “Loco” wasn’t that impressive of a single in my opinion.

“Go” winds down the last few moments of Project X talking about still being the same as he was prior to the fame while “Seeing Red” luxuriously becomes self-aware of needing his medication after fucking around & waking up on the wrong side of the bed. “Houston Flow” nears closer towards the end of the album showing his appreciation for the 713 & the outro “Reminiscing” couldn’t have finished off on a more introspectively reflective note.

Looking to further push himself artistically, Key Glock explores a broader range of southern hip hop styles without abandoning his trap roots & that’s what makes Project X my 2nd favorite entry in the Paper Route Empire’s flagship delegate’s whole discography. Tay Keith’s many contributions are bittersweet to hear considering his tragic death only 24 hours earlier & although I’d like to hear some guests who’re on his level lyrically, I appreciate him continuing to hold the fort down individually.

Score: 4/5

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D12 – “D12 Forever” review

D12 is a duo from Detroit, Michigan now consisting of Kuniva & Swifty McVay. Other members included B. Flatt, Bizarre, the late Bugz, the late Dirtty Ratt, the late Eye-Kyu, their late de facto leader Proof, Killa Hawk, DJ Head, Fuzz Scoota, mR. pOrTeR & most notably Eminem. Becoming the first act to sign with Shady Records after Interscope Records helped launch it, their full-length debut Devil’s Night has become a hometown classic & the sophomore effort D12 World went for a more commercial sound, carrying the legacy forward 2 decades after Proof’s murder by dropping their 3rd album under Compound Interest Entertainment.

“My Salsa” after the “Again, Another Public Service Announcement” intro produced by Jake Bass opens up sampling “My Band” talking about giving what the world’s been missing whereas “Tear It Down” featuring B-Real & Xzibit finds the quartet linking up for a hardcore hip hop single. “Proof & Eli” lets Derty Harry shine posthumously with his son Eli Ble$$ed for a couple minutes just before “Better Dayz” talks about having faith in God when times are hard.

As for “Kill the Engineer”, we have Swift & Kuniva trading bars over a boom bap instrumental talking about an audio engineer being murdered in their studio leading into “Tenderism” featuring Method Man finds all 4 of them getting back in their hardcore bag lyrically. “Dirty Nation” flips the Funkadelic single “1 Nation Under a Groove” for an carefree g-funk anthem while “Still Hating” featuring King Iso & Tech N9ne after the “Nick’s Coffee House” skit returns to a more hardcore hip hop sound.

“Bugz ‘98” pays homage to their fallen brethren in the vein of “Bugz ‘97” off D12 World while “Even Knights Kneel” talks about kings having to meet their Gods over a rap rock beat. “Nightmare Walking” featuring Xzibit includes a touching callback to “Kurt Kobain” off Searching for Jerry Garcia during Kuniva’s verse & after “What If?” takes a few minutes to paint vivid scenarios, “Forever” ends the D12 Forever talking about representing the team for life.

Regardless of Eminem saying at the end of “Stepping Stone” that D12 was over, I have all the respect in the world for Swifty McVay & Kuniva keeping the group’s legacy alive even if it’s only them going forward. That said: If we’re gonna get a whole series out of this considering that sequel to D12 Forever is being hinted, I wouldn’t mind it & feel like fans would still appreciate it as a gift coinciding the 25 year anniversary of their debut. Jake Bass’ production reminds me of the Dirty Dozen’s earlier output, the guests are all carefully selected & the performances of both members are harder than the My Brother’s Keeper EP in comparison.

Score: 4/5

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tana – “Me” review

Here is the sophomore effort from Atlanta, Georgia rapper & producer tana. Starting in 2018 as a member of the plu2o9 collective under the original moniker BabySantana, he would go on to drop his first 2 EPs Recreation! & Planet Sosaalongside his debut mixtape Quan before signing to Lil Tecca’s very own Republic Records imprint Galactic Records the next fall. tana later preluded his full-length debut bana by putting out Gaultier as well as London & Dale, celebrating his independence by dropping Me.

“keep rollin’” begins with a self-produced 2-parter talking about nobody being on his level artistically whereas “me & my gun” takes a more psychedelic trap approach instrumentally so he can get in his gangsta rap bag. “Insane (For Your Love)” swaps out the psychedelia in favor of pop rap elements expressing how obsessed he is with a woman he’s in love with leading into “i like her” talking about his girl chiefing blunts & the beat reminds me of KiD CuDi’s early material at points.

As for “take u there”, we have tana over a druggier instrumentally explaining that he likes to count up his bread & mind his own business just before “pray for my mama” talks about making sure his people are good where they’re rising. “Everything Will Be Fine” dismisses acting right since he credits his selfishness to being the main reason he became wealthy while “control” provides words of encouragement, telling the audience he believes in them.

“nsfw (the prelude)” kicks off the 2nd leg of Me on some 808s & Heartbreak vibes singing about being from the future while “again” returns to a trap sound dissing 9 Vicious & admitting that his days have been getting somewhat darker. “laptopnotebook” mixes some hi-hats with sampling techniques talking about not needing anything else other than those 2 specific items while “PMD” details being in love with the way she sits on his ambition.

Cardo gets behind the boards for the song “show it off” talking about wanting to link up with his shawty because he finds their relationship to be nothing short of gorgeous while “dear jodie” produced by Zodiac of Vanguard Music Group pens an open letter to a woman he knew wanting her to know that he’s a changed man. The outro “philly” spends Me’s final minutes talking about coming to fuck shit up & arriving to the function throwing bands.

Despite being happy for tana no longer being held back by a major label, I wouldn’t put Me above Bana or even Gaultier although I’m adamant of him putting something out of that caliber regardless of whether he signs somewhere else or not. The cloudy yet poppy trap production could’ve been better especially during the 2nd half of it other than a few occasional highlights & would’ve loved a guest appearance or 2.

Score: 3/5

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Cochise – “Trench Town” review

Cochise is a 28 year old rapper & producer from Palm Bay, Florida who introduced himself back in 2018 off his debut extended play. He would go on to drop 4 more EPs along with the full-length debut Benbow Crescent & the sophomore effort The Inspection. The latter of which has been widely considered to the weakest entry in his discography yet & Why Always Me? back in 2024 was an improvement, celebrating his independence following his departure from Columbia Records with his 4th studio LP.

“Parlay” begins with a 90 second rage intro talking about chopping the roof off his coupe whereas “SRT” carries over the hypertrap vibes instrumentally boasts that he made millions off this rap shit, hence why no one can tell him shit. “White Boy Swag” produced by venny has a crazy line about Puff Daddy a.k.a. P. Diddy or Diddy trying to kill KiD CuDi on top of more rage beats leading into the soulful trap fusion “On My Mind” admitting that he woke up with some recurring thoughts in his head.

Pradabagshawty makes one of many stellar guest appearances on “Test” hopping over a BenjiCold beat talking about pulling up with choppers & kidnapping kids just before “We Chat” spends 78 seconds discussing a bad bitch who turns out to be bad news later on. “Who Dat?” sends a warning of decapitating anyone who tries to fuck with him leading into “Glorious” featuring Lelo joins forces over a Supah Mario instrumental sneaking in the club with firearms.

“It’s a Trap” gets the 2nd half of Trench Town going on some plugg shit cautioning against women saying they like you when that isn’t the case whatsoever in reality while “Headache” talks about needing some Advil to make his head stop killing him. “Cutlass” featuring Oodaredevil & 454 finds the trio masking up & shutting out mascots together while “So Much Fun” featuring prettifun talks about being so rich the point where they don’t need to make music anymore.

Meanwhle on “Bad Jit”, we have Cochise talking about his experiences of being a wild kid growing up while “Hashtag” wasn’t that impressive of a single to me although I appreciate the way he observes social media’s prominent usage of hashtags. “Gon” hooks up some celebratory synthesizers into the fold talking about killing shit with his twin by his side & the outro “Gilmora” takes inspiration from Ye to end the album giving a fuck less what people have to say since they treat him like a villain.

I wasn’t really a fan of Cochise’s major label output other than Benbow Crescent, but Trench Town commemorates this new era of his career no longer being held back by a major label to drop the most enjoyable collection of music he’s made since his debut. All 5 of the guests match his energy in terms of performances with the cloudy trap & rage production going a lot crazier than The Inspection or Why Always Me? combined.

Score: 3.5/5

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Matt Proxy – “Trojan Horse” review

Matt Proxy is a 19 year old rapper & producer from Minneapolis, Minnesota who began making music as a teenager several multiple aliases with the most prominent ones being cloutedmatt & mwru. He has since dropped a total of 5 extended plays, with his previous one Horse Play under Sony Music last fall coming out not too long after receiving co-signs ranging from JPEGMAFIA to fakemink & even Playboi Carti. Looking to further capitalize on his popularity, he’s releasing a full-length studio debut.

The self-produced “5” opens up with a rap rock intro talking about his life being in a rearview mirror although I wish fakemink had a verse whereas “Stars” hits us with a 2-parter detailing his every move being watched & smoking blunts for therapeutic purposes. “Atlanta” samples “Father”by The Christians along with “Answer” by Tyler, The Creator & “Forever” by The Marvelettes to talk about his dad just before “All You’ll Hear is My Song in Your Head” featuring JUSQ addresses insomnia.

“Misery” chops up “Hate Me Now” by Nas, “Just Too Much To Hope For” by the late Tammi Terrell & “Devil In a New Dress” by Ye featuring Rick Ross talking about his girlfriend still riding for him regardless of his own imperfections just before “New Solution” talks about being faithful to the money. “Blue” ends the 1st leg of Trojan Horseremembering his late sister who passed away back in March while “Never Kill Yourself” by never goodbye denounces suicide ideation.

We have “Meant2B” splitting itself into 2 separate portions talking about being destined for this music shit while “Love&Addiction” fuses experimental hip hop, drumless, sound collage, slacker rock, space rock revival & neo-psychedelia to ask if you can see the vision. “Sorry” later blends pop rap, neo-soul, experimental hip hop, neo-psychedelia, cloud rap & alternative R&B for another single addressing a breakup that he’s been going through.

“God” featuring Current Joys interpolates “Survival of the Fittest” by Mobb Deep talking about not wanting this life going full slacker rock & “iPhone” featuring Aiden Farley sends off Trojan Horse with a synthfunk/pop rap outro having Matt at the beginning of it talking about going fast, then we get a beat switch & Aiden hoping that nobody listens to the probable. I also found the guitar solo near the final moments to be exciting.

Trojan Horse marks a conclusion to a trilogy in which Beating a Dead Horse began & Horse Play bridged by taking more risks than Matt Proxy did 7 months earlier, resulting in the most powerful statement of his career so far. The experimental production dabbles with more live-instrumentation varying between slacker rock, chipmunk soul, industrial hip hop, sound collage, drumless, space rock revival, neo-psychedelia, pop rap, neo-soul, cloud rap, alternative R&B & synthfunk to take an prominently introspective approach to songwriting other than some occasional abstract & conscious detours.

Score: 3.5/5

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