Rasheed Chappell & XP the Marxman – “RX” review

This is the brand new collaborative album from Rasheed Chappell & XP the Marxman, the latter hailing from Los Angeles & the other coming straight outta New York. Both of them have been putting it down for a while in the underground by dropping acclaimed projects like Keep Firing or Sinners & Saints, but I don’t think they’ve ever worked with each other prior to RX so my interest was definitely there going into it given how much I enjoy their solo works.

“Congregate” kicks off the whole thing off with a downtrodden Reckonize Real instrumental reminding everybody they’re from the real whereas the Illwerd-assisted “Hefty Loc” goes into the boom bap direction talking about being the last ones left. Oran Juice II tags along for the drumless “Water to Wine” getting on their kingpin shit just before “Ganji” has a more dustier feel to the production celebrating their lifestyles.

Meanwhile on “Coke Pirouette”, we have Rasheed & XP extravagantly talking about how it seems like the game has changed leading into the tensioning “Mahogany Chips” speaks on being engineered from real life. “Orale” wickedly details the lives that they idolize, but then “Here” with Tim Hall incorporates some jazz influences remembering where they came from.

Jay Royale comes into the picture for the Roc Marciano-produced “Toss the Metal” spitting that fly gangsta shit while the song “Sinful Saints” finds Buckwild working in a soul loop looking back on the choices they made to live so well. The penultimate track “Reminders” works in some solemn horns talking about the days they used to slang dope & “Save a Spot” finishes the album on a more optimistic note by saying they won’t let Satan take their souls as well as trying to vibrate higher.

If anyone reading this is a fan of either one of these guys or both, then you’re really gonna dig what they bring to the table on RX. It’s cool to hear how well both MCs ping off each other detailing the hardships they both had to face from the respective coasts they grew up in with the production being rooted in that traditional old school sound we all know & love.

Score: 4/5

Joell Ortiz – “Autograph” review

This is the 8th full-length album from Brooklyn veteran Joell Ortiz. Emerging after being featured in the Unsigned Hype column of the March 2004 issue of The Source Magazine, he went on to sign to Aftermath Entertainment for a brief period of time before leaving to drop his official debut The Brick: Bodega Chronicles under MNRK Music Group. I also can’t forget to mention when Slaughterhouse rose to prominence off their self-titled debut], which led Eminem signing the supergroup to Shady Records a decade ago already. But sadly, their major label debut welcome to: OUR HOUSE that came out the next summer would unfortunately end up being their last & everyone has been doing their own thing since. But with the 2-year anniversary of Monday coming & going over the summer, Yaowa is back on the scene in the form of Autograph.

“In My Feelings” is a confessional opener with a mesmerizing Heatmakerz instrumental whereas “Uncle Chris Car” takes a more chipmunk soul route telling listeners to imagine a world full of peace. “Housing Authority” of course finds H.A.R.D. coming together for some battle rap shit even though Hesami’s production is just ok, but then “1 Day” weaves in a heavenly Apollo Brown beat looking back on the days when he wasn’t as big as he is now.

Meanwhile on “Masked Up, we have Joell on top of a minimally tribal beat getting in his shit-talking bay just before the Salaam Remi-produced “Sincerely Yours” serves as a jazzy victory lap. “OG” pays homage to those in the rap game who’ve gotten to be around long enough to be considered as such over a high-pitched vocal loop, but then “Lifeline” has a twangier vibe dedicating the joint to his woman.

“Goin’ Thru It” passionately encourages people to fight through the tears to live your life until CyHi the Prynce tags along for the cutthroat “Holy Ghost” referencing current AEW manager, WWE Hall of Famer & former SMW Heavyweight Champion Jake “The Snake” Roberts. I also love how Namir Blade’s production switches from a simple bass-line into some dusty boom bap shit. The song “Therapeutic” brings in some sweet background vocals comparing music to therapy while the penultimate track “Love is Love” with Sheek Louch finds the 2 talking about still being street over some tense vocal chops. Finally, “Doors Up” ends the album by on a more lighthearted note opening up on the famous life.

For all the Yaowa fans that enjoyed Monday as much as I did, then you’re gonna dig Autograph just as much if not even more. It fantastically picks up right where the previous album left off in terms of the content being even deeper with the usual suspects behind the boards like The Heatmakerz & Apollo Brown continue to bring the best out of this most vulnerable side of him.

Score: 4/5

Silk Sonic – “An Evening with Silk Sonic” review

Silk Sonic is a newly formed superduo consisting of Anderson .Paak & Bruno Mars. The latter coming up in 2010 by dominating the pop charts & the other beginning to turn heads by being featured all over his mentor Dr. Dre’ final album to date Compton: A Soundtrack by Dr. Dre about 5 years later. Their paths first crossed with one another during the European leg of the 24K Magic World Tour where .Paak opened up for Bruno but after announcing the superduo’s full-length debut back in February to high anticipation, they’re finally unleashing it to the world.

After the funky intro, the first song “Leave the Door Open” kicks off the album with a smooth soul banger telling their lovers they’re there for them whereas “Fly as Me” takes a funkier route & the lyrics basically speak for itself. “After Last Night” is a slow jam professing their love for the women they slept with the previous evening just before “Smokin’ Out the Window” works in some Philly soul undertones talking about a woman who belongs to everyone getting into fights with her man like it’s the Endeavor Group Holdings-owned UFC.

Meanwhile on “Put on a Smile”, we have .Paak & Bruno coming together over some strings encouraging listeners to look forward to the better days while the song “777” serves as a groovy pimp anthem. The penultimate track “Skate” is a straight up disco tune flirting with the hottest bitches in the room & finally, “Blast Off” finishes the album off on a glossier note talking about flying to the stars.

Man I knew Silk Sonic was gonna deliver on this album, but they went even harder than I expected them to because An Evening with Silk Sonic is unquestionably the best R&B album that I’ve heard all year. They have a uniquely natural chemistry & it’s amazing how they resurrected the sounds of the 70’s soul down to Bootsy Collins “hosting” it.

Score: 4.5/5

Aesop Rock – “Garbology” review

This is the 9th full-length album from New York emcee/producer Aesop Rock. Universally revered for his massive vocabulary, the man has put out a handful of underground hip hop essentials throughout the decades whether it be his solo catalogue or his membership of groups like Hail Mary Mallon or Malibu Ken. Last we heard from him was Spirit World Field Guide & now with the 1-year anniversary of that coming up over the weekend, long-time collaborator Blockhead is being brought in to produce Garbology from start to finish.

After the “Only Picture” intro, the first song “Jazz Hands” is a cloudy kickoff to the album serving as a “love note to the fuck show” whereas “Wolf Piss” grimly talks about making motherfuckers disappear if they trip the wrong light. “Legerdemain” goes into a more funkier route saying he went home different leading into the tuba, boom bap infused “Difficult” finds him admittedly bugging.

Meanwhile on “All the Smartest People”, we have Aesop over a drumless instrumental telling listeners that the titular type he knows personally are paranoid just before the dusty “Oh Fudge” talks about metaphorically having no bones. “More Cycles” weaves in some synthesizers saying he doesn’t ever blink first, but then “Flamingo Pink” ominously calls out his idols as cons.

Lice reunites for the psychedelic “All Day Breakfast” reminding everyone of how well they mesh with each other whereas “Fizz” groovily talks about a dude being a lame. The song “That’s Not a Wizard” incorporates some pianos speaking on bare-witnessing the second first step while the penultimate track “The Sea” has a more scrubbier vibe talking about how it all falls below. “Abandoned Malls” closes out the album on a more dramatic note talking about the death of his close friend Kurt Hayashi.

Blockhead has produced some of the best songs of Aes’ career, so it was only a matter of time that they came together for an entire album & it’s exactly how I imagined it to be. The whole concept of examining material discarded by a society to see what it really means is well-thought out & as talented as he is behind the boards, it’s nice to see him take it back to basics.

Score: 4.5/5

Madchild – “Shane 2” review

This is the 9th full-length album from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada titan Madchild. Coming up as part of the trio Swollen Members & the founder of Battle Axe Records, it wouldn’t be until 2012 when he officially broke off solo with his Suburban Noize Records-backed debut album Dope Sick. He would later go on a hot streak of follow-ups including Lawnmower Man, Silver Tongue Devil, the Evidence-produced The Darkest Hour & Demons. But ever since dropping The Little Monster LP from last winter, dude has been grinding his ass off following it up in the spring with The Little Monster LP 2 & then Shane in the summer. Now that we’re in the midst of fall, it’s fitting for Madchild is dropping Shane 2 before his upcoming collab EP with Obnoxious.

“Boom” sets it off with some horns & hi-hats talking about how life’s a scary movie with a psycho plot whereas “Abattoir” incorporates some dusty drums & a keyboard loop with the help of C-Lance welcoming listeners to his slaughterhouse. “Damage Control” sonically weaves in a faint vocal loop proclaiming himself as a broken soul leading into the guitar, boom bap fused “Kampai” talks about letting the beast out it’s cage.

Meanwhile on “Dog Tags”, we have Joey Oz joining Madchild over an airy trap instrumental from Jimmy Donn to say they were born with such on their chests just before the acoustic-tinged “Trapped” opening up on the demons in his head dancing. “A Confession” vividly tells the story of a good homie of his over a soulful boom bap instrumental, but then “Running” serves as a dark look into his depression.

“Rock Bottom” has a bit of a more playful sound to it with Madchild talking about coming from nothing whereas “Victims” is a jazzy battle rap anthem. The dejected guitar ballad “I Don’t Care” opens up about being cheated on leading into the symphonic “Hangman” getting on his confrontational shit. The penultimate track “Haunted” somberly confesses that he feels like he’s drowning while the closer “Overdose” is a bombastic look at his drug addiction.

It’s also worthy pointing out that “Salty” has a cool saxophone loop dissing those who’re envious of him, but then “OnlyFanz” is the epitome of fake woke basically saying he’s against sex work & even throws some transphobic jabs in the hook. Now as for Madchild putting freedom of speech in question after the song got the backlash it deserved: That’s not the case whatsoever. I & anyone with common sense is all for freedom of speech. It’s just that the talking points through the track are extremely shitty.

Much like how The Little Monster LP 2 is better than the predecessor, I can say the same thing about this. Yeah “OnlyFanz” is one of the worst songs of the year & I’ll even go as far to say it’s the worst song dude has ever made, but I like how it’s more serious than the first Shane was.

Score: 3.5/5

Shah Leezy – “Shiraz” review

This is the full-length debut from Staten Island emcee Shah Leezy. Coming up in 2018 off his debut EP Live at the Mecca, the man has gone on to release 5 more since then with the latest being The Iron Sheik Tape last winter. But for Shiraz, he’s enlisting GetLarge to fully produce it from start to finish & bringing some of his favorite artists from the city for the ride.

The “LuZ’s Intro” kicks off the album with a somber piano loop saying he’s givint classics until he goes idle whereas “Habibi King” weaves in some hi-hats & horns talking about chasing freedom. “Fear’s the Key” is a symphonic trap cut getting on the more boastful tip, but then Greezi Amlin & innocent? tag along for the soulful “Life’s Crazy” basically letting the title speak for itself,

Meanwhile on “Jamez Bondz”, we have Shah over some dusty drums & humming talking about chasing missions like the world famous spy just before “Pulp Fiction” delivered a viciously off-the-top freestyle over a rich instrumental. “Vince’s Revenge” talks about being a ram then a goat leading into Iso Indies comeing into the picture for the classy “Carlito” to bring back the braggadocio.

LDog Day Afternoon” is a thunderous hustler’s groove while the song “Wolf of Wall Street” is basically his allegory on wax. The title track takes a jazzier turn getting on his top dog shit & finally, the “LuZ’s Outro (Cheers)” rounds it out on a cheery note by dissing everyone who’s jealous of his success.

As much as I loved The Iron Sheik Tape, I think Shah is really starting to level up on this. really interesting to hear him give us a year of his life with this much heart & the overall sound of the album that GetLarge provides is uniquely detailed.

Score: 4/5

Cult of the Damned – “The Church Of” review

The Cult of the Damned are a hip hop collective from England, United Kingdom consisting of Blah Records founder Lee Scott, BeTheGun, Sly Moon, Salar, Bill Shakes, King Grubb, Tony Broke, Black Josh, Stinkin’ Slumrok, Bisk, Sleazy F Baby, Col. Mustard, Dr. Zygote, Sam Zircon & Reklews. Properly introducing themselves as a unit in 2015 off an eponymous debut EP, a sequel would come in the form of their full-length debut Brick Pelican Posse Crew Gang Syndicate & are getting back together for a sophomore effort.

“Ahem!” begins with this 5 minute posse cut asking over a guitar-driven boom bap instrumental from Nobodies Home if anyone listening has been picking this important signal whereas “Internal Error” talks about being the modern day No Limit Records & everyone else being their children. CLBRKS joins the Cult on “Worship” representing the crew with guns in their hands just before “WTH” finds the B-Movie Millionaires with BeTheGun & Milkavelli talking about them being sick in the head.

BeTheGun brings Sly Moon & Stinkin’ Slumrok besides him on the mic during the piano boom bap crossover “Rotation” realizing the has-beens they used to kick it with amounted up to nothing leading into “Norman’s Theme” talking about them being averagely normal as they come. “AB NO (Red Leicester)” dismantling little league MCs who want to battle them knowing they wouldn’t stand a chance while “W.Y.T.B. (What You Talkin’ ‘Bout?)” ends the 1st half with the Cult posing that very question to people flapping their lips.

“Gung Foo” hits us with another posse cut to start the 3rd quarter continuing to spit battle raps over a boom bap beat while “Skid Row” hilariously disses an adversary claiming to be all the knowledge when they don’t know a damn thing about them at all. “Step” featuring Danny Lover has a bit of a cloudier tone instrumentally talking about their need of succeeding & rewriting the whole game plan while “Good News” featuring Bang On! grittily obliterates rappers with basic penmanship.

To get The Church Of’s last leg going, “Castles” talks about being better off staying inside & smoking weed because of their bent-up whips while “Rear View” fuses jazz rap & boom bap so they can speak of seeing things a lot more clearer than they did previously. “Henny Shots” comes through with a 2-parter where the entire squad’s having a toast & “Brick Pelican’s Lament” finishes by having King Grubb holding down the outro for a solo track of his own.

Diminishing the grime undertones of Cult of the Damned 2: Brick Pelican Posse Crew Gang Syndicate significantly, the 2nd album from the Children of the Damned’s spiritual successor takes themselves beyond their self-titled EP & their previously mentioned debut for a great follow-up to the Cult of the Damned’s early output. The boom bap production’s darker than Brick Pelican Posse Crew Gang Syndicate’s, the inclusion of outside guest appearances was only a matter of time & every member’s verses remind me of the almighty Wu-Tang Clan in that they’re all unique swordsmen of their own category.

Score: 4/5

Kut 1 – “Live Wires 2” review

Kut 1 is a producer/DJ from Melbourne, Australia who came to my attention a couple years back when he dropped the split EP The Icons with Neek the Exotic & 9. He eventually dropped a full-length debut of his own called Live Wires last spring & now 20 months later, we’re being treated to a sophomore effort picking up right where the last album picked up.

“Guerrilla Season” by Recognize Ali sets it off with a faint soul sample flexing his rapping prowess whereas “Get Mine Regardless” by Jamal Gasol, Rome Streetz & Saipher Söze somberly details shining through the struggle. “Minute Details” has some cool piano embellishments even Kadeem sounds like he barely has a pulse, but then “It’s a Lifestyle” by Supreme Cerebral has an icy instrumental talking about making money & drinking Rosé.

Meanwhile on “Who Do I Trust?”, we have Agallah over a much eerier beat tackling the concept of trusting nobody but yourself just before “Raised Around Wolves” by O.C. dejectedly talks about how seasons change & some things simply don’t. “Best Served Cold” by Thamson.P weaves in some synthesizers to go at the studio gangstas’ throats leading into “All Love” by Ruste Juxx heinously talking about eating his competition up. “Take a Picture” by KXNG CROOKED sumptuously speaks on being real with the shit whereas “That’s a Muthafuckin’ Fact by Flashius Clay incorporates a harp talking about being invincible on the mic.

The song “Make a Dolla” by Sadat X gets back on the boom bap tip calling out those who claim their hustle is great while the penultimate track “Sodom & Gorrah” by Sleep Sinatra brings in some nefarious horns talking about burning every joint down. “Chopping Block” by Ciecmate & Big Foot finishes the album by showing a back & forth chemistry on top of a beat that sounds like something taken out of a horror flick.

Not as great as The Icons was, but that’s not to say I didn’t enjoy this at all because Live Wires 2 is in fact a solid album from front to back. Much so like the predecessor in my opinion. Despite a small handful of guests missing the mark in terms of performances, I think he’s stepping up his production game quite a bit.

Score: 3.5/5

Big Left – “Slaughter of the Innocents” review

Big Left is a 47 year old MC from Queens, New York who broke out in 2002 off his debut EP Who’s Left?. This was followed up in 2007 with the debut mixtape World War III & then after his short tenure in La Coka Nostra, he finally unleashed his 1st full-length Walking Dead on Devil’s Night almost a decade ago at this point. But after coming out of a hiatus & signing to Force 5 Records, Left is making a comeback in the form of his sophomore album.

“The Reaper” starts it all off with some killer guitar riffs getting in his murderous bag whereas “Fuck ‘Em” with Aztek the Barfly weaves in some keyboards & dusty drums talking about not playing with the paper. “Flavor” is a violin-infused boom bap cut flexing his lyrical abilities just before the Tekk-assisted “Move Back” brings in some haunting organ harmonies talking about knocking motherfuckers out.

Meanwhile on “Pardon Me”, we have King Relik tagging along with Big Left for a thunderous party anthem just before “The Compendium” hauntingly expresses to be acknowledged as one of the greats when he’s gone. “1 Take” has a more vibrant trap sound to it rapping his ass off nonstop for 2 minutes, but then “50 Caliber Bangs” finds Napalm Drop linking up over a synth-heavy boom bap beat talking about staying underground.

The song “Force 5 Syndicate” is an anarchic Force 5 posse cut while the penultimate track “I Tried” melancholically opens up about him attempting to look inside himself. “Get It” with Masamoon then closes out the album on some beautifully ignorant, disrespectful shit.

Left’s been putting it down for the culture for a long time now & Slaughter of the Innocents really proves that he hasn’t lost a step. Hell, I think it’s the best thing he’s ever done! It’s well-produced, the guests are well-picked, he sounds completely rejuvenated & destroys mics like he never took time off.

Score: 4/5

Insane Clown Posse – “Yum Yum Bedlam” review

This is the highly anticipated 16th full-length album from Detroit horrorcore duo, Juggalo Championship Wrestling founders & the longest reigning JCW World Juggalo Tag Team Champions the Insane Clown Posse. Consisting of Violent J & Shaggy 2 Dope, but very few know that 3 other members came & went during the first 5 years of the group’s inception. Not only would The Duke of the Wicked & the Southside Strangla go on to create seminal wicked shit albums like The First 6, but they gained an extremely loyal fanbase in the process & their self-owned Psychopathic Records became an independent hip hop powerhouse as the label’s roster continued to grow. They dropped a prelude EP earlier this year called Yum Yum’s Lure to widespread backlash amongst the juggalos, so J & Shaggs decided to redo the whole album from scratch & drop it in time for the 28th annual Hallowicked show.

After the intro, the first song “Here Comes the Carnival” kicks off the album celebrating the titular mythology that ICP is known for over a feel good rap rock instrumental from Brian Kuma whereas “Wretched” follows it up with a morbid trap banger produced by Devereaux about Violent J being fucked up in the head. The wicked clowns later go back & forth with each other for the highlight “Clown Drippin’” basically putting their own spin on swag referencing former IWGPヘビー級チャンピオン as well as 10-time WWE world champion & former UFC Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar, but then “Gangsta Code” reuses the beat Mike P. made for “Movin’ On” off of Boondox’ 4th album Abaddon talking about living & dying by the streets.

Meanwhile on “Queens”, we have the clowns delivering an ode to all the juggalettes out there over a mystical trap beat from Mythic Mindz just before “Panic Attack!!!” works in a guitar for J to talk about going off the walls mentally for 7 minutes. “Fuck Regret” creepily declares remorse as the Devil’s work, but then “Insomnia” takes a more cloudier route detailing J’s struggles with such as announced at the Gathering a couple months back.

“Heart & Soul” is a wack cover of the T’Pau joint of the same name while “The Drunk & The Addict” goes back to the trap direction with the help of Shaggytheairhead telling the story of ICP themselves being dependent on booze & drugs. “Don’t Touch that Flower” sees Str8jaket bringing in an acoustic guitar advising to be cautioned by the Yum Yum Flower while “Slap Nuts” is a more heavier cut talking about cats falling for their jokes.

I love how J uses “Bitch I’m Fine” as a chilling way of responding to those worried about his heart failure diagnosis while the song “Carnival of Lights” is a warm look at the camaraderie of the juggalo family. The penultimate track “Ain’t No Time” vulnerably addresses an ex of his over a guitar while “Something to See” ends the album on a sweeter note looking back on their careers up to this point from their music to their wrestling career since they’ve previously appeared in ECW, WWE, WCW, ROH & TNA on top of their JCW accolades.

Despite all the ups & downs we’ve experienced to get here, Yum Yum Bedlam has to be my 3rd favorite Joker’s Card in the 2nd Deck right behind Bang! Pow! Boom! & The Mighty Death Pop!. Sonically, it’s really cool to hear them fuse the rock elements from The Great Milenko & mixed them together with some of the more trap-flavored cuts from Fearless Fred Fury. Conceptually, the themes of loyalty are displayed with an incredibly unique & profound perception.

Score: 3.5/5