Daniel Jordan – “Dark Night of the Soul” review

Daniel Jordan is a 36 year old MC/producer from Hayward, California who’s been around since his 2005 debut album The Twilight of Daniel Jordan. However, it wouldn’t be until 2011 when he dropped his sophomore album The Stranger under Reel Life Productions to very positive reception. This was followed up 5 years later with the Mad Insanity Records-backed Killed by Love & then ‘Till Death Do Us Part under Daniel’s own label Kill All Idols Records at the beginning of last year. But with the first quarter of 2021 drawing to a close in a couple weeks, Daniel is treating fans to his 5th full-length album.

After a 1-minute intro flipping Syl Johnson’s “Could I Be Falling in Love?”, the first song “I’m So Tired” talks about being the worst person he knows over a sample of the Fugazi joint of the same name whereas the next track “Don’t Worry” talks about how time flies by quickly over a caliginous beat. The song “Everywhere (Let Me Be the One)” tells this woman to stop playing around over a seductive instrumental while “The Death of Michael Corleone” details a spiritual fall from grace over an atmospheric trap beat.

The song “I Don’t Wanna Be Me Anymore” talks about crying inside over a cacophonous instrumental while the track “What Am I Going Through?” talks about his troubles always following him around over a dejecting beat. The song “Keep Thinking of Suicide” of course opens up about his suicidal thoughts over a harrowing instrumental while “The Downhearted” talks about feeling like he’s in a manic state over a beat sampling the late B.B. King’s rendition of “How Blue Can You Get?”.

After the “3 A.M.” instrumental interlude, the song “Jodi Aries” talks about needing this woman over a sample of the iconic Sade joint “Cherish the Day” & then the title track that finishes off the album talks about being fed up with himself over an instrumental flipping “Mary Jane’s Last Dance” by the late Tom Petty.

The Stranger has always been my personal favorite of Daniel’s, but I think this is a close second. He does a fantastic job of channeling all of his demons through the lyrics & the way he samples all those classic songs from Fugazi to Sade is very impressive.

Score: 4/5

¡MAYDAY! – “Minute to Midnight” review

This is the 8th full-length album from Miami-based trio ¡MAYDAY!. Formed in 2003 by keyboardist/guitarist Plex Luthor & emcee Bernz, the duo released their self-titled debut in the fall of ‘06 before adding 4 more members into the fold: emcee/producer Wrekonize, bassist Gianni Ca$h, percussionist NonMS & drummer L.T. Hopkins in 2009. Together, they would begin to rock the underground off 2 EPs & their sophomore album Stuck on an Island. This would catch the attention of Kansas City veteran Tech N9ne, who signed the group to his independent powerhouse Strange Music in 2011. They would go on to cement themselves as a flagship act on the label’s roster off critically acclaimed projects like Take Me to Your Leader, Thrift Store Halos, Believers & Future Vintage. However since 2016, ¡MAYDAY! has been a 3-piece consisting of Wrek, Bernz & NonMS. Their first album as a trio Search Party was a decent sequel to Stuck on an Island & the heavily reggae-influenced South of 5th was slightly better, but it’s been a little over 2 years after the release of their previous EP The Thinnest Line II, the 3 are getting back together for Minute to Midnight.

After the “In Due Time” intro, the title track that truly kicks the album off talks their patience being tested as well as divine new moralities over some wavy synth-lines & live drumming from ¡MAYDAY! themselves whereas the next song “Make Noise” talks about how “them boys won’t let you live in peace” over a Carribean-flavored trap beat from MIKE SUMMERS a.k.a. 7. The track “See You Smile” motivates the listener to stay strong in the midst of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic over some bass & acoustic guitars while the song “Hard to Leave” details relationship issues over a moody beat from Bernz with co-production from The Pushers.

The track “Words Get in the Way” picks up where the previous cut left off as Bernz & Wrekonize talk to their partners about trying to change over an instrumental kin to a 70’s blaxploitation film while the song “Golden Hour” talks about meeting their lovers in “that place where the night moves slow” over a funky beat. The track “Lost Cause” talks about the reason why women do them wrong over a cavernous trap instrumental & then UBI provides the album’s only guest verse on the song “All In” as he & ¡MAYDAY! talk about being fully committed over a cloudy beat from NonMS.

The track “Let You Tell It” talks about letting their loved ones speak their minds over a reggae-tinged instrumental while the song “Flatline” is a rap rock anthem about chasing death. The track “1 Eye Open” is a piano-boom bap ballad calling out the fact that everyone says they’re woke nowadays & then the song “Flowers” expresses their hope of being appreciated while they’re still here over an instrumental with some heavy jazz undertones.

The track “Empty” is a stripped-back, catchy look into depression while the song “Can’t Do That Anymore” talks about wandering down a windy road over a disco-flavored beat. The track “Get There” talks about how they’re not sure where they’re going over a pillowy instrumental while the closer “Foul Out” goes back & forth dismissing all the bullshit being said about them over some punk-like guitar riffs & drums. But then there’s the bonus cut “Hit’s Different”, where Bernz & Wrekonize talk about trying to break out of a cycle over a plaintive instrumental from Wyshmaster.

Even though their last couple projects have been just ok to me, I was very excited for this given how much I enjoyed Wrekonize & Bernz’ latest solo albums Pressure Point & Sorry for the Mess. At the end of the day, this is the best ¡MAYDAY! album I’ve heard since Future Vintage. The songwriting is some of their most captivating ever & the way the trio fuses together all the sounds they’ve ever dabbled with into 1 continues to show how unique they are.

Score: 4.5/5

Guapdad 4000 – “1176” review

Guapdad 400 is a 28 year old rapper & singer/songwriter from Oakland, California who caught my attention in 2019 as part of the supergroup Zoink Gang as well as his handful of features on the Dreamville Records showcase compilation Revenge of the Dreamers III. This was followed up with the mediocre full-length debut Dior Deposits but after much anticipation, Guapdad is tapping in !llmind for his sophomore album.

Things kick off with “How Many”, where Guapdad ponders the number of times he’s been called as well the amount of drugs & alcohol one did over a trap beat with some dreary guitar melodies. The next song “She Wanna” talks about sex over a skeletal instrumental while the track “10finity” talks about still living on 10 over some somber piano chords. The song “Big Shot” talks about being a baller over a cloudy trap beat while the track “Catching Bodies” talks about hitting licks over a more joyous instrumental.

The song “Chandler” talks about feeling cocky over some snares with some occasional piano & guitar passages while the track “Muhammad” talks about trapping over an inebriating beat. The song “Touch Dough” talks about getting money over some skittering hi-hats & glistening keyboards while the track “Downgrade” talks about going back being a dog over a dim beat.

The song “Uncle Ricky” goes into a more boom bap direction as Guapdad talks about how crazy his uncle was while the track “Gargoyles” talks about being a castle with soft walls over an enticing beat. The song “PlayStation” pays homage to Digital Underground’s “I Get Around” over a palatial instrumental while the penultimate track “Chicken Adobo” talks about a woman holding him down over a tropical beat. The album ends with “Stoop Kid”, where Guapdad gets reflective for 7-minutes over a buoyant instrumental.

I didn’t know what to expect from this album given that I wasn’t a huge fan of Guapdad’s previous material, but I gotta say: This is the best he’s ever sounded. His lyrics are a lot more personal than before whereas !llmind cooks up the most consistent batch of production Guapdad has ever hopped on top of.

Score: 3.5/5

Bang Belushi – “Rudy” review

This is the sophomore album from Detroit emcee Bang Belushi. Coming up as 1/4 of the world famous Fat Killahz, it wouldn’t be until 2011 when the veteran branched out solo by releasing his debut EP The Bridgecard as well as the help yourself. EP in 2017. But it wouldn’t be until the following year when Bango signed to Middle Finger Music & dropped his full-length debut The Adventures of Bang Belushi, which in my opinion was a near-flawless showcasing of his lyrical abilities over some of the grimiest production Foul Mouth has ever cooked up. However, the pair is reuniting for Belushi’s long-awaited sophomore album.

“The Opening” that starts the album off gives listeners the blueprint to being great over an entrancing loop whereas the title track talks about how amazing he is over an unhinged boom bap beat. The song right after “It’s Going Down” talks about how they get it poppin’ over an instrumental kin to the late J Dilla while the track “Bar 4 Bar” with 2 Door Coupé finds the 3 talking about Middle Finger Music taking over the game over some horns & a bass-line.

The song “Dumb” talks about how disrespectful he is over a noisy instrumental while the track “N****z Like You” with Bub Rock sees the duo talking about those who’ll do anything for respect over some drums & piano arpeggios. The song “Red Bottlez” talks about being drunk as fuck over some keys & snares while the track “Murder” with J-Classic & Xtra Overdoze finds the 3 getting on the horrorcore side of things over a trap beat.

The song “Smoking Section” with Boom2G, Bub Rock, Pahlavi & Roc Danielz sees the quintet talking about getting money & staying low over a dingy loop while the track “Mark, Set, Go” with Isaac Castor finds the 2 talking about their skills over a wistful boom bap beat. The song “B is for Bang” breaks down the meaning of the moniker Bang over a flute sample while the track “Feeling Like Biggie” is a rugged sequel to “Feeling Like ODB” off The Adventures of Bang Belushi on all fronts.

The song “Such & Such” talks about a bitch he used to know over an amiable instrumental while the track “Nobody” talks about how there isn’t anyone else like him over a boom bap beat with a glossy piano loop. The song “Watermelon Red Bull” talks about how he refers to his AK as “Big Daddy Kane” over some prominent organs while the outro talks about feeling like they won’t recognize his skills until he’s gone over a beat kin to College Dropout-era Kanye West.

The Adventures of Bang Belushi is one of my favorite albums that Middle Finger Music has ever put out & this is almost as great of a follow-up. The lyrics on here are much more personal than they were last time & the sounds that Foul Mouth bring to the table are bit more diverse.

Score: 4/5

DJ Muggs – “Dies Occidendum” review

This is a brand new collection of beats from Queens-born albeit California based producer, deejay & audio engineer DJ Muggs. Coming up as 1/3 of The 7A3 alongside the Bouldin brothers in the late 80s, it would later go to become a household name in the west coast as the producer for Cypress Hill & the leader of the Soul Assassins collective. The Black Goat also has 3 solo albums under his belt, the latest being Winter just 3 months ago. However after lacing Rome Streetz’ latest album Death & the Magician to universal acclaim just a couple weeks ago, Muggs is continuing to stay busy by dropping Dies Occidendum.

The opener “Incantation” pretty much sets the tone for the album as it has an eerie, cavernous tone to it while the next track “The Chosen One” goes into a more trap/witch house direction & I really just can’t get enough of how evil the atmosphere of it is. “Nigrum Mortem” has a more distorted tone as it incorporates the sound of organs & guitars while the “Liber Null” instrumental feels like a wild rollercoaster with it’s multiple switch-ups throughout it’s 4 minute run. “Alphabet of Desire” has a more melancholic vibe in comparison to the previous cuts while the “Subconscious” instrumental goes into an industrial direction with hi-hats firing off like a minigun.

“Veni Vidi Amavi” is easily the most chilled out track of the bunch with it’s smokey atmosphere while the “Anointed” instrumental goes back into that trap sound except it contains these ghostly shrills throughout. The penultimate track “Anicca” starts with some dramatic string melodies, but then things get quiet for about 30 seconds until the bass & hi-hats hit & then the closer “Transmogrification” is dominated by cricket noises for a good bulk of it’s 5-minute runtime with the exception of some mystical-like harmonies during the first minute as well as the sounds of something burning during the last minute & a half.

I know we’re not even finished with the first quarter of 2021, but goddamn is Muggs on a roll right now. Death & the Magician is still very much my album of the year so far, but these are some of the darkest collection of sounds he’s put together in a while & is highly recommended to any Cypress Hill fan.

Score: 4/5

Styliztik Jones – “Everybody Eat” review

Styliztik Jones is a 42 year old MC from Los Angeles, California who came up as a member of the Likwit Crew collective led by King T. The west coast veteran has since built up quite a catalogue for himself with 4 mixtapes, 3 albums & an EP. His last 2 efforts have been entirely laced by local production duo DirtyDiggs & to celebrate Steezy’s born day, it’s only right for him.

Things kick off with “King Size”, where Styliztik talks about being treated like loyalty in the streets over a trumpet sample. The next song “Seafood Scampi” with TriState sees the 2 talking about how this time is theirs over a jubilant beat while the track “Limitless” talks about being back on his grizzly over some jazzy horns. The song “Do Something” with Planet Asia finds the 2 talking productivity over a joyful instrumental while the track “Family Over Everything” talks about staying humble over a austere instrumental.

The song “Ramen with the Tofu” talks about going Super Saiyan over some glistening keyboard melodies while the track “Alkaline” talks about his woman over a druggy trap beat. The titular song with Defari sees the 2 talking about getting a piece of the bread over a high pitched melodic instrumental while the track “Here” talks about how he’s still standing over a high-pitched soul sample. Then after “The Spread” skit, the closer “Momma’s Recipe” pays tribute to his mother over an organ-laced instrumental.

If Styliztik is gonna keep on working exclusively with DirtyDiggs in the future, then I’m all for it because they’ve really been putting out some of their best material together. Both of them continue to do a good job at bouncing off each other from the continuously elevating pen-game to the raw production.

Score: 3.5/5

Madchild – “The Little Monster LP 2” review

This is the surprise 7th full-length album from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada veteran Madchild. Coming up as a co-founder of the seminal Swollen Members, the dude also has a prolific solo career with a total of 6 full-lengths as well as 6 EPs & 3 mixtapes. His latest effort The Little Monster LP just dropped a few months back & we’re already being treated to a 10-track sequel before he & Obnoxious drop a collab EP under Suburban Noize Records later on this year.

Things kick off with “Smoke Session”, where Madchild talks about lighting it up whenever he’s in the room over a rock-tinged boom bap beat from C-Lance. The next song “Love Me or Hate Me” with Peter Jackson finds the 2 talking about fighting demons over some clicking noises & somber piano chords while the track “Python” talks about rinsing his enemies over a trap beat with some creepy bells. The song “Way Out” calls out those who kicked him when he was down over an instrumental that’s somewhat similar to the previous cut while the track “Legends Never Die” talks about going to Hell & back over a plinky beat.

The song “100 Keys” with Peter Jackson & 6-10 finds the trio boasting over an instrumental that reminds me of “Goodbye” off of Slaughterhouse’s final album welcome to: OUR HOUSE while the track “Drive By” talks putting his energy in the wrong place over a desolate boom bap beat. The song “Brain Wash” talks about putting ropes around necks over a piano & a vocal sample while the penultimate track “Vengeance” talks about revenge over a boom bap beat with some astonishing string sections. The album then finishes off with a decent remix to “Curb Stomper” off the original Little Monster LP.

Even though I thought Madchild’s previous album was just ok at best, this sequel is a little bit better in my opinion. In comparison to the previous effort being more trap-centered, I feel like this is a good combination between that & the raw traditional hip hop sound he came up on.

Score: 3.5/5

Scum – “Dyin’ World Chroniclez: Grey Skiez” review

Scum is a 40 year old rapper from Denver, Colorado known for being the founder of the seminal horrorcore label Lyrikal Snuff Productionz. He’s gone on to release 11 albums on his own, the previous being the double-disc Out with the Old that came out this past summer. But just about 7 months later, the Gorefather is returning once more for his 12th full-length album.

After the intro, the title track that truly kicks the album off talks about Hell awaiting over a frightful instrumental whereas the next song “New Day” with Lex the Hex Master sees the 2 giving their take on the saying “out with the old, in with the new” over an oracular trap beat. The track “This Right Here” talks about repping LSP over a villainous boom bap beat while the song “When It Rains” by S.O.S. finds the 2 talking about spraying rounds over a bleak yet abrasive trap instrumental.

“Tha Hit” vividly details whacking someone over some weighty strings while the track “Body Parts” by M.M.M.F.D. talks about dismemberment over a slow, wintry beat. The song “Stress” talks about insanity over a deranged instrumental while the track “Look Around” by Lobotomy talks about the fall of an empire over a apocalyptic trap beat.

The song “Downfall” talks about how fucking with LSP will be the end of you over a nocturnal trap instrumental while the penultimate track “24” with Death+ finds the 2 talking about having fucked up thoughts 24/7 365 over an uncanny beat. The album finishes off with “Story’s End”, where Scum talks about how you’re going to meet your maker over a cinematic instrumental.

This is a pretty dope album & I’m looking forward to hearing how the other installments of the Dyin’ World Chroniclez turn out to be. The lyrics is as gruesome as it was on his debut 18 years ago & his production choices just keep getting rawer with each project he puts out.

Score: 3.5/5

Payroll Giovanni – “Another Day, Another Dollar” review

Payroll Giovanni is a 32 year old rapper from Detroit, Michigan who came up about a decade ago as a member of the Doughboyz Cashout collective. He’s also released a total of 8 solo albums, most notable being the Cardo-produced Big Bossin’ & Big Bossin’ 2. But just a month after the 3 year anniversary of the latter, the pair are reuniting for the 4th time to put out Payroll’s 9th full-length effort.

The album kicks off with “Previously”, where Payroll recaps everything that’s happened to him in the past 3 years over a West Coast-flavored beat. The next song “It’s Around” talks about making himself a boss over a nightly instrumental while the track “Eyez Closed” talks about counting money like it’s nothing over a beat with a more Bay Area influence to it. The song “Always Hustling” talks about never slowing down over a smooth instrumental while the track “Mob $hit” with Larry June sees the 2 talking about what they be on over a ritzy beat.

The song “Everyday” talks about grinding nonstop over a straight up g-funk instrumental while the track “Make It Look Easy” talks about going from rags to riches over a delicate beat. The song “Game Showed Me” talks about dudes being iffy to him over a keyboard-heavy instrumental while the penultimate track “Pay & Cardo” talks about giving the listeners what they want over an atmospheric beat. The closer “Forever Flow” then talks about how his grandma used to give him money to flip over a synth-heavy beat.

Payroll always puts out his best material whenever he hooks up with Cardo & this is a great follow-up to Big Bossin’ 2. I really dig how both parties took it back to the 90’s West Coast gangsta rap era from the overall sound of the album to the lyrics & for those who aren’t familiar with Payroll, it’s almost like you’d think he’s actually from Southern California.

Score: 4/5

Intrinzik – “Lasers & Poison” review

Intrinzik is a 43 year old rapper from Phoenix, Arizona most notable for being the founder of Underground Hustlin’. Aside from that, the dude has put out a total of 9 albums & 3 EPs through his own label Intrinz Ink Records since 2004. But for his 10th full-length effort, Intrinzik is getting it backed by none other than the Majik Ninja Entertainment sub-label Welcome to the Underground.

The album kicks off with the title track, where Intrinzik talks about commercial sponsors feasting on inhibitions over a rap metal beat. The next song “Dinosaurs” talks about devouring these other rappers over some heavy guitars while the track “Force Fed Famine” talks about watching the market collapse like skyscrapers over a dreary backdrop fused with some hard rock instrumentation. The song “Chemicals” talks about paying it forward genetically over a punky beat while the track “Lizard Tongues” talks about overdosing on power over some live drumming & chugging guitars.

The song “Heart of the Table” with Dienasty the Mexican Thuggalo sees the 2 talking about the 3rd world over an instrumental that almost has a bit of a nu metal influence to it while the track “Lied To” ponders what’s real & fantasy over a riot-inducing beat. The song “Amphetamine Suicide” talks about drug usage over some thick instrumentation while the track “Broadcast the Apocalypse” takes aim at television as a whole over some Hellish riffs.

The song “Losing My Mind” with Twiztid finds the trio talking about insanity over a robotic instrumental while the track “Built for This” talks about annihilating anything that comes after him over a chaotic beat. The song “Try to Stay Alive” with Skeptik sees the 2 talking about survival over some more punk rock flavored production while the track “End of the World” with McNastee finds the duo talking about living in the apocalypse over a hard rock instrumental.

The song “First World Problems” with Krypto Man sees the 2 talking about that very issue over a somewhat thrash-esque instrumental while the penultimate track “The Right to Vote” with Bisshop & Raw-D finds the trio talking about how they use music as their weapon & I love how the build-up in the production. The album finishes off with “Toy Gory 2”, which is a decent 8-minute Underground Hustlin’ posse cut.

If you wanna get into Intrinzik, I would recommend starting with this because I find it to be his best work to date. Not just because of how the sound of the album continuously bounces from metal & punk to straight up hip hop, but his songwriting on here in comparison to his previous material is a lot more conscious this time around.

Score: 3.5/5