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

Asun Eastwood – “P.I.M.P. (Prophecy Is My Present)” reivew

Asun Eastwood is a 38 year old MC from Toronto, Ontario, Canada who came up as part of the Brown Bag Money collective. His 2017 debut mixtape Hollywood Briggs was a good introduction, but it wouldn’t be until 2 years later after dropping his Finn-produced debut album With All Due Respect where he would come to my attention. He just dropped Let Me Talk My Shit a couple months back & to celebrate his birthday, Asun has enlisted THETWINNING for his 4th full-length album.

The title track that starts things off tells God to look at him now over multiple beat switches that’ll make you feel like you’re riding like a roller coaster whereas the next song “Stillness is a Skill” with Lord Juco finds the 2 talking about their spirits being imprinted & not accepting failure over a swanky instrumental. The song “TeamWork Glow” talks about how “it costs a lot to get it on your own” over a spectral beat while the track “StepWork Glow” with Falcon Outlaw sees the duo talking about wanting paper & respect over a boom bap instrumental with some sumptuous keyboard melodies.

The song “L.O.V. (Life Of Victory)” with Lex Talionis finds the 2 talking about love over a repetitive vocal loop while the track “Framed My Pyrex Bowl” with Raz Fresco sees the 2 of course talking about whippin’ up dope over a mild boom bap beat. The song “Underrated” with Family Gang Black & donSMITH finds the trio responding to those who call them such over a lush instrumental while the track “Anfernee” with SLNC sees the 2 talking about the outcome their aiming for over a dope ass soul sample.

The song “Hurt ‘Em” with Richie aka Rapsy & Quinn the Comic finds the trio talking about murder over a downtrodden beat over while the track “Inspired by Death” pays tribute to the fallen over an elegiac instrumental. The song “Tie Ya Camel” with Rasheed Chappell sees the 2 talking about proving who you are over an inspiriting beat & then the closer “Muhammad Glow” with Maze Overlay finds the duo pondering why question things you can’t control over a steady instrumental.

To me, this is yet another example as to why Asun is the currently most hard-working dude in BBM right now. The features on here are a bit too much, but I think THETWINNING cooks up some of their best production to date & Asun still manages to rip it up on the mic.

Score: 3.5/5

SmooVth – “Amongst Wolves” review

SmooVth is a 35 year old MC from Hempstead, New York known for being a part of the duo Tha Connection alongside Hus Kingpin. But as far as his 11 solo efforts go, I recommend checking out Portrait of a Pimp as well as the Young SmooVth & Medellin duologies. The dude dropped something was the DJ Beanz-mixed rarities mixtape entitled Tha Conduit this past Christmas & now just a couple months later, he’s reuniting with Giallo Point for his 12th full-length album.

After the intro, the first song “Double Dutch” talks about using ice cream trucks to cover up them slanging dope over a dust boom bap beat with some glistening chimes while the track “Grey Heron” talks about his rapping prowess over some prominent string loops. The song “Rogue” talks about disappearing with his best friend on top of an overcast beat while the track “Nickel” talks about him & Hus “supersizing” over a funky bass-line & some opulent piano chords.

The song “Joe Blow” talks about sending “30 deep poppin’ on ya man” over a cinematic instrumental while the track “Bullet Holes” with Asun Eastwood sees the duo talking about being them dudes over a boom bap beat. The song “Boss” with Rigz finds the 2 literally talking about being mob bosses over a drumless, meditative instrumental a while the track “38 Corridor” talks about how no one’s fucking with him over a well incorporated soul sample.

The song “Real Me” talks about giving the listener a good look as to who he is over a sleek instrumental while “The Ave” talks about his family & I really dig the guitar licking in the beat a lot. The song “Mega” talks about gangsta leaning over some synths & finger-snaps while the track “Hillside” talks about not giving a fuck about a judge over a symphonious beat.

The song “Hieroglyphics” finds Tha Connection comparing their lyrics to such over some pensive keyboards glistening away in the instrumental while the track “Sparks Fly” with Big Twins sees the 2 talking about living it up over a foreboding beat. The song “Plates” with Stuyville finds the trio barring shut out for 3-minutes nonstop over a sullen instrumental & then the closer “War” talks about standing tall over some organs.

Whenever this emcee/producer duo come together, it’s always something special & their 4th outing together is no exception. Giallo Point continues to cement himself as one of the best producers that the UK has to offer currently & his sound continues to suit SmooVth’s razor-sharp lyricism best.

Score: 4.5/5

Trippie Redd – “Neon Shark vs. Pegasus” review

Trippie Redd is a 21 year old rapper from Canton, Ohio who rose to prominence in off his first 2 mixtapes: A Love Letter to You & A Love Letter to You 2. His profile would continue to grow with projects like LIFE’S A TRIP & A Love Letter to You 3 however, the quality of his music wouldn’t begin to decline until the release of his sophomore album ! in 2019. Trippie followed it up by dropping A Love Letter to You 4 a few months later & it was a decent bounce back that gave me hope of him continuing to redeem himself. But then came the overloaded & painfully generic Pegasus this past fall, which is undoubtedly his worst body of work to date. Fast forward 3 months later, Trippie is attempting to crossover into rock territory for his 4th full-length album with the help of blink-182 drummer Travis Barker.

The album kicks off with “PILL BREAKER”, where genre: sadboy teams up with blackbear to talk about drugs over a trap beat with a faint electric guitar in the background. The next song “WITHOUT YOU” talks about going insane if this woman leaves him over a pop punk instrumental while the track “SWIMMING” lyrically is based on the famous Dory quote from Finding Nemo over a headbanging beat. The song “FEMALE SHARK” expresses Trippie’s desire to have a fearless woman in his life over a bass guitar & some live drumming while the track “GERONIMO” with Chino Moreno of all people sees the 2 talking about protecting their significant others over a heavy beat.

The song “SEA WORLD” talks about his love for his significant other lasting forever over a fast-tempo instrumental while the track “RED SKY” by genre: sadboy discusses exes leaving them in the cold over an acoustic guitar & some drums. The song “MEGLADON” talks about being born to terrorize over a more hard rock instrumental while the track “SAVE YOURSELF” talks about fighting his demons & the riffs on here could very well be the best on the entire album.

The song “DREAMER” asks his girl what she was waiting for over a Yeezo Beats instrumental sampling the “Have You Ever Had a Dream Like This?” kid while the track. “IT’S COMING” talks about facing your fears & the instrumental sounds like early LINKIN PARK for God knows what reason. The song “LEADERS” talks about not being a believer when he was younger over a sample of the Deftones’ “Back to School (Mini Maggit)” while the penultimate track “FROZEN OCEAN” talks about feeling broken & hopeless & the instrumentation on here is somewhat a heavy version than what we heard on “LEADERS”. The album ends with “DEAD DESERT”, where Trippie enlists ZillaKami & Scarlxrd to talk about dropping dead referencing the A24 Films crime thriller Uncut Gems over a filthy trap metal beat.

You can throw this album to the ever-growing pile of rappers attempting to go rock & failing miserably at it, because I did not care for it at all. Travis Barker’s production is really the saving grace of the entire thing, as Trippie Redd’s songwriting & vocals that make it VERY hard for me to sit through.

Score: 1.5/5

Yelawolf & Caskey – “Yelawolf Blacksheep” review

This is the brand new collaborative album from Alabama rapper, singer/songwriter, producer, fashion designer & entrepreneur Yelawolf as well as Floridian rapper Caskey. The pair have done songs together in the past such as “No Such Thing as Free” off of Trunk Muzik III & “Remember” off of Black Sheep 4 but to kick off their 2021, the duo are coming out of the woodwork with Yelawolf Blacksheep.

The album kicks off with “Just the Intro”, where Yelawolf & Caskey are going back & forth with one another for 4 minute straight over a victorious beat. The next song “Daytona” talks about how you can’t slow them down over a dim trap instrumental whereas the track “Been a Problem” talks about their stronghold on the rap game over some heavy bass & rattling hi-hats. The song “Billy & the Purple Datson” talks about doing what they have to in order to make that money over an unhinged beat while the track “Turn Up in Tijuana” talks about partying over a generic trap instrumental.

The song “Cookies” with Cub da Cookup Boss finds the trio talking about ride or die bitches over a sorrowful beat & then there’s the mediocre remix to “McQueen Fiend” off of Caskey’s previous album I Changed. The song “Open” talks about still being “open” after pulling out over a Three 6 Mafia-type beat while the track “C’est La Vie” talks about naysayers over a harp-tinged instrumental. The penultimate track “Tat Shop” talks about getting skulls inked on them for the haters over a trap beat with a cool flute incorporation & the fallen homies, but then the closer “$1M Deal” talks about being free from Shady Records & Cash Money Records respectively over a misty instrumental.

Coming away from this album, my feelings on it are mixed. I think the production plays well to both rappers’ respective sounds, but the chemistry is kinda odd considering that Yelawolf is outrapping Caskey on just about every joint.

Score: 2.5/5

Jim Jones – “The Fraud Department” review

Jim Jones is a 44 year old rapper from The Bronx, New York who came up in as a member of The Diplomats in the 2000s. His first 5 full-lengths from 2004-2011 had some highlights in them, but they were all average at best as whole albums. However it wouldn’t be until 2018 after dropping Wasted Talent where he would really start putting out his best material ever & then came out with his magnum opus the following year El Capo. But just 3 months after putting out the sequel El Capo 2, we’re already being treated to Jimmy’s 9th full-length album produced entirely by Harry Fraud.

The opener “Laps Around the Sun” talks about being grateful over a bare flute instrumental whereas the next song “Fucked Up” is about a lil bitch who got her perception of Jimmy wrong over some harmonizing & a saxophone. The track “Aunt Viola” with Dave East finds the duo talking waiting your turn & then turning tables over an airy trap beat while the song “Lose Lose” talks about his success over a soul sample & some snares.

The track “Bada Bing” with French Montana sees the 2 on their gangsta shit over a rubbery beat while the song “Barry White” talks about turning the hood into a paradise over a ghostly instrumental. The track “Say a Prayer” with Curren$y & Jay Worthy finds the trio talking about hustling on the block over a triumphant beat while “The People” with Conway the Machine sees the 2 talking about George Floyd’s murder over a boom bap instrumental with a haunting vocal sample.

The track “Luxury Lies” shows his doubters what he can do over a jubilant beat while song “3 Cuts” with Maino finds the duo on their fly shit over some exuberant horns. The album finishes off with “Make It Home”, where Jimmy talks about his fallen homies over a boom bap beat with some dour keys.

It’s very rare for artists to be putting out their best material later in their careers, but this puts Jimmy on a 3-peat because I like The Fraud Department almost as much as El Capo & El Capo 2. Harry Fraud comes correct on the production as he usually does & when it comes to Jimmy’s lyrics, it seems like this isn’t even his final form.

Score: 4/5

Fat Ray – “Santa Barbara” review

Fat Ray is a 39 year old MC from Detroit, Michigan who came up as 1/3 of the production trio B.R. Gunna alongside local veterans Black Milk & Young RJ. He would eventually go solo in 2008 by releasing the criminally slept-on The Set Up entirely produced by Black Milk, following it up until a full decade later with both The Lunch Room mixtape & the subsequent sophomore effort Perseus. However out of nowhere, the Bruiser Brigade member has seen fit to return by dropping his 3rd full-length album.

The title track that kicks the album off talks about being happy to be back on his shit over a jazzy boom bap beat from Raphy, who produced all 3 joints on the entire thing. The next song “Flight Risk / Plead the 5th” gets on the gangsta rap tip over an instrumental, that starts off jazzy, but later switches up into a bare soul sample. The track “Menacing” talks about going to war if you want it over a beat that sounds like something RZA would’ve made for Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) while the cleverly-titled “Ethan Hunt” makes references to the Mission: Impossible franchise over a more chilled out instrumental.

The track “Jordan vs. Bird” gets on his mob shit over a boom bap beat with a dark atmosphere to it while the song “Dopeman Heaven” with Danny Brown finds the 2 talking about slanging drugs over a Black Milk instrumental with some downcast keyboard melodies. The track “Old Faithful” featuring Bruiser Wolf sees the duo talking about being fresh to death over a sleek beat while the song “Top Ramen” talks about not having much coming up over a psychedelic instrumental.

The track “Bar Smithing / Off-Safety” shows off his lyricism & the beat once again has that vintage Wu-Tang feel at the start, but it switches up into something more apprehensive. “The One” talks about how everyone wants to be that guy over a Crisfantom instrumental that’s clearly inspired by the late J Dilla while the penultimate track “The Sword” talks about being the 2nd level of crazy over an otherworldly beat. The album ends with “Mental Case”, where Ray talks about his homie Kutty over some harmonious vocal melodies.

Perseus might be the weakest of the 3 studio LPs we’ve gotten from Fat Ray so far even if there are a few songs I still go back to, but I’d put Santa Barbara right behind his debut & have no doubts that he can top it if he decides to put out more music a few years from now. The production’s more boom bap oriented than its predecessor & he brings a couple of his Bruiser Brigade brethren to spit hardcore gangsta lyricism for almost a half hour.

Score: 4/5

slowthai – “TYRON” review

slowthai is a 26 year old rapper from Northampton, England who came onto my radar in 2019 off his debut album Nothing Great About Britain. His profile continued to grow shortly after due to his feature on BROCKHAMPTON’s latest album at the time GINGER but with the 2 year anniversary of his first album coming up in the spring, slowthai has finally delivered his long-awaited sophomore effort.

The album starts with “45 SMOKE”, where slowthai talks about the world being his over an abrasive instrumental. The next song “CANCELLED” with Skepta serves as a well written response to cancel culture over a ghostly beat with some whistling while the track “MAZZA” with A$AP Rocky finds the 2 talking about the meaning of insanity over an off-the-wall trap instrumental. The song “VEX” talks about people irritating him over an energetic instrumental, but the following track “WOT” is so short that there’s no point to it being on here.

The song “DEAD” introspectively dives into the subject of the afterlife over a shadowy beat while the track “PLAY WITH FIRE” talks about feeling like he’s got his head in a blender over a playful instrumental. The song “i tried” opens up about a suicide attempt slowthai once had over an oxymoronic beat while the track “focus” talks about his brothers being in prison over a weary instrumental from Kenny Beats.

The song “terms” talks about how things in life could be worse over some cloud rap production while the track “push” talks about how no one wants to see you grow over a bare piano instrumental. The song “n.h.s. (national health service)” provides reassurance in a post-COVID world over a sparse beat while the penultimate track “feel away” pays tribute to his late brother Michael over a soft instrumental. The album ends with “adhd”, where slowthai talks about how “the passenger always been a witness” over a low trap beat.

Dude might be the best up-&-comer out of the UK right now because I enjoy this album more than I did Nothing Great About Britain. I mean as much as I enjoy slowthai’s previous full-length effort for how gritty & political it sounded, the production on TYRON is cleaner & the lyrics are more personal this time around.

Score: 4/5

Bonnie & Hyde – Self-Titled review

Bonnie & Hyde are an East Coast duo consisting of death rap veteran Mr. Hyde & his wife Cherie Rain. The couple have been making joints with one another dating back to Hyde’s 3rd album If It Bleeds We Can Kill It back in 2012 but almost a decade later, they’re coming together for a full-length debut.

After the “Killer Couple” intro, the first song “Epic Pursuit (Bonnie & Hyde Theme)” details being chased by the cops over a boom bap beat with some strings buried in the background while the track “Death is Coming” gets on his death rap shit over a Satanic instrumental from Cherie Rain herself. The song “Darkness” talks about the owners of the night arriving over a boom bap beat with some eerie piano embellishments while the track “Poison Fate” spits some battle bars over a perilous instrumental.

The song “Funky Fresh Face Melt” with Celph Titled finds the trio getting homicidal over a grim beat from Little Vic & after the “Kid Joe Forever” interlude, the following track is a NASTY conclusion to the “Street Veteran” saga that started on Psycho+Logical-Records’ 2003 showcase compilation Brutality. The song “Superhuman” talks about being a monster over a rock boom bap fusion & then the closer “Repent the Devil’s Thirsty” comes through with some street poetry over a minimal beat.

The duo really play off one another very well & as a result of that, I personally think this is some of the best material either one of they’ve have ever done. Hyde’s lyrical skills are just as brutal as they were on his iconic 2004 debut album Barn of the Naked Dead, Cherie is a beautiful singer & her sample free compositions are astonishing.

Score: 4.5/5

Slaine – “The Things We Can’t Forgive” review

Brand full-length album & the 5th overall from Boston, Massachusetts veteran Slaine. Most notable for being a member of the underground supergroup La Coka Nostra, he released an EP & a total of 4 mixtapes before coming through with his debut album A World with No Skies in 2011 under Suburban Noize Records. This was followed up with The Boston Project in 2013 as well as The King of Everything the year after that, but the man went took a 3-year hiatus following the release of the Slaine is Dead EP in 2016 & returned by dropping the mature 1 Day in 2019. Fast forward 15 months later, Slaine is kicking off the 3rd act of his career by dropping The Things We Can’t Forgive.

The opener “When the War Ends” talks about how we’re not prepared for what happens tomorrow over a despondent beat from The Arcitype, who produced almost every song on the album much like 1 Day. The next song “Everything Once” talks about having a lot in life to lose over a tense piano instrumental while the track “Blurry Eyed” talks about his soul being torn over a portentous beat. The song “Revolver” talks about continuously ending up in the same place that he’s already been in over a cacophonous instrumental while the track “Wrath & Pride” with Snak the Ripper finds the 2 talking about going crazy over an ornery beat.

The song “Chasing Ghosts” opens up about a failed relationship over an instrumental with some melancholic acoustic passages while the track “Beautiful” acknowledges those who call him strange over a fiery beat. The song “Not Enough” calls for strength to get through the day over a pessimistic instrumental while the title track talks about this relationship of his being like a mirror over an optimistic-sounding beat from Statik Selektah. The album ends with “Legend of the Fall”, where Slaine talks about ghosts talking to him in his head over a glum piano instrumental.

An equally fantastic follow-up to 1 Day, what we get out of The Things We Can’t Forgive is a dark trip into Slaine’s spiraling whirlwind of mental obsession & the most emotional LP in his entire discography. The Arcitype’s production feels a bit darker than it was 15 months ago finding duality through a 38 minute self-examination addressing topics like love, sex, heartbreak, narcissism, trauma, betrayal, addiction, forgiveness & recovery.

Score: 3.5/5