Elcamino – “Mino” review

Buffalo, New York emcee & singer Elcamino celebrating his birthday last week to drop his 6th studio LP. Blowing up in 2017 off his self-titled EP with Griselda Records, his profile increasingly grew after being followed up by Walking on Water mixtape in the summer of 2018 along with dropped 2 studio albums & a few EPs the year after that. They Spit on Jesus proved to be a well received Black Soprano Family Records debut becoming the first Camino project that I had covered since On the 3rd Day & that much like No Weapon Formed Against Me was an improvement over some of the material we’ve gotten from him in recent memory. 6 months after having Real Bad Man produce The Game is the Game followed by Ill Tone producing Built for Cuban Links named after Raekwon’s iconic solo debut Only Built 4 Cuban Linx… produced by RZA in addition to flexing his Millionaire status & Full Moon showing a heavy Future influence. Martyr’s Prayer III produced by 38 Spesh made for a gratifying conclusion to the beloved trilogy & has released Mino a couple months after the Gold Bricks 2extended play.

“Think About It” produced by Ill Tone was a triumphant intro flexing the stripes of putting on young lords since Griselda’s time with Shady Records whereas “Bobby Knight” featuring Benny the Butcher & French Montana references the late General over a Hitmaka instrumental, although I would’ve preferred it more without French Montana’s verse. “Godson” takes a more soulful approach making money off shit he’s been doing since he was a kid while “We Shall Overcome” featuring 38 Spesh finds beauty in the struggle.

Benny reunites with Elcamino over synthesizers & hi-hats for “N.I.A. (N****s is Art)” talking about only coming out when it’s dark outside just before “London Gatwick” returns to the boom bap for some of the hungriest performances on the entire project. “Salvation” featuring Cory Gunz & Inspectah Deck jazzily brings redemption to the way they drop their verses while “Magic” featuring Boldy James & Double D gives a nod to the Magic City strip club named after Jermaine Dupri’s comeback album.

“Ahead of Themselves” wraps up the final moments of Mino turning the jazz rap influences back up talking about a group of individuals he gave game to taking action without proper preparation & “Been Thru It All” featuring Kenyada Nikile properly concludes on an soulfully introspective note reflecting on everything that both Meechy & Kenyada have experienced in their lives trying to live another day improving their conditions. More specifically what was seen in the streets.

Starting the deluxe run, “Superior” hops over an exuberant trap beat to put his bitch in all kinds of shit while “King” talk about still pledging allegiance to crack & it’s customers. “Don’t Change” works in some sampling to describe himself as a mogul in the making & succeeding the soulful “Bruv’s Coming” talking about lampin’ for almost a week, the final bonus track “Prime Ministers” featuring Estee Nack finds the 2 hittin’ finishers.

When discussing Elcamino’s output under the Black Soprano Family umbrella, Mino‘s production mostly handled by Ill Tone harks back to They Spit on Jesus when he made his official debut for the label firmly stands with Spesh’s all over the recent Martyr’s Prayer entry. Unquestionably the most consistent he’s been on B$F since The Game is the Game, it captures Ill Tone’s sonic evolution these past 24 months & prominently personal concept.

Score: 4/5

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iam3hard – “World War III” review

Here we have the 4th studio LP from Atlanta, Georgia rapper iam3hard. Coming up in 2023 off his first couple of extended plays Down 2 Win & The Bandlab Beast, his 3rd EP Dissimilar Prevalence produced by Whyceg succeeding his full-length debut The Bandlab Bandit has become his most celebrated work & the sophomore effort WDF 3HARD followed a couple months later. Before I Sign & Willing to Die For both resulted in 3hard signing to Cegular Records, making his debut for the Sony Music imprint with 3x Harder & has been prepping for World War 3.

“Bearcoat” produced by Goxan starts off with an dark plugg opener talking about hanging out the window with a suppressed firearm whereas “Black Glock” hooks up a bell-heavy plugg instrumental from Whyceg painting imagery of the gangsta lifestyle running up carrying that specific type of gun on him. “Meds Works” takes a cloudier trap approach thanks to SOULJASPIRITS talking about Cegular doing fuckboys badly while “TSR” boasts of him spearheading the way for artists to get signed.

Nearing the end of the 1st half, “Ford Focus” incorporates some strings & 808s boasting the kind of whip he’s getting head inside of just before Trgc goes for a terror plugg vibe talking about never spinning the music of a rat whose mixtape isn’t selling very well. “Micro Jackson” finishes the 2nd quarter flexing that he & the rest of the squad gotta stay classy when pulling up to the clubs while “The Service” shifts towards a dark plugg sound talking about him still servin’ his housing projects.

“Wet Em decently gives off a more traditional plugg atmosphere continuing to hit listeners with more gangsta rap lyricism, but “What” felt like a better attempt at it despite its 96 second brevity. “Bob the Builder” gets referenced almost a couple months after J.I.D said he’d put a bullet in the general contractor while “Southlake” featuring 2sdxrt3all recaptures the synergies of their collab EP Burn the Booth Down.

The song “On Gangy” winds down World War 3’s final minutes hopping over a plugg instrumental talking about really having it out the pavement while “Shrek & Donkey” wraps things up talking about being more pissed off than the titular character of the Comcast Corporation subsidiary NBCUniversal division DreamWorks Animation’s flagship franchise & his best friend ahead of the upcoming 5th installment set to hit theaters in the summer of 2027.

3x Harder marked a huge improvement in quality compared to iam3hard’s earlier material & not only has he already outdone himself, there’s a pretty good chance World War 3 will be coming in conversations regarding 3hard’s greatest material much like it’s predecessor joining both Babystaydown & Pradabagshawty in further establishing Cegular Records to be a prominent plugg label. The plugg, dark plugg, terror plugg, cloud rap & trap production feels unparalleled compared to the last album & the same can be said regarding the Atlanta artist’s gangsta-lenient themes.

Score: 4/5

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Mariah Carey – “Here for It All” review

Mariah Carey is a 56 year old singer/songwriter, entrepreneur, producer, actress & the Queen of Christmas from Huntington, New York notable for her eponymous debut, Daydream, her penultimate Columbia Records album Butterfly, the soundtrack to Glitter under Virgin Music, The Emancipation of Mimi improving over her Island Records debut Charmbraclet, her only Def Jam Recordings opus Me. I Am Mariah… The Elusive Chanteuse & her previous full-length Cautions through Epic Records. Only 3 months away from the holiday season, she’s signing to gamma. for her 16th studio LP.

“Mi” takes on a modern hip hop soul sound singing about self-care & once the self-produced “Play This Song” featuring Anderson .Paak throws it back to the 70s advising to put this very track on for your own sake, “Type Dangerous” featuring Big Sean alongside Busta Rhymes and Method Man & Redman on the remix seeks excitement out of a relationship with Tobe Nwigwe sampling “Eric B.’s President” by Eric B. & Rakim.

Kehlani & Shenseea both join Mariah on the contemporary R&B/pop single “Sugar Sweet” singing that all 3 of them will keep everything nice & neat just before “In Your Feelings” produced by Rogét Chahayed recollects a story of something she’s been through. “Nothing’s Impossible” topically addresses her own resilience over a piano instrumental leading into “Confetti & Champagne” singing about somebody that you’re not with anymore.

“I Won’t Allow It” locks in with Breezy Lovejoy for a refusal to entertain one’s narcissistic behavior while “My Love” serves as a moderate cover to her favorite Wings song off the band’s sophomore effort Red Rose Speedway. “Jesus I Do” featuring The Clark Sisters sticks out to me embracing a gospel heavy sound & the title track finishes by thanking God she’s lived to see physical embodiment of love.

Fully capitalizing on the soul-searching Mariah Carey has done since Caution, her independent debut finds the Songbird Supreme taking the emotional depths of her memoir The Meaning of Mariah Carey to a newer level almost half a decade later. The contemporary R&B & pop production celebrates every era of her’s further pulling from hip hop, disco, gospel, smooth soul & adult contemporary in light of her losing her mother & sister as opposed to the predecessor heavily revolving around a concept of relationships.

Score: 4/5

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SPRINTS – “All That’s Over” review

SPRINTS is a garage punk, noise rock, post-punk & garage rock revival band from Dublin, Ireland consisting of bassist Sam McCann, drummer Jack Callan & frontwoman/guitarist Karla Chubb. Releasing their full-length studio debut Letter to Self at the beginning of last year to lightly moderate reception, I was a lot more interested about their sophomore effort here going into it based off some of the singles we got building up towards it & learning that they had signed to the historic Seattle, Washington indie label Sub Pop Records.

“Abandon” opens up with a goth rock intro singing about all hope being left behind whereas “To the Bone” turns up the gothic influences painting the image of a dark evening. “Descartes” meshes alt-rock with post-punk revival & noise rock telling those growing disillusioned & angry with the world that hope’s around the corner while “Need” questions the love of this person that Karla needs in her life.

We get more goth rock vibes on the b-side single “Beg” poking fun at the idea that often it’s those in positions of power that preach their moral codes & judgments whilst committing the most heinous crimes themselves but once “Rage” embracing a garage rock direction calling out the false prophets & false promises, “Something’s Gonna Happen” observes a wave breaking beneath the brim asking that very question.

“Pieces” makes a final call of distress pleading for help after a woman left Karla’s mind a state of undress while the final teaser “Better” takes inspiration from My Bloody Valentine’s shoegaze landmark of a sophomore effort Loveless. “Coming Alive” speaks of the attempts to break Karla apart & “Desire” sends it all off singing about a fear inside this woman bringing up a fire.

Set against the backdrop of a litany of atrocities, SPRINTS’ inaugural opus under Sub Pop Records finds themselves trying to make sense of it all during the course of All That’s Over doubling down on the visceral spirit of fierce artistic honesty that’s always been at heart. They push their dynamics into richer territory mixing alternative rock, post-punk, garage punk, gothic rock, grunge, noise rock, shoegaze, garage rock revival & post-punk revival whilst observing the world on the verge of apocalypse.

Score: 4.5/5

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Doja Cat – “Vie” review

Los Angeles, California recording artist Doja Cat ending the month with her 4th LP. Blowing up in 2018 off her viral novelty single “MOOO!” under Kemosabe Records & RCA Records, this was followed up the next year with her debut mixtape Hot Pink which was decent as a whole despite the fact that “Say So” solidified that she wasn’t going away anytime soon. Planet Her showed some improvement compared to her previous works by delivering a pop rap/R&B concept album based around a self-originated world, coming off Scarlet to release Vie.

“Cards” kicks it all off with a mixture of synthpop & synth-funk music singing to make best use of your assets whereas “Jealous Type” produced by Jack Antonoff blends dance-pop, synth-funk, freestyle music, the Minneapolis sound & pop rap talking about struggling with insecurity during an impatient relationship. “AAAHH MEN!” samples the Knight Rider theme song to make way for some boastfully charming raps while “Couples Therapy” sings that all she wants his for her lover to be involved.

Moving on from there, we have the aptly titled “Gorgeous” that Sounwave co-produced giving off a summery vibe with a secondary pop rap influence explaining that it’s crime to be very attractive just before “Stranger” goes back to a dance-pop direction with minor jazz undertones sings about her & her partner being weird with each other. “All Mine” pulls from the Minneapolis sound again to get possessive over her new romantic interest while “Take Me Dancing” featuring SZA playfully says it all.

“Lipstain” continues Vie’s other half not wanting to dance around the idea of the love she & this person have for each other being easy to talk about while the R&B throwback “Silly! Fun!” tackles the concept of romantic delusion. “Acts of Service” hypnotically poses the question of what would it mean if she found her person when that’s her love language while “Make It Up” talks about turning a wrong into a right.

The song “1 More Time” borrows from the Minneapolis sound to start the final act of Doja Cat’s most enjoyable body of work yet not needing anyone to save her by any means while “Happy”asks if her lover is genuinely contented. The pop rap closer “Come Back” ends the LP by confirming to an ex that she’s not the person for him & taking her advice that he will eventually find someone when the time’s right & the star’s align.

Returning to a poppier sound as opposed to Scarlet putting Doja Cat’s hip hop side on full display, Vie takes a more playful approach than anything she’s done previous & I come away from it getting her best pop material ever. The production mostly handled by Jack Antonoff masterfully fluctuates between contemporary R&B, dance-pop, po rap, synthpop, synth-funk, freestyle music, trap music, sophisti-pop & the Minneapolis sound and the prominently dishy subject matter.

Score: 4.5/5

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Peezy – “Still Ghetto” review

This is the 3rd studio LP from Detroit, Michigan rapper Peezy. A part of the Team Eastside collective about a little over decade ago, he would later go on to release about a dozen solo projects beginning with Mud Muzik in 2014 & subsequently became one of the most prominent figures that the Motor City’s distinct trap scene has to offer. I covered his 8th mixtape Free Rio in 2022 when he got out of prison back at the beginning of that year for racketeering followed by his full-length debut Only Built 4 Diamond Links as well as the sophomore effort Ghetto & the Small Town Ghetto EP last winter, the latter of which preluded Still Ghetto.

“City’s Mine” was an enticing intro to the LP talking about the agreement amongst many that he’s taken over the 313 whereas “The Warm Up” featuring French Montana flexes that they jump shots before they ball, although French’s appearance was unwarranted. “So Ghetto” featuring Icewear Vezzo finds the 2 making up for it with a Detroit trap highlight repping their city while “All That” featuring Chicken P made for an underwhelming single choice.

Rick Ross joins Peezy on the exuberant “Hide the Rest” talking about money coming with respect around their individual parts leading into “It’s Givin’” featuring YG Teck returns to the Detroit sound albeit for one of the weaker collaborations on the entire album. “Lovin’ on Me” blends Detroit trap & pop rap working in some distinct sampling for a couple minutes while “Bond 9” featuring RMC Mike advises not to tell anyone if they fall for the love of these women.

“My Brother” featuring 42 Dugg talks about everyone thinking they went broke when they were actually saving money & letting it stack to the ceiling while “Main Artery” suggest that he might be one of the realist left since he stands on business. “Texas Shit” featuring G Herbo & THF Law would’ve been a lot more interesting if you took THF Law off it personally while “Playboi Carti” featuring 2 Chainz blends jazz rap & trap to shut the lots down.

Starting the final leg, “If I Can Make It” advises that anyone can survive out the trenches if he can while “Let’s Talk About It” featuring Babyface Ray reflects on being told to get the money instead of becoming famous. “‘96 Impala” featuring Larry June unites for an ode to Chevy Impalas & once “Daydreaming” talks about making others feel like he was there when the story he’s telling occurred, “Give It All” featuring Big Sean finishes with both of them putting everything in this music shit.

Serving as a sequel to Ghetto a few years ago, Still Ghetto maintains the attitude of its predecessor with the most star-studded offering of Peezy’s entire discography. That said: I came away from this album liking it only slightly less than the EP we got him 9 months earlier. Could’ve done without a few guest performers’ contribution, but many of them stick the landing whether it be locally or outside the Michigan area looking both within & beyond the Murder Mitten to propagate what he’s helped pioneer in the city.

Score: 3/5

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Jay Worthy – “Once Upon a Time” review

Here is the double full-length studio debut from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada born albeit Compton, California raised emcee Jay Worthy. Coming on my radar in 2017 after The Alchemist produced his debut EP Fantasy Island from top to bottom, he would go onto drop 5 more EPs & a fantastic collab album with Larry June called 2 P’z in a Pod even though initial plans of putting it out through Griselda Records fell through for whatever reason. Harry Fraud produced You Take the Credit, We’ll Take the Check & DJ Muggs did What They Hittin’ 4 to significant acclaim, but the Roc Marciano-produced Nothing Bigger Than the Program was still good despite having too many features & the DāM-FunK produced Magic Hour improved on that as did The Tonite Show 2 entirely produced by DJ Fresh last fall. Almost a decade in the making however, Once Upon a Time has finally arrived.

After the “Beginning” intro, the first song “‘96 Big Body” gets the ball rollin’ with a smooth ass beat recalling the days when he was driving around in this fresh whip 3 decades earlier whereas “The Only 1” featuring Kamaiyah works in a Mobb beat from Cardo addresses those who thought they were the only pimps around. “For the Homies” produced by DJ Quik sends a shoutout to all of those in their lives who can’t be here leading into the g-funk heavy “Rekkless” looking back at his youth.

“Open Minded” instrumentally reminds me of something The Neptunes would’ve produced in the early/mid 2000s praising his girl for keeping that exact type of mentality while “From the Jump” featuring E-40, Jim Jones, Ohgeesy & Wiz Khalifa brings the quintet together over a DJ Fresh beat or Harry Fraud on the remix talking about how long they’ve been putting it down. “Dark Tints” featuring 03 Greedo strips the drums thanks to Conductor Williams refusing to stop what they started while “Famous Players” slickly gets in his pimp bag.

As for “Tides”, we have Jay Worthy on top of a drumlessly summery instrumental with lyrics about wanting a woman that he’s never even met by his side while “Bellagio” featuring Conway the Machine charismatically flexes of making music for the famous Las Vegas, Nevada hotel of the same name. “Choosing Shoes” featuring Boldy James keeps the drums out the equation painting imagery of the gangsta lifestyle while “2P’z” featuring Larry June recaptures the aura of their 2022 collab effort.

“True Story” featuring Ty$ starts the final moments of Disc 1 by touching on some real life shit over a Hit-Boy beat while “The Outcome” featuring Ab-Soul, Dave East & Westside Gunn unites the quartet for a 4 & a half minute barfest accompanied by a sample-heavy beat that The Alchemist cooked up real realizing that this is the very moment where he & guests should observe the results. “Jive 95” featuring Bun B & Spice 1 after the “Skrappordie” interlude opens Disc 2 to go by the cheat code while “Daytons” featuring Mack 10 gives a fuck you to all of the haters they have.

Wallie the Sensei joins Worthy for the Mobb-inspired “Know My Worth” waking up to the money since they don’t know if being broke or dead is worse while “Escape from LA” featuring B-Legit & Jay 305 comes together for a Bay Area tribute. “Sake” featuring Curren$y talks about feeling more like they’re vacation rather than being on the run while the drumless “Blade Runner” featuring Roc Marciano refers to themselves as big game hunters.

“I’ll Be Fine” featuring Vicasso hops over a g-funk beat to talk about their diametric approach to making music while the funky “Gang Shit” reunited with DJ Muggs so he can admit that he doesn’t like stunt because of his humbleness. “Bix in the Morning” featuring Ice-T heavily samples “6 ‘N tha Mornin’” for a generational gangsta rap crossover while “P-Funkentelechy” sends a love letter to Parliament-Funkadelic.

The track “Angel Dust” starts Once Upon a Time’s final act with a psychedelic Thundercat instrumental talking about PCP while the jazzy “Worthy vs. Getty” recalls a story that occurred in 2003. Prior to the “End” outro however, “Runnin’ Outta Time” is what officially finishes responding to people who think they know him by saying that he doesn’t recognize them from his hood with Terrace Martin playing piano.

Although What They Hittin’ 4 still remains my personal favorite entry in Jay Worthy’s discography, there’s absolutely no doubt in my mind that the 30 song & almost 90 minute Once Upon a Time sticks out as the most star-studded musical opus he’s ever conceived. Bridging the east & the west coast with its admirably versatile guest list, the production mostly takes its cues from the westside to cohesively tell a story of authentically resilient ambition.

Score: 4.5/5

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Ouija Macc – “Sunken Church” review

Las Vegas, Nevada emcee Ouija Macc kicking off the Hallowicked season with his 8th LP. Breaking out 8 years ago after the Insane Clown Posse signed him to Psychopathic Records shortly after putting out his debut EP Trashfire independently, Ouija has since proven himself as the hatchet’s biggest solo act dropping his last 7 full-lengths, 2 greatest hits compilations, 8 mixtapes & 5 EPs all in the span of nearly 8 years. He even started his own label Chapter 17 Records, with Darby O’Trill now being the only artist other than Ouija & teamed up with each other for the excellent collab effort Anemoia building up Darcc Planet to become the darccest material of his career last summer. 3 months after Psycho Babbel though, we entered the Temple of Ash & Chlorine proved that he’ll always be a scrub no matter how clean he gets. Sunken Church however looks to conclude the story that Darcc Planet began 14 months ago fresh off 3-time JCW World Juggalo Tag Team Champions The Brothers of Funstruction taking the titles back to Juggalo Championship Wrestling (JCW) from YNDP & simultaneously ending their reign GCW World Tag Team Champions at the Game Changer Wrestling (GCW) event Evil Deeds and Alice Crowley became the new JCW Women’s Champion within a couple weeks.

Devereaux & Brian Kuma both produced the occult trap intro “Hatchet Homicide” talking about being allergic to the sun & not trusting anybody whereas “Fungalo” vividly describes fungus growing from within the Sunken Church asking if it could be shrooms. “Left Eye” welcomes one & all to the church hidden below the Earth flexing that he’s chilling with the late TLC member of the same name by the waterfall while the lead single “Killionaire” talks about piling up bodies.

“Flume” speaks of walking up in the room off the smoke killing a homophobe out in Texas & putting the body in his Lexus while “Decomposing” wickedly paints images of himself amongst the undead. “Chinchilla” featuring the shortest reigning JCW World Juggalo Heavyweight Champion Shaggy 2 Dope & the JCW Commissioner Violent J of ICP finally makes up for the Clowns’ verse on “Diamonds” while the 3rd single “Rain Dance” talks about lighting a candle at the Temple of Ash.

Meanwhile on “Gremlord”, we have Ouija morbidly boasting that he’s the lord of all gremlins & one forgetting to breathe after floating down while “Eastside Ritual” works in some heavy bells talking about the cult of the moon & the hatchet never sleeping. The 2nd single “Andy Milanakis” claps back at the oldheads calling him & his music obnoxious while “Decension” talks about drowning to death.

“Break da Seal” speaks of being guided by the voices the concoction of a spell & acknowledging that many wicked ones have never made it out of Hell’s Pit while the final single “Tunguska” that we got last weekend talks about the end being near, giving s middle finger to the world since most are too oblivious to recognize that the world we live in being hellafied & cooked.

The song “Night of the Stanky Heads” begins the final moments of this 14-month long saga with a spiritual successor to the “Night of…” series that the Insane Clown Posse has become known for since Carnival of Carnage & once “Mudrealm Depths” talks about being creating a literal bloody mess whenever da mane is summoned, “Goner” finishes with an emo rap closer feeling stuck in his ways again & all of his walls caving in.

“Getcha Mane” starts the deluxe run talking about having maggots in his brain making him go crazy while “Lovely” tells us the way he’s been feeling as of late, choosing to spread love if even the world doesn’t feel the same way regarding him. The final bonus track “At All” ends the brief dosage of extra freshness by talking about not knowing how to live with himself whenever he looks in the mirror.

Announced near the end of his headlining set at the Gathering of Legends or the 25th annual Gathering of the Juggalos last month, these past 5 albums that Ouija Macc has put out has in the past year have marked a new era beyond the Elements series that Trashfire began & Stalewind ended by doing the same thing with Darcc Planet & Sunken Church. A new dawn has risen entirely from the depths tying in everything that we’ve heard throughout Darcc Planet, Psycho Babbel, Temple of Ash & Chlorine in a masterfully wicced fashion.

Score: 4.5/5

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Young Thug – “UY SCUTI” review

Atlanta, Georgia rapper & singer/songwriter Young Thug releasing his 4th studio LP fresh off a series of controversial jail phone calls being leaked. Proving himself to have impacted the modern sound of trap music whether some heads like him or not, he has achieved this by dropping classic mixtapes like Barter 6 & JEFFERY or starting up his 300 Entertainment imprint YSL Records & even the clothing line SP5DER. He made his full-length debut So Much Fun in 2019 executive produced by J. Cole & was one of the best trap projects of that year, but the 2021 sophomore effort P*nk received mixed reviews although I thought it was still solid although not as good as the debut & Business is Business felt like the closest we’ll get to a Metro Thuggin’ project for now. Approximately a month following his now ex-girlfriend Mariah the Scientist’s most important offering of her career Hearts Sold Separately, the Atlanta trap trailblazer has finally made up for UY SCUTI’s delays.

“Ninja” produced by Southside & Dez Wright starts with a surprisingly exciting trap intro derailed by dropping the hard R whereas “Yuck” featuring Ken Carson teams up over a Taurus instrumental to discuss shit getting lit. “On the News” featuring Cardi B finds the pair on top of a London on da Track beat to ask what it feels like seeing their faces on the television while “Catch Me I’m Falling” recalls meeting with Brian Steel when incarcerated.

Metro Thuggin’ reunites for “Fucking Told U” to talk about their respective lifestyles just before “Whoopty Doo” hilariously pokes fun at his interview on the Perspektives podcast earlier this month with Wheezy. “Blaming Jesus” has one of my least favorite instrumentals on the album despite the theme of needing real love & pleading that it’s not a phase prior to “Sad Slime” talking about his falling out with Gunna.

“R.I.P. Big & Mack” featuring T.I. unites both trap pioneers of their own generations for a historic Atlanta moment remembering the late Lil Keed who Thug wishes he cherished more than some of the other former artists on YSL while “Invest Into You” by Metro Thuggin’ goes pop rap/trap to talk about investing into Mariah & vice versa. “I’m So Dope” boisterously boasts of his legacy within the subgenre of trap while “Pardon My Back” featuring Lil Baby starts the 2nd half dropping braggadocio.

Sexyy Red joins Thug on “Mami” for a fun strip club banger while “Whaddup Jesus” featuring YFN Lucci squashes the beef between the 2 with an average collaboration over a synth-heavy TM88 beat. “Walk Down” featuring 21 Savage unites both local trap stars over a trap instrumental with some bells to rep their own sets while “Pipe Down” by Cactus Slatt locks in with Metro Boomin’ talking about nobody being richer than them.

“Spider or Jeffery” featuring Quavo lets their lovers know the 2 names that they prefer them to call them by whilst praising God for allowing them to beat the corrupt system while “Revenge” featuring Lil Gotit & 1300SAINT unites the trio to seek pure vengeance.“Money on Money” featuring Future talks about loyalty to their individuals circles & disdain for snitches while “Dreams Rarely Do Come True” featuring Mariah the Scientist is a 2-parter humorously comparing him crying to Gunna snitching to crying over a bitch.

The final single “Miss My Dogs” ends with an apology to everyone addressed in the leaked jail calls while the country trap hybrid “By the Police” starts the deluxe run throwing it back to the Beautiful Thugger Girls era. “Pussy Smell Like This” asks if any younger artist is shinin’ the way he is while “All Your Time” leans heavier towards the pop rap style with lustful lyrics. “Safe” with Leon Thomas III tackles his insecurities that his reputation overshadows while “I Put A” featuring the late Lil Keed talks about these rap dudes not being his kind over a Mike WiLL-Made It beat.

“Rosetta Stone” appreciably takes its cues from the Beautiful Thugger Girls days again although the “fuck that lil’ 13” line made me cringe while “Yes You Can” suggests to let others take his style as long as they ain’t taking his life. “Fighting Depression” happens to be a P*nk outtake that ATL Jacob cooked up talking about feeling superb yet trying to fight for something that he feels deserving of while “It’s Ok to Cry” remembers his late homie who passed away in 2020. “Spit in My Mouth” talks about getting freaky with a Japanese woman in bed & the final bonus track “Birthday Boy” featuring Mariah the Scientist reunites with each other 1 last time for an R&B/pop rap duet seeking trust.

Taking into consideration that this is the first proper solo effort from Young Thug since P*nk because Metro Boomin’ produced 60% of Business is Business over 2 years ago, all the controversy surrounding the YSL founder a few weeks ago had me a bit worried regarding the final product of UY SCUTI. However, I actually enjoyed his final project under 300 Entertainment & Atlantic Records a lot more than P*nk excluding Business is Business & would easily put it above The Last Wun. It’s exciting to hear him with other producers on Metro’s level & Thugger’s more introspective since coming home.

Score: 4/5

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Jehry Robinson – “Hella Highwater” review

Long Island, New York rapper, singer/songwriter & producer Jehry Robinson returning got his 4th LP. Coming up almost a decade ago off his eponymous debut EP & the debut mixtape Pts. IV-VI few months later, his biggest breakthrough came around Christmas 2019 after signing to Strange Music & quickly establishing himself with the KC indie powerhouse by dropping his full-length debut 20/Twenty the summer COVID had the world shutdown & a sophomore effort The Name’s Not Important the next fall. It’s already been a couple years since Drink More Water & is ending the month the way Strange started it with Hella Highwater.

Struggle Jennings joins Jehry on the heartfelt intro “Gates” telling the story of a family member who was recently released from a 12-year prison sentence whereas “Pour Up” featuring Doobie finds the 2 talking about smoking or drinking when they probably shouldn’t embracing a county rap sound. “Good by Now” produced with Matt Phoenix mixes country, trap & pop realizing that love alone isn’t enough if the other person isn’t willing to grow while “Marathon” featuring Ty March sings about giving their lovers everything.

“Better” sends an sarcastic letter to that 1 person who’s constantly treats life like a competition over a creaky guitar & a smooth reggae-style inflection in his vocals leading into “Whispers” going for a pop rock vibe singing about not needing anyone to hold him down. “Whiskey Water” channels the energy of a lonely southern dive bar using water as a chaser whenever he consumes liquor while “Slumber” hopes of getting up from the darkness one day.

Wyshmaster produces the 2nd single “Pay Me” leaning towards country pop instrumentally singing that he doesn’t need to be saved because he’s too far gone while “Acoustic” featuring Jaimie Wilson joining forces for a duet about the group of people who only love you when you’re gone. “Backwoods” takes the Americana route a little passionately pleading that he doesn’t wanna slow down because it’s the only thing he knows while the summery “Mark on My Heart” experiences a breakup.

“Feel So Long” comes off assuring about all of us having our own sorts of pain & that contributing greatly to making us strong while the poppy “Why Don’t You” asking for the reason this person won’t say goodbye to him. “4 Seasons” featuring Zane Neale sings about loving their partners every season of the year & the self-produced “Pilot” closing Hella Highwater out by turning this plane around. “William Montgomery” however returns to his hip hop roots serving up a stunningly deft lyrical display.

Bringing musical fusion in a way fans have come to know as his specialty, Hella Highwater pushes Jehry Robinson’s artistry further than ever before whilst tackling a prominent theme revolving around all people having the capability of overcoming adversity & realizing our dreams no matter how badly we’ve fucked up in the past because we still matter to the important people in our lives. His palette is more diversified even if it’s more country themed, he’s more honest & extends a confidential reality check to those in need of it.

Score: 4/5

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