Big B – “Welcome to the Club” review

Big B is a 47 year old rapper from Las Vegas, Nevada starting out as the frontman for 187. After the band’s dissolution, the hooligan would go on to join OPM in 2002 & become a household name for the infamous California powerhouse Suburban Noize Records just a couple years later. His first 3 solo albums High Class White Trash, White Trash Renegade & More to Hate would become some of my favorite releases that the label has ever put out. We just celebrated the 7 year anniversary of B’s previous album Fool’s Gold earlier this past week & after going on a musical hiatus since then, he’s ready to make a comeback with his 7th full-length album.

“Enjoy the Show” is a good way to start off the album as B encourages the listener to just relax on top of a fitting rock instrumental whereas the next song “It Ain’t Punk Rock” talks about being him over a more traditional hip hop instrumental with a guitar thrown in. The track “Whiskey & Women” talks about it’s hard to maintain from the things he loves over a fast tempo instrumental while the song “Band of Brothers (This is How I Roll)” is a catchy country rock cut about keeping it real.

The track “San Felipe Blues” is a road trip anthem accompanied with an acoustic instrumental while the song “Forget You” with Everlast sees the 2 talking about drinking themselves blind because of scandalous women over some summery production. The track “That’s Country” talks about how he speaks the truth over a banjo & some hard hitting drums while the song “2nd Pistol in My Pocket” tells the story of a man being on a run after murdering someone the night before over a more outlaw instrumental.

The track “Where Were You” is a powerful ballad calling out those who weren’t there for him when he was struggling while the song “It’s Too Late” takes aim at those who wanna act tough over a hard rock instrumental. The track “Down” talks about partying over over some banjos & guitars while the song “My Old Lady” of course is an endearing tribute to Big B’s mother over a more vintage country instrumental. The album then finishes off with “The Whiskey Blues”, which obviously talks about alcohol over a luxurious piano instrumental.

Now if anyone’s followed Big B’s career long enough, then you probably already know that he’s repped that white trash life in his music since the very beginning. That being said: This is pretty much his very own country album & it’s a mature one at that. Michael Bradford did a good job on the production end & you can definitely hear B has the passion again after that 7 year hiatus.

Score: 3.5/5

Che Noir – “As God Intended” review

Che Noir is a 26 year old MC from Buffalo, New York that I’ve been keeping up with for the past couple years now. I first caught wind of her through here extensive collaborations with 38 Spesh whether it be Che featured on his projects or Spesh producing a couple of her EPs. But to change things up, she’s enlisting Detroit veteran Apollo Brown for her full-length debut.

The album kicks off with “Anti-Social”, where Che talks about being a star since she was a kid over a boom bap beat with a luxurious piano-lead. The next song “Blood’s Thicker” paints a picture of what it was like for her growing up in Buffalo over a vintage soul sample while the track “Hustle Don’t Give” with Black Thought finds the 2 spitters being money hungry over an upbeat instrumental. The song “Money Orientated” lyrically needs no further explanation over a mystical beat while the track “12 Hours” tells the story of Che killing her man after catching him cheating on her with her friend Lisa over a desponding instrumental.

The song “Hold It Down” with Ty Farris sees the 2 talking about fighting until they die over an orchestral beat while the track “Daddy’s Girl” talks about her father being absent in her life on top of a spacious instrumental. The song “Worth Gold” talks bout being an adolescent over a somber boom bap beat while “The Apple” with Planet Asia finds the 2 making a dedication to black women worldwide over over a peaceful instrumental.

The song “Freedom” tackles racism in the United States over a woozy boom bap beat while the track “Follow the Wisdom” with Skyzoo displays a churchy beat & the way Apollo flips Scarface’s “My Block” on the hook is just incredible. The song “Winter” talks about how this man loves the streets more than her over a jazzy beat while the penultimate track “Live By the Code” over a tempting instrumental. The album then finishes with “’94”, which is a tribute to some of Che’s influences from Biggie to G-Unit over a meditative boom bap beat.

Buffalo has really been taking over the hip hop scene in recent years thanks to Griselda & this album only proves that Che Noir is on her way to becoming one of the illest female spitters out today. Throughout its 51 minute runtime, you’ll find some of her best songwriting to date accompanied by Apollo Brown‘s ever-so-phenomenal set of production.

Score: 4.5/5

Westside Gunn – “FLYGOD is an Awesome God II” review

This is the 5th full-length album from Buffalo emcee/entrepreneur Westside Gunn. Breaking out in 2016 with his near-perfect debut album FLYGOD, he would go on to take over the hip hop scene with his brother Conway the Machine & their cousin Benny the Butcher as they’ve consistently dropped a slew of high quality releases both solo-wise & as a trio. However, Westside has stated on numerous occasions that 2020 will be his final year rapping & kicked it off just this spring with Pray for Paris. But with the 1 year anniversary of FLYGOD is an Awesome God approaching this weekend, Westside is celebrating with a sequel preluding his Shady Records debut Who Made the Sunshine? set to drop next month.

After the “Praise God” intro, the first song “Michael Irvin” finds Westside talking about how no one’s flyer than him referencing WWE Hall of Famer Mike Tyson over a jazzy beat whereas the next track “Jose Canseco” with Stove God Cook$ sees the 2 talking charismatically boasting including a reference to WWE Hall of Famer, former 2-time WWE Intercontinental Champion, WWE United States Champion & WCW World Tag Team Champion Curt Hennig over a soulful instrumental from STREETRUNNER. I was surprised to see the loosie “1 More Hit” appearing on here, but I’m glad it did & the new Stove God Cook$ verse added on is a nice touch to it as well.

After the first “Sadhu Interlude”, the song “Lil Cease” with Griselda Records’ newest signee Armani Caesar finds the 2 rightfully proclaiming their thrones as King & Queen of Buffalo over a creepy boom bap beat from JR Swiftz. After the “Fuck the Police” skit, the song “Buffs vs. Wires” with Benny the Butcher & Boldy James of course gets on the drug dealer tip over a classy ass loop from Daringer.

Then after the “Mr. Maino” skit, we’re treated to a remix of another old WSG loosie “Bubba Chuck” with Stove God Cook$ being added on once again & I actually like this a lot more than the “1 More Hit” remix that I discussed earlier. Including the bar about WWE Hall of Famer, former WWE Champion & 2-time WWE Intercontinental Champion The Ultimate Warrior. After the final “Sadhu Interlude”, the song “Drive By Love” is a gangsta sex tune over a savory Chuck Inglish instrumental.

The penultimate track “Rebirth” namedrops both WWE Hall of Famers & former 3-time WWE tag team champions The Road Warriors alongside former CZW World Jr. Heavyweight Champion, PWG World Champion, record-setting 3-time ROH World Champion, ROH World Television Champion, the longest reigning NXT Champion, the inaugural NXT North American Champion & NXT Tag Team Champion Adam Cole on top of the peaceful instrumental. The album then finishes with “Steve Behr”, where Westside enlists Rome Streetz to talk about pushing coke over a hypnotic sample.

It’s not as good as Pray for Paris, but I still think this is a solid album regardless. In contrast to the predecessor seeing Westside Gunn experimenting & trying new things, he pretty much takes it back to the basement on here. Beyond excited to see where he takes things on Who Made the Sunshine?.

Score: 3.5/5

Damo the Great – “Sacred Geometry” review

Damo the Great is an MC from Dearborn Heights, Michigan who debuted in 2018 with Order Out of Chaos. He had also put out an instrumental album called Now You Know the year prior but as we approach the 2nd half of this hectic year, he’s starting off the new decade with his sophomore effort entirely produced by Invectrum.

After the unsettling “Poison the Toad” intro, the first song “Shoot 1st” talks about how he don’t fuck with haters over a gloomy boom bap beat whereas the track “Valaryian Steel” with Aztek the Barfly & Guilty Simpson finds the 3 coming through with vicious battle bars over a rugged instrumental. The song “Evil Kanevil” with DZK & Green Children sees the 4 talking about how they’re all demonic on the mid over an spine-tingling beat & after the “Ouroboros” interlude, the song “Eloise” talks about insanity over a bleak instrumental

After the “Intro to Geometry 101” interlude, the the title track comes through with some good for the mind over a clever violin loop while the song “Murderers Row” with Diabolic sees the 2 proclaiming themselves as lyrical assassins over a demented beat. The track “Dream” with Sankofa finds the 2 pondering about life over a forlorn instrumental while the song “It Ain’t Over” with Mastamind sees the 2 challenging their opponents over a suspenseful instrumental. The album finishes off with “Wetwork”, where Damo is pretty much saying he could care less about a number of things over a supernatural instrumental.

As much as I liked Order Out of Chaos, I think I enjoy this new album just a little bit more. There are a couple features I could’ve done without, but Foul Mouth did a great job on the mixing & I really dig how Sacred Geometry is a lot more darker from Damo’s lyrical topics to Invectrum’s production

Score: 3.5/5

Substance810 – “The Definition Of” review

Substance810 is an MC/producer from Port Huron, Michigan who first made his mark in 2006 with his debut album The Definition under his original moniker Tekneek. 14 years later & 5 more projects later, he’s returning with a sequel to the album that started it all titled The Definition Of.

The opener “All My Life” speaks about being a righteous man now & for this to be the only song not to be produced by Substance810 himself, the psychedelic boom bap production Know It comes through with is a great touch. The next song “Fuck You Talmbout” is about how he’s more concerned about bars than radio play over a chilling instrumental while the track “Midnight Oil” finds him contemplating about getting bread over a nightly beat. The song “U Should Kno” with Rudy Will sees the 2 talking about earning medals for how they run joints & comparing their lyrics to a movie script over a delicate instrumental while the track “Just Ridiculous” comes through with some nasty battle raps over a ghostly boom bap instrumental.

The song “Royal Rhymes” with Jamil Honesty sees the 2 flexing their lyricism while the track “Wowzerz” talks about how hardcore he is over a flawlessly vintage boom bap beat. The song “Chop Suey” with Drip Matthews sees the 2 talking about how they’re still the same as they were in the start over a hypnotic beat while “The Rising” with Daniel Son & Rome Streetz finds the 3 wordsmiths detailing their rise in the underground over a luxurious instrumental. The penultimate track “Tunnel Vision” with Jay Royale sees the 2 talking about keeping it raw over a gritty loop. The album then finishes with “Dark Clouds”, where Substance810 talks about his inner turmoil over a symphonic instrumental.

Michigan has always been filled with bottomlessly talented hip hop acts even to this day & if you wanna get into the guy, this is not a bad place to start at all. He does a fantastic job at showing the listener how much he’s evolved in the past 14 years both as a brutal MC & as an equally talented producer.

Score: 4/5

Run the Jewels – “Run the Jewels 4” review

Run the Jewels are a super-duo consisting of Killer Mike & El-P. They first crossed paths with each other in 2012 when the latter produced Mike’s 5th album R.A.P. (Rebellious African People) Music in it’s entirety, but came together officially the following year with a self-titled debut. Their sophomore album in 2014 is my personal favorite though, as it’s a lot darker. Last we heard from Mike & El-Producto together in a full-length capacity was in 2016 with their much more political 3rd album but in classic Run the Jewels, they’re releasing their long awaited 4th album a couple days early.

Things kick off with “yankee & the brave (ep. 4)”, where the duo display their chemistry over an abstract chaotic instrumental. The next song “ooh la la” with Greg Nice sees the 3 talking about over a piano-inflicted boom bap beat while the track “out of sight” with 2 Chainz talks about being menaces over a vintage rap rock instrumental. The song “holy calamafuck” is a dark shit-talking anthem with a phenomenal beat switch about halfway through while the track “goonies vs. E.T.” talks about having another chance over an abrasive instrumental.

The song “walking in the snow” is pretty much a well-timed response George Floyd’s recent murder over a dynamic instrumental while the track “JU$T” with Zack de la Rocha of course talks about the industry over a Neptunes-influenced beat which is fitting because Pharrell kills it with his additional vocals. The song “never look back” talks about moving on from the past over a futuristic instrumental while “the ground below” talks about how love never meant much to them backed by an amazing sample of “Ether” by Gang of 4. The penultimate song “pulling the pin” cleverly uses grenades as a metaphor for their hearts over an instrumental with a cavernous instrumental with phenomenal guitar playing from Josh Homme & then the album finishes off with “a few words for the firing squad (radiation)”, where Killer Mike & El-P make an epic dedication to those whose voices were never heard over a more minimalist instrumental.

These guys now have 4 consecutive classics together, because this did not disappoint me at all. I love how they took all the elements of their first 3 albums & fused them all together into 1 near-perfect 39 minute album. The production is off the wall, their chemistry is unmatched at this point & the political commentary is perfect for everything that’s going in the world right now.

Score: 4.5/5

Freddie Gibbs – “Alfredo” review

Freddie Gibbs is a 37 year old emcee from Gary, Indiana that started out in 2004 with his debut mixtape Full Metal Jackit. Interscope Records would eventually sign him in 2006, but he left shortly after without releasing a full-length debut. This was made up for with the mixtapes The Miseducation of Freddie Gibbs & Str8 Killa No Filla, which would catch the attention of Jeezy & land Freddie a contract with CTE World in 2011. This didn’t last long though, as Gibbs would leave CTE the following year after releasing the tapes Cold Day in Hell & B.F.K. (BabyFace Killa). In 2013, he decided to form his own label E$GN Records & finally dropped the full-length album, E.$.G.N. (Evil $eeds Grow Naturally). He & iconic Oxnard producer Madlib would drop their MadGibbs debut Piñata the year after that, which is EASILY one of the greatest hip hop albums of the previous decade. Gibbs continued to grow his profile after that with Shadow of a Doubt, You Only Live 2wice, Freddie, the Curren$y collab EP Fetti & of course there’s MadGibbs’ sophomore effort Bandana almost a year ago at this point. However, he’s returning out of the blue with his 3rd full-length album & The Alchemist producing it in it’s entirety.

Things kick off with “1985”, where Freddie talks about his flow being God level over a psychedelic guitar instrumental. The next song “God Is Perfect” talks about “Gangland shit” over a dreary instrumental while the track “Scottie Beam” finds Gibbs getting conscious & Rick Ross flexing over a dreamy instrumental. The song “Look At Me” talks about how he ain’t looking back over a soulful instrumental while the track “Frank Lucas” featuring Benny the Butcher sees the 2 talking that drug dealing over a grim boom bap beat.

“Something to Rap About” featuring Tyler, The Creator sees the 2 discussing rapping about crime & fame respectively over a tropical instrumental while the track “Baby $hit” talks about how soft dudes be nowadays. The song “Babies & Fools” with Conway the Machine sees the 2 reminiscing on their first & second loves over a gorgeously smooth instrumental while the penultimate track “Skinny Suge” opens up about feeling like someone’s tryin’ to kill him over a meditative beat. The album finishes off with “All Glass”, where Gangsta Gibbs gets on the gangsta tip over a hard hitting instrumental.

For this being the lyrical surprise album everyone was talking about dropping this week, it’s phenomenal. Probably Freddie’s best solo effort yet in my opinion. The production is phenomenal as we’d all expect from Uncle Al at this point culminating in jazz rap, boom bap & drumless with Freddie’s pen-game being just as gruesome as it was on Bandana depicting the gangsta lifestyle he’s experienced with guests that’re on the same level.

Score: 4.5/5

Dabbla – “Nobody” review

This is the 3rd studio LP from London, England, United Kingdom emcee Dabbla. Known for being 1/3 the Dead Players as well as 1/3 of LDZ & 1/4 of Problem Child, he eventually made his solo debut in 2016 off Year of the Monkey followed by the debut mixtape Chapsville under High Focus Records & the sophomore effort Death Moves respectively. Only a couple months after the world shut down entirely because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Potent Funk Records co-founder Sumgii’s being enlisted to produce Nobody.

The title track sets the tone of what’s to come advising one to save their expertise until it helps them blow up for the purpose of seeing who really supports him & doesn’t whereas “Out My Way” admits to being a little crossfaded over a boom bap instrumental. “Trenches” goes for a psychedelic direction getting real sick & tired of all the bullshit around him while ”Shimmy” hooks the kicks & snares back up to talk about the only thing we need to do is be ourselves.

“Rare” ends the 1st half of the album confesses of him hustling for the funds because of the rarity in it just before “Same” gets the 2nd leg going returning to the boom bap talking about how neither his address or his number have changed since becoming successful. “Enough” vividly describes a relationship falling apart in front of our very eyes & the woman being fed up with all the bullshit she’s dealt with for so long over an industrial beat while “Explain” talks about having this funny melting feeling inside his brain driving him nuts.

Nearing the conclusion of Nobody, the song “Lucky” discusses his gratitude of taking all the risks he had to in order for him to be in the position he’s at now in his career while “Formless”could have the quirkiest instrumental here talking about these shapeless artists having no capability of outdoing him because of the lack of cutting edge boundary-pushing talent. “Junk” spends the last 3 & a half minutes of the album

Death Moves was merely ok to me a couple years earlier, but Nobody could be the greatest thing that’s ever come out of Potent Funk Records delivering a full-length that I enjoy equally as much as if not more than Year of the Monkeyconsidering it captures the chemistry of the label’s founders in a way that sticks out differently than either of Problem Child’s projects shedding light on the lethal combination of Sumgii’s sonically varied & bass-driven production or Dabbla’s cutthroat syllables & dynamic flows.

Score: 4/5

Gorilla Twins – Self-Titled review

The Gorilla Twins are a Brooklyn hip hop duo consisting of Ill Bill & NEMS. Both of whom have cemented themselves as underground titans with releases like The Hour of Reprisal, Prezident’s Day, The Grimy Awards & Gorilla Monsoon. The 2 have collaborated with each other a few times in the past but after 5 years in the making, they’ve decided now is the time to team up with this new album over here.

After the titular intro, we get into the first song “Married to the Game”. Where the duo pretty much talk about their grind over a wrathful instrumental. The track “Wolves” with Vinnie Paz sees the 3 telling their opponents that they don’t want the smoke over a boom bap beat with a mournful piano-loop while the song “Highs & Lows” talks about the trials & tribulations of their lives over a perilous beat from Stu Bangas. The track “Bong!” finds the duo going back & forth with each other nonchalantly over some strings & a despondent vocal sample looped by Shortfyuz while the song “Supply & Demand” compares themselves to the bad guys in movies over a boom bap beat with an angelic choir hanging in the background.

After the “Twinning” interlude, the track “Nah” talks about running the spot over an unsettling instrumental from Scram Jones while the song “Shootout at the Cyclone” with Lord Goat sees the 3 getting on the mafioso tip over a Middle Eastern-influenced instrumental from Ill Bill himself. The track “Gunners” talks about those who lie in their raps over an apocalyptic boom bap beat & although I like how the song “Pay Homage” tells the listeners to put respect on both of their names along with the Stu Bangas instrumental that they both trade bars, I wish it was a little bit longer. The album finishes off with “Adios”, where the Gorilla Twins link up with Immortal Technique to talk about inevitable death over a funereal boom bap beat.

This was well worth the 5 year wait if you ask me. During the album’s 35 minute runtime, Ill Bill & NEMS manage to show that they have an impeccably natural chemistry together & the production is grimy as it’s always been. The lack of features are a really nice touch as well. If you’re a fan of either one of the Canarsie & Coney Island veterans or both for that atter, then this is definitely a must listen!

Score: 4/5

Gunna – “W.U.N.N.A. (Wealthy Unapologetic N***a Naturally Authentic)” review

Gunna is a 26 year old rapper from College Park, Georgia that got his start in 2013 with his debut mixtape Hard Body. He would eventually catch the attention of local phenomenon Young Thug in 2016, who take Gunna under his wing & sign him to his 300 Entertainment imprint YSL Records that same year. However it wasn’t until the release of Drip or Drown & Drip Season 3 in late 2017 & early 2018 respectively where Gunna’s profile increased significantly. Last we heard from him was a little over a year ago with the disappointingly mediocre full-length debut Drip or Drown 2 but after doing a shitload of features since, he’s ready to deliver a sophomore effort.

The album kicks off with “Argentina”, where Gunna tells the story of 2 women following him to the studio over an acoustic-trap instrumental from Wheezy. The next song “Gimmick” speaks on being loyal over a slow yet intoxicating beat while the track “M.O.T.W. (Money On The Way)” talks about his new lifestyle over a piano & some snares from Outtatown. The song “Feigning” talks about partying over a Tay Keith instrumental with some orchestral loops while the track “Dollaz on My Head” with Young Thug sees the 2 getting materialistic over a cloudy beat from Mike WiLL Made-It.

The song “Addys” with Nechie is a tedious tribute to the drug adderall with a decent instrumental from Turbo & while I wasn’t too crazy on the vaportrap-flavored lead single “Skybox” produced by Taurus at first, it has slightly grown on me in the context of the album. The titular song is a boring sequel to “Speed It Up” off of Drip or Drown 2 while the track “Blind Fold” with Lil Baby sees the duo flexing over a nightly instrumental.

The song “Rockstar Bikers & Chains” talks about what it’s like for him being on top over an incredible trap rock instrumental while the track “Met Gala” talks about having the finest clothing & I absolutely love how kaleidoscopic the beat is. The song “Nasty Girl / On Camera” is a raunchy 2 parter that sequences into one another solidly while the track “Cooler Than a Bitch” with Roddy Ricch sees the 2 talking about how awesome they are over a Tre Pounds beat with a nice guitar loop.

The song “I’m On Some” opens up about people trying to leach him for his wealth over a spacious beat while the track “Top Floor” with Travis Scott is an infectious party starter with an instrumental kin to “Hot” off of Young Thug’s So Much Fun. The song “Don’t Play Around” talks about how he doesn’t have time for B.S. over an electronic-tinged beat while the penultimate track “Do Better” is a emotionally profound motivational anthem with a beat with a trippy atmosphere to it. The album finishes with “Far”, where Gunna & Thugger discuss how they didn’t think they’d get to the point where they are now over a woozy beat.

This is A LOT better than Drip or Drown 2 was & I’ll even say it’s the best thing that Gunna‘s put out since Drip Season 3. Couple of weak features, but most of them come together nicely. However, what I really enjoy the most about this album is how it sounds much more focused & consistent than it’s predecessor from the catchy songwriting & performances to the vigorous production.

Score: 4/5